On-Demand Webcasts

SolarWinds Head Geek Webcast Series

Josh Stephens is SolarWinds' director of technology – aka Head Geek – where he plays an integral part in the development and delivery of our award-winning network management products. When he's not busy lending a hand in the development aspect of the business, he's either blogging or, lately, hosting a webcast series on network management best practices. Check out the webcasts he's already hosted below and be sure to check back frequently because there are more to come!

Geek Speak Webcast: Boost Network Reliability with Four Configuration Management Fast Fixes

I get a lot of questions about best practices for managing dynamic networks. When it’s not done well, reliability suffers and one of the worst things that can happen is the network goes down. In fact, experts estimate that up to 70% of network downtime stems from changed network configs. Configuration management is not only one of the surest and easiest ways to avoid downtime, best-in-class configuration management tools can also save you a ton of time and improve the quality of your network operations.

During this webcast you’ll learn how to:

• Set up nightly config backups so you can easily roll back to a known good config
• Simultaneously change thousands of device configs with a just a few mouse clicks
• Set up an alert to be notified anytime a config is changed on your network
• Run a complete inventory report so you’re not paying maintenance for devices that aren’t on your network

We’ll also talk about how to evaluate what configuration management solution is right for you.

REGISTER TODAY – to watch the on-demand webcast!

Geek Speak Webcast: Monitoring WAN Performance with Cisco IP SLA

Unless you’ve spent the last few years buried beneath Spanning Tree Protocol (STP) issues or lost somewhere within Active Directory, chances are that you’ve heard of Cisco IP SLA. Just in case, in a nutshell, it’s wicked cool technology that lets you have your routers and switches run traffic/application tests from their location in the network so that you can better understand how the network is performing.

While this is cool all by itself, the true power of IP SLA is exposed when you use a network management system to collect, analyze, and display the results from the IP SLA operations your devices are running.

During this webcast we’ll explain Cisco IP SLA in detail and we’ll demonstrate how the new Orion IP SLA Manager makes implementing and leveraging Cisco IP SLA easy. Some of the things that we’ll cover are:

• What IP SLA is and how it works
• Which devices support IP SLA
• Best practices for deploying Cisco IP SLA
• Using Orion with Cisco IP SLA
• A sneak peak at the new IPSLA Manager

REGISTER TODAY – to watch the on-demand webcast!

Geek Speak Webcast: Network Monitoring Fundamentals

It's been a while since I went through the US Air Force's basic training program but every time I visit San Antonio I can't help but sit up a little straighter and remember the drill sergeants ingraining within me the “military way” of folding my t-shirts, making my bed, cleaning my rifle, and singing the Air Force Song...

The foundation of things I learned back in basic training are a large part of what's made me successful as a professional today.

On this webcast I'm going to put on my drill sergeant's hat and we're going to learn the basics that every network engineer, server chick, network manager, or IT dude should know about managing networks. This is going to be a no-frills webcast where we focus on the fundamentals and making sure that we all understand them.

Some of the things that we'll cover are:

• Assessing your current capabilities
• Prioritizing your needs
• Baselines
• Fundamental technologies

No matter where you are in your career, you don't want to miss this session!

REGISTER TODAY – to watch the on-demand webcast!

Geek Speak Webcast: Quality of Service (QoS)

Today's IP networks are being asked to do more than ever before. Not only has traditional IP data traffic like IP based applications and web traffic grown exponentially but we're also asking these networks to support latency intolerant applications like voice and video. One of the most effective and inexpensive ways to improve the performance of these networks is to implement some form of QoS. Within this webcast we'll…

• Define and discuss different types of QoS
• Provide best practices for QoS deployment
• Review QoS monitoring practices
• Demonstrate QoS monitoring applications
• Learn when and why to deploy QoS

REGISTER TODAY – to watch the on-demand webcast!

Hidden Secrets of IOS

Did you know that there are powerful technologies embedded in Cisco IOS that can significantly simplify managing your network? You probably already have them on your network, now you just need to unlock their potential.

Join this Special Geek-to-Geek session featuring SolarWinds Head Geek, Josh Stephens, and Cisco Geek, Jimmy Ray Purser. Listen as they delve into the benefits of using IP SLA, NetFlow, and EnergyWise as part of your daily network management tactics and share their favorite secrets to best leverage IOS in your environment.

