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Table Of Contents
Product Bulletin - Public, No. 894
Topographical Displays with Color-Coded Status
Monitor from Different Perspectives
Protocol-Specific Topology Displays
Integration with Network Management Systems
Integration with SNA View, Tivoli NetView for OS/390, and CiscoWorks2000
Protocol-Specific Device Menus
Using Maps to Diagnose End-User Session Connectivity
Product Bulletin - Public, No. 894
A Detailed Description of CiscoWorks Blue Maps Version 2.0 Features
CiscoWorks Blue Maps 2.0 monitors the physical and logical relationships between Cisco routers that support SNA protocols. Maps shows you the status of your combined SNA and IP network through the use of UNIX-based topographical maps and Web-based displays. These displays allow your help desk operators and network administrators to immediately identify problems and to begin problem resolution before end users realize that there is a problem. In addition, Version 2.0 of Maps incorporates the functionality of Version 1.2 of CiscoWorks Blue SNA View. This functionality correlates information gathered from Cisco routers with information gathered from one or more Virtual Telecommunications Access Method (VTAM) domains, enabling the management of physical unit (PU) and logical unit (LU) sessions from within the graphical displays.Network managers need the right tools for the right job, and troubleshooting a problem within Data Link Switching (DLSw), Advanced Peer to Peer Networking (APPN), or remote source route bridging (RSRB) networks can be a complex task without those tools. First, you would need to identify the connectivity of a PU or LU to the router supporting that device. Then, you would telnet into that router and issue a series of command-line interface (CLI) commands in order to display the circuits and sessions that are passing through the router. After that, you would write the results down, or try to remember them as you telnet from the original router to the router at the other end of the connection. After telneting into the peering router, you would need to issue another set of CLI commands (remembering the correct parameters) and process the results of those commands in order to draw a mental map of the connectivity. Finally, when you had determined the correct path for the connectivity of the session, you would gather data for problem resolution, if you could remember the format of the commands and could interpret the results of those commands. This is quite a laborious process.
Cisco has made all of this easier for you with Maps. It simplifies the process of managing DLSw, APPN, and RSRB networks by monitoring the physical and logical relationships between the Cisco routers that are supporting these SNA protocols. Maps is an easy-to-use, cost-effective solution that automatically discovers the Cisco DLSw, APPN, or RSRB routers and uses information in Management Information Bases (MIBs) to draw a topology map of the protocols. This map shows the physical and logical rings that connect the devices, and the routers are color-coded according to the health of the SNA protocol, providing status information at a glance. Additional information is just a mouse-click away, providing quick access to detailed status of peer connections, traffic statistics, and error statistics. No longer do you need to remember protocol-specific CLI commands or learn MIB values.
Cisco has provided seamless integration of Maps with CiscoView and path tool, providing the ability to gather detailed information about the health of the device, such as the status of interfaces, ports, and the IP connectivity between resources. Maps goes that extra step by correlating PU and LU information from VTAM to provide end-to-end dependency views, showing how your end user's sessions traverse your IP environmentæan essential picture for diagnosing problems.
As network managers are moving rapidly to support Web technologies and Internet standards as the basis for the next generation of enterprise management solutions, Maps has embraced the "management intranet" by providing a Web-based interface. Maps can be seamlessly integrated into the CiscoWorks2000 framework, providing a "portal" of management applications utilizing the power of Web technologies in solving management problems.
Topographical Displays with Color-Coded Status
The topological displays within Maps address the problem of visualizing the relationships between the routers that support your SNA protocols. Routers (or groups of routers) are shown as color-coded icons on the UNIX-based topographical maps. The colors of the router icons and the links between the icons represent the state of the SNA protocol supported by the routers. Green icons and links show that the SNA circuits are healthy, while red icons indicate a problem. The colors of the icons within Maps only represent the status of the SNA protocols. As an example, if there is a problem with an interface card in the router, but this interface card does not participate in the SNA sessions, the color of the icon will not be affected by the outage.The physical or logical rings between the devices are shown as rings on the map, with their ring numbers prominently displayed. Links between the routers and the end points of the connections to PUs and LUs are shown as lines. The Maps user can quickly see the connectivity between the Cisco devices, and the color-coding of the status of these devices highlights probable causes of problems.
