Release Notes for Ipswitch WhatsConnected v2.1.1

In this File

Release information

Product name	Ipswitch WhatsConnected
Version	v2.1.1
Release date	August 2010

Introducing WhatsConnected

WhatsConnected is a layer 2 and layer 3 network discovery and visualization application that equips network managers with a comprehensive tool set to accurately discover, inventory, configure and visualize their device connectivity, including VLAN overlays, down to the individual port. Layer 2 discovery and mapping accesses the physical infrastructure information embedded in devices to provide significantly more detailed topology information than Layer 3 discovery mechanisms. In addition to widely used IP discovery protocols, such as ICMP, ARP, and SNMP, Layer 2 discovery leverages a number of other mechanisms to discover devices including industry standard Link Layer Discovery Protocol or LLDP, as well as equipment manufacturer proprietary discovery protocols.

With Layer 2 information available about how devices in your network are connected, their interdependencies, and their locations, you can locate problems and resolve them more easily. WhatsConnected helps you understand your network from top to bottom and focus on keeping it running securely and at peak performance.

WhatsConnected provides the key functions network professionals need to be able to discover, map, search, and document their networks.

New in WhatsConnected v2.1.1

Fixed WhatsConnected 2.1 issues. For more information, see Fixed in WhatsConnected v2.1.1.
Added capability to install and use WhatsConnected as a stand-alone application.

New in WhatsConnected v2.1

Added Clip Device Names feature in the Layout / Display Settings dialog. This option shortens (clips) the device's full domain names on the map to help display the map information in a less cluttered, easier to read view.
WhatsConnected now provides the option to select a WhatsUp Gold Server (endpoint) to which WhatsConnected will export topology maps in the case where WhatsConnected is installed on a different machine than your WhatsUp Gold server.
Added Manual Link option that lets users manually manage topology links between devices from the topology map right-click menu (right-click a device, then select Link To...). In some cases, where devices cannot be automatically discovered with complete device details, WhatsConnected allows you to create manual device links. Manually defining a device's relationship with another device on the network lets you ensure that the overall topology map is accurate. When devices are linked manually, you can also select the device interfaces/ports that are linked between devices.

System requirements

Software requirements

WhatsConnected runs on several 32-bit and 64-bit Windows operating systems. The following is a list of the Windows operating system and release requirements for WhatsConnected.

Windows 7 Ultimate
Windows Vista Ultimate (SP2 recommended)
Windows Vista Business (SP2 recommended)
Windows XP Professional SP3 (32-bit only)
Windows Server 2003 SP2
Windows Server 2003 R2 SP2
Windows Server 2008 SP2
Windows Server 2008 R2 SP2

WhatsConnected can also run on 32-bit and 64-bit virtual machine environments.

Important: If WhatsConnected is hosted on VMWare ESXi or Microsoft Hyper-V Server 2008, to avoid licensing issues, make sure that you assign a static MAC address to the virtual machine that WhatsConnected is operating on.

Microsoft .NET Framework 3.5 is also required, Microsoft .NET Framework 3.5 SP1 is included in the install.

Important: Microsoft .NET Framework 3.5 SP1 is not compatible with Windows SharePoint Services 2.0. If you are running SharePoint Services 2.0, you should not upgrade or install WhatsConnected. WhatsConnected requires Microsoft .NET Framework 3.5 SP1 and automatically installs this package if not present on the system. For more information about the issue, see the Microsoft Knowledge Base article.

Hardware requirements

	Recommended	Required
Processor(s)	Dual-core	Single-core
Processor speed	2 GHz or more	2 GHz
RAM	4 GB	2 GB
Hard drive space for application	3 GB	2 GB
Network interface card	1 Gbps	100 Mbps
CD-ROM or DVD-ROM	Required if installing from CD-ROM. Not required for download installations.	Required if installing from CD-ROM. Not required for download installations.
Video display resolution	1280 x 1024 or higher	1024 x 768

Installing and Upgrading WhatsConnected

Note: WhatsConnected is no longer included in a WhatsUp Gold installation. During an upgrade to WhatsUp Gold v14.3 or later, WhatsConnected is uninstalled. After an upgrade to WhatsUp Gold v14.3 or later, WhatsConnected must be re-installed and activated using a separate license.

