Solarwinds Network Performance Monitor

General Information

Technologies must be operated and maintained in accordance with Federal and Department security and privacy policies and guidelines. More information on the proper use of the TRM can be found on the TRM Proper Use Tab/Section.

Website:	Go to site
Description:	Solarwinds Network Performance Monitor (NPM) is a network utility for performance monitoring, fault management, and network availability. The product provides real-time views of network performance and availability statistics and detailed monitoring and analysis of data from routers, switches, servers, and other Simple Network Management Protocol (SNMP)-enabled devices.
Technology/Standard Usage Requirements:	Users must ensure their use of this technology/standard is consistent with VA policies and standards, including, but not limited to, VA Handbooks 6102 and 6500; VA Directives 6004, 6513, and 6517; and National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) standards, including Federal Information Processing Standards (FIPS). Users must ensure sensitive data is properly protected in compliance with all VA regulations. Prior to use of this technology, users should check with their supervisor, Information Security Officer (ISO), Facility Chief Information Officer (CIO), or local Office of Information and Technology (OI&T) representative to ensure that all actions are consistent with current VA policies and procedures prior to implementation.
Section 508 Information:	This technology has been assessed by the Section 508 Office and found non-conformant. The Implementer of this technology has the responsibility to ensure the version deployed is 508-compliant. Section 508 compliance may be reviewed by the Section 508 Office and appropriate remedial action required if necessary. For additional information or assistance regarding Section 508, please contact the Section 508 Office at Section508@va.gov. Please see reference tab for more information concerning product versions.
Decision:	View Decisions

Decision Source:	TRM Mgmt Group
Decision Process:	One-VA TRM v24.7
Decision Date:	07/12/2024 at 02:55:58 UTC
Aliases:	SolarWinds Orion Network Performance Monitor
Introduced By:	TRM Request
Vendor Name:	SolarWinds

Vendor Release Information

The Vendor Release table provides the known releases for the TRM Technology, obtained from the vendor (or from the release source).

Version	Release Date	Vendor End of Life Date
10.3	06/04/2012	03/31/2017
10.4	08/21/2013	03/31/2017
10.5	10/16/2013	03/31/2017
10.6	10/31/2013	03/31/2017
11.0.1
11.5.x	06/02/2015
12.x	06/06/2019
2019.x	11/05/2019
2020.x	06/04/2020
2022.x	09/28/2022
2023.x	02/15/2023
2024.x	02/06/2024

Current Decision Matrix (07/01/2024)

Users must ensure their use of this technology/standard is consistent with VA policies and standards, including, but not limited to, VA Handbooks 6102 and 6500; VA Directives 6004, 6513, and 6517; and National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) standards, including Federal Information Processing Standards (FIPS). Users must ensure sensitive data is properly protected in compliance with all VA regulations. Prior to use of this technology, users should check with their supervisor, Information Security Officer (ISO), Facility Chief Information Officer (CIO), or local Office of Information and Technology (OI&T) representative to ensure that all actions are consistent with current VA policies and procedures prior to implementation.

The VA Decision Matrix displays the current and future VA IT position regarding different releases of a TRM entry. These decisions are based upon the best information available as of the most current date. The consumer of this information has the responsibility to consult the organizations responsible for the desktop, testing, and/or production environments to ensure that the target version of the technology will be supported. Any major.minor version that is not listed in the VA Decision Matrix is considered unapproved for use.

