Hitachi

JP1 Version 12 JP1/Network Node Manager i Setup Guide


3.3.2 Configuring auto-discovery rules

One of the most important network management tasks is keeping your view of the network topology up to date. NNMi maintains the topology through ongoing discovery of network nodes. The NNMi discovery process ensures that root cause analysis and the troubleshooting tools provide accurate information to resolve incidents. (See Network discovery in the Note below)

To configure auto-discovery rules, follow these steps:

  1. From the workspace navigation panel, from the Configuration workspace, open Discovery.

  2. Open the Discovery Configuration form.

  3. Click the Auto-Discovery Rules tab, and then click the New icon.

  4. On the Auto-Discovery Rule form, under Basics, enter the rule Name and Ordering information.

    The order is a numerical value that specifies the priority of this rule in comparison to other auto-discovery rules. For details, click Help > Using the Auto-Discovery Rule form.

  5. Under Auto-Discovery Starting Point for this Rule, select the appropriate auto-discovery actions for this rule.

  6. On the IP Ranges tab, click the New icon.

  7. On the Auto Discovery IP Range form, enter the IP Range, and leave the Range Type set to Include in rule, and then click the Save and Close icon.

  8. On the Auto-Discovery Rule form, click the Save and Close icon.

  9. Repeat steps 3 through 8 until you have added all of the rules that you want to use.

  10. On the Discovery Configuration form, click the Save and Close icon to save all new auto-discovery rules to the NNMi database.

  11. From the Configuration workspace, open Discovery, and then click Seeds.

  12. Click the New icon.

  13. On the Discovery Seed form, enter a host name or IP address, and then click the Save and Close icon.

  14. Repeat steps 12 and 13 until you have added all host names or IP addresses for discovery seeds.

To monitor the progress of discovery, see 3.3.3 Checking discovery progress.

For details about configuring discovery, see Configure Discovery in NNMi Help.

Note

Network discovery

NNMi collects information about the devices in your network (such as switches and routers) and proactively manages any devices that are important to you and your team. There are two discovery modes to choose from:

  • Discovery seeds: You provide a list of devices and maintain total control over which devices NNMi discovers and monitors.

  • Auto-discovery rules: You provide a list of addresses and host names as discovery seeds, and NNMi uses this information as starting points for extensive automatic discovery. You set limits on the NNMi discovery process by providing IPv4 address ranges and MIB II sysObjectIDs.

After you choose a discovery mode, NNMi Spiral Discovery takes over. Using a wide range of protocols and techniques, NNMi gathers a wealth of information about your network inventory, ascertains the relationships between devices (such as subnets and VLANs), and accurately maps out the connectivity between those devices. The NNMi Causal Engine determines the current status of each device (plus each interface and address associated with that device) and proactively notifies you when any trouble or potential trouble is detected.

This dynamic discovery process continues over time. When things change in your network management domain, NNMi spiral discovery automatically updates information.

To learn more about network discovery, see Discovering Your Network in NNMi Help.