No results found. Try different keywords.
Enter at least 3 characters to search...
Home » Network License » SolarWinds » Network Configuration Manager (NCM)
When you purchase SolarWinds NCM, you’re getting an entitlement that plugs directly into the Orion Platform. The activation process is pretty straightforward, you’ll use the SolarWinds License Manager, which is basically your control center for everything license-related. Inside, you’ll find your customer details, subscription dates, the edition you bought, how many nodes you’re licensed for, and any extra modules you picked up along the way. Most admins let the license assign itself automatically to the Orion server, but if you’re running a multi-site setup with several polling engines, you can distribute it manually. It’s flexible enough to grow with you.
Now, here’s something worth knowing: if you’re working in a high-security environment or an air-gapped network (meaning no internet connection), you can still activate everything offline. You’ll generate something called a UDI file, basically a unique identifier from your server, then take that file to a machine that does have internet access, upload it to the SolarWinds Customer Portal, and download the key file it gives you back. Bring that key back to your isolated server, import it through the License Manager, and you’re done. No direct connection required, which is perfect for sensitive deployments.
The licensing itself runs on a subscription basis. You get a set term that includes software updates and support. If your network grows faster than expected, you can stack licenses together to boost your node capacity without starting from scratch. Once your SolarWinds NCM license is active, whether you went the online or offline route, you’ve got full access to all the configuration, compliance, and automation tools the platform offers.
Once everything’s up and running, SolarWinds NCM gives you a solid grip on network configuration and change management, especially if you’re dealing with equipment from multiple vendors. One of the biggest time-savers is automated configuration backup. Every time someone tweaks a device, that change gets captured and stored. If something breaks, you can roll back to a working config in minutes instead of scrambling to figure out what went wrong.
The real-time change detection is another feature that pays off constantly. You get detailed side-by-side comparisons (diff views) showing exactly what changed, who did it, and when. That kind of visibility cuts troubleshooting time way down, which anyone who’s spent hours hunting for a mystery config change will appreciate.
There’s also a compliance engine built in. You can set up custom policies or use templates that come pre-loaded to scan your network devices and spot violations automatically. It’s not just about passing audits, it helps you keep configurations consistent across the board, catching drift before it becomes a problem.
For larger operations, the platform handles mass configuration updates and automated deployments pretty well. You can push changes across dozens or hundreds of devices without babysitting each one. The reporting and alerting features give you a real-time view of device health, configuration status, and policy compliance. And because SolarWinds NCM integrates natively with the rest of the Orion Platform, you get monitoring, performance data, and configuration management all in one place.
The end result? Better uptime, fewer risks, tighter security and compliance, and a lot less manual grunt work for your network team.
Buying SolarWinds NCM starts with figuring out how many network nodes you need to manage, since licensing is based on capacity tiers. You can get a quote directly from the SolarWinds store or work with an authorized reseller. Before you reach out, it helps to know a few things: which edition fits your needs, how many devices you’re managing, whether you’ll need extra polling engines for scaling, what level of support you want, and how long you want the subscription to run.
The SolarWinds NCM price depends on a few variables, mainly your node count, any add-on feature packs, and how many additional polling engines you need for bigger environments. If you’re willing to commit to a multi-year deal or a higher volume, you can often bring the cost down, which makes long-term budgeting easier. License stacking is an option too, so you don’t have to buy everything upfront. Start with what you need now and add capacity as you grow.
A quick tip: think about where your network will be in a year or two, not just today. If you plan for growth during the purchase phase, you’ll save yourself from scrambling for more licenses later. After you complete the purchase, the entitlement shows up in your License Manager. From there, you can activate it online right away, or if you’re in a secure environment, start the offline UDI process we talked about earlier. Either way, once it’s activated, the system syncs your node allocation and you’re ready to go.
If you want to try before you buy, SolarWinds offers free trials and evaluation versions. You can grab the latest version from the SolarWinds NCM download page, and if you need current pricing, check out the SolarWinds NCM price section on their site or ping an authorized partner. The whole process is designed to be pretty transparent, so you can size your deployment correctly and know what you’re paying for upfront.
