Documentation forWeb Help Desk
Important security updates are available for WHD. SolarWinds recommends you upgrade to version 12.8.3 Hotfix 3.

Upgrade gotchas you should review

This section lists gotchas that may impact your upgrade.

General

  • You must be running at least WHD 12.6 or later to upgrade to the latest WHD version. See Determine the upgrade path to the latest WHD version and Prepare for the upgrade for details about upgrading a FIPS and non-FIPS deployment.
  • Verify that you have enough hard drive space for zipped and unzipped installers. One unzipped installer can consume a couple gigabytes of space.

  • Ensure that your WHD deployment supports the required resources. Enabling FIPS 140-2 compliant cryptography requires careful planning and coordination with IT management and corporate personnel for a successful implementation. Review the FIPS installation requirements in the WHD Administrator Guide to ensure you have the appropriate amount of time, hardware, software, and resources for your deployment.

    After you enable FIPS 140-2 compliant cryptography in your deployment, you cannot revert back to your previous configuration.

    FIPS 140-2 compliant cryptography is not recommended in a multiple-instance environment.

  • If you are upgrading from a version prior to WHD 12.6, you may want to install a new product instead of performing an upgrade, saving or migrating your data. SolarWinds Support can provide the best advice for these upgrade scenarios.

  • Ensure that all techs have Tech and Client accounts to access WHD. All techs must access their tech account using their client account or their WHD tech user name and password (which can be reset using the secure password reset logic). See this article for details.

  • Consider updating your web browser with the latest updates and patches. This will prevent any issues with using WHD after the upgrade.
  • If you added code, such as .jar files provided by Technical Support, the code may be overwritten during the upgrade.
  • If you integrated WHD in an SolarWinds Platform deployment, check the integrated alert to the monitored source. In some cases, the alert may break after you upgrade your SolarWinds Platform software.

Database

  • If a message displays in the web console after the upgrade prompting you to change the default credentials. see change the default PostgreSQL SQL database credentials for details.

  • If you are running WHD 12.7.6 or earlier with an embedded PostgreSQL database, upgrade to WHD 12.7.7 first. See How to upgrade Web Help Desk to version 12.7.7 using PostreSQL as the database for instructions. When you are finished, upgrade to the latest version.

    If you are located outside the continental United States, contact Technical Support for assistance with upgrading to WHD 12.7.7 with an embedded PostgreSQL database.

  • If you are upgrading to WHD 12.7.1 or later with a MySQL database, the installer replaces Oracle Java with the Open Java Development Kit (OpenJDK). This update modifies the Web Help Desk home directory structure, deleting the previous MySQL JDBC driver directory. To prevent errors in the application, reinstall the MySQL JDBC driver to the new directory after you complete the upgrade. See Install the MySQL JDBC driver for details.

  • If you are upgrading from WHD 12.7.0 to WHD 12.7.1 or later with a Microsoft SQL Server database and the installer generates an error, rerun the install as an administrator and select Upgrade/Repair when prompted.
  • If you are upgrading to WHD 12.7.12, you will be prompted to re-enter your database credentials, including the database name, username, and password. Locate your database credentials before you perform the upgrade.
  • If you are migrating your database using a third-party tool, contact the tool vendor for assistance.
  • If you are migrating your PostgreSQL database to a new server, restore the database after you upgrade WHD to the latest version. You can also back up and restore the PostgreSQL database using a command line. If a Backup Failed error displays, see this KB article to resolve the issue.
  • If your deployment requires database management features such as failover clusters, use any supported DBMS except the embedded PostgreSQL database included with WHD. Failover clusters are not available with the embedded PostgreSQL database.

Error messages

  • If you receive an error stating that WHD cannot connect to the database, see this KB article.
  • If you receive an error stating that the host name does not match the certificate subject provided by the peer, see this KB article.
  • If you upgrade WHD on a Linux server and a 404 error displays in the browser, the hostname may not be assigned correctly to the server. See this KB article for details.