Cabletron Systems CBU-NM User Manual

Page 1
CBU-NM
User Manual
Fivemere Ltd. Cabletron Systems Ltd. Fivemere House Network House 161 High Street Newbury Business Park Aldershot London Road, Newbury Hampshire, England Berkshire, England GU11 1TT RG13 2PZ
Telephone: [44] (0)1635 580000 Fax: [44] (0)1635 44578
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CBU-NM
User Manual
ii 80-60100000-02ii
Publication — 80-60100000-02
Publication Notice:
This manual has been compiled and checked for accuracy. However the information contained in this manual does not constitute a warranty of performance. Cabletron Systems Limited reserves the right to revise this publication from time to time without notice. Cabletron Systems Limited assumes no liability for losses incurred as a result of out of date or incorrect information contained in this manual.
Proprietary Notice: © 1996-1997, Cabletron Systems Ltd, all rights reserved.
This document may not in whole or part be copied, photocopied, reproduced, translated, or reduced to any electronic medium or machine readable form without prior consent from Cabletron Systems Limited.
Acknowledgements:
Kilostream™ is a trademark of British Telecom PLC. Chameleon TCP/IP for Windows is a trademark of Netmanage. Windows and MS-DOS are trademarks of Microsoft.
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CBU-NM
User Manual
80-60100000-02 iii
History Sheet
80-60100000-01 V 0.26 software 23 September 1996 80-60100000-02 V 0.27 software 01 July 1997
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CBU-NM
User Manual
ii 80-60100000-02iv
TABLE OF CONTENTS
1 INTRODUCTION 1–1
1.1 T
HIS CHAPTER
1–1
1.2 F
EATURES OF
PCNC 1–1
1.3 O
VERVIEW
1–2
1.4 G
ETTING STARTED
1–2
1.5 H
OW
PCNC
WORKS
1–3
1.5.1 A
LARMS
1–4
1.6 W
HAT
PCNC
DOES
1–4
1.7 S
YSTEM REQUIREMENTS
1–6
1.7.1 H
ARDWARE
1–6
1.7.2 S
OFTWARE
1–6
2 MAIN COMPONENTS 2–1
2.1 T
HIS CHAPTER
2–1
2.2 M
AIN WINDOW
2–1
2.3 S
PEED MENUS
2–2
2.4 T
HE NETWORK DATABASE
2–2
2.5 T
HE NETWORK INSPECTOR WINDOW
2–3
2.6 T
HE ALARM DATABASE
2–3
2.7 A
LARM WINDOWS
2–3
2.8 A
CKNOWLEDGING / SELECTING ALARMS
2–4
2.8.1 T
O SELECT A SINGLE ALARM
2–4
2.8.2 T
O SELECT A GROUP OF ALARMS
2–4
2.8.3 T
O SELECT/DESELECT ADDITIONAL ALARMS
2–4
2.9 P
ORTS
, L
INKS AND TERMINALS
2–4
2.10 D
RIVERS
2–5
3 ALARMS AND FILTERS 3–1
3.1 T
HIS CHAPTER
3–1
3.2 T
HE ALARM DATABASE
3–1
3.3 SNMP T
RAPS
3–1
3.3.1 A
LERT PROCESSING
3–2
3.3.2 A
LARMS
3–3
3.3.3
UNKNOWN DEVICE
/
U
NRECOGNISED ALERT
ALARMS
3–4
3.4 A
LARM WINDOWS
3–5
3.4.1 N
ETWORK ALARM LOG WINDOW
3–5
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3.4.2
DEVICE ALARM LOG WINDOWS
3–5
3.4.3 U
NACKNOWLEDGED ALARMS WINDOW
3–6
3.5 A
RCHIVING
3–6
3.5.1 A
RCHIVED ALARM LOG WINDOWS
3–6
3.6 R
EADING THE DATABASE FROM OTHER APPLICATIONS
3–7
3.7 H
ARDWARE ALERT DISABLING
3–7
3.8 F
ILTERS
3–8
3.8.1 G
ENERIC
/ D
EVICE FILTERS
3–9
3.8.2 S
ETTING UP A FILTER
3–10
3.8.2.1 C
HOOSING WHICH TYPES OF ALARM CAN BE FILTERED
3–10
3.8.2.2 S
HOWING AND HIDING ALARMS
3–11
3.8.2.3 S
PECIAL COMMANDS
3–11
3.8.2.4 W
HEN YOU HAVE FINISHED
3–11
4 COMMUNICATIONS 4–1
4.1 T
HIS CHAPTER
4–1
4.2 C
ONNECTIONS
4–1
4.2.1 L
OCAL DEVICES
4–1
4.2.2 R
EMOTE DEVICES
4–1
4.2.3 O
THER DEVICES
4–3
4.2.4 L
INK DISABLING
4–3
4.3 C
ONTROL TERMINAL
4–3
4.4 A
UXILIARY TERMINAL
4–4
4.5 C
ONNECTING TO NETWORK DEVICES
4–4
4.5.1 L
OCAL DIRECT CONNECTION
4–4
4.5.2 R
EMOTE DIRECT CONNECTION
4–5
4.5.3 T
HE TALKWIRE LIST
4–5
4.5.3.1 E
DITING THE TALKWIRE LIST
4–6
5 THE SNMP LINK AND CHAMELEON 5–1
5.1 T
HIS CHAPTER
5–1
5.2 O
VERVIEW
5–1
5.3 R
EQUIREMENTS
5–2
5.3.1 NDIS-
COMPLIANT NETWORK INTERFACE CARD
5–2
5.3.2 NDIS
DRIVER
5–2
5.3.3 C
HAMELEON
5–2
5.3.4 PCNC E
XTENSIONS
5–3
5.3.4.1 PCNCSNMP.EXE 5–3
5.4 H
OW THE TRAPS ARE SENT AND RECEIVED
5–4
5.5 I
NSTALLING THE CHAMELEON PACKAGE
5–5
5.5.1 T
EST THAT CHAMELEON IS INSTALLED CORRECTLY
5–7
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CBU-NM
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5.6
INSTALL THE
MIB
INTO YOUR
NMS 5–7
5.7 T
HE NEXT STEP
5–7
5.8 T
HE NETWORK DATABASE
5–8
5.9 T
RAP FORMAT
5–8
6 INSTALLING PCNC 6–1
6.1 T
HIS CHAPTER
6–1
6.2 I
NTRODUCTION
6–1
6.3 R
EQUIREMENTS
6–2
6.4 W
HAT’S ON THE DISTRIBUTION DISKS
? 6–2
6.5 I
NSTALLING
PCNC
FOR THE FIRST TIME
6–3
6.5.1 B
EFORE YOU START
6–3
6.5.2 * S
ET UP THE
TCP/IP N
ETWORK
6–4
6.5.2.1 * I
NSTALL THE NETWORK HARDWARE
6–4
6.5.2.2 * C
ONFIGURE THE
NDIS
DRIVER
6–4
6.5.2.3 * I
NSTALL CHAMELEON
6–4
6.5.3 I
NSTALL THE FILES
6–4
6.5.3.1 * I
NSTALL THE OPTIONAL
SNMP
EXTENSIONS
6–4
6.5.4 C
USTOMISE
PCNC.INI 6–5
6.5.5 C
REATE THE WINDOWS ICON
6–5
6.5.6 C
ONFIGURE AND TEST
PCNC 6–5
6.5.7 * E
NABLE THE
SNMP L
INK
6–5
6.5.7.1 * I
NSTALL THE
MIB 6–5
6.5.7.2 * RE-
CONFIGURE
PCNC.INI 6–5
6.5.7.3 * T
EST
PCNC
WITH
SNMP 6–6
6.5.8 E
NTER THE NETWORK INFORMATION
6–6
6.6 U
PGRADING TO A NEWER VERSION OF
PCNC 6–6
6.6.1 C
OPYING THE FILES
6–6
6.6.2 U
PDATING THE
PCNC.INI
FILE
6–6
6.7 D
RIVERS
6–7
7 CONFIGURING PCNC.INI 7–1
7.1 T
HIS CHAPTER
7–1
7.2 I
NTRODUCTION
7–1
7.3 C
ONNECTING THE PORTS
7–2
7.3.1 COM P
ORTS
7–2
7.4 F
ORMAT OF THE
PCNC.INI F
ILE
7–3
7.5 C
HANGING THE
PCNC.INI
SETTINGS
7–3
7.6 C
ONFIGURING
PCNC.INI 7–3
7.7 S
ETTINGS
7–4
7.8 [C
ONTROL LINK
] 7–4
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7.8.1
PORT=<NAME
>:<
RATE
>,<
PARITY
>,<
DATA BITS
>,<
STOP BITS
> 7–4
7.8.2 L
INECOUNT=<INTEGER
> 7–5
7.8.3 RXQ
UEUESIZE=<INTEGER
> 7–5
7.8.4 TXQ
UEUESIZE=<INTEGER
> 7–5
7.8.5 H
ANDSHAKING=<BOOLEAN
> 7–5
7.8.6 D
IRECTCONNECTTIMEOUT=<INTEGER
> 7–6
7.9 [A
UXILIARY LINK
] 7–6
7.9.1 C
OLUMNCOUNT=<INTEGER
> 7–6
7.9.2 E
MULATION=<STRING
> 7–7
7.9.3 B
REAKHANDLING=<BOOLEAN
> 7–7
7.9.4 B
REAKLENGTH=<INTEGER
> 7–7
7.9.5 H
ANDSHAKING=<STRING
> 7–7
7.9.6 F
OREGROUNDCOLOUR=<INTEGER
> 7–7
7.9.7 B
ACKGROUNDCOLOUR=<INTEGER
> 7–8
7.9.8 T
RANSLATEBACKSPACE=<BOOLEAN
> 7–8
7.10 [R
EMOTE LINK
] 7–8
7.11 [D
EVICE DRIVERS
] 7–9
7.12 [O
PTIONS
] 7–9
7.12.1 A
UDIBLEWARNINGBUTTON=<BOOLEAN
> 7–9
7.12.2 C
ONTINUOUSAUDIBLEWARNING=<BOOLEAN
> 7–9
7.12.3 A
LARMLOGGING=<BOOLEAN
> 7–10
7.12.4 M
INUTESBETWEENSAVES=<INTEGER
> 7–10
7.13 [SNMP L
INK
] 7–11
7.13.1 F
ORWARDTRAPSTONMS=<BOOLEAN
> 7–11
7.13.2 F
ORWARDTRAPSTOPCNC=<BOOLEAN
> 7–11
7.13.3 R
ECEIVETRAPS=<BOOLEAN
> 7–11
7.13.4 T
RAPTXOIDPCNC
=<G
ROUP OBJECT IDENTIFIER
> 7–12
7.13.5 T
RAPTXOIDNMS
=<G
ROUP OBJECT IDENTIFIER
> 7–12
7.13.6 T
RAPRXOID
=<G
ROUP OBJECT IDENTIFIER
> 7–12
7.13.7 N
AMESINTRAPS
=<B
OOLEAN
> 7–12
8 THE NETWORK DATABASE 8–1
8.1 T
HIS CHAPTER
8–1
8.2 T
HE ROLE OF THE NETWORK DATABASE
8–1
8.2.1 A
LERT PROCESSING
8–2
8.2.2 C
OMMUNICATING WITH THE NETWORK
8–2
8.3 T
HE NETWORK INSPECTOR WINDOW
8–2
8.3.1 M
EANING OF THE NETWORK INSPECTOR FIELDS
8–3
8.3.2 I
NDEPENDENT CHANNEL NAMING
8–3
8.4 D
EFINING THE DATABASE
8–4
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CBU-NM
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8.4.1
ADDING AN ENTRY
8–4
8.4.1.1 C
OMMENTS
8–5
8.4.1.2 R
EMOTE ADDRESSING
8–5
8.4.1.3 C
HANNEL NAMING
8–5
8.4.2 M
ODIFYING THE DATABASE
8–5
9 EQUIPMENT SETUP 9–1
9.1 T
HIS CHAPTER
9–1
9.2 I
NTRODUCTION
9–1
9.3 KBU 64 9–2
9.4 C
ABLETRON GENERIC SHELF PRODUCTS
9–2
9.5 O
THER CABLETRON PRODUCTS
9–2
10 COMMANDS 10–1
10.1 T
HIS CHAPTER
10–1
10.2 G
ENERAL
10–1
10.3 H
ELP
10–1
10.4 N
ETWORK
| N
EW DEVICE
... 10–3
10.5 N
ETWORK
| E
DIT DEVICE
... 10–3
10.6 N
ETWORK
| D
ELETE DEVICE
10–3
10.7 N
ETWORK
| S
ORT ORDER
... 10–4
10.8 N
ETWORK
| R
ESET DEVICE STATUS
10–4
10.9 N
ETWORK
| D
EVICE ALARM LOG
10–4
10.10 N
ETWORK
| T
ALKWIRE LIST
... 10–5
10.11 N
ETWORK
| D
IRECT CONNECT
10–5
10.12 N
ETWORK
| D
IRECT DISCONNECT
10–5
10.13 N
ETWORK
| E
XIT
10–6
10.14 A
LARMS
| F
ILTER
... 10–6
10.15 A
LARMS
| A
CKNOWLEDGE
10–6
10.16 A
LARMS
| A
UDIBLE WARNING
10–7
10.17 A
LARMS
| S
AVE TO ARCHIVE FILE
... 10–7
10.18 A
LARMS
| I
NSPECT ARCHIVE FILE
... 10–8
10.19 A
LARMS
| E
XPORT ALARM DATABASE
... 10–8
10.20 W
INDOW
| N
ETWORK INSPECTOR
10–8
10.21 W
INDOW
| N
ETWORK ALARM LOG
10–9
10.22 W
INDOW
| U
NACKNOWLEDGED ALARMS
10–9
10.23 W
INDOW
| C
ONTROL TERMINAL
10–9
10.24 W
INDOW
| A
UXILIARY TERMINAL
10–9
10.25 W
INDOW
| C
ASCADE
10–10
10.26 W
INDOW
| T
ILE
10–10
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80-60100000-02 ix
10.27
WINDOW
| A
RRANGE ICONS
10–10
10.28 W
INDOW
| C
LOSE ALL
10–10
10.29 H
ELP
| C
ONTENTS
10–11
10.30 H
ELP
| U
SING HELP
10–11
10.31 H
ELP
| A
BOUT
... 10–11
11 TROUBLESHOOTING GUIDE 11–1
11.1 T
HIS CHAPTER
11–1
11.2 Y
OU CANNOT SEE ANY ALARMS
11–1
11.3 S
OME ALERTS ARE NOT BEING PROCESSED
11–2
11.4 T
HE COMMAND LINE ISN’T WORKING PROPERLY
11–2
11.5 Y
OU SET A FILTER, BUT THE ALARM STILL APPEARS
11–2
11.6 T
HE NETWORK DATABASE IS NOT VISIBLE
11–3
11.7 C
RASHES
11–3
11.8 T
HE
SNMP L
INK IS NOT WORKING
11–4
12 GLOSSARY 12–1
12.1 A
LARM
12–1
12.2 A
UDIBLE WARNING
12–1
12.3 D
EVICE
12–1
12.4 F
ILTER
12–1
12.5 L
INK
12–2
12.6 L
OG
12–2
12.7 M
ENU BAR
12–2
12.8 PCNC.DAT 12–3
12.9 PCNC.INI 12–3
12.10 P
OLL NUMBER
12–3
12.11 SNMP 12–3
12.12 S
PEED MENUS
12–4
12.13 S
TATUS BAR
12–4
12.14 T
ALKWIRE LIST
12–4
12.15 TCP/IP 12–4
12.16 T
RAP
12–4
12.17 T
OOLBAR
12–4
12.18 W
ORKING DIRECTORY
12–5
13 DATA FORMATS 13–1
13.1 A
LERT MESSAGE FORMAT
13–1
13.1.1 A
LERT MESSAGE FIELDS
13–1
13.1.2 A
LERTS WITHOUT TIME AND DATE INFORMATION
13–2
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13.1.3
ALERTS WITH TIME AND DATE INFORMATION
13–2
13.1.4 A
LERT MESSAGE RECOGNITION
13–2
13.2 SNMP T
RAPS
13–2
13.2.1 T
RAP GENERATION FORMAT
13–2
13.2.2 T
RAP RECEIPT FORMAT
13–3
13.2.3 T
RAP EXAMPLES
13–3
13.3 E
XPORTED ALARM DATABASES
13–4
13.3.1 .CSV
EXPORTED FILE FORMAT
13–4
13.3.1.1 T
EXT FIELDS
13–5
13.3.1.2 S
IGNED NUMERIC FIELDS
13–5
13.3.1.3 U
NSIGNED NUMERIC FIELDS
13–5
13.3.2 R
ECORD FORMAT
13–5
13.3.2.1 <D
ATE> FIELD
13–6
13.3.2.2 <T
IME> FIELD
13–6
13.3.2.3 <U
NACKNOWLEDGED FLAG> FIELD
13–6
13.3.2.4 <P
OLL NUMBER> FIELD
13–6
13.3.2.5 <C
HANNEL NUMBER> FIELD
13–6
13.3.2.6 <D
EVICE
ID>
FIELD
13–7
13.3.2.7 <A
LARM CODE> FIELD
13–7
13.3.2.8 <P
RODUCT NAME> FIELD
13–8
13.3.2.9 <D
EVICE OR CHANNEL NAME> FIELD
13–8
13.3.2.10 <A
LERT MESSAGE> FIELD
13–9
13.3.3 D
EVICE ALARM CODES
13–9
14 HANDSHAKING 14–1
14.1 C
ONTROL LINK HANDSHAKING
14–1
14.2 H
ANDSHAKING PROVISIONS
14–1
14.3 C
ABLING REQUIREMENTS
14–2
14.3.1 H
ANDSHAKING DISABLED
14–2
14.3.2 H
ANDSHAKING ENABLED
14–3
14.4 S
YMPTOMS OF INCORRECT CABLING
14–3
14.4.1 H
ANDSHAKING DISABLED
14–3
14.4.2 H
ANDSHAKING ENABLED
14–3
14.5 A
DDITIONAL REQUIREMENTS
14–4
Page 11
Introduction
80-60100000-02 1–1
1 Introduction
1.1 This chapter
The CBU-NM is the pr oduc t name for the Network Management sof tware known as ‘PCNC’. All references throughout in this manual are as ‘PCNC’.
