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Cabletron Systems CBU-NM User Manual

Enterasys cbu-nm interface modules: user guide
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Fivemere Ltd.
Fivemere House
161 High Street
Aldershot
Hampshire, England
GU11 1TT
CBU-NM

User Manual

Cabletron Systems Ltd.
Network House
Newbury Business Park
London Road, Newbury
Berkshire, England
RG13 2PZ
Telephone: [44] (0)1635 580000
Fax:
[44] (0)1635 44578

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Summary of Contents for Cabletron Systems CBU-NM

  • Page 1: User Manual

    CBU-NM User Manual Fivemere Ltd. Fivemere House 161 High Street Aldershot Hampshire, England GU11 1TT Cabletron Systems Ltd. Network House Newbury Business Park London Road, Newbury Berkshire, England RG13 2PZ Telephone: [44] (0)1635 580000 Fax: [44] (0)1635 44578...
  • Page 2 CBU-NM User Manual Publication — 80-60100000-02 Publication Notice: This manual has been compiled and checked for accuracy. However the information contained in this manual does not constitute a warranty of performance. Cabletron Systems Limited reserves the right to revise this publication from time to time without notice.
  • Page 3 History Sheet 80-60100000-01 V 0.26 software 80-60100000-02 V 0.27 software 80-60100000-02 CBU-NM User Manual 23 September 1996 01 July 1997...
  • Page 4 CBU-NM User Manual TABLE OF CONTENTS INTRODUCTION HIS CHAPTER PCNC EATURES OF VERVIEW ETTING TARTED PCNC WORKS 1.5.1 LARMS PCNC DOES YSTEM REQUIREMENTS 1.7.1 ARDWARE 1.7.2 OFTWARE MAIN COMPONENTS HIS CHAPTER INDOW PEED ENUS ETWORK ATABASE ETWORK NSPECTOR LARM ATABASE...

  • Page 5: Table Of Contents

    3.4.2 EVICE LARM OG WINDOWS 3.4.3 NACKNOWLEDGED LARMS WINDOW RCHIVING 3.5.1 RCHIVED LARM OG WINDOWS EADING THE DATABASE FROM OTHER APPLICATIONS ARDWARE ALERT DISABLING ILTERS 3.8.1 ENERIC EVICE ILTERS 3.8.2 ETTING UP A FILTER 3.8.2.1 HOOSING WHICH TYPES OF ALARM CAN BE FILTERED 3.8.2.2 HOWING AND IDING ALARMS...
  • Page 6 CBU-NM User Manual NSTALL THE INTO YOUR HE NEXT STEP ETWORK ATABASE ORMAT INSTALLING PCNC HIS CHAPTER NTRODUCTION EQUIREMENTS ’ S ON THE DISTRIBUTION DISKS PCNC NSTALLING FOR THE FIRST TIME 6.5.1 EFORE YOU START 6.5.2 TCP/IP N ET UP THE 6.5.2.1...
  • Page 7 7.8.1 =< >:< >,< NAME RATE 7.8.2 =< > OUNT INTEGER 7.8.3 =< UEUE INTEGER 7.8.4 =< UEUE INTEGER 7.8.5 =< ANDSHAKING BOOLEAN 7.8.6 IRECT ONNECT IMEOUT UXILIARY 7.9.1 =< OLUMN OUNT INTEGER 7.9.2 =< > MULATION STRING 7.9.3 =< REAK ANDLING BOOLEAN...
  • Page 8 CBU-NM User Manual 8.4.1 DDING AN ENTRY 8.4.1.1 OMMENTS 8.4.1.2 EMOTE ADDRESSING 8.4.1.3 HANNEL AMING 8.4.2 ODIFYING THE ATABASE EQUIPMENT SETUP HIS CHAPTER NTRODUCTION KBU 64 ABLETRON ENERIC HELF THER ABLETRON RODUCTS COMMANDS 10.1 HIS CHAPTER 10.2 ENERAL 10.3 10.4...
  • Page 9 10.27 INDOW RRANGE CONS 10.28 INDOW LOSE 10.29 ONTENTS 10.30 SING HELP 10.31 BOUT TROUBLESHOOTING GUIDE 11.1 HIS CHAPTER 11.2 OU CANNOT SEE ANY ALARMS 11.3 OME ALERTS ARE NOT BEING PROCESSED 11.4 ’ HE COMMAND LINE ISN T WORKING PROPERLY 11.5 OU SET A FILTER BUT THE ALARM STILL APPEARS...
  • Page 10 CBU-NM User Manual 13.1.3 LERTS WITH TIME AND DATE INFORMATION 13.1.4 LERT MESSAGE RECOGNITION 13.2 SNMP T RAPS 13.2.1 RAP GENERATION FORMAT 13.2.2 RAP RECEIPT FORMAT 13.2.3 RAP EXAMPLES 13.3 XPORTED LARM ATABASES 13.3.1 .CSV EXPORTED FILE FORMAT 13.3.1.1 EXT FIELDS 13.3.1.2...

