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System Initialization

System Initialization

The "System Initialization" chapter explains how to initialize the Cisco 6100 so ViewRunner for HP OpenView can be used to provision and operate the system.

In order for a proper communication path to exist between the Cisco 6100 and ViewRunner for HP OpenView, the Cisco 6100 must be initialized as follows:


Note Since BOOTP is not a routable protocol, the BOOTP server and all of its managed
Cisco 6100s must be on the same virtual network. Any network equipment required to establish the connection between the Cisco 6100 and the BOOTP server must be transparent to BOOTP requests. Transparency means any routers in between the Cisco 6100 and ViewRunner for HP OpenView must support the BOOTP message relay. If supported, the router must be configured to forward BOOTP requests to a specific IP address.

10.1 Defining IP Addresses

The above IP addresses can be established at system initialization time through one of three methods:

    1. Cisco factory initialization

    2. BOOTP utility

    3. System Controller (SC)-based BOOTROM initialization utility

Each of these alternatives is discussed in detail below.


Note IP address modification requires a reset of the SC, and thus reset of the entire Cisco 6100, regardless of which IP address initialization procedure is used.

10.1.1 Cisco Factory Initialization

The simplest methodology for initializing a Cisco 6100 is for Cisco personnel to pre-configure the Cisco 6100 with the appropriate IP address information prior to customer shipment. This requires the customer to provide Cisco with the IP address information listed above in advance. As such, this approach requires careful coordination between Cisco and the customer to ensure that all customer-supplied IP address information is correct.

The factory initialization option has the advantage of insuring that all necessary system initialization is in place prior to equipment arrival at the customer premise. It is sometimes viewed as less attractive, however, as it assumes critical IP address information is both correctly communicated and will not change.

10.1.2 BOOTP Utility

BOOTP is a commercially available utility that allows IP address initialization through a BOOTP server, often already resident in communication network infrastructures.

A Cisco 6100 can be initialized with a BOOTP server in one of two ways. Either the BOOTP server can be on a machine located on the same virtual network as the Cisco 6100, or it can be resident on a standalone machine that is directly attached to the Cisco 6100 Ethernet port (temporarily) for the sole purpose of system initialization.

BOOTP Server Located on Same Virtual Network

Each time the Cisco 6100 is powered up, or each time the SC is reset, the SC issues a BOOTP request. At this point, the Cisco 6100's SC becomes a BOOTP client.

The BOOTP server responds to the client request with the following items:

Included as part of this response is the IP address of the machine answering the BOOTP request.


Note The current Cisco 6100 software requires that the BOOTP server, TFTP server, and PC/workstation running the ViewRunner for HP OpenView application all be the same machine.

Once the SC receives the BOOTP response, it compares the supplied filename with the filename stored locally in its EEPROM. If the two filenames differ, the SC requests the new file (using TFTP), and downloads the file from the TFTP server. The SC stores the new image in flash, overwriting the previous image. If the file names are the same, or if no reply is received from the BOOTP server, the SC loads and runs the existing image contained in its flash memory.


Note Solaris does not ship with a native BOOTP server, but one is freely available from Hewlett-Packard's JetDirect software. This software is available on the World Wide Web at http://www.hp.com/cpdsupport/netwrking/software/sol_pkgadd.d0109.html.

Standalone BOOTP Server

If only one machine is available as a BOOTP server (as opposed to equipping each ViewRunner for HP OpenView machine with its own copy of a BOOTP server utility), this standalone BOOTP server (locally attached to the Cisco 6100's Ethernet port) can be used to initialize each Cisco 6100's IP address requirements. During the initialization procedure, this machine would need to be given the same IP address as the eventual ViewRunner for HP OpenView machine, and would also need to contain the BOOTP table information (above) necessary to configure the target Cisco 6100.

A network connection through a no-hub cable between this machine and the Cisco 6100 is required to initialize the Cisco 6100. The Cisco 6100 would go through the same initialization sequence as described above, and would be configured by the locally attached BOOTP server. Once the initialization procedure is complete, the standalone BOOTP server would need to be disconnected from the Cisco 6100's Ethernet port. Subsequently, the Ethernet connection to the local area network for which the Cisco 6100 has been configured must be connected. Should the Cisco 6100's SC require a new image download at some point in the future, this manual configuration process will have to be repeated.

10.1.3 SC-based BOOTROM Initialization Utility

In those situations where it is not possible to create a single virtual network to connect each
Cisco 6100 to ViewRunner for HP OpenView, or factory initialization is not preferred, you can use a Cisco developed, menu-driven BOOTROM initialization utility attached to the RS-232 port.

Using this utility eliminates the need for BOOTP altogether.

Accessing BOOTROM's Administrative Menu

The BOOTROM Administrative Setup screen is activated in one of two ways. The menu automatically is activated anytime a serious error is detected during the boot process, such as an NVRAM test failure. The menu also activates during an error-free boot by entering carriage returns at one-per-second starting at the point of hardware reset.

