# Device Dependencies

You can set one or more parents for a device. When all parent devices
are down, the alert transports get no alerts for the dependent devices.
This feature is useful during an outage, for example in a branch
office. Without this feature, you get hundreds of alerts. With a
correct configuration, you get only one alert for each parent host.

There are three ways to configure this feature. The first way is the
general settings of a device. The other two ways are on the 'Device
Dependencies' page under the 'Devices' menu. This page shows all
devices and their parents. The 'bin' icon clears the dependency
setting. The 'pen' icon opens the current setting of the device for an
edit. The 'Manage Device Dependencies' button at the top sets parents
for many devices at one time.

For an introduction to device dependencies, watch our [YouTube
video](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KMAarVS9QQ8).
