KACE Systems Management Appliance 13.2 Common Documents - Administrator Guide

Establishing relationships between asset fields

Customizing Asset Types

You can rename fields, create fields, and delete fields in Asset Types as needed. Customizations to Asset Types are preserved during appliance updates.

About renaming fields and changing field types in Asset Types

When you rename a field in an Asset Type, the field is renamed in all assets that are based on the Asset Type. Values for the renamed field are retained.

However, if you change the Type to a type that does not support the data already entered in a field, that data is lost. For example, you might have a field named Model Number that is of the Type, Text, and that contains the value A123. If you change the Type from Text to Number, the system cannot convert A123 to a valid number. The value for the Model Number field is set to 0.

About adding and deleting asset fields

When you add a field to an Asset Type, the field is available to all assets of that type. Similarly, if you delete a custom asset field, that field, and any values entered in that field, are removed from all assets of that type.

For example, if you created a custom field named BIOS Serial Number in the Device Asset Type, that field would be available to all Device Asset Types. However, if you delete the BIOS Serial Number custom asset, that field, and any values entered in the field, are removed from all Device Asset Types.

If you delete an asset field, the asset association is removed from any assets that point to the deleted field.

Add or customize Asset Types

You can have as many custom Asset Types as you need. In addition, you can create custom fields in any Asset Type. When you create a custom field in an Asset Type, that field becomes available to all assets that are based on that Asset Type.

If the Organization component is enabled on your appliance, you add and customize Asset Types for each organization separately.

TIP: Additional options are available for Device and License Asset Types. See About customizing the Device Asset Type and Customize the License Asset Type.

Item	Description
Name	The name of the custom asset field, such as Asset Code, Purchase Date, or Building Address Line 1. This name appears on the form used to create assets of the selected Asset Type.
Available Values	The values that appear in fields that contain lists of values. This field is enabled when you select Single Select or Multiple Select from the Type drop-down list. If you select Single Select or Multiple Select, you must enter at least one value in this field. To use multiple values, separate each value with a comma.
Default Values	The value that appears in the field by default. If you select Single Select or Multiple Select from the Type drop-down list, you must type one of the values given in the Available Values field.
Required	Whether the field is mandatory or optional. If this check box is selected, users must enter a value in the field when creating assets of the selected type.
Type	The type of field. Field types include: • Attachment: Enables users to add attachments to the asset. • Currency: Used for monetary values. • Software Catalog: Enables users to associate the asset with an application in the Software Catalog. • Date: Used for calendar information. • Label: Enables users to associate a label with the asset. • Link: Used for Internet links. Links must be valid URLs, such as http://quest.com. • Multiple Select: Displays a list where multiple values can be selected. The maximum length for each value is 255 characters. • Notes: Used for additional information. • Number: Used for numerical values expressed as whole numbers. • Parent: Enables the asset to point to the same type of asset in a parent-child relationship. For example, you might allow Location types to have a Parent connection, allowing New York to point to a North America location. This can then be used in the reporting system to show all assets in North America. • Single Select: Displays a value list where only a single value can be selected. The maximum length for each value is 255 characters. • Text: Used for additional text. The maximum length is 255 characters. • Timestamp: Used to add a day and time to the record. • User: Used to associate user records with an asset. • Assets Asset Type: Used to specify relationships among Asset Types.
Multiselect	Whether the asset field points to other assets. A check box is enabled when you select Assets Asset Type from the Type drop-down list. Select the check box to allow this custom field to point to multiple records. For example, you might want a field to point to multiple devices that are approved for a particular license. In that case, you would select the check box. To create a single relationship field, such as a printer that is used by only one department, clear the check box.   NOTE: When you create an asset, this field is populated with the available assets of the specified Asset Type. The field is empty if there are no assets of the specified type.
Section	License assets only. The tab on which this field appears on the License Detail page: General, Purchase, Maintenance, Related, Custom, or Notes. For more information about the tabs appearing on the License Detail page, see Add or edit licenses.
Device Section	Device assets only. The location, on the Device Detail page, where the field is reported. For example, if you are creating a printer Asset Subtype, with a field named Toner Level, you might select Hardware because that field is related to printer hardware. However, you can choose any section in the drop-down list for any field.

