HP (Hewlett-Packard) Netsight User Manual

User's Guide

Notice

Enterasys Networks reserves the right to make changes in specifications and other information contained in this
document without prior notice. The reader should in all cases consult Enterasys Networks to determine whether
any such changes have been made.

The hardware, firmware, or software described in this manual is subject to change without notice.

IN NO EVENT SHALL ENERASYS NETWORKS BE LIABLE FOR ANY INCIDENTAL, INDIRECT,
SPECIAL, OR CONSEQUENTIAL DAMAGES WHATSOEVER (INCLUDING BUT NOT LIMITED TO
LOST PROFITS) ARISING OUT OF OR RELATED TO THIS MANUAL OR THE INFORMATION
CONTAINED IN IT, EVEN IF ENERASYS NETWORKS HAS BEEN ADVISED OF, KNOWN, OR
SHOULD HAVE KNOWN, THE POSSIBILITY OF SUCH DAMAGES.

IN NO EVENT WILL ENTERASYS NETWORKS BE LIABLE FOR ANY DAMAGES WHATSOEVER,
INCLUDING SPECIAL, INDIRECT, OR CONSEQUENTIAL DAMAGES, ARISING OUT OF OR IN
CONNECTION WITH THE USE OR PERFORMANCE OF THE WEB LOG VIEW, WHETHER IN AN
ACTION OF CONTRACT OR TORT INCLUDING NEGLIGENCE.

Virus Disclaimer

Enterasys Networks has tested its software with current virus checking technologies. However, because no anti­virus system is 100% reliable, we strongly caution you to write protect and then verify that the Licensed
Software, prior to installing it, is virus-free with an anti-virus system in which you have confidence.

Enterasys Networks makes no representations or warranties to the effect that the Licensed Software is virus-free.

Copyright  2000, 2001, 2002 by Enterasys Networks. All rights reserved.

Printed in the United States of America.

Order Number: 9032722-05 August 2002

Enterasys Networks, Inc.
P.O. Box 5005
Rochester, NH 03866-5005

Enterasys, NetSight, XPedition and Matrix E7 are trademarks of Enterasys Networks.

Windows, Windows NT, Windows XP, Microsoft, Microsoft Windows, and Microsoft Windows for
Workgro ups are trademarks or registered trademarks of Microsoft Corporation.

Solaris, Sun, Sun Microsystems, are trademarks or registered trademarks of Sun Microsystems, Inc.

Cabletron Systems, SPECTRUM, BRIM, DNI, FNB, INA, Integrated Network Architecture, LANVIEW,
LANVIEW Secure, Multi Media Access Center, MiniMMAC, and TRMM are registered trademarks, and
Bridge/Router Interface Modules, BRIM-A100, CRBRIM-W/E, CRXMIM, CXRMIM, Desktop Network
Interface, Distributed LAN Monitoring, Distributed Network Server, DLM, DNSMIM, E1000, E2000,
E3000, EFDMIM, EMM-E6, EMME, EPIM, EPIM-3PS, EPIM-A, EPIM-C, EPIM-F1, EPIM-F2, EPIM­F3, EPIM-T, EPIM-T1, EPIM-X, ESXMIM, ETSMIM, ETWMIM, FDCMIM-04, FDCMIM-08,
FDMMIM, FDMMIM-04, Flexible Network Bus, FOMIM, FORMIM, HubSTACK, IRBM, IRM, IRM-2,

iii

IRM-3, Media Interface Module, MicroMMAC, MIM, MMAC, MMAC-3, MMAC-3FNB, MMAC-5,
MMAC-5FNB, MMAC-8, MMAC-8FNB, MMAC-M8FNB, MMAC-Plus, MRX, MRXI, MRXI-24,
MultiChannel, NB20E, NB25E, NB30, NB35, NBR-220/420/620, RMIM, SecureFast Switch, SecureFast
Packet Switching, SFS, SFPS, SPECTRUM Element Manager, SPECTRUM for Open Systems, SPIM-A,
SPIM-C, SPIM-F1, SPIM-F2, SPIM-T, SPIM-T1, TPMIM, TPMIM-22, TPMIM-T1, TPRMIM,
TPRMIM-36, TPT-T, TRBMIM, TRMM-2, TRMMIM, and TRXI are trademarks of Cabletron Systems,

Inc.

AppleTalk, Apple, Macintosh, and TokenTalk are registered trademarks; and Apple Remote Access and
EtherTalk are trademarks of Apple Computer, Inc.

SmartBoost is a trademark of American Power Conversion

ST is a registered trademark and C++ is a trademark of AT&T

Banyan and VINES are registered trademarks of Banyan Systems, Inc.

cisco, ciscoSystems, and AGS+ are registered trademarks; and cBus, cisco Router, CRM, IGS, and MGS are
trademarks of cisco Systems, Inc.

GatorBox is a registered trademark; and GatorMail, GatorMIM, GatorPrint, GatorShare, GatorStar, GatorStar
GX-M, and XGator are trademarks of Cayman Systems, Inc.

CompuServe is a registered trademark of CompuServe Incorporated

X Window System is a trademark of Consortium, Inc.

CTERM, DECnet, and ULTRIX are registered trademarks; and DEC, DEC C++, DECnet-DOS, DECstation,
VAX DOCUMENT, VMA, and VT are trademarks of Digital Equipment Corporation

Fore Systems, ForeRunner, and ForeRunner ASX-100 are trademarks of Fore Systems, Inc.

PC/TCP is a registered trademark of FTP Software, Inc.

HP OpenView is a registered trademark of Hewlett-Packard, Inc.

