Server Management › Run Server Change Detection

Run Server Change Detection

The Change Detection operation determines how a server has changed over a period of time. Change Detection uses snapshots (point-in-time copies) of server data to provide a detailed account of all detected configuration changes, as well as file system changes, including file ownership, file permission, and file modification times. Server-based Change Detection provides options for finding differences between any two of the following options:

• Current server data
• Most recent snapshot
• Second most recent snapshot
• Most recent snapshot on a specific date
• Selected snapshot
• Baseline snapshot
• Gold standard snapshot
• Silver standard snapshot
• Bronze standard snapshot

Component elements that have the Time Variant filter set in the corresponding Component Blueprint are the only items not checked for changes by the Change Detection operation. Log files and data modified at runtime are examples of Time Variant-filtered elements.

Note: Running Change Detection using the procedure in this section is considered running the operation manually.

To run Change Detection to identify changes to servers

1. Click the Management link.

   The Management panel appears.

2. Click the Servers tab.

   The Servers tab page appears.

3. Click the check box next one or more servers on which you want to search for changes, and then select Management Actions, Run Change Detection from the Select Actions drop‑down list.

   The Differences Between page of the Run Change Detection wizard appears.

4. Select a Source Snapshot from the following options:

   Current Data

   Specifies the current system data available for the server is used as the source.

   Most recent snapshot

   Specifies the snapshot with the most recent timestamp is used as the source.

   Second most recent snapshot

   Specifies the snapshot with the second most recent timestamp is used as the source.

   Most recent snapshot on a specific date

   Specifies the date of the snapshot to use as the source. If you select this option, the Source Snapshot Date field appears. Select the date of the snapshot you want to use. If there are multiple snapshots available on the specified date, the most recent snapshot on that date is used.

   Selected snapshot

   Specifies a user-selected snapshot to use as the source. If you select this option, the Source Snapshot field appears. Select the snapshot you want to use.

   Baseline

   Specifies the snapshot designated as the Baseline is used as the source.

   Gold Standard

   Specifies the snapshot designated as the Gold Standard is used as the source.

   Silver Standard

   Specifies the snapshot designated as the Silver Standard is used as the source.

   Bronze Standard

   Specifies the snapshot designated as the Bronze Standard is used as the source.

5. Select a Target Snapshot (the options are the same as those listed in step 4), then click Next.

   The Component Blueprints page appears.

6. Select one of the following options:

   Include All Component Blueprints

   Specifies that software components of all component blueprints are searched for changes on the server.

   Select Component Blueprints by Name

   Specifies that software components of one or more component blueprint is searched for changes on the server. If you select this option you must select the blueprints in the Available Blueprints column, then click the single right-facing arrow to move it to the Select Blueprints column.

7. Click Next.

   The Filters page appears.

8. Select one of the following options to specify what differences are included in the Change Detection results:

   No children comparison if a hierarchical object exists on source or target only

   Specifies whether or not the child objects are compared for changes if the object only exists on either the source or target server.

   All Differences

   Specifies that all differences on the servers are included.

   Component Inventory Differences Only

   Specifies that only the differences in the the component inventory are included.

   Filters

   Specifies that one or more of the following objects are included:

   • Folders—Accept the default setting (All) or click the Select option, then select one or more folders to search for changes.
   • Categories—Accept the default setting (All) or click the Select option, then select one or more categories to search for changes. Categories are assigned in the Component Blueprint and are the organizational groupings to which an element belongs.
   • Weights—Accept the default setting (All) or click the Select option, then select the weights to search for changes. Weights are assigned in the Component Blueprint and represent the relative importance of an element. Unweighted elements (no weight assigned) are considered Medium.

   You can press Ctrl+click to select multiple non-consecutive list entries, or Shift+click to select multiple consecutive list entries.

9. Click Finish.

   The Change Detection operation runs, and the results appear as described in Viewing the Results of Change Detection and Compare Operations.