Network Management

We currently have our Comware based switches (HP 5120 and HP 5500) listed in Airwave with a type of Universal Network Device. Support for these switches was just added in Airwave 8.2.3 as a HP Office Connect Switch. Is there a procedure to update the device type or do the devices need to be deleted and readded?

How many switches do you have?  Do you care about historical data?

If you have a lot of switches, or don't care about historical data.  You could simply delete the universal network device entries, and then re-add.

If you do care about historical data, you can try cheating the system by doing the following:

I haven't tried this in a while, but the steps would be along the lines of:

1) go to existing entry manage page

2) edit IP to an invalid IP, save and apply

3) device setup -> add -> add the same switch as the correct device type

4) by now, an up/down poll should have set the original entry to down -> navigate back to that entry manage page -> replace hardware (at the bottom), selecting the new entry as the replacement

Unfortunately, if there's a lot of switches and you want to maintain the history, you'd have to perform the above steps repeatedly.  Or file a feature request for performing this from a script with a csv dictating the original and the replacement device.

Another procedure you can try if you need to retain settings and data for the switches are:

1. Logon to the Airwave server with CLI

2. Use the db command to enter database maintenance mode

3. update ap set type = xxx where id=yyyy;

The type number of your switch models should be in the file /root/svn/mercury/lib/perl/Mercury/Constants.pm (grep it for 5120 or 5500). For example the new Aruba 2930F has model number 657

AP_TYPE_HP_SWITCH_2930F => 657

The id number you will find in Airwave if you select the device you want to check and look at the URL.

I have used this procedure in a couple of cases where Aruba switches (S3500) showed the wrong model number in Airwave.

As always database commands should be used with care, so perhaps check with Aruba support before you try this.

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As always database commands should be used with care, so perhaps check with Aruba support before you try this.

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I second Colin's warning.

Type and mac address are special fields.  They are often cached into memory and often have a redis entry as well.  So while you may think the direct db update happened, it doesn't guarantee that the cached data or redis data were updated as well since these fields are not expected to undergo changes like other fields.  If you pursue the direct db update route, I would suggest pulling a known good backup aside.  Direct db manipulation of the type field is not tested or supported, so it's a perform at your own risk.  So keeping a backup is the best way to recover if something is found down the road to have percolated from the change.