Optional: Add Asset Subtypes for Asset Types. See Add Asset Subtypes and select Device Detail page preferences.

About customizing the Device Asset Type

Almost all Device asset data, whether displayed in the Assets or Inventory sections, originates from the Assets section.

The only device inventory or asset information that comes from the Inventory section is data for the Mapped Inventory Field and the Matching Asset Field. The values for those fields are collected each time devices are inventoried. During the inventory process, the appliance determines whether devices already have mapped assets. If no asset is found, the appliance creates one.

The default data type for Mapped Inventory Field is System Name, and the default data type for Matching Asset Field is Name. However, if you re-image your systems, the information under the old system name is lost to the Asset Management component. To prevent this loss, consider using BIOS serial numbers, IP addresses, MAC addresses, or something similar for tracking.

You can import Device asset data or change it manually in the Assets section any time.

CAUTION: If you change the default Asset Type, you lose the asset history prior to the change because the appliance automatically creates assets with the new information. Therefore, it is important to decide whether you want to change the default values as early as possible in the setup process.

Example: Add custom fields to the Device Asset Type

This example shows how to add fields to the Device Asset Type and select them in the Mapped Inventory Field and the Matching Asset Field.

In the Type drop-down list, select Text. Reserve the Number Type for fields on which you perform calculations. Using the Number Type might strip leading zeros in a serial number.

In the Type drop-down list, select Text.

In the Type drop-down list, select Asset Location.

Establishing relationships between asset fields

You can edit Asset Types to establish relationships among assets and track them together.

These relationships can be:

Example: Add fields to the Location Asset Type shows how to make a parent-child relationship with locations by adding a field to the Location Asset Type.

Example: Add fields to the Location Asset Type

You can add fields to the Location Asset Type as needed.

When you open a Location asset, the Parent Relationship field is shown on the Asset Detail page.

Add parent relationships to Location assets

Parent-child relationships can be useful when managing assets, such as Location assets.

Add Parent Location custom fields as described in Example: Add fields to the Location Asset Type.

When adding parent relationships, start with the highest level (parent level) in the relationship.

NOTE: The Parent Location field is a user-created custom field.

Delete Asset Types

You can delete Asset Types, provided that no assets are assigned to those types.

You have Asset Types that do not have any assets assigned to them.

Delete Asset Types

Customizing Asset Types

You can rename fields, create fields, and delete fields in Asset Types as needed. Customizations to Asset Types are preserved during appliance updates.

About renaming fields and changing field types in Asset Types

When you rename a field in an Asset Type, the field is renamed in all assets that are based on the Asset Type. Values for the renamed field are retained.

However, if you change the Type to a type that does not support the data already entered in a field, that data is lost. For example, you might have a field named Model Number that is of the Type, Text, and that contains the value A123. If you change the Type from Text to Number, the system cannot convert A123 to a valid number. The value for the Model Number field is set to 0.

About adding and deleting asset fields

When you add a field to an Asset Type, the field is available to all assets of that type. Similarly, if you delete a custom asset field, that field, and any values entered in that field, are removed from all assets of that type.

For example, if you created a custom field named BIOS Serial Number in the Device Asset Type, that field would be available to all Device Asset Types. However, if you delete the BIOS Serial Number custom asset, that field, and any values entered in the field, are removed from all Device Asset Types.

If you delete an asset field, the asset association is removed from any assets that point to the deleted field.

Add or customize Asset Types

You can have as many custom Asset Types as you need. In addition, you can create custom fields in any Asset Type. When you create a custom field in an Asset Type, that field becomes available to all assets that are based on that Asset Type.

If the Organization component is enabled on your appliance, you add and customize Asset Types for each organization separately.

TIP: Additional options are available for Device and License Asset Types. See About customizing the Device Asset Type and Customize the License Asset Type.

