Network Management

Understanding the "swadmin" Windows credential object and the impact of changing its password in the SolarWinds Platform

You may need to identify how a Windows credential (for example, swadmin) is configured within the SolarWinds Platform and determine whether changing its password will impact monitoring or platform functionality.

First published date

8/5/2026 5:15 PM

Last published date

8/5/2026 5:15 PM

Overview

The swadmin entry displayed under Admin → Credentials → Manage Windows Credentials is a Windows Credential object used by SolarWinds to authenticate against monitored Windows systems. It is not a SolarWinds web console user account found under Settings → All Settings → Manage Accounts.

Changing the password for this credential may affect polling, remote actions, or any feature that relies on Windows authentication if the stored credential is not updated after the password change.

Product section

Orion Platform

Resolution

Identify the Credential Configuration

  1. Log in to the SolarWinds Platform Web Console.
  2. Navigate to Admin → Credentials → Manage Windows Credentials.
  3. Locate the swadmin credential.
  4. Verify the credential details, including the associated Windows account and where it is being used.

Note: The swadmin entry under Manage Windows Credentials is a credential object used for SolarWinds-to-node authentication. It is not a SolarWinds platform login account under Manage Accounts.

 

Purpose of the Windows Credential

The stored Windows credential may be used for various SolarWinds operations, including:

  • WMI (agentless) polling
  • Windows server monitoring
  • Remote script execution
  • Remote actions
  • Scheduled discovery or monitoring tasks requiring Windows authentication

Impact of Changing the Password

If the password for the underlying Windows account (swadmin) is changed without updating the stored credential in SolarWinds, authentication failures may occur, resulting in issues such as:

  • WMI polling failures
  • Inability to execute remote scripts or actions
  • Monitoring failures for Windows-based nodes
  • Authentication errors within features that depend on the credential

Best Practices

When changing the swadmin password:

  1. Change the password in Active Directory or on the local Windows system, as applicable.
  2. Update the corresponding credential under Admin → Credentials → Manage Windows Credentials with the new password.
  3. If the same account is used by SolarWinds services, scheduled tasks, or integrations, update those configurations as well.
  4. Validate monitoring by confirming that WMI polling and other credential-dependent operations continue to function successfully.