Collection Objects

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This section describes how SL1 uses Collection Objects.

Use the following menu options to navigate the SL1 user interface:

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This section includes the following topics:

What is a Collection Object?

Each Collection Object in a Dynamic Application specifies a data point that SL1 will attempt to collect. A Dynamic Application must have at least one Collection Object. Each Dynamic Application protocol uses a different method to specify how SL1 should collect the data point associated with a Collection Object.

How Does a Collection Object Work?

Dynamic Applications that use the Snippet, SOAP, WMI, XSLT, or PowerShell protocols include one or more requests that define how SL1 should request data from a device. For Snippet Dynamic Applications, the requests are referred to as snippets. Each request specifies an operation that will gather a response from the device.

Each collection object in a Snippet, SOAP, WMI, XSLT, or PowerShell Dynamic Application is associated with a request. The collection object specifies how to parse a data point from the response. A single request can be used to populate multiple collection objects.

For example, the default "Windows Interface" WMI Dynamic Application includes one request and will return one response. The request includes a WMI query that retrieves six properties. The Dynamic Application includes six collection objects, one collection object for each property included in the response.

Collection objects in Dynamic Applications that use the Database, SNMP, XML, or PowerShell protocols do not use separate requests. For Database, SNMP, XML, or PowerShell Dynamic Applications, the collection object itself defines the method of collection:

  • A Database collection object specifies a database query that SL1 must execute to populate the collection object.
  • An SNMP collection object specifies the SNMP OID that SL1 must retrieve to populate the collection object.
  • An XML collection object specifies how to parse a value from an XML document to populate the collection object. The XML document to parse is specified in the SOAP/XML credential aligned with the Dynamic Application.
  • A PowerShell collection object specifies the PowerShell command that SL1 must execute to populate the collection object.

For information on how to define requests and define the collection object fields specific to each Dynamic Application protocol, see the corresponding section for each Dynamic Application protocol type.

How Collection Objects are Used by SL1

The data collected for each Collection Object is displayed differently for each Dynamic Application archetype:

  • For the Configuration archetype, each collection object represents a column in a table of collected data. The value(s) collected by SL1 for the collection object are displayed in that column. For example, the default "Host Resource: Software" Dynamic Application includes two collection objects called "Install Date" and "Software Title". The table of data looks like this:

    • A Dynamic Application can define multiple tables.

  • For the Performance archetype, collection objects are used in Presentation Objects. Each presentation object specifies a formula that must include one or more collection objects. The formula in a presentation object is used to generate a time series graph of data. For more information on presentation objects for Dynamic Applications with an archetype of Performance, see the Presentation Objects.

  • For the Journal archetype, collection objects are attributes of a Journal Entry. The collection objects are used in Presentation Objects to define how the collection objects will be formatted in the log of journal entries. For information on collection objects in Dynamic Applications with an archetype of Journal, see Snippet Dynamic Application Development.

Collection Objects are also used to define alerts in Dynamic Applications. Each alert specifies a formula that must include one or more collection objects. SL1 examines alert formulas to evaluate whether an alert should be generated based on the collected data. For more information on alerts for Dynamic Applications, see Alerts and Thresholds.

Viewing the Collection Objects in a Dynamic Application

To view the collection objects in a Dynamic Application:

  • Go to the Dynamic Applications Manager page (System > Manage > Dynamic Applications).
  • Find the Dynamic Application you want to view the collection objects for. Select its wrench icon (). The Dynamic Applications Properties Editor page is displayed.

  • Select the Collections tab. The Dynamic Applications | Collections Objects page is displayed. The Collection Object Registry pane at the bottom of the page displays the following information about each collection object:

  • Object Name. The name of the collection object.
  • Class Type and Class ID. The data type of the collection object. See the Creating a Collection Object section for a description of the possible class types.
  • Protocol Specific Collection Method. The label displayed for this column is different for each Dynamic Application protocol. The values displayed in this column specify how SL1 will request the collection object or parse the collection object from a separately defined request.
  • Group. The group number for the collection object.
  • ID. The unique ID assigned to the collection object by SL1. You can use this ID to reference the collection object in presentation formulas and alert formulas. The unique ID will always start with "o_" (lowercase "oh", underscore).
  • Edit Date. The last time a user edited the collection object.

