WHD 12.5 System Requirements
Last Updated: November 14, 2016
Supports: Web Help Desk 12.5
Important: These system requirements define the minimum requirements for Web Help Desk 12.5.. For additional information about requirements, see the Web Help Desk 12.5 Release Notes.
Server hardware and software requirements
Hardware
See Port requirements for all SolarWinds Products for a list of all ports required for communication with Web Help Desk.
| Component | Requirements |
|---|---|
| CPU | 64-bit Dual Core 3.0 GHz or faster |
| RAM |
3 GB (up to 10 technicians) Add 1GB for every 10 additional technicians |
| Hard Drive Space | 20 GB |
| Application Ports |
8443 (default) 20293 (Embedded PostgreSQL) |
Operating system
| Platform | Supported Versions |
|---|---|
|
Microsoft Windows Server (less than 20 technicians) |
Windows Server 2003 (32-bit) Windows Server 2008 R2 (64-bit) Windows Server 2012 (64-bit) Windows Server 2012 R2 (64-bit) |
|
Microsoft Windows Server (more than 20 technicians) |
Windows Server 2008 (64-bit) Windows Server 2008 R2 (64-bit) Windows Server 2012 (64-bit) Windows Server 2012 R2 (64-bit) |
|
Microsoft Windows (Trial evaluation only) |
Windows 7 (64-bit) Windows 8.1 (64-bit) Windows 10 (64-bit) |
| macOS |
10.10.2 (Yosemite) 10.11.0 (El Capitan) |
| Red Hat® Enterprise Linux (RHEL) |
RHEL 6.5 (64-bit) RHEL 7.0 (64-bit) |
| CentOS™ |
CentOS 6.5 (64-bit) CentOS 7.0 (64-bit) |
| Fedora™ |
Fedora 22 (64-bit) Fedora 23 (64-bit) |
| Oracle Java | Version 8.0 |
Web browser
Due to frequent Google Chrome v32 and Mozilla Firefox v32 updates, check the SolarWinds support website for the latest information about compatibility issues between these web browsers and the latest version of Web Help Desk.
| Type | Supported versions |
|---|---|
| Google Chrome | Latest version |
| Mozilla Firefox | Latest version |
| Microsoft Internet Explorer (IE) |
IE 9 IE 10 IE 11 |
| Apple Safari |
Safari 8 Safari 9 |
| Microsoft Edge | Latest version |
Web server requirements
The following table lists the supported web server for Web Help Desk.
| Product | Version |
|---|---|
| Apache Tomcat | 7.0.70 |
Server sizing requirements
Use the following sections to determine the requirements for your Web Help Desk deployment size.
Screen resolution
The minimum required screen resolution is 1024x768.
Deployments with fewer than 20 techs
If your deployment will support 20 tech sessions or fewer, you can run Web Help Desk on a system with:
- A supported 32-bit operating system
- A 32-bit Java Virtual Machine (JVM)
- 4GB RAM (up to 3.7GB for the tech sessions, JVM support, operating system, and any additional services you need to run on the system)
This configuration supports 10 - 20 tech sessions with no onboard memory issues.
To adjust the maximum memory setting, edit the MAXIMUM_MEMORY option in the WebHelpDesk/conf/whd.conf file.
Deployments with more than 20 techs
If your deployment will support more than 20 tech sessions, SolarWinds recommends installing Web Help Desk on a system running:
- A supported 64-bit operating system
- A 64-bit JVM
- 3GB RAM for 20 tech sessions plus 1GB RAM for each additional 10 tech sessions
Configuring the JVM
To enable the JVM, add the following argument to the JAVA_OPTS option in the /library/WebHelpDesk/conf/whd.conf file:
JAVA_OPTS="-d64"
To increase the max heap memory on a JVM, edit the MAXIMUM_MEMORY option in the WebHelpDesk/conf/whd.conf file.
For other operating systems, install your own JVM and then update the JAVA_HOME option in the WebHelpDesk/conf/whd.conf file to point to your Java installation.
Server sizing requirements
SolarWinds recommends installing Web Help Desk on a host server with a 64-bit Dual Core 2.0GHz or faster CPU. If you support a large number of techs, consider upgrading your existing hardware configuration.
SolarWinds integration connections
If you plan to integrate Web Help Desk with existing SolarWinds products, ensure that your SolarWinds Orion platform server is running version 2012.2 or later. Web Help Desk requires this version to integrate SolarWinds alerts into trouble tickets.
