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Applications, services, and gateways

A device record says what a machine is. An application says what process or listener runs on it. A service says what useful capability those applications provide. A gateway says how that service is exposed.

Record application listeners​

Applications bind to exactly one device or IP address. Record the application name, TCP or UDP port, application protocol, bind address/scope and family where known, run user, description, and documentation or source links. This is the concrete provider layer.

Build logical services​

Give a service a stable name, protocol family, category, preferred access mode, overview, and documentation link. Attach application providers as links:

  • an anchor is the preferred source of truth for endpoint facts;
  • reference providers add replicas or supporting context;
  • role and priority describe how linked providers should be presented.

MiniPAM derives a combined endpoint view and flags provider conflicts rather than silently choosing inconsistent data. The UI can run provider reachability checks from a selected agent.

Describe gateway access​

Use Inventory → Gateways for reverse proxies or similar access layers. A gateway can reference one or more inventory devices. Each service route records an FQDN, path prefix, and route priority. These are access routes, not a replacement for the underlying application provider.

The service organizer can preview and apply relationship cleanup: merge duplicate logical services, move provider links, and remove an empty source service. Always inspect the preview before applying it.

Discovery is a starting point​

An open port is evidence, not a complete service definition. Review detected names and versions, then add the context only an operator knows: purpose, lifecycle, provider authority, and whether the endpoint is meant to be exposed.

Keep records current​

When a workload moves, update both its host relationship and endpoint. Retire stale records rather than leaving duplicate endpoints that make search results ambiguous.

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