This webcast covers how to:

• Quickly diagnose network slowdowns between remote sites
• Analyze your network traffic
• Identify bandwidth hogs
• Reduce the energy consumption of your IP-based devices

REGISTER TODAY – to watch the on-demand webcast!

Mastering Network Troubleshooting and Monitoring with SolarWinds

Join SolarWinds Head Geek Josh Stephens and University of Western Kentucky's Jeffrey Stewart for a technical discussion of how to get the most out of your SolarWinds Tools when it comes to troubleshooting and monitoring your network.

This special session will be geared towards the unique needs of State and Local Government Agencies and Education Organizations. Specifically, we'll discuss:

• Troubleshooting Tips and Technologies
• Network Monitoring Tactics for budget conscious networks
• Technical Introduction to SolarWinds tools
• Case Study: University of Western Kentucky

REGISTER TODAY – to watch the on-demand webcast!

Advanced IP Address Management

Managing IP address space has changed a lot over the years. Back when I started doing networking, most everyone used public IP address space and kept track of their IP addresses in Excel. And back then, IP was only one of the key protocols and was really not any more important than IPX, Vines, or AppleTalk.

Nowadays, IP is the most important thing on your network and the shortage of public IPv4 address space has us resorting to technologies like Network Address Translation (NAT). And talk of IPv6 has many of us scratching our heads and wondering how/if/when it will affect us. About the only thing that hasn't changed is the spreadsheets…

Join us as we delve deeper into today's IP address space management challenges and expose some best practices and best in class technologies to make this task easier. Some of the things that we'll cover are:

• When to use public vs. private IP address space
• Complexities caused by private address space
• What you really need to know about IPv6 today
• Best practices for assigning and tracking IP addresses
• Key technologies for IP address tracking and management

We'll also take a look at the new SolarWinds' Engineer's Toolset Version 10.0 including the new Workspace Studio.

REGISTER TODAY – to watch the on-demand webcast!

Network Troubleshooting Technologies – Part 2

In the first Network Troubleshooting Technologies webcast we covered IP SLA, NetFlow, SNMP, Traceroute, packet captures, and I even threw in a bonus #6—technology of network diagramming. The feedback was overwhelming – it seems that this is a subject close to everyone's hearts. We had a huge group of attendees, tons of questions, and even managed to run out of time.

In this webcast, we'll carve out more time for Q&A and we'll answer some of the key questions that we didn't get to last time around. We'll also expand the technologies section to include 4 more – giving us a "Top 10 Technologies for Troubleshooting Networks."

This session includes:

• Cisco Discovery Protocol (CDP)
• Telnet
• ICMP
• CAM, ARP, and the Switch Port Mapper
• An extended question and answer session

We'll also take a look at the new SolarWinds' Engineer's Toolset Version 10.0 including the new Workspace Studio.

REGISTER TODAY – to watch the on-demand webcast!

Network Troubleshooting: Top 5 Technologies to Leverage

As network engineers, we're constantly looking for the best tools to use for diagnosing and solving network issues. That said, selecting the right tools to use for specific problems requires a deep understanding of how these different technologies work. Join me as we dive geek-deep into five key network technologies, how they work, and what they're best used for.

In this webcast we'll take an in-depth look at:

• SNMP
• NetFlow (cFlow, sFlow, JFlow)
• IP SLA
• Packet Captures
• Trace Route

We'll also take a look at the new SolarWinds' Engineer's Toolset Version 10.0 including the new Workspace Studio.

REGISTER TODAY – to watch the on-demand webcast!

A Technical Analysis of IP SLA

Back in the old days, perspective wasn't all that important when it came to managing IP networks. Most WANs used a hub and spoke topology and so what we couldn't measure from a centralized NMS could at least be inferred. Today, things are very different. Frame relay has been replaced by MPLS as the technology of choice and many companies relay completely on internet based VPNs for site to site connectivity. Traffic no longer flows through the main office when going from site to site – we're now fully meshed and so understanding network performance is now exponentially more complicated.

Fortunately, there are some great tools and technologies out there for solving these problems. At the top of the list- Cisco's IP Service Level Agreements or IP SLA. Join SolarWinds Head Geek Josh Stephens for an in-depth look at the challenges associated with managing meshed networks and the advantages of leveraging best of breed technology like Cisco IP SLA. Key topics for discussion will include:

• The impact of meshed networks on network management
• How meshed architectures affect network applications
• Key metrics for analyzing meshed network performance
• Cisco IP SLA and what it can do for you

REGISTER TODAY – to watch the on-demand webcast!

