Documentation forWeb Help Desk

WHD 12.5.2 release notes

Release date: November 28, 2017

These release notes describe the new features, improvements, and fixed issues in Web Help Desk 12.5.2. 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 12.5.2 offers new features and improvements compared to previous releases of WHD.

Clickjacking protection

This release prevents malicious code from redirecting a hyperlink in the Web Help Desk user interface to an unauthorized third-party website or resource.

Secure password reset logic

After you click Forgot Password on the Log In screen, Web Help Desk verifies your current email address and redirects you back to the application using a secure connection to reset your password.

Improved LDAP security

Web Help Desk now prevents unauthorized LDAP client account users from logging in to an LDAP tech account with an identical username. In version 12.5.1 and earlier, Web Help Desk used separate methods to provide LDAP authentication for techs and clients. After you install this release, the tech LDAP authentication functionality is removed. All techs who used this functionality will have their WHD password reset and receive an email with steps to log in to Web Help Desk.

See Unauthorized clients can log in to a Tech account using LDAP authentication for details.

Before you install this upgrade, ensure that all techs have client accounts (authenticated through LDAP) linked to their tech accounts. Also, ensure that all tech usernames do not match any new or existing client usernames. After the upgrade, all techs must access their tech account using their client account or their WHD tech username and WHD password (which can be reset using the secure password reset logic).

Updated Apache Tomcat

This release supports Apache® Tomcat® 7.0.82 for improved security. See the Apache Tomcat website for details.


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.

Upgrade your Apache Tomcat software

The SolarWinds Web Help Desk software installer includes Apache Tomcat 7.0.82, 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 7.0.82 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.


Fixed issues

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WHD 12.5.2 fixes the following issues.

Case Number Description
1159316

The Office 365 connector now supports subfolders.

1194263

The Request Detail field in the Ticket Details tab now wraps text correctly.

1184989 1188078 1192837 1192998 1194991 1195042 1195987 1196356 1196481 1196814 1201453 1204634 1204907 1207375 1208146 1214929 1219236 1227561 1239670 1243547 1243605

Tickets linked to a survey now close properly after you change the status to Resolved.

1183475 1184118 1189449 1189599

The embedded PostgreSQL database upgrade no longer fails when you upgrade Web Help Desk.

1175905

The Microsoft SQL Server database upgrade no longer fails when you upgrade Web Help Desk.

1057959 1172535

Tickets restricted to a location group can no longer be accessed by users in another location group.

875320 976997 1033558 1122923 1194041

Web Help Desk is now protected from the Clickjacking vulnerability.


End of life

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Version EoL Annoucement EoE Effective Date EoL Effective Date
12.2 November 14, 2017: End-of-Life (EoL) announcement: Customers on Web Help Desk version 12.2 or earlier should begin transitioning to Web Help Desk version 12.5 and above. February 14, 2018: End-of-Engineering (EoE): Service releases, bug fixes, workarounds, and service packs for Web Help Desk version 12.2 or earlier are no longer actively supported by SolarWinds. November 14, 2018: End-of-Life (EoL): SolarWinds no longer provides technical support for Web Help Desk version 12.2 or earlier.
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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© 2017 SolarWinds Worldwide, LLC. All rights reserved.

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