Adding Network Devices for Monitoring
Overview
In order to get started with the monitoring for network devices, we need to first add the devices to Motadata AIOps and in turn enabling it to collect data from these devices for monitoring. This guide helps you with the process of adding network devices to Motadata AIOps so that you are able to start monitoring them.
At a high level, this process includes creating a credential profile and a discovery profile, assigning the credential profile to a discovery profile, and executing a successful discovery run. This is followed by provisioning the discovered devices as a monitor in the system.
Network Protocols Supported
You can add devices to AIOps for monitoring, where the following network protocols are supported:
- SNMP v1/v2c
- SNMP v3
Let us look into the process to add them one by one.
Prerequisites for Network Monitoring
Ensure that Simple Network Management Protocol (SNMP) is properly configured on the target device.
Verify compatibility with both SNMP v1/v2c and SNMP v3 protocols, ensuring smooth integration with diverse network environments.
Confirm that port 161 is open and accessible on the device, facilitating smooth communication for comprehensive network monitoring by Motadata AIOps.
Ensure the community string is configured and available to enable secure and authorized access for Motadata AIOps.
- SNMP v1/v2c
- SNMP v3
Adding a device using v1/v2c Protocol
1. Create a Credential Profile
We will start by creating a credential profile for the device we are trying to add.
Navigation
Go to Menu. Select Settings 
. After that, Go to Network Discovery 
and select Credential Profile. The credential profile screen is displayed. Select Create Credential Profile to create a new credential profile.
A pop-up for entering the credential profile details is displayed.
Credential Profile Parameters
Enter the required details in the pop-up as follows:
- Provide a unique Credential Profile Name. This name is used to identify a credential profile.
- Select SNMP V1/V2c as Protocol from the drop-down.
- The option to provide the credential details is then displayed based on the protocol selected.
- Select V1 or V2c as the Version.
- Enter the Community in form of password.
Select Reset to erase all the current field values entered in the pop-up, if required.
Select Add Credential Profile to create the credential profile in the system. The credential profile is now created.
You can view the newly created profile in the credential profile interface by using the Search option available above the list of profiles.
NCM Credential Profile
In case you want to enable the device for NCM discovery, follow the steps below:
Select SSH as the protocol from the drop-down.
Provide Username, Password, SSH Key, and Paraphrase details.
Select the check-box for CLI option. A list of options appear on the credential profile for NCM device discvoery.
Select the protocol(TFTP, FTP, SCP/SFTP, No Protocol) from the Config Transfer Protocol dropdown.
Enter the username associated with the device's enable mode in the Enable User Name field. This is typically the username used to access elevated privileges on the network device.
Specify the corresponding password for the enable mode username in the Enable Password field. This password grants access to the device's elevated configuration settings.
Enter the command that switches the device to enable mode in the Enable Command field. This command is crucial for Motadata AIOps to access the elevated configurations of the network device.
Provide the expected prompt that appears when the device transitions to enable mode in the Enable Prompt field. Accurate identification of this prompt ensures proper synchronization with the enable mode.
Enter the command that activates the configuration mode on the network device in the Config Mode Command field. This command is vital for Motadata AIOps to interact with and retrieve configuration details.
Specify the password required to access the configuration settings on the network device in the Config Password field. This password is distinct from the enable password and is used when interacting with the device's configuration.
If the network device operates within a Virtual Routing and Forwarding (VRF) context, provide the name of the VRF in the VRF Name field. This information ensures proper segmentation and management of devices within distinct VRFs.
Now, let's move to the next step and create a discovery profile.
2. Create a Discovery Profile
Let us create a discovery profile for the device we are trying to add. Discovery profile allows us to discover devices in an infrastructure using the device address and associated credential profile.
Navigation
Go to Menu. Select Settings . After that, Go to Discovery Settings and select Discovery Profile. The discovery profile screen is displayed. Select Create Discovery Profile to create a new discovery profile.