    For collection objects in configuration Dynamic Applications, the following additional information is displayed:

    • Asset Link. The asset record field that is automatically populated with values collected for the collection object.

    • Change Alerting. Specifies whether change alerting is enabled for the collection object. Possible values are:
      • Enabled. Specifies that if a collected value for the collection object changes, SL1 will trigger an event.
      • Disabled. Specifies that if a collected value for the collection object changes, SL1 will not trigger an event.
    • Align. Specifies how the collected values for the collection object will be justified in the table of configuration data. Possible values are:
      • Left
      • Center
      • Right

    To edit a collection object, select its wrench icon ().

    For SNMP Dynamic Applications, an information icon () is displayed for each collection object. Select this icon to view information about the SNMP OID defined for a collection object. The information displayed is defined in the SNMP MIB for that SNMP OID.

Creating a Collection Object

This section does not apply to Dynamic Applications with an archetype of Journal. For information on collection objects in Dynamic Applications with an archetype of Journal, see the Snippet Dynamic Application Development section.

To add a Collection Object to a Dynamic Application, perform the following steps:

  • Go to the Dynamic Applications Manager page (System > Manage > Dynamic Applications).
  • Find the Dynamic Application you want to add a collection object to. Select its wrench icon (). The Dynamic Applications Properties Editor page is displayed.
  • Select the Collections tab. The Dynamic Applications | Collections Objects page is displayed. The fields that appear on this page are different for each Dynamic Application type.

    • For example, the Dynamic Applications | Collections Objects page for an SNMP Configuration Dynamic Application looks like this:

    The Dynamic Applications | Collections Objects page for an SNMP Performance Dynamic Application looks like this:

  • Enter values in the fields on this page. This section describes the fields on this page in separate sections. Depending on the type, purpose, and settings of your Dynamic Application, you will need to define values listed in different sections. The sections are:
    • Basic Settings. This section describes the fields that specify the name, description, and data type of the collection object. You must supply values in these fields for all collection objects.
    • Collection Settings. This section describes the fields that specify how SL1 should collect values for the collection object. These fields are different for each Dynamic Application protocol. You must supply values in these fields for all collection objects.
    • Grouping & Indexing Settings. This section describes the fields that specify how SL1 should group collection objects. These fields are optional; however, collection objects in most Dynamic Applications have values specified in these fields. The Usage Type field also defines how the data collected by a Dynamic Application is used to build device relationships.
    • Configuration Dynamic Application Settings. This section describes the fields that specify how SL1 should use and display the collected data for collection objects in configuration Dynamic Applications. These fields appear only for configuration Dynamic Applications. These fields are optional.
    • Standard Deviation Settings. This section describes the fields that specify how SL1 should calculate standard deviation data for a collection object. These fields appear only for performance Dynamic Applications. These fields are optional. Supply values in these fields only if you are using this collection object in the standard deviation function in an alert formula.
    • Dynamic Component Mapping Settings. This section describes the fields that specify how SL1 should create component devices using the collection object. These fields appear only for Dynamic Applications that have the Component Mapping checkbox checked in the Dynamic Applications Properties Editor page. These fields are optional. Supply values in these fields only if you are using this collection object to create a component device.
  • Select the Save button to save the collection object.

Basic Settings

To define the basic settings for a collection object, supply a value in the following fields:

  • Object Name. The name of the collection object. This name is used to label the collection object in the following places in SL1:
    • In the Collection Object Registry pane at the bottom of this page.
    • In the list of collection objects in the Dynamic Applications Presentation Objects page.
    • In the list of collection objects in the Dynamic Applications Alert Objects page.
    • For configuration Dynamic Applications, in the Dynamic Application Collections page (the Collections tab in the Device Administration panel). This page displays the collection status of each collection object.
    • For configuration Dynamic Applications, in the Configuration Report page (the Configs tab in the Device Reports panel). The Object Name appears as the column heading for the collection object.