Item	Description
Name	The name of the custom asset field, such as Asset Code, Purchase Date, or Building Address Line 1. This name appears on the form used to create assets of the selected Asset Type.
Available Values	The values that appear in fields that contain lists of values. This field is enabled when you select Single Select or Multiple Select from the Type drop-down list. If you select Single Select or Multiple Select, you must enter at least one value in this field. To use multiple values, separate each value with a comma.
Default Values	The value that appears in the field by default. If you select Single Select or Multiple Select from the Type drop-down list, you must type one of the values given in the Available Values field.
Required	Whether the field is mandatory or optional. If this check box is selected, users must enter a value in the field when creating assets of the selected type.
Type	The type of field. Field types include: • Attachment: Enables users to add attachments to the asset. • Currency: Used for monetary values. • Software Catalog: Enables users to associate the asset with an application in the Software Catalog. • Date: Used for calendar information. • Label: Enables users to associate a label with the asset. • Link: Used for Internet links. Links must be valid URLs, such as http://quest.com. • Multiple Select: Displays a list where multiple values can be selected. The maximum length for each value is 255 characters. • Notes: Used for additional information. • Number: Used for numerical values expressed as whole numbers. • Parent: Enables the asset to point to the same type of asset in a parent-child relationship. For example, you might allow Location types to have a Parent connection, allowing New York to point to a North America location. This can then be used in the reporting system to show all assets in North America. • Single Select: Displays a value list where only a single value can be selected. The maximum length for each value is 255 characters. • Text: Used for additional text. The maximum length is 255 characters. • Timestamp: Used to add a day and time to the record. • User: Used to associate user records with an asset. • Assets Asset Type: Used to specify relationships among Asset Types.
Multiselect	Whether the asset field points to other assets. A check box is enabled when you select Assets Asset Type from the Type drop-down list. Select the check box to allow this custom field to point to multiple records. For example, you might want a field to point to multiple devices that are approved for a particular license. In that case, you would select the check box. To create a single relationship field, such as a printer that is used by only one department, clear the check box.   NOTE: When you create an asset, this field is populated with the available assets of the specified Asset Type. The field is empty if there are no assets of the specified type.
Section	License assets only. The tab on which this field appears on the License Detail page: General, Purchase, Maintenance, Related, Custom, or Notes. For more information about the tabs appearing on the License Detail page, see Add or edit licenses.
Device Section	Device assets only. The location, on the Device Detail page, where the field is reported. For example, if you are creating a printer Asset Subtype, with a field named Toner Level, you might select Hardware because that field is related to printer hardware. However, you can choose any section in the drop-down list for any field.

Optional: Add Asset Subtypes for Asset Types. See Add Asset Subtypes and select Device Detail page preferences.

About customizing the Device Asset Type

Almost all Device asset data, whether displayed in the Assets or Inventory sections, originates from the Assets section.

The only device inventory or asset information that comes from the Inventory section is data for the Mapped Inventory Field and the Matching Asset Field. The values for those fields are collected each time devices are inventoried. During the inventory process, the appliance determines whether devices already have mapped assets. If no asset is found, the appliance creates one.

The default data type for Mapped Inventory Field is System Name, and the default data type for Matching Asset Field is Name. However, if you re-image your systems, the information under the old system name is lost to the Asset Management component. To prevent this loss, consider using BIOS serial numbers, IP addresses, MAC addresses, or something similar for tracking.

You can import Device asset data or change it manually in the Assets section any time.

CAUTION: If you change the default Asset Type, you lose the asset history prior to the change because the appliance automatically creates assets with the new information. Therefore, it is important to decide whether you want to change the default values as early as possible in the setup process.

Example: Add custom fields to the Device Asset Type

This example shows how to add fields to the Device Asset Type and select them in the Mapped Inventory Field and the Matching Asset Field.

In the Type drop-down list, select Text. Reserve the Number Type for fields on which you perform calculations. Using the Number Type might strip leading zeros in a serial number.

In the Type drop-down list, select Text.

In the Type drop-down list, select Asset Location.

Establishing relationships between asset fields

You can edit Asset Types to establish relationships among assets and track them together.

These relationships can be:

Example: Add fields to the Location Asset Type shows how to make a parent-child relationship with locations by adding a field to the Location Asset Type.

Example: Add fields to the Location Asset Type

You can add fields to the Location Asset Type as needed.

When you open a Location asset, the Parent Relationship field is shown on the Asset Detail page.

