In addition to its network discovery and network mapping capabilities and its management console, there are a number of features and tools included with WhatsConnected to provide supplementary information about your network, including; Layer 2 Trace, IP/MAC Address Finder, Visio support and network device inventory and configuration.

Network Discovery

Devices View Inventory - WhatsConnected

Using a number of innovative layer 2 and layer 3 network discovery technologies, WhatsConnected finds all the connected devices on the network including those without IP addresses. WhatsConnected leverages standards based technologies, including ARP, SNMP, IP addressing, ICMP and LLDP in combination with vendor proprietary mechanisms to build a complete and accurate picture of network devices and their interconnections.

You can now fully understand which routers are attached to which switches and how switches are connected to one another and any other device in your network. This saves precious time and resources versus conducting a tedious visual port-by-port connectivity verification and documentation process.

Visual Network Mapping

Based upon discovery, WhatsConnected automatically generates integrated network topology maps showing both layer 3 addressing and layer 2 connectivity. Unlike manual documentation processes, you can be assured that the connectivity and topology information that is generated is complete and accurate, as it is based upon actual device information gathered.

Additionally you have complete flexibility to display topology information in either radial or hierarchical formats. Maps can be customized to show any aspect of the topology that is desired and individual links can be hidden or shown. Custom topology maps can also be generated using manual network mapping mode. Any network map generated or customized can be saved or printed and shared.

Inventory and Configuration

As part of the discovery process, WhatsConnected collects comprehensive hardware inventory and configuration information for all networking devices including:

Manufacturer / Model
Serial Number
Hardware / Software / Firmware Versions
Chassis / Module Inventory
Power Supplies / Fans

Interfaces
Bridge Ports
Switch Ports
VLANs

Inventory and configuration information is essential for understanding the actual OS and firmware versions that are currently running on discovered devices. This is particularly important as some issues might be resolved by simply updating to a more recent OS or firmware version. With WhatsConnected, device inventories can be printed to provide inventory and configuration reporting.

WhatsConnected Console

The versatile WhatsConnected Windows console is the main interface to manage network discovery, create and administer maps and access detailed device inventory and configuration information. Several views of the network are presented including:

Device Categories View – explorer type view of devices
Device View – spreadsheet type view of all devices
Topology Maps View – layer 2 physical topology view
Subnets View – spreadsheet type view of devices grouped by their respective subnets
Links View – spreadsheet type view of all known connectivity

All discovered devices are sorted automatically by type and presented in Device Categories. Simply clicking on a specific device from within the explorer type view provides you with a wealth of additional information about the device, encompassing:

System information – IP/MAC address, MIB II
IP Address information– IP address configuration data
Interface information – IF entries with status
Bridge Port information – Bridge Port information and VLAN configuration data
VLAN information – VLAN configuration data
Asset information – inventory data for chassis and modules
Link information – physical connectivity from the device to other network devices
IP Routing information – IP routing configuration data
Spanning Tree information – Spanning-Tree configuration and status data
ARP Cache information – ARP table data
Forwarding information – Layer 2 forwarding data
Protocol Profile information – configured protocols on the device

Layer 2 Trace

One of the most difficult jobs in network management is locating and eliminating connectivity issues on the network. Accessed from either the WhatsConnected or WhatsUp Gold management consoles, Layer 2 Trace arms you with a powerful tool to rapidly pinpoint physical layer connectivity issues by validating that the end-to-end connectivity through designated devices over a defined path is working.

Once the origin and destination of the trace are defined, each device IP address and each in-bound and out-bound interface along the path is displayed in a table. Layer 2 trace can be configured to display path connectivity for both LANs and WANs.

IP/MAC Finder

The IP/MAC Finder tool is a fast and simple way to locate an IP or MAC address on a network from either the WhatsConnected or WhatsUp Gold consoles. Using discovery information, the IP/MAC Finder correlates an IP address to a physical MAC hardware address. The information the IP/MAC Finder tool displays includes the device or system associated with the IP or MAC address and to which network interface either the IP or MAC address is directly connected.

Visio Support

Any map generated by WhatsConnected may be exported to either Visio 2003 or Visio 2007 in a few mouse clicks. When importing maps into Visio you have the flexibility to represent devices in Visio, Cisco or WhatsUp template shapes. The Visio export feature is invaluable, as it allows you to establish a baseline so that you can understand how your network evolves over time, as well as capture and track changes to your physical topology and devices.