Devices

For device-import i-net HelpDesk requires a data source with usable content. The import is basically divided into the following steps (independent of the datasource):

  • Data analysis and occasionally data preparation (e.g. create database views)
  • Define the connection in the Web-Application Configuration
  • Create an import definition for the devices based on your connection and map the columns/attributes to columns in the i-net HelpDesk in the Web-Application Data import

The following two topics are important to unterstand the functioning of the import:

  1. One import is always configured for just one device type. E.g. if you want to import computers, laptops, monitors and printers then you must define four imports.
    • Hint: You can define own device types in the menu ini-net HelpDesk-Client > Module Inventory > Button Settings > Tab Device Types.
  2. The i-net HelpDesk manages devices related to users, this means each device must unambiguously be mappable to a valid user. So to import a device it is required that a user with the same name exists already in the i-net HelpDesk. The import does not create HelpDesk users. The user can be a real person or a dummy user such as "storage". The mapping is done with the 'username' which is always unique. The user name in i-net HelpDesk refers to the Login ID of the user. You can create your own Login IDs if need be in the User Manager - or, if you are using the User Import, then imported user accounts will have the login type "Windows Authentication" and the corresponding Windows ID as their login ID.

The mapping of the 'username' in the external data source and the 'username' in the i-net HelpDesk can be achieved in the following two ways:

  1. Direct Mapping: The selected data source already contains an entry with the HelpDesk username. Typically your database-admin created a View on the SQL-Database of your Inventory-software, which contains all required fields including the username.
  2. Indirect mapping: If the username is not contained in the data source then you can connect a third related table to it. See the following example:

Example for LDAP-Import of computers from the Active Directory (AD)

Class with device data

The name of the objectclass is computer.

Attribute with the username

In the Snap-In 'AD-Users and Computers' the directory 'Computer' manages the computeraccounts. In the properties of a Computer you can find the tab managedBy. Here, the admin must manually create the 'Computer to User' reference by selecting the domain user in the Name field.

Hint: By default, there is no user entry in AD such as Last Logged on User or Primary User.

However, the name field does not show the Windows login name (samAccountname) but the DN (distinguishedName) CN = Max Mustermann, OU = Location, DC = mycompany, DC = de. This DN must now be assigned to the Windows login name. In this case, this is only possible via another object class.

The username is in a different class

The object class organisationalPerson contains both the DN and the Windows login name as field names. The Windows login name is the same as the HelpDesk username.

  • Referenced attribute from 'computer': In example managedBy, which contains the DN as username.
  • Object class containing the user: In example organisationalPerson.
  • References attribute of 'organisationalPerson': In example distinguishedName.
  • Attribute with username of 'organisationalPerson': In example samAccountname.

Example for LOGINventory (Import of data from a MS SQL-Database)

  1. The data must be prepared in the MS SQL database (create views). The description and the script can be found here.
  2. Create a connection to LOGINventory's MS SQL database as described here.
  3. Create the import definition per device type. The definition determines which field of the inventory will be linked to which field of the external data source.

Preview

The preview shows you the first six found entries.

Deleted devices in the connection are allowed to delete devices in i-net HelpDesk

Entries deleted in the source cause the entries in i-net HelpDesk to be deleted as well. Please note that the deletions cannot be undone.