Network discovery is one of the first things that must occur before you can begin managing your network by using ZENworks for Servers 3. The manageable devices on the network must be found and stored in the ZENworks for Servers 3 database before they can be configured and managed through ZENworks for Servers 3. This chapter discusses the discovery process and how to set it up on your network to provide you with the best topology maps that you can use to manage your network.
Network discovery is the process that ZENworks for Servers 3 uses to scan your network and discern its topology. This section discusses the specific components that are involved in network discovery, the process they use to discover your network topology, and the types of devices that are discovered.
To understand network discovery, you need to understand the discovery components that are running on the ZENworks for Servers 3 management servers. The discovery components are responsible for scanning your network for devices, collecting data, and transferring that data to NetExplorer.
NetExplorer is the main network discovery module. It is responsible for coordinating the discovery components and collecting their data, which is consolidated into a database where it can be managed and used.
The following sections discuss the main discovery components that make up network discovery: the discovery software, the consolidator software, and the Atlas Manager.
The discovery software is software that resides on the ZENworks management server. The discovery software is responsible for polling the network and collecting data about devices that exist on the network. The data collected by the discovery software is stored in the SYS:SYSTEMNETXPLOR.DAT file.
The discovery software comprises the following NLMs that run on the discovery server:
NXPIP.NLM. Responsible for discovering IP routers on IP networks and sending IP router information to the discovery. It communicates directly with IPCACHE and indirectly with IPGROPER, which are other discovery modules running on the server, to obtain information.
NXPIPX.NLM. Responsible for discovering various NetWare systems on IPX networks and sending information about systems to NetExplorer.
IPGROPER.NLM. Responsible for detecting IP host addresses and services on an IP network, including DHCP services, DNS names, HTTP, SMTP, FTP, SMTP, and Telnet.
NXPLANZ.NLM. Responsible for communicating with traffic analysis agents for NetWare and NT to gather information about all systems communicating on their segments.
NOTE
ZENworks for Servers 3 discovery software uses its server and traffic management agents to obtain discovery information. You should use these agents throughout your network to improve the speed, reliability, and accuracy of the topology maps.
The server management and traffic analysis agents for NetWare use the Service Advertising Protocol (SAP) to identify themselves to other components. To enable the network discovery component to receive the SAP packets that identify manageable devices on the network, configure your routers so that they are not filtering out the needed SAP packets. Use Table 9.1 to configure your routers.
Like the discovery software, the consolidator software resides on the ZENworks for Servers 3 management server. The consolidator takes the information that is collected by the discovery software, cleans it up, and stores it in the ZENworks for Servers 3 database for later use.
The following is a list of tasks performed by the consolidator to collect network information and store it in the ZENworks for Servers 3 database:
Reads the NETXPLOR.DAT file
Interprets the records in the NETXPLOR.DAT file
Verifies that the device is not already discovered
Queries the bridge management information base (MIB) on IP networks to discover the MAC addresses of all systems on a port
Uses the SN3 agent to get the NDS name for network objects
Determines whether additional attributes exist in the discovered device
Writes the consolidated information to the ZENworks database
The Atlas Manager consists of components that exist both on a server and a client. These components are responsible for reading the ZENworks for Servers 3 database, creating a topology database, and enabling a user to browse and manage the network topology.
The server component runs on the ZENworks for Servers 3 management server, where it retrieves discovery information from the ZENworks for Servers 3 database. It then uses that information to create a topology database.
After the topology database is created, the client component of the Atlas Manager can communicate with the Atlas Manager server component. The client component requests topology information from the server component to display topology maps at the client management console. When a user modifies the topology from the client management console, the client component transfers those changes to the server component. The server component then makes the appropriate changes to the topology database.
Other components exist that are not directly discovery components, but are used during the discovery process. The following are components that NXPIP.NLM, NXPIPX.NLM, and NXPLANZ.NLM use during the discovery process to obtain a full network topology:
Traffic analysis agent. The traffic analysis agent discovers all devices on the segments that it is monitoring. The NXPLANZ component uses SNMP to query servers running the traffic analysis agent about the devices on their segments.
Server management agent. The server management agents respond to SNMP queries from the NXPIPX component. They provide NXPIPX with usernames and addresses of the workstations that are attached or logged in to them.
