Macintosh WATCHER 4.1

Creating a Device List

The first step in monitoring network devices is to add those devices to the list in the main test list. An empty main test list is shown in Figure 5-1.



Figure 5-1 Empty main test list

Adding Devices

To add devices to the list, click Add in the main test list. A dialog box appears, showing the available device types. Click on the type of device you want to add, and then click OK.

Note: If the type of device you want to add is grayed out, check to make sure that you have installed the interface and driver software specified in Installation.

Use the dialog box that appears to add network devices to the list in the WATCHER main test list.

About the Add Devices Dialog Boxes

Each type of device has its own Add Devices dialog box, which shows you a list of network devices. A second (temporary) list serves as a place to organize the devices you want to add to the main test list. (The Add DECnet Devices dialog box only has the temporary list.)

To select an item from an Add Devices dialog box list, just click on it. To select multiple items in a list, hold down the z key, and click on each, or hold down the shift key and drag the cursor across a section of the list.

To select all items in a list, double-click on the list header.

You may find the following buttons useful when using Add Devices dialog boxes:

Sort By

Use this set of buttons to change the order of items in the devices list and temporary list.

Remove

Click Remove to delete devices selected in the temporary list. Devices deleted from this list will not be added to the WATCHER main test list.

Notify

Click Notify to attach notifications to the devices selected in the temporary list.

Cancel

Click Cancel to close the dialog box without making any changes to the list in the WATCHER main test list.

For more information on adding different types of devices, read the rest of this chapter.

Adding AppleTalk Devices

You can add AppleTalk devices to the main test list using the Add AppleTalk Devices dialog box shown in Figure 5-2. To display this dialog box, click Add in the main test list and select AppleTalk Devices. You can also display this dialog box by selecting Add Devices from the Device menu, and dragging through to AppleTalk.



Figure 5-2 Add AppleTalk Devices dialog box

The dialog box contains three lists: a zones list, a devices list, and a temporary list of selected devices at the bottom.

The zones list shows all the available AppleTalk zones.

The devices list shows the devices in the selected zones. By default, WATCHER lists devices for the current zone (the zone that your WATCHER Macintosh is running on). You can change this by disabling Select current zone in the Add Devices Options dialog box, described at the end of this chapter.

To add AppleTalk devices to the main test list, perform the following steps in the Add AppleTalk Devices dialog box:

1. Click on a zone in the Zone Name list. Select Show Devices. The available devices for the zone appear in the devices list.

Note: To stop a search, press the Command key and the period simultaneously.

2. If you want to narrow your search to specific device types, click the Filters... pop-up menu. To select a filter, drag down to it and release the mouse button. You can have several filters selected at the same time. Each selected filter appears in the pop-up menu with a checkmark beside it. Select Use Filters to apply the filters to the devices list. (For more information on filters, see the end of this chapter.)

The Select All Filters option in the Filters... pop-up menu lets you select all existing filters when searching for devices. Select Disable All Filters if you do not want to use any of the filters. Select Update List to redisplay the device list using your new selection of filters. Use the Fast Filters option to speed up the filtering process.

Note: If you are filtering on a device type that contains a wildcard character, » ,disable Fast Filters. Also disable Fast Filters if you are filtering a large zone and are unable to see all the devices.

3. Select devices in the top list and click Add to put the selected devices into the temporary list.

4. You can attach notifications to devices now, or you can do it later in the main test list. To attach notifications to a device or group of devices now, select the devices in the temporary list. Click Notify... (See the chapter Attaching Notifications for instructions on using the dialog box that appears.)

5. Click OK in the Add AppleTalk Devices dialog box to add the devices in the temporary list to the device list in the main test list. The dialog box closes.

Adding Internet Devices

You can add Internet devices to the main test list using the Add Internet Devices dialog box shown in Figure 5-3. To display this dialog box, click Add in the main test list and select Internet Devices. You can also display this dialog box by selecting Add Devices from the Device menu, and dragging through to Internet.



Figure 5-3 Add Internet Devices dialog box

The dialog box contains two lists: the top list shows the Internet devices defined in your MacTCP/OT host file. The bottom list is a temporary list of the devices you will be adding to the WATCHER main test list when you click OK.

To add Internet devices to the main test list, perform the following steps in the Add Internet Devices dialog box:

1. If the device you want to add appears in the devices list, click on it. You can edit the information for the device by clicking Edit. Select IP Address as IP Name in the Add Internet Devices dialog box if you want the device to be listed in the main test list by IP address (for example, 192.42.73.100). Select Domain Name as IP Name if you want the device to be listed in the main test list by domain name (for example, server.Caravelle.com). Select a device type from the pop-up menu if you wish. Click Add to add the device to the temporary list.