A new screen to create the discovery profile is now displayed. Select network from the menu as shown below:
Discovery Profile Parameters
Enter the required details in the screen as follows:
| Field | Description |
|---|---|
| Discovery Profile Name | Provide a unique Discovery Profile Name. This name is used to identify a discovery profile. |
| IP-Host/IP Range/CIDR/CSV | The address of the device to be discovered in one of the following formats: - IP: The IP address(IPv4 or IPv6) of the device to be discovered. - IP Range: A range of IP addresses(IPv4) in case multiple devices need to be discovered using the same profile. - CIDR: A range of IP addresses(IPv4) using the CIDR notation if multiple devices need to be discovered using the same profile. - CSV: The name of the CSV file used to import a range of addresses. You can enter IPv4, IPv6, or a combination of both addresses in the CSV file that you wish to upload. |
| Collectors | Select one or more Collectors that should be used for collecting data from the devices discovered using this Discovery Profile. Select multiple Collectors for load balancing and failover mechanism. In case you don’t select a Collector, the AIOps shall automatically select a relevant collector to leverage the load balancing feature. |
Ensure that you select correct Collector(s) based on how you want to distribute the load across all Collectors
| Groups | Select one or more Groups that will be assigned to the monitors you provision using this discovery profile. |
| Credential Profile | Select a created Credential Profile to assign it to the discovery profile you are trying to create. You can also create a new credential profile from this screen using the Create Credential Profile button. In this case, we will select the credential profile SNMP_v1_2c_Cred we created in the 1st step while creating a credential profile. |
| Tags | Select one or more Tags that you wish to assign to the discovery profile. These tags will in turn be assigned to the device that you discover. |
| Port | Port number field is already populated. |
| Retry Count | |
| Ping Check | The Ping Check button is switched ON by default. This means that AIOps will only discover the device if the ping is available for that device. Toggle this button OFF if you want AIOps to discover the device withouth doing a ping check. |
| Interface Discovery | |
| Notify via E-mail and Notify via SMS | The system allows notifying users about a discovery run through E-mail and SMS. - Specify E-mail addresses (comma separated) in the Notify via E-mail field to trigger email notifications. - Specify mobile numbers (comma separated) in the Notify via SMS to send SMS notifications. |
Select Reset to erase all the current field values, if required.
Select Save and Exit if you have created the discovery profile but do do want to execute a discovery run.
Select Save and Schedule if you have created the discovery profile and wish to schedule its run at a specific time.
Select Save and Run if you want execute the discovery run immediately after creation.
We have created a credential profile SNMP_v1_2c_Cred in the 1st step. After that, we have created a discovery profile SNMP_v1_2c_dis in the 2nd step and assigned the credential profile to the discovery profile. After selecting, Save and Run, we have initiated a discovery run which leads us to our next step, which is, Provision the Discovered Devices as Monitors.
3. Provision the Discovered Devices as Monitors
After initiating the discovery profile execution, AIOps starts the process to discover the devices.
Once the discovery execution is complete, the list of all the devices discovered is displayed. Select the devices that you want to be listed as Monitors in the system.
Click on Add Selected Objects to add the selected devices as Monitors. These devices listed as Monitors will now be monitored further by AIOps.
These devices can be viewed under the Monitor tab from the Main Menu. Select the Monitor tab from the main menu. After that, Select network to view all the monitors that are added to the system.
The SNMP v1/v2c network devices are now successfully added to AIOps.
Adding a device from v3 protocol
1. Create a Credential Profile
We will start by creating a credential profile for the device we are trying to add.
Navigation
Go to Menu. Select Settings . After that, Go to Network Discovery and select Credential Profile. The credential profile screen is displayed. Select Create Credential Profile to create a new credential profile.
A pop-up for entering the credential profile details is displayed.
Credential Profile Parameters
Enter the required details in the pop-up as follows:
- Provide a unique Credential Profile Name. This name is used to identify a credential profile.
- Select SNMP v3 as Protocol from the drop-down.
- Provide the unique security username.
- Select the Security Level where other options will get displayed based on the protocol selected.
- When you select the option 'Authentication Privacy' the options of Authentication Protocol, Password, Privacy Protocol and Private Password.
Select Reset to erase all the current field values entered in the pop-up, if required.
Select Add Credential Profile to create the credential profile in the system. The credential profile is now created.
You can view the newly created profile in the credential profile interface by using the Search option available above the list of profiles.
NCM Credential Profile
In case you want to enable the device for NCM discovery, follow the steps below:
Select SSH as the protocol from the drop-down.
Provide Username, Password, SSH Key, and Paraphrase details.
Select the check-box for CLI option. A list of options appear on the credential profile for NCM device discvoery.
Select the protocol(TFTP, FTP, SCP/SFTP, No Protocol) from the Config Transfer Protocol dropdown.
Enter the username associated with the device's enable mode in the Enable User Name field. This is typically the username used to access elevated privileges on the network device.
Specify the corresponding password for the enable mode username in the Enable Password field. This password grants access to the device's elevated configuration settings.