NetWare Servers. NetWare Servers have internal routing tables stored in their memory. The NXPIPX components query NetWare servers for the information in those tables.
ZENworks for Servers 3 provides a Database Object Editor (DOE) to supplement the discovery system. Discovery cannot always discover every entity on your network, or it might display incorrect information about some of the entities on your network. The DOE enables you to add the missing entities into the database or edit incorrect information of the entities.
Now that you understand the components that make up network discovery, you need to understand the process that they go through to query your network, collect data about manageable devices, and build a database.
Network discovery occurs in cycles. Each cycle is the process by which one of the discovery modules identifies every device possible, one time. The initial cycle is the first cycle that discovery makes. Although the initial cycle is enough to begin building a topology map, it usually takes several passes to complete the entire network topology.
During the initial discovery cycle, the discovery modules run sequentially; however, after the initial pass, they run independent of each other. The time it takes each module to complete a cycle varies depending on the number of new devices it discovers. When new information is discovered, the discovery modules transfer the data to the NetExplorer, which stores it in a file. Each cycle has the potential to provide the key information NetExplorer needs to identify the device and add it to the database.
The following sections discuss the discovery cycles for each of the discovery modules.
The first sequence in the NetExplorer discovery cycle involves the discovery of IP routers. NXPIP locates its local router by using TCP/IP configuration information and then queries the router for the identity of other routers on the network. NXPIP then queries the MIBs on those routers and collects the IP addresses, interface types, and MAC addresses.
The NXPIPX discovery begins after NXPIP has completed its first cycle. NXPIPX discovery begins at the management server and uses SNMP, RIP, IPX, and SPX diagnostics to discover attached IPX devices.
NXPIPX begins by examining its own server's routing table and discovers the names of other servers. It then queries each of those servers and repeats the process until no new servers are found.
NXPIPX also reads the connection table of each NetWare server to determine which NetWare clients are logged in to which servers. NXPIPX sends IPX diagnostics packets to the clients to collect additional information about them. NXPIPX also discovers IPX routers in your network.
NXPLANZ begins querying after NXPIPX has completed its first cycle. NXPLANZ obtains a list of all traffic analysis agents from NXPIPX and then uses SNMP to query all servers with the traffic analysis agents loaded. It reads the list of workstations that those servers have observed communicating on the network.
NetExplorer uses the configured community names from NXPCON each time it attempts to access a system by using SNMP. When it encounters a new system, it runs through the list of names configured in NXPCON until it receives a successful response. After the community name is found, it is stored for later reference.
Now that you understand the process that ZENworks for Servers 3 uses to discover devices on your network, you may want to know what types of devices are being discovered. The devices that are discovered by ZENworks for Servers 3 can be categorized into either network systems or network segments. The following sections discuss the devices that are discovered by ZENworks for Servers 3.
The first category of device that the ZENworks for Servers 3 discovery process detects is network systems. Network systems are manageable devices with addresses and/or services associated with them. Network discovery queries the network by using addressing and service requests to find these devices.
The following is a list of network systems that are discovered by ZENworks for Servers 3:
NetWare file server. Service type 4. Discovered by NXPIPX.
IPX router. Systems with more than one LAN adapter connected to different IPX networks.
IP router. System that is configured as an IP router.
NetWare print server. Service type 7.
NetWare client workstation. Systems that respond to IPX diagnostic requests as IPX workstations.
SFT III engines. Discovered by the NXPIPX discovery module. Provides diagnostic information.
NetWare Management Agent. Service type 563.
NetWare LANalyzer Agent. Service type 570.
NetWare Management Agent for NT. Service type 651.
Network printers. Discovered if the printer generates a known service type.
NetWare Connect. Service type 590.
NetWare communications server. Used by NetWare for SAA management products. Service type 304.
Management server. Server running discovery modules. Service type 567.
Other systems. Any systems that are connected on a segment that is being monitored by the traffic analysis agent.
The other category of device that the ZENworks for Servers 3 discovery process detects on your network is network segments. Network segments are the communication framework that lies underneath the network systems. The network systems use this framework to communicate with each other. Network discovery detects the different network segment topologies and stores that information in the database. The following sections discuss the different types of network segments that are discovered by ZENworks for Servers 3.
