Using QoS Policy Manager 1.0
Distributing Policies to Network Devices
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Table of Contents

Distributing Policies to Network Devices
 How to Use the Distribution Manager Application
 Distributing Policy Changes to Network Devices
 Stopping the Distribution of a Policy Change
 Resuming a Stopped Policy Distribution
 Viewing the IOS Commands
 Reading the Log Messages
 Printing Policy Distribution Information

Distributing Policies to Network Devices

Use the Distribution Manager application to distribute policies to network devices. These sections describe the use of Distribution Manager, and other tasks associated with distribution policies.

How to Use the Distribution Manager Application

These sections describe the basics for how to use the Distribution Manager interface, and how to configure its operational settings.

Starting Distribution Manager

Start Distribution Manager whenever you want to distribute new or changed policies to selected devices.

Before You Begin

Determine the policy changes you wish to make. Use the Policy Manager to create new policies or change existing policies.

Procedure

  • Select Tools>Distribution Manager in the Policy Manager to start the Distribution Manager. Or, click the Distribution button on the Policy Manager tool bar.
Tips
  • You can also start Distribution Manager by selecting Start>Programs>QoS Policy Manager>Distribution Manager.
Related Topics

Understanding the Distribution Manager Interface

The Distribution Manager main window (Figure 7-1) is divided into three panes.

  • Tree View—The upper left quadrant. Each entry is a job that contains all of the policy changes that have occurred since the last job was applied. The devices are not shown in the tree view. The job usually represents multiple policies.
  • List View—The upper right quadrant. All the devices (routers) in a job folder (affected by new policies) are displayed in this pane.
  • Log Messages—The lower part of the main window. System or Job messages are displayed in this pane. The Log Message pane is visible when the Logging check box in Devices>Options>View tab is checked.

Figure 7-1   The Distribution Manager Main Window

Tree View

The tree view pane contains a folder for each job to be distributed. The job folder contains a list of the devices for which you have added or changed policies in the Policy Manager. When the job is selected, the devices are displayed in the list view pane.

List View

The list view pane displays two different views, Jobs Summary or Contents of a selected Job. Select the Root of the Tree view to see Jobs Summary in the List View pane. When jobs are viewed, the information displayed is Job Name, Database Name, Total (number of) Devices, Written Devices, Date/Time and (Job) Status. To see the devices of a certain Job, select a job in the tree view or double click the job in the summary view. In this view you can see all the devices (routers) that are contained in the selected job folder. These are the devices to which the new or changed policy will be distributed.


Figure 7-2   List View Pane Showing a Job

The status of each job or device is displayed in the column next to the device. Table 7-1 explains the status of jobs and Table 7-2 explains the status of devices.

Table 7-1   Description of Job Status

Status  Description 

Not-Applied

No policies have been sent to any of the devices in this job.

In-Progress

The system is in the process of writing the new policies to the devices in this job.

Completed

The new policies have been written to all the devices in this job.

Failed

Writing new policies to one or more devices failed. If you selected "Stop if error occurred" in the Job Option tab of the Option menu window, the entire job was stopped at this failure and the new policies were not written to any of the remaining devices. If you did not select this option the new policies were written to the remaining devices. Click on the job title in the Tree View pane to see which devices failed.

Stopped

You stopped the distribution of new policies to devices in this job. To resume the distribution of new policies select Devices>Resume, or click on the Resume icon. Select the job title in the Tree View pane to see the list of devices which have not yet received the new policies.

Table 7-2   Description of Device Status

Status  Description 

Not-Applied

New policies have not been sent to this device.

In-Progress

The system is in the process of writing the new policies to this device.

Completed

The new policies have been written to this device successfully.

Unchanged

The new policies in this job do not affect this device.

Failed

The system was unsuccessful in writing the new policy to the device.

Log Messages

The log message pane displays event messages. Messages have four levels of severity; Informational, Warning, Error and Fatal Error. The log message window has two tabs to display two types of log messages, System Logging messages and Job/Device Logging messages.

