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ProVision First Steps

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This video gives a high level overview of the "Before you Begin" content on this page, as well as an introduction to ProVision's Resource System. .

Note: Recorded in ProVision v5.1.x, newer versions may have interface updates.

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An important first step is determining what items you currently are , (or will be, ) tracking, and what relationship they have with each other.

ProVision ProVision's flexible Resource resource system allows you create and customize detailed entries for any type of item you may want to track: Customerscustomers, Contactscontacts, Data Centersdata centers, Routersrouters, VMs, and more. These types of resources are labeled as "Sections" in ProVision. Once a section Section is made, individual items (resources) may be created as a part of that Section. Each Section may have different Gadgets selected, which then provide additional functionality on a resource entry page. 

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In ProVision, standard user permissions are set by resource and functional area (IPAM, DNSResource, Peering, etc), with fine-grained permissions able to be set for specific resources.

Global Admin permissions give access to additional functions such as configuration settings, DNS management, Importingimporting, and Scheduler Taskstasks. Determine which users will require administrative access, and which will have access to only specific resources or functional areas.  You You will need to get more specific later, but having some high level groups to work with is a great start.

See: Users & Permissions 

Overview Video: First Steps - Part 2

This video gives a high level overview of the "Getting your Data into ProVision" content on this page. 

Note: Recorded in ProVision v5.1.x, newer versions may have interface updates.

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If you currently use Excel or other spreadsheet program for tracking, you will need to verify that your spreadsheets are "cleaned up" according to the information on the Importing Your Data page under "Preparing for Data Import". :

• Make sure that you use UTF-8 encoding, remove extraneous blank rows, and compare your data to the data fields available in ProVision, shown under "Which Import Tool Should I Use?".
• Review sample files if desired to see example formats.
• If you plan to track custom types of

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• resources by creating Sections, you will need to create a Section with custom fields, and verify that your spreadsheet contains the same fields.

Once your verification / cleanup is complete, export your spreadsheet as a .csv file. 

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See: Import Aggregate Blocks

PowerDNS Server or DynECT ServerDNS Servers

May be used to import: DNS Zones

ProVision provides automated tools for importing DNS zones from a PowerDNS or DynECT server. However, prior to using those tools for the first time, the server must be added to ProVision. Review the DNS Administration documentation, and add your PowerDNS or  DynECT server. the following server types: BIND, PowerDNS, InfoBlox, NS One, Dyn DNS, and DNSMadeEasy servers, as well as IPPlan MySQL Databases.

Before importing DNS zones, it is recommended that a DNS Group be created to hold the zones being imported, and that the DNS server be added into ProVision so that zone updates may be pushed.

For general DNS task, see: DNS Administration, DNS Tab, Working with DNS Groups, Working with DNS Servers

For specific DNS zone import instructions for each DNS server type, see: Import DNS ZonesSee: DNS Administration, PowerDNS Zone Import, DynECT Zone Import

Manually Adding Data

ProVision allows manual adding of data at any time. We recommend verifying that the item has not already been added beforehand (to prevent duplicates), and keeping your desired data structure in mind.

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The order in which items are added will depend on what ProVision functional area (Resources, IPAM, DNS) you will be using, and what the current / desired data structure is.

In general, the following order is recommended: 

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Import customers, physical devices, locations, and so forth through the Resource Import from CSV tool. If you wish for additional customization, you can may create a custom Section, add the desired fields, and import resources under that Section through the Resource Import Tool. 

Adding resources manually may be done at any time under the Resources Tab tab, by clicking the "Add Entry" button. 

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The Import from CSV tool will create Top-Level Aggregates and place blocks under those aggregates based on the following method:

First, the importer will parse through the provided data, order all blocks from largest to smallest, then attempt to split the largest block out of an existing block matching the IP space and RIR. If that fails (no larger block exists), then that block is added in the system as its own Top-Level-Aggregate. Subsequent blocks will undergo the same process. 

This method ensures that your list of IP blocks does not need to be organized in any particular order.

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C) Add DNS servers and zones

If using the DNS functionality module in ProVision, you will need to add your servers prior to importing zones. 

Add DNS SeversSevers 

Adding DNS servers requires administrative access.

Servers are added under the DNS Admin section tab of ProVision, under "Manage DNS Servers". Click on "New Add Server" and fill out the server information. 

