Network Registrar User Interfaces

This chapter describes the Network Registrar user interfaces. Read this chapter before you start to configure your Network Registrar servers so you are familiar with the basic capabilities of each user interface.

For detailed procedural information on how to perform administrative tasks on Network Registrar servers, see the "Administering Network Registrar" chapter.

About the Graphical User Interface

Through Network Registrar's graphical user interface (GUI), you can control your servers' operations. The GUI consists of the following elements:

Commands invoked from menu bars
A toolbar
Two windows: the Server Manager (Figure 2-10) and the Server Status Monitor (Figure 2-11).

To start Network Registrar, you need to start the program and log in to a cluster. A cluster is a DNS and/or DHCP server that shares the same Network Registrar database. Adding a cluster tells Network Registrar about the existence of a cluster. To configure or administer the cluster you must also connect to it.

Note Typically, Network Registrar's DNS and DHCP servers are running on the same physical machine. In this case, the term cluster refers to the physical machine.

You can start the Network Registrar GUI at any time--the servers do not need to be running. Note that you cannot save changes however, unless the servers are running. The DHCP and DNS servers can be stopped, but the server agent must be running on any cluster that you want to connect to.

Starting the GUI on Solaris

When running the Solaris GUI, choose the Common Desktop Environment (CDE) if available, in preference to the OpenWindows Desktop. The appearance of the Solaris GUI is superior under CDE.

Step 1 Type the following at the command line:

/install path/nwreg2/usrbin/ntwkreg

where install path is the directory that you chose to install Network Registrar. Network Registrar displays the Server Manager.

Step 2 Click Add to add a new cluster.

Step 3 Type the hostname of the cluster or specify localhost if the cluster is located on the same machine as the GUI.

Step 4 In the Login to cluster dialog box, enter the username admin and the password changeme.

Note You should change the username and the password from the defaults to appropriate ones for your site.

Step 5 Enter your license key.

The first time you connect to a cluster, you are prompted for a license key. For more information about licensing, see the Getting Started with Network Registrar manual.

Starting the GUI on Windows NT

Step 1 Select Start>Programs>Network Registrar.

Step 2 Click Add to add a new cluster.

Step 3 Type the hostname of the cluster or specify localhost if the cluster is located on the same machine as the GUI.

Step 4 In the Login to cluster dialog box, enter the username admin and the password changeme.

Note You should change the username and the password from the defaults to appropriate ones for your site.

Step 5 Enter your license key.

The first time you connect to a cluster, you are prompted for a license key. For more information about licensing, see the Getting Started with Network Registrar.

Commands (Menu Bar)

The commands handle administration and affect the way you can view Network Registrar activity. Commands are grouped in task-specific menus on the menu bar (Figure 2-1).

Figure 2-1: Network Registrar Menu Bar

Using the Admin Menu

The Admin menu (Figure 2-2) contains commands that allow you to:

Add clusters to the Network Registrar database, and connect to, or disconnect from clusters in the Network Registrar database.
Specify system administrator information, such as, adding an administrator or changing the administrator's password.
Exit Network Registrar.

Figure 2-2: Admin Menu

Servers Commands (Server Menu)

The Servers menu (Figure 2-3) allows you to control the servers, add servers to the Server Status Monitor (Figure 2-11), and display server statistics.

Figure 2-3: Servers Menu

Administration includes:

Starting servers---Continues a server after it has been paused
Stopping servers---Pauses a server
Reloading servers---Updates the server configuration in the database and reloads all server information
Displaying server's statistics---Displays server statistics for the server whose statistics you want to view, IP address usage, and related server information. You should reload the server after making any changes.

For more information about how to perform server adminstration tasks, see "Administering Network Registrar" in this guide.

Server Status Monitor Window

You can use the Server Status Monitor window (Figure 2-11) to view the state of your servers.

For more information about the Server Status Monitor window, see the "Server Status Monitor Window" section.

Viewing Windows (View Menu)

The View menu (Figure 2-4) governs viewing of the Network Registrar windows.

Figure 2-4: View Menu

The View menu (Figure 2-4) contains the following commands:

Server Manager---Reveals or hides the server manager's tree control (Figure 2-10)
Status Monitor---Reveals or hides the Server Status Monitor (Figure 2-11)
Status Bar---Reveals or hides the status bar (Figure 2-12)

Displaying Windows (Window Menu)

The Window menu (Figure 2-5) lets you control the appearance and positioning of the Network Registrar windows.

