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Table of Contents

CiscoWorks Getting Started On SunNet Manager

CiscoWorks Getting Started On SunNet Manager

This chapter briefly describes some CiscoWorks applications and provides instructions on how to use them. It also contains an overview of how CiscoWorks functions with your SunNet Manager network management platforms. The chapter includes the following sections:

For detailed CiscoWorks application information, refer to the CiscoWorks online help system.

CiscoWorks Online Help

CiscoWorks now includes a new form of online help based on help systems supplied with Windows-based platforms.

Once you start the CiscoWorks online help system, you can jump to any topic within the system. For information on how to use the Help viewer, select Help>How to Use Help when the first help window appears.

Online help is available from several parts of CiscoWorks and its network management platforms:

CiscoWorks online help includes a Find button that allows you to do full-text searches within the help system. For information on how to do a search, select Help>How to Use Help when the first Help window appears.

Viewing Online Help

The online system includes help descriptions for all CiscoWorks menus and windows, including windows that do not have help menus. You can view your online help system in the following ways:

Learning to Use CiscoWorks

CiscoWorks applications appear on your Sun Net Manager menus. To use CiscoWorks features and SunNet Manager software to the fullest, you must understand how to start the applications and complete some basic tasks. This section describes the location of the CiscoWorks applications on the SNM menus and provides an overview of the post-installation tasks to complete before you begin to use CiscoWorks.

CiscoWorks Applications

Table 4-1 lists the CiscoWorks applications and their menu locations, and explains the tasks they perform. The CiscoWorks applications are listed in alphabetical order.

In SunNet Manager, start the CiscoWorks applications via the Tools and Glyphs menus.


Table  4-1: Accessing CiscoWorks Applications
SunNet Manager Menu Location Tasks
Tools>CW - Application Help CiscoWorks online help system that allows you to investigate different levels of details within the online help system by selecting highlighted text to open additional windows. The online help system provides overview, related information, procedures, and glossary data on the CiscoWorks applications and features. It allows both keyword and full-text searches to enable users to search for specific text.
Tools>CW - AutoInstall Manager Remotely deploy a new router using a neighbor router. Perform AutoInstall tasks remotely by running CiscoWorks instead of a Telnet session.
Tools>CW - Config Management Access configuration files of local and remote Cisco Systems devices to analyze or edit them as necessary. Compare the contents of two configuration files in the database, or compare the configuration currently running on a device with the configuration that represents the last Database to Device command you performed.
Tools>CW - Configuration Snap-In Mgr Create and execute selected or custom UNIX commands on a device or group of devices at any time with Global Command Scheduler.
Glyph Tools>CW - Contacts Obtain information about the contact for a specific device, including the complete name, phone number, e-mail address, title, location, and address of the person responsible for the operation of the device.
Tools>CW - Device Mgmt Create and maintain a database that holds a complete inventory of your network--hardware, software, release levels of operation components, individuals responsible for maintaining the devices, and associated locations. Enter or change data in the database tables for network devices, networks, interfaces, contacts, vendors, and so on.
Tools>CW - Device Monitor Monitor your network devices for information about environmental and interface statistics. Specify how often CiscoWorks should check this information.
Tools>CW - Device Polling Probe and extract information about the condition of your networks using a polling feature. The information acquired is stored in the database for further evaluation and analysis. Compare the relative performance and status of devices and interfaces on the network.
Glyph Tools>CW - Device SW

Mgr

 Automate the upgrade of a system software or microcode image on a Cisco device.
Tools>CW - Domain Mgr Create groups of devices (called domains) that CiscoWorks applications can use to accomplish network management tasks such as security, configuration, and device polling.
Glyph Tools>CW - Environmental Monitor View the environmental status of Cisco AGS+ and Cisco 7000 routers including temperature and voltage statistics. This function is available on AGS+ routers running System Software Release 9.0 or later with an environmental monitor card running ENVM Microcode Version 2.0 or later.
Tools>CW - Global Command Mgr Create, store, and execute system commands on a device or group of devices at any time with Global Command Scheduler.
Tools>CW - Global Command Scheduler Schedule commands or other jobs at regularly scheduled times using the crontab utility.
Glyph Tools>CW - Health Monitor View information about the status of a device, including buffers, CPU load, available memory, and protocols and interfaces being used. Enables you to display the Show Commands and Real-Time Graphs windows from the Health Monitor window.
Tools>CW - Login Perform a generic login for all CiscoWorks applications that require user authentication so that you do not have to log in to each application separately.
Tools>CW - Logout Log out of secured CiscoWorks applications to ensure security for those applications with authority checking turned on.
Tools>CW - Path Tool

