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Utilities in Dell OpenManage™ IT Assistant

Dell OpenManage™ IT Assistant Version 8.0 User's Guide

  IT Assistant Import Node List Utility

  Database Management Utility

  Simple Network Management Protocol Event Source Import Utility

IT Assistant has three utilities:

• Import Node List Utility
  
  
• Database Management Utility
  
  
• Simple Network Management Protocol (SNMP) Event Source Import Utility
  
  

IT Assistant Import Node List Utility

The Import Node List utility allows you to create a file that defines a discovery list comprised of managed devices, IP addresses, or IP address ranges. This utility supports any type of address that you can enter through the IT Assistant user interface. The IT Assistant import node utility uses the file to quickly import the list into IT Assistant. Using this utility provides:

• A convenient method for those users who have their network configuration already mapped-out in files and want to quickly import this configuration into IT Assistant
  
  
• A very targeted discovery, rather than specifying a general subnet for discovery, such as 10.34.56.*
  
  

To use the Import Node List utility, follow these general steps:

1. Create a file containing the list of discovery addresses and/or system names that you want to import.
   
   

For each entry in the file, you must specify the protocol settings (such as the SNMP protocol's community name). To provide this information to IT Assistant, you must use a template. A template allows you to assign protocol settings to each entry in the file.

2. Define a template that will be applied to one or more discovery ranges. You define the template by entering a discovery range with the host name of default_template. The import node list utility applies the protocol settings defined in this template to each discovery item in the file.
   
   
3. Run the utility from the command line. (The import node utility is located in the IT Assistant /bin directory.) Specify the filename for the file you created and, optionally, the template name. You can also specify the template name in the file. For example:
   
   

importnodelist nodelist.txt

The following options are available and may be specified in any order after the filename:

-delete — This option causes the template(s) used to be automatically deleted after the utility successfully imports the node list.

-default <templatename> — Allows for a different default template name to be used. The default name is default_template.

See sample commands for more information.

4. Restart IT Assistant Services.
   
   

You can use a default template to import a discovery list into IT Assistant. To import a list of nodes, perform the following steps:

1. Create a file by using the following format (do not include the <begin_file> or <end_file> specifiers):
   
   

<begin_file>

#This is a comment (a "#" sign at the beginning of the line means to #ignore the line).

23.45.65.34

23.45.65.35

hostname1

hostname2

23.34.55.*

12.34.56.20-30

<end_file>

The last line of the file must have a line feed in it. You can also use any combination of the subnet formats supported by the IT Assistant user interface. It is important to make sure that each entry is the correct format because the import node list utility does not check and validate the format for you.

2. Save the file and specify a filename, for example, nodelist.txt.
   
   

Sample Import Node List Utility Commands

Import the nodes from the file nodelist.txt:

importnodelist nodelist.txt

Delete the templates used after a successful import:

importnodelist -delete

Import the nodes from the file nodelist.txt, delete the templates used after a successful import, and use "my_template" as the default template name:

importnodelist nodelist.txt -delete -default my_template

Creating Templates

To create a template for import node list utility, follow these general steps:

1. In Discovery and Monitoring, select Ranges.
   
   
2. Right-click Include Ranges in the Discovery Ranges tree and select New Include Range....
   
   
3. In the New Discovery Wizard-Step 1 of 6, select Host Name.
   
   
4. Enter the template name in Host Name (for example, template_1).
   
   
5. Complete the wizard by entering the required protocol configurations.
   
   

Template_1 can be used in import node list utility.

Using Multiple Templates

The import node list utility supports the use of multiple templates, where different entries in the file may each use different protocol settings and require different templates. The following import file provides an example for using multiple templates:

<begin_file>

#This is a comment (a "#" sign at the beginning of the line means to ignore #the line).

23.45.65.34,template1

23.45.65.35,template1

hostname1

hostname2,template2

23.34.55.*,template2

12.34.56.20-30

<end_file>

In this example, the first two entries use a template named template1, while entries four and five use a template named template2. The rest of the entries use the default template. In this example, you must enter the discovery configuration ranges (from the IT Assistant user interface) of "default_template", "template1", and "template2" and configure their protocol settings appropriately (perhaps they have different SNMP community names). Note that any name may be used for a template name, even an IP address or subnet range. However, Dell recommends that you use names that allow for easy identification as templates.