This chapter contai ns a brief descri ption of what PCNC does and how it does it. You do not need to read to this chapter if you are already familiar with PCNC. If you do bypass this chapter, you can use the Glossary to learn the meaning of unfamiliar terms.
1.2 Features of PCNC
PCNC provides:
A central site for monitoring and controlling a network.
Alarm processing to make alert messages more meaningful.
Alarm filtering to show only the information you want to see.
A record of all alarm information for examination at any time.
A clear picture of the current status of every device on the network.
Terminal emulation for direct communication with network devices.
A user-friendly interface to make network supervision easier and
more intuitive.
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1.3 Overview
The Cabletron Network Controller (PCNC) collects information from a network of Cabletron dev ices. W henev er an al ert m essage arriv es from a device, PCNC will notify you. The message is processed, recorded and displayed as an ‘Alarm ’, and you c an then deci de whether or not you need to act on the i nformati on. All alarm s are recorded in a database which can be viewed at any time.
PCNC also allows easy comm uni cat ion wit h al l devi ces on your net work, using the Control Term i nal . I t al l ows you to tal k to l ocal devic es direct l y, and to remote devices using a ‘Talkwire List’ of local devi ces which in turn communicate with the remote devices.
The PCNC program runs under
Microsoft
Windows
on an IBM-
compatible PC and provides a user-friendly interface to the network.
1.4 Getting Started
After installi ng PCNC, you fi rst need to conf i gure a fi le cal led PCNC. INI, as described in Chapter 7. This done, you can custom i se the progr am to work with your network, using the Network Inspector window. The information you enter fills the ‘Network Database’ - PCNC uses this to communicate with all your devices individually, and process the alarms.
When you run PCNC, you will see a window like this:
Title bar
Menu bar Alarm Pan e l
& Tool bar
Workspace
Status bar
Figure 1.1 - Main Window
Page 13
Introduction
80-60100000-02 1–3
You will find all the commands in the menu bar, and on the t oolbar j ust below are many of the commonly used commands. To f ind out what each icon means, place the mouse over the relevant button, and a message will be displayed in the Status Bar. In addition, clicking the right button of the mouse over a window brings up a selection of commands (a ‘Speed Menu’) relevant to that window.
1.5 How PCNC works
PCNC allows easy network moni tori ng by c onv er ti ng al ert m essages into ‘Alarm s’. It contai ns two m ain databases - one to store information about your network, and one to store al l incoming alarms. These databases can be viewed through the Network Inspector window and the Alarm windows respectively. Terminal windows allow you to communicate directly with devices on your network. Software ‘Links’ transfer information between the program and the network ports.
The connections between these elements of PCNC are shown in the schematic diagram below. Each component is more fully described in Chapter 2.
Network Inspector
Alarm
Database
Network
Database
Auxiliary Link
Alarm WindowsTerminals
Auxiliary
Port
Control link
Local
Port
SNMP link
TCP/IP
Remote
Port
Remote Link
Figure 1.2 - PCNC Program Structure
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1.5.1 Alarms
When a network al ert message arriv es, PCNC uses the inf ormati on you have entered into the Network Database to identify the source of the message. It then passes the message to a separate module which decodes the alert. Finally it logs the message as an alarm i n the Alarm Database. Once the alerts have been translated and logged, you can view and filter the resulting alarms using the alarm windows.
Alarm
Database
Network
Database
Alert
Processor
Remote
Link
Local
Port
Remote
Port
TCP/IP
Control
Link
SNMP
Link
Figure 1.3 - Alarm Processing
1.6 What PCNC does
When an alarm arrives, PCNC alerts you with an audible warning (if enabled) and a flashing panel on the tool bar. An al arm i con f l ashes next to the originating device in the Network Inspector window.
A description of the alarm appears in the Unacknowledged Alarms window and in the Alarm Log windows. Clear information about the source and type of alarm allows you to decide qui c k ly what action ( if any) needs to be taken. You can then i nform PCNC t hat you have read t he message by ‘acknowledging’ the alarm, and the alarm then disappears from the Unacknowledged Alar ms window. When al l alarm s have been acknowledged, the panel no longer flashes and the sound stops.
You can view all recent alarms (before and after they have been acknowledged) by looking at either the Network Alarm Log or Device Alarm Log windows. An alarm i con, identi cal to that displayed next to the device, flashes beside unacknowledged alarms.
Page 15
Introduction
80-60100000-02 1–5
The inf ormation i n the Alarm windows comes f rom the Al arm Database through inter nal fi lters. In addi tion, t he Alarm Log windows (but not t he Unacknowledged Alarm s window) can be filter ed to display only certai n alarm t ypes. For exampl e, if you are inv estigating how of ten a device has been in backup, you can choose to hide all alarms except
Performing Backup
alarms. For m ore details, see Chapter 3 -
Alarms
and Filters
.
The Alarm Database is described full y in Chapt er 3. The diagram below shows an overview of the database and its related windows.
Alarm Database
Unacknowledged
Alarms Window
Network Alarm
Log Window
Custom Filter
Unacknowledged
Filter
Custom Filters
Archived Alarm
Log Window
Custom Filter
Device Alarm
Log Windows
Single Device
Filters
Archived Alarm
Database
Figure 1.4 - The Alarm Database
The Alarm Database can store up to 5000 alarms. If this count is exceeded, the database ‘overflows’ and the earliest alarm information will be lost from the log. To prevent this happening, the database can be cleared and stored to a disk f ile (Archiv ed) for ex amination at a future
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date. The program will warn you when the database is nearly ful l, but i t is a good idea to archive the database frequently. This ensures you have a complete log of alarms, and keeps the program running efficiently.
1.7 System requirements
To install and run t he PCNC progr am you will require an IBM-compat ibl e PC. We recommend that it is of the following type or superior.
1.7.1 Hardware
66MHz 80486DX PC with 8MByte of RAM.
At least 10 MByte of free fixed disk space.
Colour VGA gr aphic s card and com pati bl e m oni tor (hi gher resolut i on displays will show more information).
At least one unused COM port, with W indows COM driv er support, for connection to a Cabletron network.
A 3.5" 1.44 MByte floppy disk drive to read the supplied disks.
1.7.2 Software
MS-DOS
5.0 or later already installed.
Microsoft
Windows
3.1 or 3.11 already installed.
Page 17
Main Components
80-60100000-02 2–1
2 Main Components
2.1 This chapter
This chapter cont ains inf ormati on about how and why you use the main components of PCNC outlined in
Figure 1.2 - PCNC Program Structure
.
2.2 Main Window
This is the main control console for PCNC. It contains all the PCNC commands and windows.
Title bar
Menu bar Alarm Pan e l
& Tool bar
Workspace
Status bar
Figure 2.1 - Main Window
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All the PCNC com mands and windows can be accessed using the menu bar. Many commands can also be used by clicking on buttons in the toolbar just below. When you move the mouse over a button, its functi on is displayed i n the status bar at t he bottom of the screen. The commands are all described in Chapter 10 -
Commands
.
The toolbar also contains a large alarm symbol that f lashes whenever there is an unacknowledged alarm.
The network is controlled and m onitored using the windows which appear inside the Mai n window’s workspace. Each of these windows is created using a toolbar button or menu opt ion. Onc e creat ed, t hese windows are either open to display inf orm ation, or represented by i cons at the bot tom of the workspace area. A window that has been reduc ed to an i con can be restored either by double-cli cking it with the mouse, sel ecting i t f rom the Window menu, or clicking on its toolbar button.
2.3 Speed Menus
Many PCNC commands can also be accessed using ‘Speed Menus’, which are v ery simil ar to those in the menu bar . Click the r ight mouse button over the Network Inspector window to bring up the Network Inspector Speed Menu. Click ov er any Alarm window to see the Alarm Log Speed Menu. The Contr ol Term inal also has a Speed Menu whic h contains commands relevant to direct network connections.
2.4 The Network Database
The Network Database stores information about devices on your network, and identifies each one using a unique ‘Poll number’. This information is vital to PCNC’s processing of incoming messages, and must accuratel y reflect your net work configurati on in order for PCNC to run properly. See Sec tion 8. 4 -
Defining the Database
for detai ls of how
to set it up. Network messages contain the Poll number of the dev i ce that generated
them. W hen it r eceives an aler t message, PCNC ‘looks up’ the dev ice with that number in the database. It can then use the i nf ormat ion stored for that device to convert the message into an Alarm.
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2.5 The Network Inspector Window
The Network Database can be v iewed and modifi ed using the Network Inspector window. Each line i n thi s window displays infor mati on about a particular device, such as its location and type. It can also display a description of the device ent ered by t he user, al l owing each device t o be identified easily.
The window also shows clear information about the present status of each device, allowing you to tell at a glance the current state of the network. For exampl e, each dev ice has a grey alar m symbol next to i t, which flashes pink if the device has any unacknowledged alarms.
The inf orm at ion stor ed about t he Dev i ce’s l ocati on al l ows you to connect automaticall y to each dev ice, as described i n S ec tion 4.5 -
Connecting to
Network Devices
.
2.6 The Alarm Database
When an alert message is received by PCNC, it is decoded and conver ted into an Al arm whic h is stored in t he Alarm Database. Ex actl y how this is done is described in Chapter 3 -
Alarms and Filters
.
2.7 Alarm windows
Information stored in the Alarm Database can be viewed through the vari ous Al arm windows. Each alar m is shown as an entry in the window, with inform ation regarding its ti me of arri val, source and nature. If the alarm has been acknowledged, its alarm symbol (on t he l ef t) is grey, and if not it flashes pink.
You can choose to hide certain types of alarm from most of these windows by means of the Alarm Filters (see Section 3.8 for details).
The Network Alarm Log window displays the complete contents of the current Al arm Database. The Dev ice Alarm Log window shows all t he alarms generated by a particular device. Both these windows can be filtered to hide unwanted information.
All
unacknowledged alarms are displayed in the Unacknowledged Alarms window, which cannot be filtered.
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2.8 Acknowledging / selecting alarms
To acknowledge an alarm, select i t f r om any Al arm window, then use the
Acknowledge
command from the Alarms menu, the Alarms Speed menu, or the tool bar butt on. As a short cut, you can sim ply doubl e-cli ck on the alarm. You can also select multiple alarms.
Once acknowledged, the alarm’s entry in the Unacknowledged Alarms window will be removed, and the relevant symbols in the Alarm Log windows will stop flashing. When all alarms for a certai n device have been acknowledged, the Al arm sym bol nex t t o the devic e i n the Network Inspector Window will stop flashing. When all alarms for the whole network have been acknowledged, the Alarm Panel in the toolbar will stop flashing.
2.8.1 To select a single alarm
Click on the alarm with the left mouse button - any previous selections will be cleared
2.8.2 To select a group of alarms
Click on the first alarm with the left mouse button. Press and hold down the
Shift
key while you select the last alarm in the group.
2.8.3 To select/deselect additional alarms
Press and hold down the
Ctrl
key while you click on the alarm you
wish to select/deselect.
2.9 Ports, Links and Terminals
PCNC can receiv e alert messages either through serial COM ports or from a TCP/IP network via a Network Interface Card. To receive messages over TCP/IP you will need to install the SNMP extensions which are an optional feature of PCNC. Note, however, that PCNC cannot communicat e directl y with your NIC. T o use P CNC’s S NM P Link, you need to install the Chameleon package from NetManage Inc.
PCNC communi cates with the physical network using soft ware modules called Links. The Control Link is connected to l ocal Cabletron dev ices. The Remote Link is connected to a KBU that can receive alerts from off-site KBUs via the ISDN network. The Auxiliary Link is used to connect to non-Cabletron dev i ces which do not generate al ert m essages
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PCNC can understand. These three l i nks int erf ac e PCNC with the serial ports.
The optional SNMP Link al lows PCNC to comm unicate with the TCP /IP software which manages the NIC. See Chapter 5 for details.
The Control and Auxiliary Links have Terminal windows that allow you to comm unicate directl y with network devices. T he Control Termi nal is a dumb Terminal and displays all incoming alert messages unprocessed as they arrive. You can poll devices on the local network and issue comm ands to them using this window. The Auxiliary Terminal offers a number of emulations including DEC VT-100 for connection to other devices.
For further inform ation on Links, and on how to com municate with y our network, read Chapter 4 -
Communications
.
2.10 Drivers
PCNC versions 0.26 and earl ier used separate Dev i ce Driv er fi les which contained code and information relating to Cabletron devices. These files (eg KBU64.DLL) are not needed for this version of PCNC, since their functionality has been implemented in the main program.
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3 Alarms and Filters
3.1 This chapter
This chapter describes how alarm s are processed and displayed. I t also explains the role of filters and how to use them.
3.2 The Alarm Database
The Alarm Database contai ns inf ormat ion about al l the al erts PCNC has received and processed. The database is stored within PCNC, but is saved peri odical ly (at interv al s defi ned in PCNC. INI) to a disk fi le call ed PCNC.DAT. When you exit the program, the latest version of the database is saved. W hen you reload, PCNC automatically reads the database back from this file.
3.3 SNMP Traps
PCNC is also capable of translati ng alarm s to SNMP ‘Tr ap-PDU’ f ormat . This facility is available as an extension to the basic PCNC program, and runs parallel to normal alert processing. The traps can be sent to any standard NMS over TCP/IP, and they are forwarded automatically as soon as they are processed.
If you use an NMS as the primary network monitor, you can prevent PCNC storing the alarms it receives. This stops the Alarm Database filling up with information that you will never use. The logging of alarm s is turned on or off by a setting in PCNC.INI (see Section 7.12.3).
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3.3.1 Alert Processing
When an al ert message arrives, i t is processed and converted into an alarm as shown in Figure 3.1.
Incoming message
Legal alert
for device?
Poll number
in Database?
Valid alert
format?
Discard as
unreadable
No
Yes
Yes
Yes
Create Alarm:
'Unrecognised Alert'
Create Alarm:
'Unknown Device'
Create appropriate SNMP Trap
No No
Create Alarm from the Alert message
Modify the Network Database
Add alarm to Alarm Database
Legal alert
string?
Yes
No
Discard as
unreadable
Figure 3.1 - Alert processing
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First, PCNC must decide whether or not the incoming message is both
In a valid ALERT format (See Chapter 13)
A legal ALERT string
If not, PCNC can make no sense of it and will discard it as unreadable. If t he m essage is v ali d, PCNC will extract the Poll number and look it up
in the Network Database to find out which device sent the message. Once it k nows the Device’s nam e and product type, P CNC decodes the message as an alarm.
