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Orion Network Performance Monitor

Can I buy multiple licenses of Orion (e.g., an SL-100 and an SL-250) and monitor all 350 network elements from the same web console?

No. An Orion license allows you to install a single Orion database, and each database is associated with a single web console.

Can I upgrade my Orion database server from SQL 2000 Server to SQL 2005 Server?

Yes. First back up your SQL 2000 database, and then move it to the SQL 2005 server you want to use. Restore your database, and then run the Orion Configuration wizard on the Orion server and specify the new SQL Server instance. For more information, see the Orion NPM Migration Technical Reference.

How do I migrate my database?

Upgrade your Orion server to the latest version, and then consult the Orion NPM Migration Technical Reference.

How do I correct connection issues in which my Orion server cannot connect to my SQL Server database?

This is often caused by a registration issue with SQLdmo.dll on the Orion NPM server. Locate the SQLdmo.dll file and write down the location. At a command prompt, enter regsvr32 fullPathToSQLdmo.dll\SQLdmo.dll. For example, enter regsvr32 C:\Program Files\SolarWinds\Common\SQLDMO9\sqldmo.dll. After registering SQLdmo.dll, run the Orion Configuration wizard to reconnect to your SQL Server instance.

I am unable to view the Orion NPM website. When I try to access the home page, I receive a message that the page cannot be displayed. Additionally, when I try to bring up my IIS Manager, my system is unable to display this application.

This message appears when the SolarWinds Orion NPM home page is not started or another web page is running on the same IP Address and Port. Use the Shutdown NetPerfMon utility found in the SolarWinds Orion Network Performance Monitor > Advanced Features to ensure the Orion website is started. Use the Internet Information Services (IIS) Manager in Administrative Tools to ensure the SolarWinds NetPerfMon website is the only website running on the designated IP Address and Port.

If everything seems to be configured correctly, rerun the Configuration Wizard found in the SolarWinds Orion Network Performance Monitor program folder. Select the Create Website tab and complete the procedure. Ensure you click Yes when prompted to overwrite your website. You will not lose any customizations to your website.

How do I correct the following error: Network Performance Monitor Startup Error: Cannot open the SolarWinds WebEngine database?

These errors can be caused by the IISUSER_SOLARWINDS user not having the appropriate permissions on the website. To correct the issue in which IISUSER_SOLARWINDS does not have sufficient privileges:

  • Log on to the computer running the Orion Server.
  • Add the IISUSER_SOLARWINDS user account to the local Administrator security group. If you are unable to add the account to the Administrator group, ensure the account has permission to run MDAC components. This can often be accomplished by adding the account to the PowerUsers group.
  • Start the Shutdown NetPerfMon utility provided in the Start > All Programs > SolarWinds Orion Network Performance Monitor > Advanced Features folder.
  • Click SolarWinds Orion NPM in the COM+ Application Services section, and then click Unload.
  • Click SolarWinds NetPerfMon in the IIS Web Sites section, and then click Restart.
  • Close the Shutdown NetPerfMon utility.
  • Attempt the action which caused the error. If this does not remedy the error, contact Technical Support.

Is there anything I can do besides consult a database administrator if my database is acting strangely?

Before having to call on a DBA, consider trying the following two procedures to remedy the situation:

The following procedure runs Database Consistency Check (DBCC) commands on your SolarWinds database. You must be familiar with database commands and with placing databases into single-user mode to complete the following procedure. If you are not, review the procedure detailed after this one, or consult your DBA.

  • Log on to a computer with either the Microsoft SQL Server Management Studio or Microsoft SQL Server Query Analyzer installed.
  • Connect to the database server on which the Orion database is installed.
  • Type the following command in the Query window and then click Execute:

    dbcc checkdb ('NetPerfMon')
    go

    where NetPerfMon is the name of your Orion database.
  • Review the results. If you see that the DBCC command returned errors in the database, you can attempt to fix them using the dbcc checkdb ('NetPerfMon', REPAIR_FAST) command.
    Warning:
    • Stopping the SolarWinds Network Performance Monitor service also stops node polling. Consider doing any maintenance that requires the stopping of the service during a slow business cycle.
    • Before Stopping the SolarWinds Network Performance Monitor service, ensure you stop the SolarWinds Alerting Engine. Failure to stop the SolarWinds Alerting Engine will result in numerous alert notifications.
  • Type the following command in the Query window, and then click Execute:

    alter database NetPerfMon
    set single_user
    go

    Ensure the command completes successfully.
  • Type the following command in the Query window, and then click Execute:

    dbcc ('NetPerfMon', REPAIR_FAST)
    go

    Ensure the command completes successfully and review the results.
  • Type the following command in the Query window, and then click Execute:

    alter database NetPerfMon
    set multi_user
    go

    Ensure the command completes successfully.
  • Restart the SolarWinds services.
  • If errors persist, complete the following procedure or consult your DBA.

The following procedure helps when foreign key constraints have changed or permissions may have been altered by another party. If your database is truly corrupted, this procedure will not bring back destroyed data.

