Perform Cisco IP SLA Operations using SolarWinds VoIP
We know that VoIP & Network Quality Manager (VNQM) is a proactive VoIP monitoring tool that monitors real-time QoS metrics such as jitter, latency, packet loss, MOS and more. But, in this blog we are going to dive deeper and understand what VNQM can do with Cisco IP SLA operations and how it can help you monitor site-to-site WAN performance.
SolarWinds VNQM allows you to automatically discover and add Cisco IP SLA devices to its console, designate monitoring paths (source and destination devices) and configure polling options (frequency). While the challenge has always been to design a tailored set of IP SLA operations for monitoring your devices, VNQM helps you easily build custom IP SLA operations. You’ll be able to add, edit, and remove IP SLA operations in just a few clicks. Let’s look at the various IP SLA Operations you can monitor using VNQM.
Cisco IP SLA Operations in VNQM
WAN Connectivity Operations | |
TCP Connect | Measure WAN quality by testing connection times between two devices using a specific port |
ICMP Echo | Measure round trip time between nodes on your network |
ICMP Path Echo | Measure round trip time hop-by-hop between nodes on your network |
UDP Echo | Measure round trip time between nodes on your network |
WAN Quality Operations | |
UDP Jitter | Measure WAN quality by testing connection times between two devices using a specific port number |
ICMP Path Jitter | Measure WAN quality by testing connection times hop-by-hop between two devices |
VoIP UDP Jitter | Measure call path metrics on your VoIP network |
Infrastructure Operations | |
DNS | Measure the difference in time from when a DNS request is sent and when the reply is received |
DHCP | Measure the response time taken to discover a DHCP server and then obtain a leased IP address from it |
Application Quality Operations | |
FTP | Measure the response time between a Cisco device and an FTP server to retrieve a file |
HTTP | Measure distributed web services response times |
Designating Paths for IP SLA Operations
For some IP SLA operations, VNQM collects performance statistics by sending traffic over paths between sites you have defined. You can choose to select one of the following paths based on your IP routing protocol.
Simple | Contains one source node and only one destination node. This path can be tested bidirectionally. |
Fully Meshed | Connects every node you define over distinct call paths to every other node selected |
Hub & Spoke | Allows you to designate specific nodes as hubs. Each hub is then connected to all other nodes, with paths representing spokes |
Custom | Allows you to define your own paths. All defined nodes are listed under this option, and expanding each node displays a list of all other nodes. |
Benefits of Cisco IP SLA Operations
- Monitor WAN performance between different sites/network locations
- Test effectiveness of network readiness and performance for remote sites
- Monitor device performance at different sites from a single location
- Optimize WAN based on IP SLA operations and results
- Quicker troubleshooting and time-to-resolution based on real-time WAN performance data
VNQM Summary View of Top IP SLA Operations | IP SLA Operations Expanded View (Sample dashboard VoIP UDP Jitter Operation) |
|