If the device type s pecified is not supposed to produce the ALERT that PCNC has received, it means that the Database is not configured correctly. PCNC then c reates its ow n alarm to indicat e t he problem (see Section 3.3.3).
At this stage, i f requi red, the alar m is conv erted int o an SNMP trap and forwarded to an NMS (see Chapter 5).
Alert messages often indicate a change in device status, eg that a devi ce has gone off li ne. PCNC stores the c urrent status of each dev i ce in the Network Database and updates the r elev ant one whenever an alert comes in. Thus the latest information is always displayed in Network Inspector window.
Finally, the alarm is stored in the Alarm Database. The logging of PCNC alarms and the creation of SNMP traps can be
enabled or disabled in PCNC.INI (see Chapter 7).
3.3.2 Alarms
When an alarm has been processed, PCNC stores it in the Alarm Database and notifies you of its arrival - with the Audible warning (if enabled) and a fl ashing panel i n the tool bar. The stat us of the dev i ce is decoded from the message and shown in the Network Inspector window.
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The Alarm Database stores the following information:
The device’s Poll and channel numbers.
The device’s name and product type, both extracted from the Network Database using the Poll number contained in the alert.
The alert’s time and date of arrival.
The nature of the alert, stored internally as a number (see Section 13.3.3 -
Device alarm codes
).
Whether or not the alarm has been acknowledged.
This information can be viewed through the Alarm windows (see Section 3.4).
3.3.3
Unknown Device / Unrecognised Alert
alarms
These two alarms show that an alert message could not be processed properly - either the poll num ber is not in t he Network Database, or the device type is inconsistent with the alert received.
In either case, the alarm is still presented in the usual way, but the filters treat it as being of t ype
Unknown Device
or
Unrecognised Alert
rather
than as the type of alert received (eg
Performing Backup
).
An
Unknown Device
alarm i s generated if a v alid m essage contains a Poll number for which ther e is no entry in the Network Database. The device name is then shown as ‘Unknown Device’.
An
Unrecognised Alert
alarm shows that the Device type is wrongly specifi ed in the Network Database. PCNC knows which alert m essages can be produced by each device type, since this is defined in the file PCNC0003.DLL. From the Network Database, it knows which device types correspond to which Pol l numbers. T hus P CNC can check the Poll number contained in the alert against t he alert message itself. If it thinks an alert has come from a device that should not have been able to produce it, PCNC generates an
Unrecognised Alert
alarm.
For exam ple, if PCNC recei ved the alert message ‘
00102-1: ALERT
Link down
’ but the Network Database had dev ice number 102 def ined
as a KBU 64, PCNC would creat e the
Unrecognised Alert
alarm. This
is because PCNC knows that KBUs do not generat e
Link down
alerts. If t he Network Database did not contai n a dev ice wit h Poll number 102, PCNC would generate the
Unknown Device
alarm.
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The traps
Poll number not found in database
, and
Unrecognised by
Device Driver
are the SNMP equivalents.
3.4 Alarm windows
Information stored in the Alarm Database can be viewed through the various Alarm windows, each of which shows a different part of the database. Each alarm is shown as an entry in the window, earliest first.
From left to right, the fields are:
the Alarm Indicator icon*
the date and time of arrival
the Poll number and channel number of the device
the user name given to the device
the nature of the alert received
* If the alarm is unacknowledged, its Alarm Indicator icon flashes pink, otherwise it is gr ey . The Archived Alar m Log w indows do not display this icon, since all Archived alarms have to be acknowledged (see Section 3.5).
Clicking the right mouse button over any Alarm window invokes the Alarm Speed menu, which is identical to the standard Alarms menu.
3.4.1 Network Alarm Log window
The Network Alarm Log window presents alarm i nf orm at ion for the ent ir e network. In its default state it shows the compl ete contents of the cur r ent Alarm Database, but it can be filtered to hide unwanted information.
To create the window, select the
Network Alarm Log
command from
the Window menu or the toolbar.
3.4.2 Device Alarm Log windows
These windows display alarms that originated from one par ticular dev ice, and are otherwise exact ly the same as the Network Alarm log window. One possible use for these is to examine a data path between two devi ces at either end of a l ink. You can cr eate the Dev ice Alarm Log windows, one for each device, and examine the alerts they have generated.
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To create a Device A larm Log window, select the relev ant dev ice i n the Network Inspector window and then select the
Device Alarm Log
comm and from the Network menu or tool bar. Y ou can have any num ber of Device Alarm Log windows, each with its own filter.
3.4.3 Unacknowledged Alarms window
This window shows only the new alarms in the database, and cannot be filtered. When you acknowledge an alarm, its entry automatically disappears from this window.
To create the window, select the
Unacknowledged Alarms
command
from the Window menu or the toolbar.
3.5 Archiving
The Alarm Database can store up to 5000 al arm s, but i f it becom es f ull , PCNC has to discard the earliest alarm s to m ak e room f or t he new ones. Archiving empties the database and saves its contents to a disk file, which can be viewed at any time.
To archive the cur rent al arm s, use the
Save to Archive f ile.. .
comm and from the Alarms menu or the toolbar. A dialogue box appears, allowing you to specif y a f ilenam e - PCNC uses the extensi on
.LOG
for archiv ed
files. A Warning Box will tell you when the database is nearly f ul l, and rem ind
you that it needs to be archiv ed. However, it is a good idea to arc hive the database frequent ly, bef ore this happens. T his ensures you hav e a complete log of alarms, and keeps the program running efficiently.
NB
: You can only archive the database once all alarms have been
acknowledged.
3.5.1 Archived Alarm Log windows
To view an archived log, select the
Inspect Archive File...
command from the Alarms menu, or use the t oolbar. Thi s invok es a dialogue box from which you choose the filename of the log you wish to see. The contents of the log appear in a newly created Archived Alarm Log window, with the name of the file in the Title Bar. You can have any number of these windows open at once, each with its own filter.
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The Alarm Indicator icon is not di splayed next to t he entries, since al l alarms must have been acknowledged in order to archive the database.
3.6 Reading the database from other applications
The PCNC Alarm Database can be saved as a text fil e f or exam inati on by other applications. To save the database in this format, use the
Alarms | Export Alarm Dat abase...
command. This will invoke a dialogue box where you can enter a name f or the f il e. W hen y ou hav e entered a name (up t o 8 letters long), click on
Ok
or press
Enter
. The file will be saved with a .CSV extension. Export ing the Al arm Database has no effect on PCNC and does not clear the database.
Once the alarms are saved in this way, they can be read into other applicat ions, such as Microsoft
Excel 5. Thi s allows you t o manipulate the data collected by PCNC in many ways. For example, you can perform detailed analysis of the alarm information or include alarm tables in reports. See Section 13.3.1 for details of the format of the exported database.
3.7 Hardware alert disabling
Any recognised alert m essages cause alarms. You cannot stop PCNC producing alarm s for new messages by fi l ter ing - you can onl y hi de them in the various Al ar m Log windows. However, most devices will allow you to prev ent certain alert messages from being sent at al l. Consult your hardware documentation for information about this facility.
NB: Turning messages off at the device can be a disadvantage. If a message is hidden by a f il ter, i t rem ains in t he database and can still be exami ned at a later date by simpl y remov ing the fi lter. Howev er, if t he message was never sent, you have no record of it at all.
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3.8 Filters
Filters control the visibility of certain alarms in the Alarm windows. They are used to hide common alarms you may not be interested in, or to single out particular alarms to help trace a problem.
There are three alarm filters, which can be applied to show only:
1. Alarms from a particular device on the network (
Device
)
2. Acknowledged / Unacknowledged alarms (
Alarmed
)
3. Certain alarm types eg
Line active
or
Disconnected (Alarm type
)
Filter 1 is applied automatically by PCNC when you create a Device Alarm Log window, and cannot be modified.
The other filters can, where applicabl e, be altered as required. PCNC uses Filter 2 to display the Unacknowledged Alarms window, which is essentially the Network Alarm Log window with all the acknowledged alarms hidden from view. In the Device and Network Alarm Log windows, Filter 2 allows you to hide all the acknowledged or unacknowledged alarms as required.
Since the Unacknowledged Alarm s window and the Archived Alarm Log window show only unacknowledged and acknowledged alarms respectively, the option to alter Filter 2 is not available in these windows.
Filter 3 is available in all Alarm windows except the Unacknowledged Alarms window. It allows you hide from view one or more types of alarm. This filter is further split into Generic and Device type (see Section 3.8.1.
Figure 3.2 -
PCNC Filtering
- shows an overview of the f ilters and the
windows to which they relate. These three filters can be used in combination to show only the
information you are interested in. For exam ple, you can single out all the unacknowledged
Unautho rised Access
alarms from the KBU64 in Glasgow by creating a Device Alarm Log window for that device and then selecting the appropriate filters from the window.
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Filt ers do not affec t the operation of the Alarm Database, merely which parts of i t you see. All alarms rem ain in the database, even if they are filtered and not visible in a window. Incoming alarms continue to be added to the database and displayed in the Unacknowledged Alarms window, regardless of filter settings.
NB: When you close a window, any modified filter settings will be lost. The following diagram shows which filters can be applied to each
window. A ‘Custom Filter’ represents a user-definable combination of the
Alarmed
and
Alarm type
filters.
Alarm
Database
Unacknowledged
Alarms Window
Network Alarm
Log Window
Device 1 Filter
+
Custom Filter
Device 1 Alarm
Log Window
Device 2 Filter
+
Custom Filter
Custom Filter
only
Device 2 Alarm
Log Window
Unacknowledged
Alarm Filter only
Figure 3.2 - PCNC Filtering
3.8.1 Generic / Device Filters
Many of the alarms PCNC processes can be generated by more than one type of devi ce. You may be inter ested in cert ain alar m ty pes only if they are sent by a parti cular dev ice. F or exam ple, you may wish t o see a
Connected
alarm if it came f rom a KBU64, but not if it came from a
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G64S. For t his reason, the
Alarm type
fil ter is split into two separate
levels - Generic (which applies to all alarms) and Device type. The Generic fi lter takes precedence ov er the Devi ce type filt er. In the
case above, the
Connected
alarm type would have to be shown at Generic level, shown at the Devi ce ty pe level f or t he KBU64, and hidden at the Device type level for the G64S.
If you do not want to see any
Connected
alarms, y ou can simply hide them at the Generic level. Because of the precedence, the alarm is hidden even though it is set to be shown by the KBU64 Device type filter.
You can hide the alarm at both levels if you wish to keep the alarm hidden for a certain Device type when you remove the Generic filter.
3.8.2 Setting up a filter
To set a fi lter for a window, make that window activ e (by cli cking on it) and use the
Filter...
command from the Alarms menu, the Alarm
Wi ndow Speed Menu, or the button on the toolbar. This will invoke a
Change Filter
dialogue box, which allows you to change the filter settings for the currently selec ted Alarm Log window. Note you c annot set up a custom filter for the Unacknowledged Alarms window.
For windows which display a current (ie not archived) Alarm Log, the dialogue box is divided into two halves:
In the top half, you can choose whether acknowledged alarms, unacknowledged alarms, or both are displayed.
In the bottom half, you can choose which types of alarm are hidden by the filter. By default, all types of alarm will be shown.
For Archiv ed Al arm Log windows, only the bott om hal f i s displayed since all archived alarms are acknowledged.
3.8.2.1 Choosing which types of alarm can be filtered
In the lower part of the Change Fil ter dialogue box , there are two m ain features - t he Dev i ce c om bobox and the Devic e alar m s l ist. T he Devi ce combobox allows you to select the level at which the filter will apply (Generic or Dev ice ty pe). The Dev i ce al arms li st shows the al arms t hat can be produced by the device select ed in the com bobox. If Generic is selected, this list displays all possible alarms.
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Bitm aps, located to the lef t of the alar m type names, show the current filter settings as follows:
A green tick indicates that alarms of this type will be shown.
A red cross shows that alarms of this type are hidden.
For hidden alarms, the level at which they are hidden is also shown:
Three stacked boxes represent the Generic level.
A single box represents the Device Type level.
NB: The generic alarm list does not display the status of the filters at device level. An alarm with a green tick on the generic list will not necessarily appear in the Alarm windows.
3.8.2.2 Showing and Hiding alarms
To show or hide a particular alarm type, first selec t the level at which you wish the filter to apply, using the Dev ice combobox. Then select the relev ant alarm type(s) in t he Devi ce alarms l ist, and press t he
Show
or
Hide
button on the left. The bitmap will change to indicat e whether the alarm is shown or hidden. You can select mul ti ple types f rom the li st by using the
Ctrl
and
Shift
keys. By default, no alarm types are filtered.
Suppose you choose to hide the
Connected
alarm at Generic lev el. If you then select, say, G64S in the Dev ic e combobox, you will still see a red cross and three stacked boxes nex t to that alarm type. Now when you show or hide the alarm, the si ngle box bitm ap indicates the Dev ice type filter status. The red cross stays because
overall
, the alarm is
hidden, regardless of the Device type filter setting.
3.8.2.3 Special commands
To show or hide all al arm types for the current Dev ice Type, or for all Devi ce Types, press the
Special
button. This will display the
Special
Alarm Filter Commands
dialogue box, which contains these options.
3.8.2.4 When you have finished
When you have configured the filter you want, press OK or
Enter
to
update the Alarms window. If you do not wish to save the changes, press
Cancel
or
Esc
.
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4 Communications
4.1 This chapter
This chapter deal s with the way PCNC com municates with the dev ices on the network. It explains the difference between local, remote and auxiliary devices, and how to connect to them using the Terminals.
An optional f eatur e of PCNC i s the SNMP li nk, f or use with dev i ces on a TCP/IP network. For details, see Chapter 5.
4.2 Connections
In order to receive alarms and send commands to network devices, PCNC uses both hardware and software connections - ports and Links. The ports are the COM ports on the back of your computer, which connect to the network. Links are internal software components that transfer information between PCNC and the ports.
4.2.1 Local Devices
Devices that communicate directly with your PC (via port sharers and serial li nes) are known as ‘local ’. T hey are c onnected t o the Control port and use the Control Link, which can gather alerts and send commands.
4.2.2 Remote Devices
KBU 64 devices that are not connected in this way can send alert messages to PCNC through ISDN l ines. The messages are forwarded
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by another KBU 64 device which i s connected to an ISDN line and the Remote port of your PC. These ‘remote’ dev ices use the Remote Link, which can only receive information, not send it.
However, PCNC can talk to remote KBU 64 devices as if they were local, by dialling them from local devices. These local devices are known as ‘Talkwire Units’, and are defined in the ‘Talkwire List’.
The diagram below shows a typical arrangement of Local and Remote network devices connected to PCNC.
KBU
KBU
KBU
KBU
Port
Sharer
Command
PCNC
Control Port
Local Network
KBU 64
COMMAND
ALARM
Channel 1
Channel 2
KBU 64
ALARM
Channel 1
Channel 2
KBU
Remote Port
ISDN
Remote Site 1
COMMAND
Remote Site 2
Kilostream LineData Data
Alerts
Backup
Command
Command
Command
Figure 4.1 - Typical local and remote networks
The KBU at Remote Sit e 1 transfer s infor mati on to and f rom the KBU at Remote Site 2 through the Kilostream line on Channel 1. Shoul d this
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line fail, the KBU goes into ‘Backup’ mode and sends the information through the ISDN network instead. This will generate a
Performing
Backup
alert from the Alarm port which is fed into Channel 2. This channel then di als a KBU at t he PCNC site, and sends t he aler t t o it v i a the ISDN network. This KBU then passes the message on to PCNC’s Remote port.
4.2.3 Other Devices
Devices that are not compatible with PCNC can be connected to the Auxiliary port. This allows you to communicate with them using various Terminal emulations, as described in Section 4.4.
4.2.4 Link Disabling
The three Links (Control, Remote, Auxiliary) can be independently enabled and disabled in PCNC.INI (see Chapter 7 -
Configuring
PCNC.INI
). To enable a Li nk, specify the COM port which connects to the relevant network. Conversely, if you have no devices that would connect to a particular port (eg if you are not using remote alarm reporting), the appropriate Link should be disabled.