  • Page 11: Introduction

    1.1 This chapter The CBU-NM is the product name for the Network Management software known as ‘PCNC’. All references throughout in this manual are as ‘PCNC’. This chapter contains a brief description of what PCNC does and how it does it. You do not need to read to this chapter if you are already familiar with PCNC.

  • Page 12: Getting

    CBU-NM User Manual 1.3 Overview The Cabletron Network Controller (PCNC) collects information from a network of Cabletron devices. Whenever an alert message arrives from a device, PCNC will notify you. The message is processed, recorded and displayed as an ‘Alarm’, and you can then decide whether or not you need to act on the information.

  • Page 13: How Pcnc

    You will find all the commands in the menu bar, and on the toolbar just below are many of the commonly used commands. To find out what each icon means, place the mouse over the relevant button, and a message will be displayed in the Status Bar. In addition, clicking the right button of the mouse over a window brings up a selection of commands (a ‘Speed Menu’) relevant to that window.
  • Page 14 CBU-NM User Manual 1.5.1 Alarms When a network alert message arrives, PCNC uses the information you have entered into the Network Database to identify the source of the message. It then passes the message to a separate module which decodes the alert. Finally it logs the message as an alarm in the Alarm Database.
  • Page 15 The information in the Alarm windows comes from the Alarm Database through internal filters. In addition, the Alarm Log windows (but not the Unacknowledged Alarms window) can be filtered to display only certain alarm types. For example, if you are investigating how often a device has been in backup, you can choose to hide all alarms except Performing Backup alarms.

  • Page 16: System Requirements

    CBU-NM User Manual date. The program will warn you when the database is nearly full, but it is a good idea to archive the database frequently. This ensures you have a complete log of alarms, and keeps the program running efficiently.

  • Page 17: Main Window

    Main Components 2.1 This chapter This chapter contains information about how and why you use the main components of PCNC outlined in 2.2 Main Window This is the main control console for PCNC. It contains all the PCNC commands and windows. Figure 2.1 - Main Window 80-60100000-02 Main Components...
  • Page 18 CBU-NM User Manual All the PCNC commands and windows can be accessed using the menu bar. Many commands can also be used by clicking on buttons in the toolbar just below. When you move the mouse over a button, its function is displayed in the status bar at the bottom of the screen.
  • Page 19 2.5 The Network Inspector Window The Network Database can be viewed and modified using the Network Inspector window. Each line in this window displays information about a particular device, such as its location and type. It can also display a description of the device entered by the user, allowing each device to be identified easily.
  • Page 20 CBU-NM User Manual 2.8 Acknowledging / selecting alarms To acknowledge an alarm, select it from any Alarm window, then use the Acknowledge command from the Alarms menu, the Alarms Speed menu, or the toolbar button. As a short cut, you can simply double-click on the alarm.
  • Page 21 PCNC can understand. These three links interface PCNC with the serial ports. The optional SNMP Link allows PCNC to communicate with the TCP/IP software which manages the NIC. See Chapter 5 for details. The Control and Auxiliary Links have Terminal windows that allow you to communicate directly with network devices.

