SolarWinds SOLARWINDS-NPM Online Practice Questions and Exam Preparation

SolarWinds SOLARWINDS-NPM Online Questions & Answers

• Question 1:

  Network performance over an inter-campus Ethernet link is slow. One side of the connection is experiencing a high number of packet drops. What information in NPM can you review to help discover the cause of the issue?

  A. Packet loss on the nodes on either side of the connection
  B. MTU of each side of the link
  C. Possible Duplex Mismatches
  D. Routing tables on each side of the link
  A. Packet loss on the nodes on either side of the connection

  ---

  explanation:

  Explanation

  Packet loss is a measure of how many packets are lost or discarded during transmission over a network. Packet loss can cause network performance issues such as slow response time, jitter, and degraded voice quality. NPM can monitor packet loss on nodes and interfaces using ICMP ping or SNMP statistics. You can review the packet loss metrics on the Node Details or Interface Details views, or create a custom chart or report to compare packet loss across multiple nodes or interfaces. By reviewing the packet loss on the nodes on either side of the connection, you can identify which node or interface is experiencing the problem and troubleshoot the root cause. You can also use the Performance Analysis dashboard (PerfStack) to correlate packet loss with other metrics such as response time, CPU load, memory usage, buffer misses, and interface errors123.

  References: Monitor packet loss in NPM - SolarWinds Troubleshoot intermittent network slowdowns with NPM - SolarWinds SCP Study Aid - SolarWinds (page 9)

• Question 2:

  You're troubleshooting a complex network issue and need to build a comparison of several metrics across multiple devices and SolarWinds products to identify the problem. What feature can you use?

  A. PerfStack
  B. Network Insight
  C. NetPath
  D. AppStack
  A. PerfStack

  ---

  explanation:

  Explanation

  PerfStack is a feature of the Orion Platform that allows you to compare and correlate performance data from multiple SolarWinds products and entities in a single view1. You can drag and drop metrics from different sources, such as NPM, SAM, NCM, NTA, and more, and create custom dashboards that help you troubleshoot complex network issues2. PerfStack can also show historical data and baselines for comparison3.

  References: 1: Network Performance Monitor Administrator Guide - Use PerfStack to troubleshoot issues 2: Network Performance Monitor Getting Started Guide - Troubleshoot your network with PerfStack 3: SolarWinds Certified Professional Program - Diagnostics and Troubleshooting Exam Study Guide - Use PerfStack to troubleshoot issues

• Question 3:

  In which scenario is an agent the best solution?

  A. If you cannot allow ICMP polling on your routers
  B. If hosts in distributed networks have overlapping IP addresses
  C. If the WMI ports are already in use on Linux
  D. If Native GLX log file monitoring is required
  B. If hosts in distributed networks have overlapping IP addresses

  ---

  explanation:

  Explanation

  An agent is a software component that you can install on a node to collect and send data to the Orion server. Agents are useful when you need to monitor nodes that are behind firewalls, in the cloud, or have overlapping IP addresses. Agents can also provide more detailed information about the node's performance and status than SNMP or WMI. Agents can use either agent-initiated or server-initiated communication, depending on your network configuration and security requirements.

  References: NPM Administrator Guide, page 67; SCP Study Aid - NPM, page 15.

• Question 4:

  You want a user to be able to acknowledge alerts. Which permissions do you assign to the user account?

  A. Allow Account to Unmanage Objects
  B. Allow Node Management Rights
  C. Allow Account to Clear Events and Acknowledge Alerts and Syslogs
  D. Allow Administrator Rights
  C. Allow Account to Clear Events and Acknowledge Alerts and Syslogs

  ---

  explanation:

  Explanation

  According to the SolarWinds NPM Administrator Guide, you can assign different permissions to user accounts to control their access and actions in the Orion Platform. One of the permissions is "Allow Account to Clear Events and Acknowledge Alerts and Syslogs", which enables the user to acknowledge alerts, clear events, and mark syslogs as read. This permission is required for auser to be able to acknowledge alerts, as acknowledging an alert stops the escalation process and provides an audit trail. The other permissions listed are not related to alert acknowledgment. "Allow Account to Unmanage Objects" allows the user to temporarily stop monitoring selected network objects. "Allow Node Management Rights" allows the user to add, edit, and delete nodes and interfaces. "Allow Administrator Rights" grants the user full access to all Orion Platform features and settings.