Add parent relationships to Location assets

Parent-child relationships can be useful when managing assets, such as Location assets.

Add Parent Location custom fields as described in Example: Add fields to the Location Asset Type.

When adding parent relationships, start with the highest level (parent level) in the relationship.

NOTE: The Parent Location field is a user-created custom field.

Delete Asset Types

You can delete Asset Types, provided that no assets are assigned to those types.

You have Asset Types that do not have any assets assigned to them.

About Asset Subtypes, custom fields, and device detail preferences

About Asset Subtypes, custom fields, and device detail preferences

Asset Subtypes are subcategories of assets that you can add to any Asset Type, including custom Asset Types. This enables you to identify and manage subtypes of assets, such as Device assets that are computers, printers, or routers, and Software assets that run on Windows, Mac, or Linux systems in the appliance inventory.

Asset Subtypes inherit the fields from the Asset Type, and you can add custom fields to enable the appliance inventory process to collect relevant information about the Asset Subtype. For example, you could add the Asset Subtype Printer to the Device Asset Type. You could then add a custom field for the Printer subtype, such as Toner. The Toner field would then be available to Device Assets with the subtype Printer.

NOTE: To enable the appliance to populate Asset Subtype fields from Agentless devices, you must assign the appropriate Asset Subtype when the device is configured, you must obtain the appropriate object identifier (OID), and you must map that identifier to the subtype field on the SNMP Inventory Configuration Detail page. You cannot add or change SNMP device subtypes after they have been configured. See Obtain a list of object identifiers (OIDs) using the Administrator Console.

In addition, you can choose whether to show or hide the details that appear for each Device Asset Subtype on the Device Detail page. For example, you can hide information that is irrelevant to printers, such as Installed Programs, Discovered Software, and Metered Software, from the Device Detail page of assets with the subtype Printer.

Workflow for using Asset Subtypes with SNMP devices

To use Asset Subtypes, you need to add them, and any custom fields you want to use, to your Asset Types. To populate the fields with data from SNMP (Simple Network Management Protocol) devices, you can also add object identifiers (OIDs) to the custom fields.

The workflow for using Asset Subtypes with SNMP devices includes these tasks:

IMPORTANT: You must assign the appropriate Asset Subtype when the device is configured. You cannot add or change SNMP device subtypes after they have been configured.

Add Asset Subtypes and select Device Detail page preferences

You can add Asset Subtypes to any Asset Type, including custom Asset Types, and you can add custom fields for each Asset Subtype.

In addition, you can choose which fields to display on the Device Detail page, and the sections where you want those fields to appear. This enables you to customize the Device Detail page and emphasize the most important information.

NOTE: If the Organization component is enabled on your appliance, you manage Asset Subtypes for each organization separately.

NOTE: In a default installation, Device Assets include two Asset Subtypes for printer devices: Laser Printer: Color and Laser Printer: Monochrome. Each of these subtypes provides a common set of fields that apply to most printers. The appliance also comes with a set of printer templates for typical SNMP-enabled printer models, based on these Asset Subtypes. You can edit these templates or add new ones, as needed. When you apply a printer template to a device, the data defined in the template, such as toner levels or descriptions, is collected for the printer in the next inventory cycle. For more information, see About printer templates.

Option	Description
Name	The name of the Asset Subtype. This name appears in the list on the Asset Type Detail page.
Default	Whether to use the Asset Subtype as the default for new assets of the selected type. If you select this check box, new assets of the selected type are automatically assigned to this Asset Subtype. You can change this setting any time.

