Contents
Device List and Add/Change Pages
The Device Add and Change pages have direct entry for device properties such as name, asset number, and serial number. You can also set the device Type, which allows you to define a Physical, Virtual or Cluster device. The Network Device checkbox should be checked for all network hardware, Blade Chassis if the device happens to be a blade chassis, and Virtual/Container Host if the device will host virtual devices. Service Level defines a device’s production status, while Hardware allows a user to select the appropriate hardware model.
Note: As of v16.19.00, devices found by autodiscovery that have hardware models are now presented in Device42 as physical devices (previously these devices were sometimes presented as ‘unknown’ or ‘other’). ‘Other’ type devices are now also identified as physical, with the “other” device subtypes now being physical device subtypes. Previously any previously undiscovered hardware would come in as ‘unknown’ device types until defined by the user.
- Select Devices > All Devices (or one of the listed device types) to display a list of devices.
- Click on a device Name to see details about the device.
Though the tabs will change by device type, most devices will have these tabs:
- Properties
- Other
- Parts
We will discuss the direct properties of devices below and the four tabs in the other sections of the documentation.
Add a Device
- Select Devices > All Devices (or one of the listed device types) and then click Add Device in the upper right hand corner.
- When you select Add Device, you will see the generic device add page with the Type shown as blank. New devices also default to In Service, with a Service Level set to Production.
- Enter a Name for the device and then select the device Type (physical, virtual, or cluster).
The available options and fields on the Add Device page are different depending on which device Type you select.
- For example, for physical devices, you can select or add a Physical Subtype.
- For virtual devices, you can select a Virtual Subtype.
- The cluster devices, the page displays a list of Available Devices in Cluster.
Enter or select the options you want for the device, and then click Save to save the device and add it to the appropriate device list.
Basic Device Addition / Editing
- Select Devices > All Devices (or one of the listed device types) to display a list of devices.
- Click on a device Name to see details about the device, and then click Edit at the top right of the View page.
As an example, let us consider a network switch:
- The highlighted check boxes above represent whether the device is a Network Device, Blade Chassis, a Virtual/Container Host, and its Service Level status.
- It is important to choose the correct attributes: you can only add switch ports to devices designated a Network Device (with the Network Device option checked). Similarly, blades can be ONLY be added to a Blade Chassis, and only a Virtual/Container Host can have guests.
- Service Level above highlights the current service level of that device. For example, if you have a server which is in procurement and waiting to be installed, you can add a service level called In Procurement, and reserve rack space for the device in future – you are free to customize services levels as you see fit.
- The fields Hardware, Serial #, and Asset # are displayed for physical and blade device.
Warning: Changing a Device Type
It is possible to change a device type (e.g., from physical to virtual, cluster, or unknown). Please be aware that when you change a device type, you will lose all attributes that are specific to the device type. Device42 presents an alert of potential change conflicts when a user chooses to change the type of a device.
When you change from a physical device to another device type, you will lose the following:
- the rack, room, or storage room information
- the hardware model
- any IP or power connectivity
- if it was a blade chassis, it will no longer be one
- all blade information
When you change from a virtual device to another device type, you will lose the following:
- if it was a virtual host, it will no longer be one
- any cloud instance Data
When you change from a blade device to another device type, you will lose the following:
- blade host information
- the blade chassis slot # will be cleared
- the hardware model
- storage room information
- any IP or power connectivity
When you change from a cluster device to another device type, you will lose all cluster associations.