Offline Installer — Solarwinds Npm
You will see two options for each release:
The SolarWinds npm offline installer is an indispensable tool for network administrators operating in high-security, disconnected, or highly regulated environments. While it requires more upfront planning – downloading the correct version, verifying checksums, and pre-staging Windows components – the payoff in reliability, compliance, and deployment speed is immense.
By following this guide, you can confidently deploy SolarWinds npm on air-gapped servers, silent-install across dozens of polling engines, and maintain your monitoring infrastructure without ever poking a hole in your firewall for HTTP outbound access.
Final Pro Tip: Keep a copy of the latest offline installer on a dedicated, read-only USB drive stored in your disaster recovery safe. When a critical network outage occurs, you won't be scrambling to download 4 GB over a tethered cell phone hotspot.
Last updated: Q2 2025. Always check SolarWinds THWACK community for the latest offline installer versions and known issues.
The SolarWinds Network Performance Monitor (NPM) Offline Installer is a comprehensive package designed for environments with limited or no internet connectivity (dark sites). This report details the acquisition, requirements, and deployment process for the offline installer. 1. Executive Summary
SolarWinds NPM is a network monitoring solution that provides visibility into device health and performance. The offline installer is an all-in-one executable that includes the necessary SolarWinds Platform (formerly Orion) components and the NPM module, eliminating the need for the server to download files during the installation process. 2. Procurement and Acquisition
The offline installer is not available on public download pages and must be accessed through the SolarWinds Customer Portal.
Step 1: Log in to the Customer Portal with valid credentials.
Step 2: Navigate to Downloads > Active Maintenance & Downloads.
Step 3: Select Network Performance Monitor (NPM) from the product list. Step 4: Choose the Offline Installer option.
Note: The file size is significantly larger (typically several GBs) compared to the lightweight online installer because it contains all prerequisites and MSI files. 3. Pre-Installation Requirements
Before running the installer, ensure the destination server meets the following criteria:
Operating System: Windows Server 2016, 2019, or 2022 (latest service packs recommended).
Hardware: Minimum 4 CPU cores and 16GB RAM for small environments; requirements scale with the number of polled nodes. solarwinds npm offline installer
Database: A dedicated instance of Microsoft SQL Server (2016 SP1 or later) is required.
Permissions: Local Administrator rights on the server and db_owner privileges on the SQL instance.
Security: Passwords for the SolarWinds Platform must be at least 12 characters and include uppercase, lowercase, and special characters. 4. Installation Procedure
The offline installation follows a specific workflow to ensure the platform is correctly initialized:
Transfer: Move the downloaded .exe file to the offline server via secure media (e.g., USB or internal file transfer). Execution: Run the installer as an Administrator.
Product Selection: Select Network Performance Monitor and any additional modules you are licensed for.
Prerequisite Check: The installer will scan the system for missing components (like .NET Framework or IIS). Since this is the offline version, it will install these from the local package.
Configuration Wizard: After the files are extracted, the wizard will prompt for: Database Settings: Connection details for your SQL Server.
Website Settings: Binding to specific IP addresses or ports (default is 80/443).
Service Settings: Configuration of the SolarWinds Information Service and Job Engine. 5. Post-Installation and Maintenance
Licensing: Because the server is offline, you must perform offline activation. This involves generating a unique machine key, uploading it to the Customer Portal from an internet-connected device, and downloading a license file to import back into the NPM server.
Reporting: Once installed, users can create custom table or chart reports via Settings > All Settings > Manage Reports to visualize network data.
Troubleshooting: Logs are primarily located in C:\ProgramData\SolarWinds\Logs. If services fail to start, the SolarWinds Orion Core Services can be repaired via the Windows Control Panel. Install SolarWinds Platform products in a new environment
The SolarWinds Network Performance Monitor (NPM) offline installer is a self-contained ISO file that includes all necessary components to set up the SolarWinds Platform (formerly Orion) without an active internet connection. 📋 Pre-Installation Checklist You will see two options for each release:
Before running the installer, ensure your environment is ready:
Operating System: Windows Server 2019 or 2022 is recommended.
Hardware: At least 4 CPU cores and 8–16 GB of RAM for production; 6 GB minimum for labs.
Database: Use an external SQL Server for production. SQL Express is included but restricted to a 10 GB limit, suitable only for evaluations.
Maintenance: Run all pending Windows Updates and reboot before starting.
File Handling: Right-click the downloaded ISO/installer, select Properties, and check Unblock to ensure all files are accessible. 🛠️ Installation Steps 1. Obtain and Prepare the ISO
Log in to the SolarWinds Customer Portal from a computer with internet access. Download the Offline Installer for NPM.
Transfer the ISO file to your target server and mount it as a virtual drive. 2. Run the Installer
Right-click the SolarWinds.Installer.exe from the mounted drive and select Run as Administrator.
Select Standard Platform (recommended for production) or Lightweight (for labs/testing).
Choose Network Performance Monitor from the list of products. 3. Configuration Wizard
The installer will automatically launch the Configuration Wizard after the initial file copy.
Database: Connect to your SQL Server instance and create a new database.
Website: Set the IP address and port (default is 80) for the web console. Last updated: Q2 2025
Services: Accept the default settings for SolarWinds services. 4. Post-Install Setup
Orion Platform 2023.1 offline installer only installed NPM!! - THWACK
It is indeed an interesting topic, primarily because the process is often more complex than people anticipate. "Offline" in the context of SolarWinds Network Performance Monitor (NPM) usually implies a "Silent Installation" or installing on a secure, air-gapped network that has no access to the internet or the internal SolarWinds licensing server.
Here is a breakdown of why the offline/silent installer for SolarWinds NPM is a noteworthy subject, along with the technical nuances that make it tricky:
SolarWinds-NPM-v2024.4-Full-Installer.exe /VERYSILENT /SUPPRESSMSGBOXES /NORESTART /LOG="C:\Temp\NPM_Install.log"
Cause: The offline installer tried to extract SQL Express to %TEMP% but the drive is full or has permissions issues.
Fix: Manually extract the SQL Express binaries from the installer:
SolarWinds-NPM-Offline.exe /extract="C:\ExtractedSetup"
Then run SQL Express setup manually from the \Redist\SQLExpress folder.
The installer will propose using default website on port 8080 for the web console, or you can specify port 443 for HTTPS. Since you are offline, you’ll need a third-party or internally issued SSL certificate later.
First, let’s clarify a common point of confusion. The standard SolarWinds npm installer is a lightweight "web installer" that, when executed, reaches out to SolarWinds’ content delivery network (CDN) to download the latest binaries, prerequisites (like .NET Framework, SQL Server Native Client, and IIS components), and hotfixes.
The SolarWinds npm offline installer (often called the "Full Installer" or "Air-Gap Installer") is a self-contained, monolithic executable (typically an .exe file ranging from 2GB to 5GB+) that contains all necessary components bundled together.
Title: Where to find the SolarWinds NPM offline installer?
Post: Hi all,
I need to deploy SolarWinds NPM on a server without internet access. I’m looking for the offline installer (the full standalone executable, not the web bootstrapper).
A few questions:
Thanks in advance for any guidance.