2. If the device you want to add doesn't appear in the list, click New. The dialog box shown in Figure 5-4 appears. Type in an IP name (either an IP address or domain name) and a device name for the device you want to add. If you donít know the device address, you can just type in the device name, such as www.caravelle.com, and WATCHER will try to resolve the address for you. You can also select a device type and port number from the Device Type pop-up menu. (The device name and device type are used for reference only.) The Custom Port option of the Device Type pop-up menu can be used to enter ports that are not listed in the pop-up menu. The Get Info button is only active if OpenTransport 1.1 or later is running.



Figure 5-4 New Internet Device dialog box

Click Verify to test the device and verify the IP name. If the IP name is a domain name and you have a domain name server (DNS) specified in MacTCP/OT, you can also click Get Info to see more information. about the device. Click Add to save your entry. Click Cancel to close the dialog box.

3. You can use the Auto Discovery feature to locate Internet devices to add to the main test list. Click Auto to open the dialog box shown in Figure 5-5. Enter the Starting IP Address, and then enter a test range of up to 255 devices and the types of ports to watch for. Click Find. WATCHER will display them in the Temporary window.



Figure 5.5: Auto Discovery dialog box

4. You can attach notifications to devices now in the Add Internet Devices dialog box, or later in the main test list. To attach notifications to a device or group of devices now, select the devices in the temporary list. Click Notify... . (See the chapter Attaching Notifications for instructions on using the dialog box that appears.)

5. Click OK in the Add Internet Devices dialog box to add the devices in the temporary list to the device list in the main test list. The dialog box closes.

Adding DECnet Devices

You can add DECnet devices to the main test list using the Add DECnet Devices dialog box shown in Figure 5-6. To display this dialog box, click Add in the main test list and select DECnet Devices. You can also display this dialog box by selecting Add Devices from the Device menu, and dragging through to DECnet.

Figure 5-6 Add DECnet Devices dialog box

The dialog box contains only a temporary list, showing the DECnet devices you have defined. These devices are added to the WATCHER main test list when you click OK.

To add DECnet devices to the main test list, perform the following steps in the Add DECnet Devices dialog box:

1. Click Add. The dialog box shown in Figure 5-7 appears. Type in the device name and device type for the device you want to add. (The device type is used for reference only.) Click Verify to test the device. The correct node number appears in the dialog box.



Figure 5-7: New DECnet Device Dialog Box

2. Click Add to save your entry. Click Cancel to close the dialog box.

3. You can attach notifications to devices now, or you can attach them later in the main test list. To attach notifications to a device or group of devices now, select the devices in the temporary list. Click Notify... . (See the chapter Attaching Notifications for instructions on using the dialog box that appears.)

4. Click OK in the Add DECnet Devices dialog box to add the devices in the temporary list to the device list in the main test list. The dialog box closes.

Adding Novell IPX Devices

You can add Novell IPX devices to the main test list using the Add Novell IPX Devices dialog box shown in Figure 5-8. To display this dialog box, click Add in the main test list and select Novell IPX Devices. You can also display this dialog box by selecting Add Devices from the Device menu, and dragging through to Novell IPX.



Figure 5-8 Add Novell IPX Devices dialog box

The dialog box contains two lists: the top list shows the Novell IPX devices available on your network. The bottom list is a temporary list of the devices you will be adding to the WATCHER main test list when you click OK.

To add Novell IPX devices to the main test list, perform the following steps in the Add Novell IPX Devices dialog box:

1. Select the types of devices you are looking for by using the pop-up menu. Click Update to show the available devices in the device list.

2. Select a device in the top list and click Add to add the device to the temporary list.

If the device you want to add doesn't appear in the list, click New. The dialog box shown in Figure 5-9 appears. Type in a name for the device you want to add. You can also select a device type from the Type pop-up menu, if you wish. Type in a network number, socket number and node number. Click Verify to test the device. Click Add to add the device to the temporary list. Click Cancel to close the dialog box.



Figure 5-9 New Novell IPX Device dialog box

3. You can attach notifications to devices now, or you can attach them later in the main test list. To attach notifications to a device or group of devices now, select the devices in the temporary list. Click Notify... (See the chapter Attaching Notifications for instructions on using the dialog box that appears.)

4. Click OK in the Add Novell IPX Devices dialog box to add the devices in the temporary list to the device list in the main test list. The dialog box closes.

Adding SNMP Devices

WATCHER supports SNMP for AppleTalk and Internet devices.

