Help Improving NeDi's Usability

[rickli]

Tell me what you need and how you expect this tool to work. Some users do this already and the outcome are things like Google Maps integration, which I think is a great thing! Of course this will be developed further...

But since I don't use NeDi in operations every day, you're probably closer to the workflows in the daily business than I am! I tried to implement some logic with the new reports (e.g. you'd click on a name rather than a device, to be consistent with certain reports). But this might as well be confusing, thus tell me how you think it should be...

Another example, what would you like to see linked in Devices-Status, when you click on an IF IP? Where do you expect links to the map etc.

Last but not least, you might have been wondering about the diskspace those RRDs eat up? Well, besides the added benefit of broadcast and discard graphs, I've added consolidation with MAX values. You'll see the difference when you scroll back far enough and uncomment the appropriate $agrtyp in html/inc/libgraph.php on line 37 or 38. MAX keeps the peaks (effectifely showing more) than AVERAGE which swallows the peaks so to speak.

Post your feedback here to sculpt the next version!  

Cheers
-Remo

[michieltimmers]

Sorting tables: Sort the table on the field that you used for searching. For example, sort the table on the device name.

[rickli]

You mean by default? And maybe link it to the table-optimize checkbox in the profile? Anybody else like this idea or ist the sorting triangle just enough? Remember, you can always create a bookmark or link directly to any list module for quick access...

[ntmark]

Having it sort by the field you searched on would be nice.
I guess the default would be Device for the Devices-> List

[harry]

We have 35 geographical locations, it is not easy to remember all of them. NEDI sorts it from SNMP location string. This works fine for us at the stage.

We would like to see the location list from the SNMP device should go to one mysql table, from there where ever possible we should refer that locations if from of drop down menu. Is there any one with this requirement..?

What do you think Remo? is it too much of work..? or any other idea?

Regards,
Harry.

[michieltimmers]

I guess the default would be Device for the Devices-> List

Correct, but also like "Nodes - > List -> Condition A: IP Address. And then have it sort on the IP address.

[rickli]

I've added this to Devices-Vlan. I use it as test module for RC1. Try appending &xls=1 to the URI and see what happens. Will Release RC1 soon...

[pc_sg]

Hi Remo (is your name, right? Rickli is your surname, I suppose)
About improving NeDi, as I already asked in the past, I really wish a lot to be able to move a discovered device to Stock and/or Stolen (so, it will disappears from Device List, right ?).

A very nice thing that NeDi do is to never forget a discoveded device, at least until I delete it.

When we modify a network rack configuration, adding, removing or changing switches, should be really comfortable to move removed ones to Stock archive (so mantaining all discovered informations).

Also in the unlucky case of stolen devices, we can mantain all the known informations with no effort.

Also should be nice, in Stock and Stolen, to be able to modify some filelds (ip address for example, for Stock ones may be no more meaningful)

Thanks in advance!

P.C.

[rickli]

Yepp, Remo just like the drumstricks 

So you'd want discovered devices to appear in stock, or the optione to move it into stock instead of deleting it? (which I think would make more sense). Stolen is intended only for nodes...

In general a device in stock doesn't have a config nor an IP, but other stuff like source (reseller) or location (which shelf was it again?) can be changed. Surely being able to decommision a device and put it in stock (used state) would complete the lifecycle I suppose...

[ntmark]

If you can click a button to move a object into stock that would be great, you'd only need the fields for the stock page, and dump the rest from the active device pages.
Maybe clicking the move button would delete it from the db, and open up in a new stock page with the old serial and model included?
I know this would be very handy for us as we pull stuff out of production quite often, and check the lastseen each month or so for old gear.

[pc_sg]

To Remo (other then a italian personal name, and the name one of the founders or Rome, in italian means also oar ) :
Yes, I like to be able to move a device in Stock, not when discovered directly, but by a click on a button (on Device Status page, I think is the right place).

To ntmark:
Happy you like my idea. I don't know if delete the device from database is the right way. If I reuse a "stocked" device, I need to take care of remove it from Stock.

A little thing about device discovery: if I change a device name and IP, next discovery add the same with a new name, generating a duplicate.
I think that, if device have a unique and not modifiable ID (for Cisco is the Serial Number), this should be the key data for database coherency.
I'm right, Remo?

P.C.
 

[rickli]

1. Yepp I'm also known as Remus whatever you do on a rowboat. There's also an 80s movie called "REMO", but it didn't exactly help me to become more popular

2. Button is added! It allows you to edit the data before adding to stock. You still have to delete the actual device (which cleans out all related tables), but it's up to you this way, how you use it...

3. I chose the name, because I had problems with inconsistent SN in the past. It furthermore allows for faster handling across the GUI. There's a new duplicate serials report, and better indication of last discovery in Devices-Status which should help...

[pc_sg]

• 
• Good! Great improvement!
  Only a question: I don't know how all tables are organized, but is not better to keep a kind of unique "registry" of devices, both active and stocked  but handled in different pages, and if any archived (I mean stocked) device reappear "on line",  "move" it (manually ?) again in the actives ones?.
  Of course I agree that cleaning out all related tables for stocked device is a mandatory task. At least any "dynamic" information is no more meaningful.
• Fine!

Thanks a lot!

P.C.

[rickli]

Indeed, I use SN as a reference to the stock table. This means, if a device or module is discovered, a comment will be added to the stock item...

[cornua]

something that'd look like the output of "show ip interface brief" "show interface status" whould be nice when looking at a device.