Note: WhatsConnected is no longer accessible from the Tools menu in the WhatsUp Gold console. WhatsConnected is accessible through the operating system's Start menu. (Start > All Programs > Ipswitch WhatsConnected v2.1 > WhatsConnected)

Installing WhatsConnected

Important: As of WhatsUp Gold version 14.3, WhatsConnected is no longer installed using the WhatsUp Gold installation program. A separate installation program is used to install WhatsConnected.

To install WhatsConnected:

Log in directly to Microsoft Windows using the Administrator account (if you do not have an account called Administrator, use an account that has full administrative privileges to the computer).
Navigate to the directory where you downloaded the electronic version of WhatsConnected and double-click on the iwcvx.y.exe file icon, where x.y is the version of WhatsConnected you want to install. The WhatsConnected Setup dialog appears.
Note: The install file may include the product serial number at the end of the file name. If it is included, the serial number will automatically activate the application at the end of the install process. If the serial number is not included, you can manually activate the application. For more information, see Activating WhatsConnected.
Read the welcome screen. Click Next. The License Agreement dialog appears. If you accept the terms of the license agreement, select I accept the terms of the license agreement.
- To print a copy of the license agreement, click Print. The license agreement is sent to the default printer.
- If you do not accept the terms of the license agreement, click Cancel to exit the installation program.
Tip: To view the WhatsConnected User Guide, click View User Guide. To view the WhatsConnected Release Notes, click View Release Notes.
Select the installation directory for the WhatsConnected application files.
The default path is C:\Program Files\Ipswitch\WhatsConnected. We recommend that you use the default path.

Tip: The Program Files directory name may vary if on a 64-bit system (for example, Program Files (x86)). You can install WhatsConnected to a different location. To select a different location, click Change.

After you select the installation directory, click Next. The Ready to Install the Program dialog appears.
Click Install. The setup program installs and configures WhatsConnected.
When the installation completes, the InstallShield Wizard Complete dialog appears.
Click Finish. The setup program closes.

Upgrade paths for WhatsConnected

Important: As of WhatsUp Gold version 14.3, WhatsConnected is no longer upgraded by the WhatsUp Gold installation program. A separate installation program is used to upgrade WhatsConnected.

Note: When you upgrade WhatsUp Gold to version 14.3 on a server with WhatsConnected licensed for use, WhatsConnected will be removed from the server. If you want WhatsConnected on the same server as WhatsUp Gold, you must obtain a separate license for WhatsConnected and run the WhatsConnected installation program on that server. For additional help and information about managing your product license, go to the MyIpswitch licensing portal.

WhatsConnected is upgraded using the WhatsConnected installation program. The following table describes the tasks required to accomplish the supported upgrade scenarios.

Installed Version	Upgrade Target	Upgrade Tasks
WhatsUp Gold v12.3.x or 14.x with WhatsConnected	WhatsUp Gold v14.3.x with WhatsConnected v2.1.x (same server)	To upgrade: Run the WhatsUp Gold v14.3.x installation program on the server you want to upgrade. Run the WhatsConnected v2.1.1 installation program on the server you want to upgrade.
WhatsUp Gold v14.3 with WhatsConnected v2.1	WhatsUp Gold v14.3.x with WhatsConnected v2.1.x (same server)	To upgrade: Run the WhatsUp Gold v14.3.x installation program on the server you want to upgrade. Run the WhatsConnected v2.1.1 installation program on the server you want to upgrade.
WhatsUp Gold v12.x or 14.x with WhatsConnected	WhatsConnected v2.1.1 (*Standalone)	To upgrade: Backup your WhatsConnected configuration (see Backing up the WhatsConnected configuration for instructions). Run the WhatsConnected v2.1.1 installation program on the server you want the WhatsConnected v2.1.1 Standalone installation (see Installing WhatsConnected for instructions). Restore your WhatsConnected v2.1 configuration (see Restoring the WhatsConnected configuration for instructions).
WhatsConnected v2.1 (*Standalone)	WhatsConnected v2.1.1 (*Standalone)	To upgrade: Run the WhatsConnected installation program.

Note: *WhatsConnected v2.1.x (Standalone) refers to a WhatsConnected installation on a server other than the one where WhatsUp Gold is running.

Backing up the WhatsConnected Configuration

Important: To prevent instabilities during restoration, you must upgrade your current installation to the same version as your target installation prior to backing up your WhatsConnected configuration.

