SolarWinds SCP-NPM SolarWinds Network Performance Monitor (NPM) Exam Exam Practice Test

Orion Maps can automatically display the connections between the devices that are monitored by NPM, based on topology data, manual dependencies, or application dependency mapping. However, if some of the devices are not monitored by NPM, or the connections are not detected by any of these methods, you can manually configure the connections between them in Orion Maps. To do this, you need to drag and drop the desired devices from the Entity Library to the map canvas, and then use the Connect tool to draw lines between them. You can also edit the connection properties, such as name, type, and status, to customize the appearance and behavior of the connections. References: Create and edit Intelligent Maps, Connect objects on maps manually, Intelligent Maps for SolarWinds Platform products

 SolarWinds NPM can monitor various metrics on an Ethernet switch, including configuration changes, duplex mismatches, and CPU utilization. Configuration changes are tracked by the Network Configuration Manager (NCM) integration, which allows you to view, compare, and restore configuration files, as well as receive alerts on configuration changes1. Duplex mismatches are detected by the topology polling feature, which collects and displays the duplex mode of the connected devices and interfaces, and alerts you when there is a mismatch2. CPU utilization is monitored by the SNMP polling feature, which collects and displays the CPU load of the switch, as well as other performance metrics such as memory utilization, interface statistics, and more3. Buffer misses are not monitored by NPM, as they are not part of the standard SNMP MIBs that NPM supports. References: Monitor configuration changes on network devices with NPM; Detect and predict duplex mismatches in NPM; Monitor CPU load, memory utilization, and buffer usage on switches and routers; [Buffer Misses - Forum].

SolarWinds Network Performance Monitor (NPM) is a comprehensive monitoring solution designed to provide a wide range of metrics for network devices. For an Ethernet switch, NPM can monitor configuration changes, buffer misses, duplex mismatches, and CPU utilization1

NetPath is a feature of SolarWinds NPM that helps you identify network problems faster by automatically creating a map of the problem area, with a wide variety of supporting information. NetPath displays the performance details of devices inside and outside of your network. You can use NetPath to see the node-by-node network path from a probe at remote site A to the accounting server at the headquarters, and isolate the node or connection that is decreasing end-to-end performance. If the issue is external, NetPath identifies the name of the company that owns the node and displays their contact information. If the issue is internal, NetPath incorporates data from NPM, NCM, and NTA about your on-premises gear. The other options are not as effective as NetPath in finding the source of the issue, as they do not provide the same level of visibility and analysis of the network path. References:

• NetPath - Easy Visual Network Path Analysis
• Discover your network paths in NPM
• View a network path in NPM

By default, NPM uses the global critical CPU threshold for node statuses, which is 90%. However, you can override this threshold for individual nodes by editing their properties and specifying a custom value for the critical CPU threshold. This way, you can adjust the threshold according to the specific characteristics and performance of each node. Changing the critical CPU threshold on the node will affect how the node status is calculated and displayed in the web console, as well as how the alerts are triggered based on the CPU utilization. References: Thresholds in the SolarWinds Platform; CPU Critical Threshold - Forum - Network Performance Monitor (NPM) - THWACK

You can import device-specific MIBs into the SolarWinds MIB Database, and you can also import UnDP pollers based on OIDs from device-specific MIBs. UnDP stands for Universal Device Poller, which is a tool that allows you to monitor custom statistics based on OIDs with NPM. You can create UnDP pollers by selecting OIDs from the MIB Browser, or by importing them from a file that contains OIDs and poller names. You can then assign UnDP pollers to devices monitored by NPM and view the results on the web console. References:

• Monitor custom statistics based on OIDs with Universal Device Pollers in NPM - SolarWinds
• Import Universal Device Pollers - SolarWinds
• SCP Study Aid - SolarWinds (page 7)

The best way to reduce false alerts for high traffic utilization is to configure the alert trigger condition to be more specific and accurate. By setting the alert to trigger only when traffic utilization remains high for a sustained period, you can avoid getting alerted for short-lived spikes that are not a cause for concern. You can use the Time of Day and Trigger Condition options in the alert configuration wizard to define the duration and threshold of the high traffic utilization condition. For example, you can set the alert to trigger only when traffic utilization is greater than 80% for more than 10 minutes during business hours. References:

• How do I create a high transmit percent utilization alert to monitor interface bandwidth - Forum - Network Performance Monitor (NPM) - THWACK Products
• How alerts work - SolarWinds
• SCP Study Aid - SolarWinds (page 8)

 According to the SolarWinds NPM Administrator Guide, you can edit the node properties of any device and change the polling method to suit your needs. The polling method determines what data is collected and displayed for the node. The “Most Devices: SNMP and ICMP” polling method collects and displays the most comprehensive data, including CPU load, memory utilization, interface statistics, and more. The “Status Only: ICMP” polling method only collects and displays the node status, average response time, and packet loss. If you want to monitor the other statistics on switch A, you should change the polling method to “Most Devices: SNMP and ICMP”. This will not affect the historical data that has already been collected for switch A, as it will be stored in the database. However, deleting switch A and adding it again, or adding switch A again without deleting it first, will result in losing the historical data or creating duplicate nodes. References: SolarWinds NPM Administrator Guide, page 78-79; Polling methods used by Orion

 Device Studio is a feature in the SolarWinds Platform Web Console that allows you to create custom pollers for devices or technologies that are not supported by default in NPM. You can use Device Studio to create pollers for CPU and memory, as well as other metrics, by defining the object identifiers (OIDs) and formulas that you want to poll. Device Studio currently supports SNMP and WMI polling technologies, and you can test, assign, and edit your custom pollers from the Manage Pollers page. References: Create pollers in Device Studio for NPM, Device Studio, Device Studio Poller.