  • Page 22: Snmp Traps

    Alarms and Filters 3.1 This chapter This chapter describes how alarms are processed and displayed. It also explains the role of filters and how to use them. 3.2 The Alarm Database The Alarm Database contains information about all the alerts PCNC has received and processed.
  • Page 23 CBU-NM User Manual 3.3.1 Alert Processing When an alert message arrives, it is processed and converted into an alarm as shown in Figure Incoming message Valid alert format? Y e s Legal alert string? Y e s Poll number Y e s...
  • Page 24 First, PCNC must decide whether or not the incoming message is both In a valid ALERT format (See Chapter 13) A legal ALERT string If not, PCNC can make no sense of it and will discard it as unreadable. If the message is valid, PCNC will extract the Poll number and look it up in the Network Database to find out which device sent the message.
  • Page 25 CBU-NM User Manual The Alarm Database stores the following information: The device’s Poll and channel numbers. The device’s name and product type, both extracted from the Network Database using the Poll number contained in the alert. The alert’s time and date of arrival.

  • Page 26: Device Alarm Log Windows 3-5

    The traps Poll number not found in database , and Unrecognised by Device Driver are the SNMP equivalents. 3.4 Alarm windows Information stored in the Alarm Database can be viewed through the various Alarm windows, each of which shows a different part of the database.

  • Page 27: Unacknowledged Alarms Window

    CBU-NM User Manual To create a Device Alarm Log window, select the relevant device in the Network Inspector window and then select the Device Alarm Log command from the Network menu or toolbar. You can have any number of Device Alarm Log windows, each with its own filter.

  • Page 28: Reading The Database From Other Applications

    The Alarm Indicator icon is not displayed next to the entries, since all alarms must have been acknowledged in order to archive the database. 3.6 Reading the database from other applications The PCNC Alarm Database can be saved as a text file for examination by other applications.

  • Page 29: Filters

    CBU-NM User Manual 3.8 Filters Filters control the visibility of certain alarms in the Alarm windows. They are used to hide common alarms you may not be interested in, or to single out particular alarms to help trace a problem.

  • Page 30: Generic / Device Filters

    Filters do not affect the operation of the Alarm Database, merely which parts of it you see. All alarms remain in the database, even if they are filtered and not visible in a window. Incoming alarms continue to be added to the database and displayed in the Unacknowledged Alarms window, regardless of filter settings.

  • Page 31: Setting Up A Filter

    CBU-NM User Manual G64S. For this reason, the Alarm type filter is split into two separate levels - Generic (which applies to all alarms) and Device type. The Generic filter takes precedence over the Device type filter. In the case above, the Connected alarm type would have to be shown at Generic level, shown at the Device type level for the KBU64, and hidden at the Device type level for the G64S.

  • Page 32: Showing And Hiding Alarms

    Bitmaps, located to the left of the alarm type names, show the current filter settings as follows: A green tick indicates that alarms of this type will be shown. A red cross shows that alarms of this type are hidden. For hidden alarms, the level at which they are hidden is also shown: Three stacked boxes represent the Generic level.

  • Page 33: Communications

    4.1 This chapter This chapter deals with the way PCNC communicates with the devices on the network. It explains the difference between local, remote and auxiliary devices, and how to connect to them using the Terminals. An optional feature of PCNC is the SNMP link, for use with devices on a TCP/IP network.
  • Page 34 CBU-NM User Manual by another KBU 64 device which is connected to an ISDN line and the Remote port of your PC. These ‘remote’ devices use the Remote Link, which can only receive information, not send it. However, PCNC can talk to remote KBU 64 devices as if they were local, by dialling them from local devices.

  • Page 35: Other Devices

    line fail, the KBU goes into ‘Backup’ mode and sends the information through the ISDN network instead. Backup alert from the Alarm port which is fed into Channel 2. This channel then dials a KBU at the PCNC site, and sends the alert to it via the ISDN network.

  • Page 36: Auxiliary Terminal

    CBU-NM User Manual menu. PCNC will then bring up the Control Terminal window and, using the location information stored in the Network Database, automatically connect to that device. The name of the connected device is displayed in the Title bar. You can then enter commands at the Control Terminal prompt.

  • Page 37: Remote Direct Connection

    If a device is password protected, the connection process will time out, allowing you to enter the password in the Control Terminal window. Note that the Direct connect command will be unable to select the correct channel in this case. 4.5.2 Remote Direct Connection PCNC allows you to talk to Remote KBU devices as if they were local, by dialling them from KBUs that are local.