To backup your current WhatsConnected configuration:

Log in to the machine where WhatsUp Gold with WhatsConnected is installed and navigate to the C:\Program Files\Ipswitch\ directory.
Copy the C:\Program Files\Ipswitch\WhatsConnected\Config directory to a temporary location on the machine on which WhatsConnected is to be installed. After you have backed-up your WhatsConnected configuration, you can upgrade WhatsUp Gold.
If you wish to maintain your discovery information, save a copy of your discovery files to the machine on which WhatsConnected is to be installed.
If you have associated any images with custom device categories, copy these images to a temporary location on the machine on which WhatsConnected is to be installed.

Upgrading WhatsConnected

To upgrade WhatsConnected:

Log in directly to Microsoft Windows using the Administrator account on the server you want to upgrade to WhatsConnected.
Note: If you do not have an account called Administrator, use an account that has full administrative privileges to the computer.
Navigate to the directory where you downloaded the electronic version of WhatsConnected and double-click on the iwcvx.y.exe file icon, where x.y is the version of WhatsConnected you want to install. The WhatsConnected Setup dialog appears.
Read the Welcome Screen. Click Next. The License Agreement dialog appears. If you accept the terms of the license agreement, select I accept the terms of the license agreement.
- To print a copy of the license agreement, click Print. The license agreement is sent to the default printer.
- If you do not accept the terms of the license agreement, click Cancel to exit the installation program.
Tip: To view the WhatsConnected User Guide by click View User Guide. To view the WhatsConnected Release Notes click View Release Notes.
Select the installation directory for the WhatsConnected application files.
The default path is C:\Program Files\Ipswitch\WhatsConnected. We recommend that you use the default path.

Tip: The Program Files directory name may vary if on a 64 bit system (for example, Program Files (x86)). You can install WhatsConnected to a different location. To select a different location, click Change.

After you select the installation directory, click Next. The Ready to Install the Program dialog appears.
Click Install. The setup program installs and configures WhatsConnected.
When the installation completes, the InstallShield Wizard Complete dialog appears.
Click Finish. The setup program closes.

Restoring the WhatsConnected configuration

To restore the WhatsConnected configuration:

Restore your configuration.
1. Log in directly to Microsoft Windows using the Administrator account on the server you want to upgrade to WhatsConnected.
Note: If you do not have an account called Administrator, use an account that has full administrative privileges to the computer.
1. Navigate to the location where you stored the backup of the \Config directory.
2. Copy the backup copy of the \Config directory to the C:\Program Files\Ipswitch\WhatsConnected\ directory.
Note: This will overwrite the current \Config directory with the backup copy of the \Config directory. When prompted by the operating system, accept this overwrite.
Restore any custom device category images.
1. Navigate to the Device Category Configuration dialog (Configure > Device Category...). The Device Category Configuration list appears.
2. Select the Device Category to which you want to restore the image, and click Edit. The Device Category edit dialog will open.
3. Click the Browse button and browse to the location of the image, then click Open. The image appears in the Device Category Configuration dialog.
4. Click OK. The Device Category Configuration dialog closes.
5. Click OK. The Device Category list closes.
If you want to connect to a remote WhatsUp Gold server, update the WUG Server Endpoint Library to ensure connectivity between WhatsConnected and WhatsUp Gold.
Note: When you restore your WhatsConnected configuration, you may need to modify your network to allow for connection between WhatsConnected and the WUG Server Endpoint.
1. Navigate to the WhatsUp Gold Remote Servers list (Configure > WUG Server Endpoint Library).
2. Click Add to create a new WUG Server Endpoint, or Select a WUG Server from the list and click Edit to edit an existing WUG Server connection. The New / Edit WhatsUp Gold Remote Server dialog opens.
3. Make the necessary changes to the Remote Server.
  - Name. Enter the name you want to associate with the remote WhatsUp Gold server.
  - Description. Enter a description of the remote WhatsUp Gold server.
  - Host Name / IP Address. Enter the hostname or IP address of the remote WhatsUp Gold server.
  - Port. Enter the port which the remote WhatsUp Gold server will listen for connections from WhatsConnected.
4. Click OK. The New/Edit WhatsUp Gold Remote Server dialog closes. The new or edited WhatsUp Gold server appears in the WhatsUp Gold Remote Servers List.
5. Click Close. The WhatsUp Gold Remote Servers list closes.

