Configuring drift detection

Configure the drift detection feature to specify which configuration parameters to monitor, define the inventory of servers, and set up comparison rules.

To configure drift detection, complete the following steps:

1. Create a variables file (vars.yml) to configure fact collection flags:

   sp_server_facts_flags:
     q_status: true
     q_monitorsettings: true
     q_db: true
     q_dbspace: true
     q_log: true
     q_domain: true
     q_copygroup: true
     q_replrule: true
     q_devclass: true
     q_mgmtclass: true
     q_stgpool: true

   Each flag enables a specific query module. Set flags to true to enable collection or false to disable. For more information about available flags, see Drift detection query flags and configuration coverage.

2. Create an inventory file (inventory.ini) to define the IBM Storage Protect servers to monitor:

   Configuration	Example
   Single host	[sp_servers] sp-server-01 ansible_host=10.0.1.10 [sp_servers:vars] ansible_user=admin ansible_connection=ssh
   Multiple hosts	[sp_servers] v1 ansible_host=10.0.0.11 v2 ansible_host=10.0.0.12 v3 ansible_host=10.0.0.13 [sp_servers:vars] ansible_user=your_user ansible_connection=ssh

3. (Optional) Configure drift detection parameters:
   1. Configure ignore keys to exclude volatile fields from drift comparison:

      When you run the drift comparison script, you can specify keys to ignore:

      python3 scripts/sp_config_diff.py baseline.json current.json \
        --out diff_report.json \
        --ignore-keys timestamp,last_checked,scan_id

      Common volatile keys to ignore include timestamps, scan identifiers, and frequently changing counters.

   2. Configure normalization rules for data comparison:

      Normalization rules ensure consistent data comparison across snapshots:

      • Unit rules: Normalize sizes to KB and timestamps to UTC
      • List ID keys: Define identifier fields for list matching (for example, nodes by name)
      • Severity rules: Map configuration changes to severity levels

      Tip: Normalization rules are applied automatically during drift comparison to ensure accurate detection of configuration changes.
4. Test the configuration by running a test query:

   ansible-playbook -i inventory.ini \
     ibm.storage_protect.sp_server_facts_playbook.yml \
     -e @vars.yml --check

   The check mode validates the configuration without making changes.