Assign Custom Vendor Icon to ICMP-only Nodes in the SolarWinds Platform

Problem

• Nodes (for example, printers, appliances, or other devices) are added as ICMP-only in the SolarWinds Platform.

• On the Node Details page and in reports, the vendor icon appears as Unknown.gif or is blank.

• You want these nodes to show a specific vendor icon (for example, the logo of a printer vendor) even if SNMP detection is not used.

• For SNMP-monitored devices, the SolarWinds Platform automatically detects SysObjectID, Vendor, and MachineType and maps these to the correct VendorIcon file based on the vendor enterprise OID (for example, a Dell device with SysObjectID 1.3.6.1.4.1.674… is mapped to 674.gif).

• For ICMP-only nodes, fields such as Vendor, SysObjectID, and VendorIcon are often left at defaults, so the Web Console falls back to Unknown.gif.

• To override this behavior, you must:

  • Provide a properly named GIF icon file in the vendor image folders, and

  • Set the node’s VendorIcon column (and optionally Vendor) to reference that file.

The high-level process is:

1. Determine the vendor’s enterprise number (for example, 674 for Dell, 2385 for a particular printer vendor).

2. Create or obtain a 16 × 16, 8‑bit GIF file and name it <enterprise>.gif (for example, 2385.gif).

3. Copy the GIF into the Orion vendor image folders on each web/app server.

4. Update the affected nodes so their VendorIcon field references that filename.

5. (Optional) Add/align vendor entries in the Vendors table for reporting consistency.

The detailed steps below are written generically so you can substitute any vendor and enterprise ID. Where an example is needed, the article uses a printer vendor with enterprise ID 2385, resulting in an icon filename of 2385.gif.

1. Determine the vendor enterprise number

To make your icon name align with the SolarWinds Platform’s conventions, identify the vendor’s enterprise ID from one of these sources:

• SysObjectID of an SNMP node from the same vendor (if you have at least one SNMP-monitored device):

  • Example: 1.3.6.1.4.1.2385.1.1.19... → enterprise ID = 2385.

• SNMP Walk output provided by the vendor or obtained via SolarWinds SNMP Walk.

From that SysObjectID:

• Take the value immediately after 1.3.6.1.4.1. as the enterprise number.

• Use that number as the base filename for the vendor icon:

  • Enterprise 2385 → 2385.gif

  • Enterprise 674 → 674.gif

Using this convention aligns with other documented vendor icon behavior in the platform.

2. Prepare the vendor GIF file (generic)

Once you know the enterprise number:

• Create or obtain a 16 × 16 pixel, 8‑bit (indexed) GIF representing the vendor (text, logo, or simple symbol).

• Save it with the filename:

<enterprise>.gif

Examples:

• Generic printer vendor with enterprise 2385 → 2385.gif

• Dell with enterprise 674 → 674.gif

This article intentionally does not cover the design/drawing steps for the logo itself. Any 16 × 16, 8‑bit GIF with the correct name will work as long as you place it in the right folders.

3. Deploy the vendor icon to the SolarWinds Platform image folders

On each SolarWinds web/application server:

1. Copy the prepared GIF file (for example, 2385.gif) into these folders:

   • C:\Inetpub\SolarWinds\NetPerfMon\images\Vendors

   • C:\Program Files (x86)\SolarWinds\Orion\Graphics\Vendors

2. If you have multiple web servers (for example, with Additional Web Servers), repeat the copy on every server that hosts the Web Console.

These paths are used by:

• Reports and widgets that reference /NetPerfMon/images/Vendors/{0}, and

• Other parts of the Web Console that render vendor icons based on the VendorIcon field.

4. Map ICMP-only nodes to the vendor icon in the database

Warning: Direct SQL updates are an unsupported customization. Back up the database first and test in non-production where possible. SolarWinds Support cannot assist with these changes beyond what is documented in general guidance.

4.1 Identify target nodes

Decide which nodes should use this vendor icon. Common approaches:

• By IP address (for printers or appliances):

  • Make a list of the ICMP-only nodes’ IPs.