Activating WhatsConnected

Note: Beginning with WhatsUp Gold 14.3, WhatsConnected is not included in WhatsUp Gold licensing, and therefore requires a separate license.

If WhatsConnected is installed using the installation application downloaded from the web link provided in the purchase confirmation email, the program is fully functional immediately after installation.

If the WhatsConnected license is not automatically activated during installation, you can manually activate WhatsConfigured using the activation program in the WhatsUp Gold group on the Windows Start menu.

To activate WhatsConnected manually:

Note: Before you start the manual activation process, make sure that you have your product serial number available to use in the activation program.

Click Start > Programs > Ipswitch WhatsUp Gold > Manage WhatsConnected License. The activation program appears.
- or -
If you run the WhatsConnected console at the end of the installation, it displays an Invalid License dialog. Click the Purchase/Unlock to start the license activation process.
Follow the on-screen instructions to complete the product activation.

Note: When the activation is complete, a confirmation page indicates the license has been activated. If the activation does not complete successfully, you may be behind a proxy or firewall that is blocking the activation request. In this case, click the Offline button, then follow the onscreen instructions.

For more help and information about licensing, go to the MyIpswitch licensing portal.

Uninstalling WhatsConnected

You can un-install WhatsConnected by un-installing from the Windows system Control Panel, or by using the WhatsConnected setup program.

To uninstall WhatsConnected:

Start the un-install program:
Navigate to the Windows system Control Panel, select WhatsConnected from the program list and click Uninstall. The Setup dialog prompts you with the following question, "Do you want to completely remove the selected application and all of its features?"

Or

Navigate to the directory where you downloaded the electronic version of WhatsConnected and double-click on the iwcvx.y.exe file icon, where x.y is the version of WhatsConnected you want to un-install. The Welcome screen appears.

Select Remove and click Next. The Setup dialog prompts you with the following question, "Do you want to completely remove the selected application and all of its features?"
Click Yes. The un-install program runs. The Uninstall Complete dialog appears.
Click Finish. The setup program closes.

Fixed in WhatsConnected v2.1.1

Exporting very large maps to WhatsUp Gold from WhatsConnected can result in missing map annotations and links. Extended the size of the serialization buffer in the NetworkViewer.exe.config file to its maximum setting.
WhatsConnected v2.1 was not able to open discovery files created in v1.0 and v1.5. Updated WhatsConnected to open legacy discovery files.
WhatsConnected was not processing Extreme Networks Discovery Protocol (EDP) information correctly which caused errors in the connectivity models for Extreme Network switches. WhatsConnected has been updated to read and process EDP correctly.
Fixes have been added to the WhatsConnected Data Service (NetworkViewerDataService.exe) to protect against situations where NULL (or empty) MAC addresses are seen during connectivity processing.

Fixed in WhatsConnected v2.1

Fixed an issue that caused an unhandled exception error in the Device Viewer dialog when a user attempted to display Device Viewer data for a WhatsUp Gold device that had not been exported from WhatsConnected, but has a WhatsConnected right-click menu and has more than 16k of Layer 2 data.

Known issues in WhatsConnected v2.1

In order for the Layer 2 Trace tool in WhatsUp Gold to save and display dependencies correctly, you must restart the Polling Engine in the Whats Up Service Controller (Tools > Services Manager).

For more information and updates

The following are information resources for WhatsConnected. This information may be periodically updated and available on the WhatsUp Gold Web site.

Application Help for the console. The console help contains dialog assistance, general configuration information, and how-to's that explain how to use the features. The Table of Contents is organized by functional area, and can be accessed from the main menu or by clicking Help in the console.
User Guide. This guide describes how to use the application out-of-the-box. It is also useful if you want to read about the application before installing. To view or download the User Guide, select Help > WhatsConnected User Guide or download it from WhatsUp Gold web site.
Licensing Information. Licensing and support information is available on the MyIpswitch licensing portal. The web portal provides enhanced web-based capabilities to view and manage Ipswitch product licenses.
Knowledge Base. Search the Ipswitch Knowledge Base of technical support and customer service information. The knowledge base is available on the WhatsUp Gold web site.
Technical Support. Use the WhatsUp Gold Support Site for a variety of WhatsUp Gold product help resources. From here you can view product documentation, search Knowledge Base articles, access the community site for help from other users, and get other Technical Support information. The Support Site is available on the WhatsUp Gold web site.