Release Notes for Ipswitch WhatsUp Gold

In this File

Release Notes for WhatsConnected v1.5

Product name	WhatsConnected
Version	WhatsConnected version 1.5
Release date	June 2009

Introducing WhatsConnected Layer 2 plug-in

WhatsConnected is a layer 2 and layer 3 network discovery and visualization plug-in for WhatsUp Gold that equips network managers with a comprehensive tool set to accurately depict 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.

Software Requirements

The following are the software requirements for installing WhatsUp Gold. The installation of WhatsConnected requires that WhatsUp Gold be installed.

• WhatsUp Gold v12.4 Standard Edition, Premium Edition, MSP Edition, or Distributed Edition.
• The minimum software and hardware requirements are based on the WhatsUp Gold v12.4 requirements. For more information, see the WhatsUp Gold v12.4 Release Notes.

Note: WhatsConnected topology map export is supported by Microsoft Visio 2003 and 2007.

Installing and Licensing WhatsConnected

The files for WhatsConnected Layer 2 plug-in are installed automatically with WhatsUp Gold v12.4. Your license file determines whether or not you can access WhatsConnected Layer 2 Monitor.

To update your license to purchase WhatsConnected Layer 2 plug-in, visit the MyIpswitch portal.

New in this Release

WhatsConnected version 1.5 includes the following added functionality and enhancements.

• Discovery Settings Dialog. Added Discovery Settings which allows WhatsConnected to save the settings used for discovery of network components. Each set of discovery settings will be named and will include the method and seed scope used in the discovery. These settings will be saved and will be available for use in future discovery scans.
• Discovery Settings Wizard. Removed the Discovery Settings Wizard SNMP Credentials screen and replaced it with the Discovery Protocol Settings screen. The Discovery Protocol Settings screen allows the selection and configuration of credentials for any of the supported protocols.
• Protocol Settings / Credentials Dialog. Added the Protocol Settings/Credentials dialog which provides a menu for creating, editing, and deleting protocol settings and credentials for SNMPv1, SNMPv2, and SNMPv3. Added the New SSH Settings/Credentials, and New VmWare (VIM) Settings/Credentials screens.
• Device Category Configuration Dialog. Added the Device Category Configuration dialog which allows for the configuration of device categories. Device categories provide a unique name for the category of devices, a label and associated image that will be used on the topology map to identify devices belonging to the category, as well as a flag that determines whether the device is a network device and subsequently should be displayed on the network topology map.
• Edit Device Type / Device Category Override. Added the Edit Device Type / Device Category Override menu item, which launches the Device Type Configuration dialog. The Device Type Configuration dialog enables the override of the device type automatically assigned to a device.
• Device Category Editing. The Add Category and Edit Category menu items provide the ability to create and edit device categories using the Device Category. Configuration dialog. The Delete Category menu item removes the selected category from the Device Category list.
• Device Veiwer. Added the VM Host tab, Virtual Machines tab, and Virtual Machine tabs. The VM Host tab provides information about a Virtual Server Host; the Virtual Machines tab provides information on all of the defined virtual machines managed by the selected virtual server; and the Virtual Machine tab provides information on a single selected virtual machine.

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 and web interface. The console and web help contain 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, or the ? icon in the web interface.
• 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 the WhatsConnected 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.