Nways Manager for AIX-LAN Network Manager/I.H.M.P. User's Guide

Locating a Network Resource

This chapter describes different ways in which you can locate a network resource:

You can use the Search function to locate the network device associated with a specific user in order to diagnose and solve network communication problems.
You can use the Locate function to find a specific network device that is managed by an Nways application, such as Nways Manager-LAN, Nways Manager-ATM, or a Product Specific Module (PSM). The device is displayed in the IP Internet graphical view.

Using the Locate Function

The Locate function allows you to find a specific network device by displaying the device in the IP Internet submap. From the IP Internet submap, you can then use the Nways Protocols function (as described in the online book User Interface) to switch to different graphical network views according to the protocols running in the device.

The Locate function is a fast way to find a device discovered by one of the Nways Manager applications that you have installed.

The Nways Locate function is similiar to the NetView for AIX Locate function and allows you to perform additional tasks:

Search for groups of devices using the wildcard (*) character.
Display the status of devices managed by Nways applications in a single window.
Display information about a selected device, such as a description of the device type.
Sort the devices listed in the Locate results according to their status, IP address, name, and location.

To use the Locate function, follow these steps:

Start from the Root submap, the IBM Hubs Topology, or an ATM Campus or Device submap and select NwaysCampus -> Locate from the menu bar. .
In the Nways Device Inventory window, you must first list the device you want to locate in the Results box. To do so, select IP Address or Host Name for the type of list criteria you want to use. (Host name is the logical name associated with the IP address.)
Then enter the text string to be used in uppercase or lowercase letters, including wildcard characters (*). The text field is not case sensitive. You can enter the search text in the following ways:
- Type it in the field.
- Cut and paste the string using the mouse.
- Use a drag and drop. For example, you can drag the box label from a Hub Configuration panel and drop it in the text field.
Click on Go.
All devices that meet the search criteria are displayed in the Results box. You can sort the devices in the list by clicking on one of the column headings (Status, IP Address, Name, or Location).
Select the device you want to locate and click on Locate.
The IP Internet submap is displayed. The device is highlighted in the IP submap and in all other submaps that are already open.
To switch to another graphical view of the device, select Nways Protocols from the device's context menu or View -> Nways -> Nways Protocols from the menu bar.

Search Scenarios

This section describes a scenario in which the Search function is used in an environment consisting of an IBM 8260 Nways Multiprotocol hub that supports two token-ring LAN segments. Both segments are connected by token-ring to token-ring bridges to another segment where the company's servers and printer servers are located.

The system administrator has already used Nways Manager-LAN to assign each user to a station. Network polling gathers information on the hub port used by each station to communicate over the network. This information is then stored in the Search database.

This scenario shows how to look up a user to find the station he is currently using and where the station is located.

Problem Reported

Ted Jones is developing a presentation for an important management meeting tomorrow. He has called the Help Desk in a panic because he keeps losing his connection to the LAN. The Help Desk responder says he will open a severity one problem report and have someone address it by noon today.

Problem Analysis

Mary Shaw is the help desk responder who opens the trouble report on Ted's problem. Mary recognizes her first challenge is to determine the network location of Ted's workstation and its connection path to the LAN. Mary knows the network servers are isolated on a separate token-ring segment and that several user LANs are bridged to this segment.
Mary uses the Search function in Nways Manager-LAN to find and identify Ted's MAC address and the location of his station:
- For LAN stations, the location is displayed in the format: hub_label slot_number port_number
- For ATM stations, the location is displayed in the format: ATM_device_label interface_index
In the search results, Mary selects the line that identifies Ted's station and clicks on the Show pushbutton to display the graphical view in which his station appears:
- For LAN stations, a Hub Level view is displayed and the port to which the station is connected is highlighted.
- For ATM stations, an ATM view is displayed and the ATM interface in the ATM node to which the station is connected is highlighted.
From the Hub Level or ATM view, Mary clicks on the highlighted port or interface to display a context menu.
The menu contains options that allow you to carry out various management operations to resolve the problem. For example, to check the current port configuration, you select Configuration; to gather statistical information about the port, you select Statistics.

Using the Search Function

The Search function allows you to locate a user or workstation connected to a network using a variety of search criteria. You can then use the search results to diagnose and solve problems in network communication.

For example, when there are network problems associated with TCP/IP devices, you can use the Search function to display the IP addresses of the devices, the corresponding MAC addresses, and the ports on the hub to which the devices are attached (or to which the devices were attached, if the devices were moved to other ports). From the Search panel, you can open the Hub Level view and troubleshoot the problem using the Configuration and Statistics functions.

To use the Search function, follow these steps:

Do one of the following:
- To search without using a specific search criterion, start from the Root submap or the IBM Hubs Topology and select NwaysCampus -> Search from the menu bar.
- To search for the users or workstations associated with a specific hub, start from the IBM Hubs Topology and select the hub. Then select HubManager -> Search from the menu bar.
- To search for the users or workstations associated with the same logical LAN (LLAN) across different network segments and different hubs, start from a Hub Level view and click on Network. Then click on a network type to display the icon for the segment that has the logical name you want to use in the search. Click on the icon and select Search by Logical Name from the context menu.
  Note: Before you perform a search using a logical name, the logical name must already be defined as described in Defining a Logical LAN.
The Search panel is displayed.
Select the type of search criteria by entering values in the Search For and By fields.
To locate a user, select User and one of the following types of user information:
- Name
- First name
- Address
- Location (office number, building, and so on)
- Miscellaneous parameters that you enter as a text string
To locate a station, select Station/Device and one of the following of station parameters:
- Address - to search for LAN stations, enter a MAC address in the text field; to search for ATM stations, enter the 6-byte End System Identifier (ESI) of an ATM address; to search for LEC stations, enter the 6-byte End System Identifier (ESI) and the 1-byte Selector of an ATM address.
- Address type - to search for LAN stations, enter MAC; to search for ATM stations, enter ESI; to search for LEC stations, enter LEC; to search for ATM stations whose address is not known, enter N/A.
- MAC display inverted - lists all stations that have been configured with the Inverted Display Mode flag set to Yes. This flag toggles the display of the station's MAC address from canonical to non-canonical or from non-canonical to canonical format.
- IP address
- ATM address
- Host name (logical name associated with the IP address)
- Location (office number, building, and so on)
- Wiring information (where station is connected to the wiring closet)
- Group (name of workgroup that you define; for example, Development, Accounting, Sales)
- Function (for example, workstation, bridge LEC, LES, router)
- ELAN (for ATM stations, the logical name of an emulated LAN)
- When station was last polled (number of days)
- Miscellaneous parameters that you enter as a text string
To locate a LAN port or an ATM interface, select Port/Interface and one of the following parameters:
- Identifier
  For a LAN port, the format is: hub_label slot_number port_number.
  - The default value for hub label is the IP address of the Master Management Module.
  - The subslot for a daughter card is displayed slot_number.subslot_number.
  - A station external to the hub (such as a station attached to an IBM 8228 on a ring managed by the hub) is indicated by EXT in the place of port_number.
    You can use SMIT to specify whether or not external stations are to be shown.
  For an ATM interface, the format is: ATM_device_label interface_index
- Type of box (for example, 8260 hub, 8281 ATM LAN bridge, 8282 ATM workgroup concentrator)
- Physical segment (to which the port or interface is assigned)
- Logical segment (the logical name assigned to the physical segment)
- Delete flag YES - searches for ports and interfaces that have the Delete flag set to Yes. This happens when a hub is removed from the IBM Hubs Topology or when a module is removed from a hub.
  Information on the object is kept in the Search database until you manually delete it. This allows the information to be reported in search results. For information on how to delete a database object, see Managing the Search Database.
- Delete flag NO - searches for all ports and interfaces that are connected to the network.
- Freeze connection YES - searches for ports and interfaces that have the Freeze flag set to Yes. When this flag is set to Yes, the list of stations connected to the port is frozen and is not updated.
  This is useful when, for example, a bridge is connected to a port and reports all connected stations as also being physically connected to the port. To avoid having all connected stations appear in the search results and to have only the MAC address of the bridge:
  1. Select the line on which the port appears in the search results and click on Port/Interface.
  2. In the Freeze Connection field, select Yes.
  3. In the Connected Stations field, erase the MAC addresses of all stations connected to the bridge and leave only the MAC address of the bridge.
  4. Click on Apply.
- Freeze connection NO - searches for all ports and interfaces that have the Freeze flag set to No.
- Miscellaneous parameters that you enter as a text string
Enter the text string to be used in uppercase or lowercase letters, including wildcard characters (*). The text field is not case sensitive.
You can enter the search text in the following ways:
- Type it in the field.
- Cut and paste the string using the mouse.
- Use a drag and drop. For example, you can drag the box label from a Hub Configuration panel and drop it in the text field.
Click on Search. All objects that meet the specified search criteria are displayed in the search results.

