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SolarWinds Web Help Desk, Serv-U and Dameware licensing

From the LICENSEWARE WikiLast edited 17 ReferencesCited

This article is about licensing the SolarWinds products that do not use the SolarWinds Platform licence model, including Web Help Desk, Serv-U, Dameware, Security Event Manager, Patch Manager and Access Rights Manager.

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SolarWinds Web Help Desk, Serv-U and Dameware licensing covers a group of SolarWinds products that are licensed outside the SolarWinds Platform licence model, each with its own unit: technicians for the Web Help Desk (WHD) service desk, installations and edition limits for the Serv-U file transfer servers, technician seats for Dameware remote support, nodes for Security Event Manager (SEM), managed systems for Patch Manager and Active Directory accounts for Access Rights Manager (ARM).[1][2][3][4][5][6] All are licensed under the SolarWinds EULA, whose default of one Device per licence key applies unless the documentation clearly says otherwise.[7] Several use the stand-alone SolarWinds License Manager or their own licence screens instead of the web-based License Manager.[6][8]

Editions

Product Commercial units the vendor names Source 
Web Help Desk Technician tiers 1 to 5, 6 to 10, 11 to 20, 21 to 30, 31 to 40, 41 to 50, 51 to 75, 76 to 100 and 100+ WHD licensing model[1] 
Serv-U FTP Server and MFT Server editions, optional Serv-U Gateway Serv-U editions[9] 
Dameware Remote Support and Mini Remote Control Stand-alone or centralized seats Dameware licensing[3][10] 
Security Event Manager Universal (SEM) and Workstation Edition (SWE) licences About SEM licensing[4] 
Patch Manager Term licences by number of managed systems Patch Manager licensing[5] 
Access Rights Manager Enabled Active Directory accounts Guide to SolarWinds Product Licenses[6] 

Serv-U FTP Server is aimed at small businesses needing FTP and FTPS, scripted transfers and fewer users and domains on one server. MFT Server adds SFTP and HTTPS, remote administration through a browser or iPad, Active Directory or database authentication, clustering, event-driven automation and branding. Both editions support the optional Serv-U Gateway, a reverse proxy for DMZ deployments.[9]

Metrics

Counting / floors

Web Help Desk

WHD supports subscription (term-based) licences, and when a licence expires the application supports only one technician (rule).[1] If no licence key is applied within the 14-day trial, all tech seats are deactivated.[1] The licence settings list the active tech accounts; if there are more than the licence allows, the administrator must deselect active techs or upgrade the licence.[1] An option can update the licence automatically when a newer one is available in the Customer Portal.[1] Commentary: because the limit is enforced on active tech accounts, the compliance question for WHD is mainly whether the tier bought matches the peak number of technicians rather than whether end users are counted, which they are not.

Serv-U

The comparison page caps the FTP Server edition at 3 domains, 250 user accounts and 100 concurrent sessions; MFT Server is unlimited on all three. High availability requires additional Serv-U licences (rule).[11] Serv-U is registered by entering a registration ID in the management console, which determines the edition in use.[12] The licence guide notes that Serv-U licences are available in the Customer Portal, except those bought before 27 July 2016, which are located through the activation email or Customer Service.[6] Commentary: the “Updates” date on the licence information screen shows how long the licence allows free updates, so a Serv-U version released after that date is outside the licence unless maintenance or the subscription has been renewed.[2]

Dameware

Stand-alone Dameware Remote Support and Mini Remote Control licences can each be activated a maximum of three times, so 10 seats allow up to 30 computers, intended for a technician’s desktop, laptop and home computer (rule).[3] Centralized versions are licensed on the Central Server; one key can be activated on several Central Servers as long as the total seats stay within the purchase, and after the licence is applied any user accounts above the licensed seats must be disabled or deleted (rule).[10] The Mini Remote Control client agent, Internet Session Agent, Mobile Client and Administration Console are free and unlicensed, and the Central Server and Internet Proxy are included with Remote Support centralized. Remote Support centralized includes a licence key for the Mobile Gateway and allows every Remote Support user to create Internet Sessions; Mini Remote Control centralized does not support Internet Sessions.[10] Dameware licences are activated during installation and managed in the stand-alone License Manager; a licence can be deactivated manually in the Customer Portal if the machine is no longer accessible.[6]