Item	Description
Name	The name of the Asset Subtype. This name identifies the Asset Subtype on the Asset Detail page.
Available Values	The values that appear in fields that contain lists of values. This field is enabled when you select Single Select or Multiple Select from the Type drop-down list. If you select Single Select or Multiple Select, you must enter at least one value in this field. To use multiple values, separate each value with a comma.
Default Values	The value that appears in the field by default. If you select Single Select or Multiple Select from the Type drop-down list, you must type one of the values given in the Available Values field.
Required	Whether the field is mandatory or optional. If this check box is selected, users must enter a value in the field when creating assets of the selected type.
Type	The type of field. Field types include: • Attachment: Enables users to add attachments to the asset. • Currency: Used for monetary values. • Software Catalog: Enables users to associate the asset with an application in the Software Catalog. • Date: Used for calendar information. • Label: Enables users to associate a label with the asset. • Link: Used for Internet links. Links must be valid URLs, such as http://quest.com. • Multiple Select: Displays a list where multiple values can be selected. The maximum length for each value is 255 characters. • Notes: Used for additional information. • Number: Used for numerical values expressed as whole numbers. • Parent: Enables the asset to point to the same type of asset in a parent-child relationship. For example, you might allow Location types to have a Parent connection, allowing New York to point to a North America location. This can then be used in the reporting system to show all assets in North America. • Single Select: Displays a value list where only a single value can be selected. The maximum length for each value is 255 characters. • Text: Used for additional text. The maximum length is 255 characters. • Timestamp: Used to add a day and time to the record. • User: Used to associate user records with an asset. • Assets Asset Type: Used to specify relationships among Asset Types.
Multiselect	Whether the asset field points to other assets. A check box is enabled when you select Assets Asset Type from the Type drop-down list. Select the check box to allow this custom field to point to multiple records. For example, you might want a field to point to multiple devices that are approved for a particular license. In that case, you would select the check box. To create a single relationship field, such as a printer that is used by only one department, clear the check box.   NOTE: When you create an asset, this field is populated with the available assets of the specified Asset Type. The field is empty if there are no assets of the specified type.
Device Section	The location, on the Device Detail page, where the field is reported. For example, if you are creating a printer Asset Subtype, with a field named Toner Level, you might select Hardware because that field is related to printer hardware. However, you can choose any section in the drop-down list for any field.

To enable the system to automatically populate custom fields with data on the Device Detail page, you must obtain the appropriate object identifiers and map the fields OIDs. See:

To manually update custom fields, go to the Asset Detail page. See Update custom asset fields manually.

Edit Asset Subtypes

You can edit Asset Subtypes as needed. If the Organization component is enabled for your appliance, you edit Asset Subtypes for each organization separately.

Set an Asset Subtype as the default

To automatically assign new assets to a subtype, you can mark an Asset Subtype as the default.

View subtypes available to Asset Types

You can view the Asset Subtypes that are available to the Asset Types you manage. If the Organization component is enabled for your appliance, you view and manage Asset Subtypes for each organization separately.

View Asset Subtypes on the Assets page

You can use the View By menu to sort the Assets page by subtypes.

Assign or change Device Asset Subtypes from the Devices page

If you have existing Device assets that are not assigned to subtypes, you can assign them to subtypes or change their subtype assignments, from the Devices page, provided that those devices are not SNMP (Simple Network Management Protocol) devices. Subtypes for SNMP devices must be assigned when the devices are initially configured.

You have existing device assets in appliance inventory and you have created subtypes for the Device Asset Type. See Add Asset Subtypes and select Device Detail page preferences.

IMPORTANT: For SNMP devices, you must assign the appropriate Asset Subtype when the device is configured. You cannot add or change SNMP Asset Subtypes after they have been configured.

TIP: You can also use the View By drop-down list to identify devices that belong to a specific Asset Subtype.

Assign assets to subtypes or change subtype assignments from the Assets page

If you have existing assets that are not assigned to Asset Subtypes, you can assign them to subtypes or change their subtypes, from the Assets page, provided that those devices are not SNMP (Simple Network Management Protocol) devices. Subtypes for SNMP devices must be assigned when devices are initially configured.

You have existing assets in appliance inventory and you have created subtypes for Asset Types. See Add Asset Subtypes and select Device Detail page preferences.

IMPORTANT: For SNMP devices, you must assign the appropriate Asset Subtype when the device is configured. You cannot add or change SNMP Asset Subtypes after they have been configured.

TIP: You can also use the View By drop-down list to identify assets that belong to a specific Asset Subtype.

Update custom asset fields manually

You can update custom asset fields manually as needed. This is useful when you have asset information that cannot be collected automatically, or supplemental information you want to track with an asset.

You have added custom Asset Subtypes or custom asset fields.

TIP: As an alternative to manually updating custom assets fields, you can import information from spreadsheets. See Importing license data in CSV files.