  • Page 38: Editing The Talkwire List

    CBU-NM User Manual 4.5.3.1 Editing the Talkwire List To examine or modify the Talkwire List, use the Talkwire List... command from the Network menu or from the Speed Menu in the Network Inspector or Control Terminal window. A dialogue box appears, which allows you to select the KBU 64 channels that the Cabletron Network Controller will use to make direct connections to remote devices.

  • Page 39: The Snmp Link And Chameleon

    The SNMP Link and Chameleon 5.1 This chapter The SNMP Link is an optional addition to the basic PCNC software. You do not need to have the SNMP Link, and you can skip this chapter if you are not using it. This chapter describes how it works and what it does. It also contains information on how to set up the TCP/IP support software.

  • Page 40: Requirements

    CBU-NM User Manual 5.3 Requirements To forward or receive traps using the SNMP Link you will need the following items in addition to the basic requirements: A Network Interface Card (NIC) or other device suitable for connecting the PCNC computer to your TCP/IP network.

  • Page 41: Pcnc Extensions

    5.3.4 PCNC Extensions The PCNC Extensions are additional files, supplied on Disk 3, that provide the SNMP Link’s functionality. See Chapter 6 for details of how to install these files. PCNCSNMP.EXE transfers traps between PCNC and Chameleon, and logs them to the screen or to a text file if required. The MIB file is the Management Information Base, and contains all the information needed by an NMS to understand the traps it receives from PCNC.

  • Page 42: How The Traps Are Sent And Received

    CBU-NM User Manual The Return codes show whether or not PCNC was successful in generating the trap. You can clear this box if you do not need to see the return codes. When you exit PCNC, PCNCSNMP and Newt are closed automatically.

  • Page 43: Installing The Chameleon Package

    Once an alert has been processed by PCNC and converted into a trap, it is sent to PCNCSNMP which in turn passes it on to Chameleon. The traps are then processed by Chameleon, which communicates with the NDIS Driver. Chameleon is configured with information about the NMS such as its IP address, so that it knows where to send the traps.
  • Page 44 CBU-NM User Manual The Setup program will then copy the Chameleon files to your computer. When it has finished, it will start the Custom program, to allow you to configure Chameleon for your computer and network. This will display the current settings in a window, and allows you to enter details applicable to your network, as instructed in the Chameleon TCP/IP for Windows Installation and User’s Guide .

  • Page 45: Test That Chameleon Is Installed Correctly

    NB: If you later have problems which are due to incorrect Chameleon configuration, you can run the Custom application again manually (from the Chameleon group) to change the settings. Remember that you may need to exit Windows and restart the computer to put any changes into effect.
  • Page 46 CBU-NM User Manual 5.8 The Network Database PCNC version 0.27 does not provide a specific SNMP (as opposed to local/remote) device option for devices on the Network Database. SNMP devices should be defined in the Database as though they were local, allowing PCNC to decode the alerts correctly.
  • Page 47 6.1 This chapter This chapter explains how to install or upgrade the PCNC program. 6.2 Introduction The PCNC software consists of a number of files which should be stored in the working directory. This is normally C:\PCNC, but does not have to be.
  • Page 48 CBU-NM User Manual 6.3 Requirements To run the basic PCNC program to receive and process alert messages, you will need the Hardware and Software outlined in Section 1.7. To run the SNMP Link you will also need the following: An NDIS-compliant network interface card or other device suitable for connecting the PCNC computer to your TCP/IP network.

  • Page 49: Before You Start

    6.5 Installing PCNC for the first time The following diagram shows the steps required to install PCNC both with and without SNMP extensions: PCNC Installation Guide Basic Create working directory C:\PCNC Copy files from D i s k s 1 a n d 2 C o n f i g u r e P C N C .
  • Page 50 CBU-NM User Manual 6.5.2 * Set up the TCP/IP Network If you are using the SNMP Link, you will need to configure the network to support TCP/IP. If not, skip to section 6.5.3. 6.5.2.1 * Install the Network hardware If you do not have one already, you will need to install a Network Interface card on your PC.
  • Page 51 6.5.4 Customise PCNC.INI Refer to Chapter 7 - Configuring PCNC.INI . disabled for now, even if you are intending to use it later. This makes it easier to check that PCNC is working properly. 6.5.5 Create the Windows icon Switch to the Program Manager and choose the File | New... command to create an icon and, if required, a program group for PCNC.
  • Page 52 CBU-NM User Manual 6.5.7.3 * Test PCNC with SNMP Restart PCNC, and again watch for any warnings or error messages. The PCNC Main window will appear, and you should also see the icons for PCNCSNMP.EXE and for the Chameleon Newt.
  • Page 53 you have the program running properly. Refer to Chapter 7 - Configuring PCNC.INI for details, and copy any unchanged settings into the new PCNC.INI. Once you have done this, carry out the steps outlined in Section and, if applicable, Section 6.7 Drivers Versions of PCNC before 0.27 required the use of a separate Device Driver DLL file for each device type PCNC needed to recognise.
  • Page 54 Configuring PCNC.INI 7.1 This chapter This chapter deals with configuring the PCNC.INI file and setting up the COM ports. PCNC’s online help contains all the information about how to set up this file. PCNC will run with the default PCNC.INI file, so once you have copied the disks into the working directory, you can run PCNC and use the Help command to find out how to set up PCNC to work with your network.

