Network Management

SAML authentication is not working on SolarWinds Platform using SAML groups

This article explains one behavior showed by SolarWinds Platform when you try to login using SAML authentication.

First published date

5/20/2020 12:28 PM

Last published date

11/13/2025 4:13 PM

Overview

You can configure groups to login on the SolarWinds Platform Web Console using SAML authentication following the provided steps in the SAML documentation.
The user created a group in Active Directory named "Group-abc"
After creating the SAML groups, when we tried accessing the url with SAML login, the following error message will appear:

Error: Unknown user. This user or user group is not defined in the SolarWinds Platform.

Product section

Orion Platform

Cause

SAML authentication has succeeded but authorization is failing as the application is unable to find a matching group.

The groups in SAMLResponse do not match the group name configured in SolarWinds Platform. The configured group name MUST be an exact match. If the SAMLResponse includes the domain name, please include them in the configure group name in SolarWinds. For example, SAMLResponse has "bbtest.local\Orion_Admin", the group name in SolarWinds must be "bbtest.local\Orion_Admin".
The Group name on the SolarWinds Platform Advanced Configuration page is "OrionGroups" as seen in SamlGroupClaimName section. These need to match.

Resolution

Since the user already has the group names in another claim attribute, the name of the claim carrying groups can be changed to "Group-abc" in SolarWinds Platform Advanced Configuration, under SamlGroupsClaimName.
Go to http://solarwinds-server/orion/admin/advancedconfiguration/global.aspx
Find SamlGroupsClaimName and change this entry to the group that was configured in SAML.

Also ensure the below:

It doesn’t work with Saml account name but with Azure AD group ID. Samlaccountname is not supported in this scenario but group ID is.

On version: 2024.4, The source attribute should be set to "Cloud-only group display names".

Disclaimer: Please note, any content posted herein is provided as a suggestion or recommendation to you for your internal use. This is not part of the SolarWinds software or documentation that you purchased from SolarWinds, and the information set forth herein may come from third parties. Your organization should internally review and assess to what extent, if any, such custom scripts or recommendations will be incorporated into your environment. You elect to use third-party content at your own risk, and you will be solely responsible for the incorporation of the same if any.