SQL Sentry License Management

Licensing

SQL Sentry is generally licensed per each individually monitored target. This includes products for SQL Server, SQL Server Analysis Services, and Azure SQL Database. No additional licensing is needed for the SQL Sentry Portal, clients, or monitoring services installed in your environment. You may install as many of these as needed with your SQL Sentry license.

Free SQL Sentry License for Monitoring the SQL Sentry Database Instance

It's possible to obtain a free license of SQL Sentry for monitoring the SQL Server instance that contains the SQL Sentry database. The database license is free to monitor regardless of how many  licenses you already have. 

SQL Sentry License Usage for VMware and Windows Hyper-V

It's possible to monitor VMware vCenter hosts, Windows Servers, and Hyper-V hosts with SolarWinds SQL Sentry. With each SQL Sentry license, you can watch 3 times the SQL Sentry license quantity to monitor VMware vCenter hosts, Windows Servers, and Hyper-V hosts. For example, if you have 3 SQL Sentry licenses, you can watch 9 VMware vCenter hosts, Windows Servers, and Hyper-V hosts in your preferred combination.

SQL Sentry License Usage Overview

View additional license information, such as the number of licenses applied throughout the environment, in the About SolarWinds SQL Sentry window.

Access the About SolarWinds SQL Sentry window by selecting Help > About.

Inventory View

To get an overview of how your licenses are applied throughout your environment you can also select the Inventory node, (Navigator > Configuration > Inventory). See the Inventory View article for instructions.

SolarWinds License Manager for SQL Sentry Online Activation

Use the SolarWinds License Manager to activate a new license key or upgrade the existing one to watch a different number of targets. The license manager can be launched from within the SQL Sentry client.

1. Open Windows Services on the monitoring service machine(s) and then stop the SentryOne Monitoring Service.

2. Execute the following query to verify all monitoring services have been stopped:

--Check that HeartbeatDateTime is not updating every 2 minutes to verify all monitoring services have actually been stopped
SELECT ServerName,HeartbeatDateTime
FROM ManagementEngine
ORDER BY HeartbeatDateTime DESC

3. In SQL Sentry, go to Help > Manage Licenses to open the License Manager screen for SolarWinds SQL Sentry.

4. To apply a license, use the Upgrade or Activate option.

5.  Log into the SolarWinds Customer Portal to obtain your activation key.  Select the first option I have internet access... and paste the Activation key into the Activation Key field. Select Next to continue.

Note:  There are additional options to use a specific proxy server or perform a manual activation if there is no internet access.

6. Complete the Information on the Register your product page:

1. Enter your information (name, email, and phone number) to register SQL Sentry. 
2. Select the number of license seats that you want to use for your installation. Note:  In this example, we have selected Activate All Seats together, which activates all available license seats. For information about partial license activation, see the section below.
3. Select Next to continue.
   

7. You should see a message that reads, "SolarWinds SQL Sentry is now licensed and activated! Your license has been imported successfully." Select Finish to return to the License Manager screen.

8. Select Exit to return to the SQL Sentry client.

9. Start the SentryOne Monitoring Service.

SolarWinds License Manager for SQL Sentry Offline Activation

Use the SolarWinds License Manager to activate a new license key or upgrade the existing one to watch a different number of targets. Activate your license on an offline machine by completing the following steps:

1. Open Windows Services on the monitoring service machine(s) and then stop the SentryOne Monitoring Service.

2. Execute the following query to verify all monitoring services have been stopped:

--Check that HeartbeatDateTime is not updating every 2 minutes to verify all monitoring services have actually been stopped
SELECT ServerName,HeartbeatDateTime
FROM ManagementEngine
ORDER BY HeartbeatDateTime DESC

3. In SQL Sentry, go to Help > Manage Licenses to open the SolarWinds SQL Sentry License Manager.

4.  To apply a license, use the Upgrade or Activate option.
 

5. Select the This server does not have internet access option and then select Next to continue.
 

6. Complete the steps on the Activate Product page:

1. Select Copy Unique Machine ID and then paste the id into a text editor. Save the .txt document, and then move the document onto a machine with internet access.

2. On your machine with internet access, log into the SolarWinds customer portal, select Licenses > Manage Licenses, and then navigate to the product you are trying to activate.

3. Select Activate license manually to open the Manage License Activation page. 

4. Paste the unique machine id from your .txt file into the Unique Machine ID field and enter a computer name for your machine. Select the number of licenses you want to activate, and then select Generate License File.

5. Select Download Activation File, and then move the file onto your offline machine.

Note:  A copy of the download file is emailed to the email associated with your SolarWinds customer account.

