Scanning your network regularly is important for ensuring the network and devices on it are functioning healthily. Here’s how to go about network scanning to understand what devices are on your network, view how they’re performing, and understand the traffic moving between them. There are manual ways to perform some of these tasks, but I…

In this guide, I’ll define the basics of network latency—what it is, why it matters, and how measuring and optimizing network latency is important for any business. I’ll also dive deeper into the best ways to improve network latency. And while it’s possible to undertake manual latency testing, it can be time-consuming work better left…

One of the worst things to experience with your network is a sudden slowdown. Slow networks can be a disaster if you’re in the middle of an important business process, trying to impress a client, or rushing to complete an urgent task.  High latency can become increasingly problematic as networks grow bigger, as having more…

Network connectivity issues can cause big problems, especially if your organization has a complex network with multiple nodes and devices. A complicated online system can make it more difficult to identify the sources of technical problems. Fortunately, there are ways you can simplify the troubleshooting process. With the right strategy and tools, you should be…

SolarWinds® NetFlow Traffic Analyzer (NTA) is a multi-purpose tool useful for a wide range of bandwidth monitoring and management purposes. It integrates with SolarWinds Network Performance Monitor (NPM) to provide a comprehensive network monitoring tool. NTA Key Features Installation System Requirements Installation Process Best Practices for Network Traffic Monitoring Configuration and Using NTA SolarWinds NTA…

MongoDB is an open-source, distributed document database. Unlike relational SQL database systems (e.g., SQL Server, MySQL, et al.), which store data as rows in tables, MongoDB stores data as collections of documents (JSON objects). Since document data structures correspond to the native representation of data in most modern programming languages, MongoDB makes it easier for…

Though this list accounts for both open-source and closed-source products, it focuses on Linux-based network monitoring tools. A handful of common tools only operate on Windows, Pandora, or other systems, but most network monitoring tools run on Linux systems since Linux—with its higher degree of user input and easily recodeable security bugs—is often the choice…

Many professionals had to adapt to remote work at the start of the pandemic. However, distanced jobs may be here to stay: 86% of employees see remote work as the future. As a result, you might wonder if your IT asset management (ITAM) strategy is ready to leave the office. Fortunately, there are a few…

As we become more dependent on the internet, we need to better understand the technologies that make it possible. One of these technologies is the IP address or Internet Protocol address. IP addresses are used to uniquely identify devices on the internet, allowing them to communicate with each other. In this post, we will discuss…

We all know measuring network performance is important. When a network experiences downtime or an end user reports a performance issue, network administrators and engineers will rely heavily on network performance measurements to rectify the problem. They might use IP service-level agreements, or IP SLAs, to do this. But exactly what is IP SLA technology,…

Admins need to be able to handle and track IP addresses across their network. As I’ll explain below, this task is best handled by an automated tool, because keeping tabs on IP addresses can be time-consuming and confusing. If you’re looking for an enterprise-level tool for tracking IP addresses, I suggest starting with SolarWinds® IP…

Many IT admins find as the demand for network resources grows, the importance of having a fine-tuned, well-functioning network only increases. If you aren’t careful, all those high-energy applications can put a serious strain on your bandwidth, reducing your overall network performance. Everyone knows it’s good to have high bandwidth to keep these problems from…

With the continuous growth in demand on network resources, having a finely tuned and well-functioning network is vital for business operations. The increasing use of high-energy applications can strain your bandwidth, pushing your network to the limits and significantly affecting its performance. Improving and optimizing your network bandwidth isn’t easy, and companies often end up…

What Is Infrastructure Monitoring? More and more development happens in the cloud these days, and any new application you build today will likely be a cloud-native one. Though cloud-native development undeniably offers many advantages and flexibilities, these environments are also prone to complexities (such as containerization) and high resource utilization. This brings us to monitoring….

The dreaded ‘Event ID 1205’ – your transaction has been deadlocked. But what does this mean exactly, and what steps can you take to prevent this from happening again in the future? To begin, let’s look at how a deadlock occurs. When SQL Server tasks are performed simultaneously and block each other. As a result,…

As with all databases, you’ll need to constantly monitor IBM Db2 database to ensure optimal performance. Tuning your Db2 database will allow you to observe the speed of data transmission, measure query wait and response times, and identify root causes of critical performance issues. There are specific Db2 query performance tuning tips you should follow…

An increasing number of businesses are adopting cloud-based databases, especially as the benefits associated with migrating database to the cloud become more widely known and accepted. These benefits range from a reduction in labor associated with database management to gaining access to more sophisticated features provided by a third party. Before choosing database migration to…

When it comes to saving on your database infrastructure cost, you must have a way to efficiently visualize your cloud-hosted database activities. Using a cloud-based database cost monitoring tool can enable you to gain clear, accurate insights into where costs are going in your database. By remotely discovering and analyzing these key metrics, you could…

As a database administrator (DBA), you need to demonstrate your skills on a daily basis. However, if you have no formal training or certification, it can be challenging to land a new job or achieve an internal promotion. Fortunately, there are various highly-regarded database certifications for the leading databases. Whether you work primarily with SQL…

This guide will help you improve your understanding of centralized event log management by answering the following question: what is centralized logging? In addition, this guide will outline some of the most important centralized logging best practices and review what I think are the best centralized logging solutions currently on the market. SolarWinds® Log Analyzer…

As most organizations’ networks have grown to support an ever-increasing number of applications and devices, both on-premises and off, cybersecurity is more critical than ever. This is why most user account management and related security improvements now include upgrading the policies and procedures in place for protecting an organization’s most sensitive data. And while adopting…