Benutzer:Marcus Band/Artikelentwurf
Docusnap is a software application for IT documentation. Based on the inventory data extracted by this documentation tool, users can create IT concepts, emergency manuals, and recovery plans. The inventory data collected by the software is stored in a CMDB in [SQL-Server].
This software enables users to take an inventory of the IT systems in their network using a wizard or a server-based service. A scheduler can be used to configure a time-controlled update service for the inventory data. From within a Windows user interface, the retrieved data can be completed manually, analysed, and visualised.
Technology Overview
Main Features
- Agent-free inventory of a variety of IT systems
- Visualisation and documentation of the entire IT landscape
- Creation of network maps and IT relations
- Permission Analysis for Microsoft file servers, database servers, and groupware
- License Management for software licenses
- By defining system groups, it is possible to create a Service Catalog according to the ITIL V3 standard.
Network components are scanned using standard protocols and without using agents. The following technologies are employed:
| Überschrift | Überschrift |
|---|---|
| Microsoft Windows | WMI |
| Linux, Mac OS X | SSH |
| VMware ESX | VMware API |
| SNMP-capable devices | SNMP |
| Microsoft Exchange | Windows Powershell |
| Microsoft Active Directory | LDAP |
| Microsoft SQL Server | Transact-SQL |
| File system | CIFS, SMB, NTFS |
Inventory
Docusnap performs an inventory scan and collects master and configuration data of IT systems in a CMDB. Network systems can be scanned automatically using inventory jobs. No software needs to be installed on those systems, the inventory scan is performed without the use of agents. Systems that are not part of the network can be added manually in the user interface. Online status checks are done via ICMP. In addition to the network-based inventory methods, a script-based method is available which populates an XML file with the retrieved data.
IT Relations
Dependencies between IT systems can be visualised in overview maps. Users can create their own maps from scratch or select one of the predefined templates. For this purpose, the data collected during the inventory scans and stored in the CMDB will be used. It is possible to include the created IT relations directly in IT manuals. The overview plans will always be updated in the background at the moment a user accesses such a document.
IT Concepts
Using IT concepts, it is possible to aggregate the data by topic or purpose to create manuals, recovery plans, or continuity plans. To this end, a proprietary text editor is included in the software. As the data basis, any information stored in the inventory database, the IT relations, and stored licensing and contract management information are available. The documents created in this module can be exported to various file formats such as PDF, DOC, or HTML. Since companies constantly need up-to-date documents, it is possible to schedule this process by creating appropriate jobs.
License Management
In order to ensure compliance with all legal requirements, all purchased software licenses can be documented in Docusnap. Users are then able to compare this data to the inventory data from the CMDB, performing a comparison of the expected and actual licenses. This results in an up-to-date overview of license usage, supporting the corporate software asset management. This way, it is easier to analyse any over-licensing or under-licensing situation and make sure that the usage of software licenses in the company complies with the legal requirements.
Permission Analysis
To document the access permissions configured for a file server, Docusnap provides a special module that evaluates this kind of information. The data can be evaluated and analysed in graphical or tabular form. Docusnap reads the NTFS permissions on the Windows file server to record the current state of permissions. This is done for individual files and folders and can be configured per drive. For other supported server products, the permissions are read using the specific API or the PowerShell.
Visualisation
Docusnap provides a visualisation feature to represent the inventoried data in network maps. The program uses the data stored in the CMDB and predefined templates. These maps include network topologies, switch maps, and various Active Directory structures and can then be integrated into IT manuals. Users can also create their own overviews in the IT Relations module and use them for their IT manuals.
History
In 2004, itelio GmbH developed Docusnap version 1.0, a documentation tool which was able to document Windows systems using Microsoft Office products. Version 2.0 was published in 2005: it included database support and a proprietary Data Explorer. By the end of 2005, version 3.0 was released which could, besides Windows systems, also document the Microsoft Active Directory directory service. In the releases 3.1 and 3.0, the functionality was further extended to include documentation features for Microsoft SQL Server and the Permission Analysis module. In 2007, a new UI design was introduced with version 4.0. This version enabled users to also document Microsoft DHCP servers, Microsoft Exchange servers, and Linux systems. With version 4.1, the License Management module was added to the functionality.
Version 5.0, introduced at the end of 2009, was a full-blown redevelopment whose user interface was geared to Microsoft Office 2007. The software was now also able to support the documentation of VMware environments and Macintosh systems. In addition, it featured a new proprietary report generator and a Customizing module. Version 5.1 introduces a layout similar to that of Microsoft Office 2010. As a new feature, this version allowed to visualize ITIL relations.
With version 6.0, released in 2012, further modules for the inventory scan of Microsoft SharePoint, Hyper-V, and Microsoft Internet Information Services were added, and a graphical representation as well as an analysis feature for Microsoft SharePoint permissions were integrated into the Permission Analysis module. An SNMP scan now includes SNMPv3 systems. What is more, this version provides a graphical representation of network topologies. Starting with version 6.1, Citrix XenServer systems can be included in the scan and the new DocusnapConnect data interface is available. Permission analysis is now enabled for Microsoft Exchange Server and Microsoft SharePoint.
