Before discovering the network, the requirements in the following checklist must be completed. Each chapter in this guide includes a checklist. For ease of use, the checklists are all grouped together in Appendix E, “Design and Deployment Checklists.”
| Complete |
Task |
Description |
Related documentation |
|---|---|---|---|
| Initial Discovery |
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| Define a method for the initial topology discovery. |
o Use a comprehensive seed file without autodiscovery. o Use autodiscovery with a seed file or an agent. Document the method in the deployment build guide. |
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| Topology Maintenance and Subsequent Discovery |
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| Define a schedule for full discovery. |
Define a regular schedule for full discovery. Choose a time of relative inactivity. Document the schedule in the deployment build guide. Include crontab or sm_sched control file entries if used. |
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| Define a schedule for pending discovery. |
Define a regular schedule for pending discovery. Choose a time of relative inactivity. Document the schedule in the deployment build guide. Include crontab or sm_sched control file entries if these utilities are used. |
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| Determine if autodiscovery is appropriate. |
Document choice in the deployment build guide. |
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| Choose a method for adding devices to the topology. |
o Seed file without autodiscovery. o Agent without autodiscovery. o Use autodiscovery with a seed file or an agent. Document choice in the deployment build guide. |
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| Prepare seed file or choose agent. |
If a seed file will be used to add devices to the topology, obtain a list of devices with names or IP addresses. Document how to obtain the list or the location of the list in the deployment build guide. If an agent will be used instead, document the IP address or name of the agent. |
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| Define discovery filters. |
If autodiscovery is enabled, configure autodiscovery filters. These are inclusive filters that add devices to the topology. Document the autodiscovery filter criteria in the deployment build guide. |
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| Define an exclude filter. |
To exclude specific devices, use the exclude filter in the discovery.conf file. This simplifies creation of the autodiscovery filters. Document exclude filter entries in the deployment build guide. |
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| Obtain SNMP security parameters per device. |
Domain Managers use SNMP to poll the device agents. In order to do this, the Domain Manager needs the appropriate security information for the SNMP version: v1 and v2c use read community strings for every SNMPv1/v2c device that will be managed; v3 uses the username, SNMP engine ID (optional), authentication protocol and password (currently VMware, Inc. supports MD5 and SHA authentication protocols), privacy protocol and password (currently VMware, Inc. supports AES and DES privacy protocols), and context name, if used. These parameters will be needed during discovery. Document in the deployment build guide if permitted. |
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| Open necessary firewall ports. |
If there is a firewall between any portions of the management infrastructure, certain TCP and UDP ports in the firewall must be opened for proper communications:
Document the opened ports in the deployment build guide. |
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| Provide access to network devices to manage. |
For each device that the IP Manager will monitor, the device’s access list must include the IP address of the hosts where the IP Managers are installed. An IP Manager must have full access to browse the MIBs of the devices. Document in the deployment build guide. |
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| Ensure DNS is properly configured. |
For the IP Manager to name devices in its topology correctly, the DNS needs to be clean (proper forward and reverse lookup). If DNS is not used, use of an /etc/hosts file or not doing any name resolution at all can be considered. |
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| Determine if discovery postprocessing is required. |
Determine if discovery postprocessing using ASL rule sets will be used. Document in the deployment build guide. |
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| List unreachable IP addresses |
If there are groups of IP addresses that are NOT normally reachable, assemble a list of IP ranges or some matching criteria so that the IP Manager will not unnecessarily ping these addresses. Document these addresses in the deployment build guide. |
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