Using Filters

Filters enable you to act on objects according to some criteria that you define, rather than having to explicitly select those objects.

To Define a Filter

1. Click the New Filter button in the Manage Jobs window.

   The New Filter window appears.

2. Type a name in the Filter Name field.

   This name should describe the filter, such as Solaris8.

   The next several steps explain how to define various filtering criteria. These criteria are used together to select the objects. For example, if you define a platform filter and an operating system filter, the managed object would need to match both criteria to be selected.

3. To choose objects based on their labels, select Filter on Object Label and type a text string to be matched.

   To control the level of matching that occurs, use one of the following keywords:

   • Contains – Equivalent to *text*, matches any object whose label contains the specified string. Contains is the default behavior.

   • Starts with – Equivalent to text*, matches any object whose label starts with the specified string.

   • Ends with – Equivalent to *text, matches any object whose label ends with the specified string.

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   Tip –

   For an exact match, type the text string, then click Exact Match.

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4. To choose objects based on the hardware platform, select Filter on Platform Types.

   1. Select the platform type from the list on the left.

   2. To add this type to the filtering criteria, click the Add button.

   3. To exclude rather than include objects based on the platform type, select Exclude.

   4. To remove a platform filter, select the platform type in the list on the right, then click the Remove button.

5. To choose objects based on the operating environment, select Filter on Operating Systems.

   1. Select the operating environment from the list on the left.

   2. To add this operating environment to the filtering criteria, click the Add button.

   3. To exclude rather than include objects based on the operating environment, select Exclude.

   4. To remove an operating environment filter, select the operating environment from the list on the right. Then, click the Remove button.

6. To choose objects based on the modules that are loaded on that system, select Filter on Modules Loaded.

   1. Select the module from the list on the left.

      For example, to include all systems on which the Kernel Reader is loaded, select Kernel Reader (Simple).

   2. To add this module to the filtering criteria, click the Add button.

   3. To exclude rather than include objects based on the loaded modules, select Exclude.

   4. To remove a module filter, select the module from the list on the right, then click Remove.

7. To choose objects based on their IP addresses, click the box next to Filter on IP Addresses.

   1. Type an IP address from which to start including objects.

      For example, to include only those objects whose IP address is between 186.255.255.240 and 186.255.255.254, you would type 186.255.255.240.

   2. Type an IP address at which to stop including objects.

      For example, to include only those objects whose IP address is between 186.255.255.240 and 186.255.255.254, you would type 186.255.255.254.

8. (Optional) Type a description for this filter.

9. To confirm the definition of this filter, click Add Filter.

   You remain in the New Filter window to define additional filters.

   To clear the data for the existing filter so that you can define another filter, click Reset Form.

10. When you have finished defining your filters, click Close to close the New Filter window.

To Modify a Filter

1. In the Manage Jobs window, click the New Filter button.

2. In the New Filter window, select the filter that you want to change in the Current Filters list.

3. Make the necessary changes.

   See Using Filters for more information about filters.

4. To save your changes, click Update Filter.

5. To close the New Filter window, click Close.

6. To apply the changed filter, click Update Job in the Manage Jobs window.

To Delete a Filter

1. In the Manage Jobs window, click New Filter.

2. In the New Filter window, select the task that you want to delete from the list of Current Filters.

   A deletion confirmation window appears to remind you that deleting the filter is a permanent action.

3. To permanently delete the filter, click Delete.