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WhatsConnected Network Diagram Software

Layer 2 and Layer 3 Discovery and Network Mapping Software

Inventory and document your network anytime, anywhere – with just one click.

Watch our short product overview.

What is WhatsConnected?
WhatsConnected is a Layer 2/3 discovery and mapping tool that lets you discover, map, inventory and document your entire infrastructure, including network devices, physical and virtual servers, VLANs, and port to port connectivity, quickly and efficiently.

What’s the Difference Between Layer 2 and Layer 3 Discovery?
A Layer 2 discovery accesses the physical infrastructure information embedded in servers or devices to provide detailed topology information, including inter-component dependencies and port-to-port connectivity. A Layer 3 discovery identifies systems or network devices deployed in your infrastructure using higher layer protocols such as ICMP (ping), SNMP, or IP addressing. The major limitation of Layer 3 discovery is that the physical connectivity between devices in the network is not automatically established.

Why Do I Need a Layer 2/3 Discovery Tool?
Automating your network discovery, map and documentation tasks will save precious time and resources and you can be sure network diagrams are always up-to-date, even if your network changes, your office moves, or new resources are deployed. If you’re manually documenting connectivity between devices and independencies (a Layer 2 discovery), you already know how tedious this process is. And it gets more complicated if technologies such as virtualization or WLAN are used in your environment.

An automated tool also aids in faster troubleshooting (easier to deduce network paths); ensures compliance with audits (accurate and up-to-date inventory or topology maps are required by most regulatory frameworks such as PCI) and helps you optimize monitoring workloads (e.g. you can stop monitoring ports without connected end points).

What Protocols Are Used in Discovery?
WhatsConnected uses a number of innovative Layer 2 and Layer 3 discovery technologies, including ARP, SNMP,SSH, Virtual Infrastructure Management, IP addressing, ICMP and LLDP in combination with vendor proprietary mechanisms, and WMI and Telnet to build a complete and accurate picture your infrastructure assets and their interconnections.
Is WhatsConnected a standalone solution or a plug-in to WhatsUp Gold?
WhatsConnected is a standalone application that is licensed based on the number of network devices you need to map and inventory. You can install WhatsConnected on any server, workstation or laptop connected to your network. Its licensing provides the flexibility to discover and print topology maps for multiple network segments or locations as long as the number of devices does not exceed the license limit. WhatsConnected’s topology maps and inventory data can be exported to WhatsUp Gold as long the devices are covered by your WhatsUp Gold license.

What’s the Difference Between WhatsConnected and WhatsUp Gold’s Layer 2/3 discovery and mapping capabilities?
WhatsUp Gold is a complete IT management solution with Layer 2/3 discovery and mapping and IT asset reporting capabilities fully integrated into its web-based workspace. WhatsConnected has the following features that are not supported in WhatsUp Gold:
  • “One-click” export – direct export to Visio™, PDF, CSV and Excel
  • Alerts on topology changes – email alerts on new, changed, or missing devices with each new discovery
  • Dynamic maps – topology maps are immediately auto-updated with each new discovery
  • Configuration data capture – for comparison of startup and running device configuration files from network topology maps
  • Portable (on-the-go) network mapping – use the same WhatsConnected license on a laptop to create topology maps of multiple locations or network segments
I already have WhatsUp Gold, why do I need WhatsConnected?
Even with WhatsUp Gold’s powerful Layer 2/3 discovery and mapping and IT asset reporting capabilities, WhatsConnected is still a valuable tool for WhatsUp Gold users who want to:
  • Document their network topology with Visio™ and PDF – WhatsConnected supports one-click export to VisioTM, PDF, CSV and Excel
  • Inventory IT assets and map devices they don’t need to monitor – license only WhatsConnected for SW/HW inventory and topology mapping of unmonitored workstations and laptops
  • Constantly refresh WhatsUp Gold topology maps or regularly do heavy manipulation of them – WhatsConnected is a more purposed mapping solution which should be more responsive
  • Optimize WAN bandwidth with local discovery at remote sites – deploy WhatsConnected at remote sites and export topology and inventory data to the central WhatsUp Gold
  • On-demand discovery and mapping of multiple network segments – discover and map a network segment up to your WhatsConnected licensed-device limit, print and move on to the next segment