Discovery protocols
A discovery protocol is any network communication protocol that IBM® Flex System Manager uses during the discovery process to discover a resource. The Default getting started discovery profile uses a predetermined list of protocols. When you specify a single IP address, a single host name, or a single range of IP addresses, system discovery uses one or more protocols based on the selected target resource type. Using a discovery profile enables you to refine the target resource type and configure specific protocols that you want to use.
The communication protocols that IBM Flex System Manager uses during discovery depend on the protocols used by the target resource type. You need to decide about the different protocols only when you create or edit a discovery profile. The Discovery Profile wizard helps you select and configure the correct protocol for the type of resource that you want to discover.
When discovering a large number of resources, network traffic associated with the discovery process might cause timeouts that result in some discoverable resources remaining undiscovered. To help prevent this problem, use one or more discovery profiles. Using a discovery profile enables you to target specific resources and limit the number of communication protocols used during discovery. Limiting the number of communication protocols used when discovering a large number of resources helps avoid problems caused by network traffic collisions and timeouts.
- Agent manager discovery
- Agent manager discovery specifically targets the discovery of Tivoli® common agents. In the Tivoli paradigm, Service Location Protocol (SLP) is not supported and management nodes contact an agent manager that knows about the agents in their environment. You can select the agent managers that you want to use in discovery.
- Common Agent Services (CAS) discovery
- CAS discovery utilizes Service Location Protocol (SLP) discovery, with which clients can locate servers and other services on the network.
- Common Information Model (CIM) discovery
- CIM discovery utilizes the Service Location Protocol (SLP) for discovery. With CIM discovery, clients can locate servers and other services on the network.
- Interprocess communication (IPC) discovery
- IPC is the process by which programs send messages to each other. Sockets, semaphores, signals, and internal message queues are common methods of interprocess communication. IPC is also a mechanism of an operating system that enables processes to communicate with each other within the same computer or over a network. IPC leverages services that IBM Flex System Manager provides that components use to communicate with each other. By using these services, a server task can communicate with an agent task running on a target.
- Secure shell (ssh) discovery
- Secure shell is a Unix-based command interface and protocol for
securely accessing a remote computer. With ssh discovery, you can
specify either a single IP address or a range of IP addresses upon
which to run discovery. Note: IBM Flex System Manager does not support the ssh protocol on ESXi.
- Simple Network Management Protocol (SNMP) discovery
- SNMP is a network management standard widely used in TCP/IP networks. SNMP performs management services by using a distributed architecture of management systems and agents. SNMP provides a method of managing network hosts such as workstation or server computers, routers, bridges, and hubs from a centrally-located computer running network-management software.
- Storage Management Initiative Specification (SMI-S) discovery
- With SMI-S discovery, clients can locate servers and other services on the network. It is a design specification developed by the Storage Networking Industry Association (SNIA) that specifies a secure and reliable interface with which storage management systems (SMSs) can identify, classify, monitor, and control physical and logical resources in a storage area network (SAN). The interface integrates the various devices to be managed in a storage area network (SAN) and the tools used to manage them.
- Windows Distributed component object model (DCOM) discovery
- Use Windows DCOM (an extension of the Microsoft Component Object Model (COM) to support objects distributed across a network) configuration to specify either a single IP address or a range of IP addresses upon which to run discovery.