How Citix ADM discovers instances

Instances are Citrix appliances or virtual appliances that you want to discover, manage, and monitor from Citrix Application Delivery Management (ADM). To manage and monitor these instances, you must add them to the Citrix ADM server. You can add the following Citrix appliances and virtual appliances to ADM:

• Citrx ADC instances
  • Citrix MPX
  • Citrix VPX
  • Citrix SDX
  • Citrix CPX

• Citrix Gateway instances

• Citrix SD-WAN instances

You can add instances either while setting up the Citrix ADM server for the first time or later.

Note

Citrix ADM uses the NetScaler IP (NSIP) address of the Citrix ADC instances for communication. ADM can also discover ADC instances with subnet IP (SNIP) address that has management access enabled on it. For information about the ports that must be open between the ADC instances and ADM, see Ports.

For Citrix SD-WAN WO, ADM uses the management IP address of the instances for communication.

You cannot add Citrix SD-WAN SE / EE instances in ADM. You can configure ADM as an AppFlow collector on the Citrix SD-WAN SE/EE appliances.

When you add an instance to the ADM server, the server implicitly adds itself as a trap destination for the instance and collects inventory of the instance.

The following diagram describes how ADM implicitly discovers and adds instances.  

As shown in the diagram, the following steps are performed implicitly by Citrx ADM.

1. Citrix ADM uses the instance profile details to log on to the instance. Using a ADC NITRO call, ADM retrieves the license information of the instance. Based on the licensing information, it determines whether the instance is a ADC instance and the type of ADC platform (for example, Citrix ADC MPX, ADC VPX, ADC SDX, or Citrix Gateway). On successful detection of the instance, it is added to the ADM’s database.

   For Citrix SD-WAN WO instances, ADM does not detect the instance by using licensing information. It sends a NITRO request to the instance to check for the instance type and version.

   This step might fail if the instance profile does not include the correct credentials. For ADC MPX, ADC VPX, ADC SDX, and Citrix Gateway instances, this step might also fail if the licenses are not applied to the instance.

   Note

   Using HTTP, you can add all instances to ADM even if the licenses are not configured on the instances.

2. ADM adds its IP address to the list of trap destinations on the instance. This allows ADM to receive traps generated on the ADC instance.

   This step might fail if the number of trap destinations on the instance exceeds the maximum limit of trap destinations. The maximum limit on instances is 20.

   For Citrix SD-WAN WO instances, ADM adds its IP address as the SNMP manager on the instance.

3. ADM collects inventory from the instance by sending a NITRO request. It collects instance details such as host name, software version, running and saved configuration, certificate details, entities configured on the instance, and so on.

   This step might fail because of network or firewall issues.

   To learn to add instances to ADM, see Add instances.