If you di sable a Li nk, PCNC cannot recei ve inform ati on f rom t he devices that would hav e connected to it, so it cannot process and record their alert messages. In addition, for the Control and Auxiliary Links, the relevant Terminal window will be unavailable. The menu option and toolbar button for the window are then coloured grey, and clicking on them has no effect.
To show the status of the Remote Link, use the
Help | About...
command. It will show if Remote Logging (and therefore the Link) is enabled, disabled, or not working correctly.
4.3 Control Terminal
The Control Terminal is connected to local network devices via the Control Link and the Control Port. It displays all incoming messages, unprocessed, just as they are received at the Control Port.
It also serves as a dumb terminal to allow you to communicate with devi ces on your network. To connect to a network device, click on its entry in t he Network Inspector window and choose the
Direct connect
command from the Network menu or the Network Inspector Speed
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menu. PCNC will then bring up the Contr ol Term inal window and, using the location inf ormation stored in the Network Database, automatically connect to that dev ice. T he name of t he connected dev ice is di splayed in the Ti tle bar. Y ou can then enter com mands at the Control T erminal prompt.
See also Section 4.5 -
Connecting to Network Devices
.
4.4 Auxiliary Terminal
The Auxiliary Terminal window connects to the auxiliary port and is a full-featured terminal offering the following emulations:
TTY
: Dumb Terminal
ANSI
: ANSI Terminal
VT-100
: Dec VT-100 Terminal
VT-52
: Dec VT-52 Terminal
The Auxiliary Terminal is configured in the PCNC.INI file, as described in Chapter 7 -
Configuring PCNC.INI
. The configuration defines which
Terminal Emulation to use, the colour scheme and technical details. The devices connected to the auxiliary port are ones that do not
generate messages in a way that PCNC can use. F or this reason, this window is purely a Term inal Em ulator - i t i s not li nked to the databases and takes no part in alarm processing.
4.5 Connecting to Network Devices
If you wish to send com m ands to a l ocal or rem ot e dev i ce, P CNC al l ows you to do so using the Control Terminal. I t uses the information stored i n the Network Database to provide aut omatic ac c ess to the devi c e. T his is known as ‘Direct Connection’.
4.5.1 Local Direct Connection
To connect to a device, click over its entry in the Network Inspector window, and choose the
Direct connect
command from the Network Menu or the Speed Menu. PCNC will then display the Control T erminal and automatically issue all the necessary commands to access that devi ce. W hen connected, the prom pt in t he Control Term inal shows the Poll num ber of the dev ic e. PCNC look s up this number in the database and, where possible, displays the device’s name in the Title Bar.
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If a dev ice is password protected, t he connection proc ess will time out, allowing you t o enter the password in the Control Termi nal window. Note that the
Direct connect
command will be unable to select the correct
channel in this case.
4.5.2 Remote Direct Connection
PCNC allows you to tal k to Remote KBU dev ices as if they were l ocal, by dialling them from KBUs that
are
local. These local devices are
defined in the ‘Talkwire List’. If a remote device is password protected, you will need to enter a
password when the connection process completes. I f you do not know the password, use the
Direct disconnect
command from the Network
menu or Speed menu. Remote connections feature a ‘timeout’ facility, which automatically
disconnects you f rom the remot e device i f the prom pt is not used for a certain length of time. This period is specified in PCNC.INI.
4.5.3 The Talkwire List
This is a list of all the local KBU channels (known as ‘Talkwire Units’) which have been allocated for use in Remote Direct Connection. Channels defined as Talkwire Units display ‘T w’ in the Locati on field of their entry in the Network Inspector window. Dev ices that hav e one or more channels in the Talkwire List also display ‘Tw’.
When you Direct Connect to a remote dev ice, PCNC tries to establi sh the remot e connection using each unit i n the list in t urn. Typi cally the fir st unit i s av ai labl e and will be used. The program will keep trying unti l it makes the connection or encounters an unrecoverable er ror, such as ‘Remote unit busy’ or ‘I SDN number inv ali d’. You should ensure t hat no devices in the talkwire list are password protected.
Because you can designate any l oc al KBU channel to be a Talkwire Unit, you do not need to set aside a separate device to make this remote connection. Each channel named in the l ist is still available to backup when required, but note that when a Talk wire unit i s being used to m ake a remote direct connection, it will be busy, and unavailable f or normal use as a backup device.
NB: The Remot e Connect and Talkwire List f acilities are currently only available on KBU 64 devices.
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4.5.3.1 Editing the Talkwire List
To examine or modify the Talkwire List, use the
Talkwire List...
command from the Network menu or from the Speed Menu in the Network Inspector or Control Terminal window.
A dialogue box appears, which all ows you to select t he KBU 64 c hannels that the Cabl etron Network Control ler will use to make direct connections to remote devices.
The dialogue box displays two lists of Talkwire Units.
1. On the right hand side, a l ist label led
Available KBUs
shows all the channels of all the local KBUs known to the Cabletron Network Controller.
2. On the lef t hand side, a li st labelled
KBUs used for talkwire cal ls
shows the current contents of the Talkwire List. To add KBU channels to t he Talkwire Li st, select them in t he
Available
KBUs
list by clic king on them, and then press the
Add
button (loc ated
between the two lists). They will now appear in the
KBUs used for
talkwire calls
list.
To help with selec ting the KBU channels, you can use the two butt ons beneath the
Available KBUs
list.
Select All
selects all of the entries;
Clear All
deselects all of the entries.
To remov e one or more unit s from t he Talkwire Li st, fi rst select them in the
KBUs used for talkwire cal ls
list by cl icking on them . Then press
the
Delete
button (located below the
KBUs used for talkwire calls
list).
To empty the Talkwire List completely, pr ess the
Clear All
button located
below the
KBUs used for talkwire calls
list.
Note that when you remove a Talkwire Unit from the Talkwire List, it remains i n the Network Inspector window, but i ts Location f ield changes to show it as a local device.
When you have changed t he details, press
OK
or
Enter
to update the
Talkwire List. If you do not wish to save the changes, press
Cancel
or
Esc
.
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5 The SNMP Link and Chameleon
5.1 This chapter
The SNMP Link is an optional addi ti on to t he basic P CNC soft ware. You do not need to have t he SNMP Link , and you c an skip t his chapt er i f you are not using it. This chapter describes how it works and what it does. I t also contains information on how to set up the TCP/IP support software.
5.2 Overview
This feature allows PCNC to translate alarms into standard SNMP Trap-PDU f ormat. Using separate software (Chamel eon), these traps can be sent via TCP/ IP to a separate NM S or anot her PCNC i nstal lat i on. The SNMP Link can also receiv e traps from Cabletron dev ices over a TCP/IP network. These traps are convert ed into alarm s in the same way as normal alert strings arriving on the Control or Remote Link.
Once install ed, t he soft ware operates in t he backgr ound, and requi res no user input.
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5.3 Requirements
To forward or receive traps using the SNMP Link you will need the following items in addition to the basic requirements:
A Network Interface Card (NIC) or other device suitable for connecting the PCNC computer to your TCP/IP network.
An NDIS driver for the above.
Software to support TCP/IP, called
Chameleon TCP/IP for
Windows (preferably version 4.5 or later)
, by
NetManage
.
PCNC’s SNMP extension software, which is supplied on Disk 3.
5.3.1 NDIS-compliant network interface card
The NIC should be instal led on your PC’s motherboard, to connect the computer to the network.
5.3.2 NDIS driver
The driv er is a piece of software that al lows multiple prot ocol stacks to share a single network int erf ace c ard. I t m ay need to be conf i gured wit h an IRQ number and other information before the card can be used. Refer to the manual supplied with the driver for details.
5.3.3 Chameleon
The
Chameleon T CP/IP for Windows
package from
NetManage
is a group of programs designed to communicate with a wide variety of network systems. This software has integrated SNMP support, and PCNC uses it to transfer traps to and from the TCP/IP network.
The TCP/IP support program is called
Newt
and is loaded up automati cally by PCNC if the SNMP Link i s enabled. If you are using Chameleon earl ier than ver sion 4.5, you may need to run the SNMPD program bef ore you load PCNC, otherwise Newt will not load and you will be unable to use the SNMP Link.
Also incl uded with Cham el eon i s the
FTP
program which you will require
to transfer the
MIB
file to your NMS.
See Section 5.5 for details of how to configure Chameleon.
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5.3.4 PCNC Extensions
The PCNC Extensions are additional files, supplied on Disk 3, that provi de the SNMP Link’s f unctional it y. See Chapter 6 for detai ls of how to install these files.
PCNCSNMP.EXE transfers traps between PCNC and Chameleon, and logs them to the screen or to a text file if required.
The MIB f ile is the M anagement Inf ormation Base, and cont ains all the infor mation needed by an NMS to understand the tr aps it r eceiv es from PCNC. This file should be installed into the NMS you are using.
5.3.4.1 PCNCSNMP.EXE
PCNC automat ically l oads PCNCSNMP.EXE if the SNM P link enabled. From t his program you can c hoose to log inc oming or outgoing traps to the screen or to a text fil e. PCNC will also load the Newt program which is part of the Chameleon package.
Double-click on the PCNC/SNMP icon to bring up the program’s main window. Under the
Logging
menu, select
Options...
To log traps to a
fil e, cli ck on the
Browse...
button, which inv okes the standard fi le open
dialogue box. Select the required f ile and click
OK
. The filename is
then displayed i n the mai n window and you can cl ick on the
Log to File
box. PCNCSNMP adds the new traps to the file - it does not overwrite it. To display the traps on screen, click on the
Log to Display
box and choose the required number of l ines to be stored. W hen thi s number is reached, the oldest traps will be discarded to make room for the new ones. The more lines you have, the m or e r esources the pr ogr am will use and the slower it will run. Any number between 1 and 16000 is valid.
To log outgoi ng/inc omi ng traps, the
Include traps in log
box in t he
Traps
transmitted/received by PCNC
pane should be checked.
If the
Expanded entries
box is checked, PCNCSNMP will display each trap in a v erbose, easy to r ead f ormat requi ring approxi m ately ten lines. If the box is unchecked, the traps are displayed i n a shortened form at that requires only one line.
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The
Return codes
show whether or not PCNC was successful in generating the trap. You can c lear thi s box i f y ou do not need t o see the return codes.
When you exi t PCNC, PCNCSNMP and Newt are closed automat ically. It is possible to close down PCNCSNMP while PCNC is runni ng, but thi s disables the SNMP link. Therefore a dialogue box prompts you for confirmation of this action. It is not possible to close Newt manually.
5.4 How the Traps are sent and received
This diagram shows how traps travel between TCP/IP and PCNC:
NetManage Chameleon
Cabletron Network
Cabletron Alerts
NMS
TCP/IP
NDIS
Driver
NIC
Enterprise-specific TrapsAlerts in Trap format
PCNC
SNMP Traps
PCNCSNMP.EXE
MIB
Disk 3 - SNMP
Extensions
Cabletron Network
Figure 5.1 - The SNMP Link
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Once an alert has been processed by PCNC and conv erted i nt o a trap, i t is sent to PCNCSNMP which in turn passes it on to Chameleon.
The traps are then processed by Chameleon, which comm unicates with the NDIS Driver. Chameleon is configured with information about the NMS such as its IP address, so that i t knows where to send the traps. The Driv er is the interface between Chamel eon and the network card. Finally, the card forwards the traps to the NMS server over TCP/IP.
PCNC can also listen for traps arriv ing from Cabletron dev ices on the TCP/IP network in the same way as it does for the CO M port s. Thi s also requires the SNMP link.
The settings for the sending and receiving of traps are defined in the [SNMP Link] section of PCNC.INI (See section 7.13).
5.5 Installing the Chameleon package
If you are running Windows for Workgroups, check the
Chameleon
Installation on Windows for Workgroups
booklet for information relevant to your installation. This will tell you your choices for installing the Chamel eon package i n Windows for Workgroups. In any case, ref er to the
Chameleon TCP/IP for Windows Installation and User’s Guide
,
and run the Chameleon Setup program. The Setup program will first ask for a serial number and key. It will then
ask you which directory you want it to use for the Chameleon files. Choose the suggested directory of C:\NETMANAG, by just pressing t he
Continue
button. If you have a good reason not to use this directory name, make sure that you choose a name which is different from the PCNC working direct ory, so that the Cham eleon and PCNC f iles do not get mixed up.
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The
Setup
program will then copy the Chameleon fil es to y our c omputer.
When i t has finished, i t will start the
Custom
program, to allow you to confi gure Chameleon f or your computer and net work. This will display the current settings in a window, and allows you to enter details applicabl e to your network, as instruct ed in the
Chameleon T CP/IP for
Windows Installation and User’s Guide
. You will need to supply the
following information:
A name for the Interface
Your NIC type and configuration
The Internet Address of your machine
Your Subnet Mask
Host Name - the name of your computer
Your network’s Domain Name
After this, and prior to sav ing the conf iguration f ile, you shoul d perform the following additional steps, which are not mentioned in the
Chameleon TCP/IP for Windows Installation and User’s Guide
:
Add the IP address of your NMS host to the
Default Destinations
box.
Enter the host name and IP address of the NMS in the
Host Table
dialogue box.
Select the
File
|
Save
command from the
Custom
application’s menu
(as instructed in the
Chameleon T CP/IP fo r Windows Installation and
User’s Guide
). If the
Custom
application is being run automatically
from Chameleon
Setup
, it will prompt you and then exi t Windows and
restart your com puter. If you are runni ng
Custom
manuall y, remem ber to exit Windows and restart your computer to put any changes into effect.
While the computer reboots, check for any error messages during start-up. If you norm all y run the Wi ndows for W orkgroups Network, you may get a ‘Network services have already been started’ error during start-up. If this happens, you may also get a ‘Network has not been started’ message when you start Windows for Workgroups. This is because under some circumstances, Chameleon
Setup
may add a
C:\NETMANAG\NETBIND
command to
AUTOEXEC.BAT
before the
Windows
NET START
comm and. If this happens, you should remov e
the
NETBIND
command from
AUTOEXEC.BAT
using the MS-DOS
EDIT
program, save the changes, and reboot.
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NB: If you later hav e problems which are due to incorrect Chamel eon confi gurati on, you can run t he Cu stom appl icat ion agai n manual ly (f rom the Chamel eon group) to change t he settings. Rem ember that you may need to exit W indows and restart the com puter to put any changes i nto effect.
5.5.1 Test that Chameleon is installed correctly
Use the Chamel eon Ping appli cation t o veri fy com munic ations between your PC and the host on which the NMS is running.
If you have problems, refer to the
Chameleon TCP/IP for Windows
Installation and User’s Guide
and/or the
Chameleon Installation on
Windows for Workgroups
booklet to help you find the cause. Reconfigure as necessary until you are able to see the NMS host reliably.
5.6 Install the MIB into your NMS
PCNC’s MIB file is prov i ded on the S NMP Suppor t Di sk 3. It al l ows your NMS to ident ify the PCNC com puter and the traps it generates. Usi ng Chameleon’s FTP program , transfer thi s file t o your NMS and install it. The installation procedure will vary depending on which NMS you are using.
5.7 The next step
Once Chamel eon and the MIB are installed and worki ng correctly, you will be able to send and receive traps over TCP/IP. You will now need to install PCNC (see next chapter) if you hav e not done so already, and configure the [SNMP Link] section of PCNC.INI (see Section 7.13).
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5.8 The Network Database
PCNC version 0.27 does not prov ide a specific SNMP (as opposed to local/remote) device option for devices on the Network Database. SNMP dev ices should be defined i n the Database as though they were local, allowing PCNC to decode the alerts correctly.
5.9 Trap Format
The
MIB
file describes the SNMP trap format as generated by PCNC
with the
ForwardTrapsToNms
setting in PCNC.INI set to On. With the
ForwardTrapsToPcnc
setting On, PCNC simply encapsulates alert strings in the SNM P trap format . See section 7.13 for det ails of these settings. See section 13.2 for details of the trap formats.
The traps generated by having the
ForwardTrapsToPcnc
setting
On
were used during devel opm ent to assist whil st debugging t he SNMP Link trap reception code. Normally, you should leave this option
Off
.
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6 Installing PCNC
6.1 This chapter
This chapter explains how to install or upgrade the PCNC program.
6.2 Introduction
The PCNC software consists of a num ber of f il es which should be stored in the working directory. This is normally C: \PCNC, but does not have to be. If you use a diff erent directory, substit ute its name whenever you see C:\PCNC mentioned later.
