Observe Hybrid Network Connectivity with NetPath

Using distributed monitoring and path analysis, NetPath is designed to automatically create an end-to-end map of how applications are delivered to your end users. You can quickly identify network problems, locate paths to key applications or users who are down, and better understand how well your network delivers applications with NetPath. However, NetPath goes beyond simply discovering the node-by-node network path traffic follows—it also quantifies each link and node’s performance. NetPath will also isolate the node responsible for suboptimal performance.

To create a comprehensive map with NetPath, start by deploying agents on Windows computers. Acting as synthetic users, these agents will map and test the paths traffic follows to network endpoints via advanced probing. For example, you can quickly discover the network path traffic takes on the way to your website, external websites, or your local file print server.

After mapping the network path and quantifying each node and connection’s performance, NetPath will provide additional performance data for your nodes. Not only is this tool capable of displaying performance details for your on-premises devices by incorporating data from our Network Performance, NetFlow, and Configuration functionality, it can also display details for those outside your network. If NetPath identifies an external issue, it’s built to provide you with the name and contact information of the company that owns the underperforming node.

If your network is experiencing performance problems, troubleshooting should be a top priority. With NetPath data, you can easily diagnose slow connections caused by your internal network. You can also identify any nodes malfunctioning due to recent config file changes.

If you need to locate a node within your internal network causing a network slowdown, click My Dashboards, Network, and NetPath Services. Expand the slow or unreachable service and click the probe from the location reporting the issue before locating and clicking the date and time your users reported the network issue under Path History. After clicking on the bar, you’ll see a map of the problem area. NetPath will display the underperforming nodes and connections in red and provide you with information about the node’s latency, packet loss, and transit likelihood. If the problem is a result of a configuration change, you can click the Config Change notification and scroll down in the config comparison window to find any highlighted configuration changes. You can then revert the config file using the Configuration Manager or log in to your device to remove the problematic configuration.

NetPath uses advanced probing to detect the network path (or paths) from a source computer to a destination service, even when traceroute can't. Use NetPath to identify a problem and learn if NetFlow traffic is impacted or affected by Network configuration change, and correlate between these events to help resolve issues faster.

A service represents an application and lies at the end of the path you’re mapping. As such, you should deploy a service for every application essential for your users.

Creating a NetPath service is simple. Click My Dashboards, Network, NetPath Services, and Create New Service. Then, enter a hostname (or an IP address and port) followed by the probing interval. Your probing interval tells NetPath the frequency and duration at which it should poll information from the network path, so employing an appropriate probing interval will ensure you have access to frequent and accurate data. If your probing interval is too low, NetPath won’t have enough time to complete the probe, and the map may not contain every route. If it’s too high, however, NetPath won’t update information as often. In most cases, SolarWinds recommends using a 10-minute probing interval.

Once you’ve decided on your probing interval, click Next, choose an existing probe from the list, and click Create. If you’d prefer to use a new source not on the list, you can also create your own NetPath probe.