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Clients

Menu path: Clients.

Clients are computers, portable devices, appliances, switching devices, security devices - anything with an IP address - that appear on the networks visible to A3. The options on this page are used to view established clients and create new ones. In previous versions of A3 clients were referred to as nodes.

The general format and usage of this page is discussed in General GUI Usage.

The facilities available include:

• Search Clients
• Create Clients
• Import
• Standard Searches
• Saved Searches
• Device Groups

The view offers selectable columns (with the symbol), including:

• Tenant
• Status
• Online/Offline
• MAC Address
• Detected Date
• Unregistration Date
• Computer Name
• Owner
• IPv4 Address
• IPv6 Address
• Device Class
• Device Manufacturer
• Device Score
• Device Type
• Device Version
• DHCPv6 Enterprise
• DHCPv6 Fingerprint
• DHCP Fingerprint
• Role
• Connection Type
• Session ID
• Device Identifier
• Device IP Address
• Device MAC Address
• Device Port
• Device Port Description
• Device Description
• SSID
• VLAN
• Bypass VLAN
• Bypass Role
• Notes
• VoIP
• Last ARP
• Last DHCP
• Machine Account
• Auto-Registration
• Bandwidth Balance
• Time Balance
• User Agent
• Security Event Open
• Security Event Closed

Clients can be searched with a Simple Search or Advanced Search, based on the position of the slider. Simple searches consist of a search for MAC address or owner, whereas advanced searches use multiple search conditions.

Clicking on any entry displays information about that client, as discussed in Client Information.

Actions

Each list entry has a check box to the left of the user name. Any number of entries can be checked; all of the entries are checked by checking the box to the left of the Status title. The drop-down list is used to choose an action to be applied to all the selected items:

Simple Search

The simple search choice offers a straightforward means of searching user entries:

• Type any text into the Search by MAC or owner box and press the button. Any client entry whose MAC Address or Owner contains the text will be displayed in the list.
• The search box and the listing are reset back to the complete list via the button.
• Export to CSV - the results of the current search are saved to a file named clients.csv. Previous output is not overwritten; new versions are labeled clients(1).csv, clients(2).csv, etc.

Advanced Search

Select the slider to access the advanced searches page. Multiple or conditions are joined together with and conjunctions. Each element of an or set can be deleted with the symbol or reordered by selecting the item's symbol. Reordering can occur across or sets.

Several facilities exist for saving and using saved searches:

• In the drop-down:
  • Use the Save Search choice to name and save the current search conditions.
  • Previously saved searches are available in the list as well.
  • Saved searches will be listed along the left-hand edge of the screen.
  • The search terms can also be exported or imported in JSON format.
• - the results of the current search are saved to a file named clients.csv. Previous output is not overwritten; new versions are labeled clients(1).csv, clients(2).csv, etc.

Each condition has three parts:

• Client property - one of the characteristics of the client entry. Choose from the full list of elements in the drop-down list.
• Compare operation - one of:
  • is - matches the comparison string
  • is not - does not match the comparison string
  • starts with - starts with the comparison string
  • ends with - ends with the comparison string
  • matches - the user element is matched against a regular expression (regexp). Regexp is a powerful language for expressing string matches. An introduction to regexps is found here. A simple search is the equivalent of using the matches operation with the equivalent text.
• Comparison string or choice - the string or choice to match against or use as a regular expression.

Individual clients can be created with the following information:

Multiple clients can be imported from a .csv file. Several tabs support the operation. The import takes place in several steps:

1. - selects the .csv file to be imported. Multiple files can be opened simultaneously or individually. Their file names are displayed in the header and must be individually selected and digested.
2. CSV File Contents - the .csv file is displayed.
3. CSV Parser Options - the basic formatting of the file is described.
4. Import Data - individual fields are associated with client values and the file is used to define or refine clients.

CSV File Contents

The contents of the file are displayed. The file can be edited using the keyboard and will be used for import.

CSV Parser Options

The parser options indicate how the .csv file is formatted, aside from the column contents. The fields are:

Field	Usage	Example
Encoding	The type of text encoding used by the file. The available choices are those supported by browsers and listed in https://encoding.spec.whatwg.org/#names-and-labels.	utf-8
Delimeter	The delimiting character between fields. Leave blank (which displays as auto) to auto-detect the delimiter from the most common characters. If the auto setting is not effective, the evidence will be seen in the Import Data tab and can be adjusted before clients are defined.	(blank)
Newline	The newline character or sequence of characters, one of \r (return), \n (newline), or \r\n. Leave blank (which displays as auto) to auto-detect from these choices.
Header	If enabled, the first row of the file will be interpreted as field names.
Skip Empty	If enabled, lines that are empty will be skipped.
Quote Character	The character used to quote fields. The quoting of all fields is not required.	"
Escape Character	The character used to escape the quote character within a field. If not set, the default escaping of quote character within a quoted field is using the quote character two times.	"
Comments	A string that indicates the start of a comment within a line. For example, '#' or '//'.	#
Preview	If greater than 0, then only that number of rows will be used. This option is useful for ensuring proper digestion of the .csv file.	2