System log messages describe events occurring on the network. An example is "Database has been saved" for a specific job.

The second tab alternates between Job and Device messages depending upon which is selected. Select a job in the tree view to display Job log messages or select a device in the list view to display log messages for that device only. The Job log displays messages for all the devices in the job.

Related Topics

Changing the Distribution Manager Display

You can change the main Distribution Manager window to display information according to your preferences. Table 7-3 lists the available commands for changing the main Distribution Manager window.

Table 7-3   Commands for Changing the Distribution Manager Main Window

If you want to...  Command  Description 

Display or hide the tool bar

View>Toolbar

The tool bar is the row of short-cut buttons beneath the menu. When Toolbar is checked on the View menu, the tool bar is displayed.

Display or hide the log pane

View>Log

The log pane displays log messages for the system, job or device. Select the System tab to display the system messages. The Job/Device tab toggles between job messages and device messages depending upon whether a job is selected in the tree view pane or a device is selected in the list view pane.

Display or hide the status bar

View>Status Bar

The status bar is at the bottom of the window, and displays informative messages as you use Distribution Manager. When Status Bar is checked on the View menu, the status bar is displayed.

Changing Distribution Manager Configuration Settings

You can use the Distribution Manager's Option window to change the Distribution Manager window appearance, logging display, and operation.

Procedure
Step 1   Select Devices>Options in the main Distribution Manager window. The Options window is opened, Figure 7-3.


Figure 7-3   Distribution Manager Option Window

Step 2   Select the desired options. Table 7-4 describes the settings you can configure for Distribution Manager.

Table 7-4   Device Options Dialog Box

Tab  Field  Description  Notes 

Jobs

Stop if error occurred

Check this box if you want to stop writing the QoS commands to the remaining devices in the job.

This is normal mode.

Configure one device at a time

Check this box to write QoS commands to one device at a time instead of multiple devices at once. Distribution Manager waits for a Resume command to write QoS commands to the next device.

 

Show Unchanged Devices

Check this box to display all devices, including those not affected by the new policy.

 

Logs

Number of job to show

Shows the number of jobs for which messages are displayed in the Logging pane (lower pane of the Distribution Manager window).

Select the field and type a number to change the default (10).

Number of system log messages to show

Shows the total number of logging messages to be displayed in the Logging pane.

Select the field and type a number to change the default (50).

Number of jobs to store

Displays the total number of jobs for which log messages are saved.

Select the field and type the number of jobs for which you wish to save messages.

Number of system log messages to store

Displays the number of general logging messages to be saved.

Select the field and type the number of messages you wish to save.

Starting Policy Manager from Distribution Manager

If Policy Manager is not running, you can start it from the Distribution Manager interface.

Procedure


  • Select Tools>Policy Manager, or click on the Policy Manager button in the tool bar.

The Policy Manager application starts.

Exiting Distribution Manager

From the Distribution Manager interface, you can close just Distribution Manager, or exit both Distribution Manager and Policy Manager.

Before You Begin

Make sure that all distribution activities are complete, or have been stopped. Also, ensure that all new policies have been saved in Policy Manager.

Procedure
  • To close Distribution Manager without closing Policy Manager, select File>Close.
  • To exit both Distribution Manager and Policy Manager, select File>Exit.

Distributing Policy Changes to Network Devices

You can write policy changes or new policies to the network devices. You can write new policies to devices in a job sequentially, simultaneously, or individually. You can also view the status of each device as the distribution occurs.

Writing Policy Changes

Before You Begin

Ensure that all the policy changes required have been made in the Policy Manager application.

Procedure
Step 1  
Select a job in the tree view pane. This displays all the devices affected by the new policies.

Step 2   Select Devices>Apply, or click the Apply button in the tool bar.