To access the Administrative Setup screen requires a PC to be directly connected to the SC RS-232 serial port with a standard 9-pin D-sub cable (see the Cisco 6100 Set Up and Installation Manual for a description of this cable). Use standard RS-232 settings:

BOOTROM Initialization Procedures

Use a terminal emulation package, such as Microsoft's Hyperterminal, or Procomm, to perform the initialization procedures.

Step 1 Press Enter in one second intervals until the Administrative Setup screen appears:

Administrative Setup Screen

9651_001_14  14:13:53  May 15 1998
Top Level Part Number: 2651-003-01A         PCB Part Number: 3651-005-01A
Serial Number:         0010168608            CLEI Code:       VACEY30GAA
Diagnostic Status:     PASS                  Mac Address:     00:E0:D0:00:19:40
Ip Address:            172.021.175.043       Subnet Mask:     255.255.255.000
Ip Gateway:            172.021.175.001       Server Ip:       172.021.175.030
 
     Administrative Setup Screen
     ---------------------------
   1.  Display Diagnostic Status
   2.  Modify Ip Address
   3.  Modify Subnet Mask
   4.  Modify Gateway Address
   5.  Modify Server Ip Address
   6.  Save IP Values to EEPROM
 
  Enter Selection (Enter 0 to Exit, 7 to refresh):     [7] 9601-001-02 

Screen Header Information

The screen header information provides the basic settings, status, and part numbers of the card. Following is a description of each data field:


Table 10-1: Screen Header Information
Line Item(s) Definition

Part Number

Provides the part number of the BOOTROM

Top Level Part Number

Provides the hardware top level

PCB Part Number

PCB part numbers

Serial Number

Provides the board's unique serial number

CLEI Code

Card type's CLEI1 code

Diagnostic Status

Provides the diagnostic status. The diagnostic status is made up of the NVRAM test status and the EEPROM checksum status. If any of these tests have not passed, this status shall be fail.

MAC Address

The MAC address is the unique Ethernet hardware address of this card.

IP Address

Indicates the current setting of the IP Address. If the data has been modified but not saved to EEPROM, the modified values shall be displayed.

Subnet Mask

Indicates the current setting of the subnet mask. If the data has been modified but not saved to EEPROM, the modified values shall be displayed.

IP Gateway

Indicates the current setting of the IP Gateway Address. If the data has been modified but not saved to EEPROM the modified values shall be displayed.

Server IP

Indicates the current setting of the server IP Address. If the data has been modified but not saved to EEPROM the modified values shall be displayed.

1CLEI=common language equipment identifier

Step 2 Select Option 2. The modify IP address option allows the setup of the IP address of the Cisco 6100's SC.

The prompt screen shall appear as follows:

    CAUTION:	Entered data not saved until save option has been
    executed. All changes shall be lost if exit is executed before save option. Enter IP Address : [192.168.7.41]

If the value contained in the brackets [ ] is correct, press Enter to accept the default value. To enter a new value, type in value in the xxx.xxx.xxx.xxx format. After entering the new IP address, press Return. The Administrative Setup screen appears.

If the entered value is not correct, an error message may be generated. For more information on this topic, see the IP setup error message section.

Step 3 Select Option 3. The modify IP subnet mask option allows the setup of the IP subnet mask through the Administrative Setup screen.

The prompt screen shall appear as follows:

    CAUTION:	Entered data not saved until save option has been
    executed. All changes shall be lost if exit is executed before save option. Enter Subnet mask: [255.255.255.0]

If the value contained in the brackets [ ] is correct, press Enter to accept the default value. To enter a new value, enter the value in the xxx.xxx.xxx.xxx format and press Return, which will return you to the Administrative Setup screen.

If entered value is not correct, an error message may be generated. For information on this topic, see the IP setup error message section.

Step 4 Select Option 4. The Modify IP Gateway Address option allows the setup of the IP gateway through the Administrative Setup screen.

The prompt screen shall appear as follows:

    CAUTION:	Entered data not saved until save option has been executed. All changes shall be lost if exit is executed before save option.                                                   
    Enter IP Gateway:   [192.168.7.231] 
     
    

If the value contained in the brackets [ ] is correct, press Enter to accept the default value. To enter new value, enter the value in the xxx.xxx.xxx.xxx format and press Return, which will return you to the Administrative Setup screen.

If entered value is not correct, an error message may be generated. For information on this topic, see the IP setup error message section.

