Documentation forWeb Help Desk

WHD 12.4.2 release notes

Release date: August 19, 2016

These release notes describe the new features, improvements, and fixed issues in Web Help Desk 12.4.2 They also provide information about upgrades and describe workarounds for known issues.

Learn more

For information about hotfixes, see Web Help Desk Hotfixes.

For access to previous release notes, see the Previous Version documentation.

For information about requirements, see the Web Help Desk documentation.

For information about configuring your deployment, see the Web Help Desk Administrator Guide.

New features and improvements in WHD

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WHD 12.4.2 offers new features and improvements compared to previous releases of WHD.

FAQ enhancements

You can now link FAQs to multiple request types and add tech permissions from within the FAQs. This is a top feature request from the thwack community.

Improved diagnostic data collection

This release includes the Health Check Utility. This passive diagnostic tool reads and collects information from your Web Help Desk environment to help you diagnose and resolve issues in your deployment.

Using the Heath Check Utility, you can:

  • Execute SQL queries on your Web Help Desk database to collect specific data
  • Collect Web Help Desk database schema metadata for troubleshooting
  • Collect system file logs from the system hosting Web Help Desk
  • Collect operating system, hardware, and virtual appliance information about the system hosting Web Help Desk

After you run the utility, the data is collected and stored into separate output files based on your selected script runner to help you organize your data.

Apache Tomcat upgrade

This release now supports Apache Tomcat 7.0.7.0. This version fixes memory leaks, minimizes system crashes, and provides additional security enhancements.


New customer installation

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For information about installing Web Help Desk, see the Web Help Desk Installation Guide.

How to upgrade

If you are upgrading from a previous version, see the Web Help Desk Upgrade Guide. This guide includes checklists to help you prepare and complete your upgrades, gotchas, and troubleshooting steps.

If you are running WHD 12.4, you can upgrade to the latest version.

Upgrading your Apache Tomcat software

The SolarWinds Web Help Desk software installer includes Apache Tomcat 7.0.68, which provides enhanced security and is required for this release. When you upgrade your Web Help Desk software, the upgrade procedure replaces the (WebHelpDesk)\conf\tomcat_web_template.xml file with an updated file that includes the Tomcat 7.0.68 settings.

Before you upgrade your Web Help Desk software, back up your current tomcat_web_template.xml file to an

external directory. When the upgrade is completed, add your personal settings to the updated file from your backup file.


Product licensing for existing installations

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The evaluation version is fully functional for 30 days. After 30 days, you must purchase and apply a new SolarWinds Web Help Desk license to access all advanced features and additional tech seats based on your purchase.

You can purchase a license online or by contacting Customer Sales at (866) 530-8100Call: (866) 530-8100. After your order is processed, you will receive an email with your SolarWinds customer ID (SWID) and password along with your invoice (if purchased directly). You can use this information to access the Customer Portal, create an account,

download your software, and activate the license in your SolarWinds Web Help Desk software.

See Activate the license for more information.


Fixed issues

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WHD 12.4.2 fixes the following issues.

Case Number Description
811818 893856 Locations now sort correctly in the Other & Primary locations drop-down menus.

905717 907657

936017 940059

947365 959853

980139 982077

985859 998787

The Notes pop-up now displays the creation time.
953446 The Google Chrome extension now works correctly.
971096

Tech and Client notes now display in the correct order.

This issue was resolved in WHD 12.4.1 Hot Fix 1.

967334

The software installers no longer generate an issue during an upgrade.

This issue was resolved in WHD 12.4.1 Hot Fix 1.

962548 Executing tasks are no longer blocked under certain conditions.

985823 989424

1019633 1021853

1028041

Creating a client using the login page no longer fails.
800586 The copy function for Request Types now works between parent and child tickets.
968290 Changing Request Types no longer deletes the subject.

End of life

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Version EoL Annoucement EoE Effective Date EoL Effective Date
12.1 November 17, 2016: End-of-Life (EoL) announcement - Customers on Web Help Desk version 12.1 or earlier should begin transitioning to Web Help Desk version 12.5 and above. February 17, 2017: End-of-Engineering (EoE): Service releases, bug fixes, workarounds, and service packs for Web Help Desk version 12.1 or earlier are no longer actively supported by SolarWinds. February 17, 2018: End-of-Life (EoL): SolarWinds no longer provides technical support for Web Help Desk version 12.1 or earlier.

See the End of Life Policy for information about SolarWinds product lifecycle phases. For supported versions and EOL announcements for all SolarWinds products, see Currently supported software versions.


Legal notices

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© 2016 SolarWinds Worldwide, LLC. All rights reserved.

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