Configuring devices

All configuration tasks for devices begin with the Devices dialog. To open this dialog, locate the System Configuration tasks on the Action pane's Configuration panel and click Manage devices.

Adding a device and defining its profile, connection options, and communication options

Open the Devices dialog. Above the Devices list (at the right), click Add

to open the Device dialog. Complete the fields. To save the new device, click Add. After a few moments, the Devices dialog is refreshed to show the new device.

You enter a device's address (physical location) directly on the Devices dialog.

NOTE: In lieu of entering a specific address for a device, consider using a customer's address as the device's address. For more information, see the Best Practice in Devices dialog for a discussion on the merits of using customer addresses rather than device addresses.

Open the Devices dialog and select a device type on the Device Type list (at the left). After a few moments, the devices of that type are listed under Devices (at the right). Select the device. After a few moments, the device's definition appears in the tabs at the bottom. Switch to the Address tab and complete the fields. To save the address, click Save.

You may want to save information about a device that the Questra IDM Application Suite does not otherwise prompt you for. You can save such information as "extended properties" (not to be confused with status, usage, or control properties). These extended properties can also be used to select devices for membership in dynamic groups. For more information, see About custom membership rules.

Switch to the Properties tab and click Add

above the Extended Properties list to open the Extended Property dialog. Type a name for the extended property and type its value. When finished, click Add. After a few moments, the Properties tab is refreshed to show the new extended property.

To remove an extended property from the device, select it on the Properties tab and click Delete

. In response to the confirmation message that opens, click Yes.

By default, a device will inherit rules from its group and device type. You can add device-specific rules, thereby overriding or augmenting its inherited rules.

Switch to the Rules tab and click Add

above the Rules list to open the Rule dialog. Complete the fields. To save the rule, click Add. After a few moments, the Rules tab is refreshed to show the new rule.

To remove a rule from the device, select it on the Rules tab and click Delete

. In response to the confirmation message that opens, click Yes.

You can see which groups a device belongs to by viewing the Groups tab on the Devices dialog. (Devices may be manually assigned to static groups and automatically assigned to dynamic groups; for more information, see the Group configuration book.)

By default, a device will inherit web service interfaces from its device type. In most cases, a device automatically manages the available web services. In the case of a device that cannot connect to the Enterprise server, it may be necessary to add web service interfaces manually.

Switch to the Available Services tab and click Add

above the Web Service Interfaces list to open the Add Web Service Interface dialog. Complete the fields. (Note that the only URL to define is the context URL.) To save the interface, click Add. After a few moments, the Available Services tab is refreshed to show the new interface.

To remove a web service interface from the device, select it on the Available Services tab and click Delete

. In response to the confirmation message that opens, click Yes.

You can quickly search for any devices assigned to groups you own directly the Devices dialog. Click Search

above the Devices list (at the right) to open the Search dialog, which is preset to search for devices only. Complete the desired fields. For a wildcard to represent any string or character, use *. Click Search to conduct the search. You can then load a found device's definition in the Devices dialog by selecting it from the search results and clicking OK, or by double-clicking it.

NOTE: If you are a System Administrator, you can also search for devices that are not assigned to any group.

You are generally free to edit a device that you added manually in any manner you see fit. But if a device auto-registers with the Questra IDM Application Suite, its auto-registered definition is automatically synchronized with the device's existing definition in the database. If you had edited the existing definition, the auto-registered definition will override most of your changes, with the exception of the device's polling interval, retry count, and latitude and longitude.

To edit a device, open the Devices dialog and select its device type on the Device Type list (at the left). After a few moments, the devices of that type are listed under Devices (at the right). Select the device. After a few moments, the device's definition appears in the tabs at the bottom, and you can now make changes. If you need to change the device's password (because it was changed on the device itself), use the Reset Password button to open the Reset Password dialog.

If you make changes on the Profile and/or Address tab, be sure to click Save to save the changes. On the Properties, TotalAccess, Rules, and Available Services tabs, use the techniques described above.

NOTE: This feature is reserved for those users whose role is set to System Administrator.

There may be times when it is necessary to associate a device with a different device type. For example, this may be necessary when a manufacturer upgrades its product line.

Best Practice for
changing a device's device type

When you change a device's associated device type, follow this process:

1. Run the Analytics Load and Enterprise Cleanup processed. See Managing analytics jobs.

2. Remove all schedules for the device. (See Scheduling the automatic collection of readings.)

3. Close all alerts associated with the device. (See "Closing out alerts" in the Managing your alerts topic.

4. Change the device's device type (see below).

5. After changing the device's device type, modify the configuration files on the device to reflect the change.

6. Create new schedules for the device.

To change a device's device type, open the Devices dialog and select the device's current device type on the Device Type list (at the left). After a few moments, the devices of that type are listed under Devices (at the right). Select the device you want to work with. After a few moments, its definition appears in the tabs at the bottom. From the Device Type drop-down list on the Profile tab, select the new device type for the device. Click Save. You can verify that the change was made by selecting the new device type on the Device Type list. You will see that the device is now listed for that device type.

Best Practice for deleting devices

A "deleted" device is actually not deleted from the database but is actually considered "unregistered." Be careful not to use an unregistered device's name when adding a new device. If you were to use the same name, the new device may not be registered (if its password is incorrect). Additionally, there may be confusion between the historical data collected from the old "deleted" device and any new data collected from the new device.

To delete a device, open the Devices dialog and select its device type on the Device Type list (at the left). After a few moments, the devices of that type are listed under Devices (at the right). Select the device and click Delete

above the Devices list. In response to the confirmation message that opens, click Yes.

NOTE: If your role is System Administrator, you are first asked if you want to logically delete or purge the item. Respond appropriately. (For more information, see Deleting vs. purging.)