Legend:

White	Approved: The technology/standard has been approved for use.
Yellow	Approved w/Constraints: The technology/standard can be used within the specified constraints located below the decision matrix in the footnote[1] and on the General tab.
Gray	Unapproved: This technology or standard can be used only if a POA&M review is conducted and signed by the Authorizing Official Designated Representative (AODR) as designated by the Authorizing Official (AO) or designee and based upon a recommendation from the POA&M Compliance Enforcement, has been granted to the project team or organization that wishes to use the technology.
Orange	Divest: VA has decided to divest itself on the use of the technology/standard. As a result, all projects currently utilizing the technology/standard must plan to eliminate their use of the technology/standard. Additional information on when the entry is projected to become unapproved may be found on the Decision tab for the specific entry.
Black	Prohibited: The technology/standard is not (currently) permitted to be used under any circumstances.
Blue	Planning/Evaluation Constraint:The period of time this technology is currently being evaluated, reviewed, and tested in controlled environments. Use of this technology is strictly controlled and not available for use within the general population. If a customer would like to use this technology, please work with your local or Regional OI&T office and contact the appropriate evaluation office displayed in the notes below the decision matrix. The Local or Regional OI&T office should submit an inquiry to the TRM if they require further assistance or if the evaluating office is not listed in the notes below.

Release/Version Information:

VA decisions for specific versions may include a ‘.x’ wildcard, which denotes a decision that pertains to a range of multiple versions.

For example, a technology approved with a decision for 7.x would cover any version of 7.(Anything) - 7.(Anything). However, a 7.4.x decision would cover any version of 7.4.(Anything), but would not cover any version of 7.5.x or 7.6.x on the TRM.

VA decisions for specific versions may include ‘+’ symbols; which denotes that the decision for the version specified also includes versions greater than what is specified but is not to exceed or affect previous decimal places.

For example, a technology approved with a decision for 12.6.4+ would cover any version that is greater than 12.6.4, but would not exceed the .6 decimal ie: 12.6.401 is ok, 12.6.5 is ok, 12.6.9 is ok, however 12.7.0 or 13.0 is not.

<Past

CY2016

CY2017

CY2018

Future>

Release

Q1

Q2

Q3

Q4

Q1

Q2

Q3

Q4

Q1

Q2

Q3

Q4

10.3

Unapproved

10.4

Unapproved

10.5

Unapproved

10.6

Divest
[5, 6, 7, 8]

Unapproved

11.0.1

Approved w/Constraints
[5, 6, 7, 8]

Divest
[5, 6, 7, 8]

Divest
[5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10]

Divest
[5, 6, 7, 9, 10, 11]

Unapproved

11.5.x

Approved w/Constraints
[5, 6, 7, 8]

Approved w/Constraints
[5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10]

Approved w/Constraints
[5, 6, 7, 9, 10, 11]

Divest
[5, 7, 10, 12, 13]

Divest
[5, 7, 10, 13, 14]

12.x

Unapproved

Approved w/Constraints
[5, 6, 7, 8]

Approved w/Constraints
[5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10]

Approved w/Constraints
[5, 6, 7, 9, 10, 11]

Approved w/Constraints
[5, 7, 10, 12, 13]

Approved w/Constraints
[5, 7, 10, 13, 14]

2019.x

Unapproved

2020.x

Unapproved

2022.x

Unapproved

2023.x

Unapproved

2024.x

Unapproved

Decision Constraints


[1]	This Technology is currently being evaluated, reviewed, and tested in controlled environments. Use of this technology is strictly controlled and not available for use within the general population.

[2]	Product must remain properly patched in order to mitigate known or future security vulnerabilities.

[3]	Product must remain patched and operated in accordance with Federal and Department security and privacy policies and guidelines.

[4]	As of April 23, 2015, per the Deputy CIO of Architecture, Strategy and Design (ASD), all technologies in use by the VA require an assessment by the VA Section 508 office. Section 508 of the Rehabilitation Act Amendments of 1998 is a federal law that sets the guidelines for technology accessibility. A VA Section 508 assessment of this technology has not been completed at the time of publication. Therefore, as of April 23, 2015 only users of this technology who have deployed the technology to the production environment, or have project design and implementation plans approved, may continue to operate this technology. In the case of a project that has implemented, or been approved for a specific site or number of users, and that project needs to expand operations to other sites or to an increased user base, it may do so as long as the project stays on the existing version of the technology that was approved or implemented as of April 22, 2015. Use of this technology in all other cases is prohibited.

