Chapter 4 Discovery Manager

You can use the Discovery Manager to populate administrative domains automatically. For example, automatically populating administrative domains is very useful if you have a large network. To add members manually with the Create Topology Object window, see Chapter 3.

The following topics are described in this chapter:

The Discovery Manager can find or "discover" hosts, routers, networks, and subnets (see "Overview of IP Addressing"). The Discovery Manager also discovers objects where a Sun Management Center agent is configured to a different server context (see "Sun Management Center Server Context").

The Discovery Manager can also find and group topology objects which are related; either to a single hardware platform/chassis or a group of cooperating hardware platform/chassis. This discovery and grouping allows convenient management of the related objects and is described in the add-on supplement for those machine architectures which have this grouping requirement.

Note - For additional information, refer to your supplement. The supplement contains important platform-specific information about discovering objects.

You can create one or more discovery requests. Each request runs as a separate process and populates the administrative domain with the objects that it has discovered.

You can also schedule requests to run periodically and look for new hosts.

Starting the Discovery Requests Window

To begin a Discovery Request, start the Discovery Requests Window.

To Start the Discovery Requests Window

Start the Discovery Requests window in one of two ways:

When you create an administrative domain in the Create Domain dialog (FIGURE 2-3) the Populate Now option is selected by default.

If you click Create in the Create Domain dialog while the Populate Now option is selected, a dialog window enables you to start the discovery process immediately.
For more information on creating administrative domains, see Chapter 2.
Select the administrative domain in the Sun Management Center Administrative Domains pull-down menu. then select Tools Discover in the main console window (FIGURE 4-1).

FIGURE 4-1 Tools Pull-down Menu

The Discovery Requests window is displayed (FIGURE 4-2).

FIGURE 4-2 Discovery Requests Window

The Discovery Requests window displays information containing the fields in TABLE 4-1.

TABLE 4-1 Discovery Requests Window Fields
Field
Description

Name

A name which you create for the request. You can have multiple requests with the same name.

Scheduled

"Yes" if the request is scheduled, "No" if not scheduled

Status

Reflects the current state of the discovery request. The states may be:

New. A new request was added but has never been processed.
Queued. A request has been sent to the server but processing has not yet started.
Running. The request is currently being processed.
Succeeded. The request has been successfully processed.
Failed. Processing of the request has failed.
Stopped. The user has stopped the process.
0 Host found. The request did not find any hosts that passed the filter limits.

The Discovery Requests window has the buttons listed in TABLE 4-2.

TABLE 4-2 Discovery Requests Window Buttons
Button
Description

Add

Click this button to create a new Discovery Request through the New Discovery Request window (FIGURE 4-2).

Modify

Select a Discovery Request and click this button to make changes.

Duplicate

Select a Discovery Request and click this button to create a copy of the request.

Delete

Select a Discovery Request and click this button to delete the request.

Start

Select a Discovery Request that is not running and is not scheduled to run at a different time, and click this button to start the request.

Stop

Select a Discovery Request that is running and click this button to stop the request.

Log

Select a Discovery Request and click this button to see a log of the results generated from the selected discovery request runs.

**TABLE 4-1** Discovery Requests Window Fields
Field	Description
Name	A name which you create for the request. You can have multiple requests with the same name.
Scheduled	"Yes" if the request is scheduled, "No" if not scheduled
Status	Reflects the current state of the discovery request. The states may be:
	New. A new request was added but has never been processed. Queued. A request has been sent to the server but processing has not yet started. Running. The request is currently being processed. Succeeded. The request has been successfully processed. Failed. Processing of the request has failed. Stopped. The user has stopped the process. 0 Host found. The request did not find any hosts that passed the filter limits.

**TABLE 4-2** Discovery Requests Window Buttons
Button	Description
Add	Click this button to create a new Discovery Request through the New Discovery Request window (FIGURE 4-2).
Modify	Select a Discovery Request and click this button to make changes.
Duplicate	Select a Discovery Request and click this button to create a copy of the request.
Delete	Select a Discovery Request and click this button to delete the request.
Start	Select a Discovery Request that is not running and is not scheduled to run at a different time, and click this button to start the request.
Stop	Select a Discovery Request that is running and click this button to stop the request.
Log	Select a Discovery Request and click this button to see a log of the results generated from the selected discovery request runs.

