Automatically onboard devices in bulk using Zmanda Pro client installation scripts
What is auto-onboarding?
Auto-onboarding is a streamlined process for deploying agents and onboarding new Zmanda Pro clients. It is particularly beneficial for organizations looking to onboard a large number of devices efficiently, significantly reducing the overall onboarding time to just a few minutes.
How does auto-onboarding work?
Devices initiate contact with the ZmandaPro server and enter "Unregistered" mode, awaiting further instructions.
Admins then pass in a pair of CSV files containing configuration information (see the next section for details). Next, the tool will generate a strong random password and remotely register each device using the generated credentials.
What happens with the generated credentials?
Because passwords are generated automatically, neither administrators nor users will know the password. The password is sent to the device and the server stores a secure hash of the password for verification purposes.
If the client system gets logged out, the administrator can change the password for the user of that device to a new strong password. The new password can then be used to log in to the device from the web portal or on the device itself.
Note that this is only possible if you have the Allow administrator to reset password parameter toggled On for the given user. For more information, refer to: https://kb.zmanda.com/zmanda-pro-zero-trust-model
Using the tool
The Zmanda Pro Automation Tool (ZPAT) can be configured with a whitelist containing expected device names and associated details, such as required policies, preferred usernames (which may be derived from device names or specified emails mapped to each device), account names, storage configurations, and protected item settings defined by policies.
User and device information is provisioned in ZPAT through two configuration files:
- add-users.csv: Contains generic configurations applicable to all users.
- device-overrides.csv: This optional file allows for device-specific configurations to override generic settings. For instance, policies can be adjusted, usernames can be changed to emails, new policies can be defined, or account names can be overridden to map storage locations. This CSV also serves as a whitelist for devices being onboarded by name.
A comprehensive guide on utilizing ZPAT is included in the README file accompanying the tool, offering detailed instructions on its usage and functionalities.
Our Zmanda technical onboarding team can assist you with bulk device onboarding by leveraging automation tools in the backend. Once your onboarding requirements are discussed and the necessary user and device details are provided, our team can swiftly execute the onboarding process.