This section contains a few recommendations for integrating NetMRI into your operational environment.

Domain Name Assignment

For long-term use, we recommend that you add NetMRI to your DNS server configuration so that references to NetMRI can be made by name instead of IP address. You are free to assign any name to the NetMRI server, but Infoblox recommends that you use the same Server Name that was assigned to NetMRI in the first step of the NetMRI setup process. That way, the DNS name, SNMP system name, and HTTPS server certificate name will all be consistent.

Accessing Using HTTPS

NetMRI is configured to accept browser requests on the standard HTTP port (80) for convenience and the HTTPS port (443) for additional security. During the initial setup process, the server name assigned to NetMRI is used as the HTTPS server certificate name.

When connecting to NetMRI via HTTPS for the first time from a given browser, the browser will display a dialog box indicating that a) the NetMRI server certificate has not been seen before and b) it is not currently trusted. At that point, you should examine the NetMRI server certificate to confirm that it contains the specified server name and that it was signed by Infoblox, Inc. If the certificate appears authentic, you should accept or install the certificate using the standard process supported by your browser. After the certificate is installed, the dialog will no longer be displayed when you connect to NetMRI using HTTPS.

Using NetMRI

At this point, you should review the NetMRI online help, which describes all the capabilities provided by NetMRI, including all reports, issues, and displays. To access the online help, click the Help icon at the right end of the navigation area. You can access page-specific help from any location that displays the Help icon at the right end of the green header bar.

Shutdown Procedure

NetMRI includes embedded databases and file systems to manage the vast amount of information gathered from the network. Although the database and file systems are designed to be resilient to failures, it is always best to shut the system down gracefully whenever possible to avoid data corruption.
To properly shut down NetMRI, click the Settings icon > General Settings > Shutdown Server or use the halt command in the NetMRI administrative shell accessible via SSH (see Administrative Shell in the NetMRI online help for details).

Resetting to Factory Defaults

If you are evaluating NetMRI on a production network and want to erase all data collected before returning the unit, this is most easily accomplished using the reset command in the NetMRI administrative shell (accessible via SSH; see reference above). When that command is executed, the network database will be erased, all files stored in the Administrator directory will be deleted and NetMRI will be returned to its factory default settings.