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Node Category & Custom Category

Hello,

When we edit a node, we have a section call Node Category which is not very specific. I was wondering If I can add more value in this SQL table?? Either by the GUI or directly in MS SQL. If i can edit the Node Category, will this impact Solarwinds when we gonna update it?? y goal is to add i little more field a bit more specific then Server, Network & Other.

I also notice that In SQL, we have a a field call CustomCategory but i don't know how to use it yet. Does it work like the custom propriety??

If you have questions, feel free to ask.

Have a nice day!!

P.S. If i post this in the wrong section,please let me know cause i am new over here.

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mprobus

Sounds like you need to use Custom Properties (Settings -> Manage Custom Properties). You can create custom properties and make them whatever you want. You can then use them to filter, report, etc.

FormerMember

I already use custom proprieties but i don't want node categories there is they already a place for this. I want to avoid to add an whole bunch for custom proprieties if I don't have to. Want to keep thing "lean and mean".

mesverrum

I would discourage you from messing with that category value, the application automatically decides what it will put into there based on the device info it gets from polling and checks that value to determine how it handles certain things they do internally and which resources will load on the page (for example network devices don't show an appstack). I can only begin to guess what problems you might run into by adding new values to the list that the devs did not plan around and what current or future features might stop working on that node. As suggested above, you should create a custom property of your own. Keeping it "lean and mean" makes sense but manually butchering the database just to avoid having to create a single custom property is probably not efficient.

-Marc Netterfield

Loop1 Systems: SolarWinds Training and Professional Services

LinkedIN: Loop1 Systems
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Twitter: @Loop1Systems

Seashore

Hmm, tried to hack the database a bit.

As there is a table called NodeCategories with only Other, Network and Server value AND in the table NodesData there are columns like: 'Category', 'CustomCategory' and 'EffectiveCategory' I thought I could add a category to the table 'NodeCategory' and add that value in 'CustomCategory'. (EffecticeCategory is CustomCategory if used).

Well the database accepted that but not the web gui (error when trying to edit a node)... So I suggest we leave that and hope for more categories later on.

Nice to have a lab-installation :-)

racowi

I know this is a old thread, but I'm in the needing of something similar. I have one particular device SysOID that everytime is discovered as Node Category: "Other". But I know is a switch device and need to be on Network category. I can see almost 14 of those switches all have the similar SysOID even if they are 48 ports or 24 ports.

If I would add these SysOID into whatever the Node Category detection rule is, that would be great!

I'm relying a lot into the automation of every discovery. I rather use less "custom" properties as possible.

Any help?

cisaksen

This thread is getting more interest, we have the same issue. We need the ability to add more node categories or types as SAM really is limited. We have a need for a category\type called "ilo" which stands for "Insight Lights Out" - HPE and now Oracle Sun servers (ilom) have them. As of HPE Gen10 all hardware monitoring can only be done through the ilo. So we have to add them along with the server itself for the other OS items. So we need 2 nodes per physical server now. Hope this reaches the right people.

mesverrum

Any time you want to do something custom in Orion that is not available OOTB, you should be doing it with "custom" properties. While your use case may be somewhat common, it is not universal.

Also you are incorrect about having to monitor gen 10 hardware via ILO only, i have wrestled that problem in many client environments over the last couple years. There is a new bit of software you download and run from HP, it is not the same insight manager agent that used to provide WMI access to the hardware info. Once that is installed you will be able to get hardware health through WMI again. This thread also talks about it,

Hardware monitoring HPE Proliant Gen10

bmoore1

I am with you guys on this one. Node categories need more than just Server, Network and Other.

Feature Request??

SW_United

Yep definitely agree to add this as Feature Request.

This would be ideal when adding multiple Nodes to APM Templates for example

w3498-deebcg37nbt84eqn

Why not use groups? We use dynamic queries to put nodes into groups like "Lifecycle Status", "Role", "IT Capability", etc.