Figure 2-5: Window Menu

The Window menu (Figure 2-5) contains the following commands:

Cascade---Positions the windows on top of each other but slightly offset
Tile---Positions the windows below one another in the main window
Window list---Shows the number of windows open and displays a check next to the active window

Getting Help (Help Menu)

The Help menu (Figure 2-6) contains the online help and the About Network Registrar box.

Figure 2-6: Help Menu

Toolbar Commands (Network Registrar Toolbar)

The toolbar (Figure 2-7) displays button that access the most frequently used commands.

Figure 2-7: Network Registrar Toolbar

Note When you have selected an item in the Server Manager window (Figure 2-10), you can also use the right-mouse commands to perform some of the same functions that are possible through the toolbar. You can also double-click on the icon for the server.

Show Properties

The Show Properties toolbar button (Figure 2-7) lets you configure either a DNS server or zone or DHCP server or scope depending on the current selection.

Control

The Control toolbar button (Figure 2-7) displays the Server's Control dialog box (Figure 2-8). From this dialog box you can change the server's state; for example, if the server is stopped, you can start it. If you click Cancel, the server stays in its current state; if you click OK, you either stop or reload the server.

Figure 2-8: Control Dialog Box

Statistics

The Show Statistics toolbar button (Figure 2-7) displays the Statistics window (Figure 2-9). You can choose to sort the selected server's statistics by Name or by Value.

Figure 2-9: Statistics Window

Add

The Add to olbar button (Figure 2-7) lets you add clusters, DNS zones, or DHCP scopes, depending on what you have selected. If you select the DNS server, it allows you to add zones; if you select DHCP server, it allows you to add scopes. However, if you select the TFTP server, you cannot anything.

Note The Add button lets you add items to the Server Manager window (Figure 2-10). This button does not let you add items to the Server Status Monitor (Figure 2-11).

Remove

The Remove toolbar button (Figure 2-7) lets you remove cluster, DNS zones, or DHCP scopes from the Server Manager window (Figure 2-10), depending on what you have selected.

Server Manager Window

The Server Manager window (Figure 2-10) and the Server Status Monitor window (Figure 2-11) are the two main windows that you can use to configure and monitor Network Registrar.

The Server Manager window (Figure 2-10) is a standard Windows tree control that contains a list of clusters at its top-level node. Under each cluster, there are lists of servers. From each of these servers, there is a subtree that contains server-specific data structures. This display lets you select servers for browsing, configuration and control, or status information.

Each of the top-level nodes in the tree control has a plus (+) symbol, which indicates that there are subnodes. When you click the node, Network Registrar attempts to connect to the node, using the last name and password you entered. If this is not the correct name and password, Network Registrar prompts you for another one.

When you click a server, Network Registrar reads the names of the scopes or zones. Only when you click a scope or zone does Network Registrar read the data in the node.

Some of the nodes may not have subnodes, that is, a DNS server may not have zones, or a DHCP server may not have scopes. When you click the plus symbol for these nodes, the plus symbol disappears. This behavior is similar to the behavior of Windows Explorer in Windows NT, 95, and 98.

Figure 2-10: Server Mana ger Window

Note Network Registrar treats the @ symbol in server names (tree control) as a special character. Before displaying the server name, Network Registrar removes all characters after and including the @ symbol. This is typically the cluster name; however, if you rename your server using an @ symbol, the characters after the @ symbol are lost.

Network Registrar Icons

The Server Manager uses icons to indicate different Network Registrar components. Table 2-1 lists all the icons you will see in the Server Manager tree control.

Table 2-1: Network Registrar Icons

Icon Description

List of clusters

Cluster

DNS server

DNS server that needs to be reloaded (the red star indicates the need to reload.)

DNS zone

DNS secondary zone

DHCP server

DHCP server that needs to be reloaded

DHCP scope

Icon	Description
	List of clusters
	Cluster
	DNS server
	DNS server that needs to be reloaded (the red star indicates the need to reload.)
	DNS zone
	DNS secondary zone
	DHCP server
	DHCP server that needs to be reloaded
	DHCP scope

Server Status Monitor Window

The Server Status Monitor window (Figure 2-11) is a window in which you can place server icons so that you can monitor their state. The icons change to reflect the server's current state. For instructions on how to add or remove servers from the Server Status Monitor window, see the "Server Status Monitor Window" section.

The traffic lights indicate the state of the server: started is green and stopped is red.
The bar to the right of the traffic light shows the health of the server, that is, it indicates how well the server is running. The health is a combination of servers' resources and network balance.