The inf orm at ion i n t his secti on descri bes the correc t way to i nstal l PCNC version 0.27. Newer versions with different installation requirements may appear after this manual has been produced.
PCNC version 0.27 contains an optional feature that allows PCNC to communicate over a TCP/IP network using SNMP traps. This facility requires additional TCP/IP software - for details of how to set this up, please refer to the previous chapter.
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6.3 Requirements
To run the basic PCNC program to rec eive and process alert messages, you will need the Hardware and Software outlined in Section 1.7.
To run the SNMP Link you will also need the following:
An NDIS-compliant network interface card or other device suitable for connecting the PCNC computer to your TCP/IP network.
An NDIS driver for the above.
Software to support TCP/IP, called
Chameleon TCP/IP for
Windows
, by
NetManage
.
PCNC’s SNMP extensions, which are supplied on Disk 3.
6.4 What is on the distribution disks?
The basic PCNC is supplied on 2 disks. The first disk contains
the main PCNC program files (PCNC.EXE and its related DLLs)
a file containing default setup information (PCNC.INI)
the Help file (PCNC.HLP)
Disk 2 contains the Borland
class libraries.
The file
PCNC.DAT
contains information you enter about your networ k,
and is therefore
not
included in the distribution disks. It will be created when you first run PCNC. This file will need to be preser ved during any updates to the program, so make a backup copy of it if you are upgrading.
A default
PCNC.INI
file is shipped with the program, though it will probably need to be altered to run with your network, as described in Chapter 7.
If you will be using the SNMP Link, you should also have a third ‘SNMP extensions’ disk, which contains the optional SNMP files and a
MIB
file
for installation into your NMS.
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6.5 Installing PCNC for the first time
The following diagram shows the steps required to install PCNC both with and without SNMP extensions:
7.6
Create PCNC Program Group and Icon
Configure PCNC.INI without SNMP
Create working directory C:\PCNC
PCNC Installation Guide
Basic
Copy files from
Disks 1 and 2
Copy files from
Disks 1 - 3
Set up Network
Hardware
Install and test
Chameleon
Install
FIVMERE.MIB
Test PCNC
Reconfigure
PCNC.INI for SNMP
Test PCNC with SNMP
SNMP Section
5.5
6.5.3
6.5.3
6.5.5
6.5.6
6.5.7.1
7.13
6.5.7.3
6.5.2
Figure 6.1 - Installation process
6.5.1 Before you start
Check that your PC meets with the requirements in Section 6.3.
Set up the equipment on your Cabletron network.
Chapter 9 -
Equipment setup
contains detai ls of how to conf i gure the
devices to communicate with PCNC.
Connect up the ports as described in Section 7.3.
Optional sections f or the SNMP Link are mark ed with an asteri sk (*)
and can be skipped if you are not using this facility.
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6.5.2 * Set up the TCP/IP Network
If you are using the SNMP Link, you will need to configure the net work to support TCP/IP. If not, skip to section 6.5.3.
6.5.2.1 * Install the Network hardware
If you do not have one already, you will need to install a Network Interface card on your PC. This card should hav e an NDIS (Network Device Interface Specification) driver.
6.5.2.2 * Configure the NDIS driver
This driv er is the soft ware that all ows multi ple prot ocol stac ks to share a single Network Int erf ace c ard. I t m ay need to be configured wit h an IRQ number and other i nf or m ati on bef ore t he card c an be used. Refer t o t he manual supplied with the driver for details.
6.5.2.3 * Install Chameleon
The
Chameleon T CP/IP for Windows
package from
NetManage
is a group of programs designed to communicate with a wide variety of network systems. This software allows PCNC to communicate ov er a TCP/IP network, and it contains integrated SNMP support. See Section 5.5 for details of how to set it up.
6.5.3 Install the files
Create a new directory (the ‘working direc tory’, usual ly cal led
C:\PCNC
)
where all the application's files will be stored. Copy all the files from the distribution Disks 1 and 2 to the working
directory.
6.5.3.1 * Install the optional SNMP extensions
If you are using the SNMP Link, you will also need to copy the files f rom the SNMP ex tensions disk int o your worki ng di rectory. These ex tension files allow PCNC to communicate with
Chameleon
.
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6.5.4 Customise PCNC.INI
Refer to Chapter 7 -
Configuring PCNC.INI
. Leave the SNMP Link disabled f or now, ev en if you are int ending to use i t lat er. Thi s makes i t easier to check that PCNC is working properly.
6.5.5 Create the Windows icon
Switch to the P rogram Manager and choose the
File | New...
comm and
to create an icon and, if required, a program group for PCNC.
6.5.6 Configure and test PCNC
Make the necessary connecti ons to your c omputer ’s COM ports f or y our Control, Remote and Auxiliary Links.
Wi t h the SNM P Li nk di sabled i n PCNC.I NI, run PCNC and watch for any warning or error messages. If PCNC is not working correctly, exi t the program, check the setup of PCNC.INI and make sure that al l the fil es listed earlier are stored in the working directory.
If i t l oads without troubl e, use the
Help | About...
comm and to v erif y t he
status of the SNMP and Remote Links. If you are connected to local devices, try using the Control Terminal
window to poll them.
6.5.7 * Enable the SNMP Link
Once the basic PCNC i s working correctl y, you can enable the SNMP Link. Skip this section if you are not using SNMP.
6.5.7.1 * Install the MIB
A MIB fi le is supplied with PCNC to defi ne the com puter t o any NMS. I t comes on Disk 3 with t he SNMP ex t ensions. Ref er to your NMS m anual for information on how to install it. You will probably need to use the Chameleon FTP program to transfer this file to your NMS computer.
6.5.7.2 * Re-configure PCNC.INI
Exit PCNC and edit the [SNMP Link] section of PCNC.INI, as descri bed in Chapter 7.
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6.5.7.3 * Test PCNC with SNMP
Restart PCNC, and again watch for any warnings or error messages. The PCNC Main window will appear, and you should also see t he icons for
PCNCSNMP.EXE
and for the Chameleon
Newt
.
Select the
Help | About...
command from PCNC’s menu bar. A dialogue box containing status information will appear, and should confirm that the SNMP Link is enabled.
Check your NMS - if ev erythi ng is working correct ly, you should be abl e to see that a warm-start trap has arrived.
6.5.8 Enter the Network information
Once PCNC is working cor rect ly , you c an enter det ai ls of y our Cablet ron network. Please refer to Chapter 8 -
The Network Database
, for details.
6.6 Upgrading to a newer version of PCNC
If you have been runni ng a previous version of PCNC, you will have two fil es customised to run with your network -
PCNC.INI
and
PCNC.DAT
. Before you start, you shoul d m ake a backup c opy of t hese fi l es, because they cannot be replaced easily if you accidentally damage them.
6.6.1 Copying the files
The new fil es should be copied i nto the directory i n which your c urrent version of PCNC is stored. You need to preserve
PCNC.INI
and
PCNC.DAT
during the installation, but all other files can be overwritten.
Move
PCNC.INI
and
PCNC.DAT
to a backup directory.
Copy everything from the new disks into the working directory.
Copy
PCNC.DAT
back to the working directory.
6.6.2 Updating the PCNC.INI file
PCNC always comes with a new defaul t
PCNC.INI
fil e, which you should
use with the new program. You can refer to your old
PCNC.INI
fil e when you conf i gure t he new one, as many of the option settings will be exactly the same. Either print it out, or open both files with a text editor and use the
Cut and paste
facility. Leave the SNMP Link disabled, ev en i f y ou int end to use i t, unti l
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you have the program running properly. Refer to Chapter 7 -
Configuring
PCNC.INI
for details, and copy any unchanged settings into the new
PCNC.INI. Once you have done this, carry out the steps outlined in Section 6.5.6
and, if applicable, Section 6.5.7 to test that PCNC is working correctly.
6.7 Drivers
Versions of PCNC before 0.27 required the use of a separate Device Driver DLL file for each device type PCNC needed to recognise. Version 0.27 no longer r equires these fi les, and they can be deleted from your working direc tory . T he f i les are sim pl y nam ed after t he devi ce type they supported eg KBU64.DLL.
If you ar e edit i ng your ol d PCNC. INI f i le t o produce one f or version 0.27, you should delete t he [Device dri vers] section and the Device= entries within it. Much of the [SNM P Link] section i s also obsolete. Any entries that do not appear in this manual can be deleted.
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7 Configuring PCNC.INI
7.1 This chapter
This chapter deal s with confi guring the PCNC.I NI fi le and setting up t he COM ports. PCNC’s online help contains all the inform ation about how to set up this f i le. PCNC will run with the default PCNC.INI file, so once you have c opied the di sks into the worki ng direct ory, you can r un PCNC and use the
Help
comm and to f i nd out how to set up PCNC to work wit h your network. The information is the same as in this manual , but you may find it more convenient in Help format.
Setting up t he TCP /I P network f or the opt ional SNM P l ink is dealt wit h in detail by Chapter 5.
7.2 Introduction
The PCNC.INI file contai ns readable text that def ines the conf iguration of various elements of the PCNC program, such as which Auxiliary Termi nal emul ator t o use, or which CO M port to use f or t he Contr ol Li nk. It does not contain inf ormation gathered by the program itself, like the Alarm or Network Databases (this data is stored in the file PCNC.DAT).
PCNC.INI is stored with the other PCNC f iles in the working di rectory, and is read by PCNC when you start t he program . A defaul t PCNC.I NI file is supplied on the distribution disks. This file is unlikely to correspond to the system y ou wish to run, but t he entries will be in the correct format and can be used as templates.
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7.3 Connecting the ports
The three non-SNMP Links defined in PCNC - Control, Remote and Auxiliary - are configured in three separate sections of PCNC.I NI. Each Link you use will have a corresponding COM port on t he PC. A Link can be used to send commands to devic es from a T er minal , or gather alar ms from the network. Different Links provide different facilities, as shown in the following table:
Link name Port name Terminal Alarms Commands
Control Control
9
9
9
9
9
9
Remote Remote
8
8
9
9
8
8
Auxiliary Auxiliary
9
9
8
8
9
9
7.3.1 COM Ports
In order to receive alarms from non-SNMP devices, you must have either a Control Link, a Remote Link or both. The Auxiliary Link is optional. For each Link you pl an to use, you will need a serial port on your comput er. Under
Microsoft
Windows
, serial ports are named COM1, COM2, COM3 and COM 4. To recei v e alarm s ov er TCP/ IP, you need a Network Interf ace Car d, T CP/I P sof tware and the opt ional SNMP Link (see Chapter 5).
Most PCs have eit her one or two serial ports, but you will need three if you plan to use all of P CNC’s Links. If necessary, y ou can increase t he number of ports by adding an expansion card.
You also need to ident ify which port is COM1, whic h one is COM 2 etc, so that you can make the correct connections to your network.
When t hi s is done, you can set up t he INI f i l e, as described i n t he rest of this chapter. Details of each entry can also be found in the on-line help.
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7.4 Format of the PCNC.INI File
The PCNC.INI fi le contai ns several secti ons, each of whic h consists of a group of related settings. The sections and settings are listed in the PCNC.INI file in the following format:
[section name] option=value
The option must be followed immediately by an equals sign and the value, with no spaces in the entry. Where the value is a string or a filename, you can use any combination of upper and lower case letters.
7.5 Changing the PCNC.INI settings
To change the val ues of the setti ngs, open the PCNC.INI f il e and edit it using a text editor, such as Notepad. It is a good idea to make a backup copy of t he PCNC.INI fi le before you edi t it. O nce you have m ade the changes, save the new PCNC.INI file and run PCNC.
PCNC only reads PCNC.INI when it loads, so if you changed the configuration while it was running, you will need to restart the program.
7.6 Configuring PCNC.INI
When you are configuring PCNC.INI, you will need to do the following:
Choose which Links you need.
Decide which physical serial port each will use. You may need to
add ports if you plan to use all three serial links.
Find out which COM port applies to which serial socket.
Edit PCNC.INI to set up the Port definitions.
Edit PCNC.INI to set the required SNMP settings (if any).
You may also wish to change the preferences for the Audible
warning, Terminal emulation etc.
The default values for the other entries are optimised for P CNC - there is no need to change these.
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7.7 Settings
In this chapter, the syntax, default value, and purpose of each setting appear in the following format:
SettingName=<value>
Default : The default val ue for this setting. This value i s used if the
setting is not pr esent in your PCNC.I NI fi le, or if the specified
value is invalid. Purpose: The function of the setting and its valid options. Some settings will only take a certain range of integers, between a
pre-defi ned maxim um and minimum val ue. If you enter a value that is too high, PCNC will use the maximum value. If you enter one that is too low, PCNC will use the minimum value. The range for each setti ng is indicat ed where appropriate i n the following secti ons and in the on-li ne help.
7.8 [Control Link]
All settings in this section are required for PCNC to connect to Local devi ces. I f you have no Local dev i ces to c onnect, no setti ngs other t han
Port
are required. I n thi s case, no other opti ons in t his secti on hav e any effect, and do not need to appear in the f ile. However , you c an still keep the settings in the file for reference if you are likely to reinstate the Control Link in the future.
7.8.1 Port=<name>:<rate>,<parity>,<data bits>,<stop bits>
Default:
None
Purpose: Specifies the COM port used for the Cont r ol Link . I f
None
is specified, the Link is disabled. You should disable the Link if you have no local devices to connect to PCNC.
The recommended setting is
Port=COMx:9600,n,8,1
.
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7.8.2 LineCount=<integer>
Default:
24
Purpose: This entry controls the number of lines that appear in the
Control Ter minal window. T he val ue of LineCount can be between 24 and 128. Change the setting i f you need to see more than 24
lines of history in the Control Terminal window.
7.8.3 RxQueueSize=<integer>
Default:
512
Purpose: This entry defines the number of characters which can be
stored in the Control Link queue, ready to be processed. The Cabletron Network Controller temporarily queues incoming characters if it is busy processing another task.
The value of RxQueueSize can be between 256 and 32767. NB: Values greater than 512 can cause problems with the
Windows COM Driver if used with the 16550 UART, and should not be set if you are using this Driver.
7.8.4 TxQueueSize=<integer>
Default:
4096
Purpose: This entry sets the size of a queue used to hold outgoing
characters f or the Control Link. The v alue of TxQueueSize can be between 256 and 32767.
7.8.5 Handshaking=<boolean>
Default:
Off
Purpose: Specifies whether or not Contr ol Li nk handshaki ng should be
used. Valid entries are
On
and
Off
.
The Control Link handshaking feature helps to protect the Control Link against overloading under high levels of alarm traffic. Without it, if PCNC receives a stream of alerts faster than it can process them, alarm data will be lost. By default, handshaking is disabled, to retain compatibility with previous versions.
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When enabled, the handshaking scheme is designed to operate with PCNC connected to the Master port of a Cabletron port sharer (PSV). For additional details including cabling requirements, see Chapter 14.
7.8.6 DirectConnectTimeout=<integer>
Default:
120
Purpose: Specifies the delay (in seconds) that a direct connecti on can
be left online and inactive before the Cabletron Network Controll er automatical ly disconnects it. T he entry can take any value in the range 30 to 3600.
7.9 [Auxiliary Link]
All setti ngs in this section are required f or PCNC to connect to Auxiliary devi ces. Only the
Port
entry is requi red if you do not need to use the
Auxiliary Link. Some of the entri es in thi s secti on hav e a form at i denti cal t o those in t he
[Control Li nk] section. These are:
Port, LineCount, RxQueueSize
and
TxQueueSize
. Their def ault values, range of v alues and purpose are the same, but apply to the Auxiliary Terminal, rather than to local connections and the Control Terminal.
Only the settings that apply specifically to the Auxiliary Link are described here, but you must still have an entry for
Port, LineCount
,
RxQueueSize
and
TxQueueSize
in the [Auxiliary Link] section in order to use it. Of course, if you are using more than one Link, you must nominate a different
Port
name for each one.
7.9.1 ColumnCount=<integer>
Default:
80
Purpose: This entry specifies the number of columns which the
Auxiliary Terminal window will use. The value of
ColumnCount
can be between 40 and 256.
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7.9.2 Emulation=<string>
Default:
TTY
Purpose: Tells the Auxiliary Terminal window which type of term i nal to
emulate. Valid entries are:
ANSI, VT52, VT100,
and
TTY
.
