The journey to Solarwinds Observability SaaS

tony.johnson

Migrating from SolarWinds Self-Hosted Platform to the SaaS Platform.

If you’re a SolarWinds self-hosted platform user and considering moving to our SaaS platform to leverage the advanced capabilities of Network and Infrastructure Observability (NICO), there are two primary migration options available:

Option 1: Start a Trial of the SaaS Platform and Deploy the Network Collector

This option allows you to evaluate the SaaS platform while setting up a new environment for data collection.

Steps to Follow:

1. Initiate the SaaS Trial:
   Register for a new SaaS trial here.

2. Deploy the Network Collector:

   Download and install the Network Collector by navigating to the "Add Data" button on the top right-hand side, and choosing "Add A network Device". From here you will be guided on how to install your first collector.

3. Add Devices to the Network Collector:

   • Manual Device Discovery:
     • Use the discovery workflow to scan your network and add devices to the collector.
   • Automated Data Migration with PORT-X:
     • Use the PORT-X utility to migrate data from SolarWinds Observability Self-Hosted to a Network Collector instance.
     • The tool configures the new instance so that you can start polling monitored entities (nodes, interfaces, volumes, credentials, hardware health, virtualization, or applications) immediately with no additional user interaction.

Specific Data Migrated with PORT-X:

Only specific data is migrated to the target Network Collector:

• Network Devices: Nodes, including pollers and custom properties.
• Volumes: Including pollers.
• Interfaces: Including pollers and custom properties.
• Hardware Health
• Asset Inventory
• SAM Applications: Including custom properties.
• SAM Components
• Device Studio Custom Pollers
• Network Configuration Data: Such as global device defaults, connection profiles, or device-level credentials.
• Virtualization Entities

Option 2: Use the Platform Connect Feature

Available as part of the SolarWinds Self-Hosted Platform, Platform Connect allows you to connect your self-hosted deployment to a SolarWinds Observability SaaS tenant. If you don’t have a tenant on our SaaS solution, Platform Connect can create an account for you.

Platform Connect is available for users of Hybrid Cloud Observability. For users running platform version 2022.4 and later with individual products such as Network Performance Monitor (NPM), NetFlow Traffic Analyzer (NTA), Server and Application Monitor (SAM), and Virtualization Manager (VMAN), a license key is available to unlock the Platform Connect capabilities. Please get in touch with our support or sales to obtain a license key,

Steps to Follow:

1. Enable Platform Connect:

   • Configure Platform Connect on your self-hosted environment to integrate with the SaaS platform.

2. Install the SolarWinds Observability Agent:

   • Platform Connect simplifies the process of installing the agent required for data streaming.

3. Configure Data Streams:

   • Select the data types you want to send to the SaaS platform:
     • Network device metrics
     • Server performance data
     • NetFlow traffic analysis
     • Virtualization entity details

Key Considerations

• Manual vs. Automated Setup:

  • Deploying the Network Collector requires manual intervention unless you leverage PORT-X for data migration.
  • Platform Connect is ideal if you prefer to maintain your existing setup and progressively adopt the SaaS platform.

• Trial and Full Migration:

  • Starting with a trial provides a hands-on evaluation of the SaaS platform’s features and benefits.
  • Platform Connect supports a hybrid approach, enabling a phased migration while maintaining your self-hosted platform.

By choosing the right migration strategy based on your organization’s needs, you can transition smoothly to SolarWinds’ SaaS platform and unlock the full potential of Network and Infrastructure Observability.