Documentation forNetwork Configuration Manager
Managing network configurations is a key capability of SolarWinds Observability Self-Hosted (formerly Hybrid Cloud Observability) and is available in the Advanced edition. Network Configuration Manager (NCM) is also available in a standalone module.

Manage end of support and end of sales data in NCM

To avoid the risks associated with unsupported or out-dated devices, you can use NCM to track the manufacturer's End of Sales and End of Support (EOS) dates for your devices. NCM imports EOS data for Cisco devices and recommends EOS dates for your devices when possible. For other devices, you can manually enter EOS dates from the manufacturer. When you assign EOS dates to devices, you can track this data as part of the device profile. You can also filter the data to show a specific set of devices and export the results to a spreadsheet or CSV file.

SolarWinds neither verifies nor supports EOS data provided by EOS Lookup. Consult your vendor with any data-related issues or questions.

Assign EOS dates to devices

NCM suggests EOS dates for some devices based on information in its databases. You can assign suggested dates, or you can enter EOS dates manually.

  1. Click My Dashboards > Network Configuration > End of Support.
  2. Select the devices for which you want to assign EOS dates.

  3. Click Assign Dates.

    The Assign EOS Dates page shows the number of nodes selected, and lists the machine type, OS version, or part number. Use this information to verify that all selected devices are the same type and are therefore likely to have the same EOS dates. If you selected devices with different machine names, OS versions, or part numbers, you can deselect devices by clicking the remove icon.

  4. If suggested are provided for the selected nodes, search the table for the dates that correspond to your device model. If you find the appropriate dates, select that row.

    The dates listed for a model or series have indications in the Reliability column:

    • High indicates that the dates are unambiguous and such dates are automatically applied to the relevant devices.
    • Medium indicates that the dates are classified as ambiguous due to other incomplete or conflicting information.
    • Confirmed indicates that the dates were confirmed by an NCM user.
  5. If no suggested dates were provided or you want to enter different dates, select Option 2 and enter the dates.
  6. Add comments, and click Assign.

Refresh EOS dates

NCM maintains a database with EOS data for Cisco device models. Based on a schedule, NCM matches EOS data with the machine type of your  NCM devices. What you see in the table of the EOS resource is the result of the matching. To make sure you are looking at the latest matches, use Refresh Suggested Dates.

  1. Click My Dashboards > Network Configuration > End of Support.
  2. Select the devices for which you want updated data, if available.
  3. Click Refresh Suggested Dates.

Ignore devices in EOS management

  1. Click My Dashboards > Network Configuration > End of Support.
  2. Select the devices you want to ignore.

  3. Click Ignore Devices.

    By default, the ignored devices are no longer shown in the End of Support & End of Sales Lookup list. If the Display ignored devices option is selected, the devices are shown with Ignored in each date column.

View or re-add ignored devices

  1. To include ignored devices in the End of Support & End of Sales Lookup list, select Display ignored devices.

  2. To stop ignoring a device, select the device and click Delete EOS Data. Then click Yes at the confirmation prompt.

    Ignored is no longer shown in each date column for the selected device.

Filter the list of devices by the values in a table column

You can filter the list of devices by the data in any table column. For example, you can use filters to: 

  • List devices that reach End of Support or End of Sales within a certain time period.
  • Display the EOS status of devices in the same subnet.
  • List devices with No Suggestions in an EOS date column.

You can add multiple filters. Filters are applied in the order that they are created.

  1. Click the Filter icon next to the table column title.

    A list of filters appropriate for that column is displayed.

  2. Select a filter to apply it.

    The table is updated to list only devices that meet the filter condition. The column title is shown in bold and italics to indicate that a filter is applied to the column data, and each filter condition is shown above the table.

To remove one filter, click the delete icon in the box above the table that represents the filter. To remove all filters, click Clear All Filters below the table.

Export EOS information

You can export EOS data to an Excel worksheet or a CSV (comma-separated values) file.

  1. Click My Dashboards > Network Configuration > End of Support.
  2. Filter the list to include only the devices whose EOS data you want to export.

    • Use the Group By option to show devices with a certain attribute. For example, include only devices that are from the same vendor or used by the same department.

    • Filter the list of devices by the values in a table column. For example, include only devices that reach End of Support in the next three months.

  3. Click Export, and select the format.

    The data is exported to a file, and the file is saved in your Downloads folder.

Delete EOS data

  1. Click My Dashboards > Network Configuration > End of Support.
  2. Select the devices whose EOS data you want to delete.
  3. Click Delete EOS Data, and then click Yes at the confirmation prompt.