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Creating Custom Device Groups

From Network Director, you can create a custom group, then add devices such as switches to the group. Creating custom device groups enables the configuration of multiple devices simultaneously—you can also create multiple custom groups and directly associate devices at any level. Up to this point, Custom Groups behave the same way as selecting related items in the location view tree. What makes Custom Groups unique is that you can also configure a custom group to automatically add devices after discovery. You indicate the criteria for additional devices with rules. Custom groups can then be created in a hierarchy up to eight levels deep. Each layer can contain up to 32 peer containers under a single parent container.

Note:

A device can be part of a group at only one level in a hierarchy.

This topic describes:

Creating Custom Groups

To create custom groups:

  1. In the top banner, under Views, select Custom Group View.
  2. Click in the Network Director banner.
  3. Click Set Up Custom Group under Key Tasks in the Tasks pane.

    The Set Up Custom Group page opens, displaying a list of currently configured Custom Groups.

  4. Configure the custom group, following the directions Creating a Custom Group.
  5. Click Done.

    The new custom group appears in the Groups List.

Creating a Custom Group

Use the Set Up Custom Group page to define a group of devices that you can configure simultaneously.

To add a new custom group:

  1. Type a Custom Group Name for the new group and then click Add.

    The Custom Group tree is displayed with your new group added.

  2. Click Done now to create the group with no child groups, devices, or rules. The Message Data Saved Successfully is displayed. Click OK.

    For additional configuration, select your new group.

    The options Add Child Group, Assign Devices, and Add/Edit Rule appear.

  3. To add a child group under the new custom group:
    1. Be sure the correct custom group is selected—this group will become the parent group.
    2. Click Add Child Group.

      The Add Child Group window opens, displaying a default child group name such as Group-0.

    3. Replace the default child group name.
    4. Click Add.

      The new child group appears in the Custom Group list tree under the parent group.

    Tip:

    Custom groups can be created in a hierarchy up to eight levels deep. Each layer can contain up to 32 peer containers under a single parent container.

  4. To assign devices to a custom group:
    1. Select a custom group, either a parent or child group, and then click Assign Devices.

      The Assign Devices To Custom Group window opens, displaying a list of discovered network devices, their IP addresses, and their platforms. Platforms include junos-ex, junos-qfx, junos-qf, and mssos. These are devices that can be added to the group.

    2. Select one or more devices by adding a check mark and then click Add.

      The devices are listed under the appropriate group in the Custom Groups List.

      Note:

      A device can be part of a group at only one level in a hierarchy.

  5. To add a rule that will automatically add devices to a parent or child custom group:
    1. Select a custom group, either a parent or child group, that will have devices added to it automatically when a specific rule has been met.
    2. Click Add/Edit Rule(s).

      The Add/Edit Rules window opens.

    3. Click Add Rule.

      A rule statement is displayed with three columns—two columns display the words Please select.... The third column is blank.

    4. From the first Please select... option in the rule statement, select the basis for the rule. You are indicating that automatic additions to the list will be based on either Device Type, Firmware Version, Device Role, Serial Number, SKU/Model, Management IP, or Location.
    5. From the second Please select... option in the rule statement, select an available operator, either Equals, Not Equals ,Like, Regex, or Contains—the operators presented depend on the basis you selected in the first column. For example, if the basis for the rule is SKU/Model, then the only operator options are Equals and Not Equals. If the basis for the rule is Location, then your only option is to click Select for a list of locations.
      Tip:

      The Equals operation matches all characters of the matching criteria. The Like operation matches the first few characters of the matching criteria.

    6. For the third option in the rule statement, provide a matching criteria. Matching criteria are indicated in the third column of the list shown in Table 1.
      Tip:

      Some rules have no third option.
      Table 1: Three Options of a Rule Statement

      Rule Basis

      Operator

      Matching Criteria

      Device Role

      Equals

      Access

      Aggregation

      Core

      Unassigned (available only for EX Series switches for which logical category can be defined)

      Device Type

      Equals or Not Equals

      		  

      Switch

      Virtual Chassis

      Serial Number

      Equals or Contains

      You provide serial numbers or letters

      SKU or Model

      Equals or Contains

      You provide model numbers or letters

      Management IP

      Equals or Regex

      Tip:

      Regex, a regular expression, consists of a sequence of characters that forms a search pattern.

      You provide IP address or regular expression

      Tip:

      For example, (?<=\.) {2,}(?=[A-Z]) is a regular expression.

      Location

      Select a previously configured location:

      Note:

      For directions to configure locations, see Setting Up the Location View.

      1. Click Please Select.

      2. From the Select Location window, select a location.

      3. Click OK.

      Firmware Version

      Equals or Contains

      You provide a full or partial firmware version for devices.
    7. Click OK.

      Rules are executed when new devices are discovered. Devices that match the defined rules are added to the group dynamically once discovery is complete.

    Tip:

    If you add more than one rule to a Custom Group, then all rules must be met for a device to join the group.

  6. The option Associate devices based on the rules for the custom groups while saving group information is enabled by default. When a device property change occurs, rules are processed and devices are added to the group, if the group has a rule for those actions. If you disable the option, the rule engine will be activated only when there is some change in the device property.
  7. Click Done.

    A status window opens with either the message Data saved successfully or with an error message. Click OK.

  8. To edit a rule, select the appropriate custom group and then click Add/Edit Rule. When you edit a rule, devices in the group that no longer qualify because of the rule change are not automatically removed from the group. You must remove those devices manually. If more devices are now qualified to join the group because of your rule edit, the devices are added to the group on the next device notification change to the network.
Tip:

To delete a device from the group, select the device and then click Delete. To delete an entire Custom Group, select the group and then click Delete. You are asked to confirm the deletion—click OK.

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