Delete Asset Subtypes

You can delete Asset Subtypes provided that no assets are assigned to those subtypes.

You have Asset Subtypes that do not have any assets assigned to them.

Workflow for using Asset Subtypes with SNMP devices

About Asset Subtypes, custom fields, and device detail preferences

Asset Subtypes are subcategories of assets that you can add to any Asset Type, including custom Asset Types. This enables you to identify and manage subtypes of assets, such as Device assets that are computers, printers, or routers, and Software assets that run on Windows, Mac, or Linux systems in the appliance inventory.

Asset Subtypes inherit the fields from the Asset Type, and you can add custom fields to enable the appliance inventory process to collect relevant information about the Asset Subtype. For example, you could add the Asset Subtype Printer to the Device Asset Type. You could then add a custom field for the Printer subtype, such as Toner. The Toner field would then be available to Device Assets with the subtype Printer.

NOTE: To enable the appliance to populate Asset Subtype fields from Agentless devices, you must assign the appropriate Asset Subtype when the device is configured, you must obtain the appropriate object identifier (OID), and you must map that identifier to the subtype field on the SNMP Inventory Configuration Detail page. You cannot add or change SNMP device subtypes after they have been configured. See Obtain a list of object identifiers (OIDs) using the Administrator Console.

In addition, you can choose whether to show or hide the details that appear for each Device Asset Subtype on the Device Detail page. For example, you can hide information that is irrelevant to printers, such as Installed Programs, Discovered Software, and Metered Software, from the Device Detail page of assets with the subtype Printer.

Workflow for using Asset Subtypes with SNMP devices

To use Asset Subtypes, you need to add them, and any custom fields you want to use, to your Asset Types. To populate the fields with data from SNMP (Simple Network Management Protocol) devices, you can also add object identifiers (OIDs) to the custom fields.

The workflow for using Asset Subtypes with SNMP devices includes these tasks:

IMPORTANT: You must assign the appropriate Asset Subtype when the device is configured. You cannot add or change SNMP device subtypes after they have been configured.

Add Asset Subtypes and select Device Detail page preferences

You can add Asset Subtypes to any Asset Type, including custom Asset Types, and you can add custom fields for each Asset Subtype.

In addition, you can choose which fields to display on the Device Detail page, and the sections where you want those fields to appear. This enables you to customize the Device Detail page and emphasize the most important information.

NOTE: If the Organization component is enabled on your appliance, you manage Asset Subtypes for each organization separately.

NOTE: In a default installation, Device Assets include two Asset Subtypes for printer devices: Laser Printer: Color and Laser Printer: Monochrome. Each of these subtypes provides a common set of fields that apply to most printers. The appliance also comes with a set of printer templates for typical SNMP-enabled printer models, based on these Asset Subtypes. You can edit these templates or add new ones, as needed. When you apply a printer template to a device, the data defined in the template, such as toner levels or descriptions, is collected for the printer in the next inventory cycle. For more information, see About printer templates.

Option	Description
Name	The name of the Asset Subtype. This name appears in the list on the Asset Type Detail page.
Default	Whether to use the Asset Subtype as the default for new assets of the selected type. If you select this check box, new assets of the selected type are automatically assigned to this Asset Subtype. You can change this setting any time.