Adding AppleTalk SNMP Devices

You can add AppleTalk SNMP devices to the main test list using the Add AppleTalk SNMP Devices dialog box shown in Figure 5-10. To display this dialog box, click Add in the main test list and select AppleTalk SNMP Devices. You can also display this dialog box by selecting Add Devices from the Device menu, and dragging through to AppleTalk SNMP.



Figure 5-10 Add AppleTalk SNMP Devices dialog box

The Add AppleTalk SNMP Devices dialog box contains four lists:

ï zones list: shows all the available AppleTalk zones;

ï devices list: shows the devices in the selected zones;

ï management information base (MIB) list: shows the MIB objects (information types) that can be assigned to the selected device. (For more information on MIBs, see the chapter "Network Performance with SNMP".); and

ï temporary list of selected devices (at the bottom). The devices shown in the temporary list are ones you have added from the device list. The devices in the temporary list will be added to the WATCHER main test list when you click OK. The MIBs list shows the MIB objects that can be assigned to the selected device.

To add AppleTalk SNMP devices to the main test list, open the Add AppleTalk SNMP Devices dialog box and perform the following steps:

1. Click on a zone, and select a device or group of devices in the list that appears.

Note: Select SNMP Agents if you want to see only those devices that are equipped with SNMP agents.

2. Select a MIB to monitor the selected devices with by clicking on it in the MIBs list. A MIB identifier and a short description of the information type appears in the dialog box. If the MIBs shown in the list don't satisfy your requirements, you can use the MIBs editor to edit them or to create new ones. See the chapter Network Performance with SNMP for information about the MIBs editor.

3. Click Add to add the device and MIB object to the temporary list. You can monitor an SNMP device with any number of MIBs. To add more MIBs for the device, select them in the MIB list and click Add.

4. Select a device in the temporary list and click Threshold... to set threshold values for its MIB, to enable a histogram, or to start recording of the MIB values to a file. The dialog box shown in Figure 5-11 appears. Enter a value for the threshold. Select a condition from the Down Condition pop-up menu. When this threshold condition is met, WATCHER shows the device as Down, and provides any attached notifications.

5. Select Calculate rate/second if you want WATCHER to provide device metrics in the main test list.

6. Select Display histogram if you want a graphical display of the MIB value over time. The display is available from the Window menu.



Figure 5-11 SNMP MIB Threshold dialog box

7. Select Write MIB data to file if you want to have MIB information written to a data file. This information includes the MIB name, date, time, the value read, and the suffix you specified. This allows you to archive and view traffic information over a very long period of time. (For more information on MIB data and reporting, see the chapter Network Performance with SNMP.)

8. Enter a suffix for the MIB. The suffix appears after the MIB value in the main test list, in the MIB data file, and on the histogram. For example, when monitoring traffic on a router, you may want to enter a unit of measurement (bits/second) as the suffix.

9. Click OK. The Add AppleTalk SNMP Devices dialog box reappears.

10. You can attach notifications now, or you can attach them later in the main test list. To attach notifications now, select a device by clicking on it in the temporary list. Click Notify... . (See the chapter Attaching Notifications for instructions on using the dialog box that appears.)

11. Click OK in the Add AppleTalk SNMP Devices dialog box to add the devices in the temporary list to the device list in the main test list. The dialog box closes.

Adding Internet SNMP Devices

You can add Internet SNMP devices to the main test list using the Add Internet SNMP Devices dialog box shown in Figure 5-12. To display this dialog box, click Add in the main test list and select Internet SNMP Devices. You can also display this dialog box by selecting Add Devices from the Device menu, and dragging through to Internet SNMP.



Figure 5-12 Add Internet SNMP Devices dialog box

The Add Internet SNMP Devices dialog box contains three lists: a devices list, a management information base (MIB) list, and a temporary list of selected devices (at the bottom).

The devices shown in the temporary list are ones you have added from the device list. The devices in the temporary list will be added to the WATCHER main test list when you click OK.

The MIBs list shows the MIB objects that can be assigned to the selected device. (For more information on MIBs, see the chapter Network Performance with SNMP.)

To add Internet SNMP devices to the main test list, open the Add Internet SNMP Devices dialog box and perform the following steps:

1. If the device you want to add doesn't appear in the devices list, click New. The dialog box shown in Figure 5-13 appears. Type in an IP name (either an IP address or domain name) and a device name for the device you want to add. The device name is used for reference only. Select any MIB object you want to use with the device. Click Verify to test the device, verifying the IP name. Click Add to add it to the temporary list. Click Cancel to close the dialog box.



