Storage Resource Monitor

SolarWinds Storage Resource Monitor (SRM) is a data center performance monitoring solution designed for IT administrators and storage engineers who need to manage multi-vendor storage environments from a single pane of glass.

Reviewed by 7wData

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SolarWinds Storage Resource Monitor (SRM) is a data center performance monitoring solution designed for IT administrators and storage engineers who need to manage multi-vendor storage environments from a single pane of glass. It provides end-to-end visibility into storage arrays, RAID groups, and LUNs, with automated capacity forecasting to predict when storage will run out. The tool is particularly suited for organizations in finance, utilities, and retail trade, which are its top adoption verticals according to HG Insights installation data. SRM integrates tightly with other SolarWinds products like Orion DPA, enabling users to link storage performance directly to database performance for root-cause analysis.

SRM works by polling storage arrays via SMI-S, SNMP, and vendor-specific APIs to collect metrics such as IOPS, throughput, and latency. It offers pre-built and custom templates for storage performance reports, visual overviews of storage health, and drill-down capabilities into specific performance problems. Users can view space consumption on storage arrays and set alerts for thresholds like capacity utilization or latency spikes. The tool's capacity planning feature uses historical data to forecast when volumes will reach full capacity, allowing proactive provisioning. It supports a wide range of vendors including Dell EMC, NetApp, HPE, and IBM, though users report issues getting SMI working correctly with Compellent arrays.

In the storage monitoring market, SRM competes with Datadog, Dynatrace, HPE StoreOnce, IBM Storage Insights, and Rubrik, among others. Datadog and Dynatrace offer broader infrastructure monitoring but lack the deep storage-array-specific metrics SRM provides. HPE StoreOnce and IBM Storage Insights are vendor-locked, while SRM is vendor-agnostic. Compared to open-source alternatives like Zabbix or Zenoss, SRM provides a more polished interface and pre-built storage templates, but at a higher cost. Its main differentiator is the ability to correlate storage performance with application and database performance when used with Orion DPA.

The honest trade-offs: SRM's strength in multi-vendor support comes with complexity in initial setup, especially for SMI-S configurations on Compellent arrays. Alerting is powerful but lacks granularity—users cannot break down alerts to individual LUN or file level without custom scripting. The tool is fully functional for a 30-day trial, but after that requires a paid license that can be expensive for small shops. While the interface is easy to use, the depth of data can overwhelm new users without training. Additionally, SRM is a SolarWinds product, meaning it inherits the company's licensing model and support structure, which some users find restrictive.

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How it works

  1. Multi-vendor storage monitoring

    Supports Dell EMC, NetApp, HPE, IBM, and others via SMI-S, SNMP, and vendor APIs for unified visibility.

  2. Automated capacity forecasting

    Uses historical usage trends to predict when storage volumes will reach capacity, enabling proactive planning.

  3. Pre-built report templates

    Offers customizable templates for performance reports, including IOPS, latency, and throughput metrics.

  4. Drill-down performance analysis

    Allows users to click from a high-level dashboard into specific arrays, RAID groups, or LUNs to isolate issues.

  5. Alerting and threshold management

    Sends alerts based on user-defined thresholds for capacity, latency, and IOPS, though granularity is limited.

  6. Integration with Orion DPA

    Links storage performance data to database performance, enabling root-cause analysis across infrastructure layers.

  7. Visual storage overviews

    Provides at-a-glance dashboards showing health, space consumption, and performance of all monitored arrays.

Strengths and trade-offs

Strengths

  • Granular visibility of IOPS and IO at the array and LUN level, enabling precise performance troubleshooting.
  • Automated capacity planning uses historical data to forecast storage exhaustion weeks or months in advance.
  • Integration with SolarWinds Orion DPA links storage performance directly to database query performance for root-cause analysis.
  • Easy-to-use interface with pre-built templates reduces setup time for common storage monitoring tasks.

Trade-offs

  • Users report issues getting SMI-S working correctly to monitor Dell Compellent arrays, requiring manual workarounds.
  • Alerting cannot be broken down to a more granular level (e.g., per-file or per-LUN) without custom scripting.
  • Initial setup for multi-vendor environments can be complex, especially for arrays with proprietary APIs.
  • Pricing after the 30-day trial can be high for small organizations, with no publicly listed per-node or per-TB tiers.

