NPM 2020.2.6 stores all metrics (CPU, bandwidth, uptime) in SQL. You have two options:
Microsoft ASP.NET Core and Microsoft .NET Runtime must be pinned to identical versions to avoid configuration wizard failures.
Microsoft SQL Server 2016 SP1 or later (Standard or Enterprise) Database Software Constraints
To run NPM 2020.2.6 effectively, your environment should meet these baseline specifications for the SolarWinds Platform server and database. : solarwinds npm 202026 system requirements free
If the main product page redirects you to version 2025.x, log a support request. Explain you need for legacy hardware compatibility.
These specifications apply to the Primary Polling Engine (the main server). Requirements scale based on the number of nodes (devices) and interfaces you are monitoring.
The core monitoring services must run on a dedicated server environment. For production, the following operating systems are required: NPM 2020
| Component | Minimum | Recommended | |-----------|---------|--------------| | | 4 cores @ 2.5 GHz | 8+ cores | | RAM | 16 GB | 32–64 GB | | Disk Space | 50 GB (data) + 20 GB (tempdb) | 200 GB+ SSD/NVMe | | SQL Edition | SQL Server 2016–2019 (Standard) | SQL Server 2019 (Enterprise for large envs) |
20 GB to 40 GB of free space is standard, but large deployments with high data retention may need significantly more . Solid State Drives (SSD) are strongly recommended for performance . Software & Operating System
The SQL database is the bottleneck in 90% of cases. Use SSDs for your database server to handle high polling rates. : If the main product page redirects you to version 2025
The keyword "free" is a major draw for any IT professional wanting to test-drive software without financial commitment. While SolarWinds NPM doesn't have a permanently free version, SolarWinds does offer a .
The keyword most commonly refers to the legacy version 2020.2.6 of SolarWinds Network Performance Monitor (NPM). This specific version is notable because it introduced a temporary license key option that allowed active maintenance customers to upgrade using a free temporary license key , enabling them to set up a new 2020.2 deployment and migrate data without compromising their existing environment.
Devices show "Unknown" status. Fix: 2020.2.6 has a bug with AES-256 encryption. Use AES-128 or revert to SNMPv2c for this specific build.