  • Class Type. The type of data that will be collected for this collection object. The data type defines how SL1 will process and display the collected values. For configuration Dynamic Applications, the choices are:
  • [10] Config Character. Collection object will be populated with strings that SL1 should display with no text formatting applied.

  • [11] Config Enum. Collection object will be populated with numeric values that map to a numeric label. You must define the label value for each of the possible numeric values in the Enum Values field.
  • [12] Config Timeticks. Collection object will be populated with numeric values that represent timeticks.
  • [14] Config Gauge. Collection object will be populated with numeric values that can increase and decrease with each polling session.
  • [15] Config Numeric. Collection object will be populated with numeric values.
  • [16] Config Time Stamp. Collection object will be populated with timestamps.
  • [17] Config MAC Address. Collection object will be populated with MAC addresses.
  • [18] Config IP Address. The values collected by this collection object are IP addresses. If the collected value is a hexadecimal string, SL1 will convert the string to the standard dotted decimal format and store that dotted decimal value for the collection object.
  • [19] Config Date & Time. Collection object will be populated with date and time values in the format "Year-Month-Day,Hour:Minute:Second" or in Hex notation. SL1 will convert the collected value to a human-readable date & time string before storing the value.
  • [100] Discovery. For information about this class type, see the Creating a Discovery Object section.
  • [101] Label (Hourly Polled). Collection object will be populated with strings that will be collected only once an hour and for which only the newest collected value will be stored.
  • [104] Label (Always Polled). Collection object will be populated with strings for which only the newest collected value will be stored.
  • [105] Index. Collection object will be populated with the indexes associated with the list of values, not the values themselves.
  • [108] Label (Config Group). Collection objects of this type are not collected. The Object Name defined for this collection object will be used to label the table of data for the group selected in the Group field for this collection object.

For performance Dynamic Applications, the choices are:

  • [1] Performance Counter. Collection object will be populated with counter values. When SL1 evaluates a presentation formula or alert formula that contains a collection object of this type, the value for the collection object is calculated by subtracting the previous collected value for the collection object from the current collected value.
  • [2] Performance Percent. Collection object will be populated with percentage values (i.e. values from 0 - 100).
  • [3] Performance Kilobyte. Collection object will be populated with values that represent size in kilobytes.
  • [4] Performance Gauge. Collection object will be populated with numeric values that can increase or decrease with each polling session. The values collected are the actual values that should be used when SL1 evaluates presentation formulas and alert formulas.
  • [100] Discovery. For information about this class type, see the Creating a Discovery Object section.
  • [101] Label (Hourly Polled). Collection object will be populated with strings that will be collected only once an hour. Collection objects of this type are used to label the lines on a performance graph.
  • [104] Label (Always Polled). Collection object will be populated with strings. Collection objects of this type are used to label the lines on a performance graph.
  • [105] Index. Collection object will be populated with the indexes associated with the list of values, not the values themselves.
  • [110] Label IP (Hourly Polled). The object value for the label (IP address) will be retrieved only hourly, not at the Poll Frequency defined for the Dynamic Application. In the String Type field, specify the format of the collected string, to allow SL1 to convert the string to dotted decimal notation.
  • [111] Label IP (Always Polled). The object value for the label (IP address) will be at the Poll Frequency defined for the Dynamic Application. In the String Type field, specify the format of the collected string, to allow SL1 to convert the string to dotted decimal notation.
  • String Type. Specifies whether a collected string is in hex notation or standard text. This field helps SL1 convert collected strings to the appropriate format. Choices are:
  • Standard. Collected string is a standard text string.
  • Hex. Collected string is in hex notation.
  • Description. A description of the collection object. This field is optional.
  • Formula. If you require SL1 to examine and manipulate the object's value before storing the value in SL1, you can enter a formula in this field. Instead of storing the collected values for this collection object, SL1 stores the result of this formula. The formula field can include any arithmetic Python statement and any Python time statement that returns a single value. That returned, single value will be stored instead of the collected value. You can use the following variables in the formula field:
  • %V. Collected value for the object.
  • %P. Collected value for the object from the last successful poll.
  • %L. Date and time of the last successful poll of the object, in DateTime format, including seconds.
  • %C. Date and time of the current poll of the object, in DateTime format, including seconds.
  • %E. Number of seconds, in integer format, that have elapsed since last poll of object.
  • Disable Object Maintenance. When you select this checkbox, SL1 will never automatically disable collection of this object on an aligned device. For details on how SL1 manages collection status, see Managing Dynamic Applications.

