It is my pleasure to announce that Network Performance Monitor (NPM) 2019.4 is now available and can be downloaded from the Customer Portal.
Note that we've changed the version numbering with this release. This and future releases will follow a "year.quarter" numbering system instead of the previous (12.5) system.
What's New in NPM 2019.4?
- Device View - Visually display your network switches on Cisco 2960 and Juniper devices to check port status, utilization, and position from the Orion Web Console.
- Real-time Charts - Display real-time data with new dashboard widgets:
- CPU Load and Memory Utilization on Node Details.
- Percent Utilization on Interface Details.
- Performance Improvements - Check out the improved load times for widgets.
- Updated Localization - Improved support for German and Japanese languages.
- Improved Port-type Mapping - Discover port types with more accuracy.
Device View
Device View allows you to see the physical layout of your network switch's interfaces (except management or console) in order to check port status, utilization, and position from the Orion Web Console. It is being released in NPM 2019.4 as a "technical preview", meaning we haven't added enough functionality to deem it a full-fledged feature. In this case, the limiting factor comes in the form of vendor support.
NPM 2019.4 includes Device View support for the majority of switches in the following families (provided they're not in a "stacked" configuration):
- Cisco Catalyst 2960
- Cisco Catalyst 2960L
- Cisco Catalyst 2960S
- Cisco Catalyst 2960X
- Cisco Catalyst 2960XR
- Juniper EX2200
- Juniper EX3300
In order for Device View to be available in the web console, the supported switch will need to be monitored as an SNMP node.
Once monitored, you'll be able to access the new subview from the Node Details page.
Device View can be filtered using the filter list on the left side of the page. Currently, you can filter the interfaces based on status. Interfaces that do not match the selected filters become opaque.
Device View also provides a side panel with additional interface details. This is not visible by default. To view the side panel, click on any interface in the Device View stencil. The side panel displays the caption of the interface, it's IP address, MAC address, duplex mode, and more.
Real-Time Charts
With NPM 2019.4, we're also releasing our first set of widgets that provide real-time data!
Real-time CPU Load & Memory Usage will now appear by default in the top-right position of the Node Details → Vital Stats page.
Real-time interface Percent Utilization will similarly appear in the top-right position of the Interface Details → Summary page.
These charts can also be added via the Add Widget panel on other appropriate views.
The Chart Refresh Time update interval for real-time data charts is set to 2 seconds by default. This can be changed in two ways:
- Via the Web Console Settings page:
- Via the Advanced Configuration page:
The polling settings are tied to PerfStack, and can be adjusted on the Advanced Configuration page in PerfStack settings.
Improved Port Type Mapping
This feature provides information which can be used for filtering interfaces by port type during the discovery process. The changes we've made are primarily on the backend, but you may notice some minor UI tweaks.
Performance Improvements
NPM 2019.4 includes many improvements to web performance. We think you'll notice a difference in how fast the pages load.
Updated Localization
NPM 2019.4 includes improved support for the Japanese and German languages.
What now?
Looking for more information on what we'll be working on now that 2019.4 is out the door? Take a look at What We're Working On. Don't see what you're looking for? Advocate your needs with a Feature Request.