Pricing context

Fully functional for a 30-day trial; paid licensing required thereafter, with no publicly listed tier pricing.

Getting started with Storage Resource Monitor

  1. Start 30-day trial

    Go to the SolarWinds website and sign up for a 30-day trial of Storage Resource Monitor. Provide your email and organization details to receive a download link and license key for the trial period.

  2. Install and launch SRM

    Download the installer from the link provided. Run the installer on a Windows server that meets the system requirements. Follow the setup wizard to complete the installation and launch the SRM console.

  3. Add storage arrays

    In the SRM console, navigate to the node management section. Click 'Add Node' and enter the IP address or hostname of your storage array. Select the polling method (SMI-S, SNMP, or vendor API) and provide credentials to connect.

  4. Configure capacity alerts

    Go to the alerting settings and create a new threshold-based alert. Set a capacity utilization threshold, such as 85%, and choose notification methods like email or SNMP trap. Apply the alert to all monitored storage volumes.

  5. Review capacity forecast

    Open the capacity planning dashboard to view historical usage trends and forecasted exhaustion dates for each volume. Use this data to schedule proactive storage provisioning before volumes reach full capacity.

Frequently Asked Questions

What is SolarWinds Storage Resource Monitor and what does it do?

SolarWinds Storage Resource Monitor (SRM) is a data center performance monitoring tool for IT admins. It provides end-to-end visibility into multi-vendor storage arrays, RAID groups, and LUNs, with automated capacity forecasting to predict when storage will run out.

How does SolarWinds SRM monitor storage arrays from different vendors?

SRM polls storage arrays using SMI-S, SNMP, and vendor-specific APIs to collect metrics like IOPS, throughput, and latency. It supports Dell EMC, NetApp, HPE, and IBM, offering unified visibility from a single pane of glass.

Does SolarWinds SRM offer a free trial and what is the pricing?

Yes, SRM is fully functional for a 30-day trial. After that, a paid license is required. Pricing is not publicly listed and can be expensive for small organizations, with no per-node or per-TB tiers available.

Can SolarWinds SRM forecast when storage will run out of capacity?

Yes, SRM includes automated capacity forecasting that uses historical usage trends to predict when storage volumes will reach full capacity. This allows IT teams to proactively provision additional storage before issues occur.

How does SRM integrate with SolarWinds Orion DPA for root-cause analysis?

SRM integrates with Orion DPA to link storage performance data directly to database query performance. This enables root-cause analysis across infrastructure layers, helping identify if storage issues are impacting database performance.

What are common issues with SMI-S setup on Dell Compellent arrays in SRM?

Users report issues getting SMI-S working correctly to monitor Dell Compellent arrays, often requiring manual workarounds. This adds complexity to initial setup, especially in multi-vendor environments with proprietary APIs.

Alternatives

How Storage Resource Monitor compares

Direct head-to-head against 3 competitors. Picked by 7wData.

This tool

Storage Resource Monitor

Pricing
Fully functional for a 30-day trial; paid licensing required thereafter, with no publicly listed tier pricing.
Target
SolarWinds Storage Resource Monitor (SRM) is a data center performance monitoring solution designed for IT administrators and storage engineers who need to manage multi-vendor storage
Strength
Granular visibility of IOPS and IO at the array and LUN level, enabling precise performance troubleshooting.
Watch for
Users report issues getting SMI-S working correctly to monitor Dell Compellent arrays, requiring manual workarounds.

IBM Storage Insights

Pricing
Custom/Contact sales
Target
Enterprises with IBM storage infrastructure
Deployment
Cloud, on-premises
Strength
AI-driven predictive analytics for IBM storage
Watch for
Vendor lock-in for non-IBM environments

Netdata

Pricing
Free open-source; Cloud from $3/node/month
Target
Cloud-native and hybrid environments
Deployment
Agent-based, Kubernetes
Strength
Real-time monitoring with 800+ integrations
Watch for
Limited enterprise support in free version

Dell EMC CloudIQ

Pricing
Included with Dell EMC storage
Target
Dell EMC storage customers
Deployment
SaaS
Strength
Unified monitoring for Dell EMC infrastructure
Watch for
Only supports Dell EMC hardware

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Sources

Reporting on this tool draws on these publicly available sources.

  1. www.reddit.com
  2. www.capterra.ca
  3. www.storagereview.com
  4. www.trustradius.com