ZENworks for Servers 3 discovers the typical LAN and WAN segments on your network, provided that they respond with an interface type from the MIB-II RFC 1573 specification. The following is a list of segments that are known by the ZENworks for Servers 3 database:
ATM. ATM
FDDI. LAN
Ethernet. LAN
Token ring. LAN
X.25. WAN
PPP. WAN
Frame_Relay. WAN
ZENworks for Servers 3 network discovery also finds source-route bridged token ring segments. How well these segments are discovered and how they appear in your topology map depends on where traffic analysis agents are installed on each of the bridged rings.
Network discovery is unable to fully discover transparent bridges. Therefore, because they have the same network number, it consolidates groups of transparently bridged segments into a single segment on the topology maps.
Now that you understand the ZENworks for Servers 3 network discovery process, you are ready to begin using it to build a topology database from which you can manage and configure your network.
Configuring and using discovery correctly can improve network bandwidth and make administration much easier. This section covers how to start and stop the network discovery, how to monitor its progress, and how to configure it to correctly discover your network.
The first thing you should know about setting up network discovery is how to start it manually, as well as how to stop it. During the installation, you are prompted whether to start the autodiscovery and back-end services. If you select yes to those prompts, Network Discovery automatically launches.
To start the network discovery process and load the back-end services on a server, follow these steps:
1. Start the ZENworks for Servers 3 database by entering the mgmtdbs command at the ZENworks management server console. This command runs the mgmtdbs.ncf file to load the Sybase database engine and the database.
2. Start the rest of the needed ZENworks for Servers processes by entering the mwserver command at the server console.
3. Start the autodiscovery process by entering the netxplor command at the ZENworks management server console. This command runs the netxplor.ncf file, which loads all the discovery modules.
4. Finally, start the basic services on the ZENworks management server by entering the sloader command at the console. This command runs the sloader.ncf file.
The discovery process runs 24 hours a day while it is loaded. The time required to run the initial discovery and build a complete database of your network varies depending on the size of your network and the load placed on your ZENworks for Servers 3 management server.
NOTE
The ZENworks for Servers 3 network discovery process occurs in the background on your server. If your server is being heavily used, it takes considerably longer for the network discovery to finish. We suggest that you schedule your network discovery to occur during nonpeak hours—over a weekend, for example.
After the management server is up and running, you can start and stop the discovery process by using the following two commands and the ZENworks for Servers 3 management server console:
unxp.An NCF file that unloads the discovery files and halts the discovery process.
netxplor.An NCF file that reloads the discovery files, creates a new version of NETXPLOR.DAT, begins the initial discovery process, and processes the discovery data.
After the network discovery process is running, an initial discovery is started. This can take a long time, depending on the size of your network. When the initial discovery is completed, your topology maps in the management console reflect the discovered devices while discovery progresses. You must, however, wait for the initial discovery to complete before the topology maps are updated.
The easiest way to determine whether the initial discovery is complete is to use the NXPCON utility on the management server to look at the status of each NetExplorer module. Each module must complete at least one full cycle to complete the initial discovery and draw a complete network map. The following is a list of modules that can be configured to run during discovery:
NXPIP
NXPIPX
NXPLANZ
To view the discovery status, look at the following information displayed on the NetExplorer Console screen, shown in Figure 9.1:
NetExplorer Up Time. Shows the time since the network discovery started running (in the figure, this is just shown as Up Time).
NetExplorer System Status. Shows the overall status of network discovery. If the initial discovery process is still running on at least one module, the value is Initial Cycle in Progress. If the initial discovery process is complete on all modules, the value is Initial Cycle Complete. (In the figure, the value for this item is 1 Cycle Completed.)
Module Status. Shows the status of each module and the number of cycles each module has completed. In the figure, note the status listed for NXPIP, NCPIPX, and NCPLANZ.
The following is a list of the different statuses that each module can show and what they mean:
Not Loaded. The module is not loaded. This usually means that this service is not configured for discovery.
Waiting to Start. Module is loaded, but it is waiting for another module to complete a cycle before it starts.
Running. Module is currently running and collecting network data.
Suspended. Module is suspended because it reached the end of the schedule in which it was running.
Completed. Module completed at least one discovery cycle.
Unknown. NetExplorer cannot obtain the module status. This is either because the module is not loaded, but is configured to run, or because of an internal error inside the module.
The ZENworks for Servers 3 network discovery software is installed with configuration defaults that are designed to work in most network environments. You may, however, want to modify the default configuration to discover more or fewer devices in your network.