AIX, IBM, OS/2, NetView, and PS/2 are registered trademarks; and AT, Micro Channel, PC, PC-DOS, PC/XT,
Personal Computer AT, Operating System/2, Personal System/2, RISC System/6000, and Workplace Shell are
trademarks of International Business Machines Corporation

i960 microprocessor is a registered trademark; and Intel and Multichannel are trademarks of Intel Corporation

Microsoft, MS-DOS, and Windows are registered trademarks of Microsoft Corporation

Chameleon, ChameleonNFS, Chameleon 32, IPX/link, and NEWT are trademarks of
NETMANAGE, Inc.

NetWare and Novell are registered trademarks; and Internetwork Packet Exchange (IPX), IPX, and Network File
System (NFS) are trademarks of Novell, Inc.

Motif and MS are registered trademarks; and Open Software Foundation, OSF, OSF/1, and OSF/Motif are
trademarks of The Open Software Foundation, Inc.

Silicon Graphics and IRIS are registered trademarks; and Indigo and IRIX are trademarks of Silicon Graphics,
Inc.

iv

NFS, PC-NFS, SPARC, Sun Microsystems, and Sun Workstation are registered trademarks; and OpenWindows,
SPARCstation, SPARCstation IPC, SPARCstation IPX, Sun, Sun-2, Sun-3, Sun-4, Sun386i, SunNet, SunOS,
SunSPARC, and SunView are trademarks of Sun Microsystems, Inc.

OPEN LOOK and UNIX are registered trademarks of Unix System Laboratories, Inc.

Ethernet, NS, Xerox Network Systems and XNS are trademarks of Xerox Corporation

ANNEX, ANNEX-II, ANNEX-IIe, ANNEX-3, ANNEX-802.5, MICRO-ANNEX-XL, and MICRO-ANNEX­ELS are trademarks of Xylogics, Inc.

MAXserver and Xyplex are trademarks of Xyplex, Inc.

Restricted Rights Notice

(Applicable to licenses to the United States Government only.)

1. Use, duplication, or disclosure by the Government is subject to restrictions as set forth in subparagraph (c)
(1) (ii) of the Rights in Technical Data and Computer Software clause at DFARS 252.227-7013.

Enterasys Networks, 35 Industrial Way, Rochester, New Hampshire 03867-0505.

2. (a) This computer software is submitted with restricted rights. It may not be used, reproduced, or disclosed

by the Government except as provided in paragraph (b) of this Notice or as otherwise expressly stated in
the contract.

(b) This computer software may be:

(1) Used or copied for use in or with the computer or computers for which it was acquired, including

use at any Government installation to which such computer or computers may be transferred;

(2) Used or copied for use in a backup computer if any computer for which it was acquired is

inoperative;

(3) Reproduced for safekeeping (archives) or backup purposes;

(4) Modified, adapted, or combined with other computer software, provided that the modified,

combined, or adapted portions of the derivative software incorporating restricted computer
software are made subject to the same restricted rights;

(5) Disclosed to and reproduced for use by support service contractors in accordance with

subparagraphs (b) (1) through (4) of this clause, provided the Government makes such disclosure
or reproduction subject to these restricted rights; and

(6) Used or copied for use in or transferred to a replacement computer.

(c) Notwithstanding the foregoing, if this computer software is published copyrighted computer software, it

is licensed to the Government, without disclosure prohibitions, with the minimum rights set forth in
paragraph (b) of this clause.

v

(d) Any other rights or limitations regarding the use, duplication, or disclosure of this computer software are

to be expressly stated in, or incorporated in, the contract.

(e) This Notice shall be marked on any reproduction of this computer software, in whole or in part.

vi

Chapter 1 Introduction

Using This Guide ............................................................................................................. 1-1

Getting Help..................................................................................................................... 1-2

Using On-line Help................................................................................................... 1-2

Accessing On-line Documentation ........................................................................... 1-3

Documentation Feedback .................................................................................. 1-3

Getting Technical Support ........................................................................................ 1-3

Online Services on the World Wide Web .......................................................... 1-3

Global Technical Assistance Center .................................................................. 1-3

Chapter 2 Overview of

NetSight Element Manager

About NetSight Element Manager................................................................................... 2-1

Network Discovery................................................................................................... 2-4

Management and Monitoring Workspace................................................................. 2-5

List Views.......................................................................................................... 2-6

Tree Views......................................................................................................... 2-7

Map Views......................................................................................................... 2-9

Log Views........................................................................................................ 2-10

Excluding Nodes..................................................................................................... 2-10

Alarm and Event Handling ..................................................................................... 2-11

The NetSight Element Manager Tool Suite ................................................................... 2-11

Remote Administration Tools................................................................................. 2-12

Scheduler Tool ........................................................................................................ 2-12

MIB Tools ............................................................................................................... 2-13

Customizing NetSight Element Manager ...................................................................... 2-13

Adjusting Default Settings...................................................................................... 2-13

Workspace Options.......................................................................................... 2-14

Network Options ............................................................................................. 2-15

Polling Options................................................................................................ 2-17

Node Options................................................................................................... 2-20

Directories Options.......................................................................................... 2-21

Device Management Options .......................................................................... 2-23

Event Log Options........................................................................................... 2-24

Customizing the Toolbar......................................................................................... 2-26

Adding a Tool Entry ........................................................................................ 2-27

Editing a Tool Entry ........................................................................................ 2-30

Removing a Tool Entry ................................................................................... 2-30

Backing Up Data Files................................................................................................... 2-30

Contents

vii

Contents

Editing the Backup Configuration File ...................................................................2-33

Performing a Backup .............................................................................................. 2-34