[5]	Use of this technology is limited to VA staff charged with ensuring the security of the VA network infrastructure. VA staff performing analysis with this technology need to work closely with system owners and agree on security scanning rules, such as the assets scanned, along the schedule and frequency of those scans.

[6]	Technology must remain patched and operated in accordance with Federal and Department security policies and guidelines in order to mitigate known and future security vulnerabilities.

[7]	Due to National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) identified security vulnerabilities, extra vigilance should be applied to ensure the versions remain properly patched to mitigate known and future vulnerabilities. The local ISO can provide assistance in reviewing the NIST vulnerabilities.

[8]	Per the May 5th, 2015 memorandum from the VA Chief Information Security Officer (CISO) FIPS 140-2 Validate Full Disk Encryption (FOE) for Data at Rest in Database Management Systems (DBMS) and in accordance with Federal requirements and VA policy, database management must use Federal Information Processing Standards (FIPS) 140-2 compliant encryption to protect the confidentiality and integrity of VA information at rest at the application level. If FIPS 140-2 encryption at the application level is not technically possible, FIPS 140-2 compliant full disk encryption (FOE) must be implemented on the hard drive where the DBMS resides. Appropriate access enforcement and physical security control must also be implemented. All instances of deployment using this technology should be reviewed to ensure compliance with VA Handbook 6500 and National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) standards. It is the responsibility of the system owner to work with the local CIO (or designee) and Information Security Officer (ISO) to ensure that a compliant DBMS technology is selected and that if needed, mitigating controls are in place and documented in a System Security Plan (SSP).

[9]	This software has a free trial period, which carries the potential for the disruption of service delivery and inaccurate financial planning. If free trialware is utilized, the software must be purchased or removed at the end of the trial period.

[10]	Users should check with their supervisor, Information Security Office (ISO) or local OIT representative for permission to download and use this software. Downloaded software must always be scanned for viruses prior to installation to prevent adware or malware. Freeware may only be downloaded directly from the primary site that the creator of the software has advertised for public download and user or development community engagement. Users should note, any attempt by the installation process to install any additional, unrelated software is not approved and the user should take the proper steps to decline those installations.

[11]	Per the May 5th, 2015 memorandum from the VA Chief Information Security Officer (CISO) FIPS 140-2 Validate Full Disk Encryption (FOE) for Data at Rest in Database Management Systems (DBMS) and in accordance with Federal requirements and VA policy, database management must use Federal Information Processing Standards (FIPS) 140-2 compliant encryption to protect the confidentiality and integrity of VA information at rest at the application level. If FIPS 140-2 encryption at the application level is not technically possible, FIPS 140-2 compliant full disk encryption (FOE) must be implemented on the hard drive where the DBMS resides. Appropriate access enforcement and physical security control must also be implemented. All instances of deployment using this technology should be reviewed to ensure compliance with VA Handbook 6500 and National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) standards. It is the responsibility of the system owner to work with the local CIO (or designee) and Information Security Officer (ISO) to ensure that a compliant DBMS technology is selected and that if needed, mitigating controls are in place and documented in a System Security Plan (SSP).

[12]	If free trial ware is utilized, the software must be purchased or removed at the end of the trial period. Per the Initial Product Review, users must abide by the following constraints: NPM should be installed on servers configured to use FIPS-compliant algorithms for encryption. Ensure `Enable FIPS 140-2` is activated by using the SolarWinds FIPS 140-2 Manager. Supporting documentation also indicates that SolarWinds installations on Windows server 2008 R2 and Windows 7 require a Microsoft hotfix to realize the FIPS-compatibility features of SolarWinds products (see http://support.microsoft.com/kb/981119). Configure the NPM web-based management console to use SSL. Enforce role-based access control through Active Directory for the creation of different accounts based on organizational roles. For example, network administrators can manage and monitor devices without being allowed to perform security audit functions.

[13]	Veterans Affairs (VA) users must ensure VA sensitive data is properly protected in compliance with all VA regulations. All instances of deployment using this technology should be reviewed by the local ISO (Information Security Officer) to ensure compliance with VA Handbook 6500.

