SAM: Attempt to use WinRM for Application Template Polling Failed – PowerShell-Based Monitors Showing Access Denied After Upgrade

3/24/2026 4:49 PM

3/24/2026 5:15 PM

Customers report receiving the alert "Attempt to use WinRM for application template polling failed" on a large number of nodes. When investigating the affected nodes and application monitors, the following are observed in the environment:

• AppInsight for IIS, AppInsight for Exchange, and PowerShell component monitors are displaying Unknown or Down status
• Checking the Application Debug Logs on the affected application reveals Access Denied errors during polling
• The Application Debug Logs show CimException: Access to a CIM resource was not available to the client with Error Code 2
• The alert continues to fire repeatedly across all affected nodes despite WinRM being enabled and configured on the target servers
• The service account used for polling has been confirmed to have the correct permissions and local administrator access on the target nodes

Server Application Monitor

In SAM 2022.3 and above, the UseLegacyPowerShellImpersonation setting in the configuration file is reset to false during upgrades.

This setting controls how the polling engine authenticates when connecting to remote servers via WinRM. When set to false, the new impersonation method is used which requires additional logon rights on the target server that most service accounts do not have — causing Access Denied errors on all PowerShell-based monitors.

Resolution

1. Log in to the SolarWinds Web Console as an Administrator.
2. Open a browser and navigate to the following URL

   http://<YourSolarWindsServer>/Orion/Admin/AdvancedConfiguration/Global.aspx
   

   Replace <YourSolarWindsServer> with your actual SolarWinds server name or IP address.

3. On the Advanced Configuration page, use the search bar to search for:

   APM.WMI.Setting

4. Locate the setting:

   APM.WMI.Setting – UseLegacyPowerShellImpersonation

5. Check the checkbox next to the setting to enable it.
6. Click Save.
7. Open the SolarWinds Service Manager or go to Windows Services and restart all SolarWinds Orion services.
8. Once services are back up, verify that:
   • The alert "Attempt to use WinRM for application template polling failed" is no longer triggering
   • AppInsight for IIS, AppInsight for Exchange, and PowerShell component monitors are returning to Up status

 

Related Knowledge Base Articles:
SAM: Powershell monitoring not working after upgrade to 2022.3 and above