ANNAPOLIS, Md. -- Netcordia, a provider of network analysis products, has added a VoIP analysis module to NetMRI, its appliance-based network diagnostic tool. NetMRI for VoIP is the first automated enterprise network appliance that evaluates Quality of Service (QoS) and proactively identifies difficult to find issues that can significantly affect VoIP quality. NetMRI adds VoIP to its current Wireless, VPN, VLAN, IP and other capabilities, making it the most comprehensive system-level diagnostic tool for enterprise networks.
NetMRI for VoIP evaluates MIB data from the key infrastructure components, including routers, switches, and some VoIP enabled devices, and identifies difficult to find issues, which can materially affect QoS. NetMRI gathers information from products made by Cisco, Nortel, Avaya and other leading manufacturers.
NetMRI's VoIP module determines the actual quality of IP phone calls by evaluating Call Data Records (CDRs) for delay, jitter and dropped packets. It also correlates abnormalities with other contributory network events, and provides helpful detail to solve the issues. NetMRI's VoIP module pulls CDRs from Cisco's CallManager.
The new VoIP module also provides assessment of whether the existing IP network can support VoIP. It uses Cisco's SAA protocol, already built into most Cisco routers and switches, to create 'synthetic transactions' or simulated voice traffic to determine viability based upon the measured delay, jitter and dropped packet counts. This leverages the installed infrastructure, without buying or adding probes or external devices.
Key features of NetMRI include its "network expert in a box" correlation engine, its Scorecard that provides easily understandable reports for both executives and network engineers, and its ease of installation and use. NetMRI's proactive and intuitive systems-level approach provides control and significant savings in troubleshooting time and expense across an enterprise's network infrastructure.
The new VoIP software module will be released next quarter. The NetMRI appliance has been shipping to clients since last year.
Netcordia Inc.