Nortel Networks 24R9744 User Manual

Browser-Based Interface

Quick Guide

TM

Alteon OS 21.0

Layer 2-7 GbE Switch Module
for IBM BladeCenter

Part Number: 24R9744, March 2006

4655 Great America Parkway

Santa Clara, CA 95054

www.nortelnetworks.com

Reference: 215656-D

Alteon OS 21.0 BBI Quick Guide

Copyright 2004 Nortel Networks, Inc., Great America Parkway , Santa Clara, California 95054, USA. All
rights reserved. Part Number: 24R9744.

This document is protected by copyright and distributed under licenses restricting its use, copying,
distribution, and decompilation. No part of this document may be reproduced in any form by any means
without prior written authorization of Nortel Networks, Inc. Documentation is provided “as is” without
warranty of any kind, either express or implied, including any kind of implied or express warranty of non­infringement or the implied warranties of merchantability or fitness for a particular purpose.

U.S. Government End Users: This document is provided with a “commercial item” as defined by F AR

2.101 (Oct 1995) and contains “commercial technical data” and “commercial software documentation” as
those terms are used in F AR 12.211-12.212 (Oct 1995). Government End Users are authorized to use this
documentation only in accordance with those rights and restrictions set forth herein, consistent with F AR

12.211- 12.212 (Oct 1995), DF ARS 227.7202 (JUN 1995) and DF ARS 252.2 27-7015 (Nov 1995).
Nortel Networks, Inc. reserves the right to change any products described herein at any time, a nd without

notice. Nortel Networks, Inc. assumes no responsibility or liability arising from the use of products
described herein, except as expressly agreed t o in writing by Nortel Networks, Inc. The use and purchase of
this product does not convey a license under any patent rights, trademark rights, or any other intellectual
property rights of Nortel Networks, Inc.

Alteon OS, BBI, are the trademarks of Nortel Networks in the United States and certain other countries.
Microsoft

®

, Windows®, and Windows NT® are registered trademarks of Microsoft Corporation in the
United States and in other countries. Netscape® and Netscape Navigator® are registered trademarks of
Netscape Communications Corporation in the United States and other countries. Any other trademarks
appearing in this manual are owned by their respective companies.

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Contents

Preface 5

Who Should Use This Book 5
Related Documentation 5
Typographic Conventions 6
How to Get Help 7

Chapter 1: Getting Started 9

Features 9
Requirements 10
Switch Set Up 10

IP Interfaces 10

Enabling/Disabling BBI Access 10
Web Browser Set Up 11
Starting the BBI 11

Chapter 2: Browser-Based Interface Basics 15

Toolbar 16

Context Buttons 16

Commands 17
Navigation Window 18
Forms Window 18
Message Window 19

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Chapter 3: Configuring the Switch 21

Configuration Steps 21

Using the BBI to Load Switch Software 23

Chapter 4: Viewing Statistics 27

Steps for Displaying Statistics 27

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Alteon OS 21.0 BBI Quick Guide

Chapter 5: The Dashboard 29

Steps for Displaying Dashboards 29

 Contents

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Preface

Alteon OS Browser-Based Interface (BBI) software is included in the GbE Switch Module.
The BBI software lets you use your Web browser to access switch information and statistics,
and to perform switch configuration via the Internet.

This BBI Quick Guide provides an overview of how to access and use the Browser-Based
Interface.

Who Should Use This Book

This BBI Quick Guide is intended for network installers and system administrators engaged in
configuring and maintaining a network. It assumes that you are familiar with your GbE Switch
Module, your W eb brows er, Ethernet concepts, IP addressing, the IEEE 802.1d Spanning-T ree
Protocol, and SNMP configuration parameters.

Related Documentation

For documentation on installing the switch physically, see the Installation Guide for your GbE
Switch Module.

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For details about the switch information, statistics, and configuration parameters available
using the Alteon OS BBI, see the Alteon OS Command Reference and Application Guide.

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Alteon OS 21.0 BBI Quick Guide

Typographic Conventions

The following table describes the typographic styles used in this book.

Table 1 Typographic Conventions

Typeface or

Symbol

AaBbCc123 This type is used for names of commands,

AaBbCc123 This bold type appears in command exam-

<AaBbCc123> This italicized type appears in command

[ ] Command items shown inside brackets are

Meaning Example

files, and directories used within the text.
It also depicts on-screen computer output and

prompts.

ples. It shows text that must be typed in
exactly as shown.

examples as a parameter placeholder. Replace
the indicated text with the appropriate real
name or value when using the command. Do
not type the brackets.