OR

Glyph Tools>CW - Path Tool

 View and analyze the path between two devices. Perform analysis on the path to collect utilization and error data. Display the devices encountered between the source and the destination device, the link speeds connecting these SNMP devices, and the interface names.
Tools>CW - Polling Summary Summarize the polling setup completed within Device Polling. Browse data, and stop and start polling.
Tools>CW - Process Mgr Start, stop, and view status of CiscoWorks-related processes including Polling (nmpolld), CiscoConnect (httpd), System Log (syslogd), Sybase Server (dataserver), and TACACS (xtacacsd) daemons.
Glyph Tools>CW - Real-Time Graphs View device information such as the router health (buffer space, CPU load, environment, free memory, and security); interface health (bits per second, bytes, errors, packets per second, packets, and queues); and protocol traffic (IP, ICMP, SNMP, TCP, UDP, AppleTalk, DECnet IV, Novell, VINES, and XNS) using a grapher utility.
Tools>CW - SA Password Log in to the Sybase database account so you can perform system administrator tasks.
Tools>CW - Security Mgr Create authority checking procedures to protect selected CiscoWorks applications and network devices from unauthorized individuals by requiring a login to use protected applications. This protection ensures that only users with a valid account and password can perform tasks such as configuring a router, deleting database device information, or defining polling procedures.
Glyph Tools>CW - Show Commands View device data about any SNMP device, including Cisco routers and communication servers. This data includes the software version, buffers, selected device interfaces, traffic mix, IP accounting checkpoint, ARP, and IP route. Emulates the EXEC show commands for Cisco routers.
Tools>CW - Software Inventory Mgr Update the Sybase database to include current device software and hardware status. Sort device information according to platform and software image, and invoke Device Software Manager to update specific devices.
Tools>CW - Software Library Mgr Maintains a master storage area that contains a list of all available Cisco system software. These Cisco IOS software images are retrieved by the user with a variety of methods.
Tools>CW - Sync w/Sybase

or

Glyph Tools>CW - Sync w/Sybase

 Synchronize the NMS and Sybase databases. CiscoWorks maintains data in the Sybase database, whereas each NMS maintains its own database. Sync w/Sybase ensures that device data from the NMS database is in the Sybase database (Sync w/Platform) and vice versa. Generally, synchronize the databases whenever new devices are added to your network. Use Sync Selected to add individual devices.
Tools>Sybase ESQR Use Sybase ESQR utilities to run and print reports on any table created with the Device Polling application.
Tools>CW - TACACS Mgr Maintain the TACACS password file on UNIX hosts that act as TACACS servers. Create and update TACACS accounts and computer-generated passwords.
Tools>CW - Toolbox Allows you to start CiscoWorks applications directly, without using the menus on your network management platform. Click on an application's icon in the Toolbox window to start the application. You can also display help for each application from the Toolbox.

SunNet Manager Post-Installation Tasks

Perform the following tasks before using the CiscoWorks application on SunNet Manager (SNM):


  1. Run the SNM Discover tool to create an SNM database and a network map with network devices. For more information, refer to "Running the SNM Discover Command," later in this chapter. For detailed information, refer to the SunNet Manager User's Guide.

  2. Create other network maps and submaps, and add appropriate devices. Refer to the section "Adding Cisco Devices to Your SNM Network Map," later in this chapter.

  3. Use the SNM Change Type command to change appropriate SNM devices to Cisco devices. Refer to the section "Identifying Cisco Devices for CiscoWorks on Your SNM Map," later in this chapter.

