Category

The IoT Category Screen displays information about device categories, and is used to create, edit, and delete custom categories. OmniVista monitors network packets to determine the types of devices connected to the network and interfaces with a Device Fingerprinting Service to categorize them. Categories are hierarchical. Default Categories are the top-level categories and are provided and listed by default. When a device is initially categorized, it will be assigned one of these top-level categories (e.g., Phone, Tablet or Wearable). As OmniVista monitors packets and learns more about a device, the category assigned to the device will become more specific. For example, a device may initially be categorized as "Phone, Tablet or Wearable". As OmniVista learns more about the device, the device may be categorized as an "Apple Mobile Device", and then an "Apple iPhone". As OmniVista learns these new categories, they are added to the List of Categories. You cannot edit or delete the Default Categories, but you can configure Custom Categories based on the category hierarchies that have been detected.

Important Note: There are network prerequisites and configuration steps that must be completed to enable IoT. See the IoT Overview Online Help for an overview of the application including prerequisites.

Creating a Custom Category

Click on the Add icon at the top of the Category List to bring up the Create Custom Category window. Complete the fields as described below, then click on the Create button.

• Category Name - A name for the Custom Category.
• Description - An optional description for the category.
• Mapping Conditions - You can create a Custom Category based on an existing category (Hierarchy Based) or create a Custom Category based on MAC OUI or MAC Address.
  • Hierarchy Based - Click on the Add/Remove button to bring up a list of categories. Only those category hierarchies that have been detected and displayed on the Inventory Screen are displayed for selection. Add/Remove categories to create the Custom Category.
  • MAC OUI Based - Enable/disable classifying IoT devices based on MAC OUI. When enabled:
    • MAC OUI - Enter just the MAC OUI (not the full MAC Address) and click on the Add icon (+). Repeat to add additional MAC OUIs. Click on the Delete icon (x) to remove a MAC OUI from the Custom Category.
  • MAC Based - Enter a MAC Address and click on the Add icon (+). Repeat to add additional MAC Addresses. Click on the Delete icon (x) to remove a MAC Address from the Custom Category.

The new Custom Category will appear at the bottom of the Category List. The Custom Category will be displayed for any online devices in the Inventory List matching the new category.

Note: When using the MAC OUI or the full MAC Address to categorize devices, you are not allowed to create two Custom Categories that use the same MAC OUI or two Custom Categories that use the same MAC address. However, you can create two categories that overlap. For example, a MAC-based category that specifies a MAC address with a MAC OUI that matches the OUI configured in a MAC OUI-based category is allowed. When a client is mapped to a category, MAC-based categories are checked first for an exact match. If there's no match, the client is then mapped to the MAC OUI-based category.

Editing a Custom Category

Select a category and click on the Edit icon at the top of the Category List. Edit the fields as described above, then click on the Apply button. Note that you cannot edit a Default Category.

Deleting a Custom Category

Select a category(ies) and click on the Delete icon at the top of the Category List. Click OK at the Confirmation Prompt. Any devices matching the deleted Custom Category in the Inventory List will revert to the applicable default category.

Category List

• Category Name - The name of the Default or Custom Category.
• Type - The type of category (Default/Custom).
• Description - A description for the Custom Category.
• Hierarchy Based - The category hierarchy substring used for categorizing the Custom Category.
• MAC Based - The MAC addresses used for categorizing the Custom Category.
• MAC OUI - The MAC address OUIs used for categorizing the Custom Category.