It can be time consuming to add large numbers of systems to Uptime Infrastructure Monitor using the web interface. As a quicker alternative, you can add multiple systems to UIM using the addsystem command line utility and a text file.
The text file, referred to as a hosts file, contains entries that mirror the fields in the Add System window of the UIM web interface. These fields contain information about the systems to be added. The addsystem utility requires the hosts file to be located in the scripts sub-folder of the directory in which the monitoring station is installed.
The following text provides an example of the entries in a hosts file:
Host Name: prod-mainSystem Display Name: prod1 Description: Main production server Type: Agent Service Group: Production Systems Port: 9998 Group: Windows 2003 Servers %% Host Name: novell01 Display Name: dn3 Type: Novell NRM SSL: true Port: 546 Group: Unix Boxes Group: Novell Systems
In the hosts file:
- The information for each host consists of a name-value pair. Each name-value pair is on a separate line, and is separated by a colon. For example, Group: Solaris Servers.
- The information for each host is separated by two percentage signs (%%) on a new line.
Creating a hosts file
There are several ways to create a hosts file. The simplest option is to use a text editor to create the file, and then type the required entries. If you have a large number of systems to add, you can copy and paste each entry, and simply modify the appropriate fields. The sample host file attached to this article contains example entries that you can use as a template for your host file.
If you have a list of all your systems in a spreadsheet, you can save the list as a text file or a comma separated values (.csv) file, and then write a script to manipulate the text or .csv file into the proper format.
Fields in the hosts file
The following table describes the fields used in the hosts file. The fields required to add a system vary depending on the type of system being added. For example, to add an agent system, you only need to include the Host Name, Type, and Port fields (see Managing your infrastructure for more information).
The following table is an example of a properly-formatted hosts file.
| Name | Description |
|---|---|
| Host Name | Name or IP address of the system to add to UIM. |
| Display Name | Name of the system that you want to appear in the UIM UI. |
| Description | Optional. A short description of the system. |
| Type | System type, which is one of the following items:
|
| Service Group | Optional. Name of the UIM service group (which enables you to simultaneously apply common service checks to hosts that you are monitoring) to which you want to add the system. |
| Port | Port number used to connect to the system. Leave this field blank to use the default port for the type of system that you are adding. |
| Community | If you are adding a Net-SNMP system to Uptime Infrastructure Monitor, specify the read community, which acts like a user ID or password, that gives you access to the system. Valid options are:
|
| Username | |
| Password | |
| Group | |
| SSL | |
| Authentication Method | |
| Privacy Password | |
| Privacy Type | |
| Pingable |