Using command line utilities
Duplicate or enhanced functionality in user interface
Many of the utilities perform functions that are already part the BMC Discovery user interface, and might duplicate what you might be able to accomplish more easily in the best-practice use of the product. Most of the configuration you perform will be done using the Discovery Configuration page accessed from the Administration tab; however, the functionality might be located in other areas of the product. Documentation for each utility in this section includes a link to the corresponding location in the user interface where you can perform the intended function.
When using command line utilities, particularly long-running processes such as tw_ds_offline_compact it is recommended that you use the screen utility to prevent any problems that might arise from dropped connections. An example of using screen is shown in the tw_ds_offline_compact documentation. Using-screen provides more detailed information on screen and links to online resources.
Common options in the utilities
In each utility, you can specify options, or arguments, that enable you to specify what action you want the utility to perform. For many of the utilities, several options are inherited and their basic purpose does not change. In this section, common options are not described for each utility because they are not typically used.
The following table lists the common options that are inherited by many of the command line utilities available with BMC Discovery.