Collection Settings

The fields that define how SL1 should collect data for a collection object are different for each Dynamic Application protocol.

In general, one field specifies how SL1 should request the collection object or parse the collection object from a separately defined request. For example, for the SNMP protocol, this field is called SNMP OID and specifies the SNMP OID that SL1 must request to obtain a value for this collection object. This field has one of the following labels:

  • SNMP OID
  • SQL Query
  • SOAP Tags
  • Snippet Arguments
  • WMI Request Arguments
  • PowerShell Arguments
  • XML Tags
  • XSLT Tags

For SOAP, Snippet, WMI, and XSLT Dynamic Applications, a second field specifies the request or snippet that will return a value for the collection object. This field has one of the following labels:

  • SOAP Request
  • Snippet
  • WMI Request
  • PowerShell Request
  • XSLT Request

For more information about these fields, see the supplementary sections for the protocol you are working with.

Grouping & Indexing Settings

The collection objects in a Dynamic Application can be divided into groups. When collection objects are in the same group:

  • For configuration Dynamic Applications, the collection objects will appear in the same table of configuration data.

  • The collected values for the collection objects will share the same indexes. When a list of values is collected for a collection object, indexes are used to maintain an association between values collected at different times for the same collection object and maintain associations between collection objects in the same Dynamic Application. For more information, see the Indexing section. Typically, you should group collection objects together if:
    • The collection objects will be used in the same presentation object formula.

    • The collection objects will be used in the same alert formula.

The following fields define the grouping and indexing settings:

  • Group Number. The group for this collection object. The options are No Group or a group number from 1 to 50.
  • Usage Type. If Group Index is selected in this field, SL1 will use the collected values for this collection object to assign indexes for this Group Number. To use the default indexing method for the collection objects in this group, select Standard in this field. See the Indexing section for information on how to use this field. The Usage Type field also defines how the data collected by a Dynamic Application is used to build device relationships. For more information about how to use the Usage Type field to define relationships, see the Dynamic Application Relationships section.

Configuration Dynamic Application Settings

For collection objects in configuration Dynamic Applications, the following additional fields are displayed:

  • Custom Attribute. This field appears only for collection objects in configuration Dynamic Applications. For details, see the section on Custom Attribute Settings.
  • Asset/Form Link. SL1 can automatically populate the asset record for a device using data collected by configuration Dynamic Applications. In these two drop-down lists, you can select a standard asset field that appears in the Asset Properties page or the other pages in the Asset Administration panel. The selected asset field will be automatically populated with the value collected for this collection object. To populate a standard asset field, select the name of the field from the first drop-down list. Choices are:
    • Make
    • Model
    • Serial Number
    • Operating System
    • Host ID / SID
    • OS System Name
    • CPU Count
    • CPU Type/Make
    • CPU Speed
    • Firmware / BIOS Name
    • Installed Memory
    • Asset Tag
    • Disk Array Size
    • Disk Count
    • Disk Size

To change the priority value of an asset field, select the priority value in the second drop-down list. Increasing the value from 50 will cause the asset to have a higher precedence.

  • Form Link. To populate a custom asset field, select the name of a field in the second drop-down list. The choices are all fields included in the Application Form for "Embedded Asset Form Fields". To view or configure this form, go to System > Customize > Form Fields.
  • Inventory Link. SL1 can automatically populate inventory lists of hardware components and installed software using data collected by configuration Dynamic Applications. In the first drop-down list, you can select the type of inventory record to populate. In the second drop-down list, select the field in that record to populate. If you select Disabled in the first drop-down list, the second drop-down list is not displayed. Choices are:
  • CPU. The collection object will populate a hardware inventory record for a CPU. If you select this option, the following field choices appear in the second drop-down list:
    • CPU Index ID
    • CPU Description