Figure 2-11: Server Status Monitor Window

The following items can decrement the health of the servers:

DNS server
- Memory allocation errors
- Unable to contact root servers
DHCP Server
- Configuration errors
- Out of memory
- Low on packet caching
- Options would not fit in packet limit stated
- No more leases available

Note

Status Bar

The Status bar (Figure 2-12) appears at the bottom of the Network Registrar Server Manager window. It provides information about commands or actions. When you highlight a menu item, you will see a short description of its function in the status bar.

Figure 2-12: Status Bar

About the Command Line Interface

Through Network Registrar's command line interface (CLI) nrcmd, you can control your servers' operations. It allows you to set all Network Registrar configurable options, as well as to start and stop the servers.

For detailed procedural information on how to perform administrative tasks on Network Registrar servers using the command line interface, see "Administering Network Registrar".

This remainder of this section describes how to use the nrcmd command and provides the following information:

Invoking and exiting the nrcmd command
Using the nrcmd command arguments
A listing of the complete nrcmd commands

Invoking the Nrcmd Program

You can use the nrcmd command in batch mode by executing scripts that use the commands, or by using the interactive mode in which you enter commands at the nrcmd program prompt.

The nrcmd command is located in:

NT---\Program Files\Network Registrar\bin
Solaris---/opt/nwreg2/usrbin on Solaris.

The command syntax is as follows:

nrcmd general-options command specific-options

The general options are:

-C clustername 
-N username
-P password

These general options are not required. If you supply them, you must precede them with -C, -N, or -P. If you do not supply them, Network Registrar gets them from the registry (on NT), or environment variables (on Solaris and NT). If Network Registrar cannot find values for these parameters, it prompts you for them.

Note If you do not specify -C clustername on a system where NR servers are installed, the nrcmd command assumes access to localhost and does not prompt you.

The NT registry and Solaris or NT environment variables are AIC_NAME for the name, AIC_PASSWORD for the password, and AIC_CLUSTER for the cluster name. The NT registry path is Software\American Internet\Registrar\2.0 and the registry hive is HKEY_CURRENT_USER.

To execute the command line interface in interactive mode, type:

nrcmd [-C cluster] [-N user] [-P password]

Typing this command displays the interactive prompt nrcmd> to which you type:

nrcmd> command [optional parameters]

To specify a series of items, use commas between the items. Do not add a space after the comma.

Exiting the Nrcmd Program

Exiting Network Registrar's user interface does not affect your network servers' or your hosts' ability to request leases or access the Internet.

To exit Network Registrar's CLI, use the exit command. Network Registrar writes all of your unsaved changes to the database; however the server does not read the new changes until you use the reload command. If Network Registrar is unable to save your changes, it displays the same error code as if you had used the save command.

Use the exit command to quit Network Registrar's command line interface when you are in interactive mode.

nrcmd> exit

Getting Help

To view the online help for the Network Registrar nrcmd command line interface, type help.

nrcmd> help command

Command Organization

The nrcmd commands specify a class of object that you can create, delete, or list. Each of these objects in turn has properties that you can set or get, and features that you can enable, disable, or test. These objects can also have methods that are specific to the type of object, and that let you perform operations on groups of properties.

When you use the nrcmd commands to configure Network Registrar, you manipulate the following:

Classes of objects---These are things that you can create, delete, or list such as scopes, policies, or zones.
- create---Creates an entry. If the entry already exists, this command overwrites it with the new information.
- delete---Removes an entry.
- list---Displays all the entries with a single line for each one.
Properties of objects---These are things whose value you can set or display. They include a DNS zone's minimum TTL, or the DHCP server's lease time.
- set---Sets the value of the property.
- unset---Establishes the property as having no value. You cannot unset required properties.
- get---Displays the value of the property.
- show---Displays the values of all the properties.
Features of objects---These are things that you enable or disable. They include whether you want permanent leases or whether you want to use the DHCP LDAP service. You use the e nable, disable, and get
commands to manipulate them. After you enable a feature, you often need to set its associated properties.
- enable---Enables a feature.
- disable---Disables a feature.
- get---Displays the value of the feature.
Methods---These are operations that you can perform on groups of properties, such as adding a range of IP addresses to a scope, or removing hosts from a zone.

How you specify a series of arguments depends on the type of command you are using. The following sections describe the difference between using the create, set, and enable commands.

Using the Create Command

When you use the create command and there are required arguments, you must supply them. You can also supply additional arguments. You must supply the required arguments in the specified order; however, you can specify the optional arguments in any order with the syntax prop=value.