Item	Description
Name	The name of the Asset Subtype. This name identifies the Asset Subtype on the Asset Detail page.
Available Values	The values that appear in fields that contain lists of values. This field is enabled when you select Single Select or Multiple Select from the Type drop-down list. If you select Single Select or Multiple Select, you must enter at least one value in this field. To use multiple values, separate each value with a comma.
Default Values	The value that appears in the field by default. If you select Single Select or Multiple Select from the Type drop-down list, you must type one of the values given in the Available Values field.
Required	Whether the field is mandatory or optional. If this check box is selected, users must enter a value in the field when creating assets of the selected type.
Type	The type of field. Field types include: • Attachment: Enables users to add attachments to the asset. • Currency: Used for monetary values. • Software Catalog: Enables users to associate the asset with an application in the Software Catalog. • Date: Used for calendar information. • Label: Enables users to associate a label with the asset. • Link: Used for Internet links. Links must be valid URLs, such as http://quest.com. • Multiple Select: Displays a list where multiple values can be selected. The maximum length for each value is 255 characters. • Notes: Used for additional information. • Number: Used for numerical values expressed as whole numbers. • Parent: Enables the asset to point to the same type of asset in a parent-child relationship. For example, you might allow Location types to have a Parent connection, allowing New York to point to a North America location. This can then be used in the reporting system to show all assets in North America. • Single Select: Displays a value list where only a single value can be selected. The maximum length for each value is 255 characters. • Text: Used for additional text. The maximum length is 255 characters. • Timestamp: Used to add a day and time to the record. • User: Used to associate user records with an asset. • Assets Asset Type: Used to specify relationships among Asset Types.
Multiselect	Whether the asset field points to other assets. A check box is enabled when you select Assets Asset Type from the Type drop-down list. Select the check box to allow this custom field to point to multiple records. For example, you might want a field to point to multiple devices that are approved for a particular license. In that case, you would select the check box. To create a single relationship field, such as a printer that is used by only one department, clear the check box.   NOTE: When you create an asset, this field is populated with the available assets of the specified Asset Type. The field is empty if there are no assets of the specified type.
Device Section	The location, on the Device Detail page, where the field is reported. For example, if you are creating a printer Asset Subtype, with a field named Toner Level, you might select Hardware because that field is related to printer hardware. However, you can choose any section in the drop-down list for any field.

To enable the system to automatically populate custom fields with data on the Device Detail page, you must obtain the appropriate object identifiers and map the fields OIDs. See:

To manually update custom fields, go to the Asset Detail page. See Update custom asset fields manually.

Edit Asset Subtypes

You can edit Asset Subtypes as needed. If the Organization component is enabled for your appliance, you edit Asset Subtypes for each organization separately.

Set an Asset Subtype as the default

To automatically assign new assets to a subtype, you can mark an Asset Subtype as the default.

View subtypes available to Asset Types

You can view the Asset Subtypes that are available to the Asset Types you manage. If the Organization component is enabled for your appliance, you view and manage Asset Subtypes for each organization separately.

View Asset Subtypes on the Assets page

You can use the View By menu to sort the Assets page by subtypes.

Assign or change Device Asset Subtypes from the Devices page

If you have existing Device assets that are not assigned to subtypes, you can assign them to subtypes or change their subtype assignments, from the Devices page, provided that those devices are not SNMP (Simple Network Management Protocol) devices. Subtypes for SNMP devices must be assigned when the devices are initially configured.

You have existing device assets in appliance inventory and you have created subtypes for the Device Asset Type. See Add Asset Subtypes and select Device Detail page preferences.

IMPORTANT: For SNMP devices, you must assign the appropriate Asset Subtype when the device is configured. You cannot add or change SNMP Asset Subtypes after they have been configured.

TIP: You can also use the View By drop-down list to identify devices that belong to a specific Asset Subtype.

Assign assets to subtypes or change subtype assignments from the Assets page

If you have existing assets that are not assigned to Asset Subtypes, you can assign them to subtypes or change their subtypes, from the Assets page, provided that those devices are not SNMP (Simple Network Management Protocol) devices. Subtypes for SNMP devices must be assigned when devices are initially configured.

You have existing assets in appliance inventory and you have created subtypes for Asset Types. See Add Asset Subtypes and select Device Detail page preferences.

IMPORTANT: For SNMP devices, you must assign the appropriate Asset Subtype when the device is configured. You cannot add or change SNMP Asset Subtypes after they have been configured.

TIP: You can also use the View By drop-down list to identify assets that belong to a specific Asset Subtype.

Update custom asset fields manually

You can update custom asset fields manually as needed. This is useful when you have asset information that cannot be collected automatically, or supplemental information you want to track with an asset.

You have added custom Asset Subtypes or custom asset fields.

TIP: As an alternative to manually updating custom assets fields, you can import information from spreadsheets. See Importing license data in CSV files.

Delete Asset Subtypes

You can delete Asset Subtypes provided that no assets are assigned to those subtypes.

You have Asset Subtypes that do not have any assets assigned to them.