Introduction to NTM
Discover Network Topology Mapper (NTM), network mapping software designed to automatically discover and map your network. Using methods such as ICMP, SNMP, WMI, CDP, VMware, and Microsoft Hyper‑V, NTM scans your environment and generates detailed network diagrams, detects changes or new devices, and keeps topology maps up to date.
Download the PDF: NTM Product Guide (formerly known as Administrator Guide)
What is NTM
NTM automatically discovers the devices on your network and the connections between them, turning that data into scalable, interactive maps that show status for both nodes and links as they change. To learn what NTM is and how it works, see What is SolarWinds Network Topology Mapper?; for what it can do for your network, see Benefits of Network Topology Mapper.
Discover devices and topologies
NTM builds every map from a discovery scan, so before you can view or troubleshoot your network, you need to tell NTM what to scan and how to authenticate to the devices it finds. A discovery scan combines the credentials NTM uses to query your devices with the IP ranges, subnets, or addresses you want examined, and lets you exclude out-of-scope devices with a do-not-scan list, name and schedule the scan to run recurringly, and rescan later to pick up changes without starting over — producing a scan file you can use to generate one or more maps.
- To set up authentication for a scan, see Specify discovery credentials.
- To define what NTM should scan, see Define IP addresses for discovery.
- To exclude devices from a scan, see Name the scan and adjust the scope.
- To run a scan on a schedule and review what it finds, see Schedule a discovery.
- To update an existing map after your network changes, see Rescan a network.
- For background on the protocols and credential types a scan relies on, see Network Discovery Options.
Work with maps
A discovery scan produces raw connectivity data. From a single scan file, you can build multiple maps focused on different parts of your network, adjusting each independently — showing or hiding neighbors and network segments, summarizing large groups of endpoints, and arranging nodes with predefined or custom layouts. Once a map reflects what you need, you can label and annotate it, run reports for compliance or inventory purposes, and export it to Visio, PDF, PNG, or SolarWinds Network Atlas for use outside NTM.
- To locate nodes not yet on a map, see Find more nodes.
- To control what a map displays, see Show and hide neighbors.
- To rearrange or annotate a map, see Use map layouts and Icons and Labels.
- To generate compliance or inventory output, see Map reports.
- To share a map outside NTM, see Export maps.