For example, the syntax for creating a scope is scope name create addr mask [prop=value], which means that you must supply an IP address and mask when you create a scope, and you can optionally specify other properties of the scope.

The following example creates the scope testScope with the IP address of 128.103.1.1 and a mask of 255.255.255.0.

nrcmd> scope testScope create 128.103.1.1 255.255.255.0

If you want to create a scope and also specify the name of the DNS zone to which a DHCP client's host name should be added, type:

nrcmd> scope testScope create 128.103.1.1 255.255.255.0 dns-zone-name=QuickExample.com

After the create command creates and assigns all specified parameters to the object, it checks that all the required properties have values (either defaults or user-specified). If you neglect to supply the required arguments, Network Registrar reports an error.

Using the Set Command

You use the set command to set the value of a property. If you want to set a list of things, such as DNS servers, or IP addresses, you can separate them with commas. You can also use the set command to set several properties on a single line---just specify the property and its value followed by a space and the next property and value pair.

To specify the name of the DNS zone to which a DHCP client's host name should be added, type:

nrcmd> scope testScope set dns-zone-name=QuickExample.com

To specify the list of IP addresses that you will allow to perform zone transfers, type:

nrcmd> zone QuickExample.com set 
auth-servers=196.68.1.10,196.68.1.20

To set the client's client-class and domain-name, type:

nrcmd> client 1,6,02:02:02:02:02:02 set
client-class-name=internal 
domain-name=QuickExample.com

Using the Enable Command

You use the enable command to enable a feature. After you enable a feature you often need to set its associated properties.

To enable incremental transfer processing for the DNS server, type:

nrcmd> dns enable ixfr-enable

Then to change the incremental transfer expiration interval, type:

nrcmd> dns set ixfr-expire-interval=10d

Note You cannot add set commands to an enable command line. First enable the feature, and then on the next command line, set the associated properties.

Saving Your Changes

The CLI saves your changes to the database after one of the following events occurs:

The save command is invoked.

You exit from nrcmd. (The server does not read your changes until you type the reload command.)

A server is reloaded.

A resource record or a host to a zone is added.

Nrcmd Commands List

This section contains the complete list of commands, grouped alphabetically. You can use them on the command line or insert them into scripts..
Table 2-2: Nrcmd Commands

Command Description

admin

Creates administrators and assigns them passwords

client

Creates clients and assigns them to client-classes

client-class

Creates client-classes

client-class policy

Sets embedded client-class policies

client-policy

Sets embedded client policies

custom-option

Creates a custom DHCP option

dhcp

Specifies the DHCP server's properties

dhcp-interface

Specifies the IP address of the DHCP server's hardware card

dns

Specifies the DNS server's properties

exit

Quits the nrcmd command

export

Writes the state of the lease or a zone to a file

extension

Integrates user-written DHCP extensions into the Network Registrar DHCP server

force-lock

Obtains an exclusive lock for the nrcmd command session

help

Provides online help

import

Loads configuration information from a file

ldap

Specifies the LDAP remote server's properties

lease

Specifies DHCP leases' properties

lease-notification

Notifies you when you run out of available leases in a scope

license

Views and updates license information

listaddr

Reports IP address utilization

policy

Specifies the policy information

remote-dns

Specifies information about remote DNS servers

report

Creates a summary of the dynamic and static IP address utilization for one or more clusters

save

Saves the current configuration changes

scope

Specifies the scopes' properties

scope-policy

Sets embedded scopes properties

scope-selection-tag

Creates scope selection tags

server

Affects server behavior

session

Configures session parameters

tftp

Specifies the TFTP server's properties

zone

Specifies the DNS zones' properties

Command	Description
admin	Creates administrators and assigns them passwords
client	Creates clients and assigns them to client-classes
client-class	Creates client-classes
client-class policy	Sets embedded client-class policies
client-policy	Sets embedded client policies
custom-option	Creates a custom DHCP option
dhcp	Specifies the DHCP server's properties
dhcp-interface	Specifies the IP address of the DHCP server's hardware card
dns	Specifies the DNS server's properties
exit	Quits the nrcmd command
export	Writes the state of the lease or a zone to a file
extension	Integrates user-written DHCP extensions into the Network Registrar DHCP server
force-lock	Obtains an exclusive lock for the nrcmd command session
help	Provides online help
import	Loads configuration information from a file
ldap	Specifies the LDAP remote server's properties
lease	Specifies DHCP leases' properties
lease-notification	Notifies you when you run out of available leases in a scope
license	Views and updates license information
listaddr	Reports IP address utilization
policy	Specifies the policy information
remote-dns	Specifies information about remote DNS servers
report	Creates a summary of the dynamic and static IP address utilization for one or more clusters
save	Saves the current configuration changes
scope	Specifies the scopes' properties
scope-policy	Sets embedded scopes properties
scope-selection-tag	Creates scope selection tags
server	Affects server behavior
session	Configures session parameters
tftp	Specifies the TFTP server's properties
zone	Specifies the DNS zones' properties

