Quick-Start Tutorial

Figure 4-6 : Miscellaneous Index Tab Window

Check the Operation of the ATM Network

Now that you have discovered the ATM network, you should set the SNMP polling interval so that AtmDirector notifies you of devices that are up, down, or previously down.

Set the Status Polling Interval

Using the same guidelines that you used to set the discovery polling interval in the "Discover the ATM Network" section, set the status polling interval to 15 seconds, as follows:

Step 1 Select Options>Global Options from the AtmDirector window, shown in Figure 4-7. The Global Options window appears.

Step 2 Select the polling index tab. The polling index tab window appears, as shown in Figure 4-7.

Step 3 In the SNMP box, configure the fields as follows:

• Timeout = 10 seconds. If the polling process does not receive a response from a device in 10 seconds, it declares the device unreachable.
  

• Number of Retries = 3. The discovery process attempts to reach the device three times, before declaring the device unreachable.
  

Step 4 In the Status Polling Interval field, enter 15 seconds. The polling process will poll the device every 15 seconds.

Step 5 Click OK to save the entered values and close the window.

Figure 4-7 : Polling Index Tab Window

View and Interpret the Status of Devices

AtmDirector displays the names of discovered networks in the left column in the AtmDirector window. (See Table 1-1.)

To view the status of devices in the hypothetical network, double-click the network fabric name. The topology map of the network appears, as shown in Figure 4-8. AtmDirector indicates the status of devices by changing the color of the icon, as shown in Table 1-1. Switch A (IP address 172.18.20.6) is red in this case.

Figure 4-8 : AtmDirector Display Showing Network-A

Invoke CiscoView

To troubleshoot the inoperable switch, invoke CiscoView from AtmDirector. Select Map>Object>CiscoView, or select the device, click the right mouse button, and choose CiscoView from the popup menu.

CiscoView is a GUI-based device management software application that provides dynamic status, statistics, and comprehensive configuration information for Cisco Systems switched internetworking products (switches, routers, concentrators, and adapters). CiscoView graphically displays a physical view of Cisco devices. Additionally, this network management tool provides monitoring functions and offers basic troubleshooting. For details about using CiscoView to troubleshoot and configure devices, refer to the CiscoView User Guide or the online help provided with CiscoView.

After the switch is up from the previously down state, clear the status condition by selecting the device on the topology map and choosing Admin>Clear State. The color of the device icon changes to green.

Obtain a List of Virtual Channels on a Link

You can use AtmDirector reports and graphical displays to troubleshoot the ATM network or simply monitor the traffic and usage of VCs.

As the network manager of the hypothetical network, you learn that users are having difficulty accessing the mail server. After checking the topology map and verifying that all devices are operational, you want to view usage and other information about the link to determine what to do next.

You can select a VC in several ways, based on the type of information you have and the type of information you need. You can view all connections or connections specified by SVC addresses.

In this case, you want to concentrate on the connection between Switch C and the mail server. To display this connection, follow these steps:

Step 1 From the topology map on the AtmDirector window, select the link connected to the mail server.

Step 2 Select Tools>VC List>By SVC Addresses.

Step 3 The VC Filter window appears showing the ATM addresses of all devices with SVCs connected to the selected link. Figure 4-9 shows an example of the VC Filter window with the pertinent SVCs.

Figure 4-9 : VC Filter Window Showing SVCs

Step 4 Select the ATM addresses of the mail server and Switch C.

Step 5 Click OK. The VC List window appears, showing the VPI/VCI connections between the selected devices, as shown in Figure 4-10.

The VC List window shows the following information about the links:

• VPI/VCI numbers
  

• The type of configuration: switched virtual channel (SVC), permanent virtual channel (PVC), or SPVC
  

• The type of cast, either point-to-point or point-to-multipoint
  

• The traffic class, as follows:
  

VbrNrt---Variable bit rate nonreal time

VbrRt---Variable bit rate real time

Cbr---Constant bit rate

Abr---Available bit rate

Ubr---Unspecified bit rate

You can request the percentage of bandwidth used to transmit and receive data. The following section, "Check the Utilization of a VC," describes how to request this information.

Figure 4-10 : VC List Window

Check the Utilization of a VC

From the VC List window, you can view utilization information for VPI/VCIs in a tabular or graphical format. Select Utilization to view the information in the Utilization% Tx column and Utilization% Rx column, as shown in Figure 4-11, or select Plot Utilization to view the information in a graphical display, as shown in Figure 4-12.

The percentage of utilization values is represented in two columns, one for Transmit (Tx) and one for Receive (Rx). The utilization values for the transmit and receive directions are based on the From device reference of this link. On the utilization graph, the From device (source) is the device on the left; the To device (destination) is the switch on the right.

The data shown for the selected VPI/VCI indicates that usage on the link is high.

Figure 4-11 : Utilization Table

Figure 4-12 : Utilization Graph

Create an SPVC

Because the utilization reported for the link is high, the link appears to be a bottleneck to data flow. You can create an SPVC (a combination of permanent and switched virtual channels) that provides the following benefits of both types of channels:

• Dedicated bandwidth between the end hosts and their corresponding switches.
  

• Switched virtual channels between intermediary switches for improved reliability. If one switch goes down, the virtual channel can be redirected to a different switch.
  

To set up an SPVC, you need to create PVCs between the end hosts and their respective switches through each switch's command-line interface or by using CiscoView. You can create these PVCs either before or after setting up the SPVC in AtmDirector. The VPI/VCI values entered at the switches and in AtmDirector must match. Refer to the command reference or configuration guide for the switch for information about creating a PVC.

To create an SPVC, follow these steps:

Step 1 From the topology map on the AtmDirector window, select the link connected to the mail server. Press the shift key and select the link connected to the end hosts.

Step 2 Select Tools>Soft PVC/PVP Setup. The SPVC/SPVP Setup window appears, as shown in Figure 4-13.

Step 3 In the Connection box, choose SPVC.

Figure 4-13 : SPVC/SPVP Setup Window

Step 4 In the VPI field and VCI field in the Source box, either choose a previously created VPI/VCI or enter a VPI/VCI value, and press the Return key. You can display previously created VPI/VCIs by clicking the down arrow next to the VPI field and VCI field.

You can create the PVCs at the end hosts either before or after setting up the SPVC or SPVP. If the PVCs for the desired end hosts have been created already, use those VPI/VCI values. If the PVCs have not been created, enter VPI/VCI values for the PVCs, and use these values when setting up the PVCs at the end hosts.

Step 5 In the Slow Retry Interval field, enter 10 seconds and press the Return key. If the LS1010 switch detects that the SPVC is set up but not active, it attempts to set up the SPVC again, according to the interval set in the Slow Retry Interval field. In this case, the LS1010 switch waits 10 seconds before attempting to set up the SPVC again.

You can check the status of this SPVC using CiscoView.

Step 6 As an option, you can configure the advanced parameters. Click Advanced Parameters. The Advanced Parameters window appears to the right of the SPVC/SPVP Setup Window, as shown in Figure 4-14.

Step 7 In the Usage Parameter Control field, select Pass, Tag, or Drop.

Step 8 In the Packet Discard field, select On or Off. If this field is enabled, the switch discards ATM adaptation layer 5 (AAL5) frames when a threshold has been exceeded. If this field is disabled, these packets are not discarded.