Network Devices (SP) application

You use the Network Devices (SP) application view information about deployed network devices such as routers, switches, and hubs. Data displayed in this application is deployed asset data.

The system maintains two distinct sets of information technology (IT) asset data in two different modules, the Assets module and the Deployed Assets module.

• Assets Module - Asset records for purchased or leased IT assets are maintained in the Assets (SP) application. You create these records in the Assets (SP) application or when you use the Receive Rotating Items action in the Receiving application. An IT asset is an asset that has a class structure identifier that belongs to the top-level IT classification used in your enterprise.

• Deployed Assets Module - In addition to asset information in the Assets (SP) applications, the Deployed Assets module applications maintain data collected directly from assets actually installed in your enterprise. To gather this data, asset discovery tools (such as IBM Tivoli Configuration Manager or Microsoft SMS) scan computers, network devices, and network printers deployed in your enterprise and record information about the hardware and software installed on those assets. An integration tool for aggregating deployed asset data, such as Integration Composer, imports the collected data into the database. You view this data in the Deployed Assets module applications.

Note: In this online help, the term IT asset refers to information technology assets maintained in the Assets (SP) application. The term deployed asset refers to asset data maintained in the Deployed Assets module applications.

The Network Devices (SP) application displays data collected from network devices and their network device cards. You can use this application to view information about deployed network devices, but you cannot use it to create network device records. Records displayed in the Network Devices (SP) application are read-only; you cannot edit them. You can use this application to delete network device records from the database, but you cannot delete a component, such as a device card, from a network device record.

The customer authorization settings in the Security Groups (SP) application restrict access to information in the Network Devices (SP) application. The customer authorization settings ensure that, in systems with multiple customers, users can only view network devices belonging to the customers that they can access. For example, if Provider ABC manages IT assets for several customers, a service desk agent who works for Provider ABC can see the network devices belonging to all of the customers, but an employee of one of the customers can only view the network devices that that customer owns.

Data displayed in this application varies depending on the discovery tool used to collect the data. Some data fields in the Network Devices (SP) application might be empty. An empty field indicates that the discovery tool did not collect the data or that administrators did not map the data for import into the database. Data displayed in some fields in the Network Devices (SP) application is affected by parameters your administrator defines in administrative applications. Administrative applications affect how the system displays manufacturer and adapter names.

Service Providers can discover deployed assets in multiple customer networks. In IBM Tivoli Integration Composer, the customer can be set to a common value for all deployed assets discovered in one session. Setting a value for the customer can to help filter the deployed asset records during reconciliation.

There is no validation on the Customer field. If you set an invalid customer during a discovery session, you might not be able to see the discovered asset records in the deployed assets applications because security limits access to these records based on the value in the Customer field.

Note: Data about computers and network printers is not included in the Network Devices (SP) application. You can use the Computers (SP) application to view information about specific computers and the Network Printers (SP) application to view information about network printers.

You use the Network Devices (SP) application to perform the following actions:

• View data collected by a discovery tool about network devices deployed in your enterprise.

• Delete network device records.

The Network Devices (SP) application has the following tabs:

List: to search for network device records.

Network Device: to view and delete network device records.

Device Cards: to view records for device cards on network devices.