Documentation forIpMonitor
Effective December 31, 2024, IpMonitor will reach its end of life and will no longer be available or supported. If you liked IpMonitor, consider trying another SolarWinds product.

Configure ipMonitor

Click Configuration in the toolbar to access all configurable ipMonitor items and settings.

These include general settings (such as alerts, tasks, and accounts), device discovery, system administration, and tools to help you administer your network.

The following options are available in the Configuration tab.

If you need to perform an administrative task (such as setting up an administrator account or configuring a listening port), see Configure the communications and service environment settings.

Configuration

Select... If you want to...
Add/Edit a Device or Monitor Classify, organize, and view the status of your network devices and monitors
Alert List Create or modify alerts
Scheduled Reporting Tasks Create a schedule for generating reports
Account List

Change user access permissions

Create or modify ipMonitor accounts and passwords
Credential List Manage credentials
My Settings Manage your account settings
System Settings

Import and export ipMonitor XML data

Manage the ipMonitor server settings
Scheduled Maintenance Tasks Disable monitors during scheduled maintenance

Device Discovery

Select... If you want to...
Add New Device Add a new device to ipMonitor
Scan Results View all devices discovered by ipMonitor

System Administration

Select... If you want to...
Notes Share notes with other ipMonitor users
Sessions View who is currently logged in to ipMonitor

Tools

Select... If you want to...
Regex Wizard Create a regular expression to capture a specific substring within a file or text message
Log Files Diagnose and troubleshoot issues
SNMP Tree Browse the MIB database
SNMP Search Search for an entry in the MIB database
SNMP Monitor Wizard Monitor the status of an SNMP object
Server / Workstation Control

Reboot a Windows server or workstation

Stop or restart a remote Windows service

Configure the run-time communications and service environment settings

After you install ipMonitor for the first time, the Configuration Program runs automatically in First Run mode to help you get up and running as quickly as possible. To customize your deployment, you can return to this program by clicking Start > SolarWinds ipMonitor > Configure ipMonitor.

To add or configure monitors, alerts, or actions, click the Configuration tab.

Using the ipMonitor Configuration Program, you can:

Add an administrator account

When you installed ipMonitor for the first time, you created an administrator account as part of the installation procedure. You can add additional administrator accounts, if required.

These accounts are internal to ipMonitor and are not associated with your Microsoft Windows local machine or domain accounts. All account information is stored internally using AES 256-bit encryption.

The first Administrator account must be created using the ipMonitor Configuration Program. The following rules apply to Administrator accounts:

  • Administrator accounts have full access to all ipMonitor features.
  • There must always be at least one administrator account.
  • Administrators can create, edit, and delete user accounts and can access and administrate user credentials.
  • Administrator accounts cannot be deleted until they are demoted within the ipMonitor Administration web interface to a general user.
  • Administrator accounts cannot delete themselves, nor can they demote themselves.

To add an administrator account:

  1. Click Start > SolarWinds ipMonitor > Configure ipMonitor.
  2. Click Add Administrator Account.

  3. Select an account type.

    Select Windows Account to use your Windows local machine or domain account. Click Browse to navigate to the credentials.

    Select Standard ipMonitor Account to create an account in the ipMonitor database. You must enter a user name and password to create this account.

  4. Complete the wizard, and click OK.

Configure the ipMonitor listening port

ipMonitor requires one or more IP address and port combinations to enable communications using the HTTP and HTTPS protocols. These protocols are also used to log in as an administrator to manage ipMonitor. After you configure the ipMonitor listening port, the web interface can listen for data from your monitors and monitor the network for incoming SNMP traps. When you configure a listening port, ipMonitor binds the listeners to a specific IP address and port on the server.

You can use ipMonitor without an SSL certificate. However, some features (such as the Credentials Manager) will not be fully enabled unless you are connecting from the ipMonitor host computer. SolarWinds recommends using the ipMonitor Self-Signed Certificate option as a minimum requirement.

Each HTTPS entry requires an IP address and port combination that is not used by any other application. When you enable SSL, an SSL server certificate is assigned to your ipMonitor deployment.

See Install an SSL certificate in ipMonitor for additional details.

  1. Click Start > SolarWinds ipMonitor > Configure ipMonitor.
  2. Click Communications: Web Server Ports.
  3. Click Add.

  4. In the Add Web Server Port dialog box, enter an IP address and listening port that is not used by any other server application, or click the drop-down menu and select an IP address. You can select 0.0.0.0 and use all IP addresses configured on the host or 127.0.0.1 to select local loopback.

  5. In the Port (TCP) field, enter 80 for HTTP (default) or 443 (HTTPS) traffic.

    Port 443 is the default port number for HTTPS communications.

    If additional HTTP services are installed on the server hosting ipMonitor, verify that their IP address and port settings do not conflict with your ipMonitor Port settings.

  6. (Optional) Select the Enable SSL checkbox to create a secure connection, and then click OK.

    An SSL certificate assigned to the server hosting ipMonitor.

  7. In the SNMP Trap Listener box, click Enabled and then select an IP address and port to receive SNMP Traps from your monitors.

