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Inventory

On the Inventory page, you can browse, query and investigate entities that are currently in your Zenoss Cloud environment.

Because you may have a very large number of entities in your system, the ability to query your inventory is important to locate and examine specific entities that are critical to your workflows. Inventory queries consist of one or more entity property-value comparisons. You can view query results in a table with one row per entity and one column for each property. Entity properties vary widely by source, so the default table can include many columns.

You can filter your results using the query bar. When you create a query that provides rich results, you can save those queries and share them with your team.

For more information about entities, see Entities and devices.

Opening the Inventory page

You can query and examine your inventory of entities from the following locations:

  • The Zenoss Cloud header is visible on all tabs. In the header, click INVENTORY.

Note

Your account must be assigned the Read Only User role or a more privileged role to see the INVENTORY tab, run or create queries, and display entity tables.

Tour of the Inventory page

When you click the INVENTORY tab, you see the Inventory page title with a menu icon, the query bar, and several sections, such as Explore Properties and Templates. Each section includes property names or query cards that you can click to get started with your search. To hide or open a section, click its title.

Let's take a closer look at the main sections you might see on the initial page:

Explore Properties

Click the section title to view a list of entity property names in your environment. By default, the list is hidden.

Once open, you can use the search field below the title to display a subset of properties. Note that the list doesn't include the internal properties that are generated by Zenoss Cloud.

My Queries

This section contains queries that you create and save. You can only see this section when you have saved queries.

When you mark a query as public, it's also added to the Shared Queries list. Click any query card to display its results.

Shared Queries

This section contains queries that are created and shared by you and others in your organization. You can only see this section when you have shared queries in your environment.

Click any query card to display its results.

Templates

This section contains the queries that Zenoss provides. These templates are useful if you are new to using Inventory. Select a template to get started, customize it when viewing results, then save it as a query to use later or share with other users.

Accessing the Inventory Queries panel

The Inventory Queries panel provides an alternate way to to access your saved and shared queries and templates. In addition, you can also access your favorites and most recently used queries. In the Inventory Queries panel, you can share, edit, copy, and delete your queries.

To open the Inventory Queries panel, click the Inventory menu icon in the upper-left corner of the page.

To display a different query, click the name of one of your queries in the My Queries folder, or open the Shared Queries folder and click the name of a shared query. Also, you can click the FAVORITES or RECENT tabs to find a query that you marked as a favorite or opened recently.

Note

The FAVORITES tab isn’t available to read-only users because read-only users can’t mark inventory queries as favorites.

When you hover your pointer over an inventory query, you can click the Actions (⋮) menu to select different options, such as editing, deleting, or sharing the query, or setting it as your default user preference.

Viewing results

After you run a query or open a template, you can view a table of entities with one row per entity and one column for each property. This table provides a snapshot of the included entities and their key details, such as location, production state, and associated events.

There are several actions you can take to help you with your investigation:

View summary

To view a visual summary of the entities included in the selected query, click Summary view. This is useful when you want a quick snapshot of key information about the entities in the selected inventory query. To close, click Summary view again.

The tiles in the summary view highlight useful information from the past 24 hours about the selected query results, including a breakdown of events and production states for your entities.

Tiles include:

  • Entities by type: The number of entities by type in the query results.

  • Event count: The Events donut chart lists the total number of events in the query with a breakdown by event type, including Critical, Error, and Warning. Hover your mouse over the donut chart to see the number of events by type.

  • Entity count: The number of new entities that are included in the query.

  • Entities by production state: The Entities donut chart lists the total number of entities in the query with a breakdown by assigned production state. Hover your mouse over the donut chart to see the number of entities in each state.

    The chart displays only the production states included in the query. Each state is represented by a specific color, such as green for Production and gray for Maintenance, and a random color for custom production states.

  • Monitoring stats: This tile provides an overview of entity monitoring statistics for immediate insight into monitoring activity. The list captures high-level metrics based on your current query, including:

    • Metrics: Estimated total number of metrics collected.

    • Events: Estimated total number of raw events, which includes all instances of an event occurrence. As a result, this number may be higher when compared to data in the Events console.

    • Entity updates: Number of entity property updates, such as updated metadata for models in your CZ.

    • Active entities: Total number of active entities in the selected query. Active entities are ones which meet the query criteria and the time range, and are currently receiving data, such as events, metrics, and model updates.

    • Total entities: Total number of entities in the selected query for the time range. Note that Zenoss may not be collecting or receiving data for some of these entities.

View details

To view additional information about an entity in the table, click the eye icon in the Actions column for the row. In the ENTITY DETAILS dialog box that opens, you can view more details and navigate to Smart View pages.

On the DETAILS tab, you can view core properties and metadata information about the entity. Click the SMART VIEW button to navigate to Smart View to examine the graphs and charts of an entity’s metrics and events. You can also click the following tabs:

  • RELATED METRICS: Quickly view a snapshot of the current metrics for your entity.

  • RELATED ENTITIES: View metrics for related entities.

