Provisioning Device Manager
Provisioning devices for broadband service provider employees

By: Bruce Bahlmann - Contributing Author (your feedback is important to us!)

Created: December 19, 1997

Note: For help designing your provisioning system or developing tools to help test, automate, and deploy your system contact Birds-Eye.Net.

The provisioning device manager enables regions to manage non-paying accounts that must be provisioned (registered) in the DHCP/BOOTP server. Through this interface several different types of accounts can be created that will accommodate the various types of users in each region.

The accounts are arranged in a hierarchy such that managers, supervisors, and users can retain their organizational structure. For example, a manager who has several supervisors who report to them will show only the accounts of those supervisors and not the users associated with each supervisor.

When one logs into this interface, only the accounts one is responsible for are displayed. Through this interface, all aspects of these accounts can be managed. The account manager page shown in Figure 1.0 generates a simple pick list of the manageable items associated with each person’s account.

Figure 1.0 Account Manager Page (Main Interface)

Each item in the pick list represents one of the following user definitions:

User Definitions:

Using the Provisioning Device Manager

The user page shown in Figure 2.0 is used to create new users. When one creates a new user ONLY the first 6 fields need to be completed. Username, initial password, user classification, number of authorized PCs/Modems/Events. If users are created in this way, when this user logs in, they will be forced to change their initial password when they log in. This person will also show up as not used in the owner account until the user logs in to the new account.

The number of pcs, modems, and events should be strictly controlled. These numbers should start out low rather than high. Note that users should not be allowed any events. The maximum number of pcs, modems, and events possible in each account are controlled by the defaults set by the admin account.

Figure 2.0 User Admin Page (create)

Figure 2.1 page shows the result of modifying [my info] pick list item in the device manager main interface. Modifying [my info] enables users to change their password of contact information.

Figure 2.1 User Admin Page (modify)

The Figure 3.0 page enables users to manage their authorized devices. The authorized devices are organized into two categories (Modems and PCs). This interface is strictly controlled by the number of authorized devices set for the user logged in. Through this interface users can add/modify/delete devices associated with their account.

Figure 3.0 Device Inventory Page

Figure 4.0 page is the interface for registering pcs and modems on the respective server (DHCP or BOOTP). Mac addresses in this interface are typed in with no delimiter and accepted only if they are currently not registered on the correct server. For this device to be created and accepted by this interface the registration is internally confirmed and logged on the server.

Figure 4.0 Device Admin Page

The user defaults as defined in Figure 5.0 page enable settings for all users to be modified. Security features like username characters and password force users to increase the length of these fields before they are accepted by the system. Maximum number restrictions also prevent newly created accounts from authorizing excess events, pcs, and modems.

Figure 5.0 Defaults Page

Setting up the Provisioning Device Manager for use

The interface requires a minimum amount of setup to use. The following capability must be installed before this CGI script will properly function (note that all resources are available from the anonymous ftp site at: nestage.ne.mso.net /ftp/pub/scripts/ )

Install provisioning API on both of your provisioning servers

1. FTP the script pserver_API to each of your provisioning servers
1. Create directory /opt/bin directory (if not already exists)
2. copy pserver_API to this new directory and make it executable (chmod 755)
3. Touch the file /var/adm/provisioning.log and make it read/writeable by everyone (chmod 666)

Install Perl modules to Web server

1. FTP the contents of the packages directory to your server
1. Make the script install_pkg.csh executable (chmod 755) and run it

GNU database capability must be installed (if yes skip this step)

1. Check if the file /usr/local/include/gdbm.h exists (if it does skip this section)
1. FTP the contents of the gdbm directory to a install directory on your machine
2. Create directories: /usr/local/lib, /usr/local/include, /usr/local/man/man3, /usr/local/info (note mkdirs.csh is a script in directory gdbm that will create these for you).
3. Make the script install.csh executable (chmod 755) and run it to place gdbm files on your server
4. Move dbtest.pl to the /web/cgi-bin directory and run it to confirm gdbm operation (requires Perl modules installed in previous step)

Install Device Manager script and environment

1. FTP dm.pl script to server, make it executable, and move it to /web/cgi-bin directory
1. Make the directory /web/userdb/tracker and make "nobody" the owner.
2. Link the cgi script on the web page and run the script (hyperlink)
3. The initial run of the script sets up the admin account and defaults for the script. This must be created before it can be used.
4. Once the admin account creates sub-admin (managers) the sub-admin accounts can begin creating user and supervisor accounts. (Don’t recommend the admin manage user accounts).

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