Network Management
Why should I use dependencies
Dependencies in the SolarWinds Platform allow you to accurately account for topological constraints on your network. These constraints may be either the result of the design of a specific device, as in the case of interfaces on a switch or router or the result of the physical architecture of your network itself.
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Overview
Dependencies are parent-child relationships between network objects that allow you to account for constraints on the network. The constraints can be the result of the design of a specific device, such as interfaces on a switch or router, or the result of the physical architecture of the network itself.
For example, when a parent object, such as a switch, goes down or becomes unresponsive all interfaces on the switch will also be unresponsive, even though they may be working.
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Resolution
To account for this situation, the Unreachable status is used for the interfaces, because their parent node reports as down, and their status cannot be determined.
Enable Auto Dependencies in the Polling Settings page to create 1:1 parent-child node dependencies automatically. You can choose to ignore dependencies created this way in the Manage Dependencies view.
Note: For a child to go Unreachable in a dependency the child will have to go down or unknown while the Parent is Down. Otherwise, the child will continue to poll like normal.
Examples:
Parent = Down, Child = Up. The parent is still Down, Child is still Up
Parent = Down, Child = Down. The parent is still Down, Child goes Unreachable
Parent = Down, Child = Unknown. The parent is still Down, Child goes Unreachable
Parent = Down, Child = Warning or Critical. The parent is still Down, Child stays Warning or Critical