Configuring NetMRI Using the Setup Wizard
- Uday Dubey (Deactivated)
Analytics
The Setup Wizard provides a multi-step process for configuring NetMRI. As shown in the table below, steps in the Wizard depend on whether you choose to use auto discovery in the Welcome step.
Open a browser window and navigate to the IP address assigned to NetMRI by DHCP or as configured by you. The NetMRI Setup Wizard should appear in your browser.
Setup Wizard: Admin Password
Do the following:
- Enter and confirm the password for the NetMRI administrative account. Requirements for the password are listed at the bottom of the screen.
- Click Next.
The administrative account is used by the NetMRI administrator to create user accounts and configure NetMRI. This account user name and password are also required to access the administrative shell (a command-line interface). Other NetMRI users do not have the special privileges available to the administrator.
The administrative account user name is “admin” and cannot be changed. Since this user name is easy to guess, it is essential to assign a strong password to prevent unauthorized users from impersonating the administrator.
Setup Wizard: License
Do the following:
- Browse to the location of the NetMRI license file, and then select the license file. The license file ends with the .gpg extension.
- Click Next.
A license is required to use NetMRI for production or evaluation purposes. Each license is keyed to a specific NetMRI serial number and specifies the maximum number of devices and interfaces that NetMRI can monitor, as well as which modules are enabled.
If you have not received a license file or you have misplaced it, you can obtain a license file at http://netmri-license.infoblox.com. When you receive the file, save it in a location you can access from the Setup Wizard.
Setup Wizard: Welcome
Do the following:
- Enable or disable auto discovery.
- Click Next.
Enabling automatic discovery means NetMRI will attempt to discover devices on the network using its own discovery methods. There is less configuration required when implementing automatic discovery, but it may take longer to completely discover all the devices you are expecting to be managed.
Disabling automatic discovery means NetMRI will only manage the devices manually input during configuration. Devices known to exist, but not explicitly configured, are not included in any reports or topology data. Configuring NetMRI with discovery disabled may take longer depending on the number of devices on the network.
Setup Wizard: Discovery Ranges
Note
IPv6 network discovery supports the use of CIDR ranges.
Do the following:
- Specify devices to include or exclude during discovery:
- To add an item, click New, fill in the fields above the table, and then click Add.
- To edit an item, select the item, click Edit, make the necessary changes in the fields above the table, and then click Save.
- To delete an item, select the item, click Delete, and then confirm the deletion.
- To import discovery setting data, click Import. In the dialog, click Browse to select the CSV file, and then click Import.
- Click Next.
Discovery ranges define the scope of the network NetMRI explores by defining CIDR address blocks, IP address ranges and IP address wildcards. NetMRI limits its network exploration to the set of ranges defined in this tab.
- A CIDR address block is defined by a network address and bit mask (for example 192.168.1.0/24).
- An IP address range defines a start and ending IP address. For instance, you could define 192.168.1.0 as the start of the IP range and 192.168.1.255 as the end of the IP range.
- An IP address wildcard pattern defines a single IP address range using a wildcard character or range for a specific set of octets. For example, you could define either 192.168.1.* or 192.168.1.0-255 as the IP address wildcard pattern. An IP address wildcard pattern can substitute an asterisk or range for any single octet in the definition.
Ranges included for discovery indicate that any device found matching that range will be discovered and managed by NetMRI. Ranges excluded for discovery indicate that any device found matching that range will be excluded from discovery by NetMRI. Ranges marked “Exclude from management” indicate that any device found matching that range will be discovered by NetMRI, however, NetMRI will not manage the device (for example, collect data from the device).
Setup Wizard: Static IPs
Do the following:
- Enter IP addresses you want NetMRI to manage.
- To add an item, click New, fill in the fields above the table, and then click Add.
- To edit an item, select the item, click Edit, make the necessary changes in the fields above the table, and then click Save.
- To delete an item, select the item, click Delete, and then confirm the deletion.
- To import discovery setting data, click Import. In the dialog, click Browse to select the CSV file, and then click Import.
- Click Next.
Devices matching IP addresses listed here are given priority over other devices discovered in determining which devices are counted toward NetMRI license limits.
Setup Wizard: CLI Credentials
Note
Skip this step when installing the NetMRI Discovery and Inventory Module.
Do the following:
- Enter the CLI credentials used by the devices specified in the Discovery Ranges and Static IPs steps. NetMRI will automatically determine which credentials are associated with each device.
- To add an item, click New, fill in the fields above the table, and then click Add.
- To edit an item, select the item, click Edit, make the necessary changes in the fields above the table, then click Save.
- To test an item, select the item, and then click Test. In the test dialog, select the Hostname or IP, and then click Start.
- To delete an item, select the item, click Delete, and then confirm the deletion.
- To import credential data, click Import. In the dialog, click Browse to select the CSV file, and then click Import.
- Click Next.
NetMRI will try site-specific username/passwords, in priority order, when first logging in to a device via a CLI connection (SSH or telnet). Once a password is determined, NetMRI will save it as device-specific information. If there is no site-specific password, NetMRI will try the vendor default credentials in priority order. NetMRI will always use site-specific username/password combinations when trying to determine the new login credentials for a device, and they will not be used for vendor default credential checks.
Note
NetMRI needs the ENABLE password in order to access configuration files on some devices and to run the Configuration Command Scripts. We strongly recommend that you create a username and password on your network equipment specifically for NetMRI so that it is easier to identify NetMRI actions.
