NCM v8.0 is Generally Available

It gives me great pleasure to introduce the newest version of Network Configuration Manager (NCM), v8.0, as generally available!

I’m pretty excited about this release, as it’s jam-packed full of great features. Per popular request, Network Insight includes awesome capabilities from NCM, Network Performance Monitor (NPM), NetFlow Traffic Analyzer (NTA), and User Device Tracker (UDT). This very special Network Insight for Palo Alto firewalls provides users with insights into their policies, traffic conversations across policies, and VPNs. We have a great detailed write-up about all the great value we stuffed into the feature here.

In addition to Network Insight, NCM is now easier to use when executing config change diffs, adds two new vendors to the Firmware Upgrade feature, and is more performant when executing config backups.

Updated Config Diff

In an effort to reduce the amount of time committed to spotting changes in a config diff (all those lines…), a simpler and easier-to-use Config Diff has been implemented in this version. By focusing the view around the context of the diff, the changes, you’ll now see the changes highlighted plus five lines above and below the changes. All unchanged lines beyond the five-line limit are collapsed to remove the endless scroll. This gives you the context of the change and makes it easier to discern what steps need to be taken next.

Additional Vendor Support for Firmware Upgrade

For some time now, you’ve all been asking for additional vendors to be added to Firmware Upgrade, and I’m pleased to say we’ve delivered. Take advantage of the automation to apply firmware to Juniper and Lenovo switches to patch vulnerabilities or ensure your network devices are on the latest. Have a different switch model? Just use the framework from the out-of-the-box templates to make it work for you.

Go check out the release notes for the full details or review the admin guide. We’ve been working hard to bring these wonderful new features to you, so be sure to visit your Customer Portal to download this version.

If there’s anything you think we should consider in a future release, please be sure to go create a new feature request to let me know about the additional functionality you would like to see.