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.

NameDescription
Host NameName or IP address of the system to add to UIM.
Display NameName of the system that you want to appear in the UIM UI.
DescriptionOptional. A short description of the system.
Type

System type, which is one of the following items:

  • Agent
  • Novell NRM
  • Net-SNMP v1/2
  • Net-SNMP v3
  • Virtual Node
Service GroupOptional. 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:

  • public Enables you to retrieve read-only information.
  • private Enables you to access all information.
UsernameIf you are adding a Net-SNMP or Norvell NRM system to UIM, specify the user name required to access the system.
PasswordIf you are adding a Net-SNMP or Norvell NRM system to UIM, specify the password required to access the system.
GroupThe name of the entity group, which is a set of systems that are combined in a meaningful way.
SSLOptional. For agent systems, use this field to specify whether UIM securely communicates with an agent installed on the system using SSL. Valid options include true and false.
Authentication Method

For Net-SNMP systems, use this field to determine how encrypted information traveling between the Net-SNMP instance and UIM is authenticated. Valid options are:

  • MD5 A widely-used method for creating digital signatures.
  • SHA A secure method of creating digital signatures.
Privacy Password

For Net-SNMP systems, this is the password used to encrypt information traveling between the Net-SNMP instance and UIM.

Privacy Type

For Net-SNMP systems, this explains how information traveling between UIM and the Net-SNMP instance is encrypted. Valid options are:

  • DES An older method used to encrypt information.
  • AES The successor to DES, which is used with a variety of software including SSL servers.
Pingable

For virtual nodes, use this field to specify whether UIM can contact the virtual node using the icmp ping utility. Valid options are true and false.

Adding multiple systems to UIM

To add multiple systems to Uptime Infrastructure Monitor with the addsystem utility:

  1. Copy the hosts file to the scripts folder in the directory where you installed the UIM monitoring station. For example, if you installed the monitoring station in the default location, copy the hosts file to the following folder:
    Windows Installation: C:/Program Files/uptime software/uptime/scripts
Linux Installation: /usr/local/uptime/scripts/
  2. At the command line, navigate to the scripts folder.
  3. Enter the following command:
    addsystem <path_and_filename>
    Where <path_and_filename> is the name of the text file that contains the list of systems that you want to add to UIM along with its full path.
    The systems listed in the file are added to UIM unless:
    • UIM cannot connect to the system.
    • The system does not exist in your environment.
    • The system is already added to UIM.
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