Initiating a Discovery Request

You can discover hosts by using the ping command or by using routing tables.

Note - Currently the Discovery feature is supported only for administrative domains and not for any subordinate groups. You can add requests only for an administrative domain.

Note - Read Appendix C before initiating a discovery request using routing tables. Appendix C explains the basic concepts of routing, network classes, and netmasks.

Note - For additional information, refer to your supplement. The supplement contains important platform-specific information about discovering objects.

To Initiate a Discovery Request

Click the Add button in the Discovery Requests window.

The New Discover Request window is displayed (FIGURE 4-3). The Discover tab is highlighted by default.

You can copy an existing discovery request by highlighting the existing request and clicking the Duplicate button. To edit the settings for the new discovery request, see "Modifying a Discovery Request".

FIGURE 4-3 New Discover Request Window

(Optional) Type a new name for your discovery request in the Request Name field.

Multiple requests are listed in the Discovery Requests window, enabling you to select a request and edit the related search pattern.

In the Discover Using field, select the method that should be used for discovering the network (Ping or Routing Table).

If you selected Ping, type the start and end IP addresses and netmask (FIGURE 4-3).

The discovery process uses the Ping command and searches for hosts and routers in the specified IP address range. It then places the hosts in the appropriate networks and subnets based on the netmask.
If you selected Routing Table, type the number of hops (the number of routers a packet goes through before reaching its destination).

The discovery process starts from the Topology manager/ Sun Management Center server host and goes through the specified number of hops to report subnets and hosts n hops away. The number of hops limits the "distance" of destination hosts from the host on which the Topology manager or Sun Management Center server is running.

Note - Routing Table discovery requests require that you run an SNMP agent at port 161. This can be a Sun Management Center agent, snmpdx, or any SNMP agent provided by your network management package.

For more information on routing tables, see Appendix C.

Click the OK button to start the discovery process, or go to the other tabs in this window to customize your discovery request. See "Customizing Your Discovery Request".

When you start the discovery process:

The discovery process discovers all nodes that are running the Sun Management Center agent. The discovery process includes agent nodes that belong to another Sun Management Center server context. That is, nodes that are running Sun Management Center agents in a remote Sun Management Center server context are ignored.
Nodes that are not running a Sun Management Center agent are listed as ping hosts.
The discover process discovers all nodes running an SNMP agent, where the nodes are not connected to any Sun Management Center server. The information gathered for SNMP agents is very limited.

Note - Each discovery request is assigned a Request ID. This ID is an unique Sun Management Center internal identifier of the request. Therefore, the Request IDs are not in sequential order. The Request ID displays in the Request Details portion of the Discovery Requests Window.

Note - If a host is extremely busy, a discovery process that is gathering data for that host may time out. If a timeout occurs for a host that is a Sun Management Center agent, the host is reported as a ping host. If this happens, you may want to increase the SNMP timeout period. See ""Customizing Your Discovery Request"" for more information.

If a Sun Management Center server or agent is incorrectly reported to be a ping host, create a new icon by re-running discovery with larger timeout and retry values.

Customizing Your Discovery Request

You can customize your new discovery request by clicking on one of the four tabs on the New Discover Request window. The tabs are labeled Discover, Preferences, Filters, and Scheduling. TABLE 4-3 summarizes the tabs and the options for these tabs. (If you want to change an existing Discovery Request, see "Modifying a Discovery Request").

TABLE 4-3 Summary of Discovery Variables
Variable
Definition

Discover

Request Name

Descriptive name for this request, for example, "My Lab." This name is optional.

Discover Using

Ping: Sweeps all addresses within the range specified by a Start IP Address, an End IP Address, and netmask. Routing Table: Discovery Manager consults the routing table of the Sun Management Center server and determines its address, subnet address, and router(s). It proceeds from there to discover more routers, networks, and subnets.

Start IP Address
End IP Address

These parameters apply to ping discovery requests. They specify the address range within which the Discovery Manager tries to find hosts and routers.

Netmask

This parameter applies to ping discovery requests. It is used to segment networks into subnets.
To find out if your network is subnetted and the value of the netmask, check the /etc/netmasks file or the name service maps if you are using NIS (network information service) or DNS (domain name service).

