Which interface statistics are typically monitored by NPM and how are they interpreted?

Which interface statistics are typically monitored by NPM and how are they interpreted?

• A. Only utilization
• B. In/Out utilization, errors, discards, CRC, drops; high utilization or rising errors indicate congestion or faulty hardware
• C. Only speed and duplex
• D. No metrics are tracked for interfaces

Answer: (C)

Interface performance monitoring focuses on how much traffic is actually getting through and whether problems are happening on that link. SolarWinds NPM typically tracks a set of statistics per interface: in and out utilization to show throughput, plus counters for errors, discards, CRCs, and drops. Interpreting these metrics helps diagnose the health of the connection. If utilization is high or sustained, the link may be congested. If error rates or CRCs are rising, there could be physical layer or hardware issues such as faulty cables, connectors, transceivers, or a configuration problem like a duplex mismatch. Drops often accompany congestion or errors and indicate packets being discarded before delivery. Speed and duplex describe the interface’s capabilities and setup, not the ongoing performance metrics used for health monitoring, so they aren’t the primary indicators of congestion or reliability. This is why monitoring in/out utilization along with errors, discards, CRC, and drops—and interpreting high utilization or rising errors as congestion or hardware problems—provides the most practical understanding of interface health.

Interface performance monitoring focuses on how much traffic is actually getting through and whether problems are happening on that link. SolarWinds NPM typically tracks a set of statistics per interface: in and out utilization to show throughput, plus counters for errors, discards, CRCs, and drops. Interpreting these metrics helps diagnose the health of the connection. If utilization is high or sustained, the link may be congested. If error rates or CRCs are rising, there could be physical layer or hardware issues such as faulty cables, connectors, transceivers, or a configuration problem like a duplex mismatch. Drops often accompany congestion or errors and indicate packets being discarded before delivery. Speed and duplex describe the interface’s capabilities and setup, not the ongoing performance metrics used for health monitoring, so they aren’t the primary indicators of congestion or reliability. This is why monitoring in/out utilization along with errors, discards, CRC, and drops—and interpreting high utilization or rising errors as congestion or hardware problems—provides the most practical understanding of interface health.