This video demonstrates how to install SolarWinds Network Performance Monitor and other Orion platform products. If you are planning to install SolarWinds NetFlow Traffic Analyzer, there is a separate, installation step that needs to be performed. Otherwise, this video provides a good overview of the installation process.
The previous video in this series, "Preparing for an NPM Installation," discusses best practices for setting up your environment for an Orion installation, including prerequisite software, software and hardware requirements, and is important to watch if you're still in the planning stages of your implementation.
If you're ready to move forward and begin the actual installation, this video will guide you through that process.
Once you have downloaded the installer from the customer portal, right-click the installer file and select 'Run as Administrator.'
The installer will verify that the correct version of .NET is installed. If not, it will install .NET for you. This might require a reboot for the product installation to continue. The installer will also install Microsoft Messaging Queue.
Once these steps are completed, the Setup Wizard will open automatically. You have the option to select either the Lightweight or the Standard installation. Choosing lightweight will install a local copy of SQL Express on the server. This is ideal for evaluation purposes. If the installation is for a production environment or larger than normal evaluation, choosing the Standard option will allow you to specify a SQL Server Standard or Enterprise version for this purpose. For this demonstration, we are selecting Standard installation. Choose the destination folder, and click 'Next.'
Select the products you want to install. The current version of NPM is selected by default. However, you can install or evaluate additional products by selecting them from the "Additional Products" section. If you are installing on a box that already has other SolarWinds products, those products will be upgraded alongside the ones you select.
You can also select the language for your product installation. This latest version supports English, German, and Japanese. Please note that you will not be able to change this later.
Once you've made your selections, click, 'Next.'
The Setup Wizard will now run tests against your system to ensure that it meets all the requirements. It will alert you to any potential configuration problems that it finds. For example, if your server does not meet minimum specs or you are trying to install on a Domain Controller, the installer will block and prevent your installation. The installer could also find warning issues, such as not enough CPU or RAM. In this case, the installer will warn you but not block the install. You can choose to cancel the installation or continue, knowing that server performance may be affected. If you don't see any warning messages that means your system passed all the tests with no issues.
Read and accept the terms of the End User License Agreement.
Click "Next."
The Setup Wizard will now install all the necessary components. This process may take several minutes to complete.
Unless you are using the offline installer, all necessary components will be downloaded first, and then installed as part of this process.
Once the installation is complete, the Configuration Wizard will launch automatically. You can also run the Wizard manually from the Start Menu if you ever need to re-configure these settings in the future.
Click 'Next.'
To configure database access, click the down arrow to view a list of all SQL servers that the Orion server can contact, and select the appropriate machine.
Next, you need to configure the authentication to that database. SolarWinds fully supports Windows® Authentication, both local and domain accounts, for database access. You can use any SQL logins with the appropriate permissions.
Check this box if you want to fully encrypt all Orion database communications with SSL.
You can connect to an existing Orion database if this is not the first Orion product you are installing. If it is your first Orion product, choose "Create a new Database." You can use the text field to rename it or use the default database name supplied.
Click 'Next.'
Select which account you want to use to access the database.
There are two options: Use your existing Windows login or a new or existing SQL login. SolarWinds recommends creating a new SQL account for database access.
Click 'Next.'
Now, configure settings for your new Orion website. SolarWinds recommends using 'All Unassigned' for your port bindings. This will allow you to use the IP address of the server to access the website from somewhere else, and it will also allow you to use the localhost IP address as a shortcut if you access the server from a remote desktop.
Select the port to bind the website to. Standard ports are port 80 for HTTP and port 443 for HTTPS. If you choose HTTPS, you will need to set up a certificate for the website. You will use a self-signed certificate for this. Any of these settings can be changed later in IIS if needed.
Finally, select whether or not your users will be able to log into your Orion web console automatically using Windows Authentication. Since enabling this option requires additional configuration of your user accounts and groups, we will leave the box un-checked for the purposes of this demonstration.
Click 'Next.'
This question is prompted by the website settings you just selected. It asks you to confirm the creation of the SolarWinds directory in the default InetPub location. This second question warns you that the IIS default website binding will be overridden by your Orion website configurations. Click 'Yes' to confirm both of these questions.
The Service Settings window lets you specify which Orion services to install. Please be sure to check every box because all services are required for a fully functioning Orion installation.
Click 'Next.'
Review your configuration selections, and click 'Next.'
The Configuration Wizard will finalize the installation. This may take several minutes. During that time, the Configuration Wizard will display the progress of each task.
Click "Finish," and the web console will launch automatically. You now can login and begin using your SolarWinds product.
For more information, and for links to documentation and other videos, please visit the Success Center at support.solarwinds.com.