Set Up Connections

FlexNet Manager Suite 2020 R1 (On-Premises)

To gather data from ILMT, FlexNet Manager Suite must make a direct connection to the database used for ILMT. This connection is made by an inventory beacon, which imports the necessary data, and uploads the file to the central application server for processing and display.

To configure a connection to ILMT:

  1. Move to the appropriate inventory beacon, and using a local account with adequate privileges on the inventory beacon server, open the Windows start menu, right-click Inventory Beacon, and select Run as administrator.
  2. If you do not already have a convenient schedule for connecting to ILMT, set the schedule first (so it is easier to link to it later).
    1. From the Data collection group in the navigation bar, choose Scheduling, and click New....
    2. Make the unique Schedule name distinguishable within the first few characters (for use in narrow display columns).
    3. Typically, select the radio button for daily data collection, and set the preferred time for the connection (this is local time on the inventory beacon).
    4. Click OK to add this schedule to the list on the Scheduling page.
  3. Set up the connection from the inventory beacon to your ILMT database.
    ILMT supports either a DB2 database or a Microsoft SQL Server database. Choose the connection type to match your configuration:

    Using a DB2 database:

    1. Select the Inventory systems page in the FlexNet Beacon interface.
    2. Below the list of connections, click the down arrow on the right of the New split button, and choose Other.
    3. Give the connection a useful name that makes sense in listings of several connections, and for Source type, choose ILMT.
    4. Set up the Connection String similarly to the following (but all in one line): 
      Provider=driverCode.DB2COPY1;Password=password;
Persist Security Info=True;User ID=db2admin;
Data Source=TLMA;Location=servername:50000;
Extended Properties=""
      where
      • The Provider value consists of:
        • A fixed string literal determined by the driver (for example, IBMDADB2 using the IBM driver, or DB2OLEDB using the Microsoft driver)
        • A period (separator)
        • The database copy registered name (typically TEMADB).
        Note: Including the database copy name may be optional after DB2 Version 9.7 Fix Pack 8 is applied, but its use resolves an earlier problem with accessing DB2.
      • Password is the password that the inventory beacon should use when accessing the DB2 database
      • User ID is the account name that the inventory beacon should use when accessing the DB2 database (DATAACCESS privileges are required, since later versions of ILMT drop and recreate database tables)
      • Location includes the name of the server running the database, and the access port (typically 50000, unless locally reconfigured).
    Using a Microsoft SQL Server database
    1. Select the Inventory systems page in the FlexNet Beacon interface.
    2. Click New. (If you clicked the down arrow on the split button to reveal all the options, choose SQL Server.)
    3. Give the connection a useful name that makes sense in listings of several connections, and for Source type, choose ILMT SQL.
    4. In the Server field, identify the database host server:
      • Use either the host name or FQDN, or an IPv4 address
      • If the database is on this same inventory beacon server, use the special value (localhost) including the parentheses.
      • If the database instance you need is not the default one on the server you identify, add the instance name, separated with a backslash character. Example:
        (localhost)\myInstance
    5. Specify the Authentication details for the database connection.
      Select one of:
      • Windows Authentication — Select this option to use standard Windows authentication to access the database server. The credentials of the account (on the inventory beacon) running the scheduled task for importing inventory are used to access the SQL Server database. This account must be added to an Active Directory security group that has access to the database.
      • Windows (specific account) — Use the following two fields (enabled when you make this choice) to specify an account on the inventory beacon that can make a connection to the SQL database.
      • SQL Authentication — Use the following two fields to specify an account and password registered as a user with database access on SQL Server . This account is used to access the database, regardless of the local account running the scheduled task on the inventory beacon server.
      Tip: The account used needs read-only privileges.
    6. Identify the Database name as TEMADB.
      When you entered the Server details earlier, the inventory beacon attempted to connect and identify all databases present there. If this was successful, you can pull down the list and select the TEMADB database. If the appropriate database name is not available, you can enter TEMADB directly in this field.
      Tip: A default implementation of ILMT on SQL Server may offer two different databases. Because you are using ILMT (or else BigFix Inventory), choose the database called TEMADB. (The alternative database, called BFEnterprise, is for use with a different connector type, and in any case is not recommended because the combination returns very incomplete inventory.)
  4. If necessary, configure the Overlapping Inventory Filter.
    This filter has effect even when you have declared that this connection to ILMT is to be your primary inventory source. In normal operation, to ensure that details imported from ILMT cannot be blocked by overlapping inventory from another source, select Import the inventory from this source for possible merging.
  5. Use the Test connection button to validate the details provided and ensure that the connection can operate (if not, correct the problem before proceeding), and then click Save to add this connection to your list.
  6. Select your new connection from the list, and click Schedule... (below the list).
  7. In the Select schedule dialog, choose the appropriate schedule, and click OK. The Next run column shows the projected run time for the connection.
  8. At the bottom of the panel, click Save to store your connection details and schedule.
The connection is now ready for regular imports from ILMT. By default, the license consumption figures calculated by ILMT have priority, and are displayed in the web interface for FlexNet Manager Suite. If you are transitioning from ILMT to FlexNet Manager Suite, this completes phase 2 of the process outlined in Understanding the Transition. Some additional steps, applying only to the transition project, now help to ensure that corresponding data eventually appears in both systems. These are described in Additional Transition Steps.

FlexNet Manager Suite (On-Premises)

2020 R1