To change the default network discovery configuration, you need to use the NXPCON utility on the ZENworks for Servers 3 management server. The NXPCON utility is automatically loaded when the NetExplorer software is loaded, or you can load it manually by using the following command at the ZENworks for Servers 3 management server console prompt:
load nxpcon
The following sections describe how you can use the NXPCON utility to choose which discovery modules are loaded, how to change SNMP names, and how to modify the discovery scope to help you optimize the discovery process for your network, and how to ensure workstation discovery.
After the NXPCON utility is loaded, you can modify which modules are being loaded. If you choose to not load a module, the network discovery is limited to the remaining modules being loaded.
Use the following steps in the NXPCON utility to modify which modules are loaded for network discovery:
1. Select Configuration Options → Discovery Modules.
2. Select the module you want to modify from the Discovery Modules menu, shown in Figure 9.2, and then press the Enter key.
3. Select No to unload the module or Yes to load the module, and then press Enter.
4. Press the Esc key to exit the NetExplorer Modules dialog box.
5. Select Yes.
6. Unload the NetExplorer software by entering unxp at the ZENworks for Servers 3 management server's console prompt.
7. Reload the NetExplorer software by entering netxplor and the changes to network discovery are made.
After selecting which modules to load, you may want to change some of the SNMP community names. ZENworks for Servers 3 automatically uses the community name of Public by default. If your network uses SNMP names other than Public, you should reconfigure the SNMP names in NXPCON to ensure your network maintains the proper security.
To view, add, modify, or delete SNMP configuration information from within the NXPCON utility, follow these steps:
1. Select Configuration Options → SNMP.
2. Select Edit Community Name List in the SNMP dialog box, shown in Figure 9.3.
3. Select Insert to add a community name, Delete to delete the highlighted community name, or just press the Enter key to modify the highlighted community name.
4. Press the Esc key to exit from the SNMP dialog box.
5. Select Configuration Options → Activate Changes to update the ZENworks for Servers database.
After you modify your SNMP community names appropriately, you can change the scope of the network discovery. NXPCON is set to discover all IPX and IP networks by default. But if your network is extremely large, you may want to limit the scope of discovery for the following reasons:
Reduce network traffic. Limiting the scope of discovery limits the number of discovery and management packets being sent on your network.
Speed up discovery. Limiting the scope of discovery also speeds up the discovery process by skipping addresses that are not wanted.
Simplify manageability. Limiting the scope of discovery limits the number of objects discovered and thereby reduces the number of objects that appear in the Atlas view. This can make it much easier to navigate the atlas.
The following two sections discuss how to use the NXPCON utility to modify the network discovery scope.
The NXPCON utility enables you to limit the IP discovery scope by address and subnet mask filters. Using these filters enables you to discover only certain segments or addresses.
If you wanted to restrict the discovery scope to your local IP network, for example, you could set a limit to the IP address of your local network and a subnet mask that you want to use. The mask indicates which part of the addresses needs to match for discovery to proceed on a network segment. The number 0 indicates that no match is required. If your local network IP address were 1.1.x.x, you would use the IP address of 1.1.0.0 and a mask of 255.255.0.0 to capture everything on your local network, but nothing else.
Use the following steps in NXPCON utility to limit the scope of IP discovery:
1. Select Configuration Options → Discovery Scope.
2. Select IP Discovery Scope.
3. Press the Insert key to add a new IP discovery scope entry, press the Enter key to modify the highlighted scope entry, or press the Delete key to delete the highlighted scope entry.
4. Enter the address and mask for your discovery, as shown in Figure 9.4.
5. Press the Esc key and select Yes to save the changes to the configuration file.
6. Press the Esc key to exit the Discovery Scope dialog box.
7. Unload the NetExplorer software by typing unxp at the console prompt.
8. Reload the NetExplorer software by typing netxplor at the console prompt, and the changes will take effect.
The NXPCON utility enables you to limit the IPX discovery scope by network number and mask filters. Using these filters enables you to discover only certain segments or addresses. A zero in the filter indicates that no match is required.
For example, if you use a specific IPX address on your servers of 1111xxxx, you could limit the scope of your IPX discovery to include only your IPX servers by using the network number of 11110000 and a mask of FFFF0000. Discovery would then pick up only IPX devices whose network number started with 1111.
