About Skylight sensor: module Discovery

Skylight orchestrator's Module Discovery Trigger feature extends the Accedian Inventory system. This feature reduces the operational effort required to install new modules to a minimum. New devices go from the box to being managed in minutes.

Here are the components involved in the discovery process:

• Skylight sensor: control with Discovery instance: Skylight sensor: control can be configured to discover the module with discovery instance. A discovery instance detects new modules advertising themselves and adds them to its inventory
• Inventory modules: Skylight sensor: module can be discovered by Skylight sensor: control; a field technician only needs to install a unit, power it up and connect those modules in the networks.
• Skylight orchestrator: The Module Discovery Trigger feature allows Skylight orchestrator to discover new modules and execute configuration jobs or flow profile on the discovered modules.

Discovery Modules

Here is how a new Skylight sensor: module is installed on the network and configures its connection to the network:

1. New Skylight sensor: module is installed on the network and powered on.

2. Create discovery instances to specify how to discover the remote devices of the Skylight sensor: control

3. The Skylight sensor: control is able to quickly and reliably discover the remote devices to be linked with an instance of the Skylight sensor: control and adds new modules to its inventory.

Module Discovery Trigger Workflow

This section describes the Discovery Trigger workflow: how to set it up in Skylight orchestrator and how it triggers execution of configuration jobs and flow profiles on discovered modules.

1. Network administrator prepares for installation of new Skylight elements as follows:

• Ensures that at least one Skylight sensor: control on the network has enabled discovery instances.
• Ensures that one or more modules have a presence on the network.
• Prepares one or more ME Reference dataset files that list the new Skylight sensor: module that will be installed on the network.

• With configuration jobs:
• Prepares one or more configuration jobs that define how to configure the modules listed in the ME Reference file(s).
• Sets up the Module Discovery Trigger to execute the configuration job(s) previously prepared.

• With flow profiles:
• Prepares one or more Configuration flow templates that define Device token and Flow tokens.
• Prepares one Flow token dataset files that list the value of the token that define how to configure in the Configuration flow templates.
• Prepares one Flow profile that defines a description for flow tokens that define how to configure in the Configuration flow templates.
• Sets up the Module Discovery Trigger to execute the previously prepared Flow profile(s).

2. Field technician installs the new modules and powers them on.

3. The newly installed modules advertise their presence on the network.

4. Discovery of the Skylight sensor: control detects the new modules on the network and adds them to its inventory.

5. Skylight orchestrator:

• Polls inventory modules and adds modules in their inventory to the Unmanaged Modules & SFPs list.
• Scans the Unmanaged Modules & SFPs list periodically (every five minutes) to identify any modules whose properties (serial number or name or IP address or subnet) match a module listed in an ME Reference file associated with a configuration job that is selected in the Module Discovery Trigger.
• Runs the configuration job(s) or flow profile on modules matching the conditions defined in the ME Reference file for the particular job.

Operational Considerations

The following operational considerations apply to the Module Discovery Trigger:

• A maximum of 20 devices can be processed per scan of the Unmanaged Modules & SFPs list.
• If more than 20 devices are in an NA state, only the first 20 are processed.
• The remaining modules will be processed during subsequent scans.
• In order to move a device to the Managed state, Skylight orchestrator must first be able to establish an SSH connection to the device and log in.
• If connectivity is established with Link is Yes, the device is moved to the Managed Modules & SFP list and execution of the configuration job begins.
• If connectivity cannot be established, the module is left in the Unmanaged Modules & SFPs list and modules will be removed from Skylight sensor: control, and will be retried at the next scan.
• Skylight orchestrator retains a history of the devices that were scanned and moved to the Managed Modules & SFPs list by the Module Discovery Trigger.
• If a device has already been processed by the Module Discovery Trigger, it will not be processed a second time.
• The only way to remove the device from the history (so it can be rediscovered and reconfigured if necessary) is to delete the device from Skylight orchestrator and Skylight sensor: control completely.

• If no matching modules are found, the executor result will be empty. Only one empty executor result (the most recent) is stored in the history.
• Errors may prevent the configuration job from executing successfully.
• In the event of a failure, the device will remain in the Managed Modules & SFPs list.
• The status for the configuration job in the Module Discovery Trigger page will be Completed with errors.

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Note: Skylight orchestrator will wait for modules managed by Skylight sensor: control for a maximum of 7 minutes. Otherwise, modules will be removed from Skylight sensor: control, and will be retried at the next scan.

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