Map Formats
Maps allows you to automatically format the topological maps to represent the connectivity displays in different ways. Maps allows the user to select Hierarchical, Symmetric, or Circular display patterns for the representation of resources. In enterprise environments, where the IP network supports a lot of SNA traffic, the Hierarchical display shows the resources in a top-down method, which closely mirrors the hierarchical nature of SNA. The Circular and Symmetric display patterns more closely mimic the mesh nature of distributed LANs. In any situation, the user can begin with one of the automatically formatted displays and "drag and drop" the icons to create a map that suits their needs. As the icons are moved, the lines and ovals representing the connectivity between icons are automatically redrawn. Users can save the modified map and reuse it each time they enter Maps.Monitor from Different Perspectives
Maps allows the user to view the network from multiple perspectives, through the use of Global View, Focus View, and Key Device View screens.Global View
The Global View shows all routers in the network with their virtual and associated rings. It also displays the current state of the routers and their connections. Useful for a high-level view of the network, or for smaller networks, the Global View includes all of the devices supporting the protocol. While in the Global View, the Locator window displays all routers in the network, and the Maps window displays as much of the network as will fit in a magnified format.Focus View
The Focus View allows the Maps user to view the network from the perspective of any single Cisco router. This "focus" router is placed in the center of the map, and the user can view the connectivity to the adjacent devices. The Focus View also shows the peer connections for the focus router and their statuses, as well as the Token Rings (displayed as ovals), the pseudo-rings (displayed as dotted ovals), and the physical links (displayed as solid lines) for the focus router. Dashed lines also show connections to non-DLSw rings.Key Devices View
The Key Devices View, which is available for DLSw networks, provides a compact view of the network. Similar to the Global View, the Key Devices View shows the status and relationships of all of the Cisco routers running DLSw. To simplify the display, the routers that are considered to be "key" to the health of the network are shown as individual icons, while the devices that are connected to these key devices are combined together and shown as "aggregated" icons.Protocol-Specific Topology Displays
Maps is able to provide different types of information for each of the protocols that it manages. To display the correct information for each of the DLSw, APPN, and RSRB protocols, Maps provides different views of the network based on each protocol.DLSw Topology Views
The DLSw Maps application discovers Cisco routers that support DLSw in your network and displays them in a UNIX-based map that shows the relationships between the DLSw peering routers. The icons representing the DLSw routers are color-coded to represent the status of the DLSw connections that are dependent on that router.The DLSw Maps application provides the following views of your network devices:
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The Global View shows all routers in the DLSw network with their virtual and associated rings.
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From these DLSw map views, you can obtain additional DLSw-related information by selecting the popup menu associated with a device on the map. DLSw+ network entities, such as border nodes, backup nodes, and group numbers, are shown as regular DLSw nodes on the map.
APPN Topology Views
The APPN Maps application displays a global map of the APPN network topology. The global map is made up of the APPN network nodes (NNs) and the transmission groups (TGs) among them. The NNs and the TGs make up the backbone of the APPN network. From the global map, you can display more detailed maps that show the APPN end nodes (ENs) and low entry nodes (LENs) along with the NNs and the TGs. The Global View is periodically updated as new information is available from the network topology agent, subject to the customer-defined polling interval.RSRB Topology Views
The RSRB Maps application discovers IP-based RSRB devices in your network and displays them in a UNIX-based topographical map. The map shows the relationships between the Cisco routers that are supporting your RSRB connections. The icons on the map represent individual routers, and the color of the icons represents the status of the RSBR connections supported by those router.The RSRB Maps application provides the following views of your network devices:
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From these RSRB map views, you can obtain additional RSRB-related information by selecting the popup menu associated with a device on the map.