Saving Templates

If multiple templates are needed to correctly configure a file of node entries, it is possible to set up the templates in IT Assistant, then export the settings for backup or some other purpose. The database management utility, dcdbmng.exe, is located in IT Assistant's /bin directory. This utility allows you to import, export, and clear IT Assistant database tables. To export templates, perform the following steps:

1. Configure all required templates in IT Assistant.
   
   
2. Export the table that contains all entered templates. Navigate to IT Assistant's /bin directory and double-click dcdbmng.exe. The database management utility interface starts. On the left tree, navigate to the Discovery Configuration table. Right-click this tree node and select Export Table. Enter a name for the file to export to.
   
   

The file containing the templates can now be imported to another IT Assistant installation. You can also restore the file to a new IT Assistant installation by using the Import Table option (right click the table name in the database management utility). When the templates are imported, you can run the import node list utility on the accompanying file of node entries.

Leaving Templates in IT Assistant

If template names are addresses that are not discoverable (for example, it is unlikely that a host name such as "default_template" exists), the templates may remain in IT Assistant. IT Assistant tries to discover the item, but no results occur from the attempted discovery. If many templates are used, it is recommended that you delete the templates to avoid wasting IT Assistant discovery cycles on nondiscoverable addresses.

Database Management Utility

The Dell OpenManage IT Assistant Database Management Utility has two implementations: a graphical user interface (GUI) and a command line interface. Both versions of the utility allow users to perform operations on databases and tables that reside in the IT Assistant data repository.

NOTE: The IT Assistant 6.x database schema is not directly compatible with the IT Assistant 7.x database schema. Only certain tables in the IT Assistant 6.x database schema will be migrated, such as discovery configuration, global configuration, and alert action tables. The database schema can only be migrated during an upgrade of IT Assistant.

NOTE: IT Assistant does not support a direct upgrade from version 6.x to version 8.0. You will be required to first upgrade IT Assistant version 6.x to 7.0 and then to IT Assistant version 8.0.

You must start the GUI version of the Database Management Utility separately from IT Assistant. When you start the utility, a window opens that contains database and table management functions. The command line application performs the functions of the GUI utility along with a few others.

Using the Command Line Database Management Utility

At a command prompt, change directory to \Program Files\Dell\SysMgt\IT Assistant\bin.

Type dcdbmng followed by a switch that specifies the command you want. To see a list of valid switches, type:

dcdbmng /h

OR

dcdbmng /H

OR

dcdbmng /?

NOTE: Type a space between the dcdbmng command and the / (forward slash).

This command displays a dialog box that lists commands that you can use to do the following:

• Install the appropriate database engine (Microsoft® Data Engine (MSDE) for IT Assistant version 7.x and earlier or SQL Server 2005 Express for IT Assistant version 8.0).
  
  
• Start and stop the database engine.
  
  
• Attach and detach database files to and from the database engine.
  
  
• Import and export tables and databases.
  
  

NOTE: Due to the differences in the way that Microsoft encrypts data between operating system versions, exporting IT Assistant database tables with encrypted passwords from one version of a Microsoft operating system (for example, Windows 2000) and importing into another version (for example, Windows 2003) is not supported.

• Clear tables.
  
  
• Restore data for the global IT Assistant configuration or the event management system configuration only.
  
  

Help

• Command: dcdbmng /h or dcdbmng /H or dcdbmng /?
  
  
• Description: Displays the command line options.
  
  

Attach Database

• Command: dcdbmng /A path or dcdbmng /a path
  
  
• Description: Attaches the single database file specified by path to the SQL Server 2005 Express or the Microsoft SQL 2005 Server.
  
  

Clear Table

• Command: dcdbmng /Z tablename or dcdbmng /z tablename
  
  
• Description: Removes all the rows from the specified table, but does not delete the table.
  
  

Detach Database

• Command: dcdbmng /R or dcdbmng /r
  
  
• Description: Detaches the attached database file from the SQL Server 2005 Express or the SQL 2005 Server.
  
  

NOTE: The detached database file remains in the location from where it was attached to the SQL Server 2005 Express or the SQL 2005 Server.

Export Table

• Command: dcdbmng /E tablename filename or dcdbmng /e tablename filename
  
  
• Description: Exports the data in the table specified by tablename to the flat text file specified by filename. If the flat text file does not exist, the utility creates it. If filename does not include path information, the utility creates the file in the local directory.
  
  

Export Database

Command: dcdbmng /X path or dcdbmng /x path

Description: Exports data from all tables in the database to flat text files in the location specified by path.

NOTE: The utility creates the files in the location specified by path in the format of tablename.txt.

Import Table

• Command: dcdbmng /I tablename path [migrate] or dcdbmng /i tablename path [migrate]
  
  
• Description: Imports data to the table specified by tablename from the flat text file specified in path.
  
