NPM 2020.2 RC Feature Deep-Dive: Device View Improvements

NPM 2020.2 RC now available!

It's my pleasure to introduce our latest release candidate of Network Performance Monitor, available now in your customer portal.

Version 2020.2 is the next release following NPM 2019.4 and is compatible with the Orion Platform 2020.2. This is the third of three articles diving into the new features of this release, with this one focusing on Device View Improvements. The other major features delivered in this release are Microsoft Azure Networking and MIBs Database Management. More information on this release can be found in the RC Announcement. 

Device View Improvements

Device View was introduced in NPM 2019.4 to visually display interface status and utilization over top of a physical device layout. It was released with native support for Cisco 2960 and Juniper EX2200/EX3300 access switches. The physical layout is available by going to Node Details on a supported device and clicking on the Device View tab.

NPM 2020.2 adds support for Cisco 3750 series switches, Cisco SwitchStacks, and a host of feature improvements. From Device View, interfaces can now be filtered by status and VLAN membership. If you have more than 10 VLANs, you even have the option to prioritize how VLANs are displayed in the filter list. Taking stock of your access switches has never been easier.

In addition, the Interface Side-panel has some usability improvements as well. There's direct access to the Interface Details page from the side-panel, for easier access to more detailed metrics when needed during troubleshooting. The side-panel now also lists all VLANs which the interface is participating in.

 

As mentioned, Cisco SwitchStacks can now be displayed in Device View as well! This improvement breathes life into the feature in terms of usefulness. Searching for that one specific interface in a messy comm-closet can be a nightmare, but now that we're supporting SwitchStacks, you can view all your interfaces quickly and easily.

 

 

And finally, the improvement I'm personally most excited about. We've laid the groundwork to improve the backend of the Device View, so that we can produce native multi-vendor device support more efficiently in the future. This means faster support for more stuff. If you have a specific access switch models you'd like to see supported next, consider reaching out!

 

For more detailed information on Device View, check out the NPM 2020.2 RC Administrator's Guide!

With this NPM RC, comes some fantastic new updates & enhancements to the Orion Platform which include:

• Monitor up to 1,000,000 elements per Orion Platform instance.
• An Orion Map to Success! - Orion Maps improvements, such as creating and customizing text boxes, labels, or layouts, incorporating custom icons, adding shapes, dynamic backgrounds, bulk administration and all-new Time Travel.
• Performance enhancements.
• Dashboards, Dashboards, Get Your Dashboards! All New Custom Summary Dashboards
• A Gateway To Your Fastest Upgrade Ever! - Upgrade improvements, such as pre-staging upgrades, upgrade plan reports, automating upgrades via Orion SDK.
• Enhanced volume status.
• 3rd Party Language Pack Support - scripts to extract UI texts from the Orion Web Console.

Your Feedback Counts!

The NPM team is incredibly interested in your feedback, and on top of that, when you participate by downloading and installing the RC, you get THWACK points. More importantly, your feedback shapes how we develop our products. Post your thoughts, questions, and concerns into the RC forum and not only will you be able to get some SolarWinds swag, but you may help to make NPM a better product. If you have a particularly compelling idea, you should also consider putting in a Feature Request and encouraging others to vote on your idea.