- Preface
- Overview
- Preparing to Rack Mount the Cisco PAM Appliance
- Rack Mounting the Cisco PAM Appliance
- Configuring and Monitoring the Cisco PAM Server
- Getting Started With the Cisco PAM Desktop Software
- Configuring Cisco PAM User Access
- Understanding Door Configuration
- Configuring Gateways, Doors, and Expansion Modules
- Configuring Door and Device Templates
- Configuring Personnel and Badges
- Configuring Cisco Access Policies
- Events & Alarms
- Configuring Automated Tasks
- Enterprise Data Integration (EDI)
- Configuring Video Monitoring
- System Configuration Settings
- Appendix: Backing Up and Restoring Data
- Appendix: Upgrading Software and Firmware
- Appendix: Specifications for the Cisco Physical Access Manager Appliance
- Appendix: Troubleshooting
Cisco Physical Access Manager Appliance User Guide, Release 1.0.0
Chapter: Getting Started With the Cisco PAM Desktop Software
Getting Started With the Cisco PAM Desktop Software
This chapter describes how to install the Cisco PAM desktop client software, log on to Cisco PAM, and begin configuring access control features and doors. This chapter also includes an overview of the Cisco PAM user interface.
Contents
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Installing or Updating the Cisco PAM Desktop Software
•Understanding the Start Page and Window Management
Before You Begin
Before you being using the Cisco PAM desktop software to configure Cisco Physical Access Control, do the following:
•Verify that your computer is connected to the Internet, including access to the Cisco PAM appliance Cisco Physical Access Control IP network.
•Verify that your PC meets the following requirements:
–Microsoft Windows XP or Vista
–Java 1.5 or higher
–2.8 GHz Intel Pentium IV processor or higher.
–1GB RAM or more.
–100 MB hard disk space available for the application, and an additional 20 GB or more disk space for data storage.
•Obtain your username and password from your system administrator.
Installing or Updating the Cisco PAM Desktop Software
Note To install the desktop software, you must connect to the Cisco PAM Server Administration utility.
Step 1 Log on to the Cisco PAM Server Administration utility:
•To use a direct connection, see Connecting a PC to the Appliance, page 4-4.
•To use an Internet connection, open a web browser and enter the IP address used for the Cisco PAM Server Administration utility. See Understanding IP Addresses on the Cisco PAM Server, page 4-3, or ask your system administrator for assistance.
Step 2 Select Launch Cisco PAM Client from the Login window, as shown in Figure 5-1.
•If the correct version of the Cisco PAM desktop is already installed on your PC, the application launches.
•If the client is not installed, or is out of date, the software is installed or updated on your PC. The Java runtime environment software is also installed or updated.
Figure 5-1 Cisco PAM Server Administration Utility: Login
Tip For additional methods to install or upgrade the Cisco PAM desktop software using the Cisco PAM Server Administration utility, See Performing Additional Configuration, Administration, and Monitoring Tasks, page 4-11.
Logging in to Cisco PAM
Launch the Cisco PAM desktop client software to display the login prompt (Figure 5-2).
Step 1 Enter the IP address or name of the Cisco PAM appliance.
Step 2 Enter your username and password (both are case-sensitive) and click Log In.
Note Ask you system administrator for the correct username and password.
Figure 5-2 Starting - Login Screen
If the username and password are valid, Cisco Physical Access Manager displays the Start Page, or the modules that were open during the operator's previous session.
Tip To change your password, log on to the Cisco PAM appliance and select Change Password from the Options menu.
Understanding the Start Page and Window Management
The Start Page is opened by default when you open the Cisco PAM desktop client for the first time, as shown in Figure 5-3. The main menus provide access to Cisco PAM features, and are also displayed in the main window for each feature.
Figure 5-3 Cisco PAM Start Page
Note The available modules vary depending on the software license purchased and the operator's access privileges. Some menus are activated only after the feature license is installed. See Obtaining and Installing Optional Feature Licenses, page 4-15 and Chapter 6, "Configuring Cisco PAM User Access".
Select a menu item to open the main window for that feature in a new window, as shown in Figure 5-4. You can open multiple module windows simultaneously and drag the windows across multiple monitors. The size and position of the open windows is restored when you log out and log back in.
Figure 5-4 Device Templates Main Window
User Interface Elements
The user interface for most features includes the following elements:
Figure 5-5 User Interface Elements
The following items are shown in Figure 5-5:
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Window Title Bar |
Shows the module and application name (Cisco Physical Access Manager). |
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Menu Bar |
Allows the operator to perform a number of functions, including open a new module, close a module or the application, and get help. The menu bar is the same for all modules. |
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Table Columns |
Column visibility and order may be edited using the Columns... button. Column width may be adjusted by dragging the edge of the column header. Clicking the column header allows the list to be sorted by a particular column. A directional arrow shows the current sort column, as well as the direction. Clicking the column header a second time reverses the sort order. See Revising the Column Display. |
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Toolbar |
Contains a set of button functions that are specific to the module being used. Typical buttons include: • • • • • • • • • |
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Table |
Shows a list of items. Selecting an item within the table enables the use of certain buttons, and right-clicking an item brings up a menu of actions performable upon that item. Each module will have a different table. |
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Status Bar |
Appears at the bottom of each module window. It is divided into 4 panes: • • • • |
Configuration Summary
To quickly create a new door configuration, assign users and badges, and clone the Gateway configuration, complete the following main tasks.
