Create your first data source

Data sources allow you to configure which data you want to collect from which source. You can collect data from an IP network, via Microsoft Active Directory, via hypervisors, via cloud providers, or via many other sources.

Once a data source has been configured, you can download the corresponding OC Collector, install it on the desired device, and run it there to collect the data for which OC Collector is authorized.

Execute the following steps to create your first data source:

1. Click on ‘Data sources’ in the main menu bar on the left and then on the item ‘Data sources’.
2. On the data sources page, click on the 'Add' button. A new window will open to create a data source.
3. Fill in the required fields:
   1. Field 'Name': Enter a descriptive name for this data source so that you can easily distinguish it from others. Example: 'AD abc.xyz' or 'Customer ABC network'.
4. Click on the 'Save' button.

Once the data source has been successfully saved, all other menu items in the same window will be activated, and you will be automatically redirected to the 'Targets' section, if not, click on the 'Targets' menu item on the left. In this section, you specify which data you want to collect, from which sources, and with which credentials. 

Depending on your requirements and usually in more complex and larger environments, we recommend adding only one target per data source. In smaller environments where one OC Collector can access multiple networks or APIs, you can also add multiple targets in one data source.

Execute the following steps to create your first target:

1. On the 'Targets' section, click on the 'Add' button. A new window will open to create a target.
2. Fill in the required fields:
   1. Field 'Name': Enter a descriptive name for this target so that you can easily distinguish it from others. Example: 'AD abc.xyz', 'Workgroups scan', or 'Azure collection for tenant ABC'.
   2. Field 'Scan only the device on which OC Collector is deployed (agent-based scan)': Keep it 'OFF' to use the agentless approach of OC Collector.
   3. Field 'Target source': Select 'Microsoft Active Directory (AD)' from the list. If you prefer to collect the data via IP addresses, select 'IP address' from the list.
   4. Field 'Target address': Enter the FQDN of the domain controller (DC) or its IP address.
   5. You can configure additional settings, such as restricting the scan scope to specific organizational units (OUs) instead of scanning the entire Active Directory, etc.
3. Click on the 'Save' button.

Once the target has been successfully saved, the 'Credentials' section appears in the same window and the additional menu items are displayed on the left side.

Execute the following steps to create the credentials for this target:

1. In the 'Credentials' section, click on the 'Add' button. A new window will open to create the credentials.
2. Fill in the required fields:
   1. Field 'Type': Select 'Microsoft Windows' from the list.
   2. Field 'Username': Enter the username that OC Collector will use to collect the data defined in the target source and target address. Example: ‘Domain\Username’.
   3. Field 'Password': Enter the password of the account, which will be used to collect the data.
3. Click on the 'Save and close' button.

Once the credentials have been successfully saved, you will return to the target window. The menu on the left side offers additional configuration options, but we will skip these for now as the default settings are perfectly adequate to continue. 

Close the target window by clicking on the 'Close' button at the bottom of the window or the 'x' at the top of the window. You should now be back in the ‘Targets’ overview section.

The next step is to configure the scheduler so that OC Collector can be run on a recurring basis without manual intervention. To do this, click on the 'Scheduler' menu item on the left side of the same window and execute the following steps to configure the scheduler:

1. Fill in the required fields:
   1. Field 'Frequency': Select 'Daily' from the list.
   2. Field 'Time type': Select 'Fixed time' from the list.
   3. Field 'Execution time': Select the time at which OC Collector should run each day.
2. Click on the 'Save' button.

The next step is to configure the specific settings for OC Collector, if necessary, and download it for deployment. To do this, click on the ‘Collectors’ menu item on the left side of the same window. 

The 'Collectors' tab lists all collectors that have been deployed and have sent the collected data back to OC View. If you use the agentless approach, only one collector will be displayed. With the agent-based approach is used, several collectors will be displayed, depending on how many devices you have deployed OC Collector on.

Execute the following steps to configure additional settings for OC Collector:

1. Click on the 'Configuration' tab.
2. Check or fill in the required fields:
   1. Field 'API endpoint': This is the endpoint to which OC Collector sends the collected data. A placeholder value is already visible in this field. If OC Collector deployed on your desired device cannot access this API endpoint, you must enter an API endpoint of OC View to which OC Collector can send the collected data.
3. Click on the 'Save' button when you have made changes.

We have one last step, to deploy OC Collector on the desired device and to execute it there. To do this, click on the 'Deployment' tab, there execute the following steps to download OC Collector:

1. Field 'Download OC Collector for deployment': Click on the 'Download' button.

Once the download was successfully, you should get a ZIP file named 'OCCollector_[DataSourceName].zip'. OC Collector has no installer, it can be put in any folder and executed directly from there. 

Execute the following steps to deploy OC Collector:

1. Unzip the file on the device where you want to deploy OC Collector, there, in a folder of your choice, e.g. 'C:\'. 
2. Rename the unzipped folder to 'OCCollector' or another name of your choice.
3. Open the folder and double click on the 'OCCollector.exe' to start and initiate the data collection process. 

Once the data collection process is complete, OC Collector sends the collected data to OC View via the configured API endpoint.

There you go, you've done it! Congratulations, you have created your first data source and deployed your first OC Collector.

A quick coffee break? 

Great idea!

After the coffee, we'll continue.

Actually, before we continue, I would like to explain an important concept called 'scan level'.

Each device that OC Collector detects is marked as either 'Discovered' or 'Inventoried'. 'Discovered' means that OC Collector found the device via an API but did not collect any information directly from the device, such as installed software. Data collected from hypervisors or virtualization platforms are typically performed at the 'Discovered' scan level. 

The 'Inventoried' scan level means that we have collected information about the device directly from the device itself, where we were able to log into the device using credentials. Inventoried devices provide more detailed and accurate information about the device, which is often required for calculating software licenses. IP address or Microsoft Active Directory scans are performed at the 'Inventoried' scan level.

To further enrich our collected devices with additional information such as the underlying hypervisor, clusters, etc., you could create by your own a new data source and collect more data via another configured OC Collector to target your virtualization platform. OC View merges the data from both OC Collectors and, after processing the imported data, maps the same devices found to each other.

Alright, let's continue now creating your first organization!

If you have any questions or encounter any problems, please contact our support team at support@octopus.cloud.