  4. Use the CiscoWorks Sync w/Sybase application to synchronize the SNM database with the Sybase database. Refer to the section "Synchronizing the SNMDatabase with Sybase," later in this chapter.

  5. Check out the expanded CiscoWorks online help. Refer to the section "CiscoWorks Online Help," earlier in this chapter.

Before performing any of these tasks, you must become familiar with the SNM Console window and learn how to access its menu items.

Overview of CiscoWorks on SunNet Manager

CiscoWorks is integrated with SunNet Manager (SNM).

Note To understand the relationship between your SNM and CiscoWorks, you must become familiar with certain SNM features. Refer to your SNM documentation for the SNM Create, Discover, and Change Type commands to ensure that your platform is set up properly.

During installation and configuration, CiscoWorks adds customized schema files with Cisco-specific device types (such as the Cisco AGS+) to the platform's schema files directory. CiscoWorks also adds its applications to the SNM menus.

Note Familiarize yourself with the user interface conventions used by Motif or your preferred windowing system. CiscoWorks supports Motif standards for all its graphical user-interface components, such as using the mouse, opening windows and menus, and manipulating windows and icons. They are not covered within this guide.

It is important to understand the SNM environment and how to use your platform software in conjunction with CiscoWorks. To answer your SNM network management questions, refer to the SNM platform documentation.

Getting Started with CiscoWorks

The following sections provide detailed information on SNM post-installation tasks, and an overview of how CiscoWorks functions on the SNM network management platform:

Starting CiscoWorks on SNM

This section briefly explains two ways to start the SNM Console to run CiscoWorks. For a more detailed description and options, refer to the SunNet Manager User's Guide.

You can use several different commands to start the SNM Console. However, you must be running Open Windows.

Note Do not use the following commands until you install SNM in the default installation directory.

Starting CiscoWorks without the Database

Perform the following tasks to start CiscoWorks when there is no database present:

Step 1 To start the SNM Console initially or when you want to bring up the last map file, enter the following:

If problems occur, your $PATH environment variable might not include a path to the SNM executables. You can enter a fully qualified path. In the following example, /opt/SUNWconn/snm/bin/snm is the path to the executables:


If you don't want to start SNM with a network map, or want to load a specific map with the startup command, skip to the following section, "Starting CiscoWorks with the Database."


Step 2 Select File>Load to load an ASCII-format database map file into the SNM Console.

Starting CiscoWorks with the Database

To start CiscoWorks when the database is present, select one of the following methods:

% snm -i
The -i option starts the SNM Console and removes the current run-time database. If you have a run-time database and want to preserve it, do not use the -i option, or you will lose this data.
% snm map_name

For more information on starting the SNM Console or troubleshooting startup problems, refer to the SunNet Manager User's Guide.

Opening CiscoWorks Applications from SNM

On SNM, you run CiscoWorks applications either from the Tools menu or the Glyphs menu. Figure 4-1 shows the CiscoWorks applications that are available on the Tools menu.


Figure 4-1: CiscoWorks Applications on the SunNet Manager Tools Menu



SNM also has a menu that becomes available when you click on an icon. To display the menu, select an icon, place the pointer anywhere in the window pane, and press the MENU mouse button. On SNM, icons are called glyphs, and the menu that becomes available is called the Glyph menu (Figure 4-2).


Figure 4-2: CiscoWorks Applications on the Glyph Menu

CiscoWorks Use of SNM Utilities

CiscoWorks uses two SNM utilities: the Results Browser and the Grapher. Following is a brief description of each and how it is used by CiscoWorks:

For example, Polling Summary uses the Results Browser to display query reports on polled device groups. You can display report data or send this data to the SNM Grapher.

For more detailed information on the Results Browser and Grapher, refer to your SNM documentation.