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Step 1 |
Configure the Credential templates. Menu: Doors:Templates:Credential Templates Instructions: • |
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Step 2 |
Assign the Credential template to the appropriate reader type: Menu: Doors:Templates:Device Templates Instructions: • |
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Step 3 |
Create the hierarchical Location map. Menu: Doors:Locations & Doors Instructions: • |
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Step 4 |
Use the Gateway template to add a Gateway and Door Configuration. Menu: Doors:Hardware Instructions: |
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Step 5 |
Create access policies for the doors. Menu: Doors:Access Policies Configuration Instructions: |
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Step 6 |
Add badges and assign them to personnel. You can also assign the appropriate access policies (created in the previous step) for these badges. Menu: • • Configuration Instructions: • |
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Step 7 |
Apply the configuration changes to the Gateway modules. Changes are not active until applied. Menu: • • Configuration Instructions: |
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Wait for the Gateway to connect to Cisco PAM and for the credential data to be applied (downloaded) to the Gateway. This process takes a few minutes. |
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Step 9 |
Clone the new Gateway and door configuration and apply it to another Gateway. This quickly adds an additional door to the Cisco PAM configuration. Just enter the serial number and door name for the new Gateway module. Repeat this process as many times as necessary. You can also create a new Gateway template from the configuration.
Menu: Doors:Hardware Configuration Instructions: • |
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Toolbar Features
The toolbar includes a common set of features used to sort and revise information and records. This section includes the following information:
Creating Reports
Many Cisco PAM modules include a Report feature. The following example describes how to create an Events report.
Step 1 Open the desired module (in this case the Events module) by selecting it from the Start Page or from the Module menu.
Step 2 Click the Report... button in the toolbar. This opens the Report Generation window (Figure 5-6).
Figure 5-6 Report Generation Window
The following items are shown in Figure 5-6:
Step 3 Choose the desired options, and then click OK to save or open the report. This may take a moment, depending on the size and complexity of the report. Figure 5-7 shows a report in PDF format from the Events module.
Figure 5-7 Events Report in Report Viewer
Using Filters
Many Cisco PAM modules include a Filter button that provide the following options:
•No Filter: Show all items, without filtering.
•Default Filter: The default view of the table. Shows all enabled items.
•Presets: Select from preset filters. A check mark next to the filters displays which filter is currently in use, as shown in Figure 5-9.
•Preset Manager...: Manage the presets.
•Edit Filter...: View or edit the current filter.
•Max rows...: Specify the maximum number of items (rows) to be displayed. Some items, such as events, often exist in such large quantities that viewing them all simultaneously is impractical.
When editing or viewing a filter, the operator may select or enter the various criteria to filter by. In addition, the following actions are available:
•View Query...: View the filter as an SQL-like expression. This feature is intended for advanced operators.
•Save as Preset...: Save the current filter as a preset, which can be quickly accessed from the Filter button.
•Reset: Reset the filter to the default.
•OK: Apply the changes to the filter and close.
•Cancel: Cancel any changes to the filter and close.
Filter Example
To create a filter in the Events module, do the following:
Step 1 Select Events from the Events & Alarms menu, in the Monitoring sub-menu.
Step 2 Click Filter in the toolbar to open the filter window, as shown in Figure 5-8.
Figure 5-8 Filter - Event Window
Step 3 Specify the object filtering criteria:.
•The General, Personnel Record, Credential, Badge, Login, and Device tabs on the left specify the event criteria, such as the event's properties or associated objects.
•The View Query... button opens a window detailing the actual filter definition as an SQL-like expression string.
•The Save as Preset... button saves the filter criteria as a named preset for later use. Once a filter is saved as a preset, it can be selected from the Filter button drop-down menu, as shown in Figure 5-9.
•The Reset button clears the filter so that all enabled items will be displayed.
Figure 5-9 Filter Presets
Step 4 Choose the criteria to filter by, then click the OK button. This closes the window, and the table view is updated to reflect the filter criteria. Incoming events will also be filtered according to these criteria.
Revising the Column Display
The Columns... button in the toolbar allows you to change the order and visibility of columns.
Click the Columns... button to open the window shown in Figure 5-10.
•Select or deselect the checkboxes next to the column names to determine which columns are visible in the table view.
•Select a column name and click the Up and Down buttons to change the order that the columns appear.
•Click OK to save your changes and view them in the module.
Figure 5-10 Columns Window for the Event Manager
Tip Adjust column width by dragging the edge of the column header. Click on a column header to sort the table by that particular column. A directional arrow shows the currently sorted column, as well as its direction. Reverse the sort order by clicking on the column header a second time.
Using Group Edit
The Group Edit button allows you to make changes to all items in a list, or multiple selected items. Group Edit... is included in the Badges and Personnel modules.
Tip To limit the items in the list, filter the content as described in Using Filters before using group edit.
Right-click the Group Edit button in the Badges and Personnel and select Group Edit All Items or Group Edit Selected Items.
The following options are editable using the Group Edit... button.
Group Edit Example
In the following example, a group edit is used to change all contractor issued badges to inactive.
Step 1 Select Badges from the User menu.
Step 2 Filter the list so it contains only the records to be changed.
a. Click the Filter button in the toolbar.
b. Select the Assigned to tab.
c. Select Contractor in the Personnel type field.
d. Click OK to filter the badges to contractor personnel types.
See Using Filters for more information.
Step 3 In the Badges window, click the Group Edit... button to open the Group Edit... window, as shown in Figure 5-11.
Figure 5-11 Group Edit - General Window
Step 4 Select the Validity checkbox, and then select Inactive from the drop-down menu.
Step 5 Click OK.
Step 6 All Contractor badges in the filtered list are now changed to Inactive.
Search
Search allows operators to quickly search results in the main module window. Type in a search field and click the Search button or press the Enter key. To remove the search clear it out and click the Search button.
Use the drop down arrow to select the different methods of quick search. Options include:
•Quick search with filter: Search within the results of the current Filter set.
•Quick search instead of filter: Search without regard to any filter that is currently defined.
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