Azure Network Performance Monitor: What It Did and What to Use Today
Azure Network Performance Monitor (NPM) was a network monitoring solution for diagnosing connectivity and performance issues across Azure, on-premises networks, and hybrid environments. It helped teams spot packet loss, latency, and connectivity problems that could affect applications and services.
NPM is now a legacy service. For current network monitoring deployments, Microsoft’s Azure Network Watcher tools—particularly Connection Monitor—are the recommended alternatives. Check Microsoft’s current Azure documentation before planning a deployment or migration, since service availability and guidance can change.
What Azure Network Performance Monitor Did
NPM collected network measurements from agents installed on monitored machines and presented the results through Azure Monitor and Log Analytics. Teams could use it to investigate whether a performance problem came from a network path, a particular endpoint, or a broader connectivity issue.
The solution offered several monitoring capabilities:
- Performance monitoring: Measured network performance between monitored machines, including latency and packet loss.
- Service endpoint monitoring: Helped assess connectivity and performance between machines and selected services or endpoints.
- ExpressRoute monitoring: Provided visibility into network performance across Azure ExpressRoute connections.
Why Network Monitoring Matters
Applications can feel slow or become unavailable even when their servers are running normally. The cause might be congestion, packet loss, a routing issue, a failing connection, or a problem somewhere along a hybrid network path. Without network-level visibility, it can be difficult to distinguish these issues from application or compute problems.
Network monitoring helps operations teams establish performance baselines, identify changes, and narrow down where investigation is needed. It can also support capacity planning and help teams assess whether network changes have improved or degraded service.
Using Azure Network Watcher Connection Monitor
Connection Monitor is an Azure Network Watcher capability for monitoring connectivity between endpoints. Depending on the configuration and supported endpoint types, it can track reachability, latency, and packet loss over time. Monitoring results can help teams investigate connection failures and compare performance across network paths.
A typical monitoring setup involves choosing source and destination endpoints, defining the connection or test configuration, and reviewing the resulting health and performance data in Azure. For hybrid environments, verify that the required agents, permissions, and network access are in place. The exact requirements depend on the endpoint types and the current Azure configuration.
Choosing a Replacement
When replacing a legacy NPM deployment, start by listing the connections and business-critical services it monitored. Then map each requirement to an available Azure tool. Connection Monitor may suit endpoint-to-endpoint connectivity checks, while other Azure Network Watcher features can help investigate routing, security rules, and network topology.
Before migrating, consider:
- Which Azure and on-premises endpoints need to be monitored.
- Whether you need continuous measurements, troubleshooting tools, or both.
- How monitoring results should be retained, alerted on, and shared.
- What agents, permissions, and network rules are required.
- Whether existing dashboards, alerts, or operational processes need to be recreated.
Conclusion
Azure Network Performance Monitor helped organizations understand network performance across cloud and hybrid environments, but it is now a legacy solution. Teams designing or updating their monitoring approach should review Microsoft’s latest service guidance and evaluate Azure Network Watcher Connection Monitor and related tools against their specific requirements.
Understanding Azure Network Performance Monitor: Features, Setup, Costs, and Alternatives
- What is Azure Network Performance Monitor, and what is it used for?
- Is Azure Network Performance Monitor still available?
- What monitoring capabilities did Azure Network Performance Monitor provide?
- How do I set up network monitoring in Azure?
- How did Azure Network Performance Monitor measure latency and packet loss?
- How much did Azure Network Performance Monitor cost?
- What are the alternatives to Azure Network Performance Monitor, such as Azure Network Watcher Connection Monitor?
What is Azure Network Performance Monitor, and what is it used for?
Azure Network Performance Monitor (NPM) was a network monitoring solution that helped teams assess connectivity and performance across Azure, on-premises, and hybrid environments. It was used to detect and troubleshoot issues such as latency, packet loss, and connectivity failures between machines, services, and network paths. NPM is now a legacy service, so teams looking for current Azure monitoring options should review Azure Network Watcher, including Connection Monitor.
Is Azure Network Performance Monitor still available?
No. Azure Network Performance Monitor (NPM) is a legacy service and is no longer available for new deployments. For network connectivity and performance monitoring in Azure, Microsoft recommends using Azure Network Watcher tools such as Connection Monitor. Check Microsoft’s current documentation for the latest availability details and migration guidance.
What monitoring capabilities did Azure Network Performance Monitor provide?
Azure Network Performance Monitor provided visibility into network connectivity and performance across Azure, on-premises, and hybrid environments. Its capabilities included monitoring latency and packet loss between network endpoints, checking connectivity and performance to service endpoints, and monitoring ExpressRoute connections. These insights helped teams identify network issues and troubleshoot slow or unreliable connections.
How do I set up network monitoring in Azure?
To set up network monitoring in Azure, start by identifying the connections and endpoints you need to monitor, such as virtual machines, on-premises servers, or application endpoints. In the Azure portal, open Network Watcher and configure Connection Monitor by selecting source and destination endpoints and creating a test configuration. Review the required agents, permissions, and network access for your endpoint types, then check the monitoring results for connectivity, latency, and packet loss. Because Azure services and setup requirements can change, consult Microsoft’s current documentation for the exact steps for your environment.
How did Azure Network Performance Monitor measure latency and packet loss?
Azure Network Performance Monitor measured latency and packet loss by sending network probes between monitored endpoints and analyzing the responses. It used the probe timing to estimate round-trip latency and compared probes sent with those successfully received to calculate packet loss. Measurements were collected over time, helping teams spot changes and troubleshoot performance across monitored network paths.
How much did Azure Network Performance Monitor cost?
Azure Network Performance Monitor did not have one fixed price for every deployment: the cost depended on the number of monitored nodes and could also include related Log Analytics charges, such as data ingestion and retention, depending on the applicable pricing plan. Because NPM is a legacy service and Azure pricing can change, check Microsoft’s pricing documentation or your historical Azure bill for the rate that applied to your subscription.
What are the alternatives to Azure Network Performance Monitor, such as Azure Network Watcher Connection Monitor?
Alternatives to Azure Network Performance Monitor include Azure Network Watcher’s Connection Monitor, which tracks connectivity, latency, and packet loss between Azure, on-premises, and other supported endpoints. Depending on what you need to diagnose, you can also use Network Watcher tools such as IP flow verification, next hop, and connection troubleshoot, alongside Azure Monitor for metrics, logs, and alerts. Because service capabilities and availability can change, check Microsoft’s current documentation to confirm which option fits your environment.