The Black Art of Log Management

The Head Geek Shares Best Kept Secrets

Whether you're responsible for routers, switches, firewalls, Unix servers, Windows servers, applications or all of the above - how you consolidate, store, filter, and alert on log messages is a key part of your job. For several years many of us have focused on this art as a best practice and today it's even more than that. With regulations like PCI and Sarbanes-Oxley, effective log management may be the most important thing that you do.

Join SolarWinds Head Geek, Josh Stephens, as he delves into the black art of log management and consolidation and expose the best kept secrets of this trade. On this webcast he'll cover:

• The necessity of log management in today's environment
• Event collection methods desperate system types
• Log management architectures
• Strategies for effective, log based alerting and filtering

Don't miss out on the Head Geek's trade secrets of log management – REGISTER TODAY – to watch the on-demand webcast!

Tried and True Tactics for Managing Multivendor Environments

It's a slow economy and your company is more interested in saving money than ever before. All of the sudden the fact that the networking gear you've already implemented is from one vendor has no bearing upon which vendor gets chosen the next go around – it's all about price and the fact these decisions will complicate your life exponentially isn't even a factor. Join Head Geek Josh Stephens as he discusses the complexities associated with managing heterogeneous networks and best practices for getting through them, including:

• Where to and where not to go multi-vendor
• Tips for coming up to speed with a new vendor's gear quickly
• Advantages of using standards based management practices
• How to avoid having a separate network management application for every vendor's hardware you've purchased

Learn how to manage your multivendor network – REGISTER TODAY – to watch the on-demand webcast!

Monitoring the Virtual Environment – A Technical Perspective on ESX Server Health and Performance Monitoring

Many organizations today are investing significantly in virtualization and are seeing both the benefits and challenges associated with these game changing technologies. Join SolarWinds Head Geek Josh Stephens as he takes an in-depth look at monitoring ESX-based virtual environments and the unique challenges associated with them. In this webcast he'll cover:

• Unique challenges of monitoring virtual environments, servers, and infrastructure
• Network management strategy differences for physical and virtual servers
• Management protocols for monitoring ESX servers
• A deep look at the SNMP capabilities and MIBs available for ESX server monitoring
• Understanding the ESX server APIs and when to leverage them
• Best practices for enhancing monitoring capabilities

Learn how to monitor your virtual environment – REGISTER TODAY – for this Geek Speak webcast!

Application Servers – The Top 5 Things to Monitor

Let's face it – there's nothing worse than finding out about a problem on one of your application servers from an end user. However, staying one step ahead is tough given the complexities of application monitoring in today's environments. With acronyms like VMs, SANs, SaaS, VoIP, and QoS, servers being virtualized, data storage out on the network somewhere, applications hosted by strangers, phone systems part of the IP network, and more … it's no wonder that guaranteeing high quality of service can sometimes prove to be a challenge. So, what do we do? How do we ensure application health and performance?

Join me, Josh Stephens, SolarWinds Head Geek, as I unravel the mysteries of effective application and server monitoring and provide best practices for ensuring that you know where the issues are before your users do. In this session we'll discuss:

• The challenges of ensuring application health and performance in today's environment
• Best practices for monitoring application and application server health and performance
• Unique challenges for applications hosted on Windows platforms, Unix platforms, and outsourced/hosted applications
• Tips and Tricks to ensure that you're the first to know when application quality has degraded

Learn what you need to monitor and how to do it – REGISTER NOW – to watch the on-demand webcast!

Reduce Network Firefighting: Integrate Fault, Performance, and Configuration Management

With today's advanced networks it's no longer enough to focus purely on fault and performance management. In fact, it has been estimated by numerous industry watchers that up to 80% of performance problems and network downtime can be attributed to some configuration change or error1. Many times our configuration changes are dynamic and numerous, so it's essential that we integrate configuration management into our fault and performance management system to ensure optimal network performance.

To get the full value of your technology investments, you must be able to make direct correlations between configuration changes and network. Join SolarWinds Head Geek, Josh Stephens, as he discuss best practices for combining fault, performance, and configuration management into a single, unified approach for improving the overall health and efficiency of your network. Josh will talk in depth about:

• Essentials for Fault and Performance Management
• Top Challenges facing Network Engineers Today
• Quick Tips for Error proofing your network
• Top 5 Must Have's for Configuration Management

Stop firefighting network issues – REGISTER NOW to watch the on-demand webcast!

