* Netcordia unveils VoIP add-on to NetMRI appliance
Network traffic analysis vendor Netcordia last week announced it would make available a VoIP add-on that would enable its flagship NetMRI appliance to better monitor voice traffic and QoS.
The add-on will enable IT managers to quickly pinpoint problems affecting VoIP, the company says, and will provide a daily listing of problems to help staff prevent them before they occur. The company plans to display the product enhancements at VoiceCon in Orlando this week.
A new feature, dubbed Configuration Policy Analysis, will show IT managers any changes that have been made to VoIP configurations, which could speed problem detection. The second addition, Path Diagnostic Chart, provides a daily update on problems. NetMRI’s VoIP-specific module will identify poor call paths by testing the connection between two links, and it can also record call statistics so IT managers can replay and pinpoint problem areas at a later time.
NetMRI comes in three sizes to monitor small, midsize and large networks. NetMRI installs on a switch port or router interface and identifies network devices and the ports, or interfaces, being used to route traffic across a network. Network managers input blocks of IP addresses for the appliance to monitor, and the appliance begins collecting data such as CPU utilization, routing table information, virtual LAN activities, MAC addresses and port connections.
NetMRI Campus model covers 200 routers and switches, or 5,000 interfaces, and pricing starts around $25,000. NetMRI Enterprise 500 handles 500 routers and switches, or 15,000 interfaces, and pricing starts around $50,000. And NetMRI Enterprise 1000 can manage 1,000 routers and switches or 30,000 interfaces, and pricing starts at $85,000.
