User guide

88 CHAPTER 5: IMPORTING AND REFRESHING DEVICES
Key Concepts This section outlines the key concepts of importing and refreshing.
Importing 3Com Network Administrator provides two methods for importing
devices from an external source into its inventory. It enables you to import
a list of devices from a text file or, alternatively, from HP OpenView. After
importing a list of devices, 3Com Network Administrator performs a
refresh operation to obtain live information from the devices.
Importing from HP OpenView
Device data retrieved by HP OpenView is stored in a database. You can
import some or all 3Com devices from the HP OpenView database into
3Com Network Administrator’s own inventory. This allows you to use the
administrative tools provided by 3Com Network Administrator to manage
3Com devices.
Typically, if you have a large network or if your network is spread across
multiple sites then it is likely that it will be divided into subnets. When HP
OpenView retrieves information about your network, it detects which
subnet(s) a device belongs to. 3Com Network Administrator makes use of
this information when importing from HP OpenView and allows you to
choose which subnets you wish to import device information from. This
can speed up the import process as it eliminates unnecessary processing
of devices from subnets that you are not interested in.
If you find that this importing process does not provide the level of
control you require for customizing your inventory, you can delete
unwanted devices from the inventory once the import process is
complete. Alternatively, you can use the CSV file import mechanism or
simply add single devices one at a time using the ‘Add Device’ feature.
Since the management tools that 3Com Network Administrator provides
are specific to 3Com devices, it only imports 3Com devices from HP
OpenView. If a device does not appear as a 3Com device in the HP
OpenView database, it will not be imported.
3Com Network Administrator for HP OpenView.book Page 88 Wednesday, November 12, 2003 2:33 PM