Restoring Files from a Backup Set ......................................................................... 2-35

Restoring Default Files ...........................................................................................2-35

Chapter 3 Discovering Nodes

Accessing the Discover Manager Window...................................................................... 3-1

Creating and Modifying Discover Scripts .......................................................................3-2

Accessing the Discover Properties Window............................................................. 3-2

Setting General Discover Properties......................................................................... 3-4

Setting Device Discovery Parameters....................................................................... 3-5

Defining IP Address Ranges..............................................................................3-6

Defining and Selecting Subnets ........................................................................ 3-7

Defining a Community Name.......................................................................... 3-11

Selecting a Script Filter ................................................................................... 3-12

Setting a Discover Interval .....................................................................................3-13

Executing Discover Scripts............................................................................................3-14

The Discover Process..................................................................................................... 3-16

NEW and SECONDARY Discovers ...................................................................... 3-17

Stopping a Discover in Progress............................................................................. 3-17

Restarting a Completed Discover ........................................................................... 3-17

Scheduled Discovers............................................................................................... 3-18

Deleting a Discover Script .............................................................................................3-18

Starting the Discover Wizard......................................................................................... 3-19

Launching the Scheduler Application............................................................................ 3-19

Using the IP or Host Locator Tool .................................................................................3-19

Matching a Host Name to an IP Address................................................................ 3-20

Matching an IP Address to a Host Name................................................................ 3-21

Locating the MAC Address for a Host Name/IP Pair ............................................ 3-21

Subnet Search ......................................................................................................... 3-22

Matching a MAC Address to a Host Name and IP.................................................3-25

Using the Subnets Window............................................................................................ 3-27

Creating and Modifying a Subnet Entry ................................................................. 3-28

Deleting a Subnet Entry.......................................................................................... 3-29

Chapter 4 List Views

About List Views ............................................................................................................. 4-1

The List View Workspace......................................................................................... 4-1

Adding a Folder to the Workspace ....................................................................4-2

The All Nodes List View .......................................................................................... 4-3

Other Default List Views .......................................................................................... 4-4

List View Display Options........................................................................................4-5

Using the List View Toolbar.............................................................................. 4-5

Sorting Nodes ....................................................................................................4-6

Searching a List View ............................................................................................... 4-7

Creating and Editing List Views.................................................................................... 4-10

viii

Contents

Selecting Node Information to Display .................................................................. 4-11

Node Information Options............................................................................... 4-12

Selecting a Display Font......................................................................................... 4-14

Selecting the Nodes to Display: Using Filters ........................................................ 4-15

Filter Categories .............................................................................................. 4-16

Creating the Filter............................................................................................ 4-18

Excluded Nodes ............................................................................................................. 4-18

Excluding Nodes from an Individual View ............................................................ 4-18

To Exclude a Node from a View ..................................................................... 4-19

To Re-include a Node in a View...................................................................... 4-21

Excluding Nodes from the Central Node Database ................................................ 4-22

The Excluded Nodes List and Discover .......................................................... 4-23

To Exclude a Node from the Central Node Database...................................... 4-23

To Re-include a Node into the Central Node Database................................... 4-24

To Delete a Node from the Database............................................................... 4-25

Adding Network Elements to the Node Database ......................................................... 4-26

Adding a Device ..................................................................................................... 4-27

Editing Device Properties................................................................................ 4-29

Configuring Node Interface Poll Settings .............................................................. 4-34

Editing Poll Settings for Multiple Nodes ........................................................ 4-36

Editing Node Class Properties ....................................................................................... 4-37

Selecting a New Model, Class, Enterprise, or Topology Symbol ................... 4-39

Changing Management Application Information............................................ 4-40

Changing General Node Class Properties ....................................................... 4-44

List Views and Maps...................................................................................................... 4-46

Selecting and Deleting Orphans ............................................................................. 4-46

Using the Go To Map Function .............................................................................. 4-47

Chapter 5 Tree Views

About Tree Views ............................................................................................................ 5-1

The Tree View Workspace........................................................................................ 5-2

Adding a Folder to the Workspace .................................................................... 5-2

The All Nodes Tree View ......................................................................................... 5-4

Other Default Tree Views ......................................................................................... 5-5

Navigating a Tree View ............................................................................................ 5-5

Using the Toolbar and the View Menu.............................................................. 5-5

Using the Keyboard........................................................................................... 5-6

Creating and Editing Tree Views ..................................................................................... 5-7

Selecting Node Information to Display .................................................................... 5-8

Node Properties Options.................................................................................... 5-9

Interface Properties Options ............................................................................ 5-11

Selecting a Display Font......................................................................................... 5-12

Selecting the Nodes to Display: Using Filters ........................................................ 5-13

Filter Categories .............................................................................................. 5-13

Creating the Filter............................................................................................ 5-15

Excluded Nodes ............................................................................................................. 5-16

Tree Views and Maps..................................................................................................... 5-16

Using the Go To Map Function .............................................................................. 5-16

ix

Contents

Chapter 6 Creating Network Maps

Working with Maps.......................................................................................................... 6-1

About the Map View.................................................................................................6-2

About Submap Icons.................................................................................................6-3

About GoTo Symbols ...............................................................................................6-4

Map and Device Status Conditions........................................................................... 6-4

Building Your Network Map............................................................................................6-6

Adding a Folder ........................................................................................................6-6

Renaming a Folder.............................................................................................6-7

Adding a New Map................................................................................................... 6-7

Setting Basic Map Options ................................................................................ 6-9

Editing Map Properties.................................................................................... 6-12

Adding a Submap....................................................................................................6-13

