Automatic Asset Management

SL1 can automatically create asset records and populate their fields. Users can also override this feature and prevent the system from automatically creating an asset record.

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

To view a pop-out list of menu options, click the menu icon ().
To view a page containing all of the menu options, click the Advanced menu icon ().

How SL1 Automatically Creates Asset Records

If you enable SL1 to automatically create asset records, SL1 will populate as many fields as possible automatically, using data retrieved during discovery and collection. You can also manually enter values in one or more fields.

If you enable SL1 to automatically create asset records, SL1 will update create and update asset records at the interval specified in the Frequency field for the Enterprise Database: Asset Record Maintenance process. The default value is 60 minutes.

If you enable SL1 to automatically create asset records, you can specify which asset fields will be populated with data retrieved during discovery and during collections and which fields will be populated manually. To specify this behavior, go to the Asset Automation page (System > Settings > Assets).

By default, SL1 does not automatically create asset records. To allow SL1 to automatically create asset records, you must enable the process Enterprise Database: Asset Record Maintenance. To do so:

Go to the Process Manager page (System > Settings > Admin Processes).
Find the process Enterprise Database: Asset Record Maintenance. Click its wrench icon ().
The Process Editor page is displayed. Select Enabled in the Operating State field.
Click the Save button.

Preventing SL1 from Automatically Creating Asset Records

If you enable the Enterprise Database: Asset Record Maintenance process, the following settings can prevent SL1 from automatically creating and updating asset records for specific devices:

If you apply a device template during initial discovery or if you apply a device template to a device before the next instance of the Enterprise Database: Asset Record Maintenance process runs, the following settings in a device template can prevent SL1 from automatically creating an asset record:

Disable Asset Update. If selected, SL1 will not update the asset record associated with the device. If the device is a newly discovered device and SL1 has not yet run the process Enterprise Database: Asset Record Maintenance, SL1 will not automatically create an asset record for the device.

The following settings in the Device Properties page can prevent SL1 from automatically creating an asset record:

Disable Asset Update. If selected, SL1 will not update the asset record associated with the device. If the device is a newly discovered device and SL1 has not yet run the process Enterprise Database: Asset Record Maintenance, SL1 will not automatically create an asset record for the device.

How SL1 Automatically Populates Fields in Asset Records

When an asset record is created (either manually through the Device Manager page, or automatically by the process Enterprise Database: Asset Record Maintenance) SL1 uses information collected during discovery, auto discovery, and collection to automatically populate fields.

SL1 uses data collected during initial discovery to automatically populate the following fields in the Asset Properties and Asset Configuration pages:

Properties | Organization. The organization that the discovered device was aligned with.
Properties | Device-Link. A link to a modeled device.
Properties | Make. The "Device Class" field from the device class aligned during discovery.
Properties | Model. The "Description" field from the device class aligned during discovery.
Configuration | Type. The "Device Category" field from the device class aligned during discovery.
Configuration | DNS Host Name. The Host Name returned by a DNS lookup for the device.
Configuration | DNS Domain Name. The Domain Name returned by a DNS lookup for the device.

After an asset record has been created, SL1 can automatically populate fields in the asset records with values collected by configuration Dynamic Applications (For details on how to populate fields in asset records with values from configuration Dynamic Applications, see the following section.) The following fields in the Asset, Maintenance, Configuration, and Components page can be automatically populated with values collected by configuration Dynamic Applications:

Properties | Make
Properties | Model
Properties | Serial
Configuration | Operating System
Configuration | Host ID /SID
Configuration | Installed Memory
Configuration | CPU Count
Configuration | CPU Type/Make
Configuration | BIOS/EPROM
Component | Type
Component | Make
Component | Model
Component | Serial
Component | Slot
Component | Notes
Component | Connect
Properties | Asset Tag
Configuration | Disk Array Size
Configuration | Disk Count
Configuration | Disk Size
Maintenance | Method
Maintenance | Annual Rate
Properties | RFID Number

Some asset fields can be updated either by data collected from a configuration Dynamic Application or by data collected by discovery. You can define how these asset fields will be populated in the Asset Automation page (System > Settings > Assets).

Generating Asset Records From the Device Manager

After successfully discovering devices, you can automatically create asset records for one, multiple or all discovered devices.

These asset records will contain only the information that SL1 can collect from the device. Users might later have to edit these asset records to include more detail.

To generate asset records for multiple devices simultaneously:

Go to the Device Manager page (Devices > Device Manager).
Select the checkbox for each device that you want to create an asset record for. To select all devices, select the large check icon () in the upper right of the page.
In the Select Action menu, in the lower right of the page, select CREATE Asset Record.
Click the Go button.
An asset record will be generated for each selected device. To check that SL1 generated the asset record, click the Reset button. The asset icon () should now be filled in red next to each selected device.

SL1 will automatically populate as many fields as possible for each device's asset record. However, depending on your business needs, you might have to manually add information to one or more of these asset records.

