SpreadSheet Interface

This chapter describes the SpreadSheet Interface (SSI) Conversion Plug-in, which translates network design information between NMT and a Microsoft Excel-compatible format. SSI requires that you use Microsoft Excel Version 6.2 or later. This chapter contains the following sections:

• NMT to Microsoft Excel

• Microsoft Excel to NMT

The SSI plug-in converts the .cnf file into its component tables and saves them as .dbf files; the SSI then tars (archives) the file for easy transfer to a PC or Macintosh platform. The SSI also translates the spreadsheet files back into the .cnf file format readable by NMT. See Figure 7-1 for a schematic overview of the SSI process.

For instructions on installing the SSI, see the appendix "Installing WAN Design Tools."

NMT to Microsoft Excel

The following procedure is for the conversion of an NMT .cnf file to .dbf, a Microsoft Excel compatible format, and archiving the .dbf output so that it can be moved from a UNIX workstation to a PC. This section also explains how to unarchive the file once it is on the PC.

Step 1 To convert a .cnf file to .dbf format and archive it as a .tar file, use the following command:

nmt2tar cnf_name [parts_file] [-H]

cnf_name is the name of any .cnf file in the current directory.

parts_file is the name of the file that lists the components. You should specify a parts file only if you are using a file other than the default.

-H displays help text.

Step 2 FTP the cnf_name.tar file to a computer that has Microsoft Excel installed.

Alternatively, copy the file to a PC- or Macintosh-compatible diskette by using the mcopy command. For example, mcopy cnf_name a: copies the file cnf_name to the diskette in the A: drive of the UNIX workstation.

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Note If the destination PC has not been used for reading archived .cnf files, you should copy the following files from the NMT directory to the PC: SSIDOSKT.TAR (containing DOS .bat files for tarring and untarring the NMT SSI .dbf data files), the tar.exe program, and the Microsoft Excel macro SSI840. Also, you should read the file SSI840.readme.

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Figure 7-1: SSI Schematic Overview

Step 3 Unarchive the file at the PC using a program like tar.exe for PCs and StuffIt Deluxe for Macintoshes.

The unarchived file consists of several files, one file for each NMT configuration table. Each file has a .dbf extension and can be opened and edited in Microsoft Excel.

Step 4 Start Microsoft Excel, and edit the data. You can read and write a multi-spreadsheet workbook by using the SSI840Load and SSI840Unload macros. Alternatively, you can treat each file individually.

Microsoft Excel to NMT

The following procedure is for the archiving of Microsoft Excel files so they can be easily moved from a PC to a UNIX workstation and for converting the Microsoft Excel files into NMT .cnf file format:

Step 1 To archive an Microsoft Excel file, use a program like tar.exe for PCs or StuffIt Deluxe for Macintoshes.

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Note If the destination PC has not been used for reading archived .cnf files, you should copy the following files from the NMT directory to the PC: SSIDOSKT.TAR (containing DOS .bat files for tarring and untarring the NMT SSI .dbf data files), the tar.exe program, and the Microsoft Excel macro SSI840. Also, you should read the file SSI840.readme.

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Step 2 The archived file should have a filename with a .tar extension.

Step 3 FTP the archived file to a workstation that has a directory linked to the NMT.

Alternatively, copy the file to a PC- or Macintosh-compatible diskette. To copy from a PC or Macintosh diskette to a UNIX workstation, use the mcopy command. For example, mcopy a:\filename copies the file "filename" to the UNIX workstation directory from which the command was issued.

Step 4 To unarchive the file, enter the following command:

tar2nmt filename [-H]

filename is the name of any .tar file in the current directory.

-H displays help text.

Step 5 The unarchived file will have a .cnf extension and can be opened and edited in the NMT.