SolarWinds' New Tool Offers IT Management Community Free Perspective on NetFlow
Real-time NetFlow Analyzer Quickly Plugs into the Network to Allow Users to Easily Identify Bandwidth Hogs and Troubleshoot Congestion Issues

AUSTIN, TX, October 16, 2010 /24-7PressRelease/ -- SolarWinds, a leader in downloadable network management software, today announced the availability of a new free tool, Real-time NetFlow Analyzer http://www.solarwinds.com/register/index.aspx?Program=852&c=70150000000DrSQ. The software continuously captures and analyzes network traffic data, providing network engineers with an effective, easy to use vehicle for answering the age-old question, "Why is the network slow?"
The two most common causes for network speed complaints are insufficient network bandwidth and improper network usage. Both problems require engineers to measure exactly how the corporate network is being used and by whom. The overwhelmingly popular approach to this problem is to use the NetFlow protocol, which is designed to aggregate information about IP traffic from enabled devices on the network. With NetFlow analysis, engineers can easily determine if an individual application, user or device is clogging the network or if the cause is a systemic bandwidth issue that could dramatically impact business performance.
"The ability to gather and analyze NetFlow data is a critical aspect of monitoring network performance, but our experience shows that some companies are not adopting this best practice, despite the fact that their network is already capable of giving them the information," said Josh Stephens, SolarWinds' Head Geek http://thwack.com/blogs/. "Our latest free tool demonstrates SolarWinds' commitment to giving back to the IT community and allows users who are new to NetFlow to ramp up quickly and gain valuable insight on their network traffic in a matter of minutes."
Stephens will also offer a quick how-to tutorial http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FgyKPgt2nBg on NetFlow analysis in conjunction with the release of the free tool.
Since 2006, SolarWinds has offered NetFlow analysis support to thousands of its customers through the Orion NetFlow Traffic Analyzer and Engineer's Toolset. The company is introducing the free tool as a means of encouraging education and adoption among a wider audience of users.
Real-time NetFlow Analyzer, available today, takes the guesswork out of configuring NetFlow devices and analyzing network traffic spikes in real time. The free "Starter Kit" download offers:
* NetFlow Configurator Tool - Configure NetFlow v5 via SNMP on supported Cisco devices. Establish collectors for Cisco NetFlow data, specify the collector's 'listening' ports, and enable monitoring of inbound and outbound (ingress/egress) traffic data per interface. This is the starting point for launching NetFlow analysis.
* Detailed Traffic Analysis - Visualize network details by isolating inbound and outbound traffic by conversation, application, domain, endpoint, or protocol to quickly troubleshoot network issues.
* Personalized Traffic Display - Quickly configure NetFlow data views with settings for sample period (up to 60 minutes of data), display mode, refresh rate, and the display units.

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