  • Disk. The collection object will populate a hardware inventory record for a physical disk. If you select this option, the following field choices appear in the second drop-down list:
    • Disk Index ID
    • Disk Name
    • Disk Capacity Kb
    • Disk Read/Write Mode
    • Media Description

  • Memory. The collection object will populate a hardware inventory record for installed memory. If you select this option, the following field choices appear in the second drop-down list:
    • Memory Index ID
    • Memory Name
    • Total Physical Memory Kb
    • Physical Memory in Use Kb
    • Physical Memory Percent in Use
  • Virtual Memory. The collection object will populate a hardware inventory record for virtual memory. If you select this option, the following field choices appear in the second drop-down list:
    • Swap Index ID
    • Swap Description
    • Total Swap Memory Kb
    • Swap Memory in Use Kb
    • Swap Memory Percent in Use
  • Hardware Components. The collection object will populate a hardware inventory record for any other type of hardware component. If you select this option, the following field choices appear in the second drop-down list:
    • Component Index ID
    • Component Description
    • Component Type
  • Software Titles. The collection object will populate a software inventory record. If you select this option, the following field choices appear in the second drop-down list:
    • Install Date
    • Software Title

  • Change Alerting. This field enables or disables change detection. If the collected value of the collection object changes, SL1 can automatically trigger an event. You can view the change history for the collection object in the Configuration Report page for each subscriber device. The choices for this field are:
  • Enabled. Specifies that if the value of this collection object changes, SL1 will trigger an event.

  • Disabled. Specifies that if the value of this collection object changes, SL1 will not trigger an event.

  • Table Alignment. These two drop-down lists define how the values collected for this collection object will be displayed in the table of configuration data in the Configuration Report page. The first drop-down list defines how the value will be justified in the table cell. The choices in the first drop-down list are:
  • Left
  • Center
  • Right

  • Hide Object. If you select this checkbox, the object will not appear in the Configuration Report page for each subscriber device.
  • Enum Values. Applies only to collection objects with a class type [11] Config Enum. In this field you can map each possible collected value to a descriptive string that will be displayed in SL1. Use the following format:

    • #number:value#number:value#number:value

    Where number is the collected value and value is the descriptive string. You must include a "#" as the first character in this field and as a separator between number:value pairs.

    For example, suppose a [11] Config Enum object returns an integer that represents a status condition. The possible returned values and the conditions they represent might be:

      3 = healthy4 = minor5 = major6 = critical

    You would supply the following string in the Enum Values field:

    #3:healthy#4:minor# 5:major#6:critical

Custom Attribute Settings

In Dynamic Applications of archetype configuration, you can:

  • Use a collection object to populate the value of an existing custom attribute.
  • Use a pair of collection objects to create a custom attribute and provide a value for that custom attribute. You must define a collection object to define the name of the custom attribute; this causes the SL1 system to create a custom attribute with the name from the collection object. You must also define a second collection object to populate the value of the custom attribute.

For details on creating and managing custom attributes, see the section on custom attributes.

The following fields in the Collection Objects page allow you to use one or more collection objects to define and/or populate a custom attribute:

  • Align to Custom Attribute. Specify the custom attribute to associate with this collection object. The custom attribute will be populated with a value from a collection object. Choices are:
  • None. This collection object is not associated with a custom attribute.

  • Static. This collection object is associated with a specific custom attribute.

  • Static Name. If you selected Static in the Custom Attribute field, the Static Name field appears. In this field, specify the name of the custom attribute that you want to populate with the value of the collection object. You can select from a list of existing custom attributes.
  • If the list does not include the custom attribute you want to align with the collection, select the plus-sign icon (). The icon clears the field and allows you to manually enter a value.

  • If you manually specify a custom attribute, SL1 will search for a custom attribute with a matching name and populate the custom attribute with the value of this collection object. If SL1 does not find a custom attribute with a matching name and therefore creates the custom attribute, the new custom attribute will be an extended custom attribute, for devices. The data type will be integer (for numeric values) or string (for all other value types).
  • Dynamic Name. You can use a pair of collection objects to populate the name and value of a custom attribute. You must define each collection object separately. When you select Dynamic Name in the Custom Attribute field, the name of the custom attribute is populated with the value of the collection object. If SL1 does not find a custom attribute with a matching name, SL1 will create the custom attribute. If SL1 does not find a custom attribute with a matching name and therefore creates the custom attribute, the new custom attribute will be an extended custom attribute, for devices. The data type will be integer (for numeric values) or string (for all other value types).

