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SolarWinds Platform module licensing

From the LICENSEWARE WikiLast edited 22 ReferencesCited

This article is about the per-module licences for SolarWinds Platform (Orion) products such as NPM, SAM, NCM, NTA, IPAM, UDT, VMAN, SRM and WPM, and the scalability engines and License Manager they share. For the combined node-based subscription see SolarWinds Observability Self-Hosted licensing.

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SolarWinds Platform module licensing is the model under which the monitoring products that run on the SolarWinds Platform, formerly the Orion Platform, are licensed one module at a time. Each module has its own metric and tier ladder: Network Performance Monitor (NPM) counts network elements, Server & Application Monitor (SAM) counts managed nodes or component monitors, and other modules count devices, IP addresses, ports, CPU sockets, drives or transactions.[1][2][3] Many of these capabilities are now also bundled in the node-based SolarWinds Observability Self-Hosted subscription, but the documentation states that they remain available individually as Orion modules for standalone monitoring.[4] The licence guide states that SolarWinds Platform products support subscription licences; older module licences were sold as perpetual licences with maintenance.[3][5] All modules on one platform are managed in the web-based License Manager on the main polling engine.[6]

Editions

The module tier codes, as published in the product documentation, are:

Module Metric Published tiers Source 
Network Performance Monitor Monitored element SL100, SL250, SL500, SL2000, SLX NPM licensing model[1] 
NetFlow Traffic Analyzer Monitored element (nodes and interfaces) SL100 to SLX, matching NPM NTA licensing[7] 
Server & Application Monitor Managed node or component monitor SAM10 to SAM5000; AL150 to ALX SAM licensing model[2] 
Network Configuration Manager Device DL50, DL100, DL200, DL500, DL1000, DL3000, DLX NCM licensing model[8] 
IP Address Manager Managed IP address IP1000, IP4000, IP16000, IPX IPAM licensing and deployment[9] 
User Device Tracker Port UT2500 to UTX UDT licensing information[10] 
Virtualization Manager CPU socket VMS8 to VMS4800 VMAN licensing model[11] 
Storage Resource Monitor Drive SRM25, SRM50 and higher Licensing SRM[12] 
Web Performance Monitor Transaction WPM5 to WPMX Guide to SolarWinds Product Licenses[3] 
Network Automation Manager Node Bulk licence for NPM, NCM, NTA, VNQM, IPAM, UDT and HA Guide to SolarWinds Product Licenses[3] 

Server Configuration Monitor is no longer sold as a stand-alone product and is now part of SolarWinds Observability Self-Hosted.[13] The IPAM tier table is published in the legacy installation guide for IPAM 4.2 to 4.3.1, which the licence guide still links to; newer versions point to the SolarWinds Platform licensing model.[9][3] WPM tiers are listed as a “License with 1st-year maintenance”.[3]

Metrics

Network elements (NPM and NTA)

NPM is licensed by the largest number of three monitored element types: nodes (devices such as routers, switches, virtual and physical servers, access points and modems), interfaces (switch ports, physical and virtual interfaces, sub-interfaces and VLANs) and volumes (logical disks).[1] Each tier number is a separate cap for each type: SL100 allows up to 100 nodes, 100 interfaces and 100 volumes, 300 elements in total, and SL2000 allows 2,000 of each (rule).[1] SLX is virtually unlimited, but at the default polling interval one polling engine monitors at most 12,000 elements, and more need Additional Polling Engines, each of which requires a licence.[1] NetFlow Traffic Analyzer follows the NPM level: an NPM SL250 means an NTA SL250, and an NPM upgrade requires the NTA licence to be upgraded to the same level (rule).[7]

Server & Application Monitor

SAM has two licence types. A node-based licence (codes starting SAM, such as SAM200) limits the number of managed nodes and allows unlimited component monitors per node; a component-based licence (codes starting AL, such as AL2500) works like an NPM licence with component monitors in place of interfaces, capped by the highest of nodes, volumes and assigned component monitors.[2] Conversion from component-based to node-based licensing is done through sales at a fixed conversion rate.[14]

A managed node can be a server, VM, hypervisor, Nutanix cluster, external node, external API or service. In a SAM-only environment any entity SAM polls directly is a managed node, including nodes monitored only by Asset Inventory or Hardware Health; with other modules installed, only nodes monitored by SAM application monitors or API pollers count for SAM.[2] A VM polled directly counts as one managed node, but VMs on a hypervisor do not count when their metrics come from the parent hypervisor, which is then the managed node; external services such as an Azure VM or Office 365 monitored through an API or SAM template count (rule).[2][14]