Enter the command that switches the device to enable mode in the Enable Command field. This command is crucial for Motadata AIOps to access the elevated configurations of the network device.
Provide the expected prompt that appears when the device transitions to enable mode in the Enable Prompt field. Accurate identification of this prompt ensures proper synchronization with the enable mode.
Enter the command that activates the configuration mode on the network device in the Config Mode Command field. This command is vital for Motadata AIOps to interact with and retrieve configuration details.
Specify the password required to access the configuration settings on the network device in the Config Password field. This password is distinct from the enable password and is used when interacting with the device's configuration.
If the network device operates within a Virtual Routing and Forwarding (VRF) context, provide the name of the VRF in the VRF Name field. This information ensures proper segmentation and management of devices within distinct VRFs.
Now, let's move to the next step and create a discovery profile.
2. Create a Discovery Profile
Let us create a discovery profile for the device we are trying to add. Discovery profile allows us to discover devices in an infrastructure using the device address and associated credential profile.
Navigation
Go to Menu. Select Settings . After that, Go to Network Discovery and select Discovery Profile. The discovery profile screen is displayed. Select Create Discovery Profile to create a new discovery profile.
A new screen to create the discovery profile is now displayed. Select network from the menu as shown below:
Discovery Profile Parameters
Enter the required details in the screen as follows:
| Field | Description |
|---|---|
| Discovery Profile Name | Provide a unique Discovery Profile Name. This name is used to identify a discovery profile. |
| IP-Host/IP Range/CIDR/CSV | The address of the device to be discovered in one of the following formats: - IP: The IP address(IPv4 or IPv6) of the device to be discovered. - IP Range: A range of IP addresses(IPv4) in case multiple devices need to be discovered using the same profile. - CIDR: A range of IP addresses(IPv4) using the CIDR notation if multiple devices need to be discovered using the same profile. - CSV: The name of the CSV file used to import a range of addresses. You can enter IPv4, IPv6, or a combination of both addresses in the CSV file that you wish to upload. |
| Collectors | Select one or more Collectors that should be used for collecting data from the devices discovered using this Discovery Profile. Select multiple Collectors for load balancing and failover mechanism. In case you don’t select a Collector, the AIOps shall automatically select a relevant collector to leverage the load balancing feature. |
Ensure that you select correct Collector(s) based on how you want to distribute the load across all Collectors
| Groups | Select one or more Groups that will be assigned to the monitors you provision using this discovery profile. |
| Credential Profile | Select a created Credential Profile to assign it to the discovery profile you are trying to create. You can also create a new credential profile from this screen using the Create Credential Profile button. In this case, we will select the credential profile SNMP_v3_Cred we created in the 1st step while creating a credential profile. |
| Tags | Select one or more Tags that you wish to assign to the discovery profile. These tags will in turn be assigned to the device that you discover. |
| Port | Port number field is already populated. |
| Retry Count | |
| Ping Check | The Ping Check button is switched ON by default. This means that AIOps will only discover the device if the ping is available for that device. Toggle this button OFF if you want AIOps to discover the device withouth doing a ping check. |
| Interface Discovery | |
| Notify via E-mail and Notify via SMS | The system allows notifying users about a discovery run through E-mail and SMS. - Specify E-mail addresses (comma separated) in the Notify via E-mail field to trigger email notifications. - Specify mobile numbers (comma separated) in the Notify via SMS to send SMS notifications. |
Select Reset to erase all the current field values, if required.
Select Save and Exit if you have created the discovery profile but do not want to execute a discovery run.
Select Save and Run if you want execute the discovery run immediately after creation.
We have created a credential profile SNMP_v3_Cred in the 1st step. After that, we have created a discovery profile SNMP_v3_Dis in the 2nd step and assigned the credential profile to the discovery profile. After selecting, Save and Run, we have initiated a discovery run which leads us to our next step, which is, Provision the Discovered Devices as Monitors.
3. Provision the Discovered Devices as Monitors
After initiating the discovery profile execution, AIOps starts the process to discover the devices.
Once the discovery execution is complete, the list of all the devices discovered is displayed. Select the devices that you want to be listed as Monitors in the system.
Click on Add Selected Objects to add the selected devices as Monitors. These devices listed as Monitors will now be monitored further by AIOps.
These devices can be viewed under the Monitor tab from the Main Menu. Select the Monitor tab from the main menu. After that, Select network to view all the monitors that are added to the system.
The v3 devices are now successfully added to AIOps.