NCM 7 Architecture and Deployment

This blog is a sequel of the previous Orion Architecture blog and focuses on the recently released NCM 7 architecture and deployment.

NCM 7 architecture is different from the previous versions, mostly because it leverages several components from Orion Core (see Orion Architecture blog) and integrates more tightly with Core-based products such as NPM.

Standalone deployment

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  Choose this deployment if you only have SolarWinds NCM or if you want it completely non-integrated to any other Orion-based product.

  
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  Other SolarWinds products can be installed and integrated to a standalone NCM at a later time.

  
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  Node, User Account and Syslog &Trap Management rely on Core components. NCM 7 also benefits from Network Atlas.

  
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  NCM 7.0 always relies on 2 databases

The “Core database” contains essentially the information related to Node and User Account. The “NCM database” contains all information related to device configurations.

They can be hosted on the same or separate database servers. Here are a few diagrams showing NCM standalone with several possible database deployment options:

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  Watch a video of a Standalone deployment here

Integrated Single Server deployment

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  Choose this deployment to optimize your hardware footprint for NPM and NCM

  
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  NCM 7.0 always relies on 2 databases, see the Standalone deployment type for more information.

  
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  NCM 7.0 can be co-hosted with NPM 10.2

In this deployment, both share the same Core.

In this case, the Web UI is always integrated, i.e. Home/Network and Configs tabs appear side by side in the WEB interface. Note that it is possible to configure NPM users to have no visibility of the NCM tab and resources, with NCM 7.0.1, by using the NCM User Account setting NCM Role=None. See NCM admin guide section “Setting User Account Access”.

In an upgrade scenario (E.g. NCM 6 to NCM 7 and NPM 10.1 to NPM 10.2), the nodes previously in NCM 6.x will be synchronized with the Core database and appear in NPM. If some of these nodes are to be NCM-only nodes, you can hide them from NPM users, by using account limitations. Orion Core will also poll them for status (up/down).

In this deployment, the database location options are similar to the Standalone deployment, described above.

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  Watch a video of a Integrated Single Server deployment here

Integrated Separate Server deployment

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  Choose this deployment to optimize the scalability of your deployment

  
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  NCM 7.0 can be hosted on a separate server from NPM 10.2, but be integrated

In this case, the Web UI is always integrated, i.e. Home/Network and Configs tabs appear side by side in the WEB interface. Note that it is possible to configure NPM users to have no visibility of the NCM tab and resources, with NCM 7.0.1, by using the NCM User Account setting NCM Role=None. See NCM admin guide section “Setting User Account Access”.

In this deployment, both share the same Core (Core-1 on diagram)

The Core installed with NCM Server (Core-2 on diagram) is required for integration but won’t perform any polling activity. It can be used to receive Syslogs and Traps, for Real-Time Change Detection. Note that the Core-1 Syslogs and Traps (shared with NPM in this example), can also be used for NCM’s Real-Time Change Detection.

In an upgrade scenario (E.g. NCM 6 to NCM 7 and NPM 10.1 to NPM 10.2), and whatever your deployment type, the rules used for Real-Time Change Detection, must be reconfigured using the Core-based Syslogs and Traps server. See NCM admin guide section “Configuring Realtime Configuration Change Detection”.

In an upgrade scenario (E.g. NCM 6 to NCM 7 and NPM 10.1 to NPM 10.2), the nodes previously in NCM 6.x will be synchronized with the Core database and appear in NPM. If some of these nodes are to be NCM-only nodes, you can hide them from NPM users, by using account limitations. Orion Core will poll them for status (up/down).

In this deployment, the database location options are similar to the Standalone deployment, described above

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  Watch a video of a Integrated Separate Server deployment here

Integrated Separate Server deployment – Additional Web Servers

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  Choose this deployment to further optimize the scalability of your deployment

  
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  The separate deployment of NCM can leverage 2 NCM Web modules

One integrated with NPM and one (or more) integrated with an Additional Web Server

In this deployment, the database location options are similar to the Standalone deployment, described above

NCM 7.0 cannot be co-hosted with scalability engines

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  NCM 7.0 cannot be installed on the same server as a scalability engine: Additional Polling Engine or Additional Web Server

NCM – Multiple NPM

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  This NCM 6.x/NPM 10.1.x configuration (one NCM integrated to multiple NPMs), is not supported anymore with NCM 7.x/NPM 10.2

s

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  EOC can offer views integrated between one NCM and multiple NPMs

EOC displays aggregated data and allows for drill-down to respective UI’s in order to get detailed views.

Other non-supported deployments

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  2 NCMs integrated to one NPM, sharing the same NCM DB and Core DB

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  2 NCMs integrated to one NPM, sharing the same Core DB