SolarWinds product integration requirements
The following table lists the SolarWinds products that integrate with Web Help Desk.
| Supported product | Version |
|---|---|
| SolarWinds Orion platform | Version 2012.2 and later |
| SolarWinds Network Performance Monitor (NPM) | NPM 12.0 |
| SolarWinds Server and Application Monitor (SAM) |
SAM 6.2.0 SAM 6.2.3 |
| SolarWinds Network Configuration Monitor (NCM) | NCM 7.5 |
| DameWare Mini Remote Control (MRC) |
Version 12.0 Version 12.0.1 Version 12.0.3 |
Database requirements
Web Help Desk uses an embedded PostgreSQL database as its standard database. The following table lists the supported databases.
| Database | Supported versions |
|---|---|
| PostgreSQL |
PostgreSQL 9.2 PostgreSQL 9.3.2 PostgreSQL 9.4 |
| MySQL |
MySQL 5.6 MySQL 5.7 |
| Microsoft SQL Server |
SQL Server 2008 R2 SP3 SQL Server 2012 SP1 SQL Server 2014 |
For optimal external database performance, run Web Help Desk and a supported external database on separate servers.
Oracle Java Database Connectivity (JDBC) driver requirements
Web Help Desk for macOS includes an embedded Java Virtual Machine (JVM). If you are running an external Oracle JVM, Web Help Desk preserves your Java settings during the installation procedure and continues to use the external Oracle JVM.
If you are migrating from an external JVM to the embedded JVM included with Web Help Desk and you are using a MySQL database, ensure that the new embedded Java directory on your Web Help Desk server includes the Oracle Java Database Connectivity (JDBC) driver.
See the Oracle website to download the latest JDBC driver.
Embedded database migration requirements
Web Help Desk does not support a FrontBase database. To automatically upgrade an embedded FrontBase database to an embedded PostgreSQL database, upgrade your software to Web Help Desk 12.0 and then upgrade to the latest version.
External FrontBase databases must be manually migrated to the embedded PostgreSQL database.
To ensure that the Web Help Desk database upgrade starts automatically after the v12.0.0 upgrade, ensure that:
- Both FrontBase and PostgreSQL are running.
- The embedded FrontBase uses the whd and user whd schemas.
- The new server includes enough free space to support the database migration. Web Help Desk notifies you about the space required before migration begins.
The migration process creates a $WEB_HELPDESK_HOME/temp folder with the associated files. The system administrator performing the installation must have write privileges on both the FrontBase and PostgreSQL databases.
After you upgrade to 12.0, you can upgrade to the latest version. The version 12.0 upgrade converts your embedded FrontBase database to an embedded PostgreSQL database. No additional database conversions are required.
MySQL requirements
The following table lists the minimum software and hardware requirements for a MySQL database server.
| Product | Supported versions |
|---|---|
| CPU speed | 64-bit Dual Core 3.0GHz or better |
| Hard drive space | 20GB |
| Memory | 3GB plus 1GB for every additional 10 techs |
SQL Server requirements
The following tables list the minimum software and hardware requirements for a database server running Microsoft SQL Server.
Software
| Software | Requirements |
|---|---|
| Microsoft SQL Server |
SQL Server 2008 R2 SP3 SQL Server 2012 SP1 SQL Server 2014 |
Hardware
| Component | Requirements |
|---|---|
| CPU | 64-bit Dual Core 3.0GHz or higher |
| Hard drive space | 20GB |
| RAM | 3GB with 1GB additional RAM for every additional 10 techs |
Discovery connector requirements
The following table lists the supported discovery connectors used for asset discovery.
| Discovery connector | Supported versions |
|---|---|
| SolarWinds Network Configuration Manager (NCM) | NCM 7.5 |
| SolarWinds Network Performance Manager (NPM) | NPM 12 |
| SolarWinds Server and Application Monitor (SAM) |
SAM 6.2 SAM 6.2.3 |
| Absolute Manage (HEAT Lanrev) |
Absolute Manager 6.7 Absolute Manager 6.9.2 (v4608) |
| Apple Remote Desktop |
Apple Remote Desktop 3.7 Apple Remote Desktop 3.8 |
| Casper |
Casper 8.6 Casper 9.0 Casper 9.73 |
| Lansweeper |
Lansweeper 5.2.x Lansweeper 5.3.0.33 |
| Microsoft System Center Configuration Manager
(SCCM) |
System Center Configuration Manager 2007 System Center Configuration Manager 2012 System Center Configuration Manager 2012 R2 |
Hypervisor requirements
Web Help Desk can be installed on a VMware or Microsoft virtual appliance when the hosting server meets the minimum server requirements. The virtual machine includes a supported version of the CentOS operating system and the latest version of Web Help Desk.
The following table lists the supported hypervisor requirements.