  References: SolarWinds NPM Administrator Guide, page 69-70; Add or remove an alert acknowledgment.

• Question 5:

  You start a new job where NPM is already in use. As soon as you are added to the alert list, you begin receiving "high traffic utilization" alerts from a handful of interfaces.

  When you check the alert, the traffic spike has ended. Your new colleagues advise you to ignore these alerts because the spikes rarely last for more than a couple of minutes and are only a concern if they last longer.

  How should NPM be modified so you receive fewer false alerts?

  A. Configure the alert so that it triggers only when traffic utilization remains high for a sustained period
  B. Configure the alert so that it resets only when traffic utilization remains high fora sustained period
  C. Increase the status polling frequency on the problematic interfaces
  D. Increase the statistics polling frequency on the problematic interfaces
  A. Configure the alert so that it triggers only when traffic utilization remains high for a sustained period

  ---

  explanation:

  Explanation

  The best way to reduce false alerts for high traffic utilization is to configure the alert trigger condition to be more specific and accurate. By setting the alert to trigger only when traffic utilization remains high for a sustained period, you can avoid

  getting alerted for short-lived spikes that are not a cause for concern. You can use the Time of Day and Trigger Condition options in the alert configuration wizard to define the duration and threshold of the high traffic utilization condition. For

  example, you can set the alert to trigger only when traffic utilization is greater than 80% for more than 10 minutes during business hours.

  References:

  How do I create a high transmit percent utilization alert to monitor interface bandwidth - Forum - Network Performance Monitor (NPM) - THWACK Products How alerts work - SolarWinds

  SCP Study Aid - SolarWinds (page 8)

• Question 6:

  When you configure a report, you can limit access to specific users.

  A. TRUE
  B. FALSE
  A. TRUE

  ---

  explanation:

  Explanation

  When you configure a report in the SolarWinds Platform Web Console, you can limit access to specific users by assigning a report limitation category to the report and to the user account. A report limitation category is a custom label that defines which reports a user can see. For example, you can create a "finance" category and assign it to the reports and users related to the finance department. Users with the "finance" category can only access the reports with the same category, and not the reports with other categories, such as "marketing" or "IT". You can also prevent users from accessing any reports by applying the "No Reports" limitation to their account, or allow administrators to see all reports by applying the "No Limitation" category to their account.

  References: Restrict who can access reports in the SolarWinds Platform, Define what users can access and do in the SolarWinds Platform.

• Question 7:

  You monitor three Cisco routers with NPM. NPM reports utilization statistics for two of the routers. NPM only shows Availability and Response Time statuses for the third router. Why do you not see utilization statistics on the third router?

  A. SNMP is not configured correctly on the third node
  B. The third node is monitored with WMI instead of SNMP
  C. The third node is monitored with the NPM agent
  D. The third node is monitored with SNMP instead of ICMP
  A. SNMP is not configured correctly on the third node

  ---

  explanation:

  Explanation

  NPM uses SNMP to collect utilization statistics from network devices, such as routers, switches, firewalls, etc. If NPM only shows Availability and Response Time statuses for a device, it means that SNMP is not configured correctly on that device or NPM cannot access the device via SNMP1. Some possible reasons for this are: The device does not support SNMP or SNMP is disabled on the device The device has a different SNMP version or community string than NPM The device has a firewall or access control list that blocks SNMP traffic from NPM The device has a misconfigured SNMP agent or MIB To troubleshoot this issue, you can use the SNMP Test Tool in NPM to verify the SNMP settings and connectivity of the device2. You can also check the device logs and configuration to ensure that SNMP is enabled and properly configured3.