Use the following steps in the NXPCON utility to limit the scope of IPX discovery:
1. Select Configuration Options → Discovery Scope.
2. Select IPX Discovery Scope.
3. Press the Insert key to add a new IPX discovery scope entry, press the Enter key to modify the highlighted scope entry, or press the Delete key to delete the highlighted scope entry.
4. Enter the network number and mask for your discovery, as shown in Figure 9.5.
5. Press the Esc key and select Yes to save the changes to the configuration file.
6. Press the Esc key to exit the Discovery Scope dialog box.
7. Unload the NetExplorer software by typing unxp at the console prompt.
8. Reload the NetExplorer software by typing netxplor at the console prompt and the changes will take effect.
After you verify your IPX scopes in the NXPCON utility, you may want to ensure that your IPX workstations will be discovered properly. IPX workstations are discovered with a username if the user is logged in to or attached to a NetWare server that is running the management agent software. To ensure that your workstations are properly discovered, ensure that the management agent is installed on all NetWare servers that have users attached.
You can check the results of the network discovery after the initial discovery is completed and after the ZENworks for Servers 3 database has been updated. You should always check your network atlas to determine whether your network topology was accurately discovered.
Your network atlas should have discovered all the servers, desktops, switches, and routers on your network for which you configured it. For each object that is discovered, the following characteristics are captured:
IP type. IP router, IP host, IP service (HTTP, Telnet, SMTP, DNS, FTP, and DHCP)
IPX type. IPX workstation, IPX router, IPX service (file, print, any SAP service)
Subnet mask. Subnet mask used on each segment
NetWare services. Services such as SAP, NCP, and so on
eDirectory names and tree. Full distinguished name of nodes on the network, including the tree
If a node is not on your network atlas, you should check the following things about the device:
Is the device a type that NetExplorer can discover?
Is the node in the incorrect segment? If NetExplorer cannot get enough information about a node, it may simply have been placed in the wrong segment.
Is NetExplorer configured to capture this type of device?
After the initial discovery process is complete, you can access the data it collects through the Atlas Manager. The Atlas Manager server component reads the database created by network discovery. It then relays that information to the management console user at the client workstation.
From the client workstation, you can navigate through your network graphically, as shown in Figure 9.6. The following sections discuss using the Atlas to view your discovered network topology.
You must use the ConsoleOne utility to access the ZENworks for Servers 3 Network Atlas. The Network Atlas view is a plug-in service to ConsoleOne that gets installed during the ZENworks for Servers 3 installation.
To access the Atlas from within ConsoleOne, follow these steps:
1. Double-click the ZENworks for Servers 3 domain. Your ZENworks for Servers 3 management sites should appear.
2. Select the management site you want to view. If the Atlas Manager is running on that management server, the Atlas shows up underneath it.
3. Select the Atlas.
4. Right-click the Atlas icon and select Atlas view from the pop-up menu. A screen similar to the one in Figure 9.7 should appear.
The initial Atlas screen should show you three types of objects, each of which is its own separate Atlas page. These pages represent different views for you to use to see and navigate your network topology. The following list describes the different views you see in each of the three pages:
WAN page. Summarizes the entire network by showing the WAN-related network topology. There is usually only one WAN page per network.
Area page. Displays the segments on your network. There can be several Area pages on your network, depending on your network configuration, as shown in Figure 9.7.
Island page. Displays segments with an undetermined connectivity. During discovery, the Island page is a placeholder for network objects that are not completely discovered. When enough information is obtained about the object, it is moved to an Area or WAN page. There is only one Island page per network.
ZENworks for Servers 3 enables you to perform the following tasks on any of the Atlas pages:
Open. Opens the Atlas page in the view window.
Import. Enables you to insert a wallpaper background for the Atlas view. For example, you could use the USA.GIF provided with ZENworks for Servers 3 to display a map of the U.S. behind your WAN view so that you could place your routers and servers on the states that they reside in.
Save. Enables you to save your custom settings for the Atlas view to be used later.
Print. Enables you to print the Atlas view. This feature is extremely useful if you need to take a physical copy of the layout to a planning meeting.
Rename. Enables you to rename the Atlas view to something else. Use names that are as descriptive as possible; you might, for example, use a city name for a router that covers a specific city or a department name for a segment that contains an entire department.
