Documentation forSolarWinds Platform

Licensing model for SolarWinds Platform products

This topic applies to all SolarWinds Platform products.

SolarWinds Platform products are licensed additively in terms of monitored nodes.

For example, if you have an NPM SL500 (500 nodes and 500 volumes) installed with SAM AL150, you can monitor:

  • 650 nodes (500 NPM nodes + 150 SAM nodes)
  • 650 volumes (matching the node count)
  • 500 interfaces monitored with SNMP
  • 150 component monitors
  • An unlimited number of interfaces polled using WMI

For more information, see the administrator guide of your specific SolarWinds Platform product.
For example, SRM license levels apply to the number of hard drives and solid state drives and across all Shared Storage (SAN, NAS) systems rather than nodes.

License types

Starting with April 21, 2020, you can decide whether to use a perpetual license or a subscription-based (term-based) license.

You can combine both license types. When the subscription-based license expires, polling new data for the product stops. This does not affect products with perpetual licenses which may be installed on the same server.

Perpetual license Subscription license (introduced in April 2020)
You retain ownership of the software - the license never expires. You have rights to use the software during the term of the agreement.

The license includes maintenance and support for the first year.

You can renew after year 1 for an additional fee.

Maintenance and support are included during the life of term.

Subscriptions are on an annual basis. You can extend the term to three years.

Subscription licenses are billed annually, with the option for multi-year paid upfront.

Typically purchased using Capital Expenditures.

Typically purchased using Operating Expense.

The cost of subscription is much less but when the license expires, you no longer have rights to use the software and it will stop collecting data.