Using QoS Policy Manager 1.1
Working with Devices
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Table of Contents

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

Managing Devices

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

Working with Devices

The devices managed by QPM can be routers, layer 3 switches, switches, and LocalDirector. These devices must run a software version that supports QoS capabilities.

These topics describe the QPM tasks for devices:

Adding a Device

You must add a device to the QoS database before you can configure the QoS settings for the device or its interfaces.

Before You Begin

Obtain this information for each device you are adding.

  • Host name or IP address of the device or one of its interfaces
  • SNMP read community string
  • Telnet password
  • The enable mode password for the device

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

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

QPM opens the New Device window.

Step 2   Fill in the New Device window (see the "New Device and Device Properties Dialog Boxes" section for more information). At minimum, you must supply this information.

  • Device Name—The host name or 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   If the device is online, ensure that Verify Device Information and Detect Interfaces are selected and click OK. (Or, you can click the Verify Device Info button, and then the Detect Interfaces button, to accomplish the same thing).

QPM queries the device for its software version and model information, then queries the device for a list of interfaces and their configuration information. When the device has returned the interface information, QPM opens the Detect Interfaces window if appropriate. For some devices, you cannot configure specific interfaces, so QPM does not show you the list of device interfaces.

Step 4   In the Detect Interfaces window (if QPM opens it), ensure the interfaces you want to manage are in the list of selected interfaces, and remove any interfaces that you do not want to manage from the list. Click OK when finished.

QPM creates a folder for the device in the tree view using the name 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 and Detect Interfaces in order to define the device. You must also select a device type before you can select a software version.
  • You can manually define the interfaces by clicking Define Interface instead of selecting Detect Interfaces or clicking the Detect Interfaces button. See the "Adding Device Interfaces" section for more information.
  • If you are adding a Catalyst 6000 family switch, you can configure the 2 queues 2 thresholds QoS properties while you add the device. To configure these properties, click QoS Property, which opens the 2Q2T properties, before you click OK in the New Device window. You can reconfigure these settings through the device's properties after you add the device to the database.
Related Topics

Importing Devices from a Device Inventory

You can add several devices at time to the QoS database 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.

QPM opens the Select CRM Configuration File window.

Step 2   Enter the full path and name of the inventory file, or click Browse and select it. Click OK when the correct file is entered.

QPM opens the Import Devices window and begins querying the devices in the inventory.

While QPM is querying the devices, you can click Stop to make QPM stop the query. If you stop the query, QPM only lets you select from the devices already queried.

Also, you can make other changes in Policy Manager while QPM queries the devices. When QPM is finished with the query, you are returned to the Import Devices window to continue the importation process.

Step 3   When QPM has finished querying the devices, select the devices you want to add to the QoS database in the Known Devices list and click >> to add them to the import list. If QPM could not query a device, do not add the device to the database until you can determine why the query failed.

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

Step 4   QPM asks if you want to detect interfaces on the devices. The interface detection process can take a long time depending on the number of devices, interfaces, and speed of the network connection. The possible responses are:

  • Yes—To detect the interfaces for the device at the top of the import devices list.
  • Yes All—To detect the interfaces for all remaining devices to be imported.
  • No—To not detect the interfaces for the device at the top of the import devices list. The device is added to the database without interfaces.
  • No All—To not detect the interfaces for all remaining devices to be imported. The devices are added to the database without interfaces.
  • Cancel—Cancels the importation of the remaining devices. The devices whose interfaces have already been detected are added to the database, and you are returned to the Import Devices window, where you can change the list of devices or click Cancel to cancel the importation of the remaining devices.

When QPM is finished detecting interfaces, QPM adds the devices and their interfaces to the tree view and closes the Import Devices window.

Tips
  • You can select multiple devices using Ctrl+click or a range of devices using Shift+click.
  • Common problems for a query failure include incorrect Telnet or SNMP passwords, incorrect IP addresses, and unavailable devices.
Related Topics

Viewing or Changing Device Properties

You can view a device's properties and change them if required. If you upgrade the software on the device, or replace the device with a new model (while retaining the device's IP addresses), you must update the device properties to ensure that the policies and configurations you create in QPM are usable on the device.

