Switch Discovery
Role
The discover_switches role is required to use this feature.
The Switch Discovery feature helps you quickly populate your site (the 'digital twin' of your actual network) with existing switches in the network by automatically discovering them based on the provided credentials, when (part of) the network, including one or more switches, are already in place, and you have access to it.
This guide explains how to locate and use the Switch Discovery feature.
On the right-hand side of the screen, or in the top-right if the toolbox is already open, you will find the 'Switch Discovery' icon or tab.
If this icon is not visible to you, this means that the feature is not available in the current context. Make sure you have the appropriate permissions, and that there is an on-site appliance configured and running within the network.
Click this icon to reveal the Switch Discovery form.
Here, you may enter the access credentials for one of the switches in your network, which will then be used to connect to it from the on-site appliance and retrieve more details about the hardware.
Click "Discover" to start the discovery process. If everything went according to plan, you will, within a few seconds, see a notification that the switch has been discovered.
Click this notification to view the result.
Switch Discovery Result
Manually adding switches
Click the resulting item to go to the switch create or edit screen. Existing witches are identified by their serial number, and if they're already in the system, you will be taken to the edit screen, where the discovered attributes are pre-filled into the corresponding fields. You'll notice that such fields are marked with a blue label and the discovery icon we saw earlier.
If the switch is not yet in the system, you will be taken to the create screen, where you can fill in the remaining details. Now simply click "Add" or "Update" at the bottom-right of the screen to save the changes.
Automatically adding switches
Switches marked with the magic wand can also be automatically added to the system through the form at the top of the discovery result list. Select or add a group to assign the switches to, and all eligible switches (marked with the magic wand) will be added to the system. Note that this feature is only visible if you there are switches discovered that can be automatically added.
Processing results
When clicking "Add", the switches that have been successfully added will show with a green checkmark:
In case duplicate configuration, like the IP address, already exists in your site, the form will display a grey checkmark next to the switch. No action is taken in this case, but it's advised to check any discrepancies by going to the switch edit screen.
The switches that could not be added will show with a red cross and these are advised to be added manually, as generally crucial information was not found in the discovery process.