See: Working with DNS AdministrationServers

Information for specific server types and options is available under the following sections:

• Configuring ISC BIND Support
• Configuring

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• PowerDNS Support
• Configuring

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• Secure64 Support
• Configuring Split Horizon and Views
• Configuring

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• DNSSEC

Import DNS ZonesZones 

After creating the applicable servers in ProVision, you may import or manually add DNS zones. 

ProVision offers three multiple DNS zone import options, available under the Data Import tab in the Admin section. For more information on importing DNS zones, see Importing your Data and Import DNS Zones. 

BIND Zone Import

• • • Imports using the named.conf configuration file tied to the zones you are uploading, a .zip or .tar file of the zones themselves, and an optional .csv file mapping zones to customers
  and DNS Servers. See: BIND DNS Zone Upload / Import 

DynECT Zone Import

• • Imports and syncs ALL zones on the system with those in your DnyECT instance.  This means any zones in ProVision not present in your DynECT instance will be removed and any changes lost.  See: DynECT Zone Import

PowerDNS Zone Import 

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PowerDNS Zone Import 

• • • Option is available after configuring a PowerDNS server with a MySQL backend.  Connects to the selected server and imports all zones.

InfoBlox Zone Import 

• • • Imports DNS zones using a provided host, username, and password. The InfoBlox import pulls all zones on the InfoBlox LOCAL grid and adds them to a designated group. It is advised to create a DNS Group prior to the import with default parameters and NS records to be inherited by the imported records.

NS One Zone Import

• • •  Imports DNS zones using a NS One API Key. It is advised to create a DNS Group prior to the import with default parameters and NS records to be inherited by the imported records. 

Dyn DNS Zone Import

• • • Imports DNS zones using a Dyn DNS customer name, username, and password. It is advised to create a DNS Group prior to the import with default parameters and NS records to be inherited by the imported records. 

DNSMadeEasy Zone Import

• • • Imports DNS zones using a DNSMadeEasy API Key and API Secret. It is advised to create a DNS Group prior to the import with default parameters and NS records to be inherited by the imported records. 

IPPlan Zone Import

• • • Imports DNS zones using IPPlan MySQL database options. It is advised to create a DNS Group prior to the import with default parameters and NS records to be inherited by the imported records. 
  Option is available after configuring a PowerDNS server with a MySQL backend.  Connects to the selected server and imports all zones. See: PowerDNS Zone Import

Manually adding zones may be done at any time from the  DNS Tab tab. See Working with DNS Zones - Common Tasks and Editing DNS Zones.

3) Add Users and Groups

In ProVision, the permissions structure is handled by assigning users to groups, then setting specific resource-level C/R/U/D permissions for that group. It is designed to give you as much flexibility as you need to accommodate most use cases. When mapping out the permissions structure for your organization, keep in mind who you want to access to application:

• Internal Users users and Roles roles (Admins, Read-Only, etc.)
• Partners related to multiple specific Resources/Accountsresources or accounts
• Customers / Departments departments with limited view to only their respective Resources/Accountsresources or accounts

See: Users & Permissions, Working with Users

Users and Groups

and groups may be added at any time. However, assigning permissions to users and groups is best done after the applicable resource hierarchy has been added into ProVision.

Working In Provision

With the basic data now imported, and users set up, you (and your team) are ready to work in ProVision!

Refer to our User Guide and Admin Guide for details on standard user and admin level areas of ProVision. Or, follow the links below for additional details grouped by specific task areas:

Concepts:

• Resource Concepts 
• Workflow Concepts

Resources:

• Working with Resources
• Customizing Sections
• Customizing Fields
• Gadgets

IPAM:

• IPAM Tab
• Working with IP Blocks
• Working with IP Rules
• IPAM Administration

DNS:

• DNS Tab
• Working with DNS Groups
• Working with DNS Zones - Common Tasks
• Editing DNS Zones
• DNS Administration

Peering:

Peering v2

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• Working with DNS Servers

DHCP:

• DHCP Tab
• Working with DHCP Groups
• Working with DNS Zones - Common Tasks

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Import Sessions

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• Working with DHCP Gadgets
• DHCP Administration

Peering:

• Peering v2
• Peering Exchanges
• Peering Routers
• Peering Sessions
• Import Sessions