Delete AutoDependency

Question

I've had Auto dependency enabled for quite a while now. I've noticed in many instances the parent child dependency seems to be reversed. In a very simplistic example, I have a location that has a primary transport and a VSAT transport that connect through a Fortigate firewall which is then connected to a Meraki switch. I have this arrangement in many locations. So to me the expected behavior is

Parent > Child

VSAT > Forigate

Modem > Fortigate

Fortigate > Switch

In some of those locations Auto Dependency has calculated that the switch is the parent and it shows the same dependency with a different name twice.

Looking at the switch

AutoDep-7 Switch > Fortigate

AutoDep-8 Switch > Fortigate

Looking at the Fortigate

AutoDep-7 Switch > Fortigate

AutoDep-8 Switch > Fortigate

Looking at the VSAT

Fortigate > VSAT

What am I missing here? Am I not understanding this correctly or has something caused this "miscalculation"?

Lastly, I wanted to delete these dependencies and have them recalculate. When I manage dependencies, and select one or more, the delete option does not enable. It stays gray as if to say you may not delete.

I think I read that deleting them doesn't actually delete them but, adds them to an ignore list. I'm really not sure how to fix this or if there is something to fix?

marlief22 · Answer

Hi there, 
 I'm not 100% sure of what SolarWinds uses to generate auto-dependencies but I do know that, as a rule of thumb, allowing SolarWinds to tell YOU about your environment is a recipe for dissatisfaction, especially when it comes to something like dependencies that can stop alerts from firing. 
 Based on the original post there were a few questions: 
 What am I missing here? Am I not understanding this correctly or has something caused this "miscalculation"? 
 SolarWinds is using bi-directional topology data from devices to build these dependencies, it's always going to be a 'best fit' approach so things like this are guaranteed to come up every so often. 
 Lastly, I wanted to delete these dependencies and have them recalculate. 
 Sure, you can remove all AutoDependencies very quickly using the database manager: support.solarwinds.com/.../How-to-Run-a-SQL-Query-in-Orion-Database-Manager-on-Windows-Server-2008 
 DELETE FROM [dbo].[Dependencies]
WHERE AutoManaged = 'True' 
 I think I read that deleting them doesn't actually delete them but, adds them to an ignore list. 
 This is also true, if you have ' Calculate dependencies automatically' to ON it's an all or nothing approach, deleting would only have things regenerated again. Ignore is the best option in this case because it won't evaluate that dependency again. 
 Let me know if you have any other questions. 
 Kind regards, 
 Marlie Fancourt | SolarWinds Pre-Sales Manager 
 Prosperon Networks | SolarWinds Partner since 2006 
 If this helps answer your question please mark my answer as confirmed to help other users, thank you!

Delete AutoDependency

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