Generating Submaps Automatically................................................................ 6-15

Changing a Submap Link ................................................................................ 6-17

Adding a GoTo Symbol.......................................................................................... 6-18

Importing an MRM Map................................................................................................ 6-20

Setting MRM Import Options.................................................................................6-20

Importing a Map ..................................................................................................... 6-21

Adding Network Elements to your Map........................................................................ 6-23

Adding a Device Directly to a Map ........................................................................ 6-23

Customizing Your Map .................................................................................................. 6-26

Using Non-manageable Symbols............................................................................ 6-27

Placing a Symbol Icon..................................................................................... 6-27

Editing Symbol Properties............................................................................... 6-28

Using Connections..................................................................................................6-33

Using Lines and Shapes..........................................................................................6-34

Using Text............................................................................................................... 6-37

Adding Object Notes .............................................................................................. 6-39

Adding Notes to Multiple Nodes..................................................................... 6-42

Changing the Layout of Map Objects..................................................................... 6-42

Layering Items in a Map.................................................................................. 6-43

Align Left, Right, Top, or Bottom ................................................................... 6-43

Space Evenly (Horizontally or Vertically)....................................................... 6-44

Make Same Width, Height, or Size ................................................................. 6-45

Align Objects in Grid ......................................................................................6-46

Align Objects in Ring ...................................................................................... 6-46

Using Object Linking and Embedding (OLE)........................................................ 6-47

Embedding an Object in a Map File................................................................ 6-49

Creating an Object Link ..................................................................................6-52

Adding an Object Package ..............................................................................6-52

Editing Object Data ......................................................................................... 6-53

Updating a Link ............................................................................................... 6-54

Converting an Object.......................................................................................6-56

Working with Linked and Embedded Objects ................................................. 6-57

Editing Your Map........................................................................................................... 6-58

Protecting Your Maps from Editing: The Lock Feature .........................................6-60

Managing Maps and Folders.......................................................................................... 6-61

Opening and Closing Maps and Folders .................................................................6-61

x

Contents

Saving Maps ........................................................................................................... 6-62

Deleting Maps and Folders..................................................................................... 6-62

Chapter 7 Node Management Overview

Device Management ........................................................................................................ 7-1

Launching Device Management............................................................................... 7-1

A Brief Overview of Device Management............................................................... 7-2

Source Address Naming .................................................................................................. 7-4

PING ................................................................................................................................ 7-6

Accessing the PING Window................................................................................... 7-6

Appendix A Batch Customization via AddTool, AddImage, and Ad-

dDevType

Using the AddTool Utility ..............................................................................Appendix A-1

Creating an Add Tool Input File ..............................................................Appendix A-3

Comma-Separated Variable (CSV) Format ......................................Appendix A-3

Tag/Data Format ...............................................................................Appendix A-3

Executing the AddTool Command ..........................................................Appendix A-4

Using the AddImage Utility............................................................................Appendix A-5

Creating an AddImage Input File ............................................................Appendix A-6

Comma-Separated Variable (CSV) Format ......................................Appendix A-6

Tag/Data Format ...............................................................................Appendix A-7

Executing the AddImage Command........................................................Appendix A-8

Using the AddDevType Utility .......................................................................Appendix A-9

Creating an AddDevType Input File......................................................Appendix A-11

Comma-Separated Variable (CSV) Format....................................Appendix A-11

Tag/Data Format .............................................................................Appendix A-12

Executing the AddDevType Command .................................................Appendix A-12

Viewing the Log File ....................................................................................Appendix A-13

xi

Contents

xii

Introduction

Using this guide; getting help

Using This Guide

This manual contains general information regarding NetSight Element Manager,
including:

• Chapter 1, Introduction, which introduces the product, provides an outline of this
book’s structure, describes how to access and use the on-line documentation, and tells
you how to get assistance while using the product.

Chapter 1

• Chapter 2, Overview of NetSight Element Manager, provides a more in-depth look at
some of the application’s features and enhancements, and describes some general
functions of the software platform such as configuring options, backing up data files,
customizing the toolbar, and printing.

• Chapter 3, Discovering Nodes, provides details on how to use the Discover application
to discover nodes on your network. It describes how to build scripts that will discover
IP devices by address range or subnetwork range. The IP or Host Locator tool — which
resolves IP addresses to host names, and vice versa — is also described here.

• Chapter 4, List Views, covers the List View workspace and List View windows.
NetSight Element Manager stores all node information in a central database. List
Views provide you with a variety of user configurable views into that database,
including a wide selection of status and descriptive information about each node. This
chapter also provides information on manually adding nodes to the node database,
editing a node’s displayed properties and individual polling intervals, and launching
device management.

1-1

Introduction

• Chapter 5, Tree Views, describes the Tree View workspace and windows. These user-
configurable views let you display your network nodes in a hierarchical tree control
format that provides a variety of information about the features supported by the
device, including information about the interface through which NetSight Element
Manager is communicating with each node.

• Chapter 6, Creating Network Maps, provides detailed instructions on how to use the
Map View workspace, and how to create and link individual map files. You can use
maps to represent your network configuration via symbols and icons. This chapter also
describes the use of Microsoft Object Linking and Embedding (OLE) with map files.

• Chapter 7, Node Management Overview, explains several features of device
management, including an introduction to the Device View windows; creating a source
address definition file; and a brief introduction to the Microsoft PING application.