Web-Based Displays
Maps provides Web-based displays to view the same information that is provided through the UNIX topological displays. Building on the power of Web-based technologies, Maps provides protocol-specific Web pages, displaying the status of the network anywhere, anytime, to anyone. Especially powerful in large networks, the Web-based interface provides fast, tabular summaries based on the status of devices and provides hotlinks to these devices. This capability is essential in managing diverse, heterogeneous environmentsæquickly and easily. The Web-based access provides network managers and support personnel with a tool to help leverage the increasing demand for diagnostic informationæthrough a universal window, the browser.DLSw Web Displays
The Web-based interface to Maps provides multiple ways of viewing information about your DLSw routers and the connections that are supported by these routers. The information is presented in tabular format, providing the maximum amount of information in the shortest time. The DLSw Web application provides information in three basic formats: DLSw Key Devices, DLSw Global View, and DLSw Focus View.DLSw Key Devices View Web Display
The Key Devices View displays a list of DLSw routers that you have designated as being key devices in your network. This list provides the name of the key devices and the number of peer connections with Active, Inactive, Degraded, or Unknown status. The name is a hotlink, which allows you to go directly to the Focus View for that key device.DLSw Global View Web Display
The DLSw Global View shows the summary and detail views for all DLSw routers. This view presents summary information about the status of all of the routers supporting DLSw, as well as a summary of all of the DLSw connections that those routers support. Hotlinks take you directly to detailed information for routers and peer connections that are in a particular status.DLSw Focus View Web Display
The Focus View displays DLSw information for a specific DLSw router, including the router's IP addresses and peer routers. From within this Web page, you will be able to telnet into the router, browse Web pages created by the focus router, and display the circuits, PUs, and LUs that are supported by the router.APPN Web Displays
The Web-based interface to Maps provides multiple ways of viewing information about your APPN routers and the connections that are supported by these routers. The information is presented in tabular format, providing the maximum amount of information in the shortest time. The APPN Web application provides information in two basic formats: APPN Network Topology and APPN Node Details.APPN Network Topology Web Display
The Network Topology page displays summary information about the APPN NNs and TGs. This display provides hotlinks to APPN nodes and TGs that have the same status.APPN Node Details Web Display
The APPN Node Details page displays information about a specific node and the node's network connections. Detailed information includes status of the node, as outlined in Table 1.
RSRB Web Displays
The Web-based interface to Maps provides multiple ways of viewing information about your RSRB routers and the connections that are supported by these routers. The information is presented in tabular format, providing the maximum amount of information in the shortest time. The RSRB Web application provides information in three basic formats: RSRB Global View, RSRB Focus View, and RSRB Virtual Ring View.RSRB Global View Web Display
The Global View displays all of your RSRB routers and their connectivity. The Global View page consists of the following areas:•
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The Summary area contains the Summary table, which displays the number of routers in each router state. The Unknown Routers area lists the name or address of each unknown router. The Maps user can click on a router name or address to display the Focus View page for that router. The Active Routers area lists the name or address of each active router. The Maps user can click on a router name or address to display the Focus View page for that router. The Virtual Rings area lists all virtual rings discovered in the network; for each virtual ring there is a list of routers on that virtual ring. The Maps operator can click on a virtual ring number to display the Virtual Ring page for that ring. The Token Rings area lists all Token Rings discovered in the network; for each Token Ring there is a list of routers on that ring and a link to the Ring Information page. The Maps operator can click on a Token Ring number to display the Ring Properties page for that ring.