  • Page 55: Com Ports

    CBU-NM User Manual 7.3 Connecting the ports The three non-SNMP Links defined in PCNC - Control, Remote and Auxiliary - are configured in three separate sections of PCNC.INI. Each Link you use will have a corresponding COM port on the PC. A Link can be used to send commands to devices from a Terminal, or gather alarms from the network.
  • Page 56 7.4 Format of the PCNC.INI File The PCNC.INI file contains several sections, each of which consists of a group of related settings. The sections and settings are listed in the PCNC.INI file in the following format: [section name] option=value The option must be followed immediately by an equals sign and the value, with no spaces in the entry.

  • Page 57: Port=:,,,

    CBU-NM User Manual 7.7 Settings In this chapter, the syntax, default value, and purpose of each setting appear in the following format: SettingName=<value> Default: The default value for this setting. This value is used if the setting is not present in your PCNC.INI file, or if the specified value is invalid.

  • Page 58: Linecount=

    7.8.2 LineCount=<integer> Default: Purpose: This entry controls the number of lines that appear in the Control Terminal window. The value of LineCount can be between 24 and 128. Change the setting if you need to see more than 24 lines of history in the Control Terminal window. 7.8.3 RxQueueSize=<integer>...

  • Page 59: Directconnecttimeout=

    CBU-NM User Manual When enabled, the handshaking scheme is designed to operate with PCNC connected to the Master port of a Cabletron port sharer (PSV). For additional details including cabling requirements, see Chapter 14. 7.8.6 DirectConnectTimeout=<integer> Default: Purpose: Specifies the delay (in seconds) that a direct connection can be left online and inactive before the Cabletron Network Controller automatically disconnects it.

  • Page 60: Emulation=

    7.9.2 Emulation=<string> Default: Purpose: Tells the Auxiliary Terminal window which type of terminal to emulate. Valid entries are: ANSI , VT52 , VT100 , and TTY . 7.9.3 BreakHandling=<boolean> Default: Purpose: The BreakHandling entry specifies whether the Cabletron Network Controller generates the line break condition. Valid entries are On and Off .

  • Page 61: Backgroundcolour=

    CBU-NM User Manual setting. For the TTY, ANSI and VT-52 emulations, this is 0 (Black). For the VT-100 emulation, it is 15 (White). The colour values are interpreted as follows: Black Dark blue Dark green Dark cyan Dark red Dark magenta...

  • Page 62: Device Drivers]

    7.11 [Device Drivers] This section was used in PCNC before version 0.27. It is no longer needed and should not appear in PCNC.INI. 7.12 [Options] Any entries that do not have their own section will be in the miscellaneous [Options] section. 7.12.1 AudibleWarningButton=<boolean>...

  • Page 63: Alarmlogging=

    CBU-NM User Manual 7.12.3 AlarmLogging=<boolean> Default: Purpose: Controls PCNC’s recording of alarms in the Alarm Database. Valid entries are On and Off . When the option is set to Off , no alarms are displayed or stored. To run PCNC normally, AlarmLogging should be On .

  • Page 64: Snmp Link]

    7.13 [SNMP Link] This section tells the Cabletron Network Controller whether to use the optional SNMP Link (see Chapter 5), and only applies if you are using the SNMP extensions. options for the Link. If you are not using SNMP, ignore this section. 7.13.1 ForwardTrapsToNms=<boolean>...