Orion Maps 2.0 supports displaying Palo Alto firewalls as network devices, along with their interfaces, zones, policies, and traffic data. You can also view the firewall status, alerts, and events on the map. To add a Palo Alto firewall to an Orion Map, you need to have Network Insight for Palo Alto enabled in NPM, and discover the firewall using SNMP and API polling. References: Orion Maps 2.0, New Alerting, and Palo Alto Networks Monitoring - SolarWinds Lab Episode #77, SolarWinds Lab Episode 77: Orion Maps 2.0, New Alerting, and Palo Alto Networks Monitoring - Orange Matter, Network Insight for Palo Alto Networks in NPM

Orion Maps show you how entities are connected based on the data collected by the Orion Platform products. To display the connections between the nodes in Orion Maps, you need to enable Layer 2 and Layer 3 topology polling on those nodes. This will allow the Orion Platform to discover the network topology using protocols such as CDP, LLDP, or ARP. You can enable topology polling on individual nodes or in bulk using the Manage Nodes feature in the web console. You can also customize the topology polling settings and frequency on the Orion Polling Settings page. References: Intelligent Maps for SolarWinds Platform products; Understand connections on Intelligent Maps in the SolarWinds Platform; Network Mapping Tool – Automated Network Mapping | SolarWinds

To detect duplex mismatches, you need to meet the following requirements1:

• The nodes must be monitored by NPM.
• The nodes must be in the up state during the discovery.
• The nodes must support topology and be interconnected.
• Duplex of both devices must be identified as full or half.
• The Possible Duplex Mismatches widget must be enabled on the node details view.

You do not need to ensure corresponding values for each interface are different, as this is the result of a duplex mismatch, not a requirement for detection. In fact, you should unify the duplex mode configuration on neighboring interfaces to avoid mismatches1.

References: Detect and predict duplex mismatches in NPM; Speed and Duplex Mismatch - Forum

When you create or edit an alert, you can test the trigger and reset actions by clicking Simulate next to the action you want to test. This will execute the action regardless of the trigger condition. You can also select an object to resolve any variables you have used in your action. For example, if your action is to send an email with the node name and status, you can select a node to see how the email will look like. This way, you can ensure the trigger actions you set on an alert will work as expected. References: Test alert triggers and actions in the SolarWinds Platform, How to Create Intelligent Alerts with NPM, How alerts work.

Network Discovery is a feature of SolarWinds NPM that allows you to automatically discover and add network devices to the Orion Platform for monitoring. You can use Network Discovery to query Domain Controllers in your company domain and then select the Organizational Units (OUs) with the registered devices you want to scan. This way, you can add entities from NPM to monitor for all registered devices in your company domain in a single discovery. The other options are not as efficient or accurate as Network Discovery, as they either require manual addition of each device, or rely on the Domain Controllers to provide the list of registered devices, which may not be up-to-date or complete. References:

• Discover your network devices and add them to the Orion Platform
• Discover devices on your network using Active Directory

NPM uses SNMP to collect utilization statistics from network devices, such as routers, switches, firewalls, etc. If NPM only shows Availability and Response Time statuses for a device, it means that SNMP is not configured correctly on that device or NPM cannot access the device via SNMP1. Some possible reasons for this are:

• The device does not support SNMP or SNMP is disabled on the device
• The device has a different SNMP version or community string than NPM
• The device has a firewall or access control list that blocks SNMP traffic from NPM
• The device has a misconfigured SNMP agent or MIB To troubleshoot this issue, you can use the SNMP Test Tool in NPM to verify the SNMP settings and connectivity of the device2. You can also check the device logs and configuration to ensure that SNMP is enabled and properly configured3. References: 1: Network Performance Monitor Administrator Guide - Troubleshoot SNMP issues 2: Network Performance Monitor Administrator Guide - Test SNMP access 3: Network Performance Monitor Getting Started Guide - Troubleshoot SNMP issues

 NetPath is a feature of NPM that helps you identify network problems faster by automatically creating a map of the problem area, with a wide variety of supporting information. NetPath displays the performance details of devices inside and outside of your network. NetPath can analyze paths to any network segment, whether it is on-premise, cloud, or hybrid. NetPath uses distributed monitoring and path analysis to discover how applications are delivered through the network to your users. You can deploy agents on Windows computers that act as synthetic users and use advanced probing to discover and test the network path that traffic takes to any network endpoint, such as your local file print server, your website, or external websites. NetPath can also incorporate data from NPM, NCM, and NTA about your on-premises gear, as well as data from the Internet nodes and providers12. References: 1: Discover your network paths in NPM3, 2: NetPath - Easy Visual Network Path Analysis | SolarWinds4

