8 Working with Incremental TMF814 Discovery

This chapter explains how to design a discovery action that allows Oracle Communications Network Integrity to discover only the network elements that have changed in the network since the last discovery scan.

About Incremental TMF814 Discovery

Incremental TMF814 discovery enables Network Integrity to discover only the network elements, such as managed elements (MEs), topological kinks (TLs), and subnetwork connections (SNCs), that have changed in the network since the last discovery scan; thus, avoiding the need to discover the entire network.

The NetworkIntegritySDK cartridge project contains an abstract action that makes up the framework for incremental TMF814 discovery.

Using the Design Studio for Integrity feature, extend cartridges to run incremental discovery using the abstract incremental discovery action.

After you deploy your cartridges with the new implementation into the run-time application, users of Network Integrity can configure scans that discover only the network elements that have changed in the network since the previous discovery scan.

About the Incremental TMF814 Discovery Solution

This section describes the components and the framework that make up the incremental TMF814 discovery. Also, this section identifies reference implementations that you can use as examples to help create your own solution.

Action and Processors

The NetworkIntegritySDK cartridge project contains an abstract discovery action called Abstract Incremental Discovery, which contains the framework for incremental TMF814 discovery.

The Abstract Incremental Discovery action has the following processor:

  • Incremental Discovery Initializer: This processor validates the scan parameters and verifies whether the scan is enabled for incremental scan.

Copying Information From Previous Scan Results

The NetworkIntegritySDK cartridge project contains the framework that copies the information from previous scan results. The EntityCopier object provides the extensible interface that the copier entities extend. The EntityCopierFactory object generates the copier instances.

Table 8-1 lists the copier objects used to copy information from the results of the previous scan.

Table 8-1 Copier Objects From Previous Scan Results

Entity Name Entity Copier

DeviceInterfaceConfigurationItem

DeviceInterfaceConfigItemCopier

DeviceInterface

DeviceInterfaceCopier

Equipment

EquipmentCopier

EquipmentHolder

EquipmentHolderCopier

InventoryGroup

InventoryGroup

LogicalDeviceConfigurationItem

LogicalDeviceConfigItemCopier

LogicalDevice

LogicalDeviceCopier

MediaInterface

MediaInterfaceCopier

PhysicalDevice

PhysicalDeviceCopier

PhysicalPort

PhysicalPortCopier

Pipe

PipeCopier

PipeTerminationPoint

PipeTerminationPointCopier

TrailPath

TrailPathCopier

You must create your own copier objects for any custom entities in your custom cartridge projects. Then you must modify the EntityCopier object to implement custom copier objects. Then you must extend the EntityCopierFactory object to add the new copiers.

The EntityCopier interface has the following methods:

  • copyEntity(T entity) - create a new T entity and copy all its attributes & specification characteristics from T entity.

  • deepCopyEntity(T entity) - create a new T entity and copy all its attributes, calls the deepCopyEntity() for its child entities to be created.

    For example, deepCopyEntity() of LogicalDeviceCopier, return new LogicalDevice with its complete hierarchy which includes MediaInterfaces, Device Interfaces, LogicalDeviceConfigurationItems, children of MediaInterfaces, DeviceInterfaces as similar to the givenLogicalDevice entity. CopyEntity() of LogicalDevice returns the new LogicalDevice entity by copying all attributes and specification characteristic from the given LogicalDevice entity.

Scan Parameter Groups and the Network Integrity UI

NetworkIntegritySDK contains a scan parameter group called IncrementalScanParameter. This scan parameter group adds the Incremental Scan check box to the Network Integrity UI Scan Configuration screen.

Reference Implementations

The Network Integrity Incremental TMF814 Discovery cartridge demonstrates a complete reference implementation of incremental TMF814 discovery. The Incremental TMF814 Discovery cartridge includes the IncrementalScanParameter scan parameter group.

Implementing Incremental TMF814 Discovery

This section assumes that you already have valid, deployable cartridges that perform discovery, import, and discrepancy detection, to which you are adding incremental TMF814 discovery. You can implement incremental TMF814 discovery in a sealed cartridge solution.

Implementing Incremental TMF814 Discovery in a Sealed Cartridge Solution

See the Design Studio for Network Integrity Help for information about any of the steps in this section.

To implement incremental TMF814 discovery when working with a sealed cartridge:

  1. Create a new cartridge.

  2. Add the following dependencies to the new cartridge:

    • All sealed and unsealed cartridges being extended by the new cartridge

      Note:

      The new cartridge needs to extend a discovery action and a discrepancy detection action. These actions may belong to one or more cartridges. At least one of these cartridges is sealed.

    • ora_ni_uim_device

    • NetworkIntegritySDK

    • Address Handler

  3. Create a new discovery action in the new cartridge.

  4. For the new discovery action:

    • Specify IPAddressHandler as the address handler.

    • Specify Device as the result category.

    • Add discoveryAction as a processor.

      Where discoveryAction is a discovery action from another cartridge.

    • Add Abstract Incremental Discovery action as a processor.

    • Add the IncrementalScanParameter scan parameter group.

    • Add or create any additional scan parameter groups required to configure the new discovery action.

  5. Complete and customize the incremental discovery implementation for the new cartridge.

  6. Save and close all files.

  7. Build, deploy, and test your cartridge.