Macintosh WATCHER 4.1

Assigning Key Devices

Key devices help to pinpoint potential problem sources by identifying relationships between devices on the network. You don't have to use key devices, but they can be very valuable. Key devices can reduce the number of notifications sent, and speed up your test cycle.

WATCHER provides a search feature to help you identify devices that have (or do not have) a key device assigned to them. This feature can speed up your efforts to identify dependent devices. You can then remove a key device collectively.

For example, if a Macintosh is designated as a key device for a mail server, you may want to identify that Macintosh before moving the server to another machine.

Using the search feature you can remove a key device from an entire group of devices, without looking at all devices individually.

Assigning Key Devices

About the Assign Key Device dialog box

The Assign Key Device dialog box is shown in Figure 8-1. To display it, click on a device in the main test list, then select Assign Key Device from the Device menu.



Figure 8-1 Assign Key Device dialog box

No Key Device Required

This option lets you remove a key device previously assigned.

Key Device List

The list displays all the devices which are not selected in the main test list. If the device selected in the main test list has a key device, it is shown as selected here.

Sort By

As with other device lists, this one can be sorted by zone, type or name. Initially, its sorting method will match that of the main test list.

Assigning a Key Device

To assign a key device to another device:

1. Select a device from the main test list to which you want to assign a key device.

2. Select Assign Key Device from the Device menu. A dialog box similar to the one shown in Figure 8-1 above appears.

3. Choose the device from this list that will serve as the key and click OK.

Note: To determine which devices are assigned to a particular key device, use Search For under the File menu, described at the end of this chapter.

Removing a Key Device

To remove a key device:

1. Select the devices in the main test list from which you want to remove key devices.

2. Select Assign Key Device from the Device menu. A dialog box similar to the one shown in Figure 8-1 appears.

3. Click No Key Device required and click OK.

Searching for Key Devices

About the Search For dialog box

The Search For dialog box lets you search for key devices. Select Search For... from the File menu. Click Key devices. The resulting dialog box will be similar to the one in Figure 8-2.



Figure 8-2 Search for Key Devices dialog box

Search For

Click Key Devices to search for key devices using this dialog box.

Devices with no Key Devices

Click Devices with no key devices to search for devices that have not been assigned a key device.

Device list

The list displays all devices in the main test list.

Sort By

Click to sort by network, type or name.

Select Next

Click Select Next to start a search for the next device in the main test list that has the device selected here as its key device.

Select All

Click Select All to start a search for all devices in the main test list that have the device selected here as their key device.

Detach

Click Detach to remove the key device from the devices selected in the main test list.

Searching for Key Devices

Perform the following steps to search for key devices:

1. Select Search For... from the File menu.

2. Click Key Devices. The list displays all devices in the main test list.

3. Select a device in the search box.

If you want to locate devices that have not been assigned key devices, click Devices with no key devices.

4. Click Select Next to start the search for devices that match the selection you made above. WATCHER highlights the first one in the main test list.

Keep clicking Select Next to highlight subsequent devices.

To highlight all devices that are assigned to the key device click Select All.

Once WATCHER has located the device in the main test list, you can click Detach to remove the key device from it. Or, you can click the close box at the top of the dialog box to leave the device selected but unchanged.