Procedure
Step 1   Select the device in the tree view and select Devices>Device>Properties, or right-click the device and choose Device Properties.

QPM opens the Device Properties window. If you are only viewing the properties, click Cancel when finished.

Step 2   To update the device's properties and its list of interfaces, select Verify Device Information and Detect Interfaces and click OK.

QPM queries the device for its software version and device model information and then obtains a list of interface information, which it displays in the Detect Interfaces window. Select the interfaces you want to manage, deselect those you do not want to manage, and click OK.

Tips
  • You can also update device properties by clicking the Verify Device Info button on the Device Properties window, or the interfaces by clicking the Detect Interfaces button. These buttons perform the same functions as the similarly named check boxes.
  • If you are updating the properties of a Catalyst 6000 family switch, you can reconfigure the 2 queues 2 thresholds QoS properties. To reconfigure these properties, click QoS Property, which opens the 2Q2T properties, before you click OK in the Device Properties window.
Related Topics

Removing a Device

If you no longer 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, QPM deletes the device, its interfaces, all associated policy statements, and device group memberships for the device.

Viewing a Device Configuration

You can view the device's software configuration from within QPM.

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.

QPM opens a window with the software configuration as defined on the device. See the device's 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 (right-click the device in the tree view and select Properties). Click 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

  • Select the device you want to connect to and click the Telnet button, or select Tools>Telnet.

QPM starts the Microsoft Telnet program to connect to the device. 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. Interfaces can be router interfaces or subinterfaces, or switch ports. You must add the interfaces on which you want to define QoS policies to the QoS database.

These topics describe QPM tasks for interfaces:

Adding Device Interfaces

You should add a device's interfaces to the database when you add the device. If you subsequently add new interfaces to the device (for example, by installing a new card), be sure to update the device's interface list in the QoS database to reflect the new interfaces.

You need to add only interfaces on which you want to configure QoS to the database: you do not have to add all the device's interfaces. However, to manage subinterfaces, you must also add the associated interface to the database.

Before You Begin

If the device is not yet defined in the QoS database, see the "Adding a Device" section. That procedure includes information on adding the device's interfaces while you add the device.

The following procedures assume that the device is already defined in the database, and that you want to add interfaces to it. If the device is online, it is easiest to add interfaces by having QPM query the device. This is the automated procedure.

However, if the device is not online, you can manually add the interfaces. To manually add the interfaces, you must first determine the names of the interfaces and their characteristics.

Procedure (Automated)
Step 1   Right-click the device in the tree view and select Device Properties.

QPM opens the Device Properties window.

Step 2   Click Detect Interfaces.

QPM obtains interface information from the device and opens the Detect Interfaces window.

Step 3   In the Detect Interfaces window, select the devices you want to manage and click >> to move them to the selected devices list. If you do not want to manage a selected interface, select it and click << to remove it from the selected list. When finished, click OK.

QPM adds the interfaces to the tree view as items in the device's folder. You can now configure QoS on the interface.

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.

QPM opens the New Interface window.

Step 3   Enter the interface properties. See the "New Interface and Properties of Interface Dialog Boxes" section for more information.

Tips
  • To create policies or change the QoS characteristics of a subinterface, you must add the associated interface to the database as well as the subinterface.
  • On ATM interfaces or subinterfaces, you cannot create policies or change QoS settings on the virtual-circuit (VC). You can only create policies and change QoS settings on the interface or subinterface.
  • QPM does not detect whether Cisco Express Forwarding (CEF) is configured on VIP cards. However, some types of QoS configurations require that CEF is configured, and you will see configuration error messages from the device if it is not configured. Before distributing policies to VIP interfaces, configure CEF on the device through the device's commands.
Related Topics

Viewing or Changing Device Interfaces

You can view the properties of an interface and change them if required.