• Appendix A, Batch Customization via AddTool, AddImage, and AddDevType,
Using the AddTool, AddImage, and AddDevType tools to expand the capabilities of
NetSight Element Manager

Other manuals in your documentation set — including the device-specific User’s Guides,
Tools Guide, Remote Administration Tools User’s Guide, Alarm and Event Handling
Guide, and RMON User’s Guide — contain specific information about the various
applications included in your NetSight Element Manager platform. A set of installation
instructions, a Getting Started guide, and a README.TXT file are also provided.

Getting Help

This section describes two different methods of getting help for questions or concerns you
may have while using NetSight Element Manager.

Using On-line Help

You can use the Help buttons in the NetSight Element Manager windows to obtain
information specific to the currently active window. When you click on a Help button, a
window opens which contains information that will assist you in the use of the windows
and their associated command and menu options. If a Help button is grayed out, on-line
help has not yet been implemented for the associated window. From the Help menu
accessed from the Device View menu bar, you can access on-line Help specific to the
Device View (Help —> Chassis Manager Help or Help —> Help Topics).

1-2 Getting Help

Accessing On-line Documentation

All of the online help windows use the standard Microsoft Windows help facility. If you

NOTE

TIP

are unfamiliar with this feature of Windows, you can select Help —>How to Use Help
from the primary NetSight Element Manager window.

The complete suite of documents available for NetSight Element Manager can be
accessed via a menu option from the primary window menu bar: Help —> Online
Documents. If you chose to install the documentation when you installed NetSight
Element Manager, selecting this option will launch Adobe’s Acrobat Reader and a menu
file which provides links to all other available documents.

If you have not yet installed the documentation, the Online Documents option will not be
able to access the menu file. In order to activate this option, you must run the setup.exe
again to install the documentation component. See your Installation Guide for details.

Introduction

Documentation Feedback

Send your questions, comments and suggestions regarding NetSight
documentation to NetSight Technical Communications via the following e­mail address:

[e-mail]

Getting Technical Support

Online Services on the World Wide Web

To locate product-specific information, refer to the Enterasys Web page at the
following address:

http://www.enterasys.com

Global Technical Assistance Center

If you have additional questions, contact the Global Technical Assistance
Center using one of these methods:

Telephone (24 hours a day, 365 days a year): [phone]

Fax: [phone]

Electronic Mail: [e-mail]

Getting Help 1-3

Introduction

Mailing Address:
Enterasys Networks, Inc.
Technical Support
35 Industrial Way
Rochester, NH 03867

FTP:
ftp.cabletron.com
Login: anonymous
Password: your email address

1-4 Getting Help

Chapter 2

Overview of NetSight Element Manager

Key NetSight Element Manager features; customizing the NetSight Element Manager platform;
backing up data files

NetSight Element Manager for Windows™ provides a powerful and easy-to-use tool for
monitoring and managing Enterasys and Cabletron devices from a Microsoft Windows
workstation. Its open architecture and broad feature set also make it an attractive platform
for third party development of management applications.

in

NetSight Element Manager support on the Solaris platform is limited to the

NOTE

installation of NetSight Chassis Manager, either alone or integrated with
Hewlett Packard’s HP OpenView Network Node Manager, and only for
Solaris 2.7. See your NetSight Element Manager Installation Guide for
more information.

About NetSight Element Manager

NetSight Element Manager -- like its predecessor SPECTRUM Element Manager -- is
comprised of several independent but interrelated applications:

• The Network Status application is responsible for polling nodes in the central

database. It provides you with feedback regarding the status of devices on your
network through the central NetSight Element Manager user interface via the List
Views, Tree Views, and Maps. Node status is propagated right up through these views
and onto your desktop via NetSight Element Manager’s minimized icon. Key features
of this user interface are highlighted in the Management and Monitoring

Workspace, beginning on page 2-5.

• The Event Manager application is responsible for alarm and event management. It

receives traps from network nodes and events from other NetSight Element Manager
processes, maintains the Log Views in which you view received events, and carries out

2-1

Overview of NetSight Element Manager

any actions that you have configured on reception of a particular trap or event. Alarm
and event management is highlighted in Alarm and Event Handling, beginning on

page 2-11.

•The Scheduler tool allows you to schedule unattended data back-ups and network
discovery sessions that will launch automatically at a scheduled time and date. With
the Scheduler, you can also configure and activate groups of “pager calendars” so that
network technicians can be automatically paged in response to network alarms or
events. The Scheduler is highlighted in Scheduler Tool, beginning on page 2-12.

•The Remote Administration Tools suite let you easily perform management tasks
(such as TFTP downloads, trap table configuration, or setting up MIB statistics polling
or MIB downloads) on an individual device or groups of devices. A MAC Address
Locator Tool also allows you to search one or more devices for the port through which
a selected MAC address is communicating. The Remote Administration Tools
section, page 2-12, briefly describes this powerful tool suite.

Among its features are:

• A primary window where you can navigate between the Map View, List View, Tree
View, and Log View workspaces to activate windows to monitor and manage your
network (such as Map windows and alarm Log View windows). A central menu bar
provides access to most management options.

• A graphical interface that lets you sort, rearrange, and resize column displays, select
icons for nodes in Map View, List View, and Tree View displays, and customize the
toolbar.

• Full-featured on-line assistance, including Wizards for common tasks,
context-sensitive help with a glossary and index, and a status bar with hint text. The
on-line documentation set is also launchable from the NetSight Element Manager
primary window.

• A dockable Workspace area which you can use to access and organize your List View,
Map View, Tree View, and Log View windows (as shown in Figure 2-1). You can
create folders within a view hierarchy to further nest the contents of your view
windows.

• Toolbars which can be docked to the primary NetSight Element Manager window, or
undocked as floating tool palettes (as shown in Figure 2-1). Toolbars are automatically
activated when a related view is active; you can also choose which toolbars you want
to display via the View—>Toolbars menu option.

