CiscoWorks: Device Discovery Queries

[raza555]

Hi,

I am using the LMS 3.2.1. One years ago, we have manually populated the CiscoWorks with 4000 devices and then put these devices in 500 groups, each group reperesent each office.

Now problem is that we manage the environment which keep on changing, that means every month new devices are introduced with new projects and old devices are decommisioned, so we want now auto discovery enabled, as its hard to manually keep CiscoWorks up-to-date, by adding new and deleting old devices.

I have few concerns that if turn on auto discovery then;

1) what will happen to manually added 4000 device.

a) is the list of new discovery devices and already added devices will be seperate in CS or RME or the auto discovery devices will get mixed with manually added devices.

2) Our 4000 devices are using 3 different types of credentials, how Ciscoworks will come to know that what credentials to use with which devices. As for loadbalancers etc , internal and external devices we use different credentials. and we have not divide these devices on subnet base.

Please advice. Thanks.

[Vinod Arya]

HI Rizwan,

Any device added to ciscoworks will not be editied/modified by ciscoworks for anything like credentials, group etx. Only keep in consideration if you have custom updated the Display name in DCR, please don't check the checkbox for Update Display Name automatically in Global settings in Discovery settings.

The existing devices will never be removed or changed for anything in LMS and it will only add new device to DCR if found during discovery.

You can have multiple setting to for discovery by scheduling it in different times and with different settings. Each Scheduled discovery can be configured for its own individual settings.

For Custom Group membership, the new devices which match the rules will automatically become member if the group allows automatic membership.

For different types of Credentials, Ciscoworks allows Credential Set Policy. You can configure multiple default credential sets. You can set these default credential sets for a range of devices to be added or imported to DCR based on certain policies. For more details check the User Guide Section on it.

On how the device dsicovery works Following are some very important docuement which will help:

https://supportforums.cisco.com/docs/DOC-9005

http://www.cisco.com/en/US/prod/collateral/netmgtsw/ps6504/ps6528/ps2425/white_paper_c11-493921.html

-Thanks

Vinod