If you select Dynamic Name in the Custom Attribute field, you must create a second collection object that will populate the value of the custom attribute.

Names for custom attributes must conform to XML naming standards. The attribute name can contain any combination of alphanumeric characters, a period, a dash, a combining character or an extending character. If a collected value for an attribute name does not conform to XML standards, SL1 will replace non-valid characters with an underscore + the hexadecimal value of the illegal character + an underscore. So "serial number" would be replaced with "serial_X20_number". The attribute label will use the original, non-converted value ("serial number").

  • Dynamic Value. The value of the custom attribute selected in the Dynamic Name field is populated with the value of the collection object.
  • Dynamic Name. If you selected Dynamic Value in the Custom Attribute field, the Dynamic Name field appears. Select from the list of collection objects that have a Custom Attribute value of Dynamic Name.

The collection object assigned to the Dynamic Value is added to the same Group as the collection object assigned to the associated Dynamic Name. If the collection object for Dynamic Name is not assigned to a Group, you will be prompted to select a Group for the both the collection object for Dynamic Name and the collection object for Dynamic Value.

Each group can contain only one collection object that is assigned to a Dynamic Value and only one collection object that is assigned to a Dynamic Name. The group can contain other collection objects, but should not contain more than one collection object assigned to a Dynamic Value and not more than one collection object assigned to a Dynamic Name.

Standard Deviation Settings

To use a collection object with the standard deviation function (deviation) in an alert formula, you must enable standard deviation alerting for the collection object. To enable standard deviation alerting for a collection object, supply a value in the following fields:

These fields appear only for collection objects in performance Dynamic Applications that collect numeric values.

  • Enable Deviation Alerting. If selected, SL1 will calculate and store standard deviation data for the collection object. To use a collection object with the standard deviation function in an alert formula, this checkbox must be checked.

  • Max Weeks Data. If you selected Enable Deviation Alerting, you must specify a value in this field. This field specifies the maximum number of weeks of data that SL1 should use when evaluating a standard deviation function that uses this collection object. The default value is "4". This means that when SL1 evaluates an alert formula that contains a standard deviation function that uses this collection object, SL1 will use the last four weeks of data for the collection object to calculate the standard deviation. Any data older than the last 4 weeks is not included in calculations for standard deviation.
  • Min Weeks Data. If you selected Enable Deviation Alerting, you must specify a value in this field. This field specifies the minimum number of weeks of data required for SL1 to evaluate a standard deviation function that uses this collection object. The default value is "2". This means that SL1 requires at least the data from the last two weeks from today to calculate standard deviation for this collection object.

If you enable deviation alerting for an existing collection object and if SL1 has already collected data for that collection object, SL1 will use the already-collected data to "backfill" and calculate mean and standard deviation using the historical data. For example, suppose a Dynamic Application has already been collecting data for 12 weeks. Suppose during the twelfth week of collection, you enable deviation alerting for a collection object for the first time. Suppose you set Max Weeks Data to "6" and Min Weeks Data to "4". The first time SL1 performs calculations for standard deviation for this collection object (once every hour), SL1 would then "backfill" and include the last six weeks of historical data when calculating standard deviation for the collection object. If SL1 has already collected at least the Min Weeks Data, SL1 will use the historical data to calculate standard deviation.

The backfill functionality works only during the very first time SL1 performs calculations for standard deviation for a collection object. If you change the settings for Min Weeks Data and Max Weeks Data so that the new value of Min Weeks Data exceeds the previous value for Max Weeks Data, SL1 will require you to collect additional data to meet the new requirement. For example, suppose you initially set Min Weeks Data to "2" (two weeks) and Max Weeks Data to "4" (four weeks). Suppose that 9 weeks later, you edit Min Weeks Data to "5" (five weeks) and Max Weeks Data to "7". Because of the previous Max Weeks Data of "4", SL1 will have retained only four weeks of calculated standard deviation data. After editing the values, you will have to wait one additional week before SL1 will have enough data (five weeks, as specified by Min Weeks Data) to generate standard deviation alerts. SL1 will not use historical data to backfill the additional week.