  • RELATED EVENTS: View related events.

Optionally, you can choose to pin the Actions column on the left side of the table. To do so, click the More actions button next to the column name, then click Pin left.

Hide or reorder columns

You can change how the properties appear in the table. To make changes, click Adjust columns from the Settings menu.

In the ADJUST COLUMNS dialog box that opens, you can select or clear the available columns, and change the order of the columns in the table.

Adjust column views

In the column menu, view the sorting options for that column, including Group by <column name>. This option is useful if you want to focus on a specific group of entities, such as a set of entities in a specific device class or a location of entities. You can choose to group entities in several key columns, including Device, Device Class, Groups, Location, Name, Schema IDs, Source, Source Type, and Systems.

After you click Group by <column name>, expand the row to view the entities in that group. The number of entities within a group is indicated in parentheses. Open the column menu and choose to expand all the rows or collapse all the rows in the groups.

Sort rows

If you have a lot of entities to view, you can use the additional sorting options in this menu:

  • Sort the rows in ascending or descending alphabetical order, or clear any previously applied sort options.

  • Autosize the specified column or all the columns in the table, or choose to autosize all the column contents, but not the header.

Edit column headers

If you want to change an entity field to a friendlier name, you can edit the entity field in the Dictionary. For example, you might want to change “Source” to “My Source.” For more information, see the Entity Fields page in the Dictionary.

Table actions menu

Use the table action buttons to quickly perform a variety of tasks, including saving, sharing, and exporting your results. The actions you see depend on your query or template. These action icons are located in the upper-right corner above the results table.

View the following table to learn more about table actions.

Icon Action
SAVE AS Click to save the current query, save the current query as a new query, or discard your changes. When saving as a new query, you can update the title and description of the new query, and select a different icon for it.
Summary view Click to open the summary view of your query's results.
Actions options Click to add a maintenance window, update a production state, or update priority.
Share Make the inventory view public if you are the owner, or copy its URL to your clipboard.
Export table Download the results of the current query in HTML, CSV, Excel, or JSON format. You can export up to 100,000 rows of your Inventory table.
Settings From Settings, click Adjust columns to open the ADJUST COLUMNS dialog box. Here, you can select or hide columns in the results table, or change the order of the columns in the table. Limiting the columns to just what you need can help avoid confusion.
Expand/Collapse query bar Display or hide the query bar.

Search your inventory

In the Inventory view, you can browse, search, and filter your inventory of devices, property names, and more.

Create a tailored search from scratch, a template, or a saved query using the query builder. As you enter text, the search bar suggests options for each part of the query, including property names, operators, values, and connectors. If needed, use the autocomplete dropdowns to change a part of the query.

For example, you might have saved a query to browse your Linux devices, but maybe you want to focus only on those devices that are in maintenance. You can add on to your existing query by adding a connector, property, operator, and value. In this example, you might enter “Production State” with the operator “equal to” and the value “Maintenance” to filter your results to just those Linux devices in maintenance.

Let's take a closer look at the query parts:

Number Query part
1 Property name that you are asking for in the query, such as “Schema IDs” or “Device Class”. To view or add user-friendly alternatives to computer-generated entity field names, see the Entity Fields page in the Dictionary.
2 Operators that control whether or not an entity meets the criteria defined in the query.

Operators for string types include the following:


- equal to: Returns results where the property equals the defined value.
- not equal to: Returns results where the property doesn’t equal the defined value.
- contains: Returns results where the property contains the string in the defined value.
- does not contain: Returns results where the property doesn’t contain the string in the defined value.
- starts with: Returns results where the property starts with the defined value.
- does not start with: Returns results where the property doesn’t start with the defined value.
- ends with: Returns results where the property ends with the defined value.
- does not ends with: Returns results where the property doesn’t end with the defined value.
- exists: Tests whether an entity has a property and, if so, whether the property's value is non-null.

Operators for numeric types include the following:


- equal to: Returns results where the property is equal to the defined value.
- not equal to: Returns results where the property is not equal to the defined value.
- greater than: Returns results where the property is greater than the defined value.
- greater than or equal to: Returns results where the property is greater than or equal to the defined value.
- less than: Returns results where the property is less than the defined value.
- less than or equal to: Returns results where the property is less than or equal to the defined value.
3 Value that is controlled by the operator. For example, you might build a query to find schema IDs that are equal to the value “Base.Device” in your inventory. “Base.Device” is the value controlled by the operator.
4 Connector for conditions, such as AND and OR. The AND connector has precedence.

If your query contains multiple lines, use the scroll control in the query bar.

Create a query

You can search your inventory by creating queries composed of one or more entity property-value comparisons. As you build and refine your query, the results update automatically.

Note

This query bar supports keyboard accessibility. For example, press the keyboard arrow keys to move through menus, press Enter or Tab to select options, and press Backspace or Delete to remove options.

  1. From a template or saved query, click Expand query bar to open the query builder, then create a query to narrow the entities to just those that you want to view in your inventory.