2-2 About NetSight Element Manager

Toolbars can be undocked to become floating
tool palettes (either inside or outside the main
window) or be docked to a different place.

The Workspace can
also be undocked,
and placed either
inside or outside the
main window.

Overview of NetSight Element Manager

Views can be minimized,
but must remain in the
main window area.

Hint text displays here
when you move the cursor
over any toolbar button.

Figure 2-1. The Primary NetSight Element Manager Window,

with Docked and Undocked Workspace and Toolbars

• Drag-and-drop functionality for copy or link operations, so that it’s easy to transfer

data from one management window to the next within the same application (e.g., from
a List View to a Map View), or between applications (e.g., from a NetSight Element
Manager List View to a device group in Remote Administration Tools).

Icons representing various services are displayed
here when those services are active: node polling
service, Scheduler (not shown), alarm and event
service, and discover. Text displays also indicate
key positions, which can affect navigation.

About NetSight Element Manager 2-3

Overview of NetSight Element Manager

• Right-mouse button functionality for quick access to commonly-used menu
commands (as shown in Figure 2-2).

Clicking the right mouse button in
NetSight Element Manager
windows or workspaces, or on
elements in those windows, will
often bring up a menu with
commonly used management
selections.

Figure 2-2. Sample Right Mouse Functionality

• Print spooling to the Microsoft Windows Print Manager for record keeping purposes.
Printable information includes maps, device lists, alarm statistics, and other statistical
information (including RMON data). The Print Preview option is available to let you
view the material as it would appear on the page before it is actually spooled to the
system printer.

• OLE functionality to embed and link data with management Map files.

The following sections provide an overview of some key NetSight Element Manager
functions.

Network Discovery

The Discover application provides several key features; among these are:

Discover Script Capability

By creating Discover scripts, you can store the parameters of a discovery from one
management session to the next, so that you can repeat a configured discovery session at
any time.

Subnet Discovery

The Discover application is capable of searching based on a subnet address, rather than
requiring that a range of IP addresses be specified (although you can enter a range if
desired). You can also configure multiple subnets or IP address ranges to be discovered
within the same script.

Scheduled Discovery

By linking Discover scripts with the Scheduler application, you can automate the Discover
application so that it will run unattended at periodic intervals.

2-4 About NetSight Element Manager

Overview of NetSight Element Manager

IP or Host Locator

An additional tool linked to but run separately from the Discover application allows you to
resolve host names to IP addresses, and vice versa. You can also discover the IP addresses
and host names of all devices located on a subnet, and locate both the IP and hostname for
a device by its MAC address.

Automatic Creation of the Node Database

Your discovered nodes are automatically entered into NetSight Element Manager’s
central node database, and the Discover window remains open so that you can view the list
of discovered devices. The database is also automatically saved after each discovery.

Secondary Discover and Discover Reset

The first time you run a device discover script, all IP addresses in the subnet or address
range you have specified will be queried, and all discovered devices will be listed in the
discover window and automatically added to the central node database. This is called a
NEW Discovery. The second time you run any device discover, however — even a device
script which has not yet been run —NetSight Element Manager will perform a
SECONDARY Discover, querying only those IP addresses which did not respond to the
first discover. This process allows you to use a discover script to periodically survey a
subnet, domain, or range of IP addresses for any nodes that might have been down or
simply not present during the initial discovery, without the time and bandwidth cost of
continually re-polling for nodes which have already been successfully discovered. You
can force a return to NEW Discovery mode by clicking the Reset button in the Discover
Manager window; deleting any node from the central database will also reset the device
script counters to NEW Discovery mode.

Discover Wizard

A Wizard is provided to walk you through each step of configuring and performing a
discovery.

The Discover application is covered in Chapter 3, Discovering Nodes.

Management and Monitoring Workspace

NetSight Element Manager provides four work areas that allow you to choose how to
view information about the devices in your central node database: the List View, Tree
View, Map View, and Log View. Each provides a slightly different (and
user-configurable) look at the central node database, each comes with default views to get
you started, and each provides you with the ability to create one or more views specifically
designed to display the node information you need to successfully manage your network.

The following sections highlight each of these workspaces, and provide sample
illustrations of the workspaces and the windows available from them.

About NetSight Element Manager 2-5

Overview of NetSight Element Manager

List Views

The List View workspace allows you to view and create specialized lists of the devices in
your central node database. A default set of views is provided for you; you can also create
your own views, selecting both the nodes and the information about each node you wish to
display. Figure 2-3 illustrates a sample List View workspace and an associated List View
window.

Figure 2-3. Sample List View Workspace and Window

List View features include:

Multiple List Views

You can create multiple List Views to view portions of your node database. The read-only
All Nodes List View displays every viewable node in your database, and a set of
pre-defined List Views displays various subsets of that database; you can customize this
feature by editing a pre-defined view and/or creating an entirely new one to display node
information in the way that works best for you. Each List View also provides an Excluded
Nodes feature, which allows you to remove one or more nodes from a view without
removing them from the database or changing the parameters of the view’s filter.

2-6 About NetSight Element Manager

Overview of NetSight Element Manager

The List View Workspace

Individual List Views are represented as icons within the List View workspace; these
icons are arranged in a standard tree hierarchy (using a standard Microsoft Windows tree
view control). Double-clicking on a List View icon within the tree opens its associated
List View window.

The List View workspace also provides organizational structure to your List Views. The
tree starts at the top-level All Nodes List View, and branches into more specifically
defined List Views. You can also nest List View icons within folders to further stratify the
tree hierarchy.