Port

Port 161 is the default setting for Sun Management Center objects. The Discovery Manager also tries an alternate port that you can specify in the Also Check Port field. If neither port responds, the Discovery Manager concludes that the object is not running a Sun Management Center agent.

Preferences

Logging

Log discover request progress?

Setting this flag enables logging for that request. The discovery process places the log files in the /var/opt/SUNWsymon/cfg/discover directory. There is one log file per user-administrative domain. Currently, this directory is used for debugging only.

Ping

Timeout (sec.)

Amount of time (in seconds) that the Discovery Manager should wait for a response to a ping request before timing out.

Retries

Number of times the Discovery Manager should send a ping request before giving up.

SNMP

Timeout (sec.)

Amount of time that the Discovery Manager should wait for a response to a SNMP request before timing out.

Retries

Number of times the Discovery Manager should attempt a SNMP request.

Community String

One or more strings separated by the pipe (|) character. The default value is public.

General

Maximum Hosts

Maximum number of hosts that should be discovered.

Maximum Time (sec.)

Maximum amount of time (in seconds) of the discovery process in real time.

Filters

Criteria

Select Filter Criteria
Host Name or Label
Operating System
Platform Type
Modules

Filter by host name, operating system, or platform type. Filtering uses the grep command to search for the supplied value.

Filters

This field remains blank until you select a filter criteria. The contents of this field vary according to your selection(s). You can choose to include or exclude values in the filtering process. For host names, you specify names and wildcard characters. For operating systems and platform types, you select from pull-down menus.

Scheduling

Discover new hosts periodically?

If selected, then the specified discovery request is scheduled to run at the specified start time and frequency.

Settings

Start Time (hh:mm)

Specify the time (between 00:00 and 23:59) when discovery should be started.

Frequency

In the pull-down menu, select Hourly, Daily, Weekly, or Monthly.

Day of Week

In the pull-down menu, select the day when discovery should run.

Day of Month (1..28)

Specify the (numerical) day of the month when discovery should run. You cannot enter a day unless you have selected Monthly as the frequency.

**TABLE 4-3** Summary of Discovery Variables
Variable	Definition
Discover
Request Name	Descriptive name for this request, for example, "My Lab." This name is optional.
Discover Using	Ping: Sweeps all addresses within the range specified by a Start IP Address, an End IP Address, and netmask. Routing Table: Discovery Manager consults the routing table of the Sun Management Center server and determines its address, subnet address, and router(s). It proceeds from there to discover more routers, networks, and subnets.
Start IP Address End IP Address	These parameters apply to ping discovery requests. They specify the address range within which the Discovery Manager tries to find hosts and routers.
Netmask	This parameter applies to ping discovery requests. It is used to segment networks into subnets. To find out if your network is subnetted and the value of the netmask, check the `/etc/netmasks` file or the name service maps if you are using NIS (network information service) or DNS (domain name service).
Port	Port 161 is the default setting for Sun Management Center objects. The Discovery Manager also tries an alternate port that you can specify in the Also Check Port field. If neither port responds, the Discovery Manager concludes that the object is not running a Sun Management Center agent.
Preferences
Logging
Log discover request progress?	Setting this flag enables logging for that request. The discovery process places the log files in the `/var/opt/SUNWsymon/cfg/discover` directory. There is one log file per user-administrative domain. Currently, this directory is used for debugging only.
Ping
Timeout (sec.)	Amount of time (in seconds) that the Discovery Manager should wait for a response to a ping request before timing out.
Retries	Number of times the Discovery Manager should send a ping request before giving up.
SNMP
Timeout (sec.)	Amount of time that the Discovery Manager should wait for a response to a SNMP request before timing out.
Retries	Number of times the Discovery Manager should attempt a SNMP request.
Community String	One or more strings separated by the pipe (\|) character. The default value is public.
General
Maximum Hosts	Maximum number of hosts that should be discovered.
Maximum Time (sec.)	Maximum amount of time (in seconds) of the discovery process in real time.
Filters
Criteria
Select Filter Criteria Host Name or Label Operating System Platform Type Modules	Filter by host name, operating system, or platform type. Filtering uses the `grep` command to search for the supplied value.
Filters	This field remains blank until you select a filter criteria. The contents of this field vary according to your selection(s). You can choose to include or exclude values in the filtering process. For host names, you specify names and wildcard characters. For operating systems and platform types, you select from pull-down menus.
Scheduling
Discover new hosts periodically?	If selected, then the specified discovery request is scheduled to run at the specified start time and frequency.
Settings
Start Time (hh:mm)	Specify the time (between 00:00 and 23:59) when discovery should be started.
Frequency	In the pull-down menu, select Hourly, Daily, Weekly, or Monthly.
Day of Week	In the pull-down menu, select the day when discovery should run.
Day of Month (1..28)	Specify the (numerical) day of the month when discovery should run. You cannot enter a day unless you have selected Monthly as the frequency.

