Configuration and Discovery

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The following sections describe how to configure and discover Nimble Storage Arrays for monitoring in SL1 using the Nimble Storage (2.3) PowerPack:

Prerequisites for Monitoring Nimble Storage Arrays

Before you can monitor Nimble Storage Arrays in SL1 using the Nimble Storage (2.3) PowerPack, you must have the following:

  • Access to TCP port 161 from the SL1 Collector or SL1 All-In-One server
  • Nimble Insight SNMP version 2.3 or later

Creating an SNMP Credential for Nimble Storage Arrays

To monitor Nimble Storage devices with SL1, you must first create an SNMP credential. This credential enables the Dynamic Applications in the "Nimble Storage (2.3)" PowerPack to collect data from your Nimble Storage devices.

  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:

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  • 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 Nimble Storage 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). The SNMP community string (password) required for read-only access of SNMP data on the remote device or application. For SNMP V2 credentials, you must supply a community string, either in this field or in the SNMP Community (Read/Write) field..
  • SNMP Community (Read/Write). Optional. The SNMP community string (password) required for read and write access of SNMP data on the remote device or application. For and SNMP V2 credentials, you must supply a community string, either in this field or in the SNMP Community (Read Only) field.
  1. Click Close.

Creating an SNMP Credential for Nimble Storage Arrays in the SL1 Classic User Interface

To monitor Nimble Storage devices in the SL1 classic user interface, you must first create an SNMP credential. This credential enables the Dynamic Applications in the "Nimble Storage (2.3)" PowerPack to collect data from your Nimble Storage devices.

To create an SNMP credential in the classic user interface:

  • Go to the Credential Management page (System > Manage > Credentials).
  • Click the Actions button and select Create SNMP Credential. The Credential Editor page appears.
  • Supply values in the following fields:
  • Profile Name. Name of the credential. Can be any combination of alphanumeric characters. This field is required.
  • SNMP Version. SNMP version. Leave it set at the default value of SNMP V2. This field is required.
  • Port. The port SL1 will use to communicate with the external device or application. The default value is 161. This field is required.
  • Timeout (ms). Time, in milliseconds, after which SL1 will stop trying to communicate with the SNMP device. The default value is 1500. This field is required.
  • Retries. Number of times SL1 will try to authenticate and communicate with the external device. The default value is 1. This field is required.

SNMP V2 Settings

These fields appear if you selected SNMP V2 in the SNMP Version field.

  • SNMP Community (Read Only). The SNMP community string (password) required for read-only access of SNMP data on the remote device or application. For SNMP V2 credentials, you must supply a community string, either in this field or in the SNMP Community (Read/Write) field.
  • SNMP Community (Read/Write). The SNMP community string (password) required for read and write access of SNMP data on the remote device or application. For and SNMP V2 credentials, you must supply a community string, either in this field or in the SNMP Community (Read Only) field.
  • Click the Save button to save the new SNMP credential.

Discovering Nimble Storage Arrays

To monitor your Nimble Storage system, you must run a discovery session to discover the server on which Nimble Storage is installed.

To create and run a discovery session that will discover a Nimble Storage 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.

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  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 Nimble Storage 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 Nimble Storage 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 a Nimble Storage 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 Nimble Storage Arrays in the SL1 Classic User Interface

The "Nimble Storage (2.3)" PowerPack uses SNMP to align to arrays. In order to discover a Nimble Storage Array, the array must be able to support Nimble Insight SNMP version 2.3 or later.

To discover Nimble Storage Arrays, perform the following steps:

  1. Go to the Discovery Control Panel page (System > Manage > Classic Discovery or System > Manage > Discovery in the classic user interface).

  1. Click the Create button. The Discovery Session Editor page appears.

  1. Supply values in the following fields:
  • Name. Type a unique name for the discovery session.
  • IP Address/Hostname Discovery List. Type the IP address of the Nimble Storage Array.
  • SNMP Credentials. Select the SNMP Public V1 or SNMP Public V2 credential.
  • Discover Non-SNMP. Select this checkbox.

  1. Optionally, supply values in the other fields in this page. For a description of the fields in this page, see the Discovery and Credentials section.
  2. Click the Save button.
  3. The Discovery Control Panel page will refresh. Click the lightning bolt icon () for the discovery session you created.
  4. In the pop-up window that appears, click the OK button. The Discovery Session page displays the progress of the discovery session.

NOTE: The PowerPack uses the Volume Name to uniquely identify volume components. It's important that volume names on the Nimble Storage arrays are uniquely named and never reused to avoid any duplicate device creation on SL1.

Verifying Discovery and Dynamic Application Alignment

To verify that SL1 has automatically aligned the correct Dynamic Applications during discovery:

  • After the second discovery has completed, click the device icon for the Nimble Storage Array (). From the Device Properties page for the Nimble Storage Array, click the Collections tab. The Dynamic Application Collections page appears.
  • All applicable Dynamic Applications for the switch are automatically aligned during discovery.

You should see the following Dynamic Applications aligned to the Nimble Storage Array:

    It can take several minutes after the discovery session has completed for Dynamic Applications to appear in the Dynamic Application Collections page.


If the listed Dynamic Applications have not been automatically aligned during discovery, you can align them manually. To do so, perform the following steps:

  • Click the Action button and then select Add Dynamic Application. The Dynamic Application Alignment page appears.
  • In the Dynamic Applications field, select the Dynamic Application you want to align.
  • In the Credentials field, select the credential specified in the table.
  • Click the Save button.
  • Repeat steps 1-4 for the other unaligned Dynamic Applications.

Viewing Nimble Storage Component Devices

In addition to the Device Manager page (Devices > Classic Devices, or Registry > Devices > Device Manager in the classic SL1 user interface), you can view the Nimble Storage Array and all associated component devices in the following places in the user interface:

  • The Device View modal page 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 a Nimble Storage Array, find the server and click its plus icon (+):

  • The 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 page makes it easy to visualize and manage root nodes and their components. SL1 automatically updates the Component Map as new component devices are discovered. The platform also updates each map with the latest status and event information. To view the map for a Nimble Storage Array, go to the Component Map page and select the map from the list in the left NavBar. To learn more about the Component Map page, see the section on Views.