Auto-Configuration of Managed Devices

Description

Netreo's auto-configuration rules allow for the automatic configuration of managed device properties (such as device groups, device types/subtypes, etc.) on newly discovered devices. Using theserules to set device groups and subtypes allow even further automatic configuration through the use of device templates. By creating a comprehensive set of auto-configuration rules and coupling them with a well-developed device template strategy, the onboarding of new devices can be almost entirely automated.

Each rule may include complex combinations of device attributes that must be matched (or not matched) to identify the devices to which that rule should be applied. This flexibility allows you to create exactly the rules you need for your environment. Any number of rules may be created.

The Auto-Configuration Parameters Administration page is where the auto-configuration rules are built and managed. It contains a table of all the rules currently available to be applied to new devices.

To open the Auto-Configuration Parameters Administration page navigate to Administration > Change Devices > Auto-Configuration Parameters.

The NAME of a rule is determined by the value of the property being set by the rule when it is configured.

The TYPE of a rule is determined by which device property the rule is trying to set.

The STATUS column indicates whether a rule is currently enabled or disabled. To disable/re-enable a rule select the stop/play button (respectively) in the ACTIONS column of the rule.

The rules are applied in the order in which they appear in the Current Auto-Configuration table. Individual rules can be dragged and dropped to a different position in the table using the handle to the left of the rule name. Remember to select Save Order after you're finished moving any rules.

Only enabled rules are used when auto-configuring a device. If a device is affected by conflicting rules, the last rule applied wins.

To add a new rule to the list select Add an Auto-Configuration Rule. The dialog that appears allows you to choose which device property to set and allows you to specify as many device attributes as you need to correctly identify the devices on which that property should be set (values are not case-sensitive, limit of 255 characters). Select Save when finished to add the rule to the list.

To edit an existing rule, select the edit icon in the rule's ACTIONS column.

Device Attributes

The following device attributes are available for determining if a device qualifies to have a rule run on it. Some attributes support regular expressions as values and some are exact match only (as indicated in the table below).

Device Properties

The following properties may be set for a newly discovered device.

Excluding Devices

If you wish to exclude devices from being added to Netreo via its subnet scanner, there is a filter field above the auto-configuration rules table that allows for this.

Device matching is based on the device name as supplied by the device. The filter accepts regular expressions (not case-sensitive) that can be as complex as necessary to identify the desired devices. When a device with a name that matches the filter expression is detected by Netreo, that device will not be added to Netreo for monitoring.

The IP address of a skipped device will still be checked occasionally by the subnet scanner in the event that the address is recycled for a different device.

If you use this feature, the only way you will be able to add devices to Netreo with names matching the expression will be to use the Manual Add (not Quick Add) or Import Devices options.

If you enter an expression in the field, or make any changes to an existing expression, you must select Update (to the right of the field) for the changes to be applied to Netreo's subnet scanner.