SolarWinds NPM vs Wireshark: What are the differences?

Introduction

SolarWinds Network Performance Monitor (NPM) and Wireshark are both popular tools used for network monitoring and troubleshooting. While they serve similar purposes, there are several key differences between SolarWinds NPM and Wireshark that distinguish each tool.

1. User Interface: SolarWinds NPM provides a user-friendly and intuitive web-based interface, making it easier for network administrators to manage and monitor their network devices. On the other hand, Wireshark has a more technical and complex user interface, primarily designed for packet-level analysis and deep network troubleshooting.

2. Scope of Monitoring: SolarWinds NPM is primarily focused on monitoring the health and performance of network devices and infrastructure, providing real-time visibility into network utilization, availability, and latency. In contrast, Wireshark offers extensive packet analysis capabilities, allowing network administrators to capture, analyze, and dissect individual packets to identify network issues and anomalies.

3. Alerting and Notification: SolarWinds NPM includes advanced alerting and notification features, allowing network administrators to set up real-time alerts based on predefined thresholds or conditions, such as high CPU utilization or device downtime. Conversely, Wireshark does not provide built-in alerting and notification capabilities and mainly focuses on packet analysis rather than proactive monitoring.

4. Ease of Deployment: SolarWinds NPM is a commercial software that needs to be installed on a dedicated server or virtual machine. It requires initial configuration and setup, including adding network devices into the system. On the contrary, Wireshark is an open-source packet analyzer that can be installed on multiple platforms and used without any configuration, making it more suitable for quick ad-hoc analysis or troubleshooting scenarios.

5. Price and Licensing: SolarWinds NPM is a commercial product and requires a license based on the number of monitored elements, such as nodes, interfaces, or sensors. The pricing can vary depending on the scale and features required. Wireshark, being an open-source tool, is available for free to download and use without any licensing limitations. This makes Wireshark a more cost-effective solution for small-scale deployments or limited budgets.

6. Capability for Real-Time Analysis: SolarWinds NPM provides real-time monitoring and analysis of network performance, giving administrators immediate visibility into network issues, bottlenecks, and trends. Wireshark, although capable of capturing packets in real-time, requires manual analysis and investigation, making it more suitable for offline analysis or in-depth troubleshooting rather than immediate real-time monitoring.

In summary, SolarWinds NPM offers a user-friendly interface, proactive monitoring, alerting, and comprehensive network device management, while Wireshark excels in deep packet analysis and troubleshooting capabilities, with a more complex and technical user interface.