Item: SolarWinds Network Configuration Manager (NCM)
Rating: 9
Author: Randy Langer

Overall Satisfaction with SolarWinds Network Configuration Manager

Use Cases and Deployment Scope

We have deployed SolarWinds Network Configuration Manager across the entire organization. We monitor the availability of our Cisco switches and routers and our Windows servers. We also backup the Cisco configs and use SolarWinds NCM as a syslog server.

Pros and Cons

Pros

Cisco switch backup config--easy to compare and restore
Syslog server--aggregate log messages

Cons

Sometimes slow to log in and needs to be restarted

Return on Investment

Saves a ton of time when replacing failed switches
Monitoring lets me know right away when equipment fails

Alternatives Considered

Ipswitch WhatsUp Gold

SolarWinds NCM was much more dynamic and full featured than WhatsUpGold.

Other Software Used

Cisco Prime LAN Management Solution

Likelihood to Recommend

SolarWinds Network Configuration Manager is well suited to network admins who need to monitor configurations and restore from time to time, and who need a syslog server to aggregate the log messages. It's less appropriate for performance monitoring or digging deep into network problems.

Comments

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SolarWinds NCM is an excellent configuration manager for our Cisco switches and more.