Using QoS Policy Manager 1.0
Working with Devices
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Table of Contents

Working with Devices
 Working with Devices
 Working with Device Interfaces
 Working with Device Groups

Working with Devices

These topics describe tasks for working with devices and their interfaces.

Working with Devices

The devices managed by QoS Policy Manager are typically routers. These devices must run IOS software that supports QoS capabilities.

Adding a Device

You must add a device to the QoS database before you can manage the interfaces on the device.

Before You Begin

Obtain this information for each device you are adding.

  • Host name or IP address of one of the device interfaces
  • SNMP read community string
  • Telnet password
  • IOS software enable mode password

If the device is offline, you also need this information.

  • Vendor (Cisco or other)
  • IOS software version
  • Device model
Procedure
Step 1   Select Devices>Device>New, or right-click in the tree view and select New Device.

The New Device window is displayed.

Step 2   Fill in the New Device window (see "New Device Dialog Box" in Appendix B for more information). At minimum, you must supply this information.

  • Device Name/IP—The IP address for the device.
  • Community—The SNMP read community string for the device.
  • Password—The password required for Telnet access to the device.
  • Enable Password—The password required to enter enable mode on the device.

Step 3   On the New Device window, click Verify Device Info. This obtains the IOS software version information from the device, as well as the device model.

If the device is not online, fill in the Vendor, Software Version, and Device Model fields manually.

Step 4   On the New Device window, click Detect Interfaces. This closes the New Device window and obtains the list of interfaces that are available on the device.

QoS Policy Manager creates a folder for the device in the tree view using the IP address of the device. The device interfaces are included as members of this folder.

Tips
  • If the device is offline, you must deselect Verify Device Information in order to define the device.
  • You can manually define the interfaces by clicking Define Interfaces instead of Detect Interfaces. See "Adding Device Interfaces" for more information.
  • Once you click Detect Interfaces, all detected interfaces are added to the QoS database. If you do not want to manage all of the interfaces on the device, you can then delete the undesired interfaces. See "Removing Device Interfaces" for more information.
Related Topics

Importing Devices from a Device Inventory

You can add several devices at once by importing them from a device inventory created using CiscoWorks2000 Resource Manager Essentials or Cisco Resource Manager (CRM).

Before You Begin

Export a device inventory using CiscoWorks2000 Resource Manager Essentials or Cisco Resource Manager (CRM).

Procedure
Step 1   Select Devices>Import.

(a). QoS Policy Manager opens a browsing window (Open).

(b). Select the directory that contains the device inventory you want to use.

Step 2   Select the file that contains the device inventory and click OK.

(a). QoS Policy Manager opens the Import Devices window, and begins querying the devices in the inventory.

(b). You can click Stop at any time. The QoS Policy Manager stops querying the devices, and displays only those already queried already.

(c). You can continue using Policy Manager while QoS Policy Manager queries the devices.

(d). When QoS Policy Manager is finished determining the state of each device, you are returned to the Import Devices window.

Step 3   Select the devices you wish to add to the QoS database.

(a). Click once on the device you wish to add to the QoS database in the "Known Devices" list on the left side of the window.

(b). Click >>. The device is transferred to the "Devices to import to QoS database" on the right side of the window.

Step 4   When you are satisfied with the list of devices to import, click OK.

Step 5   A Detect Interface message asks if you wish to detect the interfaces for the devices. The possible answers are

  • Yes—Detects the interfaces for the selected device.
  • Yes All—Detects the interfaces for all the devices selected to be added to the database.
  • No—Ignores device currently selected for addition to the database.
  • No All—Ignores all the devices selected for addition to the database and returns you to the QoS Manager window.
  • Cancel—Ignores all the devices selected for addition to the database and returns you to the Import Devices window.

Step 6   When you are satisfied with the selection and detection of the device interfaces, click OK. You are returned to the QoS Manager window.

Tips
  • You can select multiple devices using Ctrl+click or a range of devices using Shift+click.
Related Topics

Viewing or Changing Device Properties

You can view a device's properties, and change them if required.

Procedure
  • Double-click the device in the tree view, or select the device and select Devices>Device>Properties.

QoS Policy Manager opens the Device Properties window.

If you want to change the device properties, make your changes in the window and click OK.

Tips
  • You can also access the device properties by right-clicking on the device in the tree view and selecting View Device.
Related Topics

Removing a Device

If you do not want to manage QoS on a device, you can remove it from the QoS database.

Procedure
  • Right-click the device in the tree view and select Delete Device, or select it and select Devices>Device>Delete.

If any of the device interfaces belong to a device group, a warning message appears and prompts you to confirm the deletion.

If you confirm the deletion, QoS Policy Manager deletes the device, its interfaces, all associated policy statements, and device group memberships for the device.

Viewing a Device Configuration

You can view the IOS software configuration for a device from within QoS Policy Manager.

Procedure
Step 1   Select the device in the tree view.

Step 2   Select Devices>Device>View Configuration, or right-click and select View Device Configuration.

Step 3   QoS Policy Manager opens a window with the IOS software configuration as defined on the device. See the IOS software documentation for information on how to read the configuration.

Tips
  • You can also view the device configuration from the New Device or Device Properties windows (double-click the device in the tree view). Click the View Configuration on these windows to see the configuration.

Connecting to a Device Using Telnet

You can start the Microsoft Telnet program from within QoS Policy Manager.

Procedure

  • Click the Telnet button, or select Tools>Telnet.

QoS Policy Manager starts the Microsoft Telnet program. See the online help for Telnet for information on how to use the program.

Working with Device Interfaces

The interfaces on a device carry the network traffic. You must add the interfaces on which you want to define QoS policies to the QoS database.

Adding Device Interfaces

If a device is already defined in the QoS database, you can add its interfaces to the database.

Before You Begin

If the device is not yet defined in the QoS database, see "Adding a Device." Once you have defined a device, you can have QoS Policy Manager query the device and add its interfaces to the QoS database (the automated procedure), or you can manually define the interfaces.

It is easiest to have QoS Policy Manager obtain the interface information from the device. However, the device must be online in order for QoS Policy Manager to obtain the information. If you are adding interfaces for an offline device, you must use the manual procedure.

Procedure (Automated)
Step 1   Double-click the device in the tree view.

QoS Policy Manager opens the Device Properties window.

Step 2   Click Detect Interfaces.

QoS Policy Manager obtains interface information from the device and adds the interfaces to the tree view in the device's folder.

Procedure (Manual)
Step 1   Select the device whose interface you want to add in the tree view.

Step 2   Select Devices>Interface>New, or right-click and select New Interface.

QoS Policy Manager opens the New Interface window.

Step 3   Enter in the interface properties. See "New Interface Dialog Box" in Appendix B for more information.

Related Topics

Viewing or Changing Device Interfaces

You can view an interface's properties, and change them if required.

Procedure
  • Double-click the interface in the tree view, or select the interface and select Devices>Interface>Properties.

QoS Policy Manager opens the Interface Properties window.

If you want to change the interface properties, make your changes in the window and click OK.

Tips
  • You can also access the interface properties by right-clicking on the interface in the tree view and selecting View Interface.
  • If the interface belongs to a device group, and the group defines the QoS property, you cannot change the QoS property on the interface. If you want to change the property on the interface, you must change the device group's QoS property to Defined By Interface.
Related Topics

Removing Device Interfaces

If you do not want to manage QoS on an interface, but you still want to manage QoS on other interfaces on the device, you can remove the interface from the QoS database.

Procedure
  • Right-click the interface in the tree view and select Delete Interface, or select it and select Devices>Interface>Delete.

If the interface belongs to a device group, you are warned and given a chance to confirm the deletion.

If you confirm the deletion, QoS Policy Manager deletes the interfaces, all associated policy statements, and device group memberships for the interface.

Working with Device Groups

A device group is a group of interfaces that reside on one or more device. You can use device groups to simplify the deployment of your policies, because you can write a policy for the group instead of for each interface separately.

There are two main reasons to group interfaces.

  • To define a common QoS property for the interfaces in the group.
  • To deploy common policies to the interfaces in the group.

These sections describe device groups in more detail.

Understanding Which Interfaces Can Be Combined in a Group

You can only combine interfaces in a group if the interfaces are using the same, or higher, version of IOS software. This ensures that you do not create a policy on the device group that is not supported on one or more interfaces in the group.

When you create a device group, you must state the minimum IOS software version that should be allowed in the device group. QoS Policy Manager only lets you add interfaces to the group that use this IOS software version or higher.

Table 6-1 shows the compatibility matrix for IOS software used by QoS Policy Manager.

Table 6-1   IOS Software Version Compatibility for Device Groups

Software Version Defined in Device Group  Software Versions That Are Considered Matches 

11.1

11.1, 11.1cc, 11.2, 11.3, 12.0

11.1cc

11.1cc, 12.0

11.2

11.2, 11.3, 12.0

11.3

11.2, 11.3, 12.0

12.0

12.0

Creating Device Groups

Create a device group when you want to use identical policies for more than one interface.

Before You Begin

Identify the interfaces that you want to treat as a group.

Procedure
Step 1   Select Devices>Device Group>New, or right-click on the Device Groups folder and select New Device Group.

QoS Policy Manager opens the Device Group window.

Step 2   Fill in the fields in the Device Group window (see "Device Group Dialog Box" in Appendix B for more information).

If you are creating a device group to define a common QoS property, set the desired property in the QoS property field. Otherwise, set the QoS property to Defined By Interface.

Step 3   In the Device Group window, click Add/Remove in the Group Members group.

QoS Policy Manager opens the Device Group Members window.

Step 4   In the Device Group Members window, select the desired interfaces in the Available Interfaces list and click >>.

The Available Interfaces list only includes interfaces that

  • Are not members of another device group
  • Satisfy your settings for Software Revision, Device Model, Type, and QoS Property in the Device Group window

Click OK when you have finished adding interfaces. QoS Policy Manager returns you to the Device Groups window.

Step 5   Click OK in the Device Groups window.

QoS Policy Manager adds the device group to the Device Groups folder in the tree view. You can now select the group and add policies to it.

Tips
  • You can select multiple individual interfaces using Ctrl+click, or a range of interfaces using Shift+click.
Related Topics

Adding or Removing Device Group Members

Once you have defined a device group, you can add members to the group, or remove them from the group.

Before You Begin

If you want to add an interface to a device group, and the interface is currently running a lower version of IOS software than the one defined for the group, you must upgrade the IOS software on the device before you can add the interface to the group.

Procedure
Step 1   Select the device group in the tree view and select Devices>Device Group>Add/Remove Members, or right-click the group and select Add/Remove Members to Group.

QoS Policy Manager opens the Device Group Members window.

Step 2   If you are adding members, select the desired members in the Available Interfaces list and click >>. This list only contains interfaces that satisfy the device group characteristics and that do not already belong to a group.

Step 3   If you are removing members, select the members in the Group Members list and click <<.

Tips
  • You can select multiple individual interfaces using Ctrl+click, or a range of interfaces using Shift+click.
  • You can also add or remove interfaces by double-clicking on the device group in the tree view and clicking Add/Remove in the Group Members list.
  • If you add an interface that has a QoS property, and associated policies (for example, for priority queuing and custom queuing interfaces), you are asked whether you really want to add the interface. If you click Yes or Yes to All, the interface is added, its QoS property is changed, and the policies associated with the property are deleted from the interface.
  • When you remove interfaces, the QoS property and associated policies (for example, for priority and custom queuing interfaces) are copied to the interface. You are asked whether other policies defined on the group, such as coloring or shaping policies, should be copied to interfaces that you are removing. If you click Yes or Yes to All, the policies are copied, meaning there is no change to the services provided by the interface. If you click No, the policies are not copied to the interface, changing the services provided by the interface.
Related Topics

Modifying Device Group Properties

Modify a device group when you want to add or remove interfaces, or change other parameters for the group.

Before You Begin

You can only change these properties of a device group.

  • Name
  • QoS property
  • Membership list
  • Committed Access Rate settings (for frame relay groups)

If you want to change the Software Version or Device Model properties, you must create a new device group. Changing these properties might invalidate policies that you have defined and distributed to the members of the group.

Procedure
Step 1   Double-click the device group in the tree view, or select the device group and click Devices>Device Group>Properties.

QoS Policy Manager opens the Device Group window.

Step 2   Make the desired changes to the device group properties (see "Device Group Dialog Box" in Appendix B for more information).

Tips
  • If you change the QoS property to Defined By Interfaces, the existing QoS property, and all associated policy statements (for example, those that create priority or custom queues) are copied to all of the interfaces in the group.
  • If you change the QoS property from Defined By Interfaces to some other property, QoS Policy Manager asks you to confirm that you want to change the QoS properties on interfaces that have the property defined. If you click Yes, the property is changed, and policies associated with the former property are deleted.
  • You can also change properties for a device group by right-clicking on the device group in the tree view and selecting View Device Group's Properties.
Related Topics

Deleting Device Groups

Delete a device group when you no longer want to treat the group of interfaces as a group. However, if you only want to remove some of the members of the group, you do not need to delete the group. See "Adding or Removing Device Group Members" for more information.

Procedure
Step 1   Select the device group in the tree view.

Step 2   Select Devices>Device Group>Delete, or right-click and select Delete Device Group.

QoS Policy Manager asks you to confirm the deletion.

Tips

When you delete a device group, the group's QoS property and associated policies (for example, policies that create priority or custom queues) are copied to the interfaces that were members of the device group. You are asked whether other policies defined on the group, such as coloring or shaping policies, should be copied to interfaces that you are removing.

  • If you click Yes or Yes to All, the policies are copied, meaning there is no change to the services provided by the interface.
  • If you click No, the policies are not copied to the interface, changing the services provided by the interface.

How IOS Software Upgrades Affect Device Groups

When you create a device group, you specify the minimum IOS software version allowed for members of the group. Because this is a minimum version level, you can upgrade your devices without affecting QoS Policy Manager's deployment of policies to the devices.

However, if you downgrade the IOS software version on a member of a group to a version below the minimum version, you can encounter problems. If your policies, or QoS property, for the interface is incompatible with the QoS capabilities of the IOS software version, you will see errors in Distribution Manager when you try to deploy policies to the device group.

If you need to downgrade the IOS software version on a device, make sure you remove the device interfaces from device groups that require a higher version of the software.