Configuration and Discovery

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The following sections describe how to configure and discover F5 BIG-IP DNS services for monitoring by SL1 using the "F5: BIG-IP DNS" PowerPack:

Prerequisites for Monitoring F5 BIG-IP DNS

Before you can monitor F5 BIG-IP DNS services using the "F5: BIG-IP DNS" PowerPack, you must ensure that SL1 can communicate with BIG-IP DNS using SNMP and you must know the SNMP community string for the BIG-IP DNS system. SL1 can then use the data collected from BIG-IP DNS to create device records for all DNS components.

Creating an SNMP Credential for F5 BIG-IP DNS

SL1 uses SNMP to collect information about F5: BIG-IP DNS services. To monitor F5: BIG-IP DNS , you must first create an SNMP credential that enables SL1 to communicate with these services.

  1. Go to theCredentials page (Manage > Credentials).
  2. Click the Create New button and select Create SNMP Credential from the drop-down list that appears.
  3. Complete the following fields:

    4. Create SNMP Credential for Cisco Unity Express

  • Name. Enter a new name for the credential. This field is required.
  • All Organizations. Toggle on (blue) to align the credential to all organizations, or toggle off (gray) and then select one or more specific organizations from the Select the organizations the credential belongs to drop-down field to align the credential with those specific organizations.
  • Timeout (ms). Enter the time, in milliseconds, after which SL1 will stop trying to communicate with the F5: BIG-IP DNS device. The default value is 1500. This field is required.
  • SNMP Version. Select SNMP V2 from the drop-down list.
  • SNMP Retries. Keep the default. The default value is "1".
  • Port. Keep the default. The default port is "161".
  • SNMP Community (Read Only). Enter the community string for the F5: BIG-IP DNS voice mailbox you want to monitor.
  • SNMP Community (Read/Write). Optional. Enter the community string for the F5: BIG-IP DNS to grant Read/Write permissions.
  1. Click Close.

Creating an SNMP Credential for F5: BIG-IP DNS in the SL1 Classic User Interface

To use the Dynamic Applications in the "F5: BIG-IP DNS" PowerPack, you must first define an SNMP credential in SL1. This credential allows SL1 to communicate with the BIG-IP DNS system.

To configure an SNMP credential for F5 BIG-IP DNS:

  1. Go to the Credential Management page (System > Manage > Credentials).
  2. Click the Actions button.
  3. In the drop-down list that appears, select Create SNMP Credential. The Credential Editor page appears.
  4. In the Profile Name field, type a name for the credential.
  5. In the SNMP Version field, select SNMP V2.
  6. In the SNMP Community (Read Only) field, type the community string for the BIG-IP DNS system.
  7. Optionally, supply values in the other fields in this page. In most cases, you can use the default values for the other fields.
  8. Click the Save button.

Discovering an F5 BIG-IP DNS System

To monitor your F5: Big-IP DNS system, you must run a discovery session to discover the server on which F5: Big-IP DNS is installed.

To create and run a discovery session that will discover an F5: Big-IP DNS appliance:

  1. Go to the Devices page () or the Discovery Sessions page (Devices > Discovery Sessions) and click the Add Devices button.
  2. Click the Unguided Network Discovery Workflow button. Additional information about that requirements for discovery appears in the General Information pane to the right.