Import Data

When this tab is selected, the options in CSV Parser Options are used to parse the .csv file. The table shown is formatted as per the following rules:

• First row -
  • If the Header parameter is enabled the field names from the file are shown; if not enabled, then ascending field numbers starting at 0 are displayed. The arrows to the right of each field default to a double arrow, which indicates that the field is not sorted. Selecting the arrow requests that the table be sorted in ascending order (up arrow), or descending order (down arrow). Only one column can be sorted at a time.
  • Immediately below the field names or number are choices dictating the behavior of each column. The MAC Address is required; all fields will be ignored until one field is chosen as the MAC Address. Each field can be set to -- Ignore field --, MAC Address, or one of the optional fields (Status, Auto-Registration, Bandwidth Balance, Bypass Role, Bypass VLAN, Computer Name, Date and time Registered, Date and time Unregistered, Notes, Owner, Role, or VoIP). These fields are described in Edit below.
• First column - selects which rows are parsed. The uppermost check box will select all rows. The header row will not be digested even if its check box is selected.
• Filters can be defined below the table. Filters are AND'd together. For example, the default row indicates filtering by a Registered Status. Further rows are defined by adding a static field and selecting options. Any filter can be deleted.
• Import button - the button will digest and import the number of rows selected.

Standard searches are pre-programmed Advanced Search listings. The available searches are:

• Open security events - lists any open security events within the time periods.
• Closed security events - lists any closed security events within the time periods.
• Offline Clients - lists offline clients within the time periods.
• Online Clients - lists online clients within the time periods.
• Roles - all of the roles defined in the Roles page are listed. Selecting one of the roles lists those nodes with that role within the time periods.
• OS - lists the nodes that fit into various operating system and other categories, filtered by the time periods:
  • Windows
  • Linux
  • MacOS
  • Mobile Devices
  • Gaming Consoles
  • VoIP Devices

The results of the standard searches can be further modified through the addition, subtraction, or modification of conditions.

Operating Systems

Previously saved searches are available for reuse. They are listed on the left side of the screen under the Saved Searches label. Select the saved search that you want to execute. Following the search, the operation is as in the Advanced Search page.

All of the device groups defined in the Network Devices page are listed. Selecting one of the device groups lists those clients in that group. An individual device or range of device addresses can then be selected.

Client information is available in several tabs. Information in the Edit tab can be changed. The tabs are:

• Edit - editable control information. Values on this tab can be edited.
• Info - general information and last connection values.
• Fingerbank- device identification information.
• Timeline - a graph of events for the client. The timeline can be manipulated:
  • Grab the timeline and move it left or right to change the time range displayed.
  • Use the mouse scroll button to expand or contract the time scale.
• IPv4 - the IPv4 address history for the client, including start and end times, along with type.
• IPv6 - the IPv6 address history for the client, including start and end times, along with type.
• Location - the location history for a client, including the network device or access point to which it was connected, the connection type, the user name association, and the start and end times.
• Security Events - the security event history for the client, including the event number, start and release times, and status.
• Option82 - the history of information obtained from DHCP option82 data inserted by DHCP relay agents, including timestamp, VLAN, device IP and MAC, port, module, and host.

Several of the tabs offer control buttons at the bottom of the page:

• - saves the values for the client.
• - deletes the client.
• - reevaluates access for the client.
• - refreshes the Fingerbank matching data.
• - restarts the switch port that the client is connected to.

Edit

The following editable client fields are offered on this page:

Field	Usage	Example
Owner	The perceived owner of the client.	default
Status	One of Unregistered, Registered, or Pending.	Unregistered
Role	One of the defined Roles	guest
Unregistration	When to unregister the client. This setting consists of a time in the format yyyy-mm-dd HH:MM:SS. Shorthand value are available for periods starting at the current time: one hour, (+1H), one day (+1D), one week (+1W), one month (+1M), one calendar quarter (+1Q), or one year (+1Y). Holding down the CTRL or CMD key while selecting one of these choices indicates that the values are for cumulative use. A calendar is also available; selecting a date sets the unregistration time to the current time on that date.	2019-07-18 15:15:17
Access Time Balance	The remaining access time available, in seconds.	36000
Bandwidth Balance	The remaining bandwidth balance, with units of bytes (B), kilobytes (kB), megabytes (MB), gigabytes (GB), terabytes (TB), petabytes (PB, or exabytes (XB).	10 TB
Voice Over IP	Indicates whether the client is a VoIP device.
Bypass VLAN	The bypass VLAN for the client. This setting overrides the VLAN established during authentication.	42
Bypass Role	The bypass role for the client. This setting overrides the role established during authentication.	Student
Notes	Any notes for the client.

The buttons at the bottom of the page enable further actions for client: