Begin with the basic installation workflow

To install WhatsUp Gold:

Launch the WhatsUp Gold installation program.
When prompted, select the language in which you want the WhatsUp Gold installer to run, then click OK.
Read the Welcome screen and indicate if you want to configure WhatsUp Gold using either Standard installation or Advanced installation mode.
1. If you select Standard installation, WhatsUp Gold will be installed with a dedicated instance of SQL Server Express 2017. Additionally, if your license includes Log Management features, a dedicated instance of Elasticsearch will also be installed. If you want to use an existing instance of SQL Server or Elasticsearch, choose the Advanced installation option and provide your connection information when prompted during the installation process. Lastly, please note, Standard installation installs the WhatsUp Gold using default settings and IIS port (80).
2. If you select Advanced installation you can install WhatsUp Gold using more user-defined settings including specifying a dedicated Windows account for IIS and, depending on your license, enabling Failover and/or Distributed features, and pointing to an existing instance of SQL Server and/or Elasticsearch.
  Click Next to proceed.
If you are presented with results of a system configuration check, please review the results prior to continuing the installation process. If any prerequisite checks did not pass, please resolve them, then click Revalidate to perform the system configuration check again.
Click Next to proceed.
Enter your WhatsUp Gold Activation Key, then click Next to proceed.
Note: This dialog also presents you with options for requesting an evaluation license, activating WhatsUp Gold using a license file, or using offline activation mode. For additional information on these options, please contact product support.
If you chose Advanced installation and are installing Failover and/or Distributed, enable the applicable checkbox(es) to indicate if you intend to install WhatsUp Gold with Failover and/or Distributed features. Depending on the activation key entered, one or both features may be enabled automatically. If you do not want to install Failover or Distributed, continue with configuring your SQL Server instance.
Important: If you indicated prior that you would like to install WhatsUp Gold with Failover or both Distributed and Failover features, at this point you must proceed with alternate steps. Before selecting either of these options, please make certain you intend to deploy this instance of WhatsUp Gold as part of a Distributed and/or Failover network monitoring environment and that you are knowledgeable about their unique installation and configuration procedures. Please proceed with the following instructions depending on the features you are installing:

Continue installation with Failover features
Finalize Failover installation using the WhatsUp Gold Admin Console application

Important: When installing WhatsUp Gold in a Failover configuration, you MUST install the Secondary site prior to installing the Primary site.

Warning: If you indicated prior that you would like to install WhatsUp Gold using both Distributed and Failover features, please review the proper order of operations for installing Secondary/Primary and Central/Remote sites before proceeding.
Configure your SQL Server instance as follows:
1. If you chose Standard installation, enter and confirm a password for the SQL Server Administrator account to use to access the database instance, then click Next.
2. If you chose Advanced installation and would like to use the local SQL Server 2017 Express instance included with WhatsUp Gold:
  - Select Yes, install a local copy of Microsoft SQL Server 2017 Express named WHATSUP, then click Next.
  - Select the destination folders for the SQL Server Express application and data files, then click Next.
  - Enter and confirm a password for the SQL Server Administrator account to use to access the database instance, then click Next.
  - Enter names for the WhatsUp, iDrone Service, and NetFlow databases, then click Next.
  - Enter and confirm a password for the new SQL Server Login WhatsUp Gold will use to access the databases, then click Next.
  - Select the destination folder for the WhatsUp Gold installation, then click Next.
  - Enter the TCP port number for WhatsUp Gold to use for communication with the IIS website, then click Next. The default and recommended port number is 80.
  - Enter a password for the new Windows account created for dedicated WhatsUp Gold use, then click Next.
    Important: Depending on your license, at this point you may be asked if you’d like to install a new instance of Elasticsearch or point to an existing instance for use with WhatsUp Gold Log Management. You must have an accessible Elasticsearch database to use the Log Management features of WhatsUp Gold. Please proceed with the Configuring your Elasticsearch instance for use with Log Management.
    
    Important: If you indicated prior that you would like to install WhatsUp Gold with Distributed or Distributed and Failover features, at this point you must proceed with alternate steps. Please proceed with the following instructions depending on the features you are installing:
    
    Continuing WhatsUp Gold installation with Distributed (Central) features
    Continuing WhatsUp Gold installation with Distributed (Remote) features
    
    Warning: If you indicated prior that you would like to install WhatsUp Gold using both Distributed and Failover features, please review the proper order of operations for installing Secondary/Primary and Central/Remote sites before proceeding.
  - Select the language or languages you would like to install for use with the application, then click Next.
    Important: We recommend using the default names provided for your databases. If you choose to use non-standard database names, please do so during WhatsUp Gold installation as modifying them after installation is complete could cause potential issues with network monitoring.
3. If you choose Advanced installation and would like to use an existing SQL Server instance:
  - Select No, I want to select an existing local or remote installation of Microsoft SQL Server for use with WhatsUp Gold, then click Next.
  - Enter the SQL Server name or IP address (followed by the database instance if you are connecting to a non-default database instance, e.g., ip address\database name) along with the SQL Server Administrator Login name and password for WhatsUp Gold to use to access the existing instance, then click Next.
  - Enter names for the WhatsUp, iDrone Service, and NetFlow databases, then click Next. If prompted to do so, please indicate you'd like to back up any existing databases from previous installations as well as the location for the database backup files using the dialogs provided.
  - Enter and confirm a password for the new SQL Server Login WhatsUp Gold will use to access the databases, then click Next.
  - Select the destination folder for the WhatsUp Gold installation, then click Next.
  - Enter the TCP port number for WhatsUp Gold to use for communication with the IIS website, then click Next. The default and recommended port number is 80.
  - Enter a password for the new Windows account created for dedicated WhatsUp Gold use, then click Next.
  - Select the language or languages you would like to install for use with the application, then click Next.
    Important: Depending on your license, at this point you may be asked if you’d like to install a new instance of Elasticsearch or point to an existing instance for use with WhatsUp Gold Log Management. You must have an accessible Elasticsearch database to use the Log Management features of WhatsUp Gold. Please proceed with the Configuring your Elasticsearch instance for use with Log Management.
    
    Important: If you indicated prior that you would like to install WhatsUp Gold with Distributed or Distributed and Failover features, at this point you must proceed with alternate steps. Please proceed with the following instructions depending on the features you are installing:
    
    Continuing WhatsUp Gold installation with Distributed (Central) features
    Continuing WhatsUp Gold installation with Distributed (Remote) features
    
    Warning: If you indicated prior that you would like to install WhatsUp Gold using both Distributed and Failover features, please review the proper order of operations for installing Secondary/Primary and Central/Remote sites before proceeding.
Click Proceed. The WhatsUp Gold install program begins the installation. When the installation program completes, the InstallShield Wizard Complete dialog appears.
Click Finish. The setup program closes.