Microsoft SQL Server Discovery, Business Application Enhancements in v16.02.00

We are excited to announce the general availability of Device42 v16.02.00, which includes the following enhancements:

Database discovery – Microsoft SQL Server

This release adds a powerful new feature to Windows discovery jobs: database discovery! Initially supporting Microsoft SQL Server databases (aka MSSQL), discovery for other popular DB platforms will be added in future releases as this feature continues to grow.

Enable database discovery by simply checking the “Collect database server information” checkbox on any Window Discovery job. Simply add valid database credentials to the job [separate fields, highlighted above], and as MSSQL databases are detected, discovery will import a list of all instances, databases, and connection details!

The following is an example of data discovered from an MSSQL instance (click for full-size):

Example database connectivity details discovered from the same SQL instance:

Business Applications enhancements

This release includes a few tweaks that should make Business Applications even better:

Easily export Business Applications as SVG images: View externally, and easily import them into other software, e.g. Visio.

Search right from the Business Application list page: Quickly find your Business App by typing the first few letters of its name, or even by the name of a device in the app!

Quickly see all Business Apps a device belongs to with the new “Application” tab: Device view pages now include a list of all the Business Applications each device plays a role in.

Customer auto-assignment for cloud discovery

New in v16.02.00, Device42 can automatically assign a customer to discovered cloud-based devices. Simply specify the relevant customer when configuring your cloud discovery job and each discovered instance will be automatically tagged.

Agent based discovery auto-updates

Users who leverage any of Device42’s agent-based discovery tools will appreciate that using these tools just got a whole lot easier: The same auto-update capabilities that you enjoy across the agentless tools now supports agents, too — including both the Netflow and packet-capture tools. Enabling this functionality will of course require a final manual update, and going forward all of your Device42 tools will self-update!

SSH-based discovery enhancements

Device42’s SSH based discovery has been tweaked to improve connection stability while reducing the number of connections made between remote collectors and discovery targets. From the workflow and functionality perspective, this change should be invisible. Sysadmins, however, should appreciate it.

Bug fixes

SNMP discovery of certain switches with imported SFP modules may fail if duplication is found. Fixed.
Solaris discovery may not properly discover domain name. Fixed.
CPU counts were not always reported properly with certain server configurations. Fixed.
The rack layout page might not render power units mounted above/below a rack when operating in non-English language mode. Fixed.
Attempting to delete a Job Score could result in a server error message. Fixed.
Users were unable to specify a ‘Reporter Name’ when creating a Jira Cloud ticket from the Device42 UI. Fixed.
Remote Collectors couldn’t be removed from Device42 if any completed jobs that used it existed. Fixed.