To Customize a Discovery Request

You can specify limits for the New Discover Request window through the Preferences and Filters tabs. You can also schedule the new discovery request to run periodically through the Scheduling tab.

Click the Preferences tab.

The New Discover Request Preferences window is displayed (FIGURE 4-4).

FIGURE 4-4 New Discover Request Preferences Window

Type your selections in the Logging, PING, SNMP, and General fields.

TABLE 4-3 lists the variables in the New Discover Request Preferences window.

Click the Filters tab.

The New Discover Request window is displayed (FIGURE 4-5).

FIGURE 4-5 New Discover Request Window

Click a checkbox to include host names, operating system, platform type, or module in the filter process.

In TABLE 4-4, below, you will find a list of the buttons under the Filters tab.

**TABLE 4-4** Buttons under Filters Tab
Button	Description
Include	Enables a feature be included in the filter process.
Exclude	Enables a feature to be excluded during the filter process.
Add	Enables a feature to be added to the filter process.
Delete	Enables a feature to be deleted from the filter process.
OK	Confirms your actions
Close	Closes this window.

By default, the options on this tab are greyed out. If the checkbox next to an option is checked, the buttons become activated. For example, if you check Modules, you can use the scrollable menu to highlight a loaded module. You can then choose whether you want to include or exclude this module in the filter, and then add it to the field next to the Add and Delete buttons.

Once you have defined the filter, click the OK button to confirm your selection.

You can now set filters in one of the following ways:

The Filters tab in the New Discovery Request window
Filter Manager under the Tools menu option in the console window

Note - If you use a filter, the discovery finds only hosts running the Sun Management Center agent.

Click the Scheduling tab.

The New Discover Request Scheduling window is displayed (FIGURE 4-6).

FIGURE 4-6 New Discover Request Scheduling Window

If you want to schedule automatic discoveries, click the button for "Periodically discover new hosts?" and customize the settings in the Settings area of the window.

When you have finished your edits, click OK to save the new discovery request, or click Cancel to cancel your changes.

If you click OK and you have not selected Periodically discover new hosts in the Scheduling tab, a pop-up dialog is displayed, offering several choices for running the new discovery request.

To save the discovery request and begin running it periodically at the scheduled times, click Yes.

If your discovery request has already been scheduled, no confirmation dialog window will appear.

To save the discovery request, but not schedule it to run, click No.
To cancel the new discovery request without saving it, click Cancel.

Click Close to exit the window.

Modifying a Discovery Request

If you have previously created a periodic discovery request, you can change the search patterns for that discovery request through the Discovery Requests window (FIGURE 4-2).

To Modify a Discovery Request

Select Tools

Discover in the main console window (FIGURE 4-1).

The Discovery Requests window is displayed.

Find and select the name of the discovery request you want to modify.

Click the Modify button.

The Edit Discover Request window is displayed. As confirmation, the top bar of the window displays the ID of the request and the Description field displays the name of the request.

Select the Discover, Preferences, Filters, and Scheduling tabs and in turn, change settings as needed.

Complete this procedure with one of the following actions:

Click OK to accept the changes you have made and close this window.
Click Cancel to cancel your request.

If you click OK, a pop-up dialog is displayed, offering several choices for running the modified discovery request.

Exit from the window:

To start the discovery request and run it immediately, click Yes.
To schedule the discovery request, but not run it immediately, click No.
To cancel the running of the discovery request entirely, click Cancel.

Starting, Stopping, or Deleting a
Discovery Request

If you have previously created a discovery request, you can start, stop, or delete it through the Discovery Requests window (FIGURE 4-2).

To Start, Stop, or Delete a Discovery Request