Detailed Node Information

NetSight Element Manager can display the following information for each node: Status,
Model, Name, Label (descriptive alias), Logical (IP or IPX) Address, Physical (MAC)
Address, Time of Last Contact, System Up Time, Status Group (DLM – Distributed LAN
Management – information), Classes (functional class supported by the node, e.g., router,
switch, ATM, etc.), Enterprise (vendor), Topologies supported by the node (e.g., token
ring, FDDI, Ethernet, etc.), and Events (whether a trap or event concerning the node has
been detected). You can create List Views which select nodes to be displayed based on
one or more of these parameters, including subnet, enterprise, class, topology, and status
group.

Tree Views

Customizable Node Properties

Each node icon has its own Properties window, which you can use to provide additional
descriptive notes for reference, assign a label, change the community name and the
interval/retry parameters to be used for polling, and choose icons to represent the node’s
topology, model, and enterprise.

The Tree View workspace provides access to and allows you to configure a different look
at the nodes in your database: the Tree Views. Tree Views display summary information
about nodes and their interfaces within a tree hierarchy (using a standard Microsoft
Windows tree view control). Figure 2-4 illustrates a sample Tree View workspace and an
associated Tree View window.

About NetSight Element Manager 2-7

Overview of NetSight Element Manager

Figure 2-4. Sample Tree View Workspace and Associated Tree View Window

Each node icon in a Tree View window is presented at the top layer in the tree hierarchy.
By expanding the display of each node icon, you can view progressively more detailed
information about the node (such as polling status, name, IP address, DLM status
information, model type, and enterprise) and the interface through which NetSight
Element Manager is communicating with the node (such as interface topology, address,
index, and polling information).

You can use a Tree View window to glean basic information about each node and its
polled interface without bringing up its management window; or, by double-clicking on a
node icon, you can open the management window for the selected node.

As with the List View windows, NetSight Element Manager provides a read-only All
Nodes Tree View which displays every node in the database; a set of predefined Tree
Views (based on classes, interfaces, and topologies) is also provided. The pre-defined
views can be edited to suit your needs, or you can create entirely new views as necessary.
Also as with List Views, an Excluded Nodes feature allows you to remove one or more
nodes from a view without removing them from the database or changing the parameters
of the view’s filter.

2-8 About NetSight Element Manager

Map Views

Overview of NetSight Element Manager

Map View windows in NetSight Element Manager provide a third — and perhaps the
most flexible — means for viewing information about your network. Using maps, you can
create a visual representation of your network: grouping devices by location rather than
function, and using a variety of graphical tools (including bitmap backgrounds and drawn
objects) to represent connections and other pertinent information about the physical
structure of your network. Maps also support Microsoft’s OLE (Object Linking and
Embedding), which can be used to link or embed data created via other applications into a
map document.

NetSight Element Manager’s map feature allows you to create a three-dimensional
representation of your network by allowing you to show not only relationships between
devices, but relationships between groups of devices. Individual Map Views can be linked
to other Map Views to create a hierarchical structure which is graphically represented in
the Map View workspace, again via the Microsoft standard tree control. The overall status
of each individual map is also displayed in the workspace; for related maps, each map’s
status includes the status of any submaps with which it is associated. These status reports
are propagated up the hierarchy, whether individual maps are closed or open — giving
you a bird’s-eye view of your network status at all times.

As with the other workspaces, you can create folders in which to nest groups of Map
icons; double-clicking on a Map icon will open the associated Map window. Figure 2-5
illustrates a sample Map View workspace and an associated Map window.

Figure 2-5. Sample Map View Workspace and Map Window

About NetSight Element Manager 2-9

Overview of NetSight Element Manager

Log Views

NetSight Element Manager provides a Log View workspace, which contains information
about traps and software events. Like the other workspaces, the Log View workspace —
illustrated in Figure 2-6 — allows you to create, access, and organize the Log View
windows which provide the foundation of alarm and event management. Individual Log
View windows appear as icons within the Log View tree hierarchy; you can create folders
in which to nest individual Log View icons, and double-clicking on a Log View icon will
open the associated Log View window. For more on alarm and event management, refer
to Alarm and Event Handling, page 2-11.

Figure 2-6. Sample Log Views Workspace and Associated Log View

Excluding Nodes

In addition to providing almost unlimited means for viewing the contents of the central
node database, NetSight Element Manager also provides a means for temporarily
excluding certain nodes from view — either from a specific view window, or from the
central node database itself.

When you exclude a node from a specific view, the node is placed into that view’s
individual excluded nodes list. It will no longer be visible from that view, but it remains in
the database and will be displayed in any other view as appropriate.

2-10 About NetSight Element Manager

When you exclude a node from the central node database, that node is no longer displayed
in any view, and is moved to the Excluded Nodes database. Though these nodes can no
longer be displayed or managed, they are protected from re-discovery, and they can be
re-included in the central node database at any time. Excluded nodes can also be deleted
entirely.

The Excluded Nodes database can be viewed via the View—>Excluded Nodes menu
option available via the primary NetSight Element Manager window; for more
information on this feature, see Chapter 4, List Views.

Alarm and Event Handling

NetSight Element Manager provides powerful alarm and event handling capabilities via
the independent Alarm and Event Service. The Event User Connection Service receives
all incoming messages issued by devices configured to send traps to your workstation, as
well as system events issued by the NetSight Element Manager Network Status process or
another of its component processes (e.g., Discover or Scheduler). Because it is an
independent process, the Event User Connection Service can operate without NetSight
Element Manager running, receiving (and, where appropriate, acting on) traps issued by
your networking devices or events issued by one of NetSight Element Manager’s
component services.