Step 5 Select Option 6. The Save IP values to EEPROM option modifies the contents of the EEPROM with any data that has been changed during this session. It also updates the checksum for the administrative area. Verification of Basic IP integrity occurs prior to saving. If integrity is not found, an error message displays and no modification of EEPROM data occurs. Potential error messages are as follows:

The IP setup processing does a basic verification of the IP setup. It assures that the IP address is not set to 0.0.0.0 or 255.255.255.255. It also assures that the IP address and IP gateway address appear on the same subnet as defined by the subnet mask.
    Error: Ip Address should not be 0.0.0.0 or 255.255.255.255
    Do you wish to correct value?  [Y] 
     
    

Step 6 Select Option 0 to exit.

IP Setup Error Messages

Potential error messages from the Administrative Setup screen are as follows:

Error: Ip Address should not be 0.0.0.0 or 255.255.255.255
 
Do you wish to correct value?  [Y] 
 
Error: Ip Address and Ip Gateway do not appear on same subnet. Ip Address, Ip Gateway, or Ip Subnet Mask is invalid.
 
Do you wish to correct value?  [Y] 
 
Error: Values not stored to EEPROM due to IP setup error.
 
Are you ready to continue?  [Y] 

How to Know If You Are Connected Properly

If a Cisco 6100 is properly connected to the network, it will receive a BOOTP response from the ViewRunner for HP OpenView workstation. It will then download a new image if necessary from the TFTP server, and issue a cold start trap to the TFTP server, which should be the ViewRunner workstation. If it is the ViewRunner workstation, then ViewRunner will receive the cold start trap, display the appropriate entries in the Event Browser, and add the Cisco 6100 to the New Equipment window. An informational dialog will appear informing the user that a Cisco 6100 has been discovered.

10.2 Setting the System Clock

Once you have initialized the system, set the system clock so that each system message has an accompanying time-stamp. To set the system clock, follow the steps below:

Step 1 Right click on the MC. The Cisco 6100 menu appears. Select the 6100 Properties >> Configuration option.


Figure 10-1: MC Chassis Menu


The 6100 Properties window appears.


Figure 10-2: 6100 Properties Window


Step 2 Set the date and time by clicking on the appropriate field. A drop down menu appears in each field with multiple selections.

10.3 Using the Inband Management Channel

Using the inband management channel feature of the ViewRunner for HP OpenView allows direct control/management of the Cisco 6100 through the ATM channel. The inband management channel is transparent to ViewRunner in that provisioning and operation of the system are identical whether through the Ethernet port or the inband channel. The only difference is that instead of using conventional Ethernet physical media to communicate to the Cisco 6100, ViewRunner will use ATM as the physical layer for communication.

To run IP over ATM, the system uses RCF 1483 "Multi-protocol over AAL5" in Logical Link Control (LLC) encapsulation mode. This encapsulation will allow transporting via multiple protocols over a single VC. The following figure illustrates how the inband management channel works.


Figure 10-3: Running IP over ATM


To make sure the out-bound packets from the Cisco 6100 are sent to the right interface (Ethernet or inband), a routing table for various IP addresses is also supported. This table is only needed when you use the inband management channel. Ethernet takes care of its own routing.

10.3.1 Invoking the Inband Management Channel

To use the inband management channel rather than Ethernet, follow the procedures below.

    1. Access the main Chassis View.

    2. Move your cursor over the chassis, and click the right mouse button. The following pop-up menu appears:


Figure 10-4: Inband Management Channel Menu


    3. Select Inband Management Channel and the following window appears.


Figure 10-5: Inband Management Channel Window


    4. Enter the IP address of the inband port and its submask. Then specify the VPI/VCI to be used for the communication channel.

The Administrative state must be Locked for you to enter the IP and VPI/VCI information. Once you have entered this information the note at the bottom of the window disappears and the buttons become active. Press Apply and then Unlocked to activate the configuration. All fields will be grayed out then unless you set the Administrative state back to Locked to change the information.

10.3.2 Special Considerations for Inband Management

The following are things that you should consider when using the inband management channel.

10.4 Defining the Routing Table

It is not necessary to use the routing table if you are using Ethernet as the method for managing a Cisco 6100. However, a routing table is necessary with inband management so that the Cisco 6100 can send the out-bound packets to the right interface. Otherwise, the return packets would never reach their destination.

10.4.1 Establishing the Routing Table

To add IP addresses to the routing table when using the inband management channel rather than Ethernet, follow the procedures below.

    1. Access the main Chassis View.

    2. Move your cursor over the chassis, and click the right mouse button. The following pop-up menu appears:


Figure 10-6: Routing Table Menu


    3. Select Routing Table and the following window appears.


Figure 10-7: Routing Table Window


    4. Set the Interface to Inband Channel.

    5. Enter the IP address of the packet destination, its gateway IP address, and its submask. Then select Add Now.

Should you want to change the destination IP address, simply navigate back to this window, select a destination from the top field and select Delete Now to delete an address. Then add a different one following the procedures presented previously.

10.4.2 Special Considerations for the Routing Table

The following are things that you should consider when establishing the routing table.


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Posted: Fri Apr 23 14:01:33 PDT 1999
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