SNM Processes That Affect CiscoWorks

Some SNM processes affect how CiscoWorks runs, depending on their configuration in SNM. As you continue to work with SNM processes and CiscoWorks, consider the following conditions in which the two environments coexist:

One important option to consider is customizing your system to automatically receive information about device status. To set this option, open the Console Properties window and enable the SNM Automatic Management feature, as described in the SunNet Manager Reference Guide.
The Change Type command on the Glyph menu is especially important. Change Type enables you to change the device type. You may need to use this command if you use the Discover utility, and SNM incorrectly classifies the element type of a device. You must classify device types accurately according to their specific product names or product types, because availability and correct operation of many CiscoWorks applications depend on the correct classification of the device type.

Running the SNM Discover Command

Most CiscoWorks applications require a database of network devices. They also require a network map that contains these network devices.

You can use the Discover command to find the devices in the primary network to which your system is attached. Use the Discover command to create a view (map) of your network and a run-time database for SNM.

Note The amount of time that the Discover command takes to find all the devices on your network depends on the size of your subnet and the number of devices attached to it.

To run the Discover command, perform the following steps:

Step 1 Display the SNM Console by entering the following command:

The SNM Console window appears.


Step 2 Select Tools>Discover.

The SNM Discover Program window appears, prompting you to enter the superuser password.


Step 3 Enter your superuser password.

The Discover command begins to construct views of the network. When the process is complete, networks appear in the form of cloud glyphs, and devices appear in the form of router glyphs.


Step 4 To save the database of devices that you created, select File>Save.

For detailed information on how to run the Discover command, refer to the SunNet Manager User's Guide. To add devices to your network map after CiscoWorks installation, you can use Device Management, AutoInstall Manager, or Sync w/Sybase applications. For more information on adding devices after a CiscoWorks installation, refer to the CiscoWorks online help sections on "Device Management," "AutoInstall Manager," or "Sync w/Sybase."


Adding Cisco Devices to Your SNM Network Map

To add a device to your SNM network map, perform the following steps:

Step 1 Display your network map.

Step 2 Select Edit>Create

A "Create Object" window appears.


Step 3 Select the correct component and click the "Create" button.

Step 4 In the New Component window that appears, enter the MIB type and other required information.

Step 5 Click the "Apply" button.

Identifying Cisco Devices for CiscoWorks on Your SNM Map

Network devices located by the Discover command exist as generic devices. You must identify them as Cisco devices to take advantage of CiscoWorks functionality.

To change a device status from generic to that of a Cisco device, perform the following steps:

Step 1 Use the mouse to point to a Cisco device in the SNM Console window; then press the right mouse button or its equivalent.

The Glyph menu for the device appears, as shown in Figure 4-3.



Figure 4-3: Glyph Menu

Step 2 Select Change Type from the Glyph menu. Move the mouse to the right to display the popup menu, which lists device names and types.

Step 3 Select the device type that matches the one selected in your network map.

For example, if the selected device in your network map is an AGS+, select Cisco-AGS+ from the pull-down menu. The device now appears as a Cisco device.


Step 4 Repeat Steps 1 through 3 to identify other devices in the network map.

Step 5 Confirm that the selected devices have the correct Simple Network Management Protocol (SNMP) community strings. Select Tools>Properties to view the SNM Properties Sheet window.

Learning about Other CiscoWorks Applications

This section briefly outlines the steps you must complete on your SNM before continuing with CiscoWorks tasks. For instructions on using specific CiscoWorks applications, refer to the appropriate sections in this section, or to the CiscoWorks online help system.

Follow these steps to learn about CiscoWorks applications that use the Sybase database:

Step 1 Start SunNet Manager.

Refer to the sections "Starting CiscoWorks on SNM" earlier in this chapter, to learn how to start it.


Step 2 Access Security Manager to turn on authentication checking and provide users and groups access privileges to CiscoWorks applications.

For more information, refer to the CiscoWorks online help section on setting up domains and securing applications in Security Manager.


Step 3 Set up your SNM database using the utilities provided with your NMS software.

For information on the SNM Discover command, refer to the section "Running the SNM Discover Command," or to the SNM documentation.


Step 4 Use Sync w/Sybase to synchronize your SNM database devices with the CiscoWorks Sybase database.

If you are adding individual devices, use the Device Management, AutoInstall Manager, or Sync w/Sybase applications to add device data to the Sybase database. For information on AutoInstall Manager, Sync w/Sybase, and Device Management, refer to the appropriate CiscoWorks online help sections.


Note Sync w/Sybase synchronizes, or adds, devices in your SNM database to the CiscoWorks database. The Sync w/Platform command, located within Sync w/Sybase, allows you to add devices from the CiscoWorks database to the SNM database.

Step 5 Use the CiscoWorks applications and SNM utilities to help you monitor and manage your network activity.

Table 4-2 lists the general network management tasks and their responsible software applications. Use this table to determine which documentation set (CiscoWorks or SNM) to use if you have questions or need information. The X indicates that this information is located in the SNM manual set for the utility or application.



Table  4-2: CiscoWorks Versus NMS Task Descriptions
Task SNM Software CiscoWorks Software
Start SNM software X
Use the Create or Manage Objects command X
Traverse your network map (SNM database) X
Create or find devices or device properties X AutoInstall Manager, Device Mgmt, and Sync w/Sybase
Modify or change device or device properties X Device Mgmt, Sync w/Sybase
Move or connect devices X
Copy or delete devices X Device Mgmt, Domain Manager
Save your network map (run-time database) X
Modify a graph display X
Print graphs, windows, or text files X
Change the symbol type X
Check the cause of an event X
Change how symbol type changes propagate X
View or change the status of requests X
View error and traps X
Manage SNMP devices X All CiscoWorks applications

Synchronizing the SNMDatabase with Sybase

CiscoWorks uses two separate databases:

The SNM run-time database is a third database that interacts with the CiscoWorks databases. This platform database stores information about the network. By synchronizing the Sybase database with the SNM database of the network platform, you build a complete resource of information.

Your SNM platform maintains a run-time database of devices that you create using SNM utilities. In order to use CiscoWorks applications, you must list devices in the Sybase database. Sync w/Sybase performs the following functions to enable you to use CiscoWorks applications:

Use Sync w/Sybase to synchronize database information. The Sync w/Sybase application appears in the CiscoWorks menu and device popup menus. Run Sync w/Sybase if you just initialized your SNM and want to fully synchronize both databases. Run Sync w/Sybase from the device menu if you want to synchronize one or more specific devices. In both cases, the Sync w/Sybase window, from which you can select other options, displays. (See Figure 4-4.)


Figure 4-4: Sync w/Sybase

Depending on the number of database records and the information contained in each, database synchronization can be time-consuming.

Time Saver First-time CiscoWorks users should run the Device (Network>Sybase) option to synchronize all device information. If you are a first-time user and want the quickest method of synchronizing, use Quick Sync, which synchronizes all the devices, with the warning that device information will not be complete. If you use Quick Sync, you may want to return to Sync w/Sybase when you have more time to use the Device (Network>Sybase) option to fill in the incomplete device information.

To adjust for synchronization time and to meet special needs, select one of the following commands from the Options menu of the Sync w/Sybase window:
Copies the complete number and contents of database records from your NMS database to Sybase. These records might include information about the hardware platforms, community strings, and so forth. Allows you to choose the NMS device records that you want to add to Sybase. To select contiguous items, hold down the Shift key and click on additional device names, or drag through a range of names. To select noncontiguous items, hold down the Control key and select individual device names. With the device name(s) selected, click on Sync.
Updates device records for the selected domain in the Sybase database. With the domain name selected, click on Sync.
Creates entries in the Sybase table only for the devices listed in your NMS, but excludes specific information such as inventory details or hardware platforms. Use this command if you need the databases to quickly recognize the devices contained in each. Later, if you decide that you want the complete device information available from your NMS platform, you can copy it with another command from the Options menu of Sync w/Sybase, or enter the information via the CiscoWorks Device Management application.
Displays a dialog box where you can specify how much time can elapse before synchronization terminates and declares the device unreachable. You can also specify the default timeout using the X Resource timeout Interval in your .Xdefaults file. The resource name is synchTimeout.

Figure 4-5 illustrates the relationship between your SNM and CiscoWorks databases. Although you can add device names directly to either database, you must run Sync w/Sybase to confirm that the information about a particular device is correct in both places.


