Host matching identification for single-domain multi-customer environments
Host matching identification using a Host Matching Identifier is intended for deployments having a single IT Analytics domain that handles multiple hosts. Each host within the domain is agnostic of other hosts and is an organization by itself. It has its distinct set of users or user groups. If two or more hosts have identical names, you can assign a host matching identifier to the Data Collector or the policy that collects data from each host to differentiate the data collected from each host. Host Matching Identifier assigned to a Data Collector is inherited only by those policies added to the collector after the identifier was assigned. For existing policies within the collector, you must manually assign the Host Matching Identifier. Once a Host Matching Identifier is assigned to a policy that collects host data, it becomes an integral part of the host matching process. Changing the Host Matching Identifier after the data collection results in creation of new hosts with the new host matching identifier.
Note:
When the same physical host is collected by more than one data-collector policy, for example, a NetBackup policy and a VMware policy collecting the same VM, and only one of those policies is configured with a host matching identifier (HMI) while the other is not, the Portal may create duplicate host records as the alias/IP addresses may also match which are used in host lookup.
Given the expertise required to use this feature and its potential to create duplicate hosts if not used responsibly, the feature is disabled by default. Also, this feature access is restricted to Super User or Administrator, who can grant access to specific users or user groups on the Portal.
You can enable host matching identification with the following steps:
Step-1: Enable Portal custom parameter portal.hostMatchingIdentifier.enabled:
- On the IT Analytics Portal, go to Admin tab > Advanced > System Configuration > Custom Parameters.
- Click Add.
- Enter Custom Parameter Name as portal.hostMatchingIdentifier.enabled and Custom Parameter Value as True.
- Click Save and also click Save and Apply.
This introduces the Host Matching Identifier column and Edit Host Matching Identifier button on the Collector Administration view. You may need to logout and login again on the Portal to view the changes.
Step-2: Add Host Matching Identifier to the Data Collector or the collector policy
- On the IT Analytics Portal, go to Admin tab > Collector Administration.
- Select a Data Collector and click Edit Host Matching Identifier.
- Enter Host Matching Identifier label of your choice and click OK.
The label you assign appears under the Host Matching Identifier column on the Collector Administration view.
You can assign an identifier to a policy by repeating the above steps only after you have assigned it to its Data Collector. While assigning to a policy, you need to select the Host Matching Identifier from a drop-down list.