7. Select Browse, select the location of your license key file, and then select Next to continue.
 

8. Select Finish to activate your license.

9. Select Exit to return to the SQL Sentry client, and then start the SentryOne Monitoring Service.

Applying Multiple Licenses to the Same Installation

1. Open Windows Services on the monitoring service machine(s) and then stop the SentryOne Monitoring Service.

2. Execute the following query to verify all monitoring services have been stopped:

--Check that HeartbeatDateTime is not updating every 2 minutes to verify all monitoring services have actually been stopped
SELECT ServerName,HeartbeatDateTime
FROM ManagementEngine
ORDER BY HeartbeatDateTime DESC

3. In SQL Sentry, go to Help > Manage Licenses to open the License Manager.

4. Select Upgrade for the installed license key.

5. Enter the applicable license key and then select Next.

6. Verify your user information on the product registration page, and then select Next.

7. Select Finish to return to the License Manager.

8. Repeat these steps for any additional licenses.

9. Start the SentryOne Monitoring Service.

Success: New licenses will display in the list for the License Manager. 

Partial License Activation

To activate part of your SQL Sentry License, complete the following steps:

1. Open Windows Services on the monitoring service machine(s) and then stop the SentryOne Monitoring Service.

2. Execute the following query to verify all monitoring services have been stopped:

--Check that HeartbeatDateTime is not updating every 2 minutes to verify all monitoring services have actually been stopped
SELECT ServerName,HeartbeatDateTime
FROM ManagementEngine
ORDER BY HeartbeatDateTime DESC

3. In SQL Sentry, go to Help > Manage Licenses to open the SolarWinds SQL Sentry License Manager.

4.  To apply a license, use the Upgrade or Activate option. 

5. Complete the steps for Online or Offline Activation:

Partial License Activation Online Steps:

1. Log into the SolarWinds Customer Portal to obtain your activation key.  Select the first option I have internet access... and paste the Activation key into the Activation Key field. Select Next to continue.

2. Complete the Information on the Register your product page:

1. Enter your information (name, email, and phone number) to register SQL Sentry. 

2. Select the number of license seats that you want to use for your installation. Note:  In this example, we have selected to activate 3 seats. 

3. Select Next to continue.

3. You should see a message that reads, "SolarWinds SQL Sentry is now licensed and activated! Your license has been imported successfully." Select Finish to return to the License Manager screen.

4. Select Exit to return to the SQL Sentry client.

5. Start the SentryOne Monitoring Service.

Partial License Activation Offline Steps: 

1. Select the This server does not have internet access option and then select Next to continue. 

2. Complete the steps on the Activate Product page:

1. Select Copy Unique Machine ID and then paste the id into a text editor. Save the .txt document, and then move the document onto a machine with internet access.

2. On your machine with internet access, log into the SolarWinds customer portal, select Licenses > Manage Licenses, and then navigate to the product you are trying to activate.

3. Select Activate license manually to open the Manage License Activation page. 

4. Paste the unique machine id from your .txt file into the Unique Machine ID field and enter a computer name for your machine. Select the number of licenses you want to activate, and then select Generate License File.

5. Select Download Activation File, and then move the file onto your offline machine.

3. Select Browse, select the location of your license key file, and then select Next to continue.

4. Select Finish to activate your license.

5. Select Exit to return to the SQL Sentry client, and then start the SentryOne Monitoring Service.

Deactivating your License

You may encounter circumstances where you need to make changes to your existing license, and deactivate your license. To deactivate your license, complete the following steps:

1. Open Windows Services on the monitoring service machine(s) and then stop the SentryOne Monitoring Service.

2. Execute the following query to verify all monitoring services have been stopped:

--Check that HeartbeatDateTime is not updating every 2 minutes to verify all monitoring services have actually been stopped
SELECT ServerName,HeartbeatDateTime
FROM ManagementEngine
ORDER BY HeartbeatDateTime DESC

3. Open the SolarWinds License Manager.

4. Select the license you want to deactivate, and then select Deactivate to open the Deactivate licenses dialog.

5. Verify your license selection, and then select Next.

6. Select the deactivation method, and then select Next to continue.

7. Select Yes, I want to deactivate these licenses, and then select Deactivate.

8. Select Finish to close the deactivation dialog.

--Check that HeartbeatDateTime is not updating every 2 minutes to verify all monitoring services have actually been stopped
SELECT ServerName,HeartbeatDateTime
FROM ManagementEngine
ORDER BY HeartbeatDateTime DESC

Hosting the SQL Sentry Database on an Availability Group

To host the SQL Sentry database in an Availability Group, the Monitoring Service and SQL Sentry Client Connection(s) must use the Listener name. Ensure that the Monitoring Service and any SQL Sentry Client connections are using the Listener name before activating your license key.