Layout. Changes the focal point and redisplays the page. This is useful if you need to reset the view.
ZENworks for Servers 3 enables you to assign roles to manage the Atlas, which gives you tighter control over management operations. When you assign a role, you can restrict which operations an operator can perform when managing objects.
You could, for example, restrict a role to a specific segment of the Atlas. Then, when a user accesses the Atlas, the only segment that they can view or manage is that segment. Another example is to restrict a role to adding objects. Anyone using that role can add objects to the Atlas, but not delete them.
ZENworks for Servers 3 provides a Unified view service that acts as a filter on an Atlas. The Unified view enables you to filter the Atlas based on devices or segments of a particular type. This enables you to easily navigate the Atlas and perform quick operations to check the highest severity of the alarms present in a particular node.
The ZENworks for Servers Unified view service runs on the server and must be running to get the data in the view. Use the SMGRUI command at the server console to start and stop the service on the server side. The following sections describe how to use the views after the service is started.
The Unified view for devices view enables you to filter on all manageable or unmanageable devices in the view. This view also displays the MIBs implemented by the device as well as the maximum severity of the alarms against the devices. The following is a list of devices on which you can filter from the Unified view:
All (all devices and services)
Netware Servers
Windows NT/2000 Servers
IP routers
IPX routers
Switches/bridges
NCP print servers
Printers
TCP services
To filter on specific devices, follow these steps:
1. Right-click the Atlas and select View → Unified view for devices.
2. From the first drop-down list, select All to list all the devices, select Manageable to list the manageable devices, or select Unmanageable to list the unmanageable devices.
3. From the second drop-down list, select a device.
4. Click the Show button.
The Unified view for segments view enables you to filter on all manageable or unmanageable segments in the view. This view displays the name of the segments as well as the maximum severity of the alarms against the segments. The following is a list of segment types on which you can filter in the Unified view:
All (all types of segments)
Ethernet
FDDI
Token Ring
Frame Relay
X.25
ATM
PPP
IPX Compatibility Type
To filter on specific segments, follow these steps:
1. Right-click the Atlas and select View → Unified view for segments.
2. From the first drop-down list, select All to list all the segments, select Manageable to list the manageable segments, or select Unmanageable to list the unmanageable segments.
3. Select a segment from the second drop-down list.
4. Click the Show button.
ZENworks for Servers 3 enables you to specify your own segment or device types that you want to view in a Unified view. The UNIFIEDVIEW.INI file located in the <vol>:ENWORKSmmsMWServerin directory on the server contains details of all the segments and the devices. You can optimize the information that you get from this view by editing this file.
To add a new segment or device type to the unified view, follow these steps:
1. Open the unifiedview.ini file in a text editor.
2. Add a new entry in the file. The header of the file provides the syntax for adding new entries. The section name should begin with Segment_, and you need to define the values for the properties. The device name should begin with Device_, and you need to define the values for the properties.
3. Save the file.
4. Restart the service and the changes are implemented.
After the Atlas is up and running, you can use it to monitor and troubleshoot your network. To use the Atlas to troubleshoot your network, you must set alarms for your network devices. When ZENworks for Servers 3 recognizes a critical, major, or even minor alarm on a segment or node, it displays an Alarm icon above the object in the Atlas view.
The Atlas Manager server component is a Java-based utility. Several command-line options enable you to modify the behavior or perform an action on the ZENworks for Servers 3 Atlas database. You can configure command-line options for the Atlas Manager by modifying the Java load statement for the Atlas Manager in the following file on your ZENworks for Servers 3 management server's management volume:
<volume>:ZENWORKSmmsMWServerBinAtlasMgr.NCF
Table 9.2 displays the available command-line options for the Atlas Manager server component:
Table 9.2. Command-Line Options for the Atlas Manager
|
OPTION |
EFFECT ON ATLAS MANAGER |
|---|---|
|
|
Ignores database notifications and stops notifying consoles. You should use this option to reduce overhead caused by the notifications. |
|
|
Stops the topology updates from the database. But changes that are made at the console (renaming, adding, or deleting objects) are still updated. |
|
|
Stops the Atlas Manager server component from communicating with the client component running on the management console. |
|
|
Deletes the existing topology database and then recreates the map. |
The ZENworks for Servers 3 Database Object Editor (DOE) enables you to perform operations on a segment or on a node object. The DOE server interacts with the consolidator to process information related to the node and segment object, and then populates the CIM table with this information.