  • Run the Configuration wizard and create a new database.
  • Stop the services that are connected to the new database using the Shutdown NetPerfMon utility provided in the SolarWinds Orion Network Performance Monitor > Advanced Features. For example, stop the following services: SolarWinds Alerting Engine, SolarWinds Custom MIB Poller, SolarWinds Flow Correlation, SolarWinds NetFlow Receiver, SolarWinds Network Performance Monitor, SolarWinds Syslog Service, and the SolarWinds Trap Service.
    Warning:
    • Stopping the SolarWinds Network Performance Monitor service also stops node polling. Consider doing any maintenance that requires the stopping of the service during a slow business cycle.
    • Before Stopping the SolarWinds Network Performance Monitor service, ensure you stop the SolarWinds Alerting Engine. Failure to stop the SolarWinds Alerting Engine will result in numerous alert notifications.
  • Log on to a SQL Server that has the SQL Server client tools installed.
  • Run Enterprise Manager, and then add your Orion Database server, if necessary.
  • Expand Databases, and then locate your Orion database. By default, this database is named NetPerfMon.
  • Click Tables in the right pane, and then click Action > All Tasks > Export Data.
  • Complete the Data Transformation Services Import/Export Wizard selecting your unstable database as the Data Source and your newly created database as your destination.
  • Ensure you select Copy table(s) and view(s) from the source database.
  • Click Select All on the Select Source Tables and Views window, and then click Next.
  • Complete the wizard.
  • Start the SolarWinds services.

When upgrading to Orion version 8 or later all my SNMP v1 nodes are reconfigured as SNMP v2 nodes. Is there a fast way to change them back to SNMP v1 in the database?

Yes. You can use the following script, run against the Nodes table in the Orion database (NetPerfMon by default), to change all your up but unknown interfaces from SNMP v2 devices to SNMP v1. Before running queries against your database, ensure you first backup the database.

  • Stop the SolarWinds Network Performance Monitor service using the Shutdown NetPerfMon utility provided with Orion NPM. By default, you can find this program at Start > All Programs > SolarWinds Orion Network Performance Monitor >Advanced Features >Shutdown NetPerfMon.
    Warning:
    • Stopping the SolarWinds Network Performance Monitor service also stops node polling. Consider doing any maintenance that requires the stopping of the service during a slow business cycle.
    • Before Stopping the SolarWinds Network Performance Monitor service, ensure you stop the SolarWinds Alerting Engine. Failure to stop the SolarWinds Alerting Engine will result in numerous alert notifications.
  • Click Start > All Programs > SolarWinds Orion Network Performance Monitor > Database Utilities > Database Manager on your Orion NPM server.
  • Locate and expand your Orion NPM database in the navigation pane. By default, this database is named NetPerfMon.
  • Click the Nodes table, and then click Table > Table Details.
  • Click Query on the Table Details window.
  • Type the following in the Query window:
    update nodes
    set snmpversion = 1
    where snmpversion = 2
    and GroupStatus = 'Up-Unknown.gif'
    Note: This SQL statement changes those nodes that are currently up, have unknown interfaces, and are currently using SNMP version 2 to use SNMP version 1.
  • Click Refresh.
  • Exit the Database Manager.
  • Restart the SolarWinds Network Performance Monitor service using the Shutdown NetPerfMon utility provided with Orion NPM.

My emailed advanced alerts ignore the From: field and use the To: field as the From: field. Is there a way to fix this?

Yes. A hotfix is available at: ftp://ftp.solarwinds.net/cmb03/Orion/patches/Orion8.0.1-AlertingEnginePatch.zip.

Note: The window text stating that you can use a semicolon to separate email addresses is incorrect. Do not use a semicolon (;) to separate email addresses, instead use a comma (,). The semicolon is not recognized as a delimiter.

Some of my services do not start and there is an error stating that "XYZ SolarWinds service did not respond in a timely fashion" to the Service Control Manager. The services in question do not include the SolarWinds Network Performance Monitor service. How can I fix this?

There are a number of reasons that your services may be timing out. Because SolarWinds services are signed, they attempt to access the internet and verify themselves at thawte.com. To bypass this verification where your server does not have internet access or your internet connection is unstable, you can add the following lines to your hosts file, found in \Windows\system32\drivers\etc:
127.0.0.1 wpad
127.0.0.1 crl.thawte.com

After logging into the Orion NPM website, I only see the banner. How can I view all of the details?

Method 1: Check to make sure IUSR_ServerName has full access to the ..\Program Files\SolarWinds and InetPub directories.

Method 2: Restart IIS.

Why does the user see "Error 404: Page cannot be Found" when trying to view the home page?

The web server is either unable to find the page requested or cannot determine which page to send.

Method 1: Ensure that only one website is running on Orion's IP address and port number.

Method 2: Restart IIS.

Why do I get an "Under Construction" page when I try to view my Orion NPM website?

You are most likely getting this message because the default website for your Internet Information Server (IIS) is active and is using the IP address and TCP port number that you are trying to view with the Orion NPM website.

Method 1: If you chose "all available unused" for your site's IP Address, change it to a specific address.

Method 2: To resolve this issue, open IIS Manager and stop the default website. Then, start the SolarWinds NetPerfMon website.

Method 3: Assign an additional IP address to your server. Re-run the Orion NPM Configuration Wizard and specify the new IP address when prompted for the IP address to use for the Orion NPM website.

NetFlow Traffic Analyzer

How do I find more information about configuring my Cisco NetFlow device?

Information specific to configuring Cisco routers is available in the NetFlow Traffic Analyzer QuickStart Guide. Information about configuring Cisco switches is available in the Enabling NetFlow and NetFlow Data Export on Cisco Catalyst Switches. For more information, see the Cisco website. You can type configuring NetFlow into the search engine at the following location: http://www.cisco.com/pcgi-bin/search/advancedSearchFacilitator.pl?country=US
&language=en&siteToSearch=cisco.com&filter=p&searchPhrase=

How do I remedy data gaps in my NetFlow implementation?

If you are seeing lost data and data gaps on your NetFlow charts, it is possible that your SQL Server is not powerful enough to maintain the insertion speed required by NetFlow. If you have installed Orion NPM, NetFlow Traffic Analyzer, and SQL Server on the same server, you must migrate your database to another location. As is stated in the documentation, it is not recommended to install NetFlow Traffic Analyzer on the same server as your SQL Server.