LanTopoLog vs Netdisco

LanTopoLog discovers, maps and monitors physical network topology on a local network. It uses agentless SNMP discovery and presents a searchable, editable map; the maker says it works with any switch model. Its Switch Port Mapper links physical ports to attached devices’ MAC and IP addresses. Monitoring includes traffic, invalid packets and dropped packets, with threshold alerts sent by email, Telegram or Syslog. Reports export to PDF and Draw.io/Diagrams.net. Browser access and remote control are supported, but publishing requires an external web server. The product is listed for Linux, Windows and web use, though Linux has limited functionality. LanTopoLog 2 costs 50.00 USD once for one local network; the license covers up to three bound switches and cannot be renewed. Discovery may miss connections. After some time, the unregistered version disables web publishing, VLAN IDs, traffic charts and search, and shows demo data. A free plan and trial are listed.

Netdisco is free, self-hosted network management software for administrators of small through very large networks. It gathers IP and MAC address data into PostgreSQL through SNMP, command-line interfaces, or device APIs. A lookup by MAC address or IP can show the connected switch port, which administrators can disable or change for VLAN or PoE status. Netdisco inventories hardware by model, vendor, software, and operating system, and preserves historical system IP and location data. It can draw network diagrams and expose search and retrieval through an API. The distribution includes a web interface, backend daemon, and command-line interface; the maker says it runs on Linux or Unix and provides Docker images. Installation requires Perl 5.10 or later and PostgreSQL 9.6 or later. The first setup requires manually discovering a network device that knows its neighbors. Plugins can add interface or backend commands and actions.