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

 To assign users access to select reports, you can use custom properties and account limitations to restrict the scope of data that users can view and report on. Custom properties are user-defined fields that you can assign to monitored objects, such as nodes, interfaces, or applications. Account limitations are rules that you can apply to user accounts to filter the network data that users can access and view. By using custom properties and account limitations together, you can create granular and flexible report access for different users or groups. For example, you can create a custom property called Department and assign it to nodes that belong to different departments in your organization. Then, you can create an account limitation based on the Department custom property and assign it to users who only need to see and report on the nodes in their own department. References: How to create different Orion Support Users and assign them different properties in NPM, Define what users can access and do in the SolarWinds Platform

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)

 One possible cause of this issue is that the user account has the No Reports limitation applied to it. This limitation prevents the user from accessing any reports in the Orion Console, regardless of the report group or category. To resolve this issue, you need to edit the user account and change the report limitation to either No Limitation (to allow access to all reports) or a specific report limitation category (to allow access to only the reports with that category). You can also create custom report limitation categories and assign them to the reports and users as needed. References: Restrict who can access reports in the SolarWinds Platform, Define what users can access and do in the SolarWinds Platform.

Universal Device Pollers (UnDPs) are custom pollers that allow you to monitor specific aspects of your network devices using SNMP. You can apply UnDPs to any object type that supports SNMP polling, such as interfaces, nodes, and volumes. You cannot apply UnDPs to applications, because they are not SNMP-based objects. Applications are monitored using Application Performance Monitor (APM), which uses different methods, such as WMI, scripts, or agents, to collect data. References: Monitor custom statistics based on OIDs with Universal Device Pollers in NPM, Assign Universal Device Pollers to devices monitored in NPM, Add and assign Universal Device Pollers

The Action Manager is a feature of the Orion Platform that allows you to create, edit, and delete actions for scheduled reports1. Actions are the tasks that are performed when a report is generated, such as sending an email, saving a file, or printing a report2. You can use the Action Manager to edit the email address for each action on each report schedule, without affecting the report content or schedule3. References: 1: Network Performance Monitor Administrator Guide - Use the Action Manager 2: Network Performance Monitor Administrator Guide - Schedule a report 3: SolarWinds Certified Professional Program - Reporting Exam Study Guide - Use the Action Manager

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

NPM can monitor the network bandwidth utilization of your devices, interfaces, and applications using SNMP and NetFlow protocols. Network bandwidth utilization is the amount of data transmitted or received over a network link in a given time period. High network bandwidth utilization can indicate network congestion, packet loss, latency, or other performance issues that can affect the email delivery speed. By looking at the network bandwidth utilization of thedevices and interfaces involved in the email communication, you can identify the possible bottlenecks or sources of network problems that might be causing the email slowness. References: Monitor network bandwidth utilization in NPM, Network Bandwidth Analyzer Pack, How to Monitor Network Bandwidth Using the Command Line.

The Discovery Ignore List is a feature that allows you to specify the IP addresses or hostnames of the devices that you do not want to monitor or discover in the future. You can add devices to the ignore list manually or automatically during the discovery process. Once a device is added to the ignore list, it will be skipped by any subsequent discovery. You can also remove devices from the ignore list if you change your mind and want to monitor them later. References: Add devices to the Discovery Ignore List in NPM, Remove devices from the Discovery Ignore List in NPM, How to View Devices on Your Windows Network and What to Do If You Can’t See Them

You can share with others the PerfStack URL of any troubleshooting project you save in the SolarWinds Platform Web Console. PerfStack is a feature that allows you to create and customize interactive and dynamic charts that correlate time series data from multiple SolarWinds products and entity types. When you save a troubleshooting project, the URL becomes a sharable link that you can copy and paste to other users, such as your team members, network administrators, or product owners. The URL contains a compressed version of the project data, so it does not exceed the browser character limit. The users who receive the link can access the same project view as you, as long as they have the appropriate accountpermissions and limitations. References: Troubleshooting Analysis Projects, Create analysis projects with the Performance Analysis dashboard, Share analysis projects.

For any node you monitor, you cannot use Network Discovery to automatically add child volumes or interfaces for monitoring. Network Discovery is a tool that helps you identify and add new devices to your network, but it does not automatically monitor all the components of the discovered devices. You need to manually select the volumes or interfaces you want to monitor from the list of resources on each node. You can also use the Network Sonar Results Wizard to filter and add the resources you want to monitor after running a discovery job. References:

Discover your network with NPM - SolarWinds (see the Monitoring Settings panel section)

Network Discovery Tool - Automated Discovery Software | SolarWinds (see the Monitor Devices section)