Tips to Achieve a 4-Hour IT Work Week

Join SolarWinds Head Geek to learn the art of managing today's networks more efficiently! Does achieving “The 4-Hour IT Work Week” sound impossible? It's not surprising considering the myriad of complex and unique challenges you face on a daily basis as a network engineer, not to mention the fact that you probably have fewer and fewer resources to help you respond to issues.

Join Head Geek, Josh Stephens, as he explores ways for you to reclaim control of your network engineering life, work fewer hours, and still be the hero by leveraging best–in-class network management software, practices, and tools. Things he'll cover in this webcast include:

• Effective goal-setting techniques
• Advantages of virtualization
• Smart use of free tools
• Top 5 time savers
• Leveraging network management communities
• Best practices for monitoring your IT infrastructure

Learn how to steal 36 hours back from YOUR work week – REGISTER TODAY to watch the on-demand webcast!

Network Management Architectures: Centralized vs. Distributed

Network Management Architectures come in many shapes and sizes and deciding which to use on your network can be a daunting task. How do you distribute your network management system to lower the amount of network management traffic on your WANs? Are you able to collect network management data at your remote offices even if the connection to those offices is down?

Join SolarWinds Head Geek, Josh Stephens, to explore different network management architectures, how to choose between them, and best practices for deploying them in your environment. In the hour-long webcast Josh will duke it out between Centralized and Distributed networks:

• Round 1: The pros and cons of centralized network management architectures
• Round 2: The pros and cons of distributed network management architectures
• Round 3: Best practices for deploying network management architectures
• Round 4: Architecture options from SolarWinds

DOWNLOAD THE ON-DEMAND VERSION TODAY! »

How Network Management Systems Work

Do terms like SNMP, WMI, MIBs, OIDs, counters, and polling leave you with more questions than answers? Join Head Geek Josh Stephens as he explains the technologies behind network management systems and how you can use them to your advantage when managing a network.

Our head geek often gets asked about Network Management Systems and what they do. So, he's dedicating an entire geek speak session to this topic. And, he'll provide you with some real-world tips that you can put to use in your own environment!

During the webcast Josh will discuss:

• Network Management Systems overview
• Polling and statistics collection
• Counters and gauges
• Technical Analysis of management protocols including SNMP and WMI

DOWNLOAD THE ON-DEMAND VERSION TODAY! »

Tactical Network Configuration Management

Ever had to work late rolling out a bunch of changes to your routers? Fat-fingered an ACL update and brought down part of the network? What about locked yourself out of a router so badly that you had to get on a plane and fly to it to fix the problem? I've been there. We all know that you should backup the configs on your routers, switches, and firewalls daily, but not many of us actually have time for it.

Network configuration management is one of those necessary evils that can if done correctly can make your life a whole lot easier. In this webcast we'll talk about the tactical aspects of configuration management and how you can implement them, including:

• Basics of configuration management
• The scary side of doing nothing
• The Top 5 Ways that configuration management can help you
• How to evaluate configuration management solutions
• Configuration management and SolarWinds

DOWNLOAD THE ON-DEMAND VERSION TODAY! »

Deep Dive – A Technical Analysis of NetFlow, JFLow, SFLow, and IPFix

Ever wanted to know more about how network traffic flow protocols like NetFlow, JFlow, SFlow, and IPFix work? What are the pros and cons of each and how will enabling them affect my network and how will the data that I get from them help manage my traffic? Join Josh Stephens (aka “Head Geek”) for a total geek out session on this topic.

In this webcast Josh will cover:

• The basics of traffic flow technologies
• The Top 5 Reasons to use them
• Possible downfalls – Rumors and Facts
• Comparisons of NetFlow, JFlow, SFlow, and IPFix
• Deeper analysis of each traffic flow type
• Technologies that receive and analyze flow data

DOWNLOAD THE ON-DEMAND VERSION TODAY »

Top 5 Cost Saving Practices for Managing Networks

As network managers, it seems like we're always being asked to do more with less. Get better network performance from less bandwidth, manage more applications with fewer servers, and deploy more management & monitoring capabilities with a shrinking budget.

