Documentation forSolarWinds Platform

Upgrade the Orion SQL Server without migration

Updated: December 6, 2018 | SolarWinds Installation and Upgrade Guide

Supports: Orion SQL Server for SolarWinds Platform products

 

This guide details how to upgrade your SolarWinds Platform database server to a new version of Microsoft SQL Server. To upgrade, you need administrator access and Microsoft software and documentation.

This guide does not include migrating to a new server. For a full migration and upgrade guide, see Migrate the SolarWinds Platform database to a new server.

You may need to upgrade if...

  • SolarWinds Platform products require a newer version of Microsoft SQL Server
  • The version of Microsoft SQL Server is deprecated by Microsoft
  • Performance requires an upgraded version of software and updated hardware

Recommendations

  • Always use a dedicated server for the SolarWinds Platform database. You should not migrate the SQL database to servers already in use.
  • Use SQL Server Authentication with the sa login and password to ensure that Orion can access the SolarWinds Platform database, even if it is hosted remotely on a separate server.

How do I upgrade without migration?

  1. Prepare for the SQL server upgrade.
  2. Upgrade Microsoft SQL Server.
  3. Verify data and polling
  4. Troubleshoot if necessary

Task 1: Prepare for the SQL server upgrade

Before backing up data and upgrading, make sure to review SolarWinds requirements. Specific SolarWinds Platform products support a limited set of Microsoft SQL database versions.

1. Review requirements and supported versions

Review the SolarWinds Platform product requirements for supported Microsoft SQL Server version and hardware specifications:

You can also review this article for specific Microsoft SQL Server versions per SolarWinds Platform product versions.

2. Determine any required hardware upgrades Determine any required hardware upgrades for additional memory, hard drive space, processor, and more.
3. Gather credentials Gather the local admin credentials for the current server.
4. Install SQL Management Studio Express (optional)

If you need software to perform database backups and maintenance, you can install SQL Management Studio Express for your specific version of Microsoft SQL on your Orion SQL database server.

Use the following links to download the installation for the latest version, which is backward compatible with older versions:

For additional versions, see this list at Microsoft.

Task 2: Upgrade Microsoft SQL Server

These instructions only walk-through the upgrade of Microsoft SQL Server software. If you need to also migrate and upgrade products, see the following guides:

For details on how to determine the version, edition and update level of SQL Server and its components, see this Microsoft support article (© 2017 Microsoft, available at https://support.microsoft.com, obtained on October 9, 2017).

1. Log in to the SQL server as administrator Access the Orion SQL server using administrator credentials to install upgrades.
2. Stop SolarWinds services

Open the SolarWinds Platform Service Manager on all polling engines, and stop all services.

3. Back up the SQL database

Back up your SolarWinds Platform database. For help, consult your vendor's site.

If you have your database on a VM, create a snapshot or copy of your VM.

4. Upgrade Microsoft SQL on the server

Follow the instructions and installation guide from Microsoft for your SQL Server versions. You can locate upgrade and installation guides at Microsoft or review the software documentation that came with your software.

You do not need to run the Orion Configuration Wizard after the upgrade completes.

5. Start services Start your services on the main and additional polling servers.

Task 3: Verify data and polling

Continue polling monitored nodes, servers, devices, and services in the SolarWinds Platform Web Console. Verify data populates and updates to the database.

To verify the installed SQL server version:

  1. In the SolarWinds Platform Web Console, select Settings > All Settings, and click Database Details under Details.

  2. Check the Software Version for the SQL database assigned and used by your SolarWinds Platform.

You can also enter a database query of @@VERSION to list the SQL server version and additional information. For details, see this Microsoft support article  (©2019 Microsoft, available at https://www.microsoft.com, obtained on October 7, 2019).

Troubleshooting

If you encounter any issues, search this knowledge base with the errors to locate solutions.

If an issue occurs you need additional help with, contact Support. SolarWinds recommends gathering diagnostics, a screenshot of the issue, and any error codes you receive. Attach and add this information to your ticket. You may also want to gather additional diagnostics on your additional polling engines and web servers.