| Comparing CatTools & Orion Network Configuration Manager |
| Use Case |
CatTools |
Orion Network Configuration Manager
|
| Do you have a large network? Multiple sites? Multiple device types and vendors? |
CatTools is recommended for smaller, less complex networks that typically have less than 100 devices. |
Orion NCM can manage complex network environments across thousands of devices, multiple locations, and most manufacturers. |
| Need immediate configuration updates and backups? |
With CatTools, devices are entered or imported one-by-one into the database. |
Orion NCM performs automated network discovery, scanning your entire network and importing discovered devices into the Orion NCM database, regardless of vendor. This feature speeds config updates and backups across your entire network. Devices can also be added manually using the Device Import Wizard, which imports from any text, CSV, or Excel® file, or SQL database. |
| Backing up a multi-vendor environment? |
CatTools requires manual mapping and matching of device types to perform config management operations. |
Using Orion NCM’s automated device association, you can automatically map your multi-vendor network routers, switches, firewalls, and load balancers. Then match the device with the appropriate NCM device template for performing config management backups. |
| Deploying bulk firmware updates to a specific set of devices? |
With CatTools, you group devices using manually populated fields. |
With Orion NCM, you can group devices by any attribute using the automated network discovery feature. For instance, you can send updated scripts to all Cisco® devices with IOS v12.1 or update SNMP community strings on all devices which have a location of Austin. |
| Need to know what changed and when? |
Manually schedule activities in CatTools to perform against one or many network devices and specify notification options. |
With Orion NCM’s real-time change detection, you can leverage the built-in Syslog and trap server to get instant notification when device configuration changes occur. This gives you more control, immediate visibility, and the ability to reduce the time required to troubleshoot and resolve network issues |
| Want to provide view access to your network? |
With CatTools, the application runs interactively while you are logged onto your desktop system or as an automatic Windows® NT service. |
With Orion NCM’s web console, you can provide view access to other members of the IT team, enabling them to see your network’s config data for troubleshooting, while limiting their ability to make changes. Users can click on the last config changes and quickly determine if the change caused the issue, instead of having to manually telnet or SSH to the device. |
| Need to track your network inventory? |
CatTools provides eight static reports, which are available in text or HTML format. |
Orion NCM provides a built-in report that details hardware information, including chassis, cards, and serial number. This provides you with a detailed network inventory of all managed devices that can be automatically generated. Reports are fully configurable and can be exported to Excel, HTML, PDF, or a plain text file. |
| Is your network compliant or will you be audited? |
CatTools does not support user authentication or real-time change detection. |
The combination of Orion NCM’s authentication and real-time change detection features ensure compliance with most regulations. Additionally, these features enable you to quickly investigate configuration issues by knowing know who made changes and when. |
| Do you need distributed deployment options across multiple locations or geographies? |
With CatTools, you can manage a single instance from your desktop. |
Deploy an Orion NCM and NPM to each remote site and use the Orion Enterprise Operations Console (EOC) to see a rollup of config management and performance data in your NOC. |
| Interested in free 30-day product trials? |
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Version 3.6.0