About the Web GUI

The Network Registrar Web GUI (Web GUI) lets you log in to your Network Registrar servers and run four different types of reports. These reports are:

Server status---Displays the status of the specified server. It indicates whether the server is running or stopped.
Address usage---Displays the IP address usage for all the servers or just some of the servers in your network.
Lease status---Displays the status of leases, whether they are available, reserved, and if reserved the associated MAC address.
Related servers---Displays the status of the connection between the main and backup DHCP servers (if you are using failover).

The remainder of this section explains how to access the Web GUI and describes the components used to run Network Registrar status reports.

Note If you install a new version of Network Registrar, you must restart your Web server.

Accessing the Web GUI

Step 1 Point your browser to the Network Registrar GUI page configured by your administrator.

Figure 2-13: Network Registrar Web GUI Main Screen

Step 2 Enter the Name and Password fields.

Step 3 Click Reporting. The Network Registrar Web GUI Reporting screen appears (Figure 2-14).

Figure 2-14: Network Registrar Web GUI Reporting Screen

Running the Server Status Report

To run the Server status report:

Step 1 From the Network Registrar Web GUI Reporting screen (Figure 2-14), type the name of the server in the Server field and

Step 2 Click Server Status. The Server Status Report screen (Figure 2-15) displays a report for the specified server.

Figure 2-15 shows the type of output displayed.

Figure 2-15: Server Status Report Screen (Web GUI)

Running the Address Usage Report

To run the Address Usage report:

Step 1 From the Network Registrar Web GUI Reporting screen (Figure 2-14), perform one of the following steps in the Servers field:

Select All. This displays the Address Usage Report (Figure 2-16) for all servers in your node.
Type the name of the server in the Select the Server Named field. Then type the name of the server for which you want to display the Address Usage report.

Step 2 Type the mask bits number or accept the default of 16.

Step 3 Click DHCP Only if you want to display the Address Usage report for DHCP leases only.

Step 4 Click Address Usage. The Address Usage Report Request screen displays a report for the specified server or all servers.

Figure 2-16 shows the type of output displayed for all servers, with DHCP Only selected.

Figure 2-16: Address Usage Report (Web GUI)

Running the Lease Status Report

To run the Lease status report:

Step 1 From the Network Registrar Web GUI Reporting screen (Figure 2-14), type the name of the server in the Lease Status Report Server field.

Step 2 Click Lease Server Status.

Figure 2-17 shows the type of output displayed for a server's leases.

Figure 2-17: Lease Server Status Report (Web GUI)

Running the Related Servers Report

To run the Related Servers report:

Step 1 From the Network Registrar Web GUI Reporting screen (Figure 2-14), type the name of the server in the Relates Servers Report Servers field.

Step 2 Click Related Servers.

Figure 2-18 shows the type of output displayed for a server's leases.

Figure 2-18: Related Servers Report (Web GUI)

Handling Errors

If Network Registrar cannot run the report you requested, it displays an error. Table 2-3 lists and explains the errors you might see.

Error message	Description
No server found. Please contact your administrator	You might have typed the name incorrectly or there is no server of that name on your network.
Old database. Your version of the database is older than the one supported by this tool.	The version of Network Registrar that is running on the servers is older than the version on the system on which you are running the Web Gui. To run these reports, yuour administrator needs to upgrade the servers.
Old version. Your version of nrcmd is older than the one supported by this tool. Please contact your administrator.	You are running different versions of Network Registrar on the servers and the Web GUI. Your administrator needs to upgrade the servers.

Table 2-3: Errors Reported for Web GUI Reports

Error message Description

No server found. Please contact your administrator

You might have typed the name incorrectly or there is no server of that name on your network.

Old database. Your version of the database is older than the one supported by this tool.

The version of Network Registrar that is running on the servers is older than the version on the system on which you are running the Web Gui. To run these reports, yuour administrator needs to upgrade the servers.

Old version. Your version of nrcmd is older than the one supported by this tool. Please contact your administrator.

You are running different versions of Network Registrar on the servers and the Web GUI. Your administrator needs to upgrade the servers.

Table of Contents

Network Registrar User Interfaces