• By Caption pattern (for example, devices whose captions start with a vendor prefix).

• By a custom property (for example, a VendorOverride or DeviceType flag you already use).

4.2 Update Vendor/VendorIcon for those nodes

Run a carefully scoped UPDATE against the SolarWinds Platform database (usually SolarWindsOrion).

Example – update by IP address using enterprise 2385:

-- Scripts are not supported under any SolarWinds support program or service.
-- Scripts are provided AS IS without warranty of any kind. SolarWinds further
-- disclaims all warranties including, without limitation, any implied warranties
-- of merchantability or of fitness for a particular purpose. The risk arising
-- out of the use or performance of the scripts and documentation stays with you.
-- In no event shall SolarWinds or anyone else involved in the creation,
-- production, or delivery of the scripts be liable for any damages whatsoever
-- (including, without limitation, damages for loss of business profits, business
-- interruption, loss of business information, or other pecuniary loss) arising
-- out of the use of or inability to use the scripts or documentation.

-- Example only; adjust IPs and vendor name to match your environment.

UPDATE NodesData
SET Vendor     = 'YourVendorName',
    VendorIcon = '2385.gif'
WHERE IP_Address IN (
    '10.10.10.101',  -- Device 1
    '10.10.10.102'   -- Device 2
    -- add more IPs as needed
);

Guidance:

• Replace YourVendorName with the label you want shown (for example, Sharp, Dell, HP).

• Replace 2385.gif with the correct enterprise-based filename if you are using a different vendor.

• Limit the WHERE clause as much as possible to avoid accidental updates to unrelated nodes.

Once this is set, the Web Console will use /NetPerfMon/images/Vendors/2385.gif (or your chosen name) for those nodes wherever VendorIcon is rendered.

5. (Optional) Add or align the vendor in dbo.Vendors

To keep the Vendors table aligned with your customization:

1. Open the SolarWinds Platform database in SQL Server Management Studio or Database Manager.

2. Insert a new row (if needed) into dbo.Vendors:

-- Scripts are not supported under any SolarWinds support program or service.
-- Scripts are provided AS IS without warranty of any kind. SolarWinds further
-- disclaims all warranties including, without limitation, any implied warranties
-- of merchantability or of fitness for a particular purpose. The risk arising
-- out of the use or performance of the scripts and documentation stays with you.
-- In no event shall SolarWinds or anyone else involved in the creation,
-- production, or delivery of the scripts be liable for any damages whatsoever
-- (including, without limitation, damages for loss of business profits, business
-- interruption, loss of business information, or other pecuniary loss) arising
-- out of the use of or inability to use the scripts or documentation.

INSERT INTO Vendors (VendorName, VendorIcon)
VALUES ('YourVendorName', '2385.gif');

This matches existing internal guidance that refers to adding vendor rows and mapping them to image filenames stored under the Inetpub vendor folder.

6. Verification

After you complete the steps:

1. Open the Node Details page for one of the updated ICMP-only nodes.

2. Confirm that:

   • Vendor (if set) shows your chosen label.

   • The vendor icon is no longer unknown and displays your custom image.

3. If you use web-based reports that include VendorIcon, verify those reports now display the new icon as well (for example, when configured with /NetPerfMon/images/Vendors/{0} in the display settings).

If the icon is still unknown:

• Check that the GIF file (for example, 2385.gif) exists in both vendor image folders on each web server.

• Confirm the VendorIcon column for the affected node(s) in NodesData exactly matches the filename (including .gif).

• Refresh the Web Console and clear any caching layers or proxies if present.

Additional Notes

• Custom vendor icon mappings can be overwritten or impacted by:

  • SolarWinds Platform upgrades

  • Running Rebuild Website

  • Restoring the database without restoring the custom GIF files

• Keep copies of your custom icon files and SQL snippets in your internal documentation so they can be reapplied after upgrades.

• If you later enable SNMP polling for the same devices, the SolarWinds Platform may automatically assign vendor and icon based on SysObjectID, which can override or make these manual settings redundant.