For information about Hosting the SQL Sentry Database on an Availability Group, see the Adding the SQL Sentry Database to an Availability Group article.

SentryOne License Management for SQL Sentry

The Hardware Key

Your SentryOne SQL Sentry license has a hardware key that's tied to the location of your SQL Sentry database (denoted by the SQL Server instance name). If you decide to relocate the SQL Sentry database, this hardware key can be updated through the SentryOne Customer Portal by any authorized account holder (see the SentryOne Account Management article). Contact support if you have any issues. For more information about moving the SQL Sentry database, see the Relocating the SQL Sentry Database topic. 

An exception to this process is when the SQL Sentry database is part of an Availability Group. To allow licensing to be aware of the SQL Sentry database and to continue working, the hardware key must be tied to the Availability Group ID. You can get this ID by executing the following query against the instance that will be hosting the SQL Sentry database: 

SELECT group_id as AG_ID, name
FROM sys.availability_groups

For more information, see the Hosting SQL Sentry Database On An Availability Group article. 

APS and DW Sentry Licensing

The licensing for Microsoft Analytics Platform System (APS) and SQL Data Warehouse (SQL DW) differ from the traditional SQL Sentry licensing model. APS is licensed by the number of Compute nodes on the target, and SQL DW is a flat monthly subscription with an annual term. 

Applying a New SentryOne License

When your license is near expiration, a notification that your license is about to expire displays on the SQL Sentry client status bar. Manage your license within the SQL Sentry client by completing the following: 

1. Select Help on the client toolbar, and then select Manage License to open the License Entry dialog box.
2. Select Edit to change your license information. Select Clear to erase the current license from the text box.
3. Copy your new product license from the SentryOne customer portal, and then paste the text in the text-box, or drag-and-drop a license file into the space provided. Select Save to save the changes to your license, and then select OK to close the License Entry dialog box. This opens the License Change Detected prompt.
   
4. Select OK to restart the application with your new license.
   

Success: You have now successfully updated your SentryOne SQL Sentry License!

SentryOne Licensing Errors

License Key Mismatch

Receiving this error while applying the license key indicates that the hardware key of the license doesn't match the name of the server currently housing the SQL Sentry database. This typically happens when you need to migrate your SQL Sentry Database to a new instance of SQL Server, or to a new server altogether.

SELECT serverproperty('servername')

Resolve this error by logging into your Customer portal account, and then update the instance name. To update the hardware key of the license in the Customer portal complete the following steps: 

1. Scroll to the Licenses section at the bottom of the Customer portal.
2. Select the license you'd like to modify from the Perpetual License list on the left.
3. In the Update Server Name section, enter the name of the SQL Server instance housing the SQL Sentry database, and the reason for making this change.
4. Select Update to update the license. In the License Key form, choose to email the new license key or copy it to the clipboard. 

Product Version Mismatch

Receiving this error indicates that the version number of the license that you're applying isn't valid for the version of SQL Sentry that you're running. 

Resolve this issue by logging into your Customer portal, and then update the license version. To upgrade the license key in the Customer portal, complete the following steps:

1. Go to the Available Upgrades section in the portal.
2. Select the license key(s) that you'd like to upgrade, and then select Upgrade.

Invalid Signature

Receiving this error indicates that the license key has been modified.

Resolve this issue by selecting the original license key attachment from the licensing email and reapplying it, or select the original license key from the Customer portal and reapply it. 

Invalid License Schema

Receiving this error indicates that the license key has been modified. This error is specific to the license key being modified by an email-security system.

Resolve this issue by selecting the original license key attachment from the licensing email and reapplying it, or select the original license key from the Customer portal and reapply it.

Changing the credentials of the SQL Sentry Monitoring Service Account

To update the account credentials used for the monitoring service, see the Monitoring Service Logon Account article for instructions on using the Service Configuration Utility.

Hosting the SentryOne Database On An Availability Group

Hosting the SQL Sentry database on an availability group gives you a License Key Mismatch error because SQL Sentry recognizes that the SQL Sentry database is part of an Availability Group and is looking for the Availability Group ID, rather than the server currently hosting the database.

To allow licensing to be aware of SQL Sentry database movements and continue working, the Hardware Key must be tied to the Availability Group ID.

You can get this ID by executing the below query against the instance that will be hosting the SQL Sentry database:

SELECT group_id as AG_ID, name
FROM sys.availability_groups

Next, update the hardware key through the Customer portal.