RSRB Focus View Web Display
The Focus View for an RSRB router shows the virtual rings, RSRB peers, and Token Rings for a specific RSRB router. This view can be directly accessed by entering an IP address or host name for the router. The Focus View page provides information about, and hotlinks to, IP addresses, virtual rings, Token Rings, and other rings.RSRB Virtual Ring View Web Display
The RSRB Virtual Ring View page, displayed when you select a virtual ring number on the Focus View or Global View page, describes the virtual rings in the RSRB network. From this page, the Maps user can obtain Ring Statistics for each ring. In addition, the user can get information about the RSRB-enabled routers that make up the selected virtual ring, as well as a list of the Token Rings connected to the virtual ring.Integration with Network Management Systems
Previous versions of Maps required CiscoWorks for UNIX, which required a network management system (NMS) such as HP OpenView, Tivoli NetView for AIX, or SunNet Manager. Version 2.0 of Maps integrates with an NMS if it is present on the same workstation, but there is no requirement for an NMS in order for Maps to be used. Maps integrates with the NMS in terms of being launched from the NMS menu and sending and receiving traps to and from the NMS trap browser. In addition, Maps will utilize the node database as a seed file for the discovery of routers supporting SNA protocols.Integration with SNA View, Tivoli NetView for OS/390, and CiscoWorks2000
Version 2.0 of Maps does not require any other network management tools to run. If SNA View is present on the same workstation, Maps will provide integration to the Session Connectivity Displays presented by SNA View. If the customer is running versions of Tivoli NetView for OS/390 that provide an HTML-based command-line interface, the Web-based interfaces provided by Maps can provide access to that interface. If CiscoWorks2000 is installed, Maps works with the Cisco Management Connection to provide access to protocol-specific maps from the CiscoWorks2000 tool menu.Protocol-Specific Device Menus
Maps provides access to protocol-specific information when a user "right-clicks" on an icon. This access is provided through drop-down menus that are organized by protocol type. The following list describes the type of information provided by each menu:•
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Tools Menu
Maps provides access to a number of useful tools through a drop-down tool menu. Items on this menu include:•
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Dependency Views
Maps allows you to view the session connectivity of PUs and LUs that are dependent on Cisco routers. This capability is extremely valuable when understanding the relationship between the router topology and the logical connections in an SNA protocol network. Maps gathers information from the MIBs in Cisco routers and correlates this with information gathered from VTAM domains. This correlation allows you to specify a PU or LU name, or wild-card PU or LU name, to obtain a list of SNA sessions that are supported by DLSw or RSRB. When you select a PU or LU session from this list, Maps provides a graphical display showing the end-to-end connectivity for the SNA session. Similarly, you can obtain a list of SNA sessions that are dependent on a particular router by selecting the name of the router from a list of routers. This is especially useful if a router needs to be taken out of service and you want to identify the sessions that may be affected.Automatic Discovery
Maps will discover the devices that support SNA protocols. This discovery is accomplished in a number of ways: through the seed file containing a list of Cisco routers or optionally through the node manager or equivalent database created by an NMS during its discovery process.Traps
Maps creates SNMP traps to reflect a problem with the SNA protocols supported by a device. The traps are forwarded to an NMS. Maps also can accept traps from an NMS and update the display to reflect the impact on the SNA protocols.Active Monitoring
Maps maintains the status of Cisco devices through active polling of information in the router's MIBs. You control the frequency of this polling, and different polling intervals can be set for the routers.Passive Monitoring
Maps maintains the status of Cisco routers through passive monitoring of SNMP traps that are received from the routers. Since Cisco IOS" Release 11.3, Cisco routers can create SNMP traps for DLSw-related circuit and connectivity problems. With Cisco IOS Release 12.0 and beyond, Cisco routers will create traps for APPN-related issues. Maps will listen for these SNA protocol-related traps and will update the status of devices on the graphical displays.Using Maps to Diagnose End-User Session Connectivity
In this scenario, assume that an end user has called the help desk because he or she can no longer get to the mainframe applications. In this case, your operator would diagnose the session as follows:
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If Maps is installed, the same problem would be diagnosed in the following manner:
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With Maps, your operators are able to quickly identify the cause of a session connectivity problem and can use the tools provided by Maps to diagnose, and potentially correct, the problem without having to telnet to all of your routers and build a mental image of the network connectivity.
Posted: Thu Apr 7 10:46:16 PDT 2005
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