MDB:Development

Source Data

Sybase

We need to pull information from CAMS, Surplus, Facilities, and start autopopulating a load of the data in the system. Go ahead and embrace this as a tool for both the SysAdmins and the CAMS coordinators in each dept.

• Split the active and inactive (retired, surplused) into TWO tables. Should help w/searches, duplicate entries, etc. When retiring/scraping item, it gets physically moved to the inactive table.
• QIP -- cmdline options. Anyway to use QIPREPORT to dump all of the machines (using guest?). Then using a cronjob, import all of the info into a table. Removes the need for the nslookups in IP Table reports, and speeds up the DNS/IP updates to the machines, and would allow reports -- ie, which machines are using the STARS.NCSU.EDU domain.
• Reconciliation reports -- looks at CAMS tags and compare against CAMS DB. Looks at serial numbers / CAMS tags and looks for references in the Surplus DB. Use to keep CAMS or MDB up to date.
• Update Building lists to pull automatically from Facilities building codes -- also then allows you to run reports against CAMS to tell the CAMS coordinators when they need to update info in CAMS (equipment locations).
• Pull org unit lists -- 140401, OUCs, etc -- use to build the official group lists. Users of MDB then either select which OUCs they belong with? Or we setup these as the primary groups, and they can create associated subgroups. Allows us to yank all CAMS info associated with each group into the system by default. Also able to associate all surplus reports against the reported OUC.
• Auto populate all CAMS info into the system. Don't classify the items by default. Have a note at the top when there are unclassified items in the DB. Way to recognize when a new item has been pulled from CAMS automatically. Users then go classify the item, and append useful information.

Active Directory

Needs to be a source for Windows machines hardware and applications.

RHN?

Is it possible to pull the hardware/OS/apps from RHN?

[09:20] <jjneely> Dan wants to suck the hardware information out of RHN for his inventory system
[09:21] <jjneely> djgreen: I'd suggest looking at the XMLRPC APIs for RHN documented (heh) at https://rhn.linux.ncsu.edu/rpc/api/ but I don't believe it exposes the information your looking for
[09:21] <jacorley> heh
[09:22] <jacorley> I'm fairly positive it doesn't expose anything useful
[09:23] <jjneely> All of RHN is backed in Oracle 9iR2 database...to which I still don't have access to the Oracle patch site (although I would probably have better luck getting it now) and no one in ITD is a real DBA which leads to some scariness
[09:23] <jacorley> having a real oracle dba is almost a requirement for anything oracle related
[09:24] <jacorley> jjneely: carlos does a lot of work with oracle, he might be able to lend a hand if need be
[09:24] <jjneely> Also, if we are looking at replacing RHN while I may be able to collect the hardware information everything will be different
[09:25] <jjneely> what I'm hoping the replace RHN idea will buy me is that I can run one instance of the sat with the embedded oracle db rather than external and not have mission criticle data in it.  The new magic would most likely use an ITD mysql database that's actually redundant ;-)
[09:26] <jacorley> redundancy? that's just crazy talk
[09:26] <jjneely> djgreen:  what you think?

Tabs/Divisions

Use the School of Education (http://www.education.cornell.edu) tabbed template as the primary design.

• My Surplus -- have a pulldown of their OUCs, which they can select and get a list of their dispositions (most recent first), then select each to see a full list of items. Allow a search (desc, cams, serial), but only within their OUCs.
• My IP Ranges / My Networks
• Search
• My Codes
• Active/Inactive Machines?
• My Software
• ...