Tips
  • If you selected "Write only one device at a time" in the Option dialog, the new policy will be written devices sequentially.
  • If you did not select "Write only one device at a time", the new policy will be written to all the devices simultaneously. The progress for each device is visible in the Status column of the list view pane. Table 7-5 describes the status conditions.
  • Alternately, you can write a policy to one device, only. Select a job in the tree view pane, then select a device in the list view and select Devices>Apply.

Monitoring Distribution Actions

You can view policy distribution actions in the Status column of the list view pane.

The Status column entry changes as the distribution actions occur.

Table 7-5   Description of Device Status

Status  Description 

Not-Applied

New policies have not been sent to this device yet.

In-Progress

The system is in the process of writing the new policies to this device.

Completed

The new policies have been written to this device successfully.

Unchanged

Devices that are not affected by the selected job, that is, the new policies for the currently selected job do not affect these devices.

Unknown

The device has not been located on the network.

Failed

The system was unsuccessful in writing the new policy to the device.

Devices carry a "Not-Applied" or "Unchanged" status until the distribution process starts.

Procedure
  • Start the distribution process by selecting a job or device, then selecting Devices>Apply.

The entry in the Status column changes to "In-Progress." When the process is complete, the status changes to "Completed." If there was an error, the status is "Failed."

Tips
  • If the system is unsuccessful, a message explaining the failure is displayed in the log message pane.

Stopping the Distribution of a Policy Change

You can stop the distribution process at any time. The stop takes effect at the end of writing the new policy to the current device.

The system remembers the devices that have not been completed so that you can resume at a later time. If you do not wish to complete the job you must remove the policy changes to the devices from the database in Policy Manager.

Procedure
Step 1  
Select the job you want to stop from the tree view window.

Step 2   Select Devices>Stop or click the Stop button.

Tips
  • Distribution Manager does not stop in the middle of writing to a device. The stop occurs at the end of the current device to which system is writing, but before the next device starts.
  • You can also click the Stop button in the tool bar.
  • If you exit Distribution Manager, the incomplete jobs will still be present unless you remove them from the database.
Related Topics

Resuming a Stopped Policy Distribution

When a policy distribution has been stopped before completion, you may resume the distribution of that policy from where it was stopped.

The incomplete jobs will still be present even if you exited and re-started the Distribution Manager. The system remembers the policies for each device and if the policies have been distributed.

Before You Begin

Start Distribution Manager.

Procedure
Step 1  
Select the job you want to restart.

Step 2   Select Devices>Resume, or click the Resume button on the tool bar.

Related Topics

Viewing the IOS Commands

You can view the IOS commands for each device in a job that is being modified by a policy change. Only the Incremental change that are applied to the device in that Job are shown.


Figure 7-4   View of IOS Commands
Procedure
Step 1   Select the device for which you want to see the IOS Commands.

Step 2   Select Device>View Device Commands.

Reading the Log Messages

Log messages of Distribution Manager actions are available in the log message pane. Log messages are divided between system messages, job and device messages. Job and device messages occupy the same tab, and one or the other is displayed depending upon which is highlighted in the tree or view panes.

System messages are specifically about the system operation and actions.

Job/device messages describe actions related to the writing of new policies to a device. Job messages are the accumulation of messages for all the devices in the job. Device messages pertain to the specific device selected in the list view pane.

Before You Begin

If the message log pane is not visible, select View>Logging.

Procedure
Step 1   Select the System Logging tab to see system messages.

Step 2   Select a job in the tree view pane and select the Job Logging tab to see all the log messages for the job.

Step 3   Select a device in the list view pane and select the Device Logging tab to see all the log messages for the selected device.

Log Messages

There are four types of log messages that may appear, informational messages, warning messages, error messages, and fatal error messages. The messages and explanations appear below.

Informational Messages

Message   Connected to Master Policy Server at address.

Explanation   System status message.

Message   Policy Manager is connected to the QoS Manager Service.

Explanation   System status message.

Message   Policy Manager is disconnected from the QoS Manager Service.

Explanation   System status message.

Message   Distribution Manager is connected to the QoS Manager Service.

