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Automated assigning of clients to different groups based on a list in a text file?

newco

Hello,

I have discovered all 500 computers on a network with SEC. They are now in the "Unassigned" group, waiting to assign them to different groups. They don't have Sophos Endpoint Protection yet.

They are/were previously managed by another AV software. From this software I can export the list of computers by groups to a txt file. I don't want to assign all 500 computers one by one to its group, but I want to use these text files. Is it possible?

Unfortunately they have "random" IP and workgroup settings, so it is not possible to, for example add all 10.1.0.1-10.1.0.255 computers to one group...

Regards,

Thomas

:29119


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  • 0

    Hello newco,

    I haven't looked into the "client re-recognizing" logic lately. Some explanation - when a computer is discovered or imported a computer entry is created and the available attributes (name, OS, IP, workgroup/domain) are set. If you delete a computer it's entry is not deleted from the database but just set to "invisible" but it's attributes are not cleared. 

    When the computer is protected and reports it's actual attributes, SEC tries to find a matching entry to use. If it finds one it unhides it, setting new attributes and using existing ones (including group membership) - if not, it creates a new entry. Similar logic applies if you (re-)discover or (re-import). This means that in case of conflicting or discerning (whatever the logic sees a s conflicting - OS for example) attributes two entries with the same name will exist. I think (as I said, I have not inspected the logic) that in some cases the "hidden" entry might be considered the (better) match resulting in the visibility to be switched - thus the client ends up in the group the formerly hidden entry belongs to. This would explain the Unassigned group.

    Hmm ... I'd just stop the Message Router service (so that protected clients can't report in), delete all computers except the management server from the database, import again from the text file and start the Message Router. Note that this is unsupported fiddling with the database if you do it without being asked to do so by Support :smileywink: though

    Christian

    :29205
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  • 0

    Hello newco,

    I haven't looked into the "client re-recognizing" logic lately. Some explanation - when a computer is discovered or imported a computer entry is created and the available attributes (name, OS, IP, workgroup/domain) are set. If you delete a computer it's entry is not deleted from the database but just set to "invisible" but it's attributes are not cleared. 

    When the computer is protected and reports it's actual attributes, SEC tries to find a matching entry to use. If it finds one it unhides it, setting new attributes and using existing ones (including group membership) - if not, it creates a new entry. Similar logic applies if you (re-)discover or (re-import). This means that in case of conflicting or discerning (whatever the logic sees a s conflicting - OS for example) attributes two entries with the same name will exist. I think (as I said, I have not inspected the logic) that in some cases the "hidden" entry might be considered the (better) match resulting in the visibility to be switched - thus the client ends up in the group the formerly hidden entry belongs to. This would explain the Unassigned group.

    Hmm ... I'd just stop the Message Router service (so that protected clients can't report in), delete all computers except the management server from the database, import again from the text file and start the Message Router. Note that this is unsupported fiddling with the database if you do it without being asked to do so by Support :smileywink: though

    Christian

    :29205
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