Documentation forVirtualization Manager
Monitoring virtual environments is a key capability of SolarWinds Observability Self-Hosted (formerly Hybrid Cloud Observability) and is available in the Advanced edition. Virtualization Manager (VMAN) is also available in a standalone module.

Retire the legacy virtual appliance and upgrade VMAN in the SolarWinds Platform

To retire the VMAN appliance and complete the upgrade, you must do the following as separate steps:

  • Upgrade VMAN in the SolarWinds Platform
  • Move the primary license from the appliance to the SolarWinds Platform
  • Switch to Orion-based polling in the SolarWinds Platform Web Console
  • Disable the previous integration with the VMAN appliance

Here are the detailed instructions for each step. Complete all four steps to complete the upgrade.

  1. Use the SolarWinds Installer to upgrade VMAN in the SolarWinds Platform (also known as VIM, or Virtual Infrastructure Monitor) to the newest version. The SolarWinds Installer is included in the latest install package for VMAN, available under Server Downloads in the Product Downloads section of the Customer Portal.

    The SolarWinds Installer Guide has step-by-step instructions for preparing and executing your upgrade.  
    If your appliance wasn’t integrated with an Orion Platform installation, this will be a completely fresh install of VMAN in the SolarWinds Platform. The SolarWinds Installer will guide you.
  1. Move your primary license from the appliance to the SolarWinds Platform

     Remove your primary license from the appliance  
    1. Log in to the appliance.
    2. Navigate to Setup > License Information.
    3. Click Deactivate License.

    Activate your primary license in the SolarWinds Web Console  
    1. Log in to the SolarWinds Web Console.
    2. Navigate to Settings > All Settings > Under Details (at the bottom) > License Manager.
    3. Click Add/Upgrade License.
    4. Enter your primary license's Activation Key and fill out the registration information.  
      You can find your primary license's Activation Key in the Customer Portal. Log in and navigate to LICENSES > Manage Licenses. Scroll down to Virtualization Manager Primary. Find your key under "Activation Key:".
    5. Click Activate.
  1. Switch to Orion-based VMAN polling in the SolarWinds Web Console  
    1. Log in to the SolarWinds Platform Web Console.
    2. Navigate to Settings > All Settings > Under Node & Group Management > Manage Virtual Devices.
    3. Select the Hyper-V or VMware tab.
    4. Select all nodes. Use the checkbox in the top left of the Node list to select all nodes.
    5. Click Polling Method.
    6. Select VMAN Orion in the dropdown box.  
      Do not select Basic as the polling method; Basic polling provides limited polling capability for Virtual Machines compared to VMAN Orion polling.
  1. Disable previous integration with the VMAN appliance

    This step is necessary if you previously integrated the VMAN appliance with an Orion Platform installation.

    1. Log in to the SolarWinds Platform Web Console.
    2. Navigate to Settings > Virtualization Settings > Setup Virtualization Manager Integration > Disable Integration.
    3. Follow the onscreen instructions to finish disabling the previous integration.