Capacity usage trends are calculated based on historical data. By default, the longest time period taken into account for calculating the capacity forecast is 180 days. The more historical data up to 180 days are available, the more precise is the calculated forecast. Forecast calculation methods include peak calculation and average calculation, which can be set globally or customized for individual objects. Capacity forecasting is available for nodes, interfaces, and volumes that meet certain requirements, such as being managed in NPM and having enough historical data in the database. References: Monitor capacity usage trends on the network and forecast capacity issues in NPM, Forecast capacity for nodes, interfaces, or volumes in NPM, Real-Time Network Monitoring Tool

Sometimes, the Orion Platform may not be able to automatically map the connection between your cloud server and on premise router, even if layer 2 and layer 3 topologies are being polled on the devices. This may happen if the devices are separated by a firewall, a VPN, or a NAT device that prevents the Orion Platform from discovering the link information. In such cases, you can manually create a custom connection between the cloud node and the on premise node on the Orion Map. You can also edit the properties of the custom connection, such as the name, the status, the bandwidth, and the utilization. By creating a custom connection, you can visualize and monitor the connection between your cloud server and on premise router on the Orion Map12. References:

• Create custom connections on Orion Maps - SolarWinds
• SCP Study Aid - SolarWinds (page 10)

 Web Console maps are interactive and dynamic maps that you can create and customize using the Orion Maps feature in the SolarWinds Platform Web Console. You can display various items on the maps, such as monitored nodes, interfaces and volumes, SAM applications and components, and network links. You can also add custom labels, annotations, and images to themaps. Web Console maps can help you visualize the relationships and dependencies among your network devices and applications, as well as troubleshoot issues and identify root causes. References: Orion Maps, Create and customize maps in the Orion Platform, Orion Maps 2.0, New Alerting, and Palo Alto Networks Monitoring - SolarWinds Lab Episode #77.

NPM can monitor a wide range of network devices and infrastructure, including routers, switches, firewalls, servers, and virtual machines. However, some devices may not support standard protocols such as SNMP or WMI, or may have specific metrics that are not monitored out-of-the box by NPM. In such cases, you can extend NPM’s monitoring to non-standard devices by using object identifiers (OIDs) organized in management information bases (MIBs). OIDs are numeric strings that uniquely identify a variable in a MIB. MIBs are hierarchical databases that define the properties and values of the variables that can be monitored on a device. By importing device-specific MIBs into the SolarWinds MIB Database, and creating custom pollers based on OIDs from the MIBs, you can monitor any metric that is available on the device. You can also display the polled data in the web console using dedicated or existing resources12. References:

• Create custom monitors in NPM - SolarWinds
• SCP Study Aid - SolarWinds (page 10)

 Traps are unsolicited messages sent by network devices to report events or issues. The Orion Platform can receive and process traps from any device that supports SNMP. To alert on a select message, you can use the Traps in Orion Alerts feature, which allows you to configure the default trap alert to fire on the trap message you select to alert on. You can also customize the alert conditions, actions, and triggers to suit your needs. For example, you can alert on traps thatmatch a specific OID, source, or severity, and send an email, log a ticket, or run a script when the alert is triggered. References: Configure SNMP traps in NPM, Traps in Orion Alerts, Create alerts for SNMP traps

NPM provides a default report called Top 25 Interfaces by Percent Utilization that shows the interfaces with the highest average utilization over the selected time period1. This report can be easily edited to change the number of interfaces displayed, the time period, the sorting order, the layout, and the filters2. To create a report that shows the top 50 interfaces by percent utilization, you can simply edit this report and change the Limit option from 25 to 503. This is the most time-efficient way to create the report, as it does not require creating a new report from scratch, writing a SQL query, or running the report multiple times for different timeframes. References: 1: Network Performance Monitor Administrator Guide - Top 25 Interfaces by Percent Utilization 2: Network Performance Monitor Administrator Guide - Edit a report 3: Network Performance Monitor Getting Started Guide - Customize a report

NPM polls static properties, such as interface speed and duplex mode, from the firewall devices using SNMP. NPM also collects traffic statistics, such as bytes in and bytes out, from the firewall interfaces using SNMP or NetFlow. NPM then calculates bandwidth consumption based on the total amount of bytes coming through the firewall over a given time interval. Bandwidth consumption is expressed as a percentage of the interface speed. For example, if a firewall interface has a speed of 100 Mbps and NPM polls 10 MB of bytes in and 10 MB of bytes out in one minute, the bandwidth consumption is 20% [(10 MB + 10 MB) / 100 Mbps * 100%]1. References: Monitor firewalls with NPM, Calculate bandwidth utilization on an interface