Under component-based licensing each component monitor consumes one licence; a typical application monitor contains 15 to 25. AppInsight applications consume fixed rates: 50 per Active Directory domain controller, 50 per Exchange mailbox role server, 30 per IIS server and 50 per SQL database instance, and disabling components inside them does not reclaim licences. API pollers also consume licences, for example 5 per server for the Windows Scheduled Task Monitor, while Asset Inventory does not. Monitors beyond the licence are not activated and show as Not Licensed (rule).[2]

Other modules

  • NCM counts managed nodes, each an entire device such as a router, switch, server, access point or modem.[8]
  • IPAM counts IP addresses in Used, Reserved or Transient status; reserved subnet source and broadcast addresses and unused addresses are excluded, and IPv4 and IPv6 count the same (rule).[9]
  • UDT counts the ports to be monitored.[10]
  • VMAN counts the CPU sockets of monitored hosts and collects data for all their child VMs (rule).[11]
  • SRM counts physical hard drives and SSDs in monitored SAN and NAS systems, regardless of capacity; drives in servers are not counted (rule).[12]
  • WPM counts implemented transactions, managed or unmanaged, multiplied by the number of player locations; five transactions at three locations use 15 licences (rule).[3]
  • Network Automation Manager is a bulk licence for NPM, NCM, NTA, VNQM, IPAM, UDT and HA, counted by monitored nodes, each a unique network device.[3]

Counting / floors

Additive licences

Licences on one platform add together. NPM SL500 installed with SAM AL150 allows 650 nodes (500 NPM and 150 SAM), 650 volumes, 500 SNMP interfaces, 150 component monitors and an unlimited number of WMI-polled interfaces (rule).[1] Log Analyzer only returns log messages for the nodes licensed for it, so an NPM SL100, SAM AL100 and LA100 deployment can monitor up to 300 nodes but receives LA messages from only 100.[2]

Polling engines, web servers and HA

The License Manager licenses products, Additional Polling Engines (APE), Additional Web Servers and High Availability pools.[6] APEs are needed above a polling engine’s capacity and each needs a licence.[1] Up to four polling engine licences can be stacked on one server to keep the default polling interval (rule).[15] Node-based SAM licences include APEs at no extra cost, but those APEs collect SAM and basic platform data only, not NPM interface data (rule).[2] The SAM FAQ adds that this needs SAM 6.9.1 or later, and that VMAN and SRM APEs poll only for those two products.[14]

High Availability is licensed per pool of a primary and a secondary server, and no second polling engine or product licence is needed for the secondary (rule).[16] New pools get a 30-day evaluation licence and are switched off if still unlicensed when it expires.[16][17] Installing an APE or Additional Web Server starts a 30-day Orion Scalability Engine Evaluation licence with unlimited polling, after which APE or web server licences must be purchased.[17]

License Manager, activation and moves

Activated licences are assigned automatically to a server that needs one, and surplus licences stay unassigned.[18] Offline activation uses a machine key and a .LIC file generated in the Customer Portal; in offline mode a licence cannot be activated for a product that is not installed.[18] The main platform server is the licensing server and cannot be down for more than 14 days or licences may be invalidated (rule).[6] Moving the main polling engine requires deactivating licences on the old server and activating them on the new one, after which the old server stops gathering data; during a migration the evaluation licence, or a temporary key from sales, can be used (rule).[19]

Products outside the SolarWinds Platform, and Orion Platform 2016.1 and earlier, use the stand-alone Windows License Manager. Under that tool licences can be reused to install versions released during the maintenance period, but not versions released after maintenance expired (rule).[5]

Technical enforcement

Several module limits are enforced in software rather than by audit. SAM component monitors above the licence show as Not Licensed; if SAM node-based polling finds an application on an unlicensed node, a message appears in the Message Center.[2][14] VMAN refuses new data sources and upgrades when more sockets are monitored than licensed.[11] Commentary: these controls prevent silent over-deployment within one platform instance, but they do not detect the same key installed on several servers, which the EULA’s one-Device-per-key default addresses.[20]

