Add xml devices in DCE - Feature Request

DCIM_Support · ‎2020-07-02

Can you please add this as a feature request for DCE?

I would like to ability to add devices, which can be accessed via webpage which use xml, in DCE. Currently DCE allows you to add SNMP, ModBus and Netbotz devices, each with there own ddf schema. It would be great to be able to add an xml type device, like a network thermostat, into DCE.

It seems the Netbotz might do this however currently you do not allow the option for an xml ddf file to be created using your support team which creates these files.

Regards,

J

DCIM_Support · ‎2020-07-02

Hi John,

If the network thermostat can be monitored over the network using SNMP, it can then be added to DCE. We support 3rd party devices using the SNMP protocol. Our multivendor team can create the DDF (which are in xml format), which can be imported into DCE, so you can monitor the device and pull the information from it. The multivendor team can be contacted via email on multivendorsupport@apcc.com. They would need a SNMPWalk and the MIB file of the device so they can create this xml file for you.

You are correct we don't develop DDF files to be imported into Netbotz. You can however add supplemental OID's into the Netbotz to get the info you require. You can also add supplemental OID's into DCE.

Let me know if this answers your question.

Regards,

B

DCIM_Support · ‎2020-07-02

Brenda,

The thermostat does not do SNMP unfortunately. I have already had the multivendor support team look at it.

To clarify, I didn't mean to have a DDF file imported into the Netbotz.

What do you mean you can add supplemental OID's into the Netbotz? I know you can add any 4-20ma sensor and program the range and there are options for 0-5V, etc. Can you use the Netbotz to collect SNMP information from devices?

J

DCIM_Support · ‎2020-07-02

Hi John,

We can add an enhancement request for this but it would not make it into the system for quite some time. To be honest, any such request will require a large effort and since this is one of the very few such requests I have seen, it could potentially sit there for quite some time without getting much (if any) attention.

A DDF would not help in this case as this is only used for SNMP or modbus devices to define the specific OIDs and registers to poll. Supplimental OIDs also will be of no help as you've stated there is no SNMP communications to this device.

DCE already does communicate to NetBotz appliances using HTTP and the data that is passed is sent in an XML format. This info however has been hard coded into the server since NetBotz Central version 1. Communicating with a different type of device would require a pretty big effort as well as much more knowledge about the specific device(s).

I can add the request if you like but please provide more information on the device(s) you're wanting to add. If I can find a way around such an enhancement to the system, I'll try to provide that but as I mentioned, I will need more info on the device so we can look at the communications specs to see what such an enhancement entails.

Thanks,

Steve

DCIM_Support · ‎2020-07-02

It is a thermostat. I created a ddf file which provides some default data like the name, model, etc. I used a modified MODBUS file. When adding a device, in the standard MODBUS option, you just need to give it an open port on the device to see if the device is online or not. What I need is a way to have it ask for and read the xml response from the device so it can log the data points or specific ones. J

DCIM_Support · ‎2020-07-02

HI John,

In regards to the supplementary OID's. You can add supplemental OID's to pull information from an SNMP target already added to the Netbotz appliance. On the below manual on page 48 it shows the section on supplemental OID's.

http://www.apcmedia.com/salestools/LSCZ-7B7KY3/LSCZ-7B7KY3_R7_EN.pdf

You need to add the SNMP device monitoring pack to get this feature. You can add up to 5 SNMP/IPMI devices and monitor them on selected Netbotz appliances. The license information for this is below:

http://www.apc.com/products/resource/include/techspec_index.cfm?base_sku=NBWN0006

Regards,

B

DCIM_Support · ‎2020-07-02

Interesting. I will look into this, Thanks!

DCIM_Support · ‎2020-07-02

Hi John,

To add to what Steve said, as this is indeed a rare request, adding a new discovery mechanism to monitor devices via XML over HTTP will likely be tough to prioritize. However to possibly give you some hope, we are investigating a new mechanism called ETL which is built to read data from many different types of systems and then transform the data into a usable format to be integrated into DCE.

The integration of this feature is a ways out, but I think it will end up suiting your needs.

-Scott

DCIM_Support · ‎2020-07-02

Thanks but I have the tool as part of DCO and it is not easy to use. Also in this case, it would be overkill. Steven mentioned you can already communicate over HTTP with XML in the case of the Netbotz. I won't argue that it would be hard to program however it would open up an entirely new set of devices you can monitor and alarm on.

DCIM_Support · ‎2020-07-02

Hi John,

i understand it is a thermostat and it communicates using XML. The issue is, different devices may use different formats. I'm more than happy to add the feature request but if you can provide detail, it would be more helpful. Additionally, Scott mentioned adding ETL for commuications and being able to see the device and it's options, we may be able to see if there are other more viable options we can use.

Thanks,

Steve

DCIM_Support · ‎2020-07-02

It is this product http://www.networkthermostat.com/thermostat/up32h-ip

DCIM_Support · ‎2020-07-02

Hi John,

I have added an enhancement request into the system. As mentioned previously however, I can not say when or if this option may be included in a future revision of DCE.

Thanks,

Steve

DCIM_Support · ‎2020-07-02

Thanks. All I can do it keep asking for stuff and hope it gets added! Have a good weekend. J

DCIM_Support · ‎2020-07-02

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