[14]	If free trial ware is utilized, the software must be purchased or removed at the end of the trial period. Per the Initial Product Review (IPR): NPM should be installed on servers configured to use FIPS-compliantalgorithms for encryption. Ensure `Enable FIPS 140-2` is activated by usingthe SolarWinds FIPS 140-2 Manager. Supporting documentation alsoindicates that SolarWinds installations on Windows server 2008 R2 andWindows 7 require a Microsoft hotfix to realize the FIPS-compatibility featuresof SolarWinds products (see http://support.microsoft.com/kb/981119). Configure the NPM web-based management console to use SSL. Enforce role-based access control through Active Directory for the creation of different accounts based on organizational roles. For example, network administrators can manage and monitor devices without being allowed to perform security audit functions.

Note:

At the time of writing, version 2024.1 is the most current version, released 02/06/2024.

References

The following reference(s) are associated with this entry:
Type	Name	Source	Description

Technology Components

Note: This list may not be complete. No component, listed or unlisted, may be used outside of the technology in which it is released. The usage decision for a component is found in the Decision and Decision Constraints.
Name	Description
No components have been identified for this entry.

VA Categories View the VA Categorization Framework

Domain Area	Category	Customer Guidance	Category Locked By ELT Date
Systems Management Systems Management Tools	Monitoring
Systems Management Systems Management Tools	Network Performance Optimization

Operating Systems Supported by the Technology

Windows Server - Approved w/Constraints

Technologies/Standards Relationships

Runtime Dependencies:

Microsoft .NET Framework
Microsoft Edge. - (required for some configurations)
Microsoft Internet Explorer (IE) - (required for some configurations)
Microsoft Structured Query Language (SQL) Server

Comparable Technologies:

Companion Technologies/Supported Standards:

General Analysis

Adoption Benefits

This technology is capable of integrating with Microsoft Active Directory and System Center Operations Manager (SCOM).
This is a well-documented technology.
This technology may improve productivity for specific staff whose responsibilities include improving network troubleshooting and help reduce network downtime.

Adoption Risks

There are other approved solutions that provide similar functionality available on the TRM. The use of several similar solutions may increase organization requirements for support and maintenance.
This technology has a free trial period, which carries the potential for the disruption of service delivery and inaccurate financial planning.
The potential exists to store Personally Identifiable Information (PII), Protected Health Information (PHI) and/or VA Sensitive data and proper security standards must be followed in these cases.
Due to the rapid release schedule of this technology, the VA may be unable to update to the most recent patch and may require a deployment model requiring the use of specific versions.
There are known Common Vulnerabilities and Exposures (CVEs) associated with this technology. Please see <a href = "https://nvd.NIST.gov/vuln/search" target="_blank">https://nvd.NIST.gov/vuln/search</a> for more details.
There are Threat & Assessment Analysis Portal (TAAP) bulletins associated with this technology.
This technology may utilize external data connections.
This technology can integrate with and alter database technologies.
This technology is a scanning utility. Users must ensure scans comply with system owner guidance.
The technology requires the purchase of licenses from vendor, which could potentially lead to vendor lock-in.
Microsoft Internet Explorer, a dependency of this technology, is in End-of-Life status and must no longer be used.
This technology can potentially use Secure Sockets Layer (SSL), an unapproved protocol.
IPR/SAR Adoption Risk - NPM is not Federal Information Processing Standards (FIPS) 140-2 or its successor certified.
IPR/SAR Adoption Risk - There are multiple published vulnerabilities for NPM.
IPR/SAR Adoption Risk - The web-based management console does not use Secure Sockets Layer (SSL) (HTTPS) by default.
IPR/SAR Adoption Risk - NPM can be accessible to network administrators and information security staff to perform various duties. Overlapping duties and lack of access control could potentially result in misuse of authority.

Architectural Risks

This technology is not portable as it runs only on Windows platforms.

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