Automating the Population of Asset Records

There are three ways that SL1 gathers data about a device:

Discovery. These sessions can be manually initiated from the Discovery Control Panel (System > Manage > Classic Discovery), scheduled to run automatically from the Discovery Control Panel (System > Manage > Classic Discovery), or manually initiated from the Device Properties page. This type of discovery session performs the initial discovery on a range of IP addresses and discovers the devices within that IP range. When run after initial discovery, this type of discovery will rediscover one or more devices but will preserve any existing data in SL1.
Auto Discovery. This type of discovery is run automatically every night by SL1. This type of discovery session applies only to devices that have already been discovered by SL1. Each auto discovery session updates each device with any changed data.
Collection. For each device, SL1 retrieves the data specified in each Dynamic Application aligned with the device. For each device, SL1 also retrieves data for each policy aligned with the device (for example, port availability or system processes), and internal collections (such as availability and interfaces monitoring).

By default, SL1 automatically creates an asset record for each device that does not already have an asset record. Automatic creation of asset records is performed every hour.

The following sections explain features that allow you to define how SL1 will populate asset records.

Linking Asset Fields to Collection Objects

When working with Dynamic Applications of type "configuration", you can link a retrieved data point from a Dynamic Application to a field in the asset record. For example, if the Dynamic Application retrieves the name and version of the operating system, you could define a link between the "operating system" collection object and the "operating system" field in each asset record.

For example, suppose you wanted to edit a Dynamic Application for Dell OpenManage. Suppose the Dynamic Application for Dell OpenManage included a collection object called "BIOS Version". Suppose you defined a link between the "BIOS Version" collection object and the "BIOS/EPROM" field in an asset record. SL1 will collect data from devices using the Dell OpenManage Dynamic Application. If we create an asset record for a device that uses Dell OpenManage, the "BIOS/EPROM" field will be populated automatically by SL1.

You can specify the link between the collection object and an asset record field when you create or edit a Dynamic Application.

To edit a Dynamic Application to include an asset link:

Navigate to the Dynamic Applications Manager page (System > Manage > Dynamic Applications).
Select a Configuration Dynamic Application. Click its wrench icon ().
Click the Collections tab to navigate to the Dynamic Applications | Collections Objects page.
The Asset Link / Precedence field displays two drop-down lists you can modify to specify the link between the collection object, asset report field, and priority values of the assets.
The first drop-down list specifies the link between the collection object and the asset report field. The 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
Model Number

The second drop-down list specifies the priority value of the asset selected in the first drown-down. The choices are multiples of ten, ranging from 0 to 100. The default value is 50. Choosing a higher number will make the asset have a higher precedence. If you have more than one Dynamic Application updating the specified valuen, the asset field with the highest precedence that also contains valid data will display in the Asset Properties.
The Form Link link displays a drop-down list you can modify 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.
Click the Save button to save the link between the collection object and the asset record field. For devices that use this Dynamic Application, SL1 will now populate the specified asset record field with the value from the specified collection object.
Repeat these steps for each asset record field you want to populate with values from a collection object.

Preventing SL1 from Automatically Populating Fields in Asset Records

SL1 can automatically populate the fields in asset record every hour. However, SL1 can automatically populate these fields, only if:

The Enterprise Database: Asset Record Maintenance process is enabled.
The device aligned with an asset record does not include Disable Asset Update (defined in the Device Properties page).
In the Asset Automation page (System > Settings > Assets), each field has been defined with Auto Update enabled.

Defining Default Behavior for Asset Records

On the Asset Automation page (System > Settings > Assets), you are allowed to define the default behavior for all asset records. You can define the default behavior for each standard field in the Asset Properties page. For each standard asset field, you can specify:

Field Name. Name of the standard field. This field is populated automatically when you select a field from the register pane.
Data Source: Defines how SL1 will populate an asset field and what type of data will be supplied in the field. For fields that can accept data from multiple sources, this field defines the precedence. For example, if a field can be populated with data from a Dynamic Application or with data from discovery, you can specify that you want SL1 to try and populate the field with data from discovery first, and if that isn't available, to use data from a Dynamic Application. Choices are:

Update Disabled. Don't define an automation policy for this field. This field must be populated manually after the asset record is created.
Dynamic App. Use data collected from a linked Dynamic Application to populate the field.
Internal. Use the value collected from auto discovery to populate this field.
Dynamic App -> Internal. Use the value from a Dynamic Application to populate the field. If it is not available, use the value supplied by auto discovery to populate this field.
Internal -> Dynamic App. Use the value collected during auto discovery to populate the field. If no value is retrieved during auto discovery, use the value from a Dynamic Application.

Some fields can be set only to a Data Source of "internal." Some asset fields can be set only to a Data Source of "Dynamic App." Some asset fields can be set only to a Data Source of "Update Disabled," and some asset fields can be set to use multiple data sources.

Alert on Change. Specifies whether or not SL1 should generate an event each time the value of the field changes in any asset record.
Auto Update. Specifies whether the field's value is updated during nightly auto discovery. If this field is set to No, two behaviors will occur:

For devices for which there is not yet an asset record, during nightly auto discovery, SL1 will not automatically populate this field.
For devices for which there is already an asset record, during nightly auto discovery, SL1 will not automatically update this field.

Dynamic Apps. Specifies how many data sources are linked to the asset field.