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Enterprise Reporter 3.5.2 - Configuration Manager User Guide

Product Overview Configuring the Configuration Manager
Starting the Configuration Manager Finding answers and getting help Overview of Enterprise Reporter Communications and Credentials Required Using the Credential Manager Setting Up Your First Collection Computers (Nodes) Modifying Your Deployment Configuring Global Settings Customizing the Configuration Manager View
Understanding Discoveries Creating Discoveries
Step 1. Create the Discovery (Name) Step 2. Choose what to include in your discovery (Scopes) Step 2a. Choose scopes for your on-premises discoveries
Choosing your Active Directory Scopes Choosing your Computer Scopes Choosing Your Exchange Scopes Choosing Your File Storage Analysis Scopes Choosing Your Microsoft SQL Scopes Choosing Your NTFS Scopes Choosing Your Registry Scopes
Step 2b: Choose scopes for your cloud discoveries Step 3. Schedule your Discovery Step 4: Review the summary
Managing Discoveries Troubleshooting Issues with Enterprise Reporter Appendix: PowerShell cmdlets Appendix: Encryption Key Manager Appendix: Log Viewer

Things to Consider Before Creating a Cluster

Make sure you are clear on the following before creating the cluster:

Do you want to use a shared data location?

As data is collected, it is compared to previously collected data on either the SQL Server® or the shared data location, depending on how you configure your cluster. If you have a lightly loaded SQL Server® that is physically close to your nodes, you may find that performance is improved by choosing not to use a shared data location. On the other hand, if network traffic is high and your SQL Server® is under a heavy load or physically distant from the nodes in the cluster, a shared data location will produce faster results.

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If you are using one, where is the shared data location?
Create the shared folder, and give read and write access to the credentials you will be using for the nodes. As long as it is accessible, the shared data location can be located on any computer in your environment. Be cautious and ensure that the location is secured while it is accessible as it contains temporary files of collected data. For maximum benefit, locate the data source physically close to the nodes in the cluster.
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NOTE: Not all discovery types utilize the shared data location. For example, Active Directory, For example, Active Directory, Microsoft Entra ID, Exchange, and NTFS discoveries do not use the shared data location to optimize on the number of collection tasks generated to collect the data in a more efficient manner.
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What are the first nodes that you want to add?
A cluster is not functional until you add a node and enable it. The node computer is the computer that will resolve the targets of the collection, and perform the actual collection. You can add as many nodes as you want during the initial creation of a cluster.
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How many tasks do you want to run at the same time on each node?
Discoveries are executed as tasks on the nodes of the assigned cluster. To maximize the performance of a node, you can limit the number of tasks that can run concurrently. The default setting of zero to allow the node to determine how many concurrent tasks it will process is a good place to start; you can later experiment with limiting this number to improve performance. For more information, see Improving the Performance of a Node .
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What credentials are you going to use?
Discoveries are performed by a service that runs on the node computer. The credentials used by the node must have read and write access to the Enterprise Reporter database, and have the read permissions to access the targets, and collect the necessary data, and permission to write to the shared data location. You can optionally choose to use SQL credentials for the database connection. For more information, see Node Credential and Alternate Credential Details for On-Premises Discoveries .
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NOTE: If you use credentials that are different than the Enterprise Reporter server credentials, they must be granted access to the database.

For more information, see “Configuring the Database and Security Groups” in the Installation and Deployment Guide.

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NOTE: These credentials are also used to access the target computers during a discovery, unless alternate credentials are specified for a discovery. For more information, see Step 1. Create the Discovery (Name) .
 
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Access to Admin$ on the node host
To ensure the success of node deployment, the node installation files are copied into Admin$ (\\computername\admin$). The service account must have read and write access to this share. Once the node has been successfully installed, you can remove this access if required.

Creating Your First Cluster and Node

The Create Cluster wizard walks you through this process. You can create a cluster without a node, and add the nodes later, but you will not be able to run a discovery without at least one node enabled.

To create your first cluster and node
1
On the Manage Discovery Clusters pane, click Create Cluster.
2
Enter a name for the cluster.
A default name, First Cluster, is provided, but you should change this to something meaningful, such as the location of your cluster.
3
Optionally, provide a description.
4
To use a network share, browse to and select your shared data location, and click OK.
- OR -
Select No network share specified.
For more information, see Things to Consider Before Creating a Cluster .
5
Optionally, modify the connection timeouts.
When you first create a cluster, it is recommended that you leave the default settings. Change the timeout settings only if you are getting timeout error messages. For more information, see Troubleshooting Connection Timeouts .
6
Click Next.
If you do not want to add any nodes at this time, skip to step 13.
7
Click Add to configure a computer to serve as a node for this cluster.
8
Browse to the computer where the node is to be created and click OK.
If you do not change the default entry, the first node is created on the current computer.
9
Select a node credential from the Credential Manager.
If the account you want is not on the list, click Add and enter the account, then select it from the list. For more information, see Using the Credential Manager .
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NOTE: This account must be a member of the Reporter_Discovery_Nodes group to get access to the encryption key used to encrypt all passwords. This account must have local administrator access to the node computer and write access to the shared data location for the cluster. These credentials also require read access the target computers during a discovery, unless alternate credentials are specified for a discovery. For more information, see Step 1. Create the Discovery (Name) .
10
If the network is using Kerberos for authentication, then there is an option to enter a UPN or SPN for the node to communicate with the Enterprise Reporter server.
11
Optionally, select Specify a separate SQL Server Authentication credential for the database, then select (or add) the SQL Server account in the Credential Manager.
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NOTE: This account must have read and write access to the Enterprise Reporter database and must be in the Discovery_Admins group.
12
Optionally, select Specify an alternate credential for Node service deployment, then select the account.
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NOTE: This account must have permission to copy files in the Admin$ share folder and to install and run services.
13
Optionally, set tasks to be System - managed or specify a Maximum number of tasks. For more information, see Nodes and Improving the Performance of a Node .
14
Click OK.
You can add more than one node at a time to the same cluster. Repeat steps 7 through 12 until you have added all of your nodes.
By default, nodes are enabled after they are created. If you prefer to manually enable the nodes, clear the Enable Nodes check box. At least one node must be enabled in order for your cluster to be functional.
15
Click Finish.
If you chose to create a cluster without any nodes, click Yes.
The new node appears on the Discovery Nodes tab. Your node will be enabled, unless you cleared the Enable the nodes check box. For a listing of possible node statuses, see What does the status of a node or cluster indicate? .
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NOTE: When a node is deployed and enabled, the cluster is also enabled. If you deployed the node without enabling it, you have to manually enable the cluster. For more information, see Enabling a Cluster .
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NOTE: If a node fails to deploy, you must delete the node and re-create it. For information, see Node Issues .

Modifying Your Deployment

For some situations, a single cluster with one node may be adequate. Other deployments may range from two or more nodes in a cluster to many clusters with many nodes in each.

See also:

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Managing Clusters
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Managing Nodes
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What does the status of a node or cluster indicate?

Managing Clusters

You may want to add a cluster or change an existing cluster. Occasionally, a cluster might need to be disabled to perform regular system maintenance, or as part of troubleshooting issues with your Enterprise Reporter deployment.

See also:

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When Do You Add a Cluster?
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Modifying a Cluster
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Deleting a Cluster
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Disabling a Cluster
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What To Do if a Cluster is Disabled
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Enabling a Cluster
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