Dynamic Component Mapping Settings

For Dynamic Applications that have the Component Mapping checkbox selected in the Dynamic Applications Properties Editor page, the Component Identifiers field is displayed in the Collection Objects page:

In this field, select one or more identifiers that SL1 can use to create component devices. The values collected for this collection object will populate the selected identifier for the component devices. Collection objects can define the following component identifiers:

  • Availability. The availability of the component devices. The values collected using this collection object will be used to generate availability reports and graphs for each component device.
  • Class Identifier 1. The class type of the component devices, typically the vendor.
  • Class Identifier 2. The class sub-type of the component devices, typically the model.
  • Device Name (%N). The name of the component devices in SL1.
  • Distinguished Name (%C). The name that the system that monitors the component devices (the root device) uses to identify the component devices.
  • GUID (%G). The globally unique identifier SL1 will use for the component devices. This value must be unique for all component devices in SL1. This value is used to determine when a component device should be associated with a different root device.
  • MAC Address. The MAC Address of the component device.
  • Organization. During discovery, if the value of the collection object exactly matches an organization name in SL1, SL1 will align the component device with that organization. During subsequent collections, if the value of this collection object changes and exactly matches an organization name in SL1, SL1 aligns the new organization with the component device. If the value of this collection object does not exactly match any organizations in SL1, SL1 will create an event and align the event with the device aligned with the Dynamic Application.
  • Unique Identifier (%U). The unique identifier SL1 will use for the component devices. This value must be unique for all component devices associated with the same root device.
  • UUID. The universally unique identifier for the component devices.
  • GUID. Globally unique identifier. This value will be unique within SL1. No two component devices can have the same GUID. This component identifier protects the integrity of a component device even if it is aligned with a different root device (for example, with a vmotion event).

Each of these options can be defined by only one collection object in a Dynamic Application. If a component identifier is already defined by a collection object in this Dynamic Application, that component identifier will not be displayed in the list.

If the Dynamic Application is aligned with a component device class, SL1 will create a component device when the collection objects that map to the Device Name and Unique Identifier of a component device are successfully collected from a device.

For more information about configuring a Dynamic Application to use Dynamic Component Mapping, see the Dynamic Component Mapping section.

Creating a Discovery Object

A discovery object is a type of collection object that allows SL1 to automatically align a Dynamic Application to a device during discovery.

SL1 attempts to automatically align Dynamic Applications to devices under the following circumstances:

  • When a discovery session that has an Initial Scan Level of 1. Initial Population of Apps or higher is executed, either manually or on a schedule, SL1 will attempt to automatically align Dynamic Applications using the credentials specified in the discovery session.
  • For devices that have the Auto-Update and Dynamic Discovery checkboxes enabled on the Device Properties page, SL1 will attempt to automatically align Dynamic Applications once a day using the credentials aligned with the device.
  • When a user selects the lightning bolt icon () for a Dynamic Application in the Dynamic Applications Manager page, SL1 will attempt to automatically align that single Dynamic Application with all devices using the credentials aligned with each device.

Every discovery object specifies a condition that can evaluate to true or false. When SL1 attempts to automatically align a Dynamic Application to a device, every available credential is used to try and collect every discovery object in the Dynamic Application. If all the discovery objects in a Dynamic Application evaluate to true for a device, SL1 will align the Dynamic Application with the device.

A discovery object can specify one of the following conditions:

  • If the device returns a value for the discovery object, evaluate to true. Otherwise, evaluate to false.
  • If the device returns a value for the discovery object and that value matches specific criteria, evaluate to true. Otherwise, evaluate to false.
  • If the device does not return a value for the discovery object, evaluate to true. Otherwise, evaluate to false.