    3. RabbitMQ Unguided Network Discovery Workflow

  3. Click Select. The three-step wizard appears starting with the Step 1 Basic Information tab.
  4. Complete the following fields:
  • Discovery Session Name. Type a unique name for this discovery session. This name is displayed in the list of discovery sessions on the Discovery Sessions tab.
  • Description.Optional. Type a short description of the discovery session. You can use the text in this description to search for the discovery session on the Discovery Sessions tab.
  • Select the organization to add discovered devices to. Select the name of the organization to which you want to add the discovered devices.
  1. Click Next. The Step 2 Credential Selection tab of the wizard appears.
  2. On the Credential Selection tab, locate and select the SNMP credential you created for F5: Big-IP DNS appliances.
  3. Click Next. The Step 3 Discovery Session Details tab of the wizard appears.
  4. Complete the following fields:
  • List of IP/Hostnames. Type the IP address for the F5: Big-IP DNS appliance.
  • Which collector will discover these devices?. Required. Select an existing collector to monitor the discovered devices.
  • Run after save. Toggle on (blue) to run this discovery session as soon as you save the session.
  • Advanced options. Click the down arrow () to complete the following fields:
    • Discover Non-SNMP. Toggle on (blue) to enable this setting.
    • Model Devices. Toggle on (blue) to enable this setting.
    • Select Device Template. If you configured an F5: Big-IP DNS device template, select it here. Otherwise, leave the default selection.
  1. If you enabled the Run after save option, click the Save and Run button. The discovery session will run and the Discovery Logs page will display any relevant log messages. If the discovery session locates and adds any devices, the Discovery Logs page will include a link to the Device Investigator page for the discovered device.
  2. If you did not enable the Run after save option, click the Save and Close button. The Discovery Sessions page (Devices > Discovery Sessions) will display the new discovery session.

Discovering an F5: BIG-IP DNS System in the SL1 Classic User Interface

After you have created an SNMP credential for the F5 BIG-IP DNS system that you want to monitor, you can create and run a discovery session that will discover your BIG-IP DNS system.

The "F5: BIG-IP DNS" PowerPack enables you to discover and monitor a maximum of 1,500 component devices.

To discover your BIG-IP DNS system:

  1. Go to the Discovery Control Panel page (System > Manage > Classic Discovery or System > Manage > Discovery in the classic user interface).
  2. Click the Create button to create a new discovery session. The Discovery Session Editor window appears.
  3. Complete the following fields:
  • Name. Type a name for the discovery session.
  • IP Address/Hostname Discovery List. Type the IP address for the BIG-IP DNS system.
  • SNMP Credentials. Select the SNMP Credential for the BIG-IP DNS system.
  1. Optionally, you can enter values in the other fields on this page. For more information about the other fields on this page, see the Discovery & Credentials section.
  2. Click the Save button and then close the Discovery Session Editor window.
  3. The discovery session you created will appear at the top of the Discovery Control Panel page. Click its lightning-bolt icon () to run the discovery session.
  4. The Discovery Session window appears. When the BIG-IP DNS root device is discovered, you can click its device icon () to view the system device's properties.

SL1 might take several minutes to discover the component devices for your BIG-IP DNS service.

Viewing Component Devices

When SL1 performs collection for the F5 BIG-IP DNS system, SL1 will create component devices that represent each device and align other Dynamic Applications to those component devices. Some of the Dynamic Applications aligned to the component devices will also be used to create additional component devices. All component devices appear in the Device Manager page just like devices discovered using the ScienceLogic discovery process.

In addition to the Device Manager page, you can view the F5 BIG-IP DNS system and all associated component devices in the following places in the user interface:

  • The Device View modal page (click the bar-graph icon [] for a device, then click the Topology tab) displays a map of a particular device and all of the devices with which it has parent-child relationships. Double-clicking any of the devices listed reloads the page to make the selected device the primary device.
  • The Device Components page (Devices > Device Components) displays a list of all root devices and component devices discovered by SL1 in an indented view, so you can easily view the hierarchy and relationships between child devices, parent devices, and root devices. To view the component devices associated with an F5 BIG-IP DNS system, find the BIG-IP device and click its plus icon (+).
  • The Device Component Map page (Classic Maps > Device Maps > Components) allows you to view devices by root node and view the relationships between root nodes, parent components, and child components in a map. This makes it easy to visualize and manage root nodes and their components. SL1 automatically updates the Device Component Map as new component devices are discovered. SL1 also updates each map with the latest status and event information. To view the map for an F5 BIG-IP DNS system, go to the Device Component Map page and select the map from the list in the left NavBar. To learn more about the Device Component Map page, see the section on Views.