7.9.3 BreakHandling=<boolean>
Default:
On
Purpose: The BreakHandling entry specifies whether the Cabletron
Network Controller gener ates the li ne break condi tion. Vali d entries are
On
and
Off
.
If BreakHandling is turned off, line breaks are not generated. If it is turned on, line breaks occur for a period of time (decided by the BreakLength entry) when you press Ctrl-Break or Ctrl-C.
7.9.4 BreakLength=<integer>
Default:
500
Purpose: Specifies the duration (in milliseconds), of the line break.
This entry can t ake any val ue between 55 and 20000, and is ignored if BreakHandling is set to
Off
.
7.9.5 Handshaking=<string>
Default:
XonXoff
Purpose: Specifies which Handshaking scheme to use for the Auxiliary
Link. Valid entries are
None, DtrDsr, RtsCts
and
XonXoff
.
7.9.6 ForegroundColour=<integer>
Default:
-1
Purpose: Controls the foreground colour used by the Auxiliary
Terminal. The value of each entry can be -1 or a value between 0 and 15.
The value of -1 causes the Cabletron Network Controller to choose a default colour that depends on the Emulation
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setting. For the TTY, ANSI and VT-52 emulations, this is 0 (Black). For the VT-100 emulation, it is 15 (White).
The colour values are interpreted as follows:
0
Black
8
Dark grey
1
Dark blue
9
Blue
2
Dark green
10
Green
3
Dark cyan
11
Cyan
4
Dark red
12
Red
5
Dark magenta
13
Magenta
6
Dark yellow
14
Yellow
7
Light grey
15
White
7.9.7 BackgroundColour=<integer>
Default:
-1
Purpose: Controls the background colour used by the Auxiliary
Terminal. The value of each entry can be -1 or a value between 0 and 15.
The value of -1 causes the Cabletron Network Controller to choose a default colour that depends on the Emulation setting. For the TTY, ANSI and VT-52 emulations, this is 15 (White). For the VT-100 emulation, it is 0 (Black).
The colour values correspond to the same colours as for the
ForegroundColour
entry.
7.9.8 TranslateBackspace=<boolean>
Default:
Off
Purpose: Makes the keys
Del
and
Backspace
produce the sam e Hex code (7F) if you are using the VT-100 terminal emulation. Valid entries are
On
or
Off
.
7.10 [Remote Link]
This section cont ains only two entries,
Port
and
RxQueueSize
. These are identical in form to the entries in the Control and Auxiliary Link sections, but appl y to devi ces on the Remote port. A gain, you need to specify a port name that is not being used by another Link.
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7.11 [Device Drivers]
This section was used in PCNC before version 0.27. It is no longer needed and should not appear in PCNC.INI.
7.12 [Options]
Any entries that do not have their own section will be in the miscellaneous [Options] section.
7.12.1 AudibleWarningButton=<boolean>
Default:
Available
Purpose: Enables or disables the command to toggle the Audible
warning. Valid entries are
Available
and
Unavailable
.
If
Unavailable
is specified, PCNC prevents you from turning the Audible warning off and on. The Alarms | Audible warning command and its toolbar button are then coloured grey, and clicking on them will have no effect.
You can use this behaviour to set the Audible warning to ‘always sounds’ or ‘never sounds’. Select the desired setting while the command is enabled, then disable it in PCNC.INI and re-load the program.
7.12.2 ContinuousAudibleWarning=<boolean>
Default:
On
Purpose: Contr ols the operation of the Audibl e warning. Vali d entries
are
On
or
Off
.
The Audible warning is activated by new alarms. It remains active until all alarms are acknowledged, or until it is turned off using the Alarms | Audible warning command.
When it is active, the Audible warning sounds continuously if this option is
On
.
If the option is
Off
, the Audible Warning sounds continuously for the first minute, after which it sounds once every minute. After five minutes, it sounds every three minutes.
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7.12.3 AlarmLogging=<boolean>
Default:
On
Purpose: Contr ols PCNC’s recording of al arm s in t he Al arm Database.
Valid ent ri es are
On
and
Off
. When the opti on is set to
Off
,
no alarms are di splayed or stored. To run PCNC norm ally,
AlarmLogging
should be
On
.
If you are using PCNC’s SNMP Link to forward alarms to an NMS, you may wish to prevent PCNC storing the alarms it receives. This eliminates the need to archive the Alarm Database. For details of this feature, see Chapter 5.
7.12.4 MinutesBetweenSaves=<integer>
Default:
5
Purpose: Specifies how often (in minutes) PCNC should save the
Alarm Database, Network Database, filters etc to the PCNC.DAT file. This setting can take any value between 5 and 1440.
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7.13 [SNMP Link]
This section tells the Cabletron Network Controller whether to use the optional SNMP Link (see Chapter 5), and only applies if you are using the SNMP extensions. It also specifies miscellaneous configuration options for the Link. If you are not using SNMP, ignore this section.
7.13.1 ForwardTrapsToNms=<boolean>
Default:
Off
Purpose: Controls whether PCNC sends traps to a higher level
Network Management System (NMS). When thi s setting is
On
, PCNC forwards alarms as SNMP traps with a specifi c trap number for each alarm, as described by the MIB file supplied on Disk 3. This is the normal use of the SNMP Link, and corresponds to the
Server=On
setting in the
[SNMP Link] section of PCNC.INI in PCNC version 0.26.
7.13.2 ForwardTrapsToPcnc=<boolean>
Default:
Off
Purpose: Contr ols whether PCNC f orwards alarms as tr aps to anot her
copy of PCNC. When this setting is
On
, PCNC forwards alarms as SNMP traps, simulating Cabletron devices on a TCP/IP net work. These traps can be understood by anot her copy of PCNC running with its SNMP Link set to receive traps. See section 13.2
for detail s of the trap for mat that i s
used.
7.13.3 ReceiveTraps=<boolean>
Default:
Off
Purpose: This setting controls whether or not PCNC listens for alert
messages arriving as SNMP traps on the TCP/IP network.
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7.13.4 TrapTxOidPcnc=<Group object identifier>
Default: 1.3.6.1.4.1.233 Purpose: Every SNMP trap contains an Object ID Number that
identifies the type of object from which it originated. The
TrapTxOidPcnc
setting tel ls PCNC which OID t o use when
generating traps to be forwarded to another copy of PCNC.
7.13.5 TrapTxOidNms=<Group object identifier>
Default: 1.3.6.1.4.1.233 Purpose: Similar to the previous entry, this OID is used when
generating traps to be sent to an NMS.
7.13.6 TrapRxOid=<Group object identifier>
Default: 1.3.6.1.4.1.233 Purpose: PCNC l ooks f or t his num ber i n any i ncom i ng tr aps. If P CNC
receives a trap that does not start with this number, it will discard the trap, regardless of its content.
7.13.7 NamesInTraps=<Boolean>
Default:
On
Purpose: PCNC can incl ude devi ce names (as stored in the Network
Database) in SNMP traps if requi red. The
NamesInTraps
entry controls whether or not it does so.
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8 The Network Database
8.1 This chapter
This chapter deals with the Network Dat abase - how to define it , how it i s used and what each entry means.
8.2 The Role of the Network Database
Inform ation about the dev ices on your network i s stored in the Network Database. Each device has an entry in the database containing every thing PCNC needs to know in order to connect to it and process its alert messages. Current status informati on received from the network itself is also stored. The contents of the database are display ed in the Network Inspector window.
Each devi ce is identifi ed, both internall y and by PCNC, using a unique Poll number. However, PCNC all ows you to assign a unique
name
to each device in the database. This could be its location eg ‘Glasgow Depot’ or anythi ng else that will make it obvious which device it is. Once the dev ice i s defined i n thi s way, PCNC ref ers to it by name rather than by its Poll number, making network supervision much easier.
This database is stored within PCNC, but is saved periodically (at interv als defined in PCNC.INI) to a disk f ile called PCNC.DAT. W hen you exit the pr ogram , t he l atest version of t he database is sav ed. When you reload, PCNC automat ically r eads the database back from t his fil e. It is a good idea to keep a safe backup of this file to ensure that
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information about your network is not lost if the file is accidentally damaged or deleted.
8.2.1 Alert Processing
Each time an alert message is received, P CNC looks up the Poll number of the dev ice that sent i t and extracts all its details from the database. PCNC can then decode the message and display it as an alarm. The complete process is described in Chapter 3 -
Alarms and Filters
.
8.2.2 Communicating with the Network
The details of Direct Connection to the Network are dealt with in Section 4.5 -
Connecting to Network Devices
. Here, it will be sufficient
to introduce the significance of the Network Database in this operation. Since network devi ces hav e unique nam es, r ather t han m eani ngless Poll
numbers, it is muc h easier to connect to them using PCNC than using a dumb Termi nal. All you have to do is look f or the name of t he device you want in the Network Inspector window, click on it, and choose the
Direct connect
command. PCNC will then automatically make the connection, using the P oll num ber stor ed in t he dat abase. You can t hen send commands using the Cont rol Ter m inal , whic h will display the name of the polled device in its Title Bar.
PCNC also allows you to talk to remot e KBU64 devic es as if they were local, by dialli ng them from KBUs defined i n the ‘Talkwir e List’. Again, PCNC will connect automatically from the Network Inspector window. See section 4.5.2 -
Remote Direct Connection
for more details.
8.3 The Network Inspector window
The Network Inspector window is used to modify or exam ine the Network Database. When the program is first i nstalled, t he window shows that the network has no devices (see section 8.4 -
Defining the Database
).
Ever y devi ce defi ned in the database occupi es one or more li nes in the Network Inspector window. Each line combines a stored device description with current status information, allowing you to tell at a glance the current state of the network. These entri es can be sorted by one or more of the following categories: Poll number, Device name, Device type, Current status and ‘Alarmed’ (which means it has an unacknowledged alarm).
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The status of each dev ice is shown in v arious ways, depending on the device type. For example, if a KBU 64 is online it is marked with a cross. For a KMUX, a cross means the l ink is down. It is possible to clear the status of a device or its channels by selecting the devi ce/channel in the Network Inspector window and then choosing the
Network | Reset device status
command.
8.3.1 Meaning of the Network Inspector Fields
Alarm Indicator: If the device has unacknowledged alarms, this
fiel d shows a flashing pink symbol, otherwise the symbol is static grey.
Status: This field displays device dependent status
information. See the ‘Net work Inspector window’ topic in the on-line help for details.
Address: Shows the poll and channel num ber of the dev i ce,
which must be unique. Device Type: Shows the device’s product name. Name: This shows the device’s name (must be unique). Location: Shows if the dev ice is local, in the Tal kwire List,
remote, or SNMP, and whether a connect ion is in
progress. ISDN Number: This is the number used to dial a remote device.
These fields are all fully described in the on-line help.
8.3.2 Independent Channel Naming
This feature (not avail able on all Dev ice Ty pes) allows di ff er ent channels on the same device to be identified separately. For instance, if you have a device with two channels which are used f or different purposes, you may want to reflect that in the channel names.
Each named channel has it s own entry i n t he Network Inspector window, in addition to the entry for the devi ce. Note that these entries will not necessarily appear toget her in the window - depending on the sort order defined, channels and devices with the same Poll number may be spread throughout the display. To show independent channels next to
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their dev i ce, sort on Pol l num ber using the
Sort order...
comm and from
the Network menu, the Network Inspector Speed menu or the toolbar. Alarm s generat ed by independently named channels displ ay the name of
the channel, not the dev ice, i n the ‘Devi ce name’ f ield of the Alar m Log windows. However, if any one channel is ‘Al armed’, the al arm symbol flashes beside all the entries for the device and its channels in the Network Inspector window.
8.4 Defining the Database
There are a number of guidelines you will need to observe when setting up devices if you want PCNC to comm unicate with them . This is dealt with in Chapter 9,
Equipment setup
.
8.4.1 Adding an entry
PCNC’s Network Database needs an entry for each network device. Entries are added or m odified using the Network Inspector window, so make that the cur rentl y ac ti ve window. To add a devic e, select the
New
device...
command from the Network menu, the Speed menu or the
toolbar. This brings up the
New Network Device
dialogue box.
This box allows you to enter the following information:
The type of device you are adding, ie its product name.
A unique Poll number to associate with that device. The device must also be set up with the same number.
A unique name to assign to the device, eg ‘Stuttgart’.
You can also add comments about the device.
For devices that support these features, you can also define:
Whether the device is Remote or not, and if so, its ISDN number.
Names for the separate channels of the device.
Once you have f illed thi s in, you can select
OK
and the defi nition goes into the Net work Database to be stored in PCNC. DAT. Cont inue addi ng new devices in this way until you have a definition for all of them.
If you ar e using the SNMP Li nk, add t he dev ices on the TCP /IP net work as though they were local devices.
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8.4.1.1 Comments
The comments you add are only visible when you call up the
Edit
network d evice
dialogue box and do not appear elsewhere. You can include anything you may find useful here - reference numbers, telephone numbers, locations in racks, etc.
8.4.1.2 Remote addressing
Devi ces that can be accessed ov er an I SDN l i ne hav e an ex t ra ‘Rem ote’ checkbox in the ‘Hardware and location’ section of the
Add/Edit
network d evice
dialogue box . If this i s checked, an additional f ield is displayed, all owing you to enter the ISDN number of the dev ice. T hese devi ces can then be accessed via l ocal devi ces in the talkwir e list ( see Section 4.5.2 for details).
8.4.1.3 Channel Naming
If a devi ce that supports this f eature i s select ed in t he ‘Produc t’ f i el d, y ou will see a ‘Name Channels Independent ly’ check box below the Dev ice Name. If thi s is tic ked, ex tra box es are displayed i n which you can t ype a name f or each channel, which must be uni que. In this case, alarms display the name of the channel, not the device, they came from.
If you do not want to name the channels separatel y, click on the check box to cl ear i t. In t hi s case, all al arm s f or the c hannels or t he dev i ce ar e reported with the same device name.
8.4.2 Modifying the Database
If you make a mistake or wish to update a definition with new infor mati on, select the rel ev ant dev ice i n t he Network Inspector window. You can then either edit or delete it using the menus or toolbar buttons.
If you c hoose
Edit...
you are presented with the
Edit Network Device
dialogue box. It is just the same as the one you used to add the definition in the first place, except that it al r eady c ontains values. T hese, of course, are t he val ues you specifi ed when you created the defini tion. Change the ones you want and choose
OK
. Any values you did not disturb will stay as they were. For more details on exactly which options, toolbar buttons and keystrokes perform which functions, see Chapter 10 -
Commands
.
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9 Equipment setup
9.1 This chapter
This chapter tells you how to set up the equipment in your net work to work with PCNC. Read this only if you need to set up new equipment.
9.2 Introduction
Most Cabletron devices have various settings that may need to be configured before they can communicate with PCNC. This section describes the PCNC-compatible options for Cabletron products.
In all pr oducts the c om m and port will need to conf igur ed with a dat a rate of 9600, no parity, 1 stop bit and 8 data bits.
Equipment direct ly connected (or via a port sharer network) must hav e its comm and port set up as in the following secti ons. Pl ease consult the individual product manuals for details of how to achieve these settings.
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9.3 KBU 64
Polling needs to be turned on and the Poll number used must be the same as the entry for that device in the Network Database.
To set up a KBU64 f rom the factor y default setti ngs, you need to t ype the following commands:
SET POLL xxxxx SET LOG ALERT SET CONSOLE POLL
In the f irst comm and,
xxxxx
is the required pol l number for the dev ice.
When this is done, the KBU can send ALERTs to PCNC.
9.4 Cabletron Generic Shelf Products
To receiv e alarms in all Generic Shelf products, the GSMC must hav e ALERTs enabled in the Command Port Menu (the default setting).
Every applicat ion card must also have ALERTs enabled in the Alarm s menu (thi s is also a default sett ing). All ALERTs will then be routed to the GSMC command port for output to PCNC.
9.5 Other Cabletron Products
Polli ng needs to be enabled in each product and the Pol l number used must be the same as the entry for that device in the Network Database.
ALERTs must be enabled in the relevant menu of each product.
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10 Commands
10.1 This chapter
This chapter briefly describes each of PCNC’s commands. All comm ands are available from the menu bar, and many are also found as icons on the toolbar. The commands are listed in the order that they appear in the m enus, together with a descripti on of where they can be found.
10.2 General
A menu is a group of rel ated com mands. The m enu ti tles are displayed in the Title Bar at the top of the Main W indow. When you click on a menu, the commands are listed underneath.
All the commands can be accessed from the menus using either the mouse or the keyboard. Some commands can al so be accessed from the Toolbar.
If a com m and requires f urther i nfor mati on to be enter ed, such as dev ice information or filenames, it will be followed by an ellipsis (...). These commands bring up a dialogue box allowing you to enter the information.
10.3 Help
A brief description of each command i s shown in the status bar as you prepare to select the command with the mouse. To see examples of
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this, plac e the mouse cursor over a toolbar button, or pop up a menu and drag the selection over the menu commands.
The on-line help also gives information about these commands. To obtain help, press Shift -F1, and the cursor will change shape. Select a command, and help will appear for that command.
The format of each entry in this chapter is:
10.x Menu | Command
Purpose: A description of what the command does. *Toolbar button: Shows the icon that repr esents the comm and on the
toolbar.
Menu keys: Tells you which k ey s to pr ess if you want to access a
comm and using the keyboard. T hese are the same letters as are underl ined in the heading. To invoke a comm and, press
Alt
, then the
Menu
letter, then the
Command
letter. For example, to add a new device
you could type
Alt, N, N
. It does not matter about
capitals.
*Speed Menu: Specifies a window. If you click the right mouse
button ov er this window, you will see a menu from which you can select the command. This may be easier than using the keys or the menu bar.
*To enable: Some commands may not be availabl e at all tim es
because they depend on another part of the program. A ny condi ti ons on using the com m and wil l be explained in this paragraph.
*
These entries may not be included if the command
has no toolbar button
is not accessible from a Speed Menu
is always enabled
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10.4 Network | New device...
Purpose: Adds a new device to the network. Use this
command to define your network devices in the Network Database. A dialogue box appears, allowing you to enter the details for the new device.
Toolbar button: Menu keys: Alt-N + N Speed Menu: Network Inspector window. To enable: Select the Network Inspector window.
10.5 Network | Edit device...
Purpose: Edits the settings for the selected device. A
dialogue box, similar to the New device dialogue box, allows you to modify the device’s details.
Toolbar button: Menu keys: Alt-N + E Speed Menu: Network Inspector window. To enable: Select the Network Inspector window, and click on
the device you wish to edit.
10.6 Network | Delete device
Purpose: Removes the selected device from the Network
Database. A message box asks you for confirmat ion before the device is deleted.
Toolbar button: Menu keys: Alt-N + L Speed Menu: Network Inspector window. To enable: Select the Network Inspector window, and click on
the device you wish to delete.
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10.7 Network | Sort order...
Purpose: Inv ok es a di alogue box that allows you to specif y the
order in which network dev ices are display ed in the Network Inspector window.
Toolbar button: Menu keys: Alt-N + S Speed Menu: Network Inspector window. To enable: Select the Network Inspector window.
10.8 Network | Reset device status
Purpose: Clears the status of the selected device to ‘Status
unknown’. Menu keys: Alt-N + R Speed Menu: Network Inspector window. To enable: Selec t from t he Network Inspector window a dev ice
showing status information.
10.9 Network | Device alarm log
Purpose: Creates a new window to display al arms that hav e
been generated by the device selected in the
Network Inspector window.
Toolbar button: Menu keys: Alt-N + A Speed Menu: Network Inspector window. To enable: Select the Network Inspector window, and click on
the dev ice f or which you would l ike t o see alarm l og
information.
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10.10 Network | Talkwire list...
Purpose: Lets you view and edit the list of KBU64 devices
which have been nominated to act as Talkwire Uni ts.
These units are local devi ces which are used by the
Direct Connect
facility to communicate with remote
devices. See Section 4.5.3 for details. Menu keys: Alt-N + T Speed Menu: Network Inspector window, Control Terminal window. To enable: Always enabled, but you must have at least one
local KBU device in the Network Database to use
the Talkwire List.
10.11 Network | Direct connect
Purpose: Opens the Control Terminal window and issues all
the commands necessary to connect to a network
device. See also Section 4.5. Menu keys: Alt-N + C Speed Menu: Network Inspector window. To enable: Activate the Network Inspector window and select
the dev ice to which you wish to connec t. For direct
connection, the Control Link must be enabled in
PCNC.INI, and the Control port must be available.
10.12 Network | Direct disconnect
Purpose: Breaks the Control Terminal connection to the
currently connected device. Menu keys: Alt-N + D Speed Menu: Network Inspector window, Control Terminal window. To enable: Enabled whenever a device is connected.
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10.13 Network | Exit
Purpose: Saves all data and exits the Cabletron Network
Controller.
Toolbar button: Menu keys: Alt-N + X, Alt-F4
10.14 Alarms | Filter...
Purpose: Invokes the filter dialogue box, allowing you to set
filters for the currently active Alarm window. The
fil t er prevents specif i ed al arm s f r om bei ng displ ayed
in the window, though they remain in the Alarm
Database. See Section 3.8 for details.
Toolbar button: Menu keys: Alt-A + F Speed Menu: Any window that displays alarms except the
Unacknowledged Alarms window. To enable: Select any window that displays alarms except the
Unacknowledged Alarm s window. Thi s window does
not have a filter, and always shows all
unacknowledged alarms for all devices.
10.15 Alarms | Acknowledge
Purpose: Acknowledges the selected alarms.
Toolbar button: Menu keys: Alt-A + A or double-click on the alarm. Speed Menu: Any window that displays alarms. To enable: Select one or more unacknowledged alarms from
any window that displays alarms. See also
Section 2.8.
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10.16 Alarms | Audible warning
Purpose: Enables or disables the audible warning which
sounds whenever there are unacknowledged alarms.
Toolbar button: Menu keys: Alt-A + W Speed Menu: Any window that displays alarms. To enable: Ensure that the AudibleWarningButton entry in the
[Options] section PCNC.INI is set to ‘Available’.
10.17 Alarms | Save to archive file...
Purpose: Clears the contents of the current Alarm Database
and saves it t o a .LOG f ile. The comm and inv okes
a dialogue box which allows you to specify the
filename of the log.
Toolbar button: Menu keys: Alt-A + S Speed Menu: Any window that displays alarms. To enable: You can archiv e the Alarm Dat abase if i t cont ains at
least one alarm, and all alarms are acknowledged.
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10.18 Alarms | Inspect archive file...
Purpose: Creates an Archived Alarm Log window, which
displays the contents of a .LOG file. When you
select thi s command, P CNC prompts you to specif y
the filename of the log you wish to see. This
information is separate from the Alarm Database,
and does not interf ere with t he normal processing of
alarms.
Toolbar button: Menu keys: Alt-A + I Speed Menu: Any window that displays alarms.
10.19 Alarms | Export alarm database...
Purpose: Saves the contents of the c urrent Al arm Database to
a file in a comma-separated vari able format (
*.CSV
),
which can be read by other applications such as
Microsoft
Excel
. See section 13.3.1 for det ails of the format generated. When you select this command, a dialogue box appears allowing you to specify the name of the file.
Menu keys: Alt-A + E Speed Menu: Any window that displays alarms. To enable: The Alarm Database must contain at least one
alarm.
10.20 Window | Network inspector
Purpose: Activates the Network Inspector window, which
displays the contents of the Network Database for monitoring or editing.
Toolbar button: Menu keys: Alt-W + N (if window not already open)
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10.21 Window | Network alarm log
Purpose: Activ ates an Alarm Log window that displays (when
unfiltered) the entire contents of the current Alarm Database.
Toolbar button: Menu keys: Alt-W + K (if window not already open)
10.22 Window | Unacknowledged Alarms
Purpose: Activates the window that shows all unack nowledged
alarms. This window cannot be filtered.
Toolbar button: Menu keys: Alt-W + A (if window not already open)
10.23 Window | Control terminal
Purpose: Activates the Terminal window that communicates
with the Control port. See Section 4.3 for details.
Toolbar button: Menu keys: Alt-W + T (if window not already open) To enable: The Control Link m ust be enabled i n PCNC.I NI, and
the Control port must be available.
10.24 Window | Auxiliary terminal
Purpose: Activates the Terminal window that communicates
with the Auxiliary port. See Section 4.4 for details.
Toolbar button: Menu keys: Alt-W + X (if window not already open) To enable: The Auxiliary Link must be enabled in PCNC.INI,
and the Auxiliary port must be available.
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10.25 Window | Cascade
Purpose: Arranges the currentl y open windows from the top-
left position of the application's Main window such that the title bar of each is visible.
Menu keys: Alt-W + C To enable: You must have at least one window open.
10.26 Window | Tile
Purpose: Arranges the currentl y open windows side by si de so
that they fill the Main window and do not overlap.
Menu keys: Alt-W + L To enable: You must have at least one window open.
10.27 Window | Arrange Icons
Purpose: Arranges the icons that represent minimised
windows at the bottom of the Main window.
Menu keys: Alt-W + I To enable: You must have at least one window minimised.
10.28 Window | Close All
Purpose: Closes down all the windows in PCNC’s workspace.
Note you will lose filter settings when you close Alarm windows.
Menu keys: Alt-W + O To enable: You must have at least one window either open or
minimised.
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10.29 Help | Contents
Purpose: Starts the Windows Help application and shows a
table of contents for hel p on the Cablet ron Network Controller.
Toolbar button: Menu keys: Alt-H + C
10.30 Help | Using help
Purpose: This command provides help on how to use the
Windows Help applicat ion. Use this c ommand if you are not sure about how to use Help.
Menu keys: Alt-H + U
10.31 Help | About...
Purpose: Displays a dial ogue box givi ng inform ati on about t he
Cabletron Network Controller. This includes copyright information, the version number, and the status of the Remote and SNMP Links.
Menu keys: Alt-H + A
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11 T roubleshooting Guide
11.1 This chapter
This chapter of fers suggestions should you encount er problem s. O ften, the problems are due to an incorrect setup in PCNC.INI. To correct these, refer to Chapter 7 -
Configuring PCNC.INI
.
11.2 You cannot see any alarms
This means that PCNC is either not receiving alarms or they have all been hidden by filters. First, check the Network Alarm Log window, removing all filters.
If you have a problem with the alarms, check the Control Terminal window to see if aler t messages are being receiv ed by PCNC. If there are no alerts, t hen try polli ng a network dev ice. If you get no response, check the connection to the Control port and the Port setting in PCNC.INI (see Section 7.8.1). If the command line is present, but erratic, see Section 11.4.
If you can see alert messages appearing in the Control Terminal, but PCNC is not storing them as alarms, then you probably have Alarm Logging disabled. This switch is provi ded to stop the Alarm Database filling up if PCNC is merely forwardi ng messages to an NMS using the SNMP Link. Check the setting in PCNC.INI (see Section 7.12.3).
If you have a problem only with remote or SNMP devices, check the status of the appropr iate Link using PCNC’s
Help | About...
comm and.
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If the link is not work ing, check the port connections and the settings in PCNC.INI’s
[Remote Link]
or
[SNMP Link]
section.
11.3 Some alerts are not being processed
When many alerts are sent to PCNC over a short period of time, PCNC’s receive buffer can overflow, and alert information is lost. To overcome this, PCNC provides a ‘Handshaking’ facility, which can control the flow of alerts from a Cabletron network. This facility can be turned on or off with a setting in PCNC.INI (see Section 7.8.5)
Handshaking requires a ‘straight through’ cable to be used between PCNC and the network, as specified in Section 14.3.2. If a ‘looped’ cable is used, it will be possible to communicate with devices correctly, but PCNC will be unable to control the flow of alert information.
Due to the nature of the network, handshaking cannot operate correctly when a device is being polled by the Control Terminal. It is therefore important that connections to polled devices ar e not left open at times of heavy network traffic. See Section 14.5 for more details.
11.4 The command line is not working properly
If the command line appears in the Control Terminal window, but behaves strangely, it is likely you are using a handshaking cable with handshaking disabled.
With handshaking disabled, a ‘looped’ cable is required. If a ‘straight through’ cable is used, it will not be possible to select devices correctly. When you attempt to poll a device, its command-line prompt will not appear. When you attempt to poll a different device, PCNC will display any prompts or messages generated by the first devic e during the time it was polled. The command-line interface will be erratic, and you will be unlikely to be able to use it. To correct the problem, either enable handshaking (see Section 7.8.5) or use a looped cable as specified in Section 14.3.1.
11.5 You set a filter, but the alarm still appears
If a certain alarm should have been hidden by the filters you have set, but still appears in the Alarm Log windows, then it is probably an
Unrecognised Alert
alarm. This type of alarm is generated when
device type specified in the Network Database is inconsistent with the
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alert message PCNC has received (see Section 3.3.3). When this happens, the alarm is classif ied as
Unrecognised
for fi lter ing pur poses,
even though the actual alarm type is displayed in the usual way. These alarms are hi dden by the
Unrecognised Alert
fil ter, rather than the one that corr esponds to the alarm t ext. T hey usually arise because the Dev ice Type i s wrongly specifi ed in the Network Database. To check this, f ind the dev ice in the Network Inspect or window by sorting on Poll number or device nam e. Then m ak e sure that t he corr ect devi ce type i s specified and change it i f necessary. If the dev ice type was specified correctly, there may be a hardware problem which corrupted the message before it arrived at PCNC.
An alarm showing ‘Unknown device’ i nstead of the device name behaves in a similar way - it is hidden by the
Unknown Device
fil t er. T hi s type of alarm is generated when a message contains the Poll number of a devi ce that does not appear in the Network Database. Ei ther the dev i ce has never been defi ned, or its Poll number does not correspond to that specifi ed in the database. Again, you need to modi fy the database (or the device settings) so that it exactly mirrors the network.
11.6 The Network Database is not visible
If t he Network Database is inaccessible, the file PCNC.DA T has probably been moved, deleted or corrupted. First exit the PCNC program and check to see if a PCNC.DAT is stored anywhere on your har d disk. If so, move it to PCNC’s working directory if it is not there already.
If a PCNC. DAT fil e is in the working di rectory, and you still cannot see the database, or if the file is missing al together, you will have to use your backup copy. If you have no backup copy, you will need to enter the database again, as described in Chapter 8 -
The Network Database
.
11.7 Crashes
If PCNC should encounter a fatal error, it will display a dialogue box asking if you want to save the data contai ned in PCNC to a f ile call ed PCNC.ERR. This fi le is a PCNC.DA T fi le which can be restored bef ore you reload PCNC. The data is not saved directly onto the existing PCNC.DAT f ile, ensuring that existing data cannot be c orrupted by the crash.
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After this dialogue, you will see a second box saying that an error has occurred, and that you can ‘Close’ or ‘Ignore’. The application may continue to function normally if you choose ‘Ignore’. Under some circumstances, however, PCNC will be forced to shut down.
After a fat al crash, you c an retri ev e the lat est data f rom the P CNC.ERR fil e. Before l oading PCNC again, renam e your existi ng PCNC.DAT f ile as PCNC.000, and then renam e PCNC. ERR as PCNC.DAT . Reload t he program by clicking on its icon in Program M anager as normal. T he data from the time im mediately before the crash should be restored. If the program crashes during loading, however, you will have to re-start Windows and try again.
If PCNC encountered a problem while saving the file, the file may be corrupt and will not work even after you have restarted Windows. If t his is the case, renam e PCNC.DAT as PCNC.BAD and restore PCNC.000 as your PCNC.DAT. Information that has been entered since the last save will then be lost. The tim e between saves i s set in PCNC.INI and can be as low as 5 minutes.
11.8 The SNMP Link is not working
Check that the sett ings in PCNC. INI are c orrect (Secti on 7.13). Re-load PCNC to ensure that it is using the latest settings.
Make sure that the Newt icon is visible and if so, that Chameleon is configured correctly (Section 5.5). If the Newt icon is not vi sible, check that Chameleon is installed properly. If you are using a version of Chameleon earl ier than version 4.5, you may need to run the
SNMPD
program befor e you start PCNC in order for the Newt to load. If thi s is the case, re-start Windows, load
SNMPD
and then load PCNC.
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12 Glossary
12.1 Alarm
An alarm is the processed for m of an alert message receiv ed by PCNC. Once processed, an alarm is stored in a database and di splayed in t he Alarm windows along with the name of the alerting dev ice. It is also categorised for filtering purposes and marked initially as unacknowledged. See Chapter 3 -
Alarms and Filters
, for more details.