The DOE server interacts with the Atlas to process the information related to a page or an Atlas object, and then populates the MAP table. The DOE client uses the ConsoleOne snap-in to display the user interface; therefore user operation is allowed only through the management console view.
The ZENworks for Servers 3 DOE enables you to create your own segments in the Atlas database. This can be extremely useful if you have segments that you need to have in the Atlas, but that are not being discovered. You could also use this to create segments that you plan to add in the future and to create Atlas views for use in planning. The DOE segment editor, shown in Figure 9.8, enables you to enter the following information about the segments you create:
Segment Name. The name is displayed in the Atlas Manager.
Network Number. The network number that is associated with the segment.
Segment Description. A description of the segment: You may, for example, want to include the purpose, location, or other information specific to this segment.
Segment Class. The segment class: Ethernet, Token Ring, PPP, Frame Relay, ATM, X.25, or FDDI.
Network Class. The class of the network on which the segment is located.
To create a new segment by using the DOE from the Atlas Manager, follow these steps:
1. Right-click the Atlas object in which you want to create the segment.
2. Select Database Object Editor → New → Segment from the pop-up menu.
3. Specify the segment settings in the Segment Details dialog box shown in Figure 9.8.
4. Click the OK button to create the object.
The ZENworks for Servers 3 DOE enables you to create you own node in the Atlas database. This can be extremely useful if you have a workstation or server that you need to have in the Atlas, but that is not being discovered. You could also use this to create nodes that you plan to add in the future and to create Atlas views for use in planning.
The General tab of the DOE node editor, shown in Figure 9.9, enables you to enter the following information about the nodes you create:
Node Name (mandatory). The name of the node that appears in the Atlas Manager.
Operating System. The operating system installed on the Node.
Type of Node. The type of node: Node, Router, or Switch.
IP/IPX Router. Selects whether node routes IP, IPX, or both (if the node type is a router).
Make. Enables you to specify the make of computer the node.
Criticality. Enables you to specify the criticality, from 1%–100%, you want to assign this node.
Description. Enables you to enter a description of the node.
Node Location. Enables you specify the location of the node to be used.
Owner Name. Enables you to specify the person that owns or is responsible for the node. This can be the person who uses the node, a supervisor, the IT person responsible, or so on.
Owner Contact. Enables you to specify the contact information for the owner of the node. Usually this is an email address or an office extension.
Prevent Deletion. The Prevent Deletion by NetExplorer check box enables you to specify whether NetExplorer will delete the node the next time autodiscovery runs. You should check this box if you are adding a node that will not always be available and you need some specific information in the node object.
The Interfaces tab of the DOE node editor, shown in Figure 9.10, enables you to enter the following information about the nodes you create:
Network Address (mandatory). Specifies the logical network address of the node. This is an IP address for IP networks or IPX for IPX networks.
MAC Address (mandatory). Specifies the physical MAC address for the network card located in the node.
Subnet Mask. Specifies the subnet mask that the node is using to resolve IP.
Network Type. Specifies the type of network on which the node is located (IP or IPX).
Interface Type. Specifies the interface type that the node's segment is using.
Interface Speed. Specifies the speed that the network is running in Mbps.
Interface MTU. Specifies the Message Transfer Unit that the network is using in bytes.
Interface Summary. After you set the preceding information for the node, you click the Add button and the interface information appears in the Interface Summary list shown in Figure 9.10. You can then add interfaces if necessary.
The Services tab of the DOE node editor, shown in Figure 9.11, enables you to enter the following information about the nodes you create:
List of Services. Specifies a list of services that are available on the node.
Switch-Related Information. Enables you to specify information specific to nodes that are of switch type. Click the Add button shown in Figure 9.11 to bring up the Switch Details dialog box. From this window you can specify the port number, MAC address, and node information used for switching. To modify the information for a specific port, select the port in the list and click the Details button to bring up the Switch Details dialog box.
To create a new node by using the DOE from the Atlas Manager, follow these steps:
1. Right-click the Atlas object you want to create the node in.
2. Select Database Object Editor → New → Node from the pop-up menu.
3. Specify the node settings in the Node Details dialog box shown in Figures 9.9, 9.10, and 9.11.
4. Click the OK button to create the object.