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Node Overview

Nodes are the network devices, servers, and equipment monitored by NMIS. Each node has configuration properties that control discovery, polling, and data collection behavior.

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Node Properties

Key node configuration properties include:

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Basic Properties

  • name - Unique node identifier
  • host - IP address or hostname
  • group - Logical grouping (network, servers, etc.)
  • location - Physical location reference
  • businessService - Business service association
  • customer - Customer or department
  • active - Enable/disable monitoring
  • collect - Enable/disable data collection

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Node Types and Roles

'system' => {
  'nodetype_list' => 'default,generic,switch,router,firewall,server',
  'roletype_list' => 'default,core,distribution,access',
  'nettype_list' => 'default,wan,lan,vpn,man,san,voice'
}
Node type determines:
  • Which model files are applied
  • What data is collected
  • How the device is monitored
Role type affects:
  • Event severity mapping
  • Threshold levels
  • Escalation policies

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SNMP Configuration

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SNMPv1/v2c Settings

'configuration' => {
  'host' => '192.168.1.1',
  'version' => 'snmpv2c',
  'community' => 'public',
  'port' => 161,
  'max_repetitions' => 0,  # Bulk operations
  'timeout' => 5,          # Seconds
  'retries' => 1
}

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SNMPv3 Settings

'configuration' => {
  'host' => '192.168.1.1',
  'version' => 'snmpv3',
  'username' => 'nmisuser',
  'authprotocol' => 'sha',
  'authkey' => 'authpassword',
  'privprotocol' => 'aes',
  'privkey' => 'privpassword',
  'context' => ''
}

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Default SNMP Settings

From Config.nmis:97: 
'system' => {
  'default_communityRO' => 'public',
  'default_username' => '',
  'default_authkey' => '',
  'default_authpassword' => '',
  'default_privkey' => '',
  'default_privpassword' => '',
  'snmp_timeout' => 5,
  'snmp_retries' => 1,
  'snmp_max_msg_size' => 1472
}
Always use SNMPv3 with authentication and privacy for production environments. SNMPv1/v2c community strings are transmitted in clear text.

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WMI Configuration

For Windows systems using WMI: 
'configuration' => {
  'host' => '192.168.1.10',
  'wmiuser' => 'domain\\username',
  'wmipassword' => 'password'
}

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Node Groups

Groups organize nodes for:
  • Access control
  • Bulk operations
  • Report generation
  • Dashboard views

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Default Groups

Common group names:
  • network - Network infrastructure
  • servers - Server systems
  • DataCenter - Data center equipment
  • Campus - Campus network
  • Branches - Branch offices

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Group-Based Access

From Users.nmis:39: 
'dc_ops' => {
  'user' => 'dc_ops',
  'groups' => 'network,DataCenter,Sales',
  'privilege' => 'operator'
}

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Node Import from CSV

Use node_admin.pl to bulk import nodes from CSV:

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CSV Format

name,host,group,community,location,active,collect
router1,192.168.1.1,network,public,DataCenter,true,true
switch1,192.168.1.2,network,public,DataCenter,true,true
server1,192.168.1.10,servers,,HeadOffice,true,true

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Import Command

From node_admin.pl:288: 
/usr/local/nmis9/admin/node_admin.pl \
  act=import_bulk \
  nodes=/path/to/nodes.csv

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Import JSON Format

[
  {
    "name": "router1",
    "configuration": {
      "host": "192.168.1.1",
      "group": "network",
      "community": "public",
      "location": "DataCenter",
      "active": true,
      "collect": true
    }
  }
]
Import JSON file: 
/usr/local/nmis9/admin/node_admin.pl \
  act=import \
  file=/path/to/nodes.json

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Node Operations

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Create Node

/usr/local/nmis9/admin/node_admin.pl \
  act=create \
  file=newnode.json

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Update Node

From node_admin.pl:966: 
/usr/local/nmis9/admin/node_admin.pl \
  act=set \
  node=router1 \
  entry.configuration.community=private \
  entry.configuration.collect=true

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List Nodes

# List all nodes
/usr/local/nmis9/admin/node_admin.pl act=list

# List nodes in group
/usr/local/nmis9/admin/node_admin.pl \
  act=list \
  group=network

# List with UUIDs
/usr/local/nmis9/admin/node_admin.pl \
  act=list_uuid

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Show Node Details

/usr/local/nmis9/admin/node_admin.pl \
  act=show \
  node=router1

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Export Node

/usr/local/nmis9/admin/node_admin.pl \
  act=export \
  node=router1 \
  file=router1.json

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Delete Node

/usr/local/nmis9/admin/node_admin.pl \
  act=delete \
  node=router1 \
  confirm=YES
Node deletion is permanent. Use confirm=YES (uppercase) to prevent accidental deletion.

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Node Validation

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Name Validation

From Config.nmis:72: 
'globals' => {
  'node_name_rule' => qr/^[a-zA-Z0-9_. -]+$/  # No '/' allowed
}
Valid node names:
  • router-1
  • switch.building.1
  • Server_01
Invalid node names:
  • router/1 - Contains /
  • switch#1 - Contains #

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Node Status

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Status Fields

  • nodestatus - Overall health (up, down, degraded)
  • ping - Reachability status
  • snmp - SNMP collection status
  • wmi - WMI collection status
  • last_poll - Last poll timestamp
  • last_update - Last update timestamp

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Demote Faulty Nodes

From Config.nmis:105: 
'system' => {
  'demote_faulty_nodes' => 'true'  # Poll unreachable nodes once daily
}

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Node Polling Control

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Polling Policy

Nodes can have assigned polling policies that control:
  • Poll frequency
  • Collection items
  • Threshold settings
Reference: Model-Policy.nmis:44

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Manual Polling

# Force update
/usr/local/nmis9/bin/nmis-cli act=update node=router1

# Force collect
/usr/local/nmis9/bin/nmis-cli act=collect node=router1

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Node Backup

From node_admin.pl:837:

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Dump Node Data

/usr/local/nmis9/admin/node_admin.pl \
  act=dump \
  node=router1 \
  file=/tmp/router1-backup.json

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Restore Node Data

/usr/local/nmis9/admin/node_admin.pl \
  act=restore \
  file=/tmp/router1-backup.json

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Advanced Configuration

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Node Overrides

Node-specific overrides for model behavior: 
'overrides' => {
  'ifDescr' => 'GigabitEthernet0/0',
  'collect' => 'false'  # Don't collect this interface
}

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Node Aliases

Alternate names for a node: 
'aliases' => [
  'router1.example.com',
  'core-router-1'
]

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IP Addresses

'addresses' => [
  '192.168.1.1',
  '10.0.0.1',
  '172.16.0.1'
]

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