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Network Atlas?

Hi,

Currently trying to get the most out of our Orion dashboard. I keep seeing links to download Network Atlas to use features like wireless heat maps and things like that. Is network atlas an additional cost? or is this free to install and use with orion if we have already purchased solarwinds. Thanks!

-Joe

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deiberts

NetworkAtlas.exe should come with your Orion product. If you see a sample map you should see a download link to download the file and you install it on your workstation. Natively it's already install on your Orion web server.

jblankjblank

You may also be interested in the latest release of Orion Maps which is also included as a feature within the Orion Platform.

Orion Platform 2018.2 Improvements - Chapter Two - Intelligent Mapping

Orion Platform 2018.4 Improvements - Intelligent Mapping Enhancements

Orion Platform 2019.2 - Orion Maps 2.0!

mezdem

I cannot access this links, its states unauthorized. Trying the Atlas2.0 link

i_like_eggs

this link should work: ORION PLATFORM 2019.2 - ORION MAPS 2.0

jblankjblank

Here is the latest as well - the link is subject to change in the future - ORION PLATFORM 2019.4 - ORION MAPS RC (NPM Forum)

joelgarnick

just to be clear, "orion maps 2.0" and "atlas" are not the same thing. Orion Maps is the new automatic mapping feature introduced in 2018. Atlas is an exe that you download from your Orion environment, install on your local computer and then launch and connect back to your orion environment...it's a little bit like visio with a lot less features but "network based" in that you have to connect back to your Orion server to use it. The easiest way to deal with Atlas in my experience is to build out a diagram in Visio or LucidChart or your preferred diagramming application, export it as a jpeg or similar picture format, and then import it as the background for your Atlas map, then drag in all the various status icons. This works well for me since I'm mainly concerned with visualizing network links between switches and routers...may not work the same for other applications.

Back to Orion Maps...these are automatically built based on polling information from your devices (cdp/lldp, arp tables, mac address tables, etc) and displayed contextually under the map icon on each of your devices' nodes details page.

jblankjblank

joelgarnick - That is not entirely accurate. Allow me to clarify. Orion Maps is a project dedicated to providing a revamped engine for creating visual representations of your environment as a feature of the Orion Platform. The goal of this endeavor is to tackle a massive project while doing the best to provide value along the way. We believe that by reviewing functionality from tools such as Network Atlas we can ensure we learn what worked, what didn't, and where to improve. We also want to be sure to focus on performance and scale. There are feature requests a mile long around this topic, and our intention is to incorporate as much of those as possible in the Orion Maps feature. Not everything can make it, and it can never come fast enough, but after each release we can chat with our customers and discover what is most important to all of you, and what you are needing next.

Timeline:

Now the initial phases of this project were based on contextual maps. One of the biggest themes across the customer base was that everyone loves maps for the the benefit of quickly identifying relationships and potential impact through dependencies, but not everyone has the time to maintain them. The contextual maps were a great place to start as we developed the framework. They are kept up to date for you, and can even be interacted with and expanded during the troubleshooting process. Additional details can be found in the first two posts mentioned previously.

Orion Platform 2018.2 Improvements - Chapter Two - Intelligent Mapping

Orion Platform 2018.4 Improvements - Intelligent Mapping Enhancements

Orion Maps 2.0 is focused on providing the first iteration of the Map Editor and Map Widget - ORION PLATFORM 2019.2 - ORION MAPS 2.0 - Here you can start from scratch or use contextual based maps to construct a specific view of your environment and even place it in the new widget.

The latest release, currently in RC (ORION PLATFORM 2019.4 - ORION MAPS RC (NPM Forum) , takes this to a whole new level, where some users feel they no longer need Network Atlas. Atlas will eventually meet its' end, but we still have a bit to go to cover everything it afforded our users. We will see how the next release goes!

We hope you enjoy the latest release and previous releases, and we are happy to hear your feedback. Please feel free to post below or reach out to me to jump on a call and discuss!

brianj

I strongly suspect Network Atlas will be going away in a future release, but I haven't seen features like wireless heat maps in them so you're probably safe using Network Atlas for now.

And you don't need to download it as it's already installed on your primary Orion server.

saw10

"The latest release, currently in RC (ORION PLATFORM 2019.4 - ORION MAPS RC (NPM Forum) , takes this to a whole new level, where some users feel they no longer need Network Atlas. Atlas will eventually meet its' end, but we still have a bit to go to cover everything it afforded our users. We will see how the next release goes! "

So Network Atlas will be going away!?!

Has development stopped on this tool?

When do you think Orion Maps will have the same range of control and display option that are currently available in Network Atlas?

Will Network Atlas go the same way as Network Topology Mapper?

jblankjblank

saw10 - Yes Network Atlas will eventually be going away. We hope to have much of the feature parity needed to do so very soon. The important question we need answered from you is what do YOU NEED to feel comfortable switching to Orion Maps? What range of control and display options are you looking for?

saw10

Please see the maps below this is the level of detail that we need. Currently there are in excess of 250 maps and dashboards with my environment. This is a network infrastructure environment at this time but as with any monitoring I am sure that it will expand into other areas.

Layout in very important the ability to "snap" to a grid and/or align objects.

Each interface that makes up the connection not just the "logical connection"

The ability to layout the connections - This allows for a better representation of a complex environment

Addition and placement of lines/connections both straight and curved. Layout in very important, along the ability to "snap" to a grid and/or align objects.

Display UnDP results as icons, along with the use of label variables. Assign backgrounds as shown here or, better still, would be the ability to draw and format tables.

The ability to assign selected icons in on maps. I have been told that there is nesting of maps but . . .

Control the placement and layout of labels and objects. Addition of lines/connections both straight and curved. Layout in very important the ability to "snap" to a grid and/or align objects. Note this is not a background but objects and lines

This is the level of map detail that is need for our environment. Years have gone into these maps and dashboards. I will not mind having to rebuild the maps but I do need this level of detail. Support teams look to these maps when issues arise. Management teams look to the dashboard for a "quick status".

I have not included the the heat maps but again those require background (Floor layouts) and fixed placement of WAPs.

I hope now that you have some understanding of the detail that is need for our maps and dashboards. In general if you can do it with Network Atlas you should be able to do it with Orion Maps and more. Nevertheless I have found that tools like Network Atlas tend to fall by the way when something new and shiny comes along and we as users of the product just need to find ways to work around the tools. (a good example Network Topology Manager).

Once I upgrade from my version (Orion Platform 2019.2 HF3) to the current, I would be more than happy to work with you.

I would ideally love to see both products as they each seem to serve a different purpose but I am just a one man shop customer.