Documentation forVoIP & Network Quality Manager
Monitoring VoIP and network quality is a key capability of Hybrid Cloud Observability and is also available in a standalone module, VoIP & Network Quality Manager (VNQM). Hybrid Cloud Observability and VNQM are built on the self-hosted SolarWinds Platform.

Add Network Service Assurance operations to SolarWinds VNQM

A Network Service Assurance operation is a test that SolarWinds VNQM performs between a source and a target Cisco device on your network. The results of an operation help you measure quality of service and identify root causes when network performance levels drop. SolarWinds VNQM supports a number of Network Service Assurance operations, including DHCP, DNS, and FTP. For more information on supported operations, see What is Network Service Assurance monitoring?

You can either manually add Network Service Assurance operations to SolarWinds VNQM, or if you have Network Service Assurance operations already defined on your device, you can automatically add them to SolarWinds VNQM. For instructions on automatically adding operations to SolarWinds VNQM, see Add existing operations to SolarWinds VNQM.

The following example shows you how to manually add a VoIP UDP Jitter operation to SolarWinds VNQM. VoIP UDP Jitter operations measure call path metrics on your VoIP network. These operations ensure that your VoIP network is operational and performing as expected. The network segment in the example is defined between the dev_ottawa_2621 source router and a target external IP address.

There is a known issue that prevents you from using SolarWinds VNQM to create operations on Cisco devices using IOS 15.3 and later. See Unable to add operations to VNQM for a workaround to this problem.

You cannot add operations that have been previously created with SolarWinds VNQM. If you have already created an operation with the same operation number, you must manually remove the operation from the device.

When SolarWinds VoIP and Network Quality Manager creates Network Service Assurance operations on your network devices, the numbers used to identify the operations start at 40000.

The majority of operations use SNMP to poll. Path-based operations use CLI.

  1. Log in to SolarWinds VNQM as an administrator.
  2. Click Settings > All Settings.
  3. Under Product Specific Settings, click VoIP & Network Quality (VNQM) Settings.
  4. In the Manage Network Service Assurance Operations section, click Add new operations.
  5. Select Create new operations, and click Next.
  6. Under WAN Quality Operations, select VoIP UDP Jitter, and click Next.

  7. On the Define Paths panel, click Simple, and click Next.

    You can select other path types. See the Designate paths for more information on path types.

  8. Select the source nodes you want to add to the VoIP UDP Jitter operation, and click Next.
  9. Select the target nodes you want to add to the VoIP UDP Jitter operation.
  10. To create the path in only one direction, select No, create the path in just one direction.

    When you create a path in each direction, SolarWinds VNQM deploys the operation to the target device, which becomes the source of the second leg of the operation.

  11. To specify an external node as a target, click Yes, use external node as a target.

    You can also target a node that you have added to SolarWinds VNQM.

  12. Enter the IP address or host name of the external node you want to add, and click Next.

  13. Enter the frequency for the operation to be performed.

    SolarWinds recommends you accept the default frequency.

  14. Define your warning, critical, and maximum threshold values.

    SolarWinds recommends you accept the default thresholds.

  15. Click Advanced and in the CODEC field, select GSM 711 ULAW.

    The Advanced options correspond to the type of operation you are creating. GSM 711 ULAW is the most common CODEC for VoIP UDP Jitter operations.

  16. To assign a type of service (ToS) or Virtual Routing and Forwarding (VRF) name for this path, expand Advanced, and enter the type of service number and VRF name in the appropriate fields.

    • The ToS octet is a decimal value (0-255) that sets the precedence for VoIP traffic monitored with Network Service Assurance operations. The default ToS value used by SolarWinds VoIP and Network Quality Manager is 184, corresponding to Expedited Forwarding (EF) per hop behavior (PHB) and a Differentiated Service Code Point (DSCP) value of 46. For more information about the ToS octet, see Setting Traffic Precedence.
    • VRFs only exist on provider edge routers (PE). A VRF is a routing and forwarding table instance, and you can have more than one VRF per PE. The VRF includes routes that are available to a certain set of sites. A VRF is named based on the VPNs it services and on the role of the CE in the topology.
  17. Click Next.
  18. Select the operation you want to create, and click Create Operations.

    Depending on the number of operations you create, this process can take several minutes.

  19. Click Go to VNQM Home and review the All Network Service Assurance Operations resource.

    It can take several minutes for the resource to populate with data. When the status icon turns green, SolarWinds VNQM is monitoring the operation.