Explanation   System status message.

Message   Distribution Manager is disconnected from the QoS Manager Service.

Explanation   System status message.

Message   Configured successfully.

Explanation   The device has been successfully configured with the new policy.

Message   Database has been saved.

Explanation   Status message.

Message   Job number has started.

Explanation   The indicated job is now running.

Message   Job numbers cancelled by user.

Explanation   The user cancelled the indicated jobs.

Message   Job number ended with status name.

Explanation   The indicated job has ended as described by the status.

Message   New database has been saved.

Explanation   A new database was saved.

Warning Messages

Currently there are no warning messages.

Error Messages

Message   No SNMP connection to device.

Explanation   The system was unable to make a SNMP connection.

Message   Error in building the configuration.

Explanation   The system was unable to build the configuration.

Message   Incomplete xxxxx policy statement in database.

Explanation   Information is missing from the policy in the database.

Message   Missing parameter in name policy.

Explanation   The designated policy is missing one or more parameters

Message   Out of ACL resources for name policy.

Explanation   There are insufficient resources for the indicated policy.

Message   Out of custom queue-list resources.

Explanation   There are insufficient resources for custom queue-list.

Message   Out of priority-list resources.

Explanation   There are insufficient resources for the priority-list

Message   Configuration error, interface does not exist on the device.

Explanation   The indicated interface does not exist on the specified device.

Message   Configuration error, missing device name.

Explanation   The device name was lost while building the configuration.

Message   device name is not a Cisco device.

Explanation   The indicated device is not supported by QoS.

Message   Can not identify policy action.

Explanation   The policy action is not within the range of commands for this device

Message   Failed to calculate ratio in custom queuing policy.

Explanation   The ratio used in custom queuing was not calculated or was not calculated properly.

Message   Telnet error: device, host.

Explanation   A Telnet communications error occurred.

Message   Telnet communication initialization failed: device, host.

Explanation   Telnet could not make contact with the device or host.

Message   Invalid precedence value: value.

Explanation   This is not an acceptable value.

Message   Invalid priority queue level: number.

Explanation   The priority queue number does not fit within the priority queueing range.

Message   Job ID number is invalid.

Explanation   This Job ID number does not fit within Job ID parameters

Message   Failed to find message ID number in message.ini.

Explanation   The system could not find this message in the message file.

Fatal Error Messages

Currently there are no fatal error messages.

Related Topics

Printing Policy Distribution Information

You can print Distribution Manager activity logs for the system, all jobs, individual jobs, or individual devices.

Procedure
Step 1   Select Tools>Reports.

This opens a menu allowing you to choose from All Jobs, System Logs, Job Logs or Device Logs. (See Figure 7-5.)

Step 2   Select a report type.

The report is displayed.

Step 3   Select File>Print, to print the report. This opens the MS Windows print command window.

Step 4   Select File>Save, to save the report in another directory.


Figure 7-5   Print Commands
Figure 7-6   Print Window

Table 7-6   Distribution Manager Reports

Menu  Command  Toolbar Button  Description 

Tools

Reports>All Jobs

None

Displays the summary information for each job, along with the device details for each job.

Tools

Reports>System Log

None

Displays the system log, which contains messages concerning the functioning of the QoS Policy Manager system.

Tools

Reports>Job Log

None

Displays the log of the selected job, which contains Telnet and IOS software messages produced while the job was being applied to the network.

Tools

Reports>Device Log

None

Displays the log of the selected device, which contains Telnet and IOS software messages produced while the device was being configured.

If you want to print the log messages for a specific job or device, you must have previously select it in the tree view or list view.

Step 5   Select File>Print. This opens the MS Windows printer command window.

Step 6   Select the Print button.

Tips
  • When you create an all policies report, it overwrites the last all policies report you generated, if any.
  • If the you want to save a specific report, you must copy it to another directory.
  • If you want the page to look exactly the same as it did in the reports directory, you need to copy the gifs in the reports directory.