This also shows book titles, special terms, or
words to be emphasized.

optional and can be used or excluded as the
situation demands. Do not type the brackets.

View the readme.txt file.

Main#

Main# sys

To establish a T elnet session, enter:

host# telnet <IP address>

Read your User’ s Guide thoroughly.

host# ls [-a]

 Preface

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Alteon OS 21.0 BBI Quick Guide

How to Get Help

If you need help, service, or technical assistance, see the "Getting help and technical assis­tance" appendix in the Nortel Networks Layer 2-7 GbE Switch Module for IBM BladeCenter
Installation Guide on the IBM BladeCenter Documentation CD.

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Preface

 7

Alteon OS 21.0 BBI Quick Guide

 Preface

8

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CHAPTER 1

Getting Started

This chapter briefly describes the software features and requirements for the Alteon OS
Browser-Based Interface (BBI), and explains how to access the BBI start page.

Features

The network administrator can access all switch configuration and monitoring functions
through the BBI, a Web-based switch management interface. The BBI has the following fea­tures:

 Many of the same configuration and monitoring functions as the command-line interface
 Intuitive and easy-to-use interface structure
 Password protect ion
 Nothing to install; the BBI is part of the Alteon OS switch software
 Automatically upgraded with each new software release

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NOTE – You can perform most configuration and monitoring tasks through the BBI.

For a comprehensive set of commands, use the command-line interface. Refer to Alteon OS

21.0 Command Reference for Nortel Networks Layer 2-7 GbE Switch Module for IBM
BladeCenter.

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Alteon OS 21.0 BBI Quick Guide

Requirements

 GbE Sw itch Module

 Installed Alteon OS switch software

 PC or workstation with network access to the switch

 Frame-capable Web-browser software, such as the following:

 Netscape Navigator 4.7x or higher
 Internet Explorer 6.0x or higher

 JavaScript enabled in your Web browser

Switch Set Up

Before you can access the BBI, minimal configuration is required on the GbE Switch Module.

IP Interfaces

At least one IP interface must be configured on the switch. This is usually done from the com-

mand-line interface during first-time switch set up. Each IP interface address provides a point

of access for Alteon OS switch management. The default management interface is 128, which

allows access to Alteon OS switch management via the management module network only.

For complete information about configuring IP interfaces, see your GbE Switch Module

Installation Guide.

Enabling/Disabling BBI Access

By default, BBI access is enabled. If you need to disable or re-enable access, use the following

command from the GbE Switch Module command-line interface:

>> Main# /cfg/sys/access/http <disable|enable (or just d|e)>

For more information on the accessing and configuring the switch through the command-line

interface, see your GbE Switch Module Installation Guide.

 Chapter 1: Getting Started

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Alteon OS 21.0 BBI Quick Guide

Web Browser Set Up

Most modern Web browsers work with frames and JavaScript by default, and require no addi­tional set up. However, you should check your Web browser’s features and configuration to
make sure frames and JavaScript are enabled.

NOTE – JavaScript is not the same as Java. Please make sure that JavaScript is enabled in your

Web browser.

Starting the BBI

When the switch and browser set up is done, follow these steps to laun ch the BBI:

1. Start your Web browser.

2. Enter the switch IP interface address in the Web browser’s URL field.

For example, consider an IP interface with a network IP address of 1.90.90.96. Using Netscape
Navigator, you could enter the following:

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If the IP interface’s address has a name on your local domain name server, you could enter the
name instead. For example, with Internet Explorer, you could enter the following:

Chapter 1: Getting Started

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Alteon OS 21.0 BBI Quick Guide

3. Log in to the switch.

If your switch and browser are properly configured, you will be asked to enter a password:

Enter the account name and password for the switch’s administrator or user account. The

default account name is admin, and the default password is admin. For more password infor-

mation, see your Alteon OS Command Reference manual.

 Chapter 1: Getting Started

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Alteon OS 21.0 BBI Quick Guide

4. Allow the BBI Dashboard page to load.

When the proper account name and password combination is entered, the BBI Dashboard page
is displayed in your browser’s viewing area:

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NOTE – There may be a slight delay while the Dashboard page is being initialized. Y ou should

not stop the browser while loading is in progress. When loading is complete, a folder icon will
appear in the left-hand navigation window.

