Device Info File : Format of a device info file
  
Format of a device info file
This section describes the device info file format and required fields:
• Header
• Comments
• Delimiter
• Required fields
• Field descriptions
For instructions about generating a starter file that contains required header information and column headers, see Importing and exporting device entries.
Header
The following header information must be present at the top of the device info file:
//DEVICEINFO FILE FORMAT VERSION <device_info_version>
where <device_info_version> is the device info file version. Version 9.0 corresponds to NetIM 18.0.0. For example:
//DEVICEINFO FILE FORMAT VERSION 9.0
NetIM provides backwards compatibility with device info file versions from prior VNE Server releases.
If you want to populate the deviceSets field in a device info file, you must first create the device sets in NetIM then export a device info file to generate the needed header definitions. See Example Exported Device Info File—Advanced Export for an example of the header information required if you want to populate the deviceSets field in a device info file.
You can create a correctly formatted text file with needed header information by performing an export from the Device Manager in the web UI. No device entries are needed. For more information, see Importing and exporting device entries.
Comments
Lines that start with # sign are interpreted as comments during import.
Delimiter
The delimiter for imported/exported device info files
Valid field delimiters are tab, comma, and semicolon.
Required fields
The data fields required in your input file depend on whether you are performing a simple or advanced file import:
• Advanced Import—All fields described in the following table must be present in a device info file for you to conduct an advanced import. Although all fields must be present in a device entry, all fields except the nodeName and hostAddress field can be left empty by using two consecutive delimiters (see Delimiter). If you do populate a field in the device entry, make sure that you provide a valid value for that field.
• Simple Import—Input files for simple import must contain nodeName and hostAddress. They may also contain deviceSets and comments. See the following table for descriptions of these fields and Figure: Example Exported Device Info File—Advanced Export for an example input file.
Regardless of whether you conduct a simple or advanced import, each device entry must contain nodeName and hostAddress and each must be populated with unique strings. If a device entry is missing the nodeName or hostAddress field or a duplicate is detected, the device entry will be skipped during import.
Field descriptions
The field descriptions in the following table are presented in order of appearance (from left to right) in the device info file. The order of appearance of data fields in the device info file differs from the display order in the Device Manager and not all fields display.
When importing the device info file, NetIM skips an entry if it does not contain the required fields or if it is considered to be a duplicate (based on nodeName or hostAddress).
When using advanced import, each entry (row) in the input file must contain all fields, but empty fields are also permitted. Fields that must be populated with a valid value for NetIM to successfully create a device entry are shown in bold text in the following table. All other fields may be left empty (two consecutive delimiters) but must be present in the input file.
The following table lists the data fields in the device info file.
No.
Field
Display name
Description
Valid values
1
deviceId
 
(hidden field) Unless you have been directed to do so by technical support, do not enable the import of Device ID when importing a device info file.
If you are instructed to import Device ID during a full import of a device info file, populate the field with values as follows:
new device entry—Set this to 0 or leave the field blank for each new device entry that you are adding to the Device Manager so that NetIM generates a unique deviceId when it imports the entry.
existing device entry—Use caution when you are updating existing device entries through file import. Each device entry in the Device Manager has a unique deviceId that is assigned by NetIM. When you export the device entries from the Device Manager to a file, NetIM writes existing device entries—each with an assigned deviceId—to a text file. You must retain these assigned deviceIds.
DO NOT modify the deviceId for an existing device entry.
Integer.
Set to 0 or leave this field blank when you create new device entries.
Do not modify values for exported device entries.
2
userId
 
(hidden field) Set this to 1 for all devices.
Integer. Set this to 1 for all device entries.
3
nodeName
Device Name
Specifies the hostname of the device. This must be unique for each entry.
Unique text string.
4
hostAddress
Access Address
Specifies the network address used to access the device. This must be unique for each entry.
Unique text string.
5
mergeID
Merge ID
Merge IDs have been deprecated in NetIM. If supplied in a device info file, this field is ignored when the file is imported.
Unique text string.
6
userName
CLI Username
Specifies the username for CLI login.
Text string.
7
password
Password
Specifies the password for CLI login. Does not display in the Device Manager. Stored in the database and exported as an encrypted string.
Text string.
8
privilegedPassword
Privileged Password
Specifies the password (if needed) to enter the privileged exec mode during a CLI session. Does not display in the Device Manager. Stored in the database and exported as an encrypted string.
Text string.
9
commString
Read Community String
Specifies the SNMP read community string. Does not display in the Device Manager. Stored in the database and exported as an encrypted string.
Text string.
10
deviceDriver
Driver
Specifies the device driver consisting of device console show commands that will be executed to collect data.
Must be an exact case sensitive match for a defined device driver.
11
loginScript
Login Script
Specifies the initial device prompt and a sequence of commands and expected responses for successful login to this device. Successful login is defined as logging into the device and entering the mode required to execute show commands, such as show running-config to obtain CLI data. For some devices, this means entering privileged or exec mode on the device. Login Scripts are adapter automatically determined by the Add/Discover Devices wizard
Must be an exact case sensitive match for a defined login script.
12
isActive
Active
Determines whether a device will be considered as a candidate for direct collection.
When a device entry is inactive it will be skipped by all direct collection adapters.
When active, the appropriate Collect flag ( Collect CLI, Collect SNMP, or Collect Metrics) will determine if the adapter collects data from that device.
TRUE|FALSE
13
isActiveDCFC
Collect CLI
When the Active flag is enabled for a device, the status of the Collect CLI flag determines whether NetIM can contact the device using CLI for AppNetwork Path Analysis.
TRUE|FALSE
14
isActiveDMCI
Collect SNMP
When the Active flag is enabled for a device, the status of the Collect SNMP flag determines whether the following adapters will attempt to collect from the device:
Device SNMP Configuration Import
Device SNMP MPLS TE Import
TRUE|FALSE
15
isActiveMIUI
Collect Metrics
When the Active flag is enabled for a device, the status of the Collect Metrics flag determines whether the SNMP MIB Poller will attempt to poll the device.
TRUE|FALSE
16
accessMethod
Access Method
Specifies the protocol used to access the device:
0 (Unknown)
1 (TELNET)
2 (SSHv1)
3 (SSHv2)
Integer with a value of: 0, 1, 2, or 3.
17
sysName
System Name
Specifies the system name by which the device is known in the NetIM database.
Leave this field blank when you create new device entries.
Do not modify values for exported device entries.
18
deviceSets
 
