Configuring Device Credentials

This section describes how to configure the credentials required by the automation actions in the Datacenter Advanced Enrichment Actions PowerPack:

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 ().

Creating a Credential

To use the automation actions in the PowerPack to collect data from a device, you must create an SSH credential that includes the username and password for that device.

The automation actions in the PowerPack do not support SSH key-based authentication or non-standard SSH ports. You must use the Basic/Snippet credential type when creating credentials for the Datacenter Advanced Enrichment Actions PowerPack.

To create a credential:

Go to the Credential Management page (System > Manage > Credentials).
Click Actions and select Create Basic/Snippet credential. The Create New Basic/Snippet Credential page appears.
Supply values in the following fields:

Credential Name. Enter a name for the credential.
Hostname/IP. Enter "%D" in this field.
Port. To use SSH to connect to the device, enter "22" in this field.
Timeout(ms). Enter a timeout, in milliseconds, for the connection.
Username. Enter the username for a user that can log in to the device using SSH and execute diagnostic commands.
Password. Enter the password for the user you entered in the Username field.

Click Save.

Aligning Credentials to Devices

The Datacenter Advanced Enrichment Actions PowerPack includes the "Automation Remote Login" Dynamic Application. When the "Enrichment: Util: Collect Enrichment Data" action executes, it uses the credential associated with the "Automation Remote Login" Dynamic Application for the device associated with the triggering event. The following sections describe how to align the "Automation Remote Login" Dynamic Application to devices using the credentials that you created.

For automation actions that are designed to trigger for events associated with component devices (e.g. the automation actions for Cisco UCS components), this configuration must be performed on the root device. The "Automation Remote Login" Dynamic Application does not need to be associated with the component device(s).

During discovery, you might see a significant number of connections made to network devices, as all Dynamic Applications that accept the Basic/Snippet credential type are tested against the specified devices. This might include testing Dynamic Application types that are not appropriate for network devices. Consider aligning Dynamic Applications and credentials using a device template. For more information, see Aligning a Credential Using a Device Template Aligning a Credential Using a Device Template.

Aligning a Credential Manually to a Device

To manually align the "Automation Remote Login" Dynamic Application and credential to a device, perform the following steps:

Go to the Device Manager page (Registry > Devices > Device Manager).

Click the wrench icon () for the device. The Device Administration panel appears.
Click the Collections tab. The Dynamic Application Collections page appears.
Click the Actions button and select Add Dynamic Application. The Dynamic Application Alignment modal page appears.
In the Dynamic Applications field, select Automation Remote Login. In the Credentials field, select the credential you created in the previous section.
Click Save.

Aligning a Credential Using a Device Template

You can use a device template to align the "Automation Remote Login" Dynamic Application with a specified credential during discovery. This is useful when you want to limit the tests against certain devices (such as network devices) during discovery.

To align the "Automation Remote Login" Dynamic Application and credential using a device template:

Create the credential you want to align to the devices. In this example, we will create a Cisco IOS credential.

You will do this for each credential you want to apply for the Dynamic Application.

Go to the Credential Management page (System > Manage > Credentials).
Select [Actions] and then choose Create Basic/Snippet Credential.
Supply values in the following fields:

Credential Name. Specify a unique name for this credential with any combination of alphanumeric characters.
Hostname/IP. You can specify a particular device or use a variable, such as %D.
Port. Specify the port to use when logging in to the device.
Timeout(ms). Specify a timeout value, in milliseconds, after which SL1 will stop trying to communicate with the device.
Username. Specify the username for the user account you will use to log in to the device.
Password. Specify the password for the user account you identified in the previous field.

Click Save.

Create a device template that aligns the "Automation Remote Login" Dynamic Application, which includes the new credential.

Go to the Configuration Templates page (Devices > Templates).
Click [Create]. The Device Template Editor opens.
Enter a Template Name in the field provided.
Click the Dyn Apps tab.
In the "Subtemplate Selections" pane, click Add New Dynamic App Sub-Template.
Select "Automation Remote Login" as the Dynamic Application.
Select the Credential you created in the previous step. Continuing our example, we will select "Cisco IOS".
Click Save.

Specify the device template for discovery.

Create a discovery session (or edit an existing discovery session) in the Discovery Session Editor (Devices > Discovery Sessions).
Select the device template you just created in the "Apply Device Template" chooser, as shown.
Click Save.

Aligning Credentials Automatically During Discovery

The "Automation Remote Login" Dynamic Application includes a discovery object that you can use to automatically align the Dynamic Application to devices during discovery. To configure a discovery session to automatically align the "Automation Remote Login" Dynamic Application, select the credential you created in the previous section in the Other Credentials field in the Discovery Session Editor.