  8. Click OK.
  9. Repeat step 2 through step 7 for any additional port entries.
  10. Click OK to exit the configuration program.

Prevent unauthorized access to the ipMonitor Web Console

You can restrict access to the ipMonitor web interface based on a web browser IP address. For example, if you have ipMonitor installed at a customer site and can access to the console through their public IP address, you can enter the IP address of your web browser to grant yourself exclusive access to the console.

  1. Click Start > SolarWinds ipMonitor > Configure ipMonitor.
  2. Click Communications: Lockout.
  3. Click Add.

  4. Enter the starting and ending IP address range for all computers that require access, and then click OK. If you want to restrict access to one computer, enter the same IP address in both fields.

  5. Repeat step 3 for all IP addresses that are not authorized to access the ipMonitor web console.
  6. Select an IP range in the table.

  7. Select the access permissions for this IP address range.

  8. Repeat step 6 for all additional IP address entries.
  9. Click OK.

Select an SSL certificate for secure communications

ipMonitor uses Secure Socket Layer (SSL) to establish an encrypted and secure link between the ipMonitor server and your web browser. This data exchange requires an SSL certificate provided by a Certificate of Authority (CA).

An SSL certificate validates the identity of the ipMonitor server. After you select a certificate, your web browser can communicate with the CA web of trust to validate the server's identity. If you do not install an SSL certificate, communications between your web browser and the ipMonitor server may not be secure. Also, your web browser will indicate a non-secure connection.

The Credentials Manager requires you to log in to the application using an SSL connection. If you log in using a non-secure channel, the Credentials Manager restricts access to your credentials and prevents you from updating your credential configuration.

  1. Click Start > SolarWinds ipMonitor > Configure ipMonitor.
  2. Click Communications: SSL.

  3. Click the SSL Certificate Mode drop-down menu and select an option.

  4. Review the information in the window and make any required changes.

    See SSL for additional details about installing an SSL certificate.

  5. (Optional) Create a new self-signed certificate.
  6. Click OK.

Modify the service account settings

By default, the ipMonitor Service (ipMonitorSrv) is assigned to a local system account. This service monitors your network resources and alerts you when you have an issue. Based on your organizational requirements, you can accept the recommended default setting or create a local user account that is dedicated to host this service.

  1. Click Start > SolarWinds ipMonitor > Configure ipMonitor.
  2. Click Service Settings.

  3. In the Service Account Context box, click This Account.

  4. Enter the account name and password.
  5. In the Startup Type field, accept the default or click the drop-down menu and select another option.
  6. Click OK.

Create a service account for the ipMonitor Service

If you choose to implement a higher security model, SolarWinds recommends creating a Local User account specifically for the ipMonitor Service. If you are assigning the Local System or Local User account to this service, use the Credential Manager for features that need to access Microsoft Windows file system object or services through the network.

By default, the ipMonitor Service is set to the Automatic startup type. Under normal circumstances, accept this selection as the default.

The following table provides the minimum permission requirements for any Windows account assigned to the ipMonitor Service.

Folder name Permissions
\ipMonitor\ READ + WRITE + EXECUTE
\ipMonitor\config\* READ + WRITE
\ipMonitor\db\* READ + WRITE if storing Monitor Statistics
\ipMonitor\historic\* READ + WRITE if storing Monitor Statistics
\ipMonitor\internal\* READ ONLY
\ipMonitor\logs\ READ + WRITE
\ipMonitor\state READ + WRITE
ipMonitor\wwwroot\* READ ONLY

Although ipMonitor can run without using the Credentials Manager, SolarWinds recommends not using it for security reasons.

Renew your ipMonitor license

The Software Licensing window displays information about your ipMonitor license. To access this window, click Software Licensing.

When your license expires, you can renew your license using the ipMonitor configuration program or the SolarWinds License Manager.

Renew your license using the ipMonitor Configuration Program

  1. Log in to the Customer Portal.
  2. Click Licenses > Manage Licenses.
  3. Click the View drop-down menus and locate ipMonitor.
  4. Locate and copy the Activation Key.
  5. Open the ipMonitor Configuration Program.
  6. In the ipMonitor Configuration Program window, click Click here to License ipMonitor.
  7. When prompted, click Yes.
  8. Enter the new Activation Key and save your changes.
  9. Restart the ipMonitorSrv service.

Renew your license using the SolarWinds License Manager

If the SolarWinds License Manager is not installed on your server, click Start > SolarWinds ipMonitor > Download SolarWinds License Manager and follow the steps on your screen.

  1. Log in to the Customer Portal.
  2. Click Licenses > Manage Licenses.
  3. Click the View drop-down menus and locate ipMonitor.
  4. Locate and copy the Activation Key.
  5. Log in to your ipMonitor server.

  6. Click Start > Program > SolarWinds > SolarWinds License Manager.

  7. Select the ipMonitor product and click Renew.
  8. In the new window, click Upgrade.
  9. Paste the new Activation Key you found in the Customer Portal to the appropriate field.
  10. Enter your information and click Next.
  11. Restart the ipMonitorSrv Service.