  2. Select a property. Enter text and select a field in the dropdown menu.

  3. Select an operator in the dropdown menu.

  4. Enter a value.

  5. Optionally, build a more targeted query. Choose between AND and OR to join another property-value comparison.

  6. Click the search button (magnifying glass icon) to search for results that match your criteria.

Save a query

After you are satisfied with the results of your query, you can save it for future use. Click Save or Save as and name it for easy identification.

Share a query

After you create a query or open a saved query, you can share it. Click the Share button and turn on the Make inventory query public option. You can copy the link to share with other users.

Export query results

To download the table to your local machine, click the Export table button. You can export up to 100,000 rows of your Inventory table. Decide if you want to download all columns, then select the format for the table.

Important

Keep in mind that selecting the All columns checkbox might impact the size of your exported file.

If you clear the All columns checkbox, then only those columns visible in the table are downloaded. These columns are selected in the ADJUST COLUMNS dialog box which you can open from Settings.

If you select the All columns checkbox, all the columns available in the ADJUST COLUMNS dialog box are downloaded, regardless of if they are selected or not.

Update production state

You can add or edit the production state for one or more entities in Inventory. For example, you can update a production state of "Maintenance" to "Production" using the Update production state action. In the list of available production states, the check mark indicates the currently assigned state for the entity.

To learn more about production states and how you can use them in Zenoss, see About production states.

Note

Updating production states for entities in Inventory doesn’t impact the assigned production state for those entities in Collection Zones (CZ). For more information about production states in CZ, see Production states in CZ.

To update the production state of one or more entities, perform the following steps:

  1. If you have not already done so, navigate to Inventory and open or create a query.

  2. Search your Inventory to locate the entity or entities that you want to update.

  3. In your search results, select the checkbox next to each entity that you want to update.

  4. In the toolbar, click the More actions button, then select Update production state.

    Alternatively, locate the row with the entity you want to update, then click the More actions icon in the row. Select Update production state.

  5. In the menu that appears, choose a production state for the selected entity or entities.

The entity updates with the selected production state. You can open the Details panel from the entity row to view the currently selected production state.

Priority

The priority of an entity indicates the degree of importance of that entity to your organization. Priority provides a relative measure of importance, such as "Low" or "High", to help you narrow down a large set of entities.

For example, you might want to focus your work on just those entities that you’ve marked as "highest" in importance. The Priority field helps with this task by providing you with a set of relative measures.

Priority levels in Zenoss include the following list, but you can add custom levels to meet your specific needs. "Normal" is the default priority level.

  • Highest
  • High
  • Normal (default)
  • Low
  • Lowest
  • Trivial

Update priority

You can add or edit the priority level for an entity in Inventory. For example, you can update a priority of "Normal" to "High" directly in Inventory using the Update priority option. In the list of available priority levels, the check mark indicates the currently assigned priority for the entity.

Note

Updating priority levels for entities in Inventory doesn’t impact the assigned CZ Priority for those entities in Collection Zones (CZ).

To update the priority of one or more entities, perform the following steps:

  1. If you have not already done so, navigate to Inventory and open or create a query.

  2. Search your Inventory to locate the entity or entities that you want to update.

  3. In your search results, select the checkbox next to each entity that you want to update.

  4. In the toolbar, click the More actions button, then select Update priority.

    Alternatively, locate the row with the entity you want to update, then click the More actions icon in the row. Select Update priority.

  5. In the menu that appears, choose a priority for the selected entity or entities. The checkmark indicates the currently selected priority.

The entity updates with the selected priority level. You can open the Details panel from the entity row to view the currently selected priority.

Maintenance windows

You can schedule a maintenance window for a specific entity or a collection of entities. You might want to set up a maintenance window, for example, to perform configuration changes or reboot an entity.

Maintenance windows help you define a schedule for when to perform potentially disruptive actions on your entities, such as patching an operating system or installing software updates. Each maintenance window has a name, a schedule, a duration, and a set of targeted entities. You can also add tags to help you identify and sort your windows and entities.

When you create a maintenance window, you can define the notifications you receive during the duration. For example, you might want to notify your team when a maintenance window starts and then again when it ends. Use the Actions page when scheduling your maintenance window to set up these notifications.

Add a maintenance window

To add a maintenance window in Inventory, perform the following steps:

  1. If you have not already done so, navigate to Inventory and open or create a query.

  2. Search your Inventory to locate the entity or entities that you want to update. This query defines the criteria for the maintenance window.

  3. Optionally, you can further define the number of entities to include in the maintenance window. In your search results, select the checkbox next to each entity that you want to include for maintenance.

  4. In the toolbar, click the More actions button, then select Add maintenance window.

    Alternatively, locate the row with the entity you want to update, then click the More actions icon in the row. Select Add maintenance window.

  5. In the ADD MAINTENANCE WINDOW dialog box, schedule your maintenance window and optionally create notifications for it. For more information about these steps, see Scheduling maintenance windows.

Learn more

Click the links below to learn more about managing maintenance windows and notifications: