Network

This chapter contains the following sections:

Overview of the Topology Map and Tools

About the Topology Map

Cisco Business Dashboard Lite looks for discovered devices for network connectivity details and then builds a graphical representation or topology from the information it gathered. The data collected includes:

  • CDP & LLDP neighbor information

  • Multicast DNS and DNS Service Discovery (aka Bonjour)

This information determines how the network is constructed. When the network contains network infrastructure devices that are not manageable for any reason, Cisco Business Dashboard Lite will attempt to understand the topology based on the information that can be collected.

Click on devices or links in the topology to display the Basic Info panel for that device or link. This panel provides more detailed information about the device or link, and allows you to carry out different actions on a device.

Overlays and Filters are displayed on top of the Topology Map, allowing you to limit the devices displayed in the topology by device type or by tag. It also allows you to enhance the topology to show additional information such as the traffic load on links or how a particular VLAN is configured in the network.

Accessing the Topology Map

To access the Topology Map open the Network panel from the Navigation pane.

The Topology is displayed in the work pane.

Topology Controls

The Topology controls are located to the left of the Topology Map.

Icon

Description

Zoom in - Adjusts the Topology window's view. Click the ✚ (plus) icon on the menu bar to increase the size of the network in the viewing area.

Zoom out - Adjusts the Topology window's view. Click the ━ (minus) icon to reduce the size of the network in the viewing area.

Click Re-layout Topology to redraw the topology using the automatic layout algorithm.

If a device is selected in the topology when the button is clicked, then that device will be designated as the root of the topology tree when the layout is calculated. To select a device, click on the device icon and an orange circle will be shown around the device.

Click Fit stage to zoom until the entire network fills the viewing area.

Click Enter full screen mode to fill the screen with the Cisco Business Dashboard user interface.

Click Export Topology to export the current topology view as an image in PNG format. The image will be saved to the default download location for the browser.

Click Topology Settings to adjust the labels displayed for the topology icons.

Topology Icons

The following icons appear in the Topology window:

Icon

Description

Access Point

Access Point - Primary

Access Point - Mesh Extender

Cloud - This represents a network or part of a network that is not managed by Cisco Business Dashboard.

Links - Links are connection lines between devices. Click a link to display the target and the source device names and other basic details such as speed and so on.

Router

Switch

Switch Stack

Host - A host attached to the network using a wired connection.

Wireless Host - A host attached to the network using a wireless connection.

Overlays & Filters

It is at the top of the Topology screen, next to the Search box.

Item

Description
Select Overlay

This feature enhances the Topology map with additional information based on the view selection. It can be one of the following:

  • The Link Utilization View identifies current network performance by monitoring the amount of traffic. This traffic is displayed using the color coded links in the Topology map. The color coding changes based on the percentage utilization of the link. Green represents links that are only moderately loaded, while orange and red represent links that are approaching capacity limits.

    Controls are provided to allow you to adjust the thresholds for different colors.

  • The VLAN View displays where a VLAN is enabled in the network. This can be used to identify a partitioned VLAN or other misconfiguration.

    When you select VLAN View in the Overlay drop-down, a second drop-down box appears below this field where you can select the VLAN ID to be displayed.

  • The POE View highlights links in the topology map which indicates devices that are currently being powered from a POE-enabled switch.

Select Tag

Specify a Device Tag in the text box below the Select Tag to filter the topology to show devices matching the specified tag. Device tags are assigned in the Detailed Info panel.

Show only:

  • Routers

  • Switches

  • Wireless

  • Unmanaged Networks

  • Hosts

  • Others

Check the check box against the devices in the list that you want to view in the Topology map. This feature helps you filter the devices you want to view in the map and removes the ones that are unchecked in the device list.

Network Actions

Use the Network Actions drop-down list to select actions that can be performed on all devices in the network that support that action. For example, you can backup all network device configurations with a single click.

Viewing Basic Device Information

Click on a network device such as a switch or a router, or a link connecting two devices, to view basic information about the device including outstanding notifications, and actions that may be performed.

The Basic Info panel also provides access to more detailed information for a device, and allows you to directly access the administration interface of the device.

The table in the following section provides the type of device details that are displayed. To view the basic device information follow the steps below.

Procedure

Step 1

In the Topology map, click on a network device such as a switch or a router to view the details.

Step 2

In the Basic Info panel, the device details are displayed under the Overview tab. Each of these items are described in the following table.

Information Panel

Model

Model name of the device.

Description

Device or product description.

Firmware Version

The firmware version of the device.

PID VID

Product ID and the Version ID.

MAC Address

The Media Access Control (MAC) address is a standardized data link layer address that is required for certain network interface types. These addresses are specific and unique to each device and are not used by other devices in the network.

Serial Number

The device serial number.

Status

The online / offline status of the device.

Domain

The domain name of the device.

Vendor

The manufacturer of the device.
Notification Panel

Notifications Panel Header—The notifications panel header shows summary counts of the outstanding notifications for the device.

Notifications Panel Body—The body of the notifications panel lists the outstanding notifications for the device. Check the check box against a notification to acknowledge it and remove it from the list of notifications. You may use notification filtering to display acknowledged notifications if needed.

Events Panel

The Events Panel shows a list of all notifications and other events that have occurred over the past 24 hours for this device. To view and filter a complete list of all events for all devices, visit the Event Log.

POE Panel

The POE Panel is displayed on POE enabled switches and provides a summary of the power usage across each of the ports in the device.

Stack Information Panel

The Stack Information panel is displayed for switch stacks, and shows the hardware details for each member of the stack, including model information, serial number and MAC address

Connected Device Panel

Host, AP, IP Phone and IP Camera devices include the Connected Device panel. This panel shows how the device is attached to the network, listing the upstream network device and, where applicable, port that the device is connected to.

In addition to the Overview tab, the Basic Info panel also has an Actions tab that allows you to perform various operational tasks on the device.

Viewing Detailed Device Information

Procedure

Step 1

On the Topology or Inventory page, click on a network device such as a switch or a router for which you want to view detailed information.

Step 2

In the Basic Info panel, click Details at the upper right corner.

Step 3

In the Detailed Info panel, you will find a detailed list of device information on the left, and additional functions under the following tabs:

  • Dashboard—Displays a series of dashboard widgets specific to the device

  • Port Management—Allows you to manage the configuration of the switch ports

    Note

     

    This information is available only for devices with switch ports.

  • Wireless LANs—Allows you to view the Wireless LANs and manage the radio configuration on the device.

    Each radio may be enabled or disabled, and the channel and transmit power controlled from this tab.

    Note

     

    This information is available only for wireless devices.

  • Notifications— Provides a list of active notifications for this device.

  • Event Log—Provides a list of past actions and notifications for this device

  • Config Backups—Allows you to view a list of backup configuration of the devices and perform actions such as restore, save or delete configuration

    Note

     

    This information is available only for devices that support the Backup Configuration operation

  • Pending Config—Compares the desired configuration based on the configuration profiles defined with the current configuration on the device and highlights any differences.

    Note

     

    This panel is only displayed for devices supported for configuration operations where the current configuration does not match the desired configuration.

Each of these are described in the following steps:

Step 4

A detailed list of information about the device is displayed on the left. This list contains the following information:

Item Name

Description
Hostname

Click Edit next to the device name to modify the device hostname. Click Save to save the changes.

Model

Model name of the device.
MAC Address

The Media Access Control (MAC) address is a standardized data link layer address that is required for certain network interface types. These addresses are specific and unique to each device and are not used by other devices in the network.

Status

Displays the current status of the device. For example, online or offline.

Actions

The Actions drop-down and Open Device GUI icon allow you to act on the device from the Detailed Info panel.

IP

The IP Addresses of the device.

Domain

The domain name of the device.
PID VID

Product ID and the Version ID.

Serial Number

The serial number of the device.

Vendor

The manufacturer of the device.
Description

Device or product description.
TAGs

In the TAGs field, enter any alphanumeric characters and then press Enter to create new tags for this device. To delete an existing tag, click on the ✖ in the tag. Click Save to save the changes.

Tags may be used to help identify devices with common characteristics. You may use tags elsewhere in Cisco Business Dashboard Probe to restrict views of the network to displaying a subset of devices.

Discovery Method

Displays the protocols and devices by which this device was discovered.

Pending Config

Displays the status of the device configuration and whether there are any differences between the current config for the device and the expected config.

Step 5

Click Dashboard to display a set of widgets showing the current state of the device.

Step 6

Use the form to make changes, then click Save to apply the changes.

Step 7

Click Port Management to view and manage the configuration of the switch ports on the device. A visual representation of the device is displayed, similar to that shown in the Port Management page.

This window specifies the port details of the device in a visual representation. The model and serial number of the device are displayed above the image and a tabular view of the ports is displayed underneath.

Step 8

Click WLAN to manage the radio settings and view the Wireless LANs configured on this device.

Step 9

Click Event Log to see a list of historical notifications and other events that are recorded for this device. You can use filters to limit the entries that are displayed.

Step 10

Click Config Backups to view and manage configuration backups for this device. On this tab, you will see a table listing each backup stored on the Probe, with the following details:

Table 1. Config Backups

Item

Description

Timestamp

The date and time the configuration backup was taken.
Comment

The notes entered by the user at the time the backup was performed.

Backed up by

The user who performed the configuration.
Actions

Choose one of the following backup actions:

  • Restore configuration to device—Restores the selected backup to the device

  • Save configuration to PC—Saves the backup as a zip file to your local drive on your PC

  • Delete configuration—Removes the backup

  • View configuration—Helps view the contents of the configuration backup in the browser

You may also trigger a config backup from the tab by clicking Backup Configuration.

Step 11

Click Pending Config to view a side-by-side comparison between the current device config and the expected configuration based on the configuration profiles applied to the device. Configurations are represented in a device-independent format and any differences are highlighted. You may use the buttons at the top of the page to apply any outstanding changes, accept the current device configuration, or re-read the current device configuration.