Hello fellow network diagram geeks! I'm excited to announce that NTM v2.2 beta1 is now available. It has been quite some time since we've had a beta for NTM, but we're making some big changes and we need your input. Let's take a look at what's new in this beta. |  |
Modular Scanning
This is the big one! We've fundamentally changed how scanning works in NTM.
What is Modular Scanning?
Since NTM's inception, one scan has resulted in one map. To make multiple maps, you perform multiple scans. Each map may contain any or all nodes found during the scan. If you want to map a different part of your network, start over with a scan. If you want to create a different view of the same network (L2 vs L3 diagrams anyone?), start over with a new scan. Map getting too big and unwieldy? Start over with a smaller scan. This worked, but we think there's a better way.
In beta1, we introduce the concept of topology databases (shout out to you OSPF engineers out there!). Now, when you perform a network scan, what you discover with NTM is saved in what we call a topology database. You then build maps based upon the data in the topology database. One map, 20 maps; however many maps you want. All maps are stored in the topology database they're built from. A single file on your hard drive contains a topology database and all maps built upon it.
This realignment of core functionality is simple to explain, but has had a big impact on how NTM works and how you interact with it.
How Does Modular Scanning Help Me?
Modular scanning lets you:
- Scan once for your whole environment.
- Build maps on the fly without performing new scans.
- Flip between maps quickly because the maps are based on the same topology database.
- Copy nodes (including their layout) between maps because the maps are based on the same topology database.
- Keep your NTM diagrams updated with a single manual rescan or rescan schedule.
- Spend more of your time making useful maps and less of your time configuring, scheduling, and waiting on scans.
In addition, the rendering changes (described in the next section) that were required to deliver modular scanning properly provide the following additional benefits:
- NTM's is faster and scales better in medium and large environments. Try it.
- Auto Arrange functions tend to produce more appropriate icon layouts without so much extra space.
Rendering Change
When we started down this path, we knew we would also have to significantly change how we render nodes. In previous versions of NTM, filters were used to control whether nodes would display or not. Enabling filters or disabling filters does not give NTM any indication of where you would actually like to place those nodes. As a result, whether you were displaying all of your discovered nodes or 5% of your discovered nodes, NTM always kept track of every node and where it was on the screen to prevent the nodes from overlapping. Although there were some benefits to this, there were two big negative effects:
We knew modular maps will naturally result in users doing bigger scans. The performance issues and layout issues noted above would cause severe problems at that scale. So we fixed them. NTM now only renders nodes that are actually on the map. All nodes exist in the topology database. You place nodes onto your map by dragging and dropping from the left hand pane (ala Network Atlas), and the nodes that you don't want to see don't bog you down or cause rendering oddities. While NTM's scalability and performance used to revolve around the total number of discovered nodes regardless of how many nodes were displayed, it now revolves around how many nodes are displayed on the map you're looking at. |   |
Icons, Icons, Icons!
You want better icons, bigger icons, smaller icons, custom icons, icon alignment, icon spacing, and anything else icon related we're willing to build. We've heard you. Let's see how much of this functionality we can show in one screenshot:
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Best of all, you can do all of these with bulk operations.
Enhanced Etherchannel Support
This wouldn't be an NTM release if it didn't improve NTM's ability to map your network. This beta now does a much better job of discovering and mapping your Etherchannels, port-channels, or whatever you choose to call your L2 aggregated links. Take a look:
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So Much More
In addition to the big items above, we've made a truck load of other smaller improvements. Here's some of them:
- Not sure what connects to the nodes on your map? Try right clicking and selecting "Add Neighbors".
- How do you interact with multiple topology databases at the same time? A drop down in the application? Multiple levels of tabs? Yuck. In this beta, for the first time, you can open multiple instances of NTM.
- Each NTM instance holds all the maps for one topology database.
- If you have two topology databases open, you can scan in one window and continue working in the other.
- If you have three topology databases open, you can scan in two windows (parallel scanning) and continue working in the remaining one.
- Shortcuts allow you to add intelligent groupings of nodes to your map all at once.
- Select nodes in the map you're looking at intelligently by clicking on individual nodes, groups of nodes, or node shortcuts in the left hand pane. For example, selecting the "Router" group in the left hand pane selects all routers on your current map.
- Connection jumps.
- Copy paste nodes or groups of nodes between your maps. Layout is preserved.
- Improved Credential Management UI.
- Extensible regex interface name handler to intelligently shorten interface names so they fit well on the map.
Known Issues in This Beta
- Undo/Redo buttons sometimes do not work.
- Etherchannels that are configured statically (mode "ON") are not currently detected as Etherchannels.
Conclusion
We're very excited about this release and can't wait to see the maps you guys create. Feel free to post your feedback or your new maps in the NTM Beta Forum or email me directly at chris.obrien{at}solarwinds.com
As a reminder, beta software is for testing only and should not be used in a production environment.
