Node status Critical with “polling is failing” message after upgrade to SolarWinds Platform 2026.1

2/11/2026 6:01 PM

2/16/2026 11:22 PM

Starting in SolarWinds Platform 2026.1, SolarWinds changed the default behavior of node status to help surface persistent SNMP, WMI, or WinRM polling failures regardless of whether the device is reachable via ICMP (ping). Previously, node status could remain Up while polling silently failed, causing missing data in graphs or health data.

In SolarWinds Platform 2026.1, if the core pollers fail continuously for about 10 minutes (by default), the platform can automatically change node status to:

• Critical (for persistent polling failures).

Example:

On Manage Nodes or Node Details, customers may see some of the following:

Status: Critical
Status message:
Node status is Critical, SNMP polling is failing: ‘Request timed out – possible causes include network issues, incorrect community string or SNMPv3 credentials, or the device not responding.’

Symptoms:

• The node will respond to ICMP and remain reachable.  
• If the node is configured for ICMP-only, there is no impact to the Node Status.
• After upgrading to SolarWinds Platform 2026.1, node status behavior may change for nodes configured for SNMP or WinRM. 

Hybrid Cloud Observability

Starting in SolarWinds Platform 2026.1 and above, node-status logic was changed to watch for repeated management polling failures using the configured management method (such as SNMP or Windows polling via WMI/WinRM).

If those polls fail continuously for several minutes (default is ~10 minutes) while the node responds to ICMP, the platform will mark the node as:

• Critical when polling fails (for example, repeated timeouts, no response, invalid credentials, or other persistent errors).

Common underlying causes include (these often existed before the upgrade but were not as visible at the node-status level):

• Device credentials (password/SNMP community/SNMPv3 credentials) changed on the device but were not updated in SolarWinds.

• Firewall rules or ACLs blocking SNMP or Windows polling traffic from the polling engine.

• SNMP service disabled on the node, or required Windows services not running.

• Node configured with credentials that never worked (for example, copied from another device)

Step 1: Confirm the status message and failing protocol

Use this step to: Verify that the issue is about polling or credentials (SNMP/WMI/WinRM), not something else. Identify which protocol is failing (SNMP vs WMI/WinRM) from the exact status message. You should always do this first, because it tells you whether the rest of this article applies and which path to follow.

1. In the web console, open the affected node: My Dashboards > Summary > All Nodes, then select the node.

2. Review:

   • The Status value.

   • The status message shown in the node status area or in the Manage Nodes grid.

3. If the message references SNMP polling, WMI/WinRM polling, timeout, or credentials, this behavior aligns with the 2026.1 “polling issues” status feature.

 

Step 2: Verify the node polling method and credentials

Use this step when: Step 1 shows a message about SNMP polling failing, WMI/WinRM polling failing, timeout, or invalid credentials. In this step you: Confirm the node’s Polling Method (SNMP vs Windows polling vs Agent/ICMP). Fix any credential problems (wrong SNMP community/SNMPv3 settings, wrong Windows account, etc.), and use the Test button (if available). If credentials were wrong, the problem is often fully resolved after this step and normal status returns once polling succeeds again.

1. On the node details page, select Edit Node.

2. Note the Polling Method (for example, SNMP for network devices or WMI/Agent/Windows polling for Windows servers).

3. Validate credentials:

   • SNMP: Confirm the configured community string or SNMPv3 username/password in SolarWinds matches the device configuration.

   • Windows polling: Confirm the Windows account credentials are valid and have permission to query the server.

4. Use the Test option (if available) to validate credentials from the SolarWinds web console.

   • If the test fails, correct the credential details in SolarWinds (and on the device, if needed) until the test passes.

Step 3: Confirm network/service reachability from the polling engine

Use this step when: Credentials now look correct in the UI, but the node still shows a “polling is failing” or timeout message. In this step you confirm the polling engine can reach the node over the management protocol, not just ping. Do this step if fixing credentials in Step 2 did not clear the status.

1. From the polling engine (or main polling engine), verify ping to the node works.

2. Validate protocol access:

   • For SNMP, ensure UDP 161 is open and the device responds to SNMP from the polling engine.

   • For Windows polling, verify required WMI/WinRM ports are allowed and services are running/configured for remote monitoring.

3. Work with the network/server team to remove firewall/ACL blocks and ensure SNMP/Windows services are enabled as required.

 

Step 4: Align monitoring intent (ping-only vs. managed polling)

Use this step when, during Steps 1–3, you realize: The node is not actually intended to be monitored via SNMP or WMI/WinRM (for example, it should be ICMP‑only or Agent‑only), or Extra pollers are configured that you don’t plan to use. In this step you: Change the Polling Method to match the real monitoring intent (for example, set to ICMP‑only). Or remove/disable unneeded SNMP/WMI/WinRM pollers so the platform stops trying to use them.

1. Edit the node and set the Polling Method to the desired mode (for example, ICMP only).

2. Ensure SNMP/Windows polling is not configured for nodes where you do not intend to collect that data.

Step 5: Confirm the node returns to the expected status

In this step you confirm that:

• • The node status returns to its expected state (for example, Up), and
  • The “polling is failing” message disappears.

1. After making changes, wait a few polling cycles (typically several minutes) or run Poll Now (if available).

2. Refresh the node details page or Manage Nodes and confirm:

   • Status returns to the expected state (for example, Up), and

   • The polling error message no longer appears.

3. If the status does not recover after correcting polling, gather diagnostics and contact SolarWinds Support with screenshots, credential test results, and details of recent firewall/device changes.

    

Optional workaround (Not recommended): Disable node-status changes from polling errors

Important: This option is not recommended. It hides real monitoring problems. Use it only if you fully understand the impact and have other ways to detect polling failures.

1. Sign in with an administrative account.

2. Open the Advanced Configuration page:
   http://<solarwinds_server>/Orion/admin/advancedconfiguration/global.aspx

3. Find the setting PollerErrorMonitoringPeriodInMinutes.

4. Set the value to 0 and save.

What this does: Polling errors may still be logged/visible in diagnostics, but SolarWinds will stop automatically changing node status due to persistent polling errors.

 

To ensure existing nodes reflect the new behavior:

For nodes that were already set to Critical due to this feature before you disabled it:

• • Temporarily Unmanage and then Remanage the affected nodes (for example, from Manage Nodes).
  • This forces a status recalculation for those nodes under the new configuration and clears the prior polling‑error–driven Critical state