Setup Wizard: SNMP v1/2 Credentials
Do the following:
- Enter the SNMP v1/2 credentials used by the devices specified in the Discovery Ranges and Static IPs steps. NetMRI will automatically determine which credentials are associated with each device.
- To add an item, click New, fill in the fields above the table, and then click Add.
- To edit an item, select the item, click Edit, make the necessary changes in the fields above the table, and then click Save.
- To test an item, select the item, and then click Test. In the test dialog, select the Hostname or IP, and then click Start.
- To delete an item, select the item, click Delete, and then confirm the deletion.
- To import credential data, click Import. In the dialog, click Browse to select the CSV file, and then click Import.
- Click Next.
NetMRI uses SNMP read-only community strings to collect data for its analysis. NetMRI is pre-configured with several commonly used community strings taken from the list of default community strings configured by the device vendor at delivery time. If the community strings provided during NetMRI installation do not work for a given device, NetMRI tries well-known vendor defaults. If a default community string works for the device, NetMRI begins normal SNMP processing, and the “Weak Community String” issue is fired to alert you to this condition. If you are using the optional Compliance Module, you will see all vendor default community strings that were able to return SNMP data for a device in the Default Credentials Report.
Manually entered community strings will be used first, in priority order, then the default community strings will be tried in priority order if the Use Vendor Default Community Strings option is enabled in the Settings > Setup section > Collectors and Groups > Global tab > Network Polling panel. That option allows you to disable the use of the vendor default community strings for the determination of which strings NetMRI can use. This is typically done in installations having tight security setups that have removed all vendor defaults from their installation. Note that this option does not prevent the vendor default from running.
Setup Wizard: SNMP v3 Credentials
Do the following:
- Enter the SNMP v3 credentials used by the devices specified in the Discovery Ranges and Static IPs steps. NetMRI will automatically determine which credentials are associated with each device.
- To add an item, click New, fill in the fields above the table, and then click Add.
- To edit an item, select the item, click Edit, make the necessary changes in the fields above the table, and then click Save.
- To test an item, select the item, and then click Test. In the test dialog, select the Hostname or IP, and then click Start.
- To delete an item, select the item, click Delete, and then confirm the deletion.
- To import credential data, click Import. In the dialog, click Browse to select the CSV file, and then click Import.
- Click Next.
NetMRI uses SNMPv3 credentials to collect data for its analysis. When determining SNMP credentials to be used, NetMRI attempts any configured SNMPv3 credentials before using SNMPv1/v2c credentials.
Setup Wizard: Seed Routers
Seed router values are recommended for IPv4 network discovery and are required for IPv6 network discovery.
Do the following:
- Enter IP addresses for seed routers.
- To add an item, click New, fill in the fields above the table, and then click Add.
- To edit an item, select the item, click Edit, make the necessary changes in the fields above the table, and then click Save.
- To test an item, select the item, and then click Test. In the test dialog, select the Hostname or IP, and then click Start.
- To delete an item, select the item, click Delete, and then confirm the deletion.
- To import credential data, click Import. In the dialog, click Browse to select the CSV file, and then click Import.
- Click Next.
NetMRI uses seed routers to quickly perform network discovery. Definition of seed routers is highly recommended for IPv4 networks and is required for IPv6 networks. Seed routers are also given priority (like static IP definitions) for determining which devices are counted toward NetMRI license limits.
The table lists each defined seed router with its discovery status (as defined in the Network Explorer tab > Discovery tab). By reviewing the discovery status for each seed router you can determine whether NetMRI should be able to discover the network successfully, or if there are possible configuration errors preventing network discovery, without having to wait to see what NetMRI finds.
Setup Wizard: Device Type Hints
Do the following:
- Enter device type hints.
- To add an item, click New, fill in the fields above the table, and then click Add.
- To edit an item, select the item, click Edit, make the necessary changes in the fields above the table, and then click Save.
- To delete an item, select the item, click Delete, and then confirm the deletion.
- Click Next.
Device hints help the NetMRI discovery engine locate specific types of network devices using IP address patterns and DNS name patterns. For instance, if most routers are found at an IP address ending with “.10”, specifying “*.*.*.10” and associating the Router device type for an IP address hint will allow NetMRI to prioritize any discovered devices matching that hint higher in its credential collection queue to help speed discovery. Additionally, this hint is taken into account when NetMRI attempts to determine a device’s type.
Valid IP address patterns are either the numeric values of the octet or an asterisk for any number of octets in the IP address. For device name matches, valid DNS characters and the asterisk character are valid definitions. For instance, *rtr* will match any device name with “rtr” in its definition.
Device hints are optional and are only used in helping to speed network discovery and to assist with the determination of device types absent other discovery data.
Setup Wizard: Device Interrogation Techniques
Do the following:
- Select the desired options. Descriptions are provided in the wizard.
- Click Next.
Setup Wizard: Configuration Collection
Skip this step when installing the NetMRI Discovery and Inventory Module.
Do the following:
- Select the desired options. Descriptions are provided in the wizard.
- Click Next.
Setup Wizard: Summary
Do the following:
- Review the summary.
- For any item flagged as a possible configuration problem, click the Edit link to go directly to the corresponding step in the wizard to make changes. After making changes, return to the Summary step.
- Click Finish.
NetMRI is now configured.