  

Import Database

• Command: dcdbmng /M path or dcdbmng /m path
  
  
• Description: Imports data to all tables in the database from flat text files in the location specified by path.
  
  

Install MSDE

• Command: dcdbmng /N or dcdbmng /n
  
  
• Description: Silently installs MSDE.
  
  

NOTE: The MSDEx85.exe and iss files must be placed in the correct location.

Start Server

• Command: dcdbmng /T or dcdbmng /t
  
  
• Description: Starts the MSSQLServer service.
  
  

Stop Server

• Command: dcdbmng /P or dcdbmng /p
  
  
• Description: Stops the MSSQLServer service.
  
  

Suppress Messages

When you run the Database Management Utility as a command line application, you receive messages when commands succeed or fail. The command to suppress messages halts these notifications.

• Command: dcdbmng /S
  
  
• Description: Runs without displaying any messages (whether the action was successful or unsuccessful). This command is useful if you are running the utility from a batch file.
  
  

NOTE: Using /S with no other option causes the command to be ignored.

Simple Network Management Protocol Event Source Import Utility

You can import multiple event sources, not natively supported in IT Assistant, into the IT Assistant database.

Create a text file containing the appropriate event source information. After creation, this text file will not be available for sharing between multiple users of the product.

Run a Command Line Interface (CLI) utility (you can find the this utility in <install folder of IT Assistant>/bin) to import the text file data into the IT Assistant database.

Ensure that the text file format complies with the following formatting rules:

1. The format for the usage of the utility must be:
   
   

ImportEventSources.exe <fully qualified path\filename>

2. All values of a particular Event Source must be bar-separated.
   
   
3. Each Event Source entry must be on a separate line.
   
   
4. The format of entries for each Event Source must be:
   
   

<EventCategoryName>|<EventSourceName>|<Severity>|<Format String>|<SNMPEnterpriseOID>|<SNMPGenericTrapID>|<SNMPSpecificTrapID> |<EventPackageName>

5. The format for severity strings by value must be: <ObjectId>,<ObjectValue>,<Severity>;<ObjectId1>,<ObjectValue1>,
   <Severity1>
   
   
6. EventSourceName cannot be NULL or an empty string.
   
   

NOTE: If the EventCategoryName is an empty string, the category is defaulted to Other. If the category name does not match any of the pre-defined category types in IT Assistant, a new Event Category is created with the category name that you enter.

NOTE: If the severity string entered in the input file does not match the pre-defined severity strings, an appropriate error message is displayed.

NOTE: A combination of EnterpriseOID, Generic TrapID, and SpecificTrapID for each event should be unique. Also, the combination of EventSourceName and EventPackageName is validated to check if the entry is unique.

NOTE: Enter two consecutive bars (" || ") to represent NULL or empty strings.

The following is a sample MIB entry.

-- Lower Critical threshold crossed

asfTrapFanSpeedProblem TRAP-TYPE

ENTERPRISE asfPetEvts

DESCRIPTION

"Generic Critical Fan Failure"

--#SUMMARY "Generic Critical Fan Failure"

--#ARGUMENTS {}

--#SEVERITY CRITICAL

::= 262402

The conversion process is as follows:

EventCategory : Environmental

NOTE: IT Assistant has a set of pre-defined categories (Environmental, General Redundancy, Keyboard-Video-Mouse (KVM), Memory, Physical Disk, Power, Printers, Processor, Security, Storage Enclosure, Storage Peripheral, Storage Software, System Events, Tape, Virtual Disk, and Other). The event could fall under any of these categories. However, a new category can also be created.

EventSourceName : asfTrapFanSpeedProblem

Severity : Critical [--#SEVERITY]

NOTE: IT Assistant categorizes events under the following categories: Ok, Warning, Critical, Information, and Unknown.

Format String : Generic Critical Fan Failure [--#SUMMARY]

EnterpriseOID : .1.3.6.1.4.1.3183.1.1 (To get the EnterpriseOID, compile the MIB, in this case "DcAsfSrv.mib," in MG-Soft or any other MIB browser.)

GenericTrapId : 6

SpecificTrapId : 262402 [::=]

EventPackageName : ASF (You can get this information from the MIB. Open the MIB. The EventPackageName is displayed within [--Begin Definition].)

If there is no package present under which the EventSource falls, you can provide a new category name.

The final entry in the text file will be similar to:

Environmental|asfTrapFanSpeedProblem|Critical|Generic Critical Fan Failure|.1.3.6.1.4.1.3183.1.1|6|262402|ASF

NOTE: In case the import file contains a non-existing category, the category will be created.

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