Creating empty collections:
-Systems and Events, Customize
-New Collection
-Choose members individually
(select no members)
-Save as
-Enter name, and select at 'Place in' the correct collection. This way you can also nest collections if required.
I do not know how deep nesting can go. At the datacenter I am working now (200-300 servers and counting) I nest up to four levels deep.
Example:
Shared
-All customer servers
--Customer 1
---Cust1 Citrix Servers
----Cust1 Citrix Datacollector
----Cust1 Citrix Desktop servers
----Cust1 Citrix SpecApp Silo
---Cust1 Fileservers
--Customer2
---Cust2 Citrix Servers
---Cust2 File and Printservers
etc.
Keep in mind that all Collection names must be unique! 'Cust1 Citrix Servers' is something completely different from 'Cust2 Citrix Servers'. Nesting does not help to make names unique.
All of the Collections above are empty, except for the lowest level. The Collections where the actual servers are shown, are created by selecting:
-System and Events, All systems
-Select the required servers
-Click 'Save Selection as'
-Enter unique name
-'Place in', select the correct Collection as created above.
-OK
Go again to Systems and Events, Customize
-Select a Collection that is marked with a grey +.
-Click 'Set Properties'
-Click 'Yes, show status in Systems and Events panel'
-Default view 'Table'
-Click OK
This way you just have to examine the general 'Systems and Events'-window for machine statuses instead of walking down the entire tree.
Sorting the tree is NOT done automatically (sigh). Sort the tree:
-Systems and Events, Customize
-Select collection, indicated by a blue '-'
-Click 'Edit'
-Select a member of the collection, and use the up- and down markers to move the Collection to the required position.
-Click OK.
That would be a major requirement for a next version of HPSIM: automatic alphabetic sorting of Collections.
You would prefer to create your server-tree below 'Shared' instead of 'Private'. The difference is that the tree below 'Private' is only visible four yourself, while 'Shared' is visible to anyone connecting to the HPSIM console.
Create your tree wisely. You cannot create queries against the collection 'Private' or 'Shared'. So if you would require to run reports against (example) ALL customers, you would need a Collection called something like 'All Customers'. All customer Collections are then nested below this (empty) collection.
Creating a tree like this will take some time. I have not found any tools yet that allow you to create it in a textfile or Excel-sheet and import it from there.