Figure 5-13 New Internet SNMP Device dialog box

2. If the device you want to add does appear in the devices list, click on it. Select IP Name as IP Address if you want it to be listed in the main test list by IP address (for example, 192.42.73.100). Select IP Name as Domain Name if you want it to be listed in the main test list by domain name (for example, server.Caravelle.com).

Select a MIB (information type) to use to monitor the selected device by clicking it in the MIBs list. A MIB identifier and a short description of the information type appears in the dialog box. If the MIBs shown in the list don't satisfy your requirements, you can use the MIBs editor to edit them or create new ones. See the chapter Network Performance with SNMP for information about using the MIBs editor.

Click Add to add the device and MIB object to the temporary list. You can monitor an SNMP device with any number of MIBs. To add more MIBs for the device, select them (one at a time) in the MIBs list and click Add.

3. Select a device in the temporary list and click Threshold... to set threshold values for its MIB, to enable a histogram, or to start recording of the MIB values to a file. The dialog box shown in Figure 5-11 appears. Enter a value for the threshold. Select a condition from the Down Condition pop-up menu. When this threshold condition is met, WATCHER shows the device as Down, and provides any attached notifications.

4. Select Calculate rate/second if you want WATCHER to provide device metrics in the main test list.

5. Select Display histogram if you want a graphical display of the MIB value over time. The display is available from the Window menu.

6. Select Write MIB data to file if you want to have MIB information written to a data file. This information includes the MIB name, date, time, the value read, and the suffix you specified. This allows you to archive and view traffic information over a very long period of time. (For more information on MIB data and reporting, see the chapter Network Performance with SNMP.)

7. Enter a suffix for the MIB. The suffix appears after the MIB value in the main test list, in the MIB data file, and on the histogram. For example, when monitoring traffic on a router, you may want to enter a unit of measurement (bits/second) as the suffix.

8. Click OK. The Add Internet SNMP Devices dialog box reappears.

9. You can attach notifications now, or you can attach them later in the main test list. To attach notifications now, select a device by clicking on it in the temporary list. Click Notify... . (See the chapter Attaching Notifications for instructions on using the dialog box that appears.)

10. Click OK in the Add Internet SNMP Devices dialog box to add the objects and devices in the temporary list to the device list in the main test list. The dialog box closes.

Selecting by Protocol and Status

You can select and deselect devices in the main test list by protocol and status. For example, you can select all DECnet devices that are down, or all Internet devices that are on hold.

To select or deselect devices by protocol and status, perform the following steps:

1. Select a device in the main test list if you want to highlight all devices with the same device testing options.

2. Select Select Devices... from the Edit Menu.




Figure 5-14 Select Devices dialog box

3. If you selected a single device in the main test list and want to select all devices with the same device testing settings, click Matches the selected device. Otherwise, click the protocols and states you want to select or deselect. If you click AppleTalk and Down, for example, all down AppleTalk devices will be selected.

4. If you want to select only those devices that have the default settings, click Default settings.

5. Click Selection to select only the devices specified in the dialog box. (All other devices are deselected.) Click Add to Selection to select the specified devices in addition to any devices already selected in the main test list.

6. Click Deselect to deselect the devices specified in the dialog box.

You can use the Select Devices dialog box repeatedly to add or remove selections. For example, you might want to select all AppleTalk devices, and then use it again to deselect those AppleTalk devices that are on hold.

Device Filters

WATCHER provides filters to help you select AppleTalk devices to add to the main test list. For example, you could create filters that select bridges, modems and printers across all zones and exclude all other devices.

There are a number of default filters provided as well as the option of creating your own "user" filters.

About the Filters Pop-up Menu

The Filters... pop-up menu lets you select and deselect the filters used to control the display of available AppleTalk devices. Each selected filter has a check mark beside it in the menu. The menu is shown in Figure 5-15.


Figure 5-15: Filters pop-up menu

Fast Filters

Select Fast Filters to speed up the filtering process. Note: Fast filtering cannot be applied to filters containing wildcard characters. You may also want to disable it if you are working on a large zone (to make sure you see all of the devices).

Select All Filters

Select All Filters to turn on all the filters in the menu. The device list will contain all the devices that match any of the installed filters.

Disable All Filters

Select Disable All Filters to turn off all the filters in the menu.

Update List

Select Update List to update the devices list.

Using Filters

1. Select a filter from the Filters... pop-up menu. You can select more than one. Each selected filter appears in the pop-up menu with a checkmark beside it.

The menu contains the filters supplied with the WATCHER application. Once you have created some filters of your own, they are appended to this pop-up menu.