Chapter 1: Getting Started

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Alteon OS 21.0 BBI Quick Guide

 Chapter 1: Getting Started

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CHAPTER 2

Browser-Based Interface Basics

Once you are properly logged in, the Browser-Based Interface (BBI) appears in your Web
browser’s viewing window:

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There are four main regions on the BBI screen:

 The toolbar is used for selecting the context for your actions in the other windows.
 The naviga tion window is used for selecting particular items or features to act upon.
 The forms window is used for viewing or altering switch information.
 The message window is used for displaying the latest switch syslog messages and

events.

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Alteon OS 21.0 BBI Quick Guide

Toolbar

Context Buttons

The toolbar is used for setting the context for your actions in the application. There are three

context buttons:

Configure When selected, you can access the switch configuration forms. Configuration

Statistics When selected, you can view information about switch performance. Select an

Dashboard This context button is selected by default when the BBI is first activated.

forms can be altered only if you are logged in using the administrator account.
Select an item in the navigation window to display the desired configuration
form in the forms window.

item in the navigation window to display the desired statistics in the forms
window.

When selected, basic switch information and status can be viewed in the forms
window. Select an item in the navigation window to display the desired dash­board information in the forms window.

When a context icon is selected, the button will be highlighted as a reminder of the current

context mode.

 Chapter 2: Browser-Based Interface Basics

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Alteon OS 21.0 BBI Quick Guide

Commands

The following general commands are available on the toolbar:

Apply Pending configuration changes do not take effect until the Apply command is

selected. Once applied, all changes take effect on the switch immediately. If
you do not save the changes, however, they will be lost th e next time the
switch is rebooted.

Save Writes applied configuration changes to non-volatile flash memory on the

switch.

Revert Remove pending configuration changes between “apply” commands. Use this

command to restore configuration parameters set since last “apply” command.

Diff Show any pending configuration changes.
Dump Dump the current switch configuration to a script file.
DumpBk Dump the backup configuration to a script file.
DumpAc Dump the active configuration to a script file.
Show Log Opens a new Web-browser window for displaying the 64 most recent switch

log messages. Close the log browser when finished.

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Help Opens a new Web-browser window for displaying the basic online help infor-

mation. Close the help browser when finished.

Logout Log off the switch and exit the BBI.

Chapter 2: Browser-Based Interface Basics

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Alteon OS 21.0 BBI Quick Guide

Navigation Window

The navigation window is used for selecting a particular switch feature to act upon. Status, sta-

tistics, or configuration forms for the selected item will appear in the forms window, depending

on the context chosen on the toolbar.

The navigation window contains a tree of folders, sub-folders, and feature icons:

You can click on any closed folder to open it and reveal its contents. Click on any open folder

to close it. Click on any feature icon to load the appropriate status, statistics, or configuration

form in the forms window.

Some folders also have forms. If the name of the folders is underlined, click on the name to

display the appropriate form.

Forms Window

When a feature icon is selected on the navigation window, a status, statistics, or configuration

form is displayed in the forms window. The exact nature of the form depends on the current

context selected on the toolbar, as well as the type of information available. Not all feature

icons have forms for all contexts.

Some forms display switch information such as settings, status, or statistics. Others allow you

to make configuration changes to switch parameters.

 Chapter 2: Browser-Based Interface Basics

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Alteon OS 21.0 BBI Quick Guide

Message Window

Switch log messages are generated by events such as login/logout activity, password changes,
configuration changes, and switch reboot. The BBI records the 64 most recent messages and
displays each one briefly in the message window. When the last message has been displayed,
the cycle repeats.

T o view all 64 messages at the same time, select the Show Log command on the toolbar. A new
Web-browser window will be opened to display the log information. Close the window when
finished.

For a list of syslog messages, see your Alteon OS Command Reference manual.

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Chapter 2: Browser-Based Interface Basics

 19

Alteon OS 21.0 BBI Quick Guide

 Chapter 2: Browser-Based Interface Basics

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CHAPTER 3

Configuring the Switch

The Browser-Based Interface (BBI) can be used to view and change switch configuration
parameters. The same configuration parameters that are available through the switch’s com­mand-line interface are present on the BBI configuration forms.

The following provides a basic outline for switch configuration. You should first be familiar
with configuration as covered in the Alteon OS 21.0 Command Reference manual.

NOTE – You must be logged in using the administrator account in order to change switch con-

figuration settings.

