I have previously been integrating with ILMT 7.x at a database level, and am now looking to work with ILMT / SUA 9.2. I’ve been trying to produce my integrations using the REST API, but the API does not appear to make all attributes and data relationships available as they are in the database. See my two other posts for details:
ILMT / SUA – REST API – Obtaining the installed software per device that includes bundling
ILMT / SUA – REST API – Full access to Computer_Systems Attributes and Hierarchy
With ILMT 7.x, there was a series of CUSTOM views which made up the integration point, and these were sufficient for the level of integration I needed. With ILMT / SUA 9.x, these views are no longer present, though much of the table structure looks familiar.
I would like to clarify if integrating with the SUADB database (not the BigFix platform database) is officially supported?
I was informed by one of my contacts that: “I believe this is still the way our own integration with ICD works, so it should be supported when APIs are not enough, but I would like to double check on support statement.”
If integrating at the SUADB database level is supported, is there any database documentation / database dictionary available as there was for ILMT 7.x?
As ILMT /SUA 9.x are part of IBM Bigfix , the database structure would be change for SUA DB.
Your can fetch the computer attributes via IBM Bigfix DB, but it has predefined properties in Database like Computer Name , OS . IP addresses…etc. If you require any other properties you need to add it from the IEM Console and create new manage properties.
I know technically I can go to the SUA and BigFix databases to pull out data, and that the SUA database has all of the data that I need without having to deal with the complex XML fragments in the key / value pair analysis results of the BigFix database, but I’m trying to find out if it is officially supported by IBM. If it is supported, then I’m hoping there is some official documentation that may be available, just like there was for ILMT 7.x.
As my clients will mainly be using ILMT rather than BigFix Inventory, I cannot rely on the full features of BigFix being available, so need to go with what is collected by default.
My hope is that IBM is happy that integrations are made at the database level, and that they can provide some official documentation for the database schema along with some best practice advice.
Unfortunately, integration by database in current ILMT 9.x version is not possible and it officially not supported.
The only supported way is to use API.
Based on feedback on other questions I have raised regarding the API, it looks like much of the data that we require access to, and is available in the database as it was in ILMT 7.x, is not accessible through the REST API.
When you state that “integration by database in current ILMT 9.x version is not possible”, technically, via the database, I can see the data I need, and the SUADB has close similarities to the ILMT 7.x database, so I know I could build the relevant scripts. I understand that you say it is not officially supported, but it is permitted?
Does the BigFix inventory store hardware attributes like RAM, Sockets, Narwork Cards, Threads, Clock Speed etc.? If so, via which API can these be fetched?
You can check existing hardware inventory panel on UI if there are attributes you want.
Additional attributes can be imported to BFI after adding them as computer property.
Also here is short guide how to combine results of computer system API from above with computer properties.
1.) You have configured new computer property and imported it to BFI.
2.) Use api/schemas/computer.json API to find name mapping for your property. Part of example output:
“computer_property_1”: {
“type”: [
“string”,
“array”,
“null”
],
“items”: “string”,
“title”: “RAM”,
“mappings”: {
“type”: “array”,
“association”: true,
“description”: “Mappings into datasource properties”,
“item”: [
{
“datasource_site_remote_id”: -1995306482,
“datasource_analysis_remote_id”: 28,
“datasource_property_remote_id”: 1,
“datasource_id”: 1
}
]
}
}
3.) Use “computer_property_1” for RAM attribute as a name of column in API. Example:
/api/sam/computer_systems?columns[]=id&columns[]=computer_property_1
3.) Use “computer_property_1” for RAM attribute as a name of column in API. Example:
/api/sam/computer_systems?columns[]=id&columns[]=computer_system_properties.computer_property_1