3.0 KiB
Understanding Device Source Fields and Field Updates
When the system scans a network, it finds various details about devices (like names, IP addresses, and manufacturers). To ensure the data remains accurate without accidentally overwriting manual changes, the system uses a set of "Source Rules."
The "Protection" Levels
Every piece of information for a device has a Source. This source determines whether a new scan is allowed to change that value.
| Source Status | Description | Can a Scan Overwrite it? |
|---|---|---|
| USER | You manually entered this value. | Never |
| LOCKED | This value is pinned and protected. | Never |
| NEWDEV | This value was initialized from NEWDEV plugin settings. |
Always |
| (Plugin Name) | The value was found by a specific scanner (e.g., NBTSCAN). |
Only if specific rules are met |
How Scans Update Information
If a field is not protected by a USER or LOCKED status, the system follows these rules to decide if it should update the info:
1. The "Empty Field" Rule (Default)
By default, the system is cautious. It will only fill in a piece of information if the current field is empty (showing as "unknown," "0.0.0.0," or blank). It won't change for example an existing name unless you tell it to.
2. SET_ALWAYS
Some plugins are configured to be "authoritative." If a field is in the SET_ALWAYS setting of a plugin:
- The scanner will always overwrite the current value with the new one.
- Note: It will still never overwrite a
USERorLOCKEDfield.
3. SET_EMPTY
If a field is in the SET_EMPTY list:
- The scanner will only provide a value if the current field is currently empty.
- This is used for fields where we want to "fill in the blanks" but never change a value once it has been established by any source.
4. Automatic Overrides (Live Tracking)
Some fields, like IP Addresses (devLastIP) and Full Domain Names (devFQDN), are set to automatically update whenever they change. This ensures that if a device moves to a new IP on your network, the system reflects that change immediately without you having to do anything.
Summary of Field Logic
| If the current value is... | And the Scan finds... | Does it update? |
|---|---|---|
| USER / LOCKED | Anything | No |
| Empty | A new value | Yes |
| A "Plugin" value | A different value | No (Unless SET_ALWAYS is on) |
| An IP Address | A different IP | Yes (Updates automatically) |