Using Structure Tags with IGEL OS Devices

When rolling out devices automatically it can be difficult to assign each to the desired folder in the IGEL Universal Management Suite (UMS). Using structure tags, newly registered devices will automatically have the information where they are to be placed in the structure tree of the UMS. The UMS has flexible rules to place a newly registered device into a folder of the structure tree.

A structure tag is a text string bound to the device, that is transmitted to UMS. It can be assigned to devices either via a DHCP option or in their local setup.

To use structure tags:

Define a structure tag in your Default Directory Rules under UMS Administration > Global Configuration > Default Directory Rules.
Learn more in the UMS manual: Default Directory Rules .
Assign a structure tag to a device manually, through onboarding, or via DHCP.

Manual Assignment

In OS 11 you can assign the structure tag value manually on the endpoint or through a profile. To assign the value, enter the value in System > Remote Management > Structure tag.

In OS 12, you can assign structure tags starting from IGEL OS 12.5.0. To assign the value, use the command tool /sbin/rmagent-set-structure-tag -t <TAG> .

Setting the structure tag via a profile should be avoided as it can cause unwanted side-effects.

Example scenario:

There is a default directory rule in place that moves the device to a target UMS folder based on the structure tag value. As the structure tag value is set by the profile, the default directory rule gets activated, and the device is moved to the target UMS folder. As soon as the device is moved to the target folder, it receives the profiles assigned to this folder. If the target folder doesn’t contain the profile value of the structure tag, the device loses the structure tag value. As a result, the device will be moved back to the original folder because the structure tag default directory rule isn’t fulfilled anymore.

Use the command /sbin/rmagent-get-structure-tag for getting the currently used structure tag value. If the structure tag was already set via Setup Assistant or via DHCP tag the tool will retrieve the value.

The command line tool /sbin/rmagent-register provides also a possibility to set the structure tag using the option -u <TAG>. This tool is used for some scenarios of automatic registration with custom scripts.

Assignment through Setup Assistant

During the onboarding of an IGEL OS 12 device, you can enter the structure tag if you register devices to the UMS using the one-time password method.

DHCP Assignment

To assigning a structure tag via DHCP Server:

Use the appropriate DHCP option, depending on the IGEL OS version of your endpoint devices:

IGEL OS 11.03.500 or lower: Use DHCP option 226 to distribute the tag value to the devices. Set the DHCP option 226 as a string - not as a DWORD.
IGEL OS 11.04.100 or higher: As an alternative, you can use the DHCP option 43 (encapsulated vendor-specific options) to send the DHCP option 226 (name: "umsstructuretag") to the right endpoint devices. An endpoint device with IGEL OS 11.04.100 or higher sends option 60 (vendor class identifier) with igel-dhcp-1 as the value.

An IGEL specific DHCP option that is sent in DHCP option 43 overrides a corresponding DHCP option that is sent in the global namespace. The DHCP options 1, 224, and 226 can be embedded in option 43.

You can prevent a DHCP option 226 that has been sent in the global namespace from being interpreted. To achieve this, you must add option 1 (name "exclusive", type Byte, value 1) to DHCP option 43.