On some occasion you may have needed to make an outline of your work or home network. This representation is called a network diagram, and it can help us, for example, to better understand the structure of a network or to plan its changes. In this tutorial we are going to learn about Solarwinds Network Topology Mapper , we will explain the main features, how it is installed, we will create a map of a small network and more.
Main features and what we can do
Solarwinds is a company that offers solutions for IT administrators. These types of administrators monitor the business requirements of the organization, research technology strategies and solutions. In addition, it builds a more profitable and efficient system to achieve these goals.
SolarWinds offers software solutions for network administration, systems management, and IT security. It also offers products for database management, IT service management, and application management.
The software that we are going to present in this tutorial is SolarWinds Network Topology Mapper . It is a product that will allow us to map our network by creating a network diagram. Thus, thanks to this trial software, we can comfortably view the infrastructure of our network and easily navigate through it. In this sense, we will have an editor to create our computer networks and we can create a map of the networks that we need in a simple way. This is an example of what we can do with the program:
Regarding the main characteristics of the program, we have:
- Being able to discover the network topology, automatically detects and delineates the topology and produces comprehensive and easy-to-visualize network diagrams.
- It allows you to choose from many discovery methods such as ICMP, WMI, CDP, VMware, Hyper-V and more.
- Export network maps from Microsoft Office Visio, PDF, PNG formats etc.
- Deliver robust reports on switch ports, VLANs, subnets, and inventory.
- Address compliance with PCI, FIPS 140-2 and more.
Network Topology Mapper Program Installation and Requirements
SolarWinds Network Topology Mapper needs these minimum requirements for its correct operation:
- Operating system: Microsoft Windows 10, 8.1, 8, 7, Server 2003, Server 2008, Server 2012 or Server 2016.
- You need a 2.66 GHz or higher CPU.
- RAM memory: 500 MB.
- Hard disk space: 10 GB (full version) and 150 MB the trial.
The program lets you test it in a trial version of 14 days. If you want to do it, you will have to click on the following download link . Once the form has been filled out with the information that is requested, an email will arrive with a link to download the program. Then we unzip the SolarWinds-NTM-v2.2.2-Eval file and execute the file that comes inside.
Next, we will get a screen like this one, in which we enter the email that we entered when filling in the form and click on Continue .
Then we follow the instructions until the end of the installation with this screen.
Then we leave the box on the left activated for the program to run and click on Close.
Welcome screen, options and network example
The first time you start the program you will get a welcome screen like this:
It should also be noted that, since it is a trial version, there are quite a few options that work with limitations, or cannot be used directly. You will get a message indicating that it is a demo version. If we press New Scan and configure the appropriate sections, you can scan a network. Below are examples of network scan plans.
In the center we have an explanatory video of how Solarwinds Network Topology Mapper is used and what it can offer us. On the right we can get support with, for example, the link to an online manual of the program. This is the main menu of the program:
Above we have the classics File to open, export and import files and more. We also have View for display options and Help for help. Now we are going to click Open and we are going to take example # 1 of a network diagram created with the program.
If we click on a network device, and we click the right button, we will get the options that we can do with it. For example, in Node properties the window that you have on the right will appear and it will show its properties. It also allows you to add text, change the icon size and more.
Another curiosity is that it allows you to establish the connection speeds between the computers. In that sense, you have some display options in which blue represents a 10/100 Mbps connection like this:
Simply by hovering over the connection line, it will show you the information as above. If you want to create your own map, click on New Map and we will start creating ours.
On the left in Discovered Nodes , dragging a Router and a Switch to the workspace. So, we have started to create my network diagram. Then with SolarWinds Network Topology Mapper we have been adding more elements and here the limit is what the program and your network infrastructure leave you.
As you have seen, this program is really interesting, the negative part is that it is not free (and it is not cheap at all), we will have to buy a subscription to the program if we want to use it in an unlimited way and with all the options unlocked to squeeze it at maximum.