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

QPM opens the Properties of Interface window. The "New Interface and Properties of Interface Dialog Boxes" section explains each of the settings on this dialog in detail.

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

Tips
  • 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.
  • If the interface is Frame Relay, and it has subinterfaces, or is a subinterface, the FRTS settings for the interface and its subinterfaces are related. When you change whether FRTS is enabled on an interface, you change whether FRTS is enabled on all of the interface's subinterfaces. If an interface's subinterface belongs to a device group, you cannot change whether FRTS is enabled on the interface unless you remove the subinterfaces from the device groups.
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 without removing the device. If you remove a card from a device, ensure that you remove the card's interfaces 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, QPM 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 topics describe device groups in more detail:

Understanding Which Interfaces Can Be Combined in a Group

You can combine interfaces in a group only if the interfaces are using the same or compatible software version. 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 software version that should be allowed in the device group. QPM lets you add interfaces to only the groups that use this software version or a version that is compatible with it. QPM only lets you use QoS properties and policies that are available on all interfaces in the group.

You can include more restrictive characteristics if you desire. For example, you can create a device group that only contains Frame Relay interfaces running IOS software release 12.0.

These tables show the compatibility matrices for software that QPM can configure:

Table 6-1, Part 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, 12.0(5)T, 12.0(5)XE, 12.0(6)XE

11.1cc

11.1cc, 12.0(5)T

11.2

11.2, 11.3, 12.0, 12.0(5)T, 12.0(5)XE, 12.0(6)XE

11.3

11.2, 11.3, 12.0, 12.0(5)T, 12.0(5)XE, 12.0(6)XE

12.0

12.0, 12.0(5)T, 12.0(5)XE, 12.0(6)XE

12.0(5)T

12.0(5)T

12.0(5)XE

12.0(5)XE, 12.0(6)XE

Table 6-1, Part 2   Catalyst Software Version Compatibility for Device Groups

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

5.1

5.1, 5.3

5.3

5.3

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.

QPM opens the Device Group window.

Step 2   Fill in the fields in the Device Group window (see the "Device Group Dialog Box" section 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.

QPM opens the Add/Remove Group Members window.

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

The Available Interfaces list includes only interfaces that:

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

Click OK when you finish adding interfaces. QPM returns you to the Device Groups window.

Step 5   Click OK in the Device Groups window.

QPM 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
  • 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.
Related Topics

Adding or Removing Device Group Members

After you define 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 an incompatible version of the device's software than the one defined for the group, you must upgrade the 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.

QPM opens the Add/Remove Group Members window.

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

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

Tips
  • 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 group's 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 properties for the group.

Before You Begin

You can only change these properties of a device group:

  • Name
  • QoS property and associated settings
  • Membership list

If you want to change the Software Revision 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   Select the device group in the tree view and select Devices>Device Group>Properties.

QPM opens the Device Group window.

Step 2   Make the desired changes to the device group properties (see the "Device Group Dialog Box" section 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, QPM 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 from the interfaces.
  • If you change whether FRTS is enabled on the group, the change also affects the FRTS settings on interfaces or subinterfaces that are related to the group members. Also, shaping policies are not allowed on FRTS interfaces, so if you enable FRTS, shaping policies are removed from group members and their associated subinterfaces. QPM asks you to confirm whether you want these changes to occur.
  • You can also change properties for a device group by right-clicking on the device group in the tree view and selecting Device Group 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 the "Adding or Removing Device Group Members" section 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.

QPM asks you to confirm the deletion.

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 Device Software Upgrades Affect Device Groups

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

However, if you downgrade the software version on a member of a group to a version incompatible with the minimum version, you can encounter problems. If your policies, or QoS property, for the interface is incompatible with the QoS capabilities of the software version, you will see errors in Policy Manager when you try to reverify the device information for the upgraded device. At that time, you will have to remove the interface from the group; otherwise, you will see errors in Distribution Manager when you try to deploy policies to the device group.

If you need to downgrade the software version on a device, make sure you remove the device's interfaces from device groups that require an incompatible version of the software.