Observability

"Verifying that the SolarWinds Orion Module Engine is available FAILED" error in the Configuration Wizard

The SolarWinds Configuration Wizard (CW) fails at “Verifying that the Orion Module Engine is available” (stuck at 0.0% and then fails) in version 2026.1.0 due to a backend service initialization issue.

First published date

2/19/2026 5:35 PM

Last published date

2/19/2026 5:35 PM

Overview

In SolarWinds Platform 2026.1.0, the Configuration Wizard may fail during the step “Verifying that the Orion Module Engine is available”, typically stopping at 0.0% and then failing.

This issue occurs when the Business Layer cannot initialize due to a failure in retrieving licensed features from the Feature Service. The root cause is an unsupported SQL connection string parameter (Authentication) introduced when using Azure AD (UPN) authentication with an Azure SQL database.

Because the Feature Service cannot establish a valid database connection, the Business Layer fails to start, which prevents the Orion Module Engine from being verified—causing the Configuration Wizard to fail.

 

Product section

SolarWinds Observability

Cause

The issue is caused by using Azure AD (UPN) authentication for the Azure SQL database during Configuration Wizard setup.

When this authentication method is selected, the SQL connection string includes the parameter:

Authentication=...

However, the SQL client used by the SolarWinds Feature Service does not support the Authentication keyword. This results in the following error:

System.ArgumentException: Keyword not supported: 'authentication'

Due to this:

  • Feature Service fails to retrieve licensed features

  • Business Layer cannot initialize

  • Orion Module Engine remains unavailable

  • Configuration Wizard verification step fails

Resolution

Resolution (Workaround)

Reconfigure the database connection to use a SQL authentication/Windows login instead of Azure AD:

  1. Re-run the Configuration Wizard on the Main Polling Engine (MPE)

  2. Update the database authentication:

    • Replace Azure AD (UPN) login with SQL authentication/Windows Authentication

    • Ensure the connection string does not include Authentication=

  3. Complete the Configuration Wizard (Database + Services)

After applying this change:

  • Feature Service connects successfully

  • Business Layer initializes properly

  • Orion Module Engine becomes available

  • Configuration Wizard completes successfully