The deviceSets field identifies the device set membership for the device and is used to filter entries displayed in the Device Management view in the Device Manager.
A device set must first be created in NetIM. When NetIM creates a device set, it assigns an ID. When the deviceSets field is populated in a device entry, this field must contain a valid device set ID that corresponds to a device set that has already been created in NetIM or have a value of “none.”
Device set ID(s). A valid entry is an integer that corresponds to a device set that has already been created in NetIM. If a device belongs to more than one device set, separate the IDs using a #. See Figure: Example Exported Device Info File—Advanced Export for required header information if you want to populate this field in one or more device entries.
19
v3userName
Username
SNMP v3 username.
Leave these fields blank if you do not use SNMP v3.
20
contextID
Context ID
SNMP v3 Context ID.
21
contextName
Context Name
SNMP v3 Context Name.
22
v3AuthProt
Authentication Protocol
SNMP v3 Authentication Protocol.
23
v3SecurityLevel
Security Level
SNMP v3 Security Level.
24
v3AuthPassword
Authentication Password
SNMP v3 Authentication Password.
25
v3PrivProt
Privacy Protocol
SNMP v3 Privacy Protocol.
26
v3PrivPassword
Privacy Password
SNMP v3 Privacy Password.
27
permissions
N/A
This field should be set to none for all devices.
Do not modify this field for exported device entries.
Set to none when creating new device entries.
28
isActiveDWCI
 
 
TRUE|FALSE

29
wmiUserName
 
 
 
30
wmiPassword
 
 
31
wmiDomainName
 
 
32
timeZone1
Time Zone
Specifies the time zone associated with a device. If you do not specify a time zone, the default time zone (defined in the Basic Setup wizard) is automatically assigned.
A valid timeZone. Must be an exact case-sensitive match for a TimeZone ID listed in <install_dir>/input/ DeviceInfoReference/ TimeZone_IDs.csv.
33
countryCodea
Country
Used to define geographic location. Specifies the country in which a device is located.
A valid countryCode. Must be an exact case-sensitive match for a country_code listed in <install_dir>/input/ DeviceInfoReference/ Country_and_Region_ Reference_Codes.csv.
34
regionIDa
Region
Used to define geographic location. Specifies the region in which a device is located.
A valid regionID for the specified countryCode. Must be an exact case-sensitive match for a region_id listed in <install_dir>/input/ DeviceInfoReference/ Country_and_Region_ Reference_Codes.csv. You must also specify the countryCode and the specified region must be a valid region for that countryCode.
35
subRegion
SubRegion
Reserved for future use.
 
36
citya
City
Used to define geographic location. Specifies the city in which a device is located.
Text string. You must also specify the countryCode and regionID for the specified city.
37
postalCode
Postal Code
Specifies the postal (zip) code associated with a device.
Text string. Specify a valid postal code.
38
longitude
Longitude
Optional field used to define geographic location. Specifies the longitude coordinate of a device. Alluvio Portal automatically determines the longitude coordinate based on city.
We recommend that you specify geographic location using countryCode, regionID, and City and permit the software to determine the appropriate longitude coordinate. If you manually enter a value in this field it must be a valid longitude coordinate expressed as a number between -90 and 90.
39
latitude
Latitude
Optional field used to define geographic location. Specifies the latitude coordinate of a device. Alluvio Portal automatically determines the latitude coordinate based on city.
We recommend that you specify geographic location using countryCode, regionID, and City and permit the software to determine the appropriate longitude coordinate. If you manually enter a value in this field it must be a valid latitude coordinate expressed as a number between -180 and 180.
40
description
Description
Free text description of a device.
Text string.
1 You may find it easier to set these values using the Device Manager user interface. When you use the user interface, valid values are presented to you for selection and you can set values for multiple devices in a single operation.