Configuration Steps

Follow these basic steps for viewing or configuring switch parameters:

1. Select the Configure context button in the toolbar:

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Alteon OS 21.0 BBI Quick Guide

2. Select a feature icon in the navigation window. For example:

3. View or make changes to the settings shown in the forms window. For example:

NOTE – Fields which must be configured for proper switch operations are highlighted on the

forms in GREEN type. Items which load other forms when selected are underlined.

 Chapter 3: Configuring the Switch

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Alteon OS 21.0 BBI Quick Guide

4. Submit, reset, or delete the form contents using buttons on the bottom of the form.

Submit When selected, the form is sent to the switch. Any configuration changes are placed in

the “pending” state and do not take effect until the toolbar Apply command is given.

Reset When selected, the form fields are reset to their last submitted val u es .
Delete This button is available for configuration items that can be deleted. Wh en se lected, the

featured item is slated to be removed from the switch configuration database. The item is
not actually deleted, however, until the toolbar Apply command is given.

5. Apply and save your changes using the toolbar commands.

Pending configuration changes (including deletions) do not take effect until the Apply com­mand is selected.

Applied changes take effect on the switch immediately, but will be lost the next time the switch
is rebooted unless the Save command is selected.

1. Click the Configure context button in the toolbar:

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Using the BBI to Load Switch Software

You can use the Browser-Based Interface to load software onto the GbE Switch Module
(GbESM). The software image to load can reside in one of the following locations:

 FTP server
 TFTP server
 Local computer

After you log onto the BBI, perform the following steps to load a software image:

Chapter 3: Configuring the Switch

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Alteon OS 21.0 BBI Quick Guide

2. In the Navigation Window, select System > Config/Image Control.

The Switch Image and Configuration Management page appears.

 Chapter 3: Configuring the Switch

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Alteon OS 21.0 BBI Quick Guide

3. If you are loading software from your computer (HTTP client), go to Step 4. If you are

loading software from a FTP/TFTP server, enter the server’s information in the FTP/
TFTP Settings section.

4. In the Image Settings section, select the image version you want to replace (Image for

Transfer).

 If you are loading software from a FTP/TFTP server, enter the file name and click

Get Image.

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 If you are loading software from your computer, click Browse. In the File Download

Dialog, select the file and click OK. Click Download via Browser.

Chapter 3: Configuring the Switch

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Alteon OS 21.0 BBI Quick Guide

Once the image has loaded, the page refreshes to show the new software.

 Chapter 3: Configuring the Switch

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CHAPTER 4

Viewing Statistics

The Alteon OS Browser-Based Interface (BBI) can be used to view a variety of switch perfor­mance statistics. The same statistics that are available through the switch’s command-line
interface are present on the BBI statistics forms.

The following provides a basic outline for viewing statistics. You should first be familiar with
available statistics as covered in the Alteon OS 21.0 Command Reference manual.

Steps for Displaying Statistics

Follow these basic steps for viewing switch statistics:

1. Select the Statistics context button in the toolbar:

2. Select a feature icon in the navigation window. For example:

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Alteon OS 21.0 BBI Quick Guide

3. View the statistics in the forms window. For example:

NOTE – The sample screens that appear in this document might differ slightly from the screens

displayed by your system. Screen content varies based on the type of BladeCenter unit that you
are using and the firmware versions and options that are installed.

NOTE – Items which load other forms when selected are underlined.

 Chapter 4: Viewing Statistics

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CHAPTER 5

The Dashboard

The Alteon OS Browser-Based Interface (BBI) can be used to view the present settings and
operating status of a variety of switch features. The same information available through the
switch’s command-line interface is present on the dashboard forms.

The following provides a basic outline for viewing the dashboard forms. You should first be
familiar with configuration as covered in the Alteon OS 21.0 Command Reference manual.

Steps for Displaying Dashboards

Follow these basic steps for viewing switch dashboard forms:

1. Select the Dashboard context button in the toolbar:

2. Select a feature icon in the navigation window. For example:

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Alteon OS 21.0 BBI Quick Guide

3. View information shown in the forms window. For example:

NOTE – The sample screens that appear in this document might differ slightly from the screens

displayed by your system. Screen content varies based on the type of BladeCenter unit that you
are using and the firmware versions and options that are installed.

NOTE – Items which load other forms when selected are underlined.

 Chapter 5: The Dashboard

30

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