What is the difference between device type and category?

Device Type: 

Device Type is a label associated to the device which is used to match it to a series or model. For e.g, Windows 7, Windows 2012, Cisco Catalyst 6509IOS

While configuring parameters and intervals for a network device, the type of the device and its function in the network has to be considered. For e.g, an IBM server which stores critical business data, its disk utilization and memory utilization should be monitored. On the other hand, availability has to be monitored for a Juniper switch.

Configuring parameters for every device in a network is an exhausting task very much prone to human errors. OpManager effortlessly accomplishes this with 9500+ device templates out-of-the-box with every device type having an exclusive template. 

Apart from default templates, you can also create  custom device template or import them from the OpManager Forums.

Device Category:

Category is a broader classification of devices having similar infrastructure properties. This facilitates easy monitoring and management of devices.

By default, OpManager comes with 15 categories, which are as follows :

  • Server
  • Router 
  • Switch
  • Desktop
  • Firewall
  • DomainController
  • Load Balancer
  • WAN  Accelerator
  • Wireless
  • UPS
  • Printer
  • Unknown
  • Storage
  • PDU
  • UCS

For e.g, Windows 7, Windows 2012, Windows XP are classified under Category: Desktop

Apart from these default set of categories, you can also create custom categories by inheriting the properties from the above said parent categories. Follow the steps below to create a custom category:

  • Go to Settings>Configuration>Device Categories
  • In the Device Categories page, Click on Add Category.Add Category window appears
  • Provide a name for the custom category and choose the parent category for inheriting monitoring properties and click on Add
 
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