How device templates are assigned to nodes

You can manually assign a device template to a node or allow NCM to assign templates to nodes automatically.

Requirements for automatic assignment

To enable NCM to determine which device template to use for a node:

• The node must be configured to allow automatic assignment. (Automatic assignment is selected by default.)
• SNMP communication must be configured on the node. NCM uses SNMP to retrieve the system OID.
• The device template that you want the node to use must be available for automatic assignment.

How does NCM use OIDs to automatically assign device templates?

When a device template is automatically assigned to a node, NCM typically uses the device's system OID to find the device template that best matches the node. Device templates specify a partial system OID to identify the target device type.

To assign a device template to a device, NCM searches the device templates that are available for automatic assignment. First, it attempts to find a device template that matches the entire system OID. If no match is found, NCM ignores the last number in the system OID and searches again. NCM repeats this process until it finds a match or no numbers are left.

For example, if a device's OID is 1.3.6.1.4.1.9.1.516:

1. NCM first searches for a device template that specifies 1.3.6.1.4.1.9.1.516 as the OID.
2. If it does not find a match, it searches for a device template that specifies 1.3.6.1.4.1.9.1.
3. Next, it searches for a device template that specifies 1.3.6.1.4.1.9. This matches the NCM device template named Cisco IOS, and so that device template is assigned to the node.

Enable automatic assignment for a node or manually assign a device template to a node

1. Click Settings > All Settings.
2. Under Node & Group Management, click Manage Nodes.
3. Select a node, and then click Edit Properties.
4. Scroll to the bottom and make sure Manage Node(s) with NCM is set to Yes.
5. Under NCM Properties > CLI Device Template, select one of the following from the Device Template list:

   • To enable automatic assignment, select Auto Determine.

     

   • To manually assign a device template, select the device template.

     

6. Click Submit.

Specify whether a template is available for automatic assignment

You can specify which device templates NCM chooses from when it automatically assigns a template. For example, if you create a custom device template to use in place of a template that is shipped with NCM, you can make the custom template available for automatic assignment, and turn that feature off for the standard template.

When the Use for auto-detect option is set to No, the template is used only if it is manually assigned to a device.

1. Click Settings > All Settings.

2. Under Node & Group Management, click Manage Device Templates.

   The Use for auto-detect column contains Yes or No to indicate whether each template will be used for auto-detection.

   

3. Locate the device template you want to enable or disable:
   • To disable auto-detection, click the Yes button and then click Yes at the confirmation prompt. The button changes to No.
   • To enable auto-detection, click the No button. The button changes to Yes.