Microsoft Hyper-V Server is included with Windows Server 2008 and later.
| Product | Supported versions |
|---|---|
| VMware® | VMware 6.0 |
| Microsoft Hyper-V® |
Hyper-V Server 2008 R2 Hyper-V Server 2012 Hyper-V Server 2012 R2 Service Pack 1 (SP1) |
LDAP requirements
The following table lists the supported Lightweight Directory Access Protocol (LDAP) software products.
| product | Supported versions |
|---|---|
| Microsoft Active Directory |
Active Directory 2003 Active Directory 2008 Active Directory 2012 Active Directory 2012 R2 |
| Open Directory | Open Directory 4 |
| OpenLDAP |
OpenLDAP 2.4 OpenLDAP 2.4.42 |
Mail server requirements
This section lists the required mail server software and supported protocols.
Software
| Product | Supported versions |
|---|---|
| Microsoft Exchange Server |
Exchange Server 2010 Exchange Server 2013 CU7 |
Supported protocols
- IMAP
- POP3
- SMTP
Mobile client requirements
The following table lists the supported client operating systems for the Web Help Desk Mobile software.
| Platform | Supported operating systems |
|---|---|
| Apple |
iOS 7 iOS 8 iOS 9 |
Port requirements
Web Help Desk provides communication ports for the following resources:
Web Help Desk interfaces
The following table lists the Web Help Desk ports for secure and non-secure interface traffic.
| Port | Type | Description |
|---|---|---|
| 80 | TCP | Non-secure traffic from the Web Help Desk Console (VA) |
| 135 | TCP | Asset Discovery using Windows Management Instrumentation (WMI) |
| 389 | TCP | Non-secure traffic from the Web Help Desk server to a designated server (usually a domain controller) for use with the Directory Service tool (LDAP and Active Directory) |
| 443 | TCP | Secure traffic from the Web Help Desk Console |
| 8081 | TCP | Non-secure traffic from the Web Help Desk Console (Windows, Linux and OSX) |
| 8443 | TCP | (Default) Secure traffic from the Web Help Desk Administrator Console (Windows, Linux and OS X) |
| 17778 | TCP | Communications from the SolarWinds Orion server (Orion integration only) |
| 61616 | TCP | Web Help Desk Discovery engine (JMS queue port) |
Databases
The following table lists the Web Help Desk ports for external and embedded database communications.
| Port | Type | Description |
|---|---|---|
| 1433 | TCP |
Communications with a Microsoft Microsoft SQL external database, including:
|
| 3306 | TCP | External MySQL database |
| 5432 | TCP | Communication with an External PostgreSQL database |
| 20293 | TCP | Communications with an embedded PostgreSQL database |
The following table lists the Web Help Desk ports for email traffic.
| Port | Type | Description |
|---|---|---|
| 25 | TCP | Traffic from the Web Help Desk server to your email server for automated email notifications |
| 80 | TCP | Non-secure connection with Microsoft Exchange Web Services (EWS) |
| 110 | TCP | Non-secure traffic with the POP3 mail server |
| 143 | TCP | Non-secure traffic with the Internet Message Access Protocol (IMAP) mail server |
| 443 | TCP | Secure traffic with EWS |
| 993 | TCP | Secure traffic with the IMAP mail server |
| 995 | TCP | Secure traffic with the POP3 mail server |
LDAP and Active Directory
The following table lists the Web Help Desk ports for Lightweight Directory Access Protocol / Active Directory (LDAP / AD).
| Port | Type | Description |
|---|---|---|
| 389 | TCP | Traffic from the Web Help Desk server to a designated server (usually a domain controller) for use with the Directory Service tool (LDAP and Active Directory) |
| 636 | TCP | Secure traffic from the Web Help Desk server to a designated server (usually a domain controller) for use with the Directory Service tool (LDAP and Active Directory) |
Asset Discovery
The following table lists the Web Help Desk ports for Asset Recovery.
| Port | Type | Description |
|---|---|---|
| 135 | TCP | Asset Discovery using WMI (WMI calls uses port 135 and then chooses a random port for further communication) |
| 1521 | TCP | Communication with the Oracle Java Database Connectivity (JDBC) connector for asset discovery |
| 3306 | TCP | Communication with the MySQL external database, LANrev, and Casper 8 and lower |
| 4445 | TCP | Remote log server reader |
| 5433 | TCP | Communication with Apple Remote 3.2 for asset discovery |
| 7100 | TCP | Communications with a Sybase database for asset discovery |
Configure firewalls for data traffic
Firewalls between any two points of communication must have the requisite ports open to inbound or outbound traffic according to the relative direction of the communication traffic.
For additional port information, see: