Modules > Asset Management > Software License Management > Managed Software List (MSL) > Training for Recognition > Aliases

Ignored aliases describe raw software information that is to be logically removed from the auto- discovery feed prior to the recognition and authorization phase of Consolidate. The most common use for ignored aliases is to identify raw software information that is commonly present but which does not describe managed software. Examples include patches and updates.

Because they do not appear on the recognition training screen, ignored aliases save time spent doing recognition training because there are fewer aliases to skip and scroll through.

Ignored aliases improve Consolidate throughput because raw aliases are removed from the software staging feed prior to the recognition and authorization phase, resulting in less work for Consolidate.

Sources of Ignored Aliases

Ignored aliases are stored in a database table on the MIE and are maintained on a per-customer basis. In the MIE UI, they are created and maintained on the “Ignored S/W Aliases” page. To access the page, navigate to the Asset Management tab, then select Ignored Aliases from the Managed Software fly-out menu option.

Click on an existing entry to edit, or select Add Record to create a new ignored alias.

Each ignored alias has:

•Description (required)

•Publisher is Like (optional)

•Title is Like (optional)

•Version is Like (optional)

Between the publisher and title fields, there is a dropdown selector for AND/OR. Likewise, between the title and version fields, there is a dropdown selector for AND/OR. The default value for both is “AND,” which is also the most common selection. One or more of publisher, title, and version may be entered for a given alias. It is not necessary to enter all three. If only the publisher field, for example, is entered, any match on that publisher, regardless of title or version, is treated as an ignored alias.

Basic Operational Modes of Ignored Aliases

Consolidate processes ignored aliases prior to processing staged software.

Ignored alias processing involves going through the software staging table, pulling out any records that match the alias ignore filters. The records are removed from the software table, but they are first copied to a separate table that mirrors the live software staging table. Thus, the records are effectively moved, rather than deleted. If an ignored alias is removed, the ignored entries are returned to the software staging table, and are then processed by Consolidate.

Ignored Alias Settings

How the MIE treats ignored aliases depends on the customer’s Wiki opt-in choice as well as two settings in the MIE.

If the customer has not opted into the Wiki community, only the ignored aliases specific to that customer are considered during ignored alias processing. If the customer has opted into the Wiki community, the behavior depends on the following settings:

ConsMSLWikiSyncIgnoredAliases

If the ConsMSLWikiSyncIgnoredAliases setting is -1, Wiki ignored aliases are considered along with the local customer’s aliases, during ignored alias processing. The Wiki aliases are not actually copied to the customer’s entries. Therefore, changes to the Wiki aliases, including adds, updates, and deletes, are always used by Consolidate under this option.

ConsMSLWikiMergeIgnoredAliases

If the ConsMSLWikiMergeIgnoredAliases setting is -1, Wiki ignored aliases are copied to the local customer’s alias entries prior to ignored alias processing. The Wiki aliases are physically added to the local customer’s entries. If an ignored alias is deleted from the Wiki aliases, a copy remains in the local customer’s entries. An updated Wiki entry will result in a new entry being copied down to the local customer; the original copy remains for the local customer.

If both the settings are -1, the merge option (ConsMSLWikiMergeIgnoredAliases) takes precedence. In no instances are ignored aliases copied to the Wiki entries from a local customer. To add a Wiki ignored alias, the MIE UI must be pointing to the Wiki customer dataset.

ConsMSLRemoveIgnoredAliases

If the ConsMSLRemoveIgnoredAliases is -1, ignored aliases are removed from the local customer’s Master Product Table by Consolidate, provided they have not been trained to an MSL. This can address the situation in which Consolidate runs before an ignored alias filter is created, in which case the alias will go into the local customer’s Master Product Table. If the ConsMSLRemoveIgnoredAliases is -1, Consolidate removes untrained ignored aliases that were added to the Master Product Table in this manner. Additionally, the aliases are not shown in the UI’s recognition training screen. Therefore, if an ignored aliases is added in the UI, even prior to running Consolidate, the alias will not appear in the recognition training screen, although it may still be in the Master Products table (e.g., until Consolidate runs).

Synchronization with Master Wiki Site

Ignored aliases are synchronized with the Master Wiki Site. This affects customers using the ConsMSLWikiSyncIgnoredAliases setting, because if an ignored alias is deleted from a Wiki source, then the ignored alias table will be different from Wiki to local since the sync does not affect the local customer.