User guide

Preemption Levels
The preemption level of users determines whether they may interrupt or disconnect another
user’s serial or video (KVM) session with a target device. This also applies to virtual media
sessions, which are initiated from the Video Viewer.
DSView software administrators and user administrators may specify the preemption level for
user accounts or user-defined user groups when an account or group is created. The preemption
level may be changed later. See Preemption level on page 271 or User Group Properties on
page 280.
By default, the preemption level used by the DSView management software (the effective user
preemption level) is the highest level of all of the user groups to which the user belongs.
Preemption levels range from 1-4, with 4 being the highest level. For example, a user or a user
group with a preemption level of 4 may preempt other level 4 users or user groups, as well as
those with a level 1, 2 or 3 setting.
Table 4.2: User and User Group Preemption Levels
Preemption
Level
Description
4
The default preemption level for a new local user of a KVM switch or serial console appli-
ance.
3
The default preemption level for the DSView software administrator and appliance admin-
istrator user groups.
2 The default preemption level for the user administrator user group.
1 The default preemption level for the users and auditors groups.
The preemption levels may be used in the following ways:
• User preemption level - This is the preemption level assigned to a user by a DSView
software administrator or user administrator. If this value is larger than the highest
preemption level of the user group to which the user belongs, the value will be used as the
effective user preemption level.
• Group preemption level - This is the preemption level assigned to user groups to which the
user belongs. If the user is assigned to multiple user groups with different preemption
levels, this will be the preemption level of the user group with the highest level. For
example, if a user belongs to the administrators (level 3) and auditors (level 1) user groups,
Chapter 4: Basic Operations 45