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Re: [nv-l] Selection name on NV for Windows

To: Leslie Clark <lclark@us.ibm.com>, NetView mailing list <nv-l@lists.tivoli.com>, Andrew Findlay <andrew.findlay@skills-1st.co.uk>, Richard Fowkes <FOWKESR@uk.ibm.com>
Subject: Re: [nv-l] Selection name on NV for Windows
From: Jane Curry <jane.curry@skills-1st.co.uk>
Date: Fri, 09 Aug 2002 19:45:57 +0100
Thanks for this, Leslie.  I too do NOT want NetView to use what it finds in a 
sysName MIB value to set
Selection Name / Hostname fields in the NetView database.  Although I have NV 
7.1.2, I may well be into
the region of the APAR you are quoting.

We have been doing further testing today and come to the following conclusions 
for Win2K:
1) In Network Connection config -> Advanced -> WINS, the default is to Enable 
Netbios over TCP and
Enable LMhosts lookup.  With these defaults, the order that NetView (presumably 
via the Op sys), uses
is  (1) \winnt\system32\drivers\etc\hosts (2) Netbios broadcasts (3) DNS
(4)\winnt\system32\drivers\etc\lmhosts (5) IP address

2) If you disable Netbios over TCP and regardless of the "Use LMhosts flag", 
the order is
(1)\winnt\system32\drivers\etc\hosts (2) DNS (3) IP address

There was a scanario where I was assured that Netbios was blocked and a node 
seemed to pick up the MIB
sysName but I am wondering if Netbios REALLY was blocked at the time.  If you 
say it does NOT use SNMP
values, that suits me.

The net of this is that if you want to ensure that your NetView uses DNS rather 
than using whatever
Netbios broadcasts give it, you must turn off Netbios over TCP - otherwise you 
have no control.  There
is a question of what else this customisation might break......... but NetView 
seems fine.

With NetView on Unix, of course, you don't get this issue as the lookup order 
is in /etc/netsvc.conf or
/etc/nsswitch.conf and there is no Netbios broadcast (thank goodness!!!!).

Cheers,
Jane

Leslie Clark wrote:

> I have to clear this up. Netview does NOT use the sysname for labeling or
> any
> purpose other than the routerSysName field on routers. Openview does.
> Netview
> does not. And given the amount of garbage I have seen in sysnames, I'm
> glad.
>
> Jane, I had a pmr last year for a problem with Netview on NT, and it is
> related
> to apar PJ27529 (in 6.0.3 and V7.1, I believe) and in the discussions of
> that
> problem I was told that the gethostbyname() function call will find WINS
> entries
> in a Microsoft environment. This was causing problems when the nodes were
> not in the DNS, and those problems were addressed by that apar. The point
> is, WINS will play, but not, apparently, all the way. The discovery uses it
> but
> the other functions don't. The workaround while awaiting that fix was to
> either
> put the thing in DNS or stop using WINS.
>
> So if the concern is that Netview is now using sysname for labeling, I
> doubt it.
>
> Cordially,
>
> Leslie A. Clark
> IBM Global Services - Systems Mgmt & Networking
> Detroit
>
>
>                       "Bernard
>                       Disselborg"              To:       
> <nv-l@lists.tivoli.com>
>                       <BDisselborg@trip        cc:
>                       le-p.nl>                 Subject:  Re: [nv-l] Selection 
> name on NV for Windows
>
>                       08/09/2002 06:06
>                       AM
>
>
>
> Jane,
>
> This looks somewhat like the behaviour I'm seeing with OpenView (at
> least it seems NetView and OpenView are looking to eachothers
> functionality....)
>
> In OpenView the rules for labeling devices are:
> - use name resolution (DNS, hosts)
> - if not available, use sysName
> - if not available, use IP
>
> Note, this is only for labeling devices. The Selection Name should be
> retrieve via name resolution only, if not available use IP address. I
> had the same kind of problems in the past with GUI functions like
> pinging the device.
>
> Has NetView (now) the same kind of rules for labeling devices and
> setting Selection Names ?
>
> Regards,
>
> Bernard
>
> >>> Jane Curry <jane.curry@skills-1st.co.uk> 08-Aug-02 19:24:47 >>>
> NetView for Windows 7.1.2 on Win2K SP2.  I have 1 IP address in the
> seedfile to discover a Compaq box.  This address is not in any DNS or
> in
> NetView's hosts or lmhosts file.  The Compaq box is called BACKUP.
> When
> the node is discovered, the Selection Name is BACKUP.  A MIB Browse of
> this box shows the sysName is BACKUP.  I can only deduce that NV for
> Windows will believe the SNMP agent and uses that name in his
> database.
>
> The problem arises when you select the node in NetView and try to ping
> it, as BACKUP is not resolvable to an IP address.
>
> I think I am sure ????  that NetView for Unix will only use DNS or
> /etc/hosts to populate hostname and Selection Name fields, so you
> don't
> see this conundrum.
>
> Can anyone else confirm or deny what I am seeing?  Is this Windows
> behaviour a bug?
>
> Cheers,
> Jane
> --
> Tivoli Certified Consultant & Instructor
> Skills 1st Limited, 2 Cedar Chase, Taplow, Bucks, SL6 0EU, UK
> Tel: +44 (0)1628 782565
> Copyright (c) 2002 Jane Curry <jane.curry@skills-1st.co.uk>.  All
> rights
> reserved.
>
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> assistance from Tivoli please call the IBM Tivoli Software Group
> help line at 1-800-TIVOLI8(848-6548)
>
> ---------------------------------------------------------------------
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>
> *NOTE*
> This is not an Offical Tivoli Support forum. If you need immediate
> assistance from Tivoli please call the IBM Tivoli Software Group
> help line at 1-800-TIVOLI8(848-6548)

--
Tivoli Certified Consultant & Instructor
Skills 1st Limited, 2 Cedar Chase, Taplow, Bucks, SL6 0EU, UK
Tel: +44 (0)1628 782565
Copyright (c) 2002 Jane Curry <jane.curry@skills-1st.co.uk>.  All rights 
reserved.



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