Overview of NetSight Element Manager

You can create multiple Log Views to view a single trap/event database; you can also
define a separate set of View Filters for each Log View window. The Alarm and Event
handler allows you to define two types of event handling actions: foreground actions,
which you can apply interactively to a received trap or event; and background actions,
which provide unattended checking for a specified trap or event’s occurrence, and then
activate the pre-determined event handling response.

Trap and event data can be exported to HTML for report generation capability on an
internal Web server, and used in conjunction with the Pager alarm notification tool (part of
the Scheduler tool described on page 2-12).

For more information about alarm and event handling, see the Alarm and Event Handling
User’s Guide; for more information about the Scheduler application, see the Tools Guide.

The NetSight Element Manager Tool Suite

NetSight Element Manager includes a number of powerful utility applications — or tools
— which ease the task of monitoring and managing your network. Among these tools are
Remote Administration Tools, the Scheduler, and MIB Tools.

The NetSight Element Manager Tool Suite 2-11

Overview of NetSight Element Manager

Remote Administration Tools

Remote Administration Tools is a utility suite which allows you to conveniently perform
routine management tasks on a single device — or on a group of devices — from your
remote workstation, rather than requiring local terminal access to each device. Among
these tasks are:

• Configuring TFTP and BOOTP sessions with a selected device or device group.

• Adding workstation IP addresses to the trap table(s) of a selected device or device
group.

• Searching a group of devices for the port through which a specified MAC address is
communicating.

• Performing MIB SETs, using a template of MIB objects and values, on one or more
devices.

• Performing MIB GETs, using a template of MIB objects, from one or more devices for
statistics and trend analysis.

• Performing a soft reboot on selected devices.

• Changing access community names on selected devices.

For more information about these tools, see the Remote Administration Tools User’s
Guide, included in your documentation set.

Scheduler Tool

The Scheduler tool allows you to schedule certain administrative actions so that they can
be performed while your workstation is unattended. These actions include:

• Performing discovery sessions (using scripts defined using the Discover application).

• Launching selected programs, including TFTP downloads, MIB statistics recordings,

• Backing up files (NetSight Element Manager data files, or any other files you choose).

• Setting up automated paging (by defining individuals or groups of individuals to be

For more information about the Scheduler tool, see the Tools Guide, included in your
documentation set.

and MIB loads via the Remote Administration Tools application.

paged, and specifying their availability to be paged). The paging feature is integrated
with NetSight Element Manager alarm and event handling, so that a scheduled page
can be performed as part of an interactive foreground action, or an unattended
background action.

2-12 The NetSight Element Manager Tool Suite

MIB Tools

Overview of NetSight Element Manager

The MIB Tools suite of MIB browsing and editing tools comprises:

• The MIB Browser — a simple graphical interface you can use to contact and query

SNMP nodes on your network and examine their supported MIBs (as long as the MIBs
are imported into the MIB Tools database). MIB Browser also lets you conveniently
perform SETs on contacted devices.

• MIB Details — a display of the descriptive information for management objects that

you query from a node.

• The MIB Editor, which lets you manipulate your database of network vendor’s MIBs.

An extensive MIB database is provided with MIB Tools; you can input new MIBs
(stored in ASCII text format) into this database, or you can delete any unnecessary
MIBs (or MIB portions) so that the database maintains the precise MIB information
that you need to manage your nodes.

•The Device Manager, which allows you to maintain a database of node IP addresses

that you frequently contact, and displays summary information about these nodes.

•A Preferences option, which lets you view and change configuration settings for the

MIB Tools suite.

Customizing NetSight Element Manager

There are a number of ways you can adjust NetSight Element Manager’s settings to
customize its operation in the way that works best in your management environment.
These are detailed in the following sections.

You can also do some batch customization outside of the NetSight Element Manager

TIP

Adjusting Default Settings

platform; see Appendix A, Batch Customization via AddTool, AddImage, and

AddDevType, for more information.

The Options window controls the default settings for NetSight Element Manager and
some of its components. These settings control the operation of many basic features and
functions in NetSight Element Manager, and they are referenced throughout the document
set. You may want to adjust these settings so that they better suit your specific network
management needs.

The Options window — accessed by selecting Tools—>Options from the primary
window menu bar — has seven tabbed pages, each of which controls a set of related
functions in NetSight Element Manager. Each tabbed page and the options it controls is
discussed in the following sections.

Customizing NetSight Element Manager 2-13

Overview of NetSight Element Manager

Figure 2-7. The Options Window (with Workspace Options Selected)

Workspace Options

The Workspace options (displayed by default, as illustrated in Figure 2-7) control various
settings for the NetSight Element Manager interface. You select or deselect each option by
clicking the associated checkbox. A checked box indicates that the associated option is
selected; a blank box indicates that option is deselected.

Show Splash window at startup

The Splash window is an identifying screen that will briefly appear when you initialize
NetSight Element Manager. Selecting this option will cause the screen to be displayed;
deselecting it will suppress the screen.

Show Tooltips

Tooltips are small pop-up windows that provide user assistance by identifying controls
such as toolbar buttons. Selecting Show Tooltips will cause these to be displayed when
the mouse cursor is dragged over a toolbar icon; deselecting the option will suppress them.
You may want to leave this option selected until you are comfortable visually identifying
all the toolbar options by their icons.

Autofill IP address fields

When this option is selected, the dotted decimal IP address octets set via the Network
options (or via the Welcome Wizard) will be automatically entered in any field that
requires an IP address.

2-14 Customizing NetSight Element Manager