Use the connect command to connect to network devices from any SSH client. Users only need a connection to the NetMRI Management interface to connect to any managed devices. Users can connect to devices in groups to which they have valid permissions. You can view the audit logs for all events when the users use the connect command to access network devices.

Example:

Netmriuser > connect <device ip | device name> [network view]

where <network view> is the name of the network view.

Connecting to Managed Devices through the CLI Proxy

To connect to a managed device via the CLI proxy, complete the following:

1. Connect to the NetMRI Management IP address using an SSH client of your choice.
2. Log in using the same username and password you would use to log in to the NetMRI Web interface.
3. Connect to a device using the connect command. Example: connect 10.0.1.24. If there are multi-network deployments, you must specify the name of the network view in the connect command. Example: Connect 10.0.1.24 "Network 1".

Connecting Automatically to Managed Devices

You can configure an SSH connection to automatically connect to a managed device using SSH environment variables. Using this feature, you can save shortcuts to the devices to which you frequently connect.

You can use the following environment variables to set up the automatic connection:

• CLI_PROXY_HOST: The IP address or hostname of the device you want to automatically connect to after you log in to NetMRI.
• CLI_PROXY_NET: The name of the network view in which the device resides. This is required only for multiple network deployments.

The following example illustrates how to use these environment variables through PuTTy:

1. Start a PuTTy session.
2. In the PuTTy Configuration window, go to the Connection > Data > Category section.
3. As illustrated in Figure 14.1, perform the following in the Environment variables section:

• • Enter CLI_PROXY_HOST 210.20.20.5.

Figure 14.1 Configuring Environment Variables in PuTTy Session

4. Click Open.