  References: 1: Network Performance Monitor Administrator Guide - Troubleshoot SNMP issues 2: Network Performance Monitor Administrator Guide - Test SNMP access 3: Network Performance Monitor Getting Started Guide - Troubleshoot SNMP issues

• Question 8:

  You configure an alert to send you an email when you have a high CPU load on your devices. Your NPM web console shows several devices have high CPU utilization, but you have not received any emails. What could be the issue?

  A. The alert threshold is set too high
  B. The hardware resources assigned to the system are too low
  C. The alerts are muted on the devices
  D. SNMP is not configured on the devices
  C. The alerts are muted on the devices

  ---

  explanation:

  Explanation

  One possible reason why you have not received any emails for the high CPU load alert is that the alerts are muted on the devices. Muting alerts means that the alert conditions are still evaluated, but the alert actions are not executed. This can be useful when you want to temporarily suppress notifications for planned maintenance or testing. You can mute alerts for individual nodes, groups, or applications, or for all alerts in the Orion Platform. To check if the alerts are muted on the devices, you can go to the Manage Nodes page and look for the Muted column. You can also use the Mute Alerts widget on the Orion homepage to see the status of alert muting. To unmute alerts, you can either use the same widget or the Unmute Alerts option in the node, group, or application details page.

  References: Mute alerts, Manage nodes, Mute Alerts widget

• Question 9:

  What can you use to retrieve a single value in SNMP? (Choose all that apply.)

  A. GET VALUE
  B. GET NEXT
  C. GET TABLE
  D. GET
  B. GET NEXT
  D. GET

  ---

  explanation:

  Explanation

  SNMP (Simple Network Management Protocol) is a protocol that allows network managers to monitor and control network devices using a set of standardized messages and data structures. SNMP uses a client-server model, where the network manager (client) sends requests to the network device (server) and receives responses. The network device has an SNMP agent that collects and reports the data using a MIB (Management Information Base), which is a hierarchical database of variables that describe the device's status and configuration. Each variable in the MIB has a unique identifier called an OID (Object Identifier), which is a dot-separated sequence of numbers that follows a tree structure12. To retrieve a single value in SNMP, you can use two types of requests: GET and GET NEXT. A GET request asks for the value of a specific OID, and the SNMP agent responds with the value if it exists, or an error if it does not. A GET NEXT request asks for the value of the next OID in the MIB tree, and the SNMP agent responds with the value and the OID of the next variable, or an error if there is no next variable. A GET NEXT request can be useful for discovering the OIDs and values of a device, or for iterating over a table of values34. A GET VALUE request is not a valid SNMP request, and a GET TABLE request is not a single request, but a series of GET NEXT requests that retrieve all the values in a table .

  References: 1: SNMP Basics, 2: SNMP Tutorial Part 1 ? Understanding MIBs and OIDs, 3: SNMP Tutorial Part 2 ?SNMP Get, GetNext, GetBulk, 4: SNMP Commands, : SNMP Table Operations, : SNMP Table Retrieval

• Question 10:

  How many agents does NPM require for Quality of Experience, NetPath, and system monitoring on the same Windows server?

  A. 3
  B. 1
  C. 5
  D. 2
  B. 1

  ---

  explanation:

  Explanation

  NPM requires only one agent for Quality of Experience, NetPath, and system monitoring on the same Windows server. The agent is a software component that collects data from the server and sends it to the Orion server1. The agent can perform multiple tasks, such as packet analysis, network path analysis, and system health monitoring, depending on the configuration and the license2. You can install the agent on the server either manually or remotely from the Orion Web Console3.

  References: 1: Network Performance Monitor Administrator Guide - Agents 2: Network Performance Monitor Getting Started Guide - Monitor with agents 3: Network Performance Monitor Installation Guide - Install agents