Smarts IP / TSM : What is the purpose of the IsIPNetworkFirstEnabled, IsIgnoreLargeIPNetworkEnabled, and IsNonRelayDeviceFirstEnabled options in tsm.conf?

Products

• VMware Smart Assurance

Environment

VMware Smart Assurance - SMARTS

Resolution

What is the purpose of the IsIPNetworkFirstEnabled, IsIgnoreLargeIPNetworkEnabled, and IsNonRelayDeviceFirstEnabled options in tsm.conf?

1) IsIPNetworkFirstEnabled is not used much by the topology split algorithm in release 9.1 and later. There is code left over that starts the weight threshold for each domain at a different value if IsIPNetworkFirstEnabled is TRUE, but there is no real reason to change IsIPNetworkFirstEnabled from its default value of FALSE.

 

The above also applies if using the scripts shipped with Smarts IP Manager 7.0.4 through 9.0, but prior to release 9.1, Topology Split Manager installations almost always involved Professional services, and tended to have more customized scripts. Some customized scripts were based on a different code branch, which still used IsIPNetworkFirstEnabled. On any installation prior to 9.1 we should check the scripts in local/rules/discovery/topo-split and rules/discovery/topo-split to be sure if this property is used.

 

2) IsIgnoreLargeIPNetworkEnabled:

 

Traditionally, this was meant to overcome configuration mistakes in environments that would cause very strange splits. For example, the 10.0.0.0 IP Network could be matched with a variety of subnet masks and is officially a class B network. Previously the software could have issues where a single misconfigured device would associate two separate (but numerically overlapping) IP Networks into one really big network. This incorrect joining of networks could create a significant number of proxy devices in the split AM domains.

 

It is extremely rare to see anything larger than a class C network being used in Smarts IP Manager environments. Large, flat IP networks are simply not the norm. So, the software assumes that anything larger than class C is probably a misconfiguration rather than a "real" network.

 

The flag was so that if someone had a subnetted class B network (not the full class B) that was actually part of their network design, TSM could be made to work. Unless someone has a specific problem, there is no reason they should ever change the value of that flag.

 

3) IsNonRelayDeviceFirstEnabled:

The assumption here is that most non-relay devices historically have had a single IP address and a single physical connection to the network. Generally they would be poor candidates for being an edge of the split. The idea is to quickly assign them and concentrate on the more interesting devices. Internal testing with IsNonRelayDeviceFirstEnabled=TRUE since that time, however, has not uncovered any problems.  This option in current versions is unlikely to create much difference in the topology split.

 

The flag applies to devices which are not an instance of RelayDevice. Classes which inherit from RelayDevice in Smarts IP Manager are Router, Bridge, Switch, and Hub.