Manually Configuring an Inventory Beacon

FlexNet Manager Suite 2019 R2 (On-Premises Edition)
Each inventory beacon must first be registered with the central application server (see Register an Inventory Beacon). This is necessary so that:
  • The inventory beacon shares its GUID that identifies all its uploads
  • The application server prepares packages of rules and other control information ("beacon policy") for download by this inventory beacon.
Once registered, an inventory beacon may need its details updated in such circumstances as:
  • A password change on its parent system left the inventory beacon unable to download from, or upload to, its parent
  • When installing the central application server, simple (unqualified) server names were registered for the batch server or inventory server; but for the inventory beacon, you need to edit these to fully qualified server names
  • You wish to re-parent an inventory beacon.
Tip: If you use this process to re-parent an inventory beacon, the central application server is updated the next time the inventory beacon checks for updates. This means you can manage the re-parenting of inventory beacons within your hierarchy either from the inventory beacons themselves, or from the web interface for FlexNet Manager Suite. The built-in communication processes mean that your changes are synchronized within about 15 minutes (by default).
Use the following process to update the parent connection details for an inventory beacon:

To manual configure an inventory beacon:

  1. In the FlexNet Beacon interface (on the inventory beacon), from the Beacon configuration group, select the Parent connection page.
  2. In the Configure inventory beacon connection group, select Configure connection manually, and click Enter configuration details.
    The Parent connection dialog opens.
  3. Complete the following fields as required:
    Control Comments
    Current parent

    Displays the parent identified to this inventory beacon by the central application server when the inventory beacon was last registered. For top-level inventory beacons, this displays Application server, since top-level inventory beacons report directly. Child inventory beacons that report to another inventory beacon higher up the hierarchy (a 'parent') display the name of that parent.

    The names of all other known inventory beacons are also included in the list. To re-parent this inventory beacon, moving it to a new spot in your hierarchy of inventory beacons, simply choose the new parent from this list. The following URL fields are automatically updated to the URL of the new inventory beacon (all three URL fields should be identical when the parent is another inventory beacon).
    Parent URL
    The path to the parent device from this inventory beacon. Include the protocol (http and https are supported). If the inventory beacon is in the same domain as its parent, just the server name is sufficient; but for separate domains, include the fully qualified server name. If you have a multi-server implementation and this is a top level inventory beacon parented by the Application server, this is the URL for the batch server. Examples:
    http://myParentIB/
http://myAppSvr/
http://TheirAppSvr.tmnis.org
    User Name
    The account name with which this inventory beacon accesses its parent (the parent displays in the Current parent control).
    • If this field is left blank, FlexNet Beacon uses the account executing the inventory beacon services to access the parent. This may be acceptable if you are using Windows authentication, and the account is trusted in the domains of both this inventory beacon and its parent. (If the parent is the Application server, Windows Authentication is required.)
    • Where a user name is provided, this account may be completely independent of the account executing the inventory beacon services on the child inventory beacon.
    • Either as the service account or an independent account, the account must be recognized in the domain of the parent (otherwise an HTTP 401 error will result).
    Password

    The password for the above user name, completing the credentials for inventory beacon access to its parent.

    Use the same account and password for the following specialized URLs
    Typically, this check box should be selected.
    • If the parent is another inventory beacon, only one set of credentials is required
    • If the Current parent is Application server, a single-box implementation uses a single set of credentials for inventory beacon access to all parts of the central application server.
    Only if you have multiple application servers (web application server, batch server, and inventory server) and you have created separate authentication for each, should you clear this check box and enter the distinct credentials below.
    Download URL

    If Current parent displays another inventory beacon, leave this value identical to the one for Parent URL.

    If Current parent displays Application server, and you have a single-server application server, also leave this value identical to the one for Parent URL. If you have a multi-server implementation, this is the URL of your inventory server.

    This is the URL where the ManageSoftDL web service supplies inventory beacons with their rules, control files (policy), and so on.
    User Name

    Leave blank if you have selected Use the same account and password for the following specialized URLs. Otherwise, if you have established a separate account for access to the inventory server, record the account name here.
    Password

    Treat the same way as the User Name for the Download URL: leave blank if you have selected Use the same account and password for the following specialized URLs.

    Upload URL

    If Current parent displays another inventory beacon, leave this value identical to the one for Parent URL.

    If Current parent displays Application server, and you have a single-server application server, also leave this value identical to the one for Parent URL. If you have a multi-server implementation, this is (like Download URL) also the URL of your inventory server.

    This is the URL where the ManageSoftRL web service receives uploaded data from inventory beacons.

    User Name

    Leave blank if you have selected Use the same account and password for the following specialized URLs. Otherwise, if you have established a separate account for access to the inventory server, record the account name here.

    Password

    Treat the same way as the User Name for the Download URL: leave blank if you have selected Use the same account and password for the following specialized URLs.

  4. Click Test Connection.
    • If the inventory beacon can successfully connect to the nominated parent using the details supplied, a success message displays. Click OK to close the message. Click Ok to save the configuration.
    • If the compliance server cannot connect, a failure message displays, with information about why that connection could not be made. Click OK to close the message. Edit the configuration details and retest the connection.
    You cannot save the configuration details if the connection test fails. If you cannot get the connection test to succeed, click Cancel to cancel the manual configuration.

    Once the edited configuration has been successfully saved, the changed details are sent to the application server typically within the next 15 minutes.