Are we fighting the impossible fight? Not at all... join this webcast to learn about five easy techniques to save you money (as well as time). We'll cover:

• Smart ways to use free tools
• The advantages of virtualization
• How to save on service provider costs
• Leveraging community-based knowledge
• Knowing when enough is enough – the right times to swap out your NMS

DOWNLOAD THE ON-DEMAND VERSION TODAY »

Tech Talk: SolarWinds and Riverbed Tackle WAN Optimization and Management

Trusted advisors from SolarWinds and Riverbed discuss the latest trends in WAN optimization and management. Harold Byun from Riverbed, an expert in wide-area data services with experience in both enterprise networking and storage management, join SolarWinds Head Geek Josh Stephens and NetFlow Product Manager Haley Oyler, and explore the many options for optimizing and managing WANs (plus, they'll provide best practices for each!)

Topics they cover include:

• Understanding the need for WAN Optimization
• WAN Optimization as a strategy – not just a set of technologies
• Deep dive on WAN optimization methods
• Best practices for deploying WAN optimization
• WAN Management in an Optimized Environment

DOWNLOAD THE ON-DEMAND VERSION TODAY »

Best Practices for Managing Network Applications

Today's IP networks are faster and more reliable than ever before. As a matter of fact, they've become so powerful that most enterprises rely on them daily for business critical applications, such as web-based applications, networked database systems, centralized e-mail services, and Voice over IP.

So, I wanted to share some best practices on how to manage today's networks and the applications that ride over them. I've also invited one of my fellow geeks to chime in on the topic. We'll cover:

• Network Application Readiness – how to evaluate the network before network applications are deployed
• Fully-meshed network management strategies
• Monitoring and evaluating network application traffic
• Network-focused application monitoring

DOWNLOAD THE ON-DEMAND VERSION TODAY »

Optimizing WAN Management in Government Networks

Managing networks within traditional enterprises is tough. And, if you work for the government, you have additional requirements and special circumstances to consider. If you work within the DoD, not only are you managing some of the most complex networks in the world, but a lot more is riding on it than just lost revenue and angry customers.

As a decorated veteran of the U.S. Air Force, Josh Stephens focuses on the best practices he used for optimizing network management within government environments. During this 1-hour, on-demand Geek Speak session, he addresses topics including:

• Securing the management environment
• Assessing the manageability of the network
• Evaluating the currently deployed NMSs
• Selecting new network management applications
• Scalability and performance considerations
• Metrics and reporting

DOWNLOAD THE ON-DEMAND VERSION TODAY »

Tips on Optimizing WAN Management

Do you need expert tips for defining a WAN management plan that addresses today's network challenges? Our Head Geek can help. Download this on-demand webcast to get the scoop on the latest trends for effective WAN management. Josh Stephens will be dishing out best practices for leveraging cost-saving technologies without impacting network performance.

You will learn practical pointers on how to define and implement an integrated WAN management approach including:

• Alert and Event Management
• Capacity Planning
• SLA Management
• Management Reporting (including dash boards)
• Traffic Analysis
• Hardware Helpers (traffic accelerators and shapers)

DOWNLOAD THE ON-DEMAND VERSION TODAY »

Mastering Network Monitoring in the SMB

Do you know what's up with your network? What's going on right now with all those network devices, servers and applications that are critical to your business? Spend an hour with our Head Geek to learn valuable tips for effectively monitoring your IT infrastructure.

During this on-demand webcast, you'll learn the latest trends for managing networks and systems in environments with less than 500 devices. SolarWinds Head Geek, Josh Stephens, will be dishing out best practices for ensuring your network, servers and applications are always up, including:

• Effectively planning your management strategy
• Prioritizing your requirements
• Selecting and implementing management tools
• Monitoring end-user experience
• Creating custom maps to visually monitor your network
• And, leveraging best practices for alerting and reporting

DOWNLOAD THE ON-DEMAND VERSION TODAY »

Product Palooza Webcast Series

The SolarWinds product managers have been doing double duty as tour guides in a recent series of webcasts that take you behind the scenes of the SolarWinds products. You can view the recordings below (registration required):

Webcast	Product	View Now
Don't blame the network! Pinpointing VoIP issues with Orion VoIP Monitor	Orion VoIP Monitor	OnDemand
Fault & Performance Management Made Easy	ipMonitor	OnDemand
Managing Network Changes through Configuration Management	Cirrus	OnDemand
Auto-discover & Map Your Network - in Minutes!	LANsurveyor	OnDemand
Tools for Engineers, Analysts and Consultants	Engineer's Toolset	OnDemand