One of the following parameters appears to the left of each station address and represents the address type:

MAC for the MAC address of LAN stations
ESI for the ESI part of the ATM address of ATM stations
LEC for the ESI.SELECTOR part of the ATM address of LEC stations
N/A for ATM stations whose address is not known.

To refresh the search results, click on Refresh. If the same search results are displayed, this means that the hub has not been polled since the last time you performed a search. Wait until the next hub polling is done and try again.

When performing a search for LAN ports and stations, note that:

No search results are reported if the network to which a bridge or router is connected is managed by a TRMM module that does not have write access in the Community Table for the management station running 8250, 8260, and 8265 Device Manager. See Polling Hubs for more information.
If an Ethernet station is moved from one port to another port, the original port position is kept in the Search database until you manually delete the information as described in Deleting Interface Entries. Both addresses are shown in the Search panel and in the Module Level view.
To collect Ethernet information, the Search function uses the MIB variable:
```
.iso.org.dod.internet.private.enterprises.chipcom.mib02
.products.hub.enet.enetStatsPortTable.enetStatsPortEntry
.EnetStatsPortLastSrcAddr
```
This variable is the source address of ports that was last recorded.
If a Token-Ring station is moved from one port to another port, the original port position is kept in the Search database until you delete it as described in Deleting Interface Entries.
In the search results, Token-Ring stations are displayed as external if the TRMM is separated from them by two or more external trunk connections, even when the stations are directly connected to modules in the hub. This incorrect mapping occurs only when two or more trunks are used on two or more modules; for example, if you use two repeater modules (whether in consecutive slots or not) with at least one trunk on each module.
To avoid this problem, assign modules to networks by starting with the module in slot 1 and assign the other modules in consecutive order (slot 2, 3, 4, and so on). Use the SHOW NETWORK_MAP TOKEN_RING PHYSICAL command to display the order of trunk and backplane connections. Refer to Token-Ring Management Module: Installation and Operation Guide (SA33-0213) for more information.

Note: Network administrators can access the Search panel to perform searches and to update the Search database without having to start up the user interface of NetView for AIX. To do so, enter the following command from the command line of the management station: /usr/CML/bin/iubsearch -standalone

Using Search Results

The search results display information (reading from left to right) about ports (interfaces), stations (devices), and users.

Notes:

Information on token-ring trunks is not displayed in search results.
If you perform a search for an 8250, 8260, or 8265 agent according to its MAC address and if the agent has been configured with different IP addresses according to the network to which it is assigned, the search results may display an incorrect IP address.

You can perform the following operations on search results:

To change the order in which search results are displayed, open the list box for the Sort By field and select the type of information to use.
To display more information about one of the users or stations in the search results, select the line on which the user or station appears. Then click on Port/Interface, Station/Device, or User.
To modify any of the information about a user or station in the Search database:
1. Select the line in the search results.
2. Click on User or Station to display the currently configured user or station parameters.
3. Enter a new value in any of the read-write fields.
4. Click on Apply.
To open the Hub Level view in which a LAN port is displayed or the Exploded Node view in which an ATM interface is displayed, select the port (or interface) and click on Show.
To open the Emulated LAN submap in which an ATM station is displayed, select the station and click on Show ELAN.
To open a Telnet session and log on to a module, select the module and click on Telnet.
To ping a module and open an Emulator window that shows the ping taking place, select the module and click on Ping.
To save the results displayed in the Search panel, select File -> Save from the menu bar. To redisplay the search results, open the Search panel and select File -> Load.

Printing Search Results

To print the results of a search operation, follow these steps:

Open the Search panel.
Select File -> Print Command from the menu bar.
Enter the print command you want to use. Click on OK to confirm.
Select File -> Print from the menu bar.

Managing the Search Database

You can manage the objects in the Search database in the following ways:

Create and delete user entries.
Create and delete station entries.
Delete interface entries.
Update the database from a formatted file.
Save the contents of the database to a formatted file.

Creating and Deleting User Entries

To create a new user in the Search database:

Open the Search panel.
Select Administer -> Create new user from the menu bar. The User Information panel is displayed.
Enter values in the fields using uppercase or lowercase. The text fields are not case sensitive. Do not leave blank spaces. To get help, click on a field to display information in the Description box.
When entering a user name, be sure to enter a unique value. If necessary, enter the first initial of the first name to distinguish users. For example, to create entries for two users called Bill Smith and Dick Smith, you could enter Smith_B and Smith_D.
Click on Apply.
Click on Yes to confirm. This creates a new user in the Search database.

To delete a user from the Search database:

Open the Search panel.
In the search results, click on the user to want to delete. Click on Select All to select all users in the search results.
From the menu bar, select Administer -> Delete selected users from database.
Click on Yes to confirm.

Creating and Deleting Station Entries

To create a new station in the Search database:

Open the Search panel.
Select Administer -> Create new station from the menu bar. The Station Information panel is displayed.
Enter values in the fields using uppercase or lowercase. The text fields are not case sensitive. Do not leave blank spaces. To get help, click on a field to display information in the Description box.
Click on Apply.
Click on Yes to confirm. This creates a new station in the Search database.

To delete a station from the Search database:

Open the Search panel.
In the search results, click on the station you want to delete. Click on Select All to select all stations in the search results.
From the menu bar, select Administer -> Delete selected stations from database.
Click on Yes to confirm.

Deleting Interface Entries

To delete an interface from the Search database:

Open the Search panel.
In the search results, click on the interface you want to delete. Click on Select All to select all interfaces in the search results.
From the menu bar, select Administer -> Delete selected interfaces from database.
Click on Yes to confirm.

Updating the Search Database from a Formatted File

Sometimes you may want to update the Search database with data stored in a server file (such as /etc/hosts), a phone directory, or another database. To do so, you must translate the data into the syntax recognized by the Search database. You can then use the file containing the formatted data to update the Search database.

To prepare the formatted file, enter data about users, stations, and ports (interfaces) using the following rules:

The maximum record length is 255 characters.
Use the double-quote character (") only to mark the beginning and end of a parameter.
Use a semi-colon (;) to mark the end of each parameter section (USER, STATION, and IDENTIFIER). This is mandatory.
Do not enter values for the following INTERFACE parameters: IDENTIFIER, TYPE, and MACLIST. These values are automatically discovered when you update the Search database. You can, however, add or modify miscellaneous text information for MISC.
You must enter values for the following parameters: USER NAME, STATION MACADDRESS, and INTERFACE IDENTIFIER. These entries are mandatory.

An example of the grammar to use in a formatted file is shown here:

USER
  NAME            "Durand"
  FIRSTNAME       "Pierre"
  TELEPHONE       "(01) 99.99.99.99"
  ADDRESS         "18 rue Rivoli Paris-France"
  LOCATION        "B1 1N23 PARIS"
  MISC            "Development Manager"
  MACLIST         "420202020202 "
  ;
 
STATION
  MACADDRESS      "420202020202"
  ATMADDRESS      "010203040506070809101112131415161718192021"
  IPADDRESS       "9.100.108.97"
  HOSTNAME        "server1"
  WIRE            "C1 YZ234"
  LOCATION        "B1 1N23 PARIS"
  GROUP           "Development"
  FUNCTION        "Server"
  DOMAIN          "LAN3"
  MISC            "AIX Version 4.1.4"
  ;
 
INTERFACE
  IDENTIFIER      "9.100.107.10         S07   P01"
  TYPE            "8260"
  MACLIST         "002035E10CD1 "
  MISC            "Development hub"
  ;

To update the Search database from the formatted file:

Open the Search panel.
From the menu bar, select Administer -> Update database from formatted file.
In the Filter field, enter all or part of the pathname of the directory where the file is stored. Click on Filter.
In the Directories box, click on the directory.
In the Files box, click on the file name.
Click on Update database from file.

Backing Up the Search Database to a File

Sometimes you may want to back up the Search database or edit it by removing old data and making global changes to existing data. To do so, you copy the database to a file. Then if you want to modify any of the data in the database:

Edit the file as needed using a standard text editor.
Reload the database using the file as described in Updating the Search Database from a Formatted File.

To copy the Search database to a file:

From the Search panel, select Administer -> Save database to formatted file.
In the Filter field, enter all or part of the pathname of the file. Click on Filter.
In the Directories box, click on the directory.
Enter the name of the file in which you want to save the Search database.
Click on Save database to file.

You can edit the file and use it to update the Search database.

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