Migrate from Papertrail to SolarWinds Observability SaaS FAQ

Frequently asked questions

Why is SolarWinds Papertrail transitioning to the new platform — SolarWinds Observability SaaS?

SolarWinds Observability SaaS is our new platform for growing out cutting edge features, and ensuring long term security and stability.
In the future, migrated users will also be able to take advantage of our full Observability platform, including some of our powerful AIOps functionality.

Do I need to enter my plan and billing data into SolarWinds Observability SaaS?

No, your plan information and your billing data have been automatically moved to SolarWinds Observability SaaS billing system.

Where do I find my invoice?

In the Customer Portal.

I'm having issues logging into the Customer Portal. Who can help?

Reach out to our customer service team: customerservice@solarwinds.com.

What if I have a question about my billing?

Once you move across to the new platform you will be able to self-manage there. In the meantime, if you have any billing-related questions, email customerservice@solarwinds.com.

What if I want to upgrade my plan?

Once you move across to the new platform you will be able to self-manage there. In the meantime, if you want to upgrade your plan, email swo-sales@solarwinds.com.

How do I cancel my subscription or downgrade my plan?

Send an email to appmanrenewals@solarwinds.com.

Is my price for logs changing?

No, during this migration, SolarWinds will handle the collection and submission of sales tax. This will now be included in your billing as you transition to the new system. If your organization is exempt from sales tax, provide your exemption certificate to salestax@solarwinds.com.

I have questions about features in SolarWinds Observability SaaS as compared to Papertrail.

For questions on how a feature behaves in SolarWinds Observability SaaS, see Features and information for users migrated from Papertrail to SolarWinds Observability SaaS. If there’s something you’d like to see us add or improve upon, reach out to our support team: technicalsupport@solarwinds.com.
When using the new platform, you can also leave feedback directly in-app by selecting Help > Give Feedback in the left navigation panel.

How will the migration work?

We’re migrating accounts in tiers. When your Papertrail org is selected for migration, you’ll see a new button available to click, and we’ll provide information on what you can expect for the migration steps themselves.

How is my SolarWinds Papertrail log data showing up in SolarWinds Observability SaaS?

Your log data is being forwarded from Papertrail to SolarWinds Observability SaaS. When the time comes for you to move to the new platform, the logs as well as the retention periods you have in Papertrail will all be the same.

What happens to my Papertrail account?

Your SolarWinds Papertrail account will become restricted after you migrate. There will be some historical information available to your Papertrail account, however core items such as logs and alerts will now only be accessible in SolarWinds Observability SaaS.

Will I be able to make adjustments to my log sources?

Yes. In SolarWinds Observability SaaS, you can add a new log destination or update your previous ones to account for changes you need to make for your Syslog servers and other sources.

The SolarWinds Observability SaaS documentation references quite a few other features. Can I evaluate these as well?

Not yet. After the full migration process is completed for all users, we’ll start rolling out options for evaluating more options. In the meantime, ask your account rep for a demo and they’ll be happy to show you how other features of SolarWinds Observability SaaS will help you out in the near future.

How is syslog data volume calculated?

The data is calculated the same way it was in Papertrail: The volume is equal to the message payload + 50 bytes for any header data.

Can I purchase more log volume?

Yes, to purchase more log volume, select the Manage Your Plan button in the top ribbon.

What happens to my archives?

New archives will be created in SolarWinds Observability SaaS in a new format. You have a grace period of 60 days to retrieve your previous archives from Papertrail. If you need more time or have questions, contact us.

What roles are available in the new platform?

The roles available in SolarWinds Observability SaaS are outlined in User roles and access levels. Billing-only members, those who can change plans and payment, are given admin role in the new platform.

I notice some features from Papertrail missing in SolarWinds Observability SaaS.

Some features have not been copied across like-for-like. The new platform has a lot of advantages over the last one: We have an AIOps engine and we plan to engage that service for improving logging features. If there’s anything missing that’s a big gap for you and your team, let us know via the Give Feedback option in the help menu — our product team is ready to collect your feedback and engage with you.

How does authentication into SolarWinds Observability SaaS work?

Use your existing Papertrail account with your password/MFA/SAML settings being preserved. There is a "Coming from Papertrail" button on the SolarWinds Observability SaaS login form for your convenience.

Are all Papertrail alert types going to be supported by SolarWinds Observability SaaS?

No, please be aware that some alert types currently available in Papertrail are not supported in SolarWinds Observability SaaS. This only concerns alerts migrated from Papertrail. Alerts created in SolarWinds Observability SaaS are not affected.

Papertrail alert types not supported in SolarWinds Observability SaaS: Cloudwatch/Datadog/Geckoboard/Hosted Graphite/AppOptics/Boundary/HipChat/Librato/StatHat/VictorOps (Splunk On-Call)/Count-only Webhooks.

If you currently rely on one of these alert types, we recommend reviewing your current alert configurations and testing whether the standard SolarWinds Observability SaaS Webhooks can be used with alert types labeled as not supported. There are no additional steps available to mitigate or adjust for this change at this time.

Heroku Users

As Heroku users migrate to SolarWinds Observability SaaS, users who employ certain alert types need to be aware of upcoming changes.

What is changing?

SolarWinds is migrating all Heroku users from the Papertrail platform to the SolarWinds Observability SaaS platform. Some alert types currently available in Papertrail are not supported in SolarWinds Observability SaaS.

Papertrail alert types supported only as Webhooks, not full integrations: New Relic/SNS/Zapier

Papertrail alert types that are not supported: Cloudwatch/Datadog/Geckoboard/Hosted Graphite/AppOptics/HipChat/Librato/StatHat/VictorOps (Splunk On-Call).