  • Page 65: Traptxoidpcnc=

    CBU-NM User Manual 7.13.4 TrapTxOidPcnc=<Group object identifier> Default: 1.3.6.1.4.1.233 Purpose: Every SNMP trap contains an Object ID Number that identifies the type of object from which it originated. The TrapTxOidPcnc setting tells PCNC which OID to use when generating traps to be forwarded to another copy of PCNC.

  • Page 66: The Network Database

    The Network Database 8.1 This chapter This chapter deals with the Network Database - how to define it, how it is used and what each entry means. 8.2 The Role of the Network Database Information about the devices on your network is stored in the Network Database.

  • Page 67: Alert Processing

    CBU-NM User Manual information about your network is not lost if the file is accidentally damaged or deleted. 8.2.1 Alert Processing Each time an alert message is received, PCNC looks up the Poll number of the device that sent it and extracts all its details from the database.

  • Page 68: Meaning Of The Network Inspector Fields

    The status of each device is shown in various ways, depending on the device type. For example, if a KBU 64 is online it is marked with a cross. For a KMUX, a cross means the link is down. It is possible to clear the status of a device or its channels by selecting the device/channel in the Network Inspector window and then choosing the Network | Reset device status command.

  • Page 69: Defining The Database

    CBU-NM User Manual their device, sort on Poll number using the Sort order... command from the Network menu, the Network Inspector Speed menu or the toolbar. Alarms generated by independently named channels display the name of the channel, not the device, in the ‘Device name’ field of the Alarm Log windows.
  • Page 70 8.4.1.1 Comments The comments you add are only visible when you call up the Edit network device dialogue box and do not appear elsewhere. You can include anything you may find useful here - reference numbers, telephone numbers, locations in racks, etc. 8.4.1.2 Remote addressing Devices that can be accessed over an ISDN line have an extra ‘Remote’...
  • Page 71 9.1 This chapter This chapter tells you how to set up the equipment in your network to work with PCNC. Read this only if you need to set up new equipment. 9.2 Introduction Most Cabletron devices have various settings that may need to be configured before they can communicate with PCNC.
  • Page 72 CBU-NM User Manual 9.3 KBU 64 Polling needs to be turned on and the Poll number used must be the same as the entry for that device in the Network Database. To set up a KBU64 from the factory default settings, you need to type...
  • Page 73 10.1 This chapter This chapter briefly describes each of PCNC’s commands. commands are available from the menu bar, and many are also found as icons on the toolbar. The commands are listed in the order that they appear in the menus, together with a description of where they can be found.
  • Page 74 CBU-NM User Manual this, place the mouse cursor over a toolbar button, or pop up a menu and drag the selection over the menu commands. The on-line help also gives information about these commands. obtain help, press Shift-F1, and the cursor will change shape. Select a command, and help will appear for that command.
  • Page 75 10.4 Network | New device... Purpose: Adds a new device to the network. command to define your network devices in the Network Database. allowing you to enter the details for the new device. Toolbar button: Menu keys: Alt-N + N Speed Menu: Network Inspector window.
  • Page 76 CBU-NM User Manual 10.7 Network | Sort order... Purpose: Invokes a dialogue box that allows you to specify the order in which network devices are displayed in the Network Inspector window. Toolbar button: Menu keys: Alt-N + S Speed Menu: Network Inspector window.
  • Page 77 10.10 Network | Talkwire list... Purpose: Lets you view and edit the list of KBU64 devices which have been nominated to act as Talkwire Units. These units are local devices which are used by the Direct Connect facility to communicate with remote devices.

  • Page 78: A Larm Windows

    CBU-NM User Manual 10.13 Network | Exit Purpose: Saves all data and exits the Cabletron Network Controller. Toolbar button: Menu keys: Alt-N + X, Alt-F4 10.14 Alarms | Filter... Purpose: Invokes the filter dialogue box, allowing you to set filters for the currently active Alarm window. The...
  • Page 79 10.16 Alarms | Audible warning Purpose: Enables or disables the audible warning which sounds whenever there are unacknowledged alarms. Toolbar button: Menu keys: Alt-A + W Speed Menu: Any window that displays alarms. To enable: Ensure that the AudibleWarningButton entry in the [Options] section PCNC.INI is set to ‘Available’.
  • Page 80 CBU-NM User Manual 10.18 Alarms | Inspect archive file... Purpose: Creates an Archived Alarm Log window, which displays the contents of a .LOG file. select this command, PCNC prompts you to specify the filename of the log you wish to see.

  • Page 81: Port.

    10.21 Window | Network alarm log Purpose: Activates an Alarm Log window that displays (when unfiltered) the entire contents of the current Alarm Database. Toolbar button: Menu keys: Alt-W + K (if window not already open) 10.22 Window | Unacknowledged Alarms Purpose: Activates the window that shows all unacknowledged alarms.
  • Page 82 CBU-NM User Manual 10.25 Window | Cascade Purpose: Arranges the currently open windows from the top- left position of the application's Main window such that the title bar of each is visible. Menu keys: Alt-W + C To enable: You must have at least one window open.
  • Page 83 10.29 Help | Contents Purpose: Starts the Windows Help application and shows a table of contents for help on the Cabletron Network Controller. Toolbar button: Menu keys: Alt-H + C 10.30 Help | Using help Purpose: This command provides help on how to use the Windows Help application.
  • Page 84 Troubleshooting Guide 11.1 This chapter This chapter offers suggestions should you encounter problems. Often, the problems are due to an incorrect setup in PCNC.INI. To correct these, refer to Chapter 7 - Configuring PCNC.INI . 11.2 You cannot see any alarms This means that PCNC is either not receiving alarms or they have all been hidden by filters.
  • Page 85 CBU-NM User Manual If the link is not working, check the port connections and the settings in PCNC.INI’s [Remote Link] or [SNMP Link] section. 11.3 Some alerts are not being processed When many alerts are sent to PCNC over a short period of time, PCNC’s receive buffer can overflow, and alert information is lost.
  • Page 86 alert message PCNC has received (see Section 3.3.3). happens, the alarm is classified as Unrecognised for filtering purposes, even though the actual alarm type is displayed in the usual way. These alarms are hidden by the Unrecognised Alert filter, rather than the one that corresponds to the alarm text.
  • Page 87 CBU-NM User Manual After this dialogue, you will see a second box saying that an error has occurred, and that you can ‘Close’ or ‘Ignore’. continue to function normally if you choose ‘Ignore’. circumstances, however, PCNC will be forced to shut down.
  • Page 88 12.1 Alarm An alarm is the processed form of an alert message received by PCNC. Once processed, an alarm is stored in a database and displayed in the Alarm windows along with the name of the alerting device. It is also categorised filtering unacknowledged.

  • Page 89: Menu Bar

    CBU-NM User Manual The alarms will still be logged, but will not be shown in that window until the appropriate filters are removed. See Chapter 3 for more details. 12.5 Link A Link is an internal software component that allows PCNC to communicate with the network via the ports at the back of the computer.
  • Page 90 12.8 PCNC.DAT PCNC.DAT is a file, saved in PCNC’s working directory, which is used to store the Network and Alarm Databases. settings for alarm log windows, as well as details of the program’s status, window positions etc. This means that PCNC does not lose information when it shuts down, and looks exactly the same when you re-load.

