Getting Started with Inventory Manager

Getting Started provides an overview of Inventory Manager features and a summary of the basic steps you must perform to begin using Inventory Manager.

Inventory Manager is a tool that monitors your network devices, including configuration and firmware changes. Inventory Manager provides the following functions:

save a device's configuration so that it can be restored later
restore a device's configuration from a previously saved configuration
compare a device's configuration with a previous configuration and report any differences
create a configuration template based on a saved configuration file, and download the template to one or more devices
download firmware or boot PROM images to a device or group of devices
view a history of firmware and configuration changes made to a device
generate valuable, in-depth reports for network inventory planning purposes

Set Up

Because Getting Started is meant to be used side-by-side with Inventory Manager, it will be most useful if you launch Inventory Manager and then use the steps below as an aid in learning how to use Inventory Manager.

Here are the things you'll need to do to begin using Inventory Manager in your network:

		TFTP Server Setup	Inventory Manager provides a NetSight TFTP server to download firmware/boot PROM to network devices, and save and restore device configurations. This help topic provides information on configuring the NetSight TFTP Server or using another TFTP server if desired.
		FTP Server Setup SCP Server Setup	You can also download firmware/boot PROM images, and save and restore device configurations using an FTP and/or SCP server. These Help topics provides information on configuring FTP/SCP server properties and login information.
		Firmware Discovery	Instructions on storing your firmware and boot PROM images in a firmware directory, and performing a firmware discovery to display them in the Firmware Mgmt tree.
		Set Options	Instructions on setting options for various Inventory Manager functions.
		Add Devices	The NetSight database contains device models that represent the actual devices in your network. There are three ways to add devices to the NetSight database. Initially, you will want to perform a Console Discover to populate the database. You can also use Console to import devices from a .ngf file. After you have initially added your devices, you can use the Inventory Manager (or Console) Add Device window to add a single device to the database. The devices are displayed under the Network Elements tab in the Inventory Manager main window.
		Define Authorization and Device Access	Use the Authorization/Device Access window (accessed from the Tools menu) to configure your Inventory Manager access privileges. The window has four tabs: Users/Groups tab lets you manage user access to specific features and capabilities. Profiles/Credentials tab lets you define SNMP credentials used to access your network devices, and create profiles that use these credentials for various device access levels. Profile/Device Mapping tab lets you specify the profiles that will be used by users when communicating with network devices. Manage SNMP Passwords tab where you can manage the credentials that have been set on your network's devices.
		Add Device Groups	Inventory Manager lets you group your devices into logical groups to facilitate network management. With device groups, you can perform certain operations (like an archive save or restore) on an entire group at once, instead of performing the operation on individual devices.

Using Features

Now that you have set up your devices and firmware, you can start exploring some of Inventory Manager's features:

		Server Information	The Server Information window (accessed from the Tools menu) lets you view and configure certain NetSight Server functions, including management of client connections, database backup and restore, locks, and licenses. It also provides access to the server log and server statistics.
		Save Configurations	Inventory Manager lets you save device configurations (called archives) using the Archive Wizard. You can schedule these saves to be performed on a regular basis.
		Restore Configurations	Inventory Manager lets you restore your saved device configurations (archives) using the Restore Wizard.
		Configuration Templates	Create a configuration template based on an existing archived configuration file, and then use Template Download Wizard to download the template to one or more devices.
		Compare Archives	Compare archived configuration files and monitor any changes in device attributes.
		Upgrade Firmware	Use the Firmware Upgrade Wizard to easily download firmware images to your network devices.
		Upgrade Boot PROM	Use the Boot PROM Upgrade Wizard to easily download boot PROM images to your network devices.
		Track a Device	Inventory Manager lets you track a device based on its MAC address or serial number. Use this feature as a way to view a history of device attributes, and monitor any configuration or firmware changes made to the device.
		Capacity Planning	Use the Capacity Planning tool to prepare valuable network inventory planning reports on port and slot utilization, submodule and chassis capacity and usage, and field replaceable/upgradeable components (FRUs) in your network.