Managing NerveCenter - Managing Node Data - Populating the Node List Initially -
Processing Traps from Unknown Nodes      Populating the Node List Manually

Populating the Node List Initially

To detect and correlate network events, NerveCenter must have basic information about each of the managed nodes it monitors. Once you have configured the proper node filters (see Filtering Nodes), you must tell NerveCenter where to look for the initial data it will use to populate its node list.

There are several methods for populating NerveCenter's node list:

• Populating NerveCenter's node list using your network management platform as a node data source
• Populating Using the IPSweep Behavior Model
• Populating the Node List Manually

Populating NerveCenter's node list using your network management platform as a node data source

NerveCenter is able to receive information about some or all of the nodes managed by your network management platform. NerveCenter is able to retrieve data about managed nodes from the following HP OpenView Network Node Manager.

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   To use your network management platform to populate NerveCenter's node database, you must have the NerveCenter OpenView Platform Adapter (OVPA) installed and running.

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To populate NerveCenter's node list using your network management platform, you must specify it as a source for the node data. Each NerveCenter database populates its node list from just one network management platform database. Depending on your filtering, the database may contain all the nodes or just a subset. In either case, there is just one source of the information.

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   If you wish to map system Object Identifiers (OID) to NerveCenter property groups, you must make the necessary configurations in the NerveCenter Client before naming the node data source. (See Designing and Managing Behavior Models.) After NerveCenter initially populates its node list, any subsequent mapping of OIDs to property groups will affect only new nodes added to the node list.

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  To use your network management platform as a node data source:

1. Open NerveCenter Administrator and connect to the appropriate NerveCenter Server.

   See the section Connecting Administrator to a NerveCenter Server on page 38.

2. Select the Node Source tab.

   NerveCenter displays the Node Source tab.

   

3. In the Machine Name field, type either the name or the IP address of a host that runs your network management platform.

   For example, if you have your network management platform running on a machine named Norm, you would type the name Norm or its IP address in the Machine Name field.

   If the Machine Name field is left blank, NerveCenter does not retrieve nodes from any platform.

4. In the Port field, type the number of the port used to communicate with the platform adapter process on the host. The default is 6024.

   The platform adapter must be configured to listen on the same port specified in this field.

5. Select Save.

NerveCenter will now retrieve its initial node data from your network management platform's database.

Populating Using the IPSweep Behavior Model

There may be situations in which you will not want to use a network management platform to populate NerveCenter's node list initially. Such situations could include:

• Your network does not contain an applicable network management platform or you are using NerveCenter as a stand-alone application.
• A large distance or a costly link separates the platform from the nodes that NerveCenter will be monitoring locally.

For situations such as these, NerveCenter provides the IPSweep behavior model. Using the IPSweep behavior model, NerveCenter detects unknown nodes and adds them to the node database, provided they fall within the set filters.

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   If you are using NerveCenter in Windows configured with Domain Name Server (DNS), the IPSweep behavior model requires that Enable DNS for Windows Resolution be selected. (This option is found on the WINS address tabbed page of the TCP/IP protocol, found on the Protocols tabbed page in the Network applet in the Control Panel.)

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  To populate the node list using the IPSweep behavior model:

1. Open NerveCenter Administrator and connect to the appropriate NerveCenter Server.

   See Connecting Administrator to a NerveCenter Server on page 38.

2. Select the IP Filters tab and configure NerveCenter to filter by the appropriate subnet criteria. See Filtering nodes using a Node's IP Address.

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      If the IP Filter box is empty, the IPSweep behavior model's primary application ipsweep will not run. This precaution is to prevent NerveCenter from trying to discover all the nodes on the Internet.

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3. Select the Server tab.

   NerveCenter displays the Server tab.

   

4. Select from the Discover Nodes from Traps list All or Filter.

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      If the Discover Nodes from Traps field is set to None, the IPSweep behavior model will not work.

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5. If you want NerveCenter to turn on the IPSweep behavior model every time the NerveCenter Server is started, select Enable Discovery at Startup.
6. From NerveCenter Client, turn on the IPSweep behavior model. See the Designing and Managing Behavior Models in the NerveCenter documentation for details.

NerveCenter periodically runs the script ipsweep. As NerveCenter discovers unknown nodes that fall within its IP filters it will add them to the node list.