  • Page 91: Status Bar

    CBU-NM User Manual 12.12 Speed Menus To access a Speed Menu, click the right mouse button over any PCNC window. A group of commands relevant to that window will appear by the pointer. For example, the commands in the Network Inspector’s Speed Menu relate to the Network Database and Direct connections.
  • Page 92 on the status bar. To use a function, place the mouse pointer over the relevant button and click the left mouse button. 12.18 Working directory This is the directory that contains the PCNC files. It is usually C:\PCNC, but can take any name if required. The choice of working directory is made when installing PCNC.
  • Page 93 13.1 Alert message format This section describes the message format that PCNC will understand as an ALERT and will be able to decode as an alarm. PCNC can recognise alerts with or without time and date information. 13.1.1 Alert message fields In the following descriptions, field types are enclosed in <>...
  • Page 94 CBU-NM User Manual 13.1.2 Alerts without time and date information Alert strings without time and date information should be formatted as follows in order to be recognised by PCNC. [<garbage>] <Poll number> [<ws>] - [<ws>] ALERT [<ws>] <Remainder of string> [<garbage>] [<CR>] <LF>...
  • Page 95 are controlled by the ForwardTrapsToNms and ForwardTrapsToPcnc settings in the [SNMP Link] section of PCNC.INI. If enabled, the traps are produced irrespectively of the link from which they originated. ‘NMS’ format traps are intended for transmission to a higher-level Network Management System (NMS), and are formatted as per the trap definitions in the MIB file.
  • Page 96 CBU-NM User Manual ‘PCNC’ trap: Enterprise: 1.3.6.1.4.1.233 Agent IP: 10.10.10.3 Generic: 6 (Enterprise Specific) Specific: 1009 Variable Bindings: 1.3.6.1.4.1.233.1009.1: "00001-2: ALERT Channel status 3" The Enterprise number is defined in PCNC.INI and the Agent IP is configured in Chameleon. The Generic number simply specifies that the trap is Enterprise specific, rather than a generic SNMP trap.
  • Page 97 last record in the file is terminated with a <CR>,<LF>, like all the other records, and is not followed by an End Of File marker. Each record consists of a number of fields separated by commas. There are three types of field in the records. These are text fields, signed numeric fields, and unsigned numeric fields.
  • Page 98 CBU-NM User Manual For example, the alert 00007- 2: ALERT Line inactive (Clock) might look like this, once it has been imported into another program: 20/06/96 14:43:31 1 7 2 Each field is described in the following sections. 13.3.2.1 <Date> field This is an 8 character text field.
  • Page 99 13.3.2.6 <Device ID> field This is a signed numeric field containing a number which is used to represent the Device that generated the alarm. The possible values are: Value Table 1 - Cabletron Equipment type numbers Note that if this field is -1 , the <Device alarm code> field will be 4 , the <Product name>...
  • Page 100 CBU-NM User Manual 13.3.2.8 <Product name> field This is a text field which gives the type of the device that generated the alarm. This field is of variable length, and the possible names are: CBU 1000 CBU/6 CBU/14 CBUGSM CBUPRI/EI...

  • Page 101: Driver

    13.3.2.10 <Alert message> field This is a text field which contains the remainder of the alert string message which followed the word ‘ALERT’ in the original alert message when it was received by PCNC. 13.3.3 Device alarm codes Table 2 lists the meanings of the alarm codes generated by PCNC.
  • Page 102 CBU-NM User Manual 32-120 The following codes represent alarms which have been processed from incoming alert messages. Connected Disconnected Incoming call {1} Initiating manual backup ISDN Verify failed {6} ISDN test failed {6} ISDN Verify passed Line active Line inactive {7}...
  • Page 103 Dial failed Access denied Power restored Dialling aborted LAPD active LAPD inactive 78-94 Unused Dialling {1} Unused Card found Card lost PSU AC failed {2} PSU AC restored {2} PSU DC failed {2} PSU DC restored {2} Cooling failed {2} Cooling restored {2} PSU removed {2} PSU inserted {2}...
  • Page 104 CBU-NM User Manual Table 3 - Allowable parameter values (below) defines the additional parameters used in Table Parameter Values Telephone number (Optional) Digit 1-3 ‘Console’ ‘Talkwire’ Digit 1-3 ‘ x , y ’ ‘Incoming call’ ‘No free line available’ ‘Call rejected’...
  • Page 105 14.1 Control Link Handshaking This feature helps to protect against overloading under high levels of alarm traffic. Without it, if PCNC receives a stream of alarms faster than it can process them, alarm data will be lost when PCNC’s receive buffers become full.
  • Page 106 CBU-NM User Manual 14.3 Cabling requirements 14.3.1 Handshaking disabled With handshaking disabled, a ‘looped’ cable is required: P S V Name (25 Pin Male on lead) T X D R X D R T S C T S D S R...

  • Page 107: Device

    14.3.2 Handshaking enabled With handshaking enabled, a ‘straight through’ cable is required: P S V Name (25 Pin Male on lead) T X D R X D R T S C T S D S R D C D D T R Figure 14.2 - Control Link handshaking cable specification Cabletron supplies cables meeting these requirements: Description...

  • Page 108: Other

    CBU-NM User Manual 14.5 Additional requirements Because the PSV does not assert DSR and wait for DTR during an alert message from the currently polled device, it is important to ensure that you normally leave your network in a state where no device is polled.

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