Figure 4-5: Database Creation for SNM Platform and CiscoWorks

For more detailed information about the database and the Sync w/Sybase and Sync with NMS applications, refer to the CiscoWorks online help on "Sync w/Sybase." For more information about the AutoInstall Manager application, refer to the CiscoWorks online help on "AutoInstall Manager."

When you have finished creating a run-time database with network devices, follow these steps to run the Sync w/Sybase application:

Step 1 Select Tools>Sync w/Sybase.

The Sync w/Sybase window appears. (See Figure 4-6.)


Select one of the synchronization options



Figure 4-6: Sync w/Sybase Window

The synchronization process takes from 3 minutes to over an hour, depending on the size of your network and the number of devices you are synchronizing.


Select File>Exit to stop the synchronization process at any time. The devices synchronized up to this point are saved in the Sybase database.


Step 2 Select File>Exit to exit this window.

Setting Environment Variables

To use your NMS and CiscoWorks, you must make sure that the environment variables explained in Table 3-1 are set correctly. Refer to the section "Verifying Changes to the .cshrc File," in the "Validating CiscoWorks Installation" chapter.

Normally, these environment variables are set during the CiscoWorks installation process.

Quick Tutorial on Using a CiscoWorks Application

This section provides an overview of how to use a CiscoWorks application. It uses the Path Tool application as an example. For a detailed explanation of all CiscoWorks applications, refer to the CiscoWorks online help.

To use the Path Tool application, you must have at least two network devices in the Sybase database. Use Sync w/Sybase to add network devices to the Sybase database.

Displaying the Path between Two Devices

The Path Tool application enables you to display the routing path between a source device and a destination device.

To graphically display the path between two devices, perform the following steps:

Step 1 In the SNM Console window, click on an SNMP device and then display the Glyph menu. Next, select Tools>Path Tool from the Glyph menu.

A window similar to that in Figure 4-7 appears. The information about the source device is completed.



Figure 4-7: Path Tool Window

Step 2 To select the destination device, click on Select next to the Path Destination field or enter the complete device name in the Path Destination field.

If you click on Select, the Device Selection window appears listing the devices in the SNM database. It is similar to the window shown in Figure 4-8.



Figure 4-8: Device Selection Window

Step 3 Click on the device that you want to specify as the destination and click on OK.

After the connection has been established, the device name appears in the Path Destination field in the Path Tool window.


Step 4 Click on OK in the Path Tool window to display the Path Tool Hops window.

A browser window appears (similar to the window shown in Figure 4-9), displaying the progress of the Path Tool as it makes each network hop from the source to the destination device.



Figure 4-9: Path Tool Window with Text

After the connection is established, another Path Tool window appears (similar to the window shown in Figure 4-10), graphically displaying the path between the source and destination devices you specified.



Figure 4-10: Path Tool Window with a Graphic Display

Step 5 Select File>Exit to close the window.

For more information on how to use the Path Tool, refer to the online help for Path Tool.

Security Options

If you use the Security Manager application to protect specific applications, all users must enter a valid username and password to access applications. For a detailed description of which CiscoWorks applications you can protect, refer to the CiscoWorks online help section on setting up domains and securing applications.

Each CiscoWorks application has varying levels of access privileges. Users are granted inherent privileges to certain applications (such as the ability to display devices) based solely on their group-domain associations. The CiscoWorks administrator governing Security Manager can grant further levels of "application-specific" privileges (such as add or change database information) to selected groups.

CiscoWorks Login and Logout Functions

When security is enabled, if you previously used the Login command to log in to CiscoWorks, a user identification window does not appear. If you do not use the Login command, CiscoWorks prompts you for a username and password each time you run a secured application. This login controls access to the application.

If you use Security Manager to secure your CiscoWorks applications, you can use Login and Logout. For more information on logging in and out, refer to the CiscoWorks online help section on Login and Logout.

Time Saver By using Login, you need to log in only once. If you do not use Login, CiscoWorks requires user identification information (a username and password) each time you attempt to start a secured application.

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