12.2 Audible warning
When a new alarm is received, PCNC can alert you with an audible warning if required. This warning will sound until you disable it or acknowledge all the alarms. Its operation is controlled by settings in PCNC.INI which are described in Sections 7.12.1 and 7.12.2
.
12.3 Device
In this m anual, any network component that sends messages to PCNC is referred to as a device.
12.4 Filter
The Network Alarm Log, Archived Alarm Log and Device Alarm Log windows can have filters set to control the alarms they display. The Alarms | Filters... command shows a list of all the alarms that the window may display, and allows you to hi de any that you do not require.
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The alarms will still be logged, but will not be shown in that window until the appropriate filters are removed. See Chapter 3 for more details.
12.5 Link
A Link is an internal software component that allows PCNC to communicate with the network via the ports at the back of the computer.
The Control Link gathers alarms from and sends commands to local devices (see Chapter 4 -
Communications
).
The Remote Link receiv es alarms f rom remote dev ices, but cannot be used to send commands. Howev er, com m ands
can
be issued to remote devices via the Control Link, using the Direct connection facility (see Section 4.5.2 -
Remote Direct Connection
).
The Auxiliary Link is used for the Auxiliary Terminal to talk to devices that do not produce alar ms, or are unsui table f or connect ion to t he other Links.
The SNMP Link, if installed, allows PCNC to communicate with Cabletron dev ices ov er TCP/I P using separate TCP /IP support sof tware. ALERTs can be receiv ed in the f orm of SNMP traps, and alar ms from any device can be forwarded in Trap format to a separate application.
12.6 Log
A Log is a record of all val id alarms, stored in the order in which they were received. It is a view of it ems stored in the Alarm Dat abase, as displayed in the various Alarm Log windows. The database can be saved to a disk file (known as an ‘Archive’) which can be examined later.
12.7 Menu bar
Towards the top of the PCNC Main window is a row of menu titles. Clicking on one of t hese will bring down a set of related commands, from which you can select t he one you want. Al l PCNC’s commands can be accessed in this way, and some are also available from the toolbar and/or Speed Menus. An ellipsis (…) after the entry indicates that the command will invoke a dialogue box and does not execute immediately.
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12.8 PCNC.DAT
PCNC.DAT is a fil e, sav ed i n PCNC’s working di rec tory , which i s used to store the Network and Alarm Databases. It also contains any filter settings for alarm log windows, as well as details of t he program ’s status, window positions etc. This means that PCNC does not l ose inform ation when it shuts down, and looks exactly the same when you re-load.
PCNC.DAT holds a lot of user-defined information, which is not contained on the distribution disks. For t his reason, you should take care not to accidentally delete or damage this file.
12.9 PCNC.INI
PCNC reads an INI file containing configuration information when it is started. PCNC.INI is set up as defined in Chapter 7 -
Configuring
PCNC.INI
and saved in P CNC’s working direct ory. Like PCNC.DAT , it
holds user-defined information, so be careful not to damage or delete it.
12.10 Poll Number
Every device on a Cabletron network is identified with a unique Poll number. This number is set on the device and can be checked or modified (on Local or Remote devices) using the Control Terminal. Devices include their Poll number in the alert messages that PCNC receives.
PCNC uses these Poll numbers to look up the dev ices in the Network Database and retrieve the necessary information to convert alerts into alarms. For details of this process, see Section 3.3.1 -
Alert Processing
.
12.11 SNMP
SNMP stands for Si mpl e Network Managem ent Prot ocol, and i s a set of standards that allow you to control and monitor a TCP/IP network. It consists of f iv e basic pr im iti v es - one of which i s the ‘Trap’. T he Trap i s the SNMP form of an ALERT message, and can be processed in a similar way by PCNC version 0.27. See Chapter 5 for details.
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12.12 Speed Menus
To access a Speed Menu, clic k the right m ouse button over any PCNC window. A group of com mands relevant to that window will appear by the pointer. For example, the commands in the Network Inspector’s Speed Menu relate to the Network Database and Direct connections. You can select the command f rom the menu by cl icking on it with the mouse, or by typing the command’s short-cut letter (underlined).
12.13 Status bar
The status bar is a grey strip at the bot tom of the PCNC Mai n window. It displays help messages for PCNC’s commands when you move the mouse over a toolbar button or a menu option.
12.14 Talkwire List
The Talkwire List is a list of local KBU channels that have been nominated to communicate directly with remote KBU devices. This allows you to access remote dev ices vi a the Control Link and t herefore send commands to them, which is not possible using the Remote Link.
For a more detailed description, see Section 4.5.3 -
The Talkwire List
.
12.15 TCP/IP
TCP/IP is a set of network protocols that allows different devices to comm unicate with each other. The two m ost import ant are the Transport Control Protocol and Internet Protocol (hence the name). PCNC uses TCP/IP to connect to devices using the SNMP link (see Chapter 5).
12.16 Trap
A Trap is the SNMP equivalent of an ALERT message.
12.17 Toolbar
Towards the top of the PCNC mai n window is a toolbar c ontaini ng a row of ic ons and a large al arm sym bol , which flashes to announce the arr ival of new alarms. The icons are mounted on buttons. They duplicate functi ons availabl e from the program ’s menus. If the m ouse pointer is placed over any of these buttons, a description of its function will appear
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on the status bar. To use a function, pl ace the mouse pointer ov er the relevant button and click the left mouse button.
12.18 Working directory
This is the di rect ory t hat cont ai ns the PCNC f i l es. It is usuall y C:\P CNC, but can take any name if required. The choice of working di rectory is made when installing PCNC.
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13 Data formats
13.1 Alert message format
This section describes the message format that PCNC will understand as an ALERT and will be able to decode as an alarm. P CNC can recogni se alerts with or without time and date information.
13.1.1 Alert message fields
In the following descriptions, field types are enclosed in <> brackets. Optional items are enclosed in [] brackets. Literal sequences are presented as they should appear in the alert message.
The field types are as follows: <garbage> Any characters except <CR>, <LF> <poll number> A Poll number of 3 to 5 digits <channel> Channel number of 1 to 3 digits <ws> Whitespace (spaces or tab characters) <date> Date, format dd/mm/yy, no spaces, 01/01/70 to 31/12/99 <time> Time, format hh:mm:ss, no spaces, 00:00:00 to 23:59:59
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13.1.2 Alerts without time and date information
Alert stri ngs without tim e and date informat ion should be formatted as follows in order to be recognised by PCNC.
[<garbage>] <Poll number> [<ws>] - [<ws>] [<Channel>] [<ws>] : [<ws>] ALERT [<ws>] <Remainder of string> [<garbage>] [<CR>] <LF>
13.1.3 Alerts with time and date information
Alert strings with time and date information should be formatted as follows in order to be recognised by PCNC.
[<garbage>] <Poll number> [<ws>] - [<ws>] <date> [<ws>] <time> [<ws>] - [<ws>] [<Channel>] [<ws>] : [<ws>] ALERT [<ws>] <Remainder of string> [<garbage>] [<CR>] <LF>
13.1.4 Alert message recognition
Any leading garbage is stripped and does not appear in the alarm log. If there is trailing garbage before the <CR><LF>, and it contains
printabl e characters, these pri ntable char acters are retai ned in t he alarm message when it is placed in the Alarm Database. Non-printable characters other than <CR><LF> and <TAB> are stripped prior to processing by the alarm recogniser.
The recognition processing discards leading garbage as follows:
PCNC attem pts to recognise the message, starting at the first digit character in the string.
If the message starting at this position is not legal, the attempt is repeated, starting from the next digit character of the string.
This process is repeated until either a legal string is decoded, or all characters hav e been discarded f rom the begi nning of the str ing. Each tim e the legalit y check is perform ed, t he string i s fi rst checked assumi ng it has no time and date, and if that does not match, i t is checked again assuming that it has a time and date.
13.2 SNMP Traps
13.2.1 Trap generation format
With the SNMP Link, PCNC is able to generate traps in two different form ats. These are known as ‘NMS’ form at and ‘PCNC’ f ormat. These
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are controll ed by the
ForwardTrapsToNms
and
ForwardTrapsToPcnc
settings in the [SNMP Link] section of PCNC.INI . If enabled, t he traps are produced irrespectively of the link from which they originated.
‘NMS’ format traps are intended for transmission to a higher-level Network Management System (NMS), and are formatted as per the trap definitions in the MIB file.
‘PCNC’ format traps are intended for transmission to another copy of PCNC that has the
ReceiveTraps
setting in the [SNMP Link] section of its PCNC.INI enabl ed. T his f acility is provided for software dev el opm ent and debugging purposes. See below for details of the ‘PCNC’ format.
13.2.2 Trap receipt format
PCNC can also receiv e al erts in S NMP traps f rom Cabl etron dev i ces on a TCP/IP net work. To enabl e this, set
ReceiveTraps=On
in the [SNMP
Link] section of PCNC.INI. These traps are generated by the hardware, and are defined by the
alertCabletronMessage
trap entry in t he MIB fi le suppl ied on t he SNMP
extensions disk. The
alertDescription
variable in this trap is a string that is formatted in exac tly the sam e way as alert messages receiv ed v ia the Control and Rem ote Links. O n receiv ing one of these traps, PCNC extract s the alert stri ng, and processes it exact ly as it would process an alert message received via a COM port.
13.2.3 Trap examples
Standard alert message:
00001-2: ALERT Channel status 3
‘NMS’ trap:
Enterprise: 1.3.6.1.4.1.233
Agent IP: 10.10.10.3 Generic: 6 (Enterprise Specific) Specific: 1118 Variable Bindings:
1.3.6.1.4.1.233.1118.1: "KBU 64"
1.3.6.1.4.1.233.1118.2: 1
1.3.6.1.4.1.233.1118.3: 2
1.3.6.1.4.1.233.1118.4: "KBU in Munich, channel 2"
1.3.6.1.4.1.233.1118.5: 3
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‘PCNC’ trap:
Enterprise: 1.3.6.1.4.1.233
Agent IP: 10.10.10.3 Generic: 6 (Enterprise Specific) Specific: 1009 Variable Bindings:
1.3.6.1.4.1.233.1009.1: "00001-2: ALERT Channel status 3"
The
Enterprise
number is defined in PCNC.INI and the
Agent IP
is
configured in
Chameleon
. The
Generic
number simply specifies that
the trap is Enterprise specif ic, rather than a generic SNMP trap. The
Specific
number corresponds to an alert type as defined in the
MIB
of
your NMS. To m ake the
Specific
number, a constant 1000 is added to
the alert num ber , so
Specific
number 1118 corresponds to alert type 118
(
alertChann elStatu s
). The number 1009 is alert type 9
(
alertCabletronAlertMessage
), as generated by Cabletron devices.
The
Variable bindings
contain the parameters of the trap. In PCNC
form at, t here is only one
Variable Bindings
entry, which is a stri ng val ue that contai ns the standard alert message. In NM S form at, they specify the type, poll number and channel number of the device. If the
NamesInTraps
setting of PCNC.INI i s On, PCNC will also include the name of the dev ice (as entered in t he Network Database) in the fourt h field. If not, this field will be blank. The meaning and type of the parameters for each alert type are defined in the
MIB
.
13.3 Exported Alarm Databases
The comm and
Alarms | Export alarm d atabase...
produces a dialogue box which prompts you for a file name. It then writes the Alarm Database to the selected file, in a comm a-del im ited AS CII f orm at. In al l cases, all alarms are written to the file, irrespectiv e of whether or not they were acknowledged, and irrespective of their device and alarm type. No selection or filtering is performed.
The
Export Alarm Database
dialogue box provides a
.CSV
(comma­separated values) filename extension by default. The data in the exported file is compatible with
Microsoft
Excel
version 5.0’s
.CSV
filter.
13.3.1 .CSV exported file format
The fi le exported by t he
Alarms | Export.. .
comm and writes alarm s as
one-line tex t records, each term inated by a <CR> ,<LF> sequence. The
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last record in the f ile i s terminated with a < CR>,<LF> , like all the other records, and is not followed by an End Of File marker.
Each record consists of a number of fields separat ed by commas. There are three types of field in the records. These are
text
fields,
signed
numeric
fields, and
unsigned numeric
fields.
13.3.1.1 Text fields
Text f ields are variable in lengt h. The text data i s enclosed in double­quotation m arks, ASCI I code 22 hex . Double- quotati on mark c haracters contained in the text are translated into two consecutive double­quotation mark characters.
String field contents are truncated to a maximum of 255 characters.
13.3.1.2 Signed Numeric Fields
Signed numeri c fiel ds consist of an optional mi nus sign, f oll owed by one or more di gits. These fi elds are not enclosed in quot ation m arks. The ranges of legal values are field-dependent and are described below.
13.3.1.3 Unsigned Numeric Fields
Unsigned numeri c fiel ds consist of one or m ore digit s. These fiel ds are not enclosed in quotation marks. The ranges of legal values are described below and depend on the field.
13.3.2 Record format
When y ou open a .CSV file i n spreadsheet such as Microsoft
Excel, you will see the alarms tabulated in a similar way to the Alarm Log windows.
Codes are used to describe the alarm types. Each record contains the data for a single alarm. This consists of the
following fields:
<Date>,<Time>,<Unacknowledged flag>,<Poll number>,<Channel number>, <Device ID>,<Alarm code>,<Product name>,<Device or channel name>, <Alert message>
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For example, the al er t
00007- 2: ALERT Line inactive (Clock)
might look like this, once it has been imported into another program:
20/06/96 14:43:31 1 7 2 0 39 KBU 64 Top A Line inactive (Clock)
Each field is described in the following sections.
13.3.2.1 <Date> field
This is an 8 charact er tex t f ield. It i s the date t he al arm was generated, in the form dd/mm/yy
13.3.2.2 <Time> field
This is an 8 charact er tex t f ield. It i s the tim e t he al arm was generated, in the form hh:mm:ss. This time is in a 24-hour clock format.
13.3.2.3 <Unacknowledged flag> field
This is a single digit unsigned numeric field. It is 0 if the alarm is acknowledged,
1
if unacknowledged.
13.3.2.4 <Poll number> field
This is a 5 digit unsigned num eri c f i el d, and gi ves the Pol l num ber of the devi ce which generated the alarm . Thi s num ber i s in the r ange 00000 to
99999.
13.3.2.5 <Channel number> field
This is a three digit unsigned numeric field which gives the channel number on which the al ert occ urred. Thi s number i s in the range 000 t o
999. By convention, Cabletron dev ices use channel numbers starting at 1. A channel number of zero is used to indicat e that the al arm appl i es to the entire physical device, and not just to a single channel.
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13.3.2.6 <Device ID> field
This is a signed numeric field containing a number which is used to represent the Device that generated the alarm. The possible values are:
Value Device
0 KBU 64 1 KBU 64S 2 KMUX 3 TA (obsolete) 4 CBUPRI/EI 5 QLSM 6 TA 64 7 CBUGSM 8 G64S 9 CBUQHS 10 CBUQBR/TE 11 CBUQLB 12 CBUQHB 13 CBU/14 14 CBU/6 15 CBU1000
-1 Unknown product
Table 1 - Cabletron Equipment type numbers
Note that i f this f ield is -1, the <Dev ice alarm code> fi eld will be 4, the <Product name> fiel d will contain
Unknown product
, and the <Dev ice
or channel name> field will contain
Unknown device
.
13.3.2.7 <Alarm code> field
This is a signed numeric field which gives a number that is used internal ly to repr esent the nat ure of t he alar m . See secti on 13. 3.3 bel ow for details of the alarm codes.
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13.3.2.8 <Product name> field
This is a tex t f iel d which giv es the ty pe of the dev ic e that generated the alarm. This field is of variable length, and the possible names are:
CBU
1000
CBU/6 CBU/14 CBUGSM CBUPRI/EI CBUQBR/TE CBUQHB CBUQHS CBUQLB CBUQLS G64S KBU
64
KBU
64S
KMUX TA (obsolete) TA
64
Unknown
product
In the strings above, the ∆ symbol denotes a space.
13.3.2.9 <Device or channel name> field
This is a tex t field which gi ves the name of the channel or dev ice that generated the alarm. This is the same as the name whic h is displayed for the alarm in the alarm inspector windows.
If t he Pol l num ber coul d not be f ound i n t he Network Database when t he alert message arrived (the <Dev ice ID> field will contain
-1
), then the
<Device or channel name> field will contain: Unknown
device
In the string above, the ∆ symbol denotes a space.
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