To add a discovery object to a Dynamic Application:

  1. Go to the Dynamic Applications Manager page (System > Manage > Dynamic Applications).
  2. Find the Dynamic Application you want to add a collection object to. Select its wrench icon (). The Dynamic Applications Properties Editor page is displayed.
  3. Select the Collections tab. The Dynamic Applications | Collections Objects page is displayed. Enter values in the following fields:
  • Object Name. The name of the discovery object. If you are defining only one discovery object for this Dynamic Application, best practice is to enter "Discovery" in this field.

  • Protocol Specific Collection Method. The label displayed for these fields is different for each Dynamic Application protocol. Specify how SL1 should collect the discovery object.
  • Class Type. Select [100] Discovery in this from the drop-down list.

  1. Select the Save button to save the collection object. Because this collection object has been defined with a Class Type of [100] Discovery, additional fields that are specific to discovery objects are displayed:

  1. Enter values in the following fields:
  • Tabular. If the value specified in the Protocol Specific Collection Method fields will return tabular data (a list of values) and you want to match the returned values to specific criteria, select this checkbox. You must then specify a value in the Validity Check field. SL1 will iterate through the returned tabular data and search for the value specified in the Validity Check field.

  • Alignment Condition. Specifies how this discovery object should be evaluated. Choices are:
  • Align if OID is present. Specifies that if the device returns a value for the discovery object, evaluate to true. Optionally, in the Validity Check field you can specify the criteria that the returned value must meet.
  • Align if OID is NOT present. Specifies that if the device does not return a value for the discovery object, evaluate to true.

  • Validity Check. If you selected Align if OID is present in the Alignment Condition field, this field is displayed. In this field, you can specify criteria that the returned value must meet for the discovery object to evaluate to true. To use this field, enter a value or regular expression in the text area, then select from the drop-down list of operators to specify how that value should be compared to the returned value. The choices for the comparison operator are:
  • is > Result. Specifies that the discovery object evaluates to true if the specified value is greater than the returned value.

  • is == Result. Specifies that the discovery object evaluates to true if the specified value is equal to the returned value.
  • is < Result. Specifies that the discovery object evaluates to true if the specified value is less than the returned value.
  • is != Result. Specifies that the discovery object evaluates to true if the specified value is not equal to the returned value.
  • is LIKE Result. Specifies that the discovery object evaluates to true if the returned value contains the specified value.
  • matches REGEX. Specifies that the discovery object evaluates to true if the returned value matches the specified regular expression.
  1. Click Save to save the discovery object.

Editing a Collection Object

To edit a Collection Object in a Dynamic Application, perform the following steps:

  • Go to the Dynamic Applications Manager page (System > Manage > Dynamic Applications).
  • Find the Dynamic Application you want to edit. Select its wrench icon (). The Dynamic Applications Properties Editor page is displayed.
  • Select the Collections tab. The Dynamic Applications | Collections Objects page is displayed.
  • In the Collection Object Registry pane at the bottom of the page, locate the collection object you want to edit. Select the wrench icon () for the collection object you want to edit.
  • The fields in the top pane will be populated with the saved values for the selected collection object. Edit the values in one or more fields. For a description of each field, see the Creating a Collection Object section.
  • Select the Save button to save your changes to the collection object. Select the Save As button to save the changes as a new collection object.

Performing Bulk Actions on Collection Objects

You can perform the following bulk actions on the collection objects in a Dynamic Application:

  • Delete collection objects from SL1.
  • Change the group value.
  • Enable or disable Change Alerting for collection objects in configuration Dynamic Applications.

To perform a bulk action on the collection objects in a Dynamic Application, perform the following steps:

  • Go to the Dynamic Applications Manager page (System > Manage > Dynamic Applications).
  • Find the Dynamic Application you want to edit. Select its wrench icon (). The Dynamic Applications Properties Editor page is displayed.
  • Select the Collections tab. The Dynamic Applications | Collections Objects page is displayed.
  • In the Collection Object Registry pane at the bottom of the page, locate the collection object(s) you want to perform the action on. Select the checkbox for each collection object you want to perform the action on.
  • In the Select Action drop-down list, select the action you want to perform, and then select the Go button. The selected collection objects will have the selected action applied to them.