Virtualization & partitioning

Virtual machines are counted according to the module. NPM counts virtual servers as nodes and virtual interfaces as interfaces.[1] SAM counts a directly monitored VM once but not VMs whose metrics come from the parent hypervisor.[2] VMAN counts sockets of monitored hosts and covers all child VMs; if the licence does not cover every host managed by a vCenter, the vCenter account’s permissions can be restricted with the No Access role to limit what VMAN collects.[11] SRM ignores disks inside servers.[12]

Cloud / BYOL

The documentation reviewed publishes no BYOL or marketplace rules for the Platform modules. External cloud services monitored by SAM through APIs count as managed nodes.[14] Existing module customers can evaluate SolarWinds Observability Self-Hosted and convert to it; see SolarWinds Observability Self-Hosted licensing.[21]

Programs

Out of scope

VoIP and Network Quality Manager, Log Analyzer and Enterprise Operations Console tier tables are not described because their licensing pages were not available as current documentation. Security Event Manager and Patch Manager are covered in Web Help Desk, Serv-U and Dameware licensing.

References

  1. NPM licensing modelCatalog: NPM licensing modelRetrieved 2026-09-30.
  2. SAM licensing modelCatalog: SAM licensing modelRetrieved 2026-09-30.
  3. Guide to SolarWinds Product LicensesLast published date 4/16/2026. Catalog: Guide to SolarWinds Product LicensesEffective 2026-04-16. Retrieved 2026-09-30.
  4. Licensing model for SolarWinds Observability Self-HostedCatalog: Licensing model for SolarWinds Observability Self-HostedRetrieved 2026-09-30.
  5. Deactivate and reactivate licenses with stand-alone Windows License ManagerCatalog: Deactivate and reactivate licenses with stand-alone Windows License ManagerRetrieved 2026-09-30.
  6. License SolarWinds Platform products in the SolarWinds Platform Web ConsoleCatalog: License SolarWinds Platform products in the SolarWinds Platform Web ConsoleRetrieved 2026-09-30.
  7. NTA licensingCatalog: NTA licensingRetrieved 2026-09-30.
  8. NCM licensing modelCatalog: NCM licensing modelRetrieved 2026-09-30.
  9. IPAM licensing and deploymentCatalog: IPAM licensing and deploymentRetrieved 2026-09-30.
  10. UDT licensing informationCatalog: UDT licensing informationRetrieved 2026-09-30.
  11. Virtualization Manager Licensing ModelCatalog: Virtualization Manager Licensing ModelRetrieved 2026-09-30.
  12. Licensing Storage Resource Monitor (SRM)Catalog: Licensing Storage Resource Monitor (SRM)Retrieved 2026-09-30.
  13. SCM licensing modelCatalog: SCM licensing modelRetrieved 2026-09-30.
  14. SAM Licensing FAQsLast published date 1/30/2025. Catalog: SAM Licensing FAQsEffective 2025-01-30. Retrieved 2026-09-30.
  15. Assign licenses for SolarWinds Platform products to a serverCatalog: Assign licenses for SolarWinds Platform products to a serverRetrieved 2026-09-30.
  16. Activate SolarWinds Platform High Availability pool licensesCatalog: Activate SolarWinds Platform High Availability pool licensesRetrieved 2026-09-30.
  17. Evaluate SolarWinds Platform productsCatalog: Evaluate SolarWinds Platform productsRetrieved 2026-09-30.
  18. Activate licenses for SolarWinds Platform productsCatalog: Activate licenses for SolarWinds Platform productsRetrieved 2026-09-30.
  19. Migrate SolarWinds Platform licenses from one server to anotherCatalog: Migrate SolarWinds Platform licenses from one server to anotherRetrieved 2026-09-30.
  20. SolarWinds End User License AgreementLast Update 05 September 2025. Catalog: SolarWinds End User License AgreementEffective 2025-09-05. Retrieved 2026-09-30.
  21. SolarWinds Observability Self-Hosted PricingCatalog: SolarWinds Observability Self-Hosted PricingRetrieved 2026-09-30.
  22. SolarWinds Support and Maintenance Terms and ConditionsLast updated 5 June 2026. Catalog: SolarWinds Support and Maintenance Terms and ConditionsEffective 2026-06-05. Retrieved 2026-09-30.

See also

Catalog Rows Cited

12Metrics12SKUs15Rules2Programs

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