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HP Systems Insight Manager Technical Reference Guide

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  Discovery and Identification  |  Managing Hosts Files  |  Hosts File Extensions   

Hosts File Extensions

»Table of Contents
»Index
»Notices
»Introduction
»Product Overview
»Getting Started
»Discovery and Identification
»Configuring Automatic Discovery
»Configuring Discovery General Settings
»Managing Discovery Templates
»Adding a System Manually
»Managing Hosts Files
»Creating a New Hosts File
»Editing a Hosts File
»Deleting a Hosts File
»Adding Systems in a Hosts File to the Database
»Creating a Task to Import a Hosts File for HP Systems Insight Manager Integration Task
Hosts File Extensions
»IP Ranges
»Identification
»Manage System Types
»Users and Authorizations
»Networking and Security
»Monitoring Systems, Clusters, and Events
»Storage Integration
»Managing with Tasks
»Tools that Extend Management
»Partner Applications
»Reporting
»Administering Systems and Events
»Troubleshooting
»Reference Information
»Printable version
»Glossary
»Using Help
» Default Values
» Related Procedure
» Related Topic

Hosts files typically contain IP addresses, system names, system name aliases, and user comments. The hosts file that you create can contain additional information about systems. The information appears as one or more comments that precede the hosts file entry for the system. Unless other values are specified, the default values are used. Defaults are provided for the following parameters:

ParameterKeyword
system typeTYPE
SNMP timeoutsSNMP_TIM
SNMP retriesSNMP_RET
SNMP read communitySNMP_MON
SNMP write communitySNMP_CON

You can modify the hosts file to substitute a value for the defaults for one entry or change the default for all subsequent entries. To change values for a single system entry in a hosts file, add a statement to the hosts file as a comment on the line before the host entry as shown in the following example. The statement applies to the system it precedes and only to that system. In the following example, the default TYPE is changed to server for the system EngProliant.

Keyword StatementHosts File Entries
#$IMXE:< Keyword=value > #$IMXE: TYPE=server
For example: #$IMXE: TYPE=server16.26.176.92 EngProliant.compaq.com EngProliant #user comments

To change the default globally so it affects the next file entry and all subsequent entries, use a statement as shown in the following example. The default is changed to router for the next entry. Router remains the default for all entries until another #$IMXE_DEFAULT statement changes the value. If a single instance of TYPE is changed by a #$IMXE statement, the default is not used for only the next entry and then reverts to router.

Keyword StatementHosts file entries

#$IMXE_DEFAULT: < Keyword=value>

#$IMXE_DEFAULT: TYPE=router

For example: #$IMXE_DEFAULT: TYPE=router

16.26.176.92 BldRtr6.compaq.com BldRtr6 #user comments

If a keyword parameter is omitted on a commented entry, the current default value is used. The current default is always the standard default unless a new default value was set using the #$IMXE_DEFAULT statement. For a keyword that contains more than one word, such as "management processor," enclose the full keyword in double quotation marks. Quotation marks are optional for single keywords like "server."

The following text quoted from a hosts file illustrates several statements. The explanations, which begin with the pound sign (#), are not displayed in the hosts file.


# Title: Systems in database
# Sorted by: IP address
# Date: 28-Mar-00 2:29:31 PM
# Author: administrator

The system EngProliant uses all current defaults. There are no 
additional comments.

16.26.176.92 EngProliant.compaq.com EngProliant #user comments
 
The system testServer in the following example defaults for TYPE.
The defaults for SNMP Timeouts and Retries were 
restored for this system but only apply to testServer. The SNMP 
write community string default was changed and only applies 
to testServer. 

#$IMXE: TYPE=Server  
#$IMXE: SNMP_TIM=0 SNMP_RET=0 SNMP_MON=public
SNMP_CON=private
16.26.160.20 testServer.compaq.com testServer

All defaults in the following example for the system BldRtr1 are 
the same as for testServer, but had to be specified because 
they are not the global defaults. These changes apply only to 
BldRtr1.

#$IMXE: TYPE=Router 
#$IMXE: SNMP_TIM=0 SNMP_RET=0 SNMP_MON=public 
SNMP_CON=private
16.26.160.23 BldRtr1.compaq.com BldRtr1

For the system BldRtr5, the TYPE and protocols used for discovery 
were changed from the current defaults. Because the remaining 
keyword entries are missing, the standard defaults 
are applied for the SNMP timeouts, retries, and community strings.

#$IMXE: TYPE=Router 
16.26.160.24 BldRtr5.compaq.com BldRtr5

For the system AcctServer, only the TYPE was changed from the 
current defaults.

#$IMXE: TYPE=Server
16.26.176.36 AcctServer.compaq.com AcctServer #user comments

The global default for TYPE was changed from Unknown to Router. 
All subsequent entries will be identified as routers until a TYPE 
statement is used to specify another type or restore the default.

#$IMXE_DEFAULT: TYPE=Router
16.25.176.38 FloorRtr2a.compaq.com FloorRtr2a #user comments

The default for the next host entry was changed to management 
processor, which is enclosed in quotes. #$IMXE: 
TYPE="Management Processor" AcctSvriLo.compaq.com 
16.25.176.37 AcctSvriLo #user comments

...

Default Values

If a parameter is missing in the hosts file, the default is applied.

KeywordValueDescription
TYPE

Application, Cluster, Complex, Desktop, Enclosure, Environmental Monitor, Handheld, Hub, KVM Switch, Management Processor, Notebook, Partition, Power Distribution Unit, Power Supply, Printer, Rack, Resource Partition, Remote Access Device, Router, Server, Shared Resource Domain, Storage Device, Switch, Tape Library, Thin Client, UPS, Unknown, Unmanaged, >Workstation

Refer to Configuring Automatic Discovery - System Types for more information on each system type.

Unknown (Default)
DMI

0

1

Disabled (Default)

Enabled

SNMP

0

1

Disabled (Default)

Enabled

HTTP

0

1

Disabled (Default)

Enabled

SNMP_TIM

0

greater than 0

System default (Default)

SNMP_RET

0

greater than 0

System default (Default)

SNMP_MON

Public

<Community String >

Read only (Default)

SNMP_CON

<Community String>

No default

Related Procedure

» Discovery and Identification - Managing Hosts Files

Related Topic

» HP Systems Insight Manager Technical Reference Guide - Discovery and Identification