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JDisc Connector#

Overview#

The JDisc Connector is an add-on for i-doit that enables automated import of IT objects from a JDisc instance. The integration is based on JDisc's GraphQL interface and allows precise synchronization of devices and their properties into the i-doit CMDB.

The add-on is available starting with i-doit version 36. The existing integration remains available as long as the add-on is not installed. Once the add-on is installed, it replaces the existing integration.

Purpose of JDisc Integration in i-doit#

The integration of JDisc Discovery into i-doit aims to combine the strengths of both systems:

  • Automated data collection: Utilize JDisc's powerful scanning capabilities to automatically gather current and detailed inventory data.
  • Centralized data storage and management: Transfer this data into the i-doit CMDB to create a centralized, consistent, and current database ("Single Source of Truth") for all IT assets.
  • Reduced manual effort: Minimize manual data entry and maintenance, saving time and reducing error-proneness.
  • Improved data quality: Ensure high data quality in the CMDB through regular, automated updates from JDisc.
  • Informed decisions: Provide a solid data foundation for IT management tasks such as Change Management, License Management, Problem Management, and strategic planning.

Requirements#

  • Separate JDisc installation
  • i-doit version: >= 36
  • JDisc with enabled GraphQL interface
  • Network access to JDisc server
  • User account in JDisc with read permissions (postgresro)

Installation#

  1. Download the add-on from the Customer Portal and upload and install it via the Admin Center
  2. or install the add-on via the integrated Add-on & Subscription Center
  3. After installation, a new menu item appears in the Add-on menu

Quick Start#

  1. Configure Discovery Server
  2. Test connection
  3. Create Sync Profile
  4. Perform synchronization
  5. Check Status and Logs

Configuration#

Settings that need to be configured to establish connection to the JDisc instance.

Discovery Server#

Common Settings Description
Default Server Should this entry be used as default server for Sync Profiles
Name Name designation of the server entry
Host Host address or IP of the server running JDisc
Port Port of the JDisc pgSQL installation
Database JDisc database name, usually Inventory
Username Username for the JDisc database
Password Password for the JDisc database
Version Check Only relevant for very old JDisc versions
Discovery Settings Description
Username JDisc username, usually the Windows login name
Password JDisc user password
Port Port through which JDisc can be reached
Protocol Protocol through which JDisc is accessible
Discovery Category Settings Description
Timeout Value after which a timeout occurs
Import Retries Value that determines how often an import is retried

The settings can be checked after saving by displaying the created entry and clicking the buttons Check Configuration, Check Discovery, and Check GraphQL

Sync Profile#

Configuration of rules for importing from JDisc.

General Configuration#

Each Sync Profile requires a name and an assigned JDisc server.

General Configuration Description
Name Name of the Sync Profile
JDisc Server JDisc Discovery Server entry used for this profile
Description Description of the profile

Object Type Assignment#

The columns Object Title Transformation, FQDN Addition, Port Filter, and Location must be manually enabled via column configuration.

Each JDisc Type is linked to an i-doit Object Type. If no i-doit Object Type is selected, it will not be imported. The Import Matching Profile is configured in Administration under Import and Interfaces > Import Matching Profile. Through the Import Matching Profile you can filter, for example, whether objects are imported that do not have certain attributes.

Synchronization Configuration#

Synchronization Configuration Description
JDisc Group If a JDisc group is selected here, only objects from this JDisc group will be imported
Filter Here it's possible to filter by IP addresses
If IP Filter List is selected, another field is displayed where IP addresses can be entered
Additionally, the field Upload IP List from File is displayed where a list with one IP address per line can be uploaded
Import Mode Here a preselection of the Import Mode to be used is possible
Override Overlapping Host Addresses If a host address is already in use, it will be overwritten.
Logging Configures how detailed the import log is
Regenerate Search Index After Successful Import Configures whether the search index is renewed so that new objects can be found via global search

General#

General Description
Select Categories Which Categories should be populated during import? Only categories that the import can handle are listed.
MAC Filter (hidden) Only visible when category Network Port or PC port is activated. Either a whitelist or blacklist for MAC addresses can be chosen. One MAC address per line.
Update object Type If the device already exists as an object in i-doit, this determines whether the object type should be updated based on the assignment (see above) or not.
Update object Title Should the object title be updated by the import?
Inherit Location of Parent Object Devices that are physically connected to another device automatically receive the location of the connected device.
Consider default templates from object types (only for newly created objects) When a new object is created, the Template stored in the object type is automatically considered.
Change CMDB Status of objects to Existing objects can receive a specific CMDB Status when updating. If the CMDB Status should not be changed, select Keep CMDB Status in the selection.
CMDB Status for newly imported objects Newly created objects can receive a specific CMDB Status. If the CMDB Status should not be changed, select - in the selection.
Import custom attributes If custom attributes (Custom Attributes) are maintained in JDisc Discovery, they can be imported into i-doit. These are displayed in the JDisc Custom Attributes category after import.