Security Event Manager

SEM uses two licence types. A Universal licence covers universal nodes: non-agent devices such as switches, routers and firewalls, and systems running Windows Server or Unix, so a SEM150 subscription can add 150 universal nodes. A Workstation Edition licence covers desktop systems running Windows for Workstations and the SEM Agent, so a SWE250 subscription can add 250 workstation nodes (rule).[4] SEM also integrates with the Advanced tier of SolarWinds Observability Self-Hosted, but that integration requires a separately purchased SEM licence.[13]

Patch Manager

Patch Manager is licensed by managed systems, which include all WSUS, SCCM and Patch Manager servers as well as all managed clients. The Primary Application Server calculates the count from the Managed Computers and Task History nodes. Licences are term-based and must be renewed to continue using the application (rule).[5] Commentary: counting the WSUS and SCCM servers as well as the clients is easy to miss when sizing a renewal.

Access Rights Manager

ARM is licensed by the number of enabled accounts in Active Directory, including all enabled user accounts and service accounts. Existing customers can keep the earlier licence model to the existing extent and install updates within valid maintenance, but extending the scope of functions requires switching to the new model (rule).[6] The ARM trial licence is valid for 30 days and limits report rows and change actions.[6]

Virtualization & partitioning

None of these products publishes a virtualization rule. Under the EULA a virtual machine is a Device, so each installation on a VM is counted like a physical one unless the product documentation provides for pooled keys, as the Dameware centralized model does.[7][10] Serv-U additionally limits installations through the number of copies on the licence.[2]

Cloud / BYOL

The documentation reviewed contains no cloud or BYOL rules for these products. SolarWinds Service Desk, the SaaS service desk, lists licences by user licence type (Administrator, Service Agent User and Service Task User) and is governed by the SaaS terms rather than the EULA.[14][15]

Programs

Out of scope

Dameware Remote Everywhere, Engineer’s Toolset, Kiwi products and SolarWinds Backup have their own licence documents and are not described.[6] Serv-U list prices are not reproduced.

References

  1. WHD licensing modelCatalog: WHD licensing modelRetrieved 2026-09-30.
  2. Serv-U license informationCatalog: Serv-U license informationRetrieved 2026-09-30.
  3. Dameware stand-alone licensingCatalog: Dameware stand-alone licensingRetrieved 2026-09-30.
  4. About SEM licensingCatalog: About SEM licensingRetrieved 2026-09-30.
  5. Patch Manager: Product licensingCatalog: Patch Manager: Product licensingRetrieved 2026-09-30.
  6. Guide to SolarWinds Product LicensesLast published date 4/16/2026. Catalog: Guide to SolarWinds Product LicensesEffective 2026-04-16. Retrieved 2026-09-30.
  7. SolarWinds End User License AgreementLast Update 05 September 2025. Catalog: SolarWinds End User License AgreementEffective 2025-09-05. Retrieved 2026-09-30.
  8. Deactivate and reactivate licenses with stand-alone Windows License ManagerCatalog: Deactivate and reactivate licenses with stand-alone Windows License ManagerRetrieved 2026-09-30.
  9. Serv-U editionsCatalog: Serv-U editionsRetrieved 2026-09-30.
  10. Dameware centralized licensingCatalog: Dameware centralized licensingRetrieved 2026-09-30.
  11. Serv-U FTP and MFT Comparison and PricingCatalog: Serv-U FTP and MFT Comparison and PricingRetrieved 2026-09-30.
  12. Licensing Serv-UCatalog: Licensing Serv-URetrieved 2026-09-30.
  13. Licensing model for SolarWinds Observability Self-HostedCatalog: Licensing model for SolarWinds Observability Self-HostedRetrieved 2026-09-30.
  14. Licenses for ESM customersCatalog: Licenses for ESM customersRetrieved 2026-09-30.
  15. SolarWinds Software as a Service AgreementLast updated 10 September 2026. Catalog: SolarWinds Software as a Service AgreementEffective 2026-09-10. Retrieved 2026-09-30.
  16. 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.
  17. Scope Document to SolarWinds Deployment AddendumLast updated 26 June 2026.Effective 2026-06-26. Retrieved 2026-09-30.

See also

Catalog Rows Cited

3SKUs7Metrics7Rules2Programs

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