2. Deselect Show Devices.

3. Select the zones against which you want to use the selected filters.

4. Select Use Filters.

5. Select Show Devices. WATCHER will search the network using the chosen filters and update the device list at the top of the dialog box.

Creating Filters

1. Select Settings under the File menu and drag through to Filters.... Alternately, with no device selected in the devices list, click on the Filters... pop-up menu in the Add Devices dialog box. The Filters dialog box, shown in Figure 5-16, appears.



Figure 5-16 Filters List dialog box

Click Default Filters or User Filters to display either the default filters or user-created ones in the list.

2. Click New... . A dialog box for creating user filters, such as shown in Figure 5-17, appears.



Figure 5-17 Dialog box for creating user filters

3. Type in the name of the filter (as you want it to appear in the Filters pop-up menu and Filters list) and the device type. The device type must exactly match the name as displayed in the devices list (or you can use a partial name with wildcards).

If you select a device before selecting Filters... from the Add Devices dialog box, the dialog box for creating a filter is displayed with the device type field already displaying the device type. This saves typing in the device type manually.

Note: The » wildcard can be used only with AppleTalk Phase 2.

4. Click OK to complete the procedure or Cancel to abort it.

5. Click OK on the Filters List dialog box to return to the Add Devices dialog box. The new filter will be accessible in the Filters... pop-up menu.

Options

Add Devices Options

There are a few options relating to how WATCHER displays devices in the Add Devices dialog box.

1. Select Settings from the File menu and drag through to Options... . The Options dialog box, shown in Figure 5-18, appears.

Remember Last Setting

With this option enabled, WATCHER will display the Add Devices dialog box according to the last selection of filters and sorting method. Disable this option and the Add Devices dialog box will revert to the default display.



Figure 5-18 Add Devices Options dialog box

Select current zone

With this option enabled, WATCHER will display devices for the current zone (the one in which the WATCHER Macintosh resides) when the Add Devices dialog box is opened. When this option is disabled, no devices are listed until you select a zone.

Intervals (Sec.)

There are two Intervals (Sec.) fields, one for AppleTalk devices and one for Internet devices. Enter the number of seconds you want WATCHER to wait for a response from devices of each type.

Count

There are two Count fields, one for AppleTalk devices and one for Internet devices. Enter the number of times you want WATCHER to try a device before indicating it as Down.

Note: The Interval and Count options are intended for use on WATCHER with devices communicating at an unusually low or high speed. They can also be used to adapt WATCHER to operate under high network traffic conditions. The options set here apply only to the display of devices in the Add Devices dialog box. They are independent of similar fields that are linked to device testing.

Internet Device Types

You can edit existing Internet device types or edit existing ones using the Internet Device Types dialog box. Select Settings from the File menu and drag through to Internet Device Types.... A dialog box like the one shown in Figure 5-18 appears.



Figure 5-19 Device Type dialog box

To add a new device type, click New and enter a device type into the dialog box that appears.

To edit an existing device type, select it in the list and click Edit. Change the device type in the dialog box that appears. To remove an existing device type, select it in the list and click Remove.

Creating Service Scripts for IP Devices

Service scripts talk to IP devices with specific port numbers, essentially "smoothing" the communication path between WATCHER and the IP device. You can create your own service scripts, or use WATCHERís three locked default scripts for HTTP, SMTP and FTP.

To edit service scripts:

1. Select Edit Service Script from the Devices menu.

2. The following screen appears, displaying the 3 default scripts available.



Figure 5-20 Service Scripts dialog box

3. Click the New button to display the Edit Service Script dialog box, as in Figure 5-21.

Note: Default scripts cannot be edited.



Figure 5-21 Edit Service Script dialog box

Name

The NAME command gives the script a name.

Send
The SEND command specifies the information requested from the server. If this field is blank, the script waits for the information specified by the RECEIVE command. The syntax of the commands depends on the type of server. See the documentation provided with your server for more information.

Receive
The RECEIVE command sends the requested information to the console. This information is displayed in the Condition column of the Main Test List. If this field is blank, the script defaults to the TERMINATE command. The syntax of the commands depends on the type of server. See the documentation provided with your server for more information.

Terminate
The TERMINATE command closes the connection to the server. The syntax of the commands depends on the type of server. See the documentation provided with your server for more information.

To attach Service Scripts:

1. Select the IP device from the Main Test List.

2. Select Attach Service Script from the Devices menu to display the dialog box in Figure 5-22.



Figure 5-22 Attach Service Script dialog box

3. Select the appropriate script and click the OK button.