Software and Operating System#

Software and OS Description
Include Software Should inventoried software be imported as object type Applications?
Include Software -> Software Location Only visible when Include Software is activated. Sets the location of applications to a specific location. Useful when permissions are used based on locations.
Import software licenses Should inventoried software licenses be imported as object type Licenses?
Import system services Should inventoried system services be imported as object type System Service?
Import cloud subscriptions Should data from the JDisc Cloud category be imported?
Imported into the Assigned Subscribers category. The reverse category Assigned Users can be found in objects of type Licenses.
Import create cloud users Only applied when the option Import Cloud Subscriptions is active.
Use simple database modelling Should the new or old database logic be used?
Software Filter (hidden) Only visible when the option Include Software is activated. Either a whitelist or blacklist of software applications can be specified that should be imported (whitelist) or not (blacklist). Wildcards (*) can be specified. The list of titles is separated by commas.
Use filter as regular expression Use the software filter with strings or with regular expressions? Since the regex is forwarded directly to the JDisc database, the appropriate regex parameters should be used.
These can be found at https://www.postgresql.org/docs/9.3/functions-matching.html

User note:

\s cannot be used. Work with spaces here.
\d cannot be used. Work with [a-zA-Z] here.
Use OS family (if available) instead of OS version as object title For software import, use the software family instead of the software version as object title. E.g., instead of "Windows Server 2008 Standard" only "Windows" with "Server 2008 Standard" as variant.

Network#

Network Description
Import network interfaces as Inventoried network interfaces can be mapped in different categories.
Import Connection endpoints The connections are not imported into the Cabling category, but into the "Connection Endpoints" category. This allows distinguishing between manual cabling and automatic cabling through JDisc.
Include layer 3 nets Should inventoried IP networks be imported as object type Layer-3 Networks? If this option is set, the Layer-3 Filter is displayed.
Include layer 3 nets -> Layer 3 filter Only visible when Include layer 3 nets is activated. Specify the range in the following formats: 127.0.0.1-127.0.10.255 or 10.40.55.0/24 or 10.40.55.7. One rule per line.
Include layer 3 nets -> Network location Only visible when Include layer 3 nets is activated. Sets the location of Layer-3 objects to a specific location. Useful when permissions are used based on locations.
Keep IP address types Should IPv4 Addresses, IPv6 Addresses, Loopback Addresses, Virtual Addresses be imported?
Import type for DHCP IP addresses Should DHCP-assigned addresses be overwritten?
Include VLANs Should inventoried VLANs be imported as object type Layer-2 Networks?
Include clusters Should (virtualization) environments be imported as object type Cluster?
Include Blade/Chassis connections during import Should objects of type Blade Server be added to objects of type Blade Chassis during import?
Object type of assigned modules within a blade/chassis unit If a Blade or Switch Chassis has been inventoried, the inserted modules can be assigned to a specific object type during import.
Update the object type of the assigned modules Should the object types of assigned modules of a Blade/Chassis device be updated?
Use hostname as object title instead of FQDN? If devices have an FQDN, they are resolved to the hostname.

Device List#

The device list shows all devices detected by the JDisc Server. At the top, the desired Discovery Server can be selected, next to it is a search function and a filter. Each row corresponds to a device. The columns display different attributes depending on the configuration, for example synchronization status, object type, IP address, or manufacturer.

The columns can be individually customized via the Columns dialog. There, fields can be shown or hidden. At the bottom of the list is the total number of devices and a pagination function for navigating through the pages.

The device list attempts to determine whether an object has already been synchronized based on serial number, MAC address, and device type.

Actions#

In the left Actions column, there are two symbols per device:

  • Link Button - opens the JDisc detail view of the device in a new window.
  • Import Button - Imports the device

Dashboard#

The JDisc Connector for i-doit simplifies the management of IT asset discovery and synchronization. The intuitive web interface provides central functions and status displays:

Sync Info#

Access to sync profiles and starting new synchronization runs. The profile defines the objects to be synchronized and import modes.

  • Open Sync settings: Opens the sync profiles.
  • Start new sync: Opens the dialog for selecting profile/import mode and starts the process.

Discovery Info#

Overview of the current state of the discovery process with starter button for new jobs.

  • Currently running discovery: Shows the live status
  • Refresh: Updates the discovery status
  • Open discovery server settings: Opens the discovery server settings
  • Open device list: Opens the device list
  • Start new discovery: Selection of server, discovery job and shows the description. Start is possible via the dialog.

Last Logs#

Quick overview of the most recently executed jobs, including direct download of logs and status control.

  • Status: Success or error directly visible
  • Action: Download of the log

Example Log Entries:#

ID Action Start Date End Date Server Name Profile Name Status Log file
2 2025-09-04 12:47:48 2025-09-04 12:47:51 JDisc 1 Server Success YYYY-MM-DD_hh-mm-ss.log
1 2025-09-04 12:07:42 2025-09-04 12:24:33 JDisc 1 Server Error YYYY-MM-DD_hh-mm-ss.log

Permissions#

Permissions for the JDisc Connector add-on are configured via the rights management in i-doit and can be assigned group-specifically. To use the add-on, appropriate access rights must be set for the individual components.

Available Permission Areas#

  • Dashboard
    Access to the central overview of the add-on

  • Device List
    View imported devices and their synchronization status

  • Sync Profile
    Create, edit, and execute synchronization profiles

  • Discovery Server
    Configuration and testing of JDisc server connection

  • Logs
    View and download log files for sync and discovery operations

Changes must be saved to take effect.

Error Handling#

  • Test the Configuration
  • Test Discovery Server settings and GraphQL
  • Log analysis for errors

Best Practices#

  • Test environment before production deployment
  • Regular checking of device list and logs
  • Maintenance of serial numbers and MAC addresses
  • Documentation of Sync Profiles