Can you configure Solarwinds to ignore NIC interfaces that are in a "disabled" state?

[sparky164]

Hi all,

I've just inherited a new install of Solarwinds and am fine tuning some of the config to reduce unnecessary alerts.

We have several Windows nodes where interfaces are enabled for monitoring, but are disabled in the OS.

As a result, Solarwinds reports "one or more interfaces are in an unknown state"

My question is, can you configure Solarwinds to ignore interfaces with a status of "disabled"? Yes i could stop monitoring them, but with hundreds of servers, if someone starts using one of these interfaces, i'm not going to know, and it isn't going to be monitored?

TIA for any help.

[chad.every]

If the interfaces are truly in an unknown/stale state then you can have Orion automagically remove them. There is a setting in Settings > All Settings > Polling Settings > Database Settings Section. Check the box to delete stale interfaces and you can update the retention days for it. Stale interfaces would be removed nightly, right before the DB maintenance job.

There is also a setting right below that to remove stale volumes.

[sparky164]

@chad.every - Thankyou, that's perhaps what i need to configure. However, what happens if one of those interfaces is re-enabled and comes into use? Does solarwinds automatically detect this, and start monitoring it again?

[chad.every]

The interface will not automatically be re-added. You would have to click the 'List Resources' button against that node and check the box next to the interface or schedule a Network Discovery and have interfaces automatically added back in. 

[ramaiya2]

If you have SCM, This can monitor any hardware changes right? including NIC interfaces are now enabled.  

[sparky164]

@ramaiya2  - This is probably a silly question, but how do i know if i'm using SCM? (still getting to grips with the SW component names). I'm not really sure what you're asking in the second part of your question. Yes i would expect SW to detect if the interface comes back into use, but that's not what i'm querying. I don't want SW to warn me if interfaces are in an "unknown state", when I know those interfaces are intentionally disabled. Hence it isn't an unknown state, its a known state.

[silverbacksays]

Take a look down the bottom of any page when you are viewing Orion, you'll see a string similar to this, which is taken from the Orion demo website:

Orion Platform, WPM, IPAM, SRM, VNQM, SCM, NCM, NPM, DPAIM, PM, LA, NTA, VMAN, UDT, SAM: 2020.2 © 1999-2020 SolarWinds Worldwide, LLC. All Rights Reserved.

After 'Orion Platform', the acronyms represent the modules you are licensed for. 

[sparky164]

Great tip @silverbacksays.  Mine shows "Orion Platform HF1, WPM, IPAM, SCM, NPM HF1, NTA, VMAN, SAM HF1: 2020.2" so yes i have SCM