Table of Contents

Preparation Overview
Accessing the Server
Logging In
Configuring the Server
Setting Up Inventory

Adding or Importing Inventory Data

Adding Device Information Manually
Importing Device Information

Creating a Device View
Changing Device Attributes (Credentials and Serial Numbers)

Verifying Availability
Setting Up Syslog Analysis

Configuring Devices for Syslog Analysis

Configuring Cisco IOS Devices
Configuring Catalyst Devices

Verifying the Syslog Analyzer

Setting Up Software Management

Space Requirements for Downloaded Files
Setting Up File Transfer Servers
Adding Device Passwords
Configuring the SMTP Server
Setting Software Management Preferences

Setting Up Configuration Management

Entering Device Credentials
Modifying Device Configurations

Make Sure Devices Are rcp-enabled
Configure Devices for Syslog Analysis

Modifying Device Security
Setting Up Netsys Integration

Supported Netsys Versions
Upgrading Netsys Integration
Setting Up Netsys on a Remote Windows NT System
Troubleshooting Netsys Integration Setup

Setting Up NetConfig

Verifying Device Configurations
Verifying Device Credentials (Attributes)
Modifying Device Security
Verify Device Prompts

Logging Out

Preparing to Use Essentials Applications

Now that you have installed and set up Essentials, you must configure the server for Essentials and prepare Essentials applications for use.

• Preparation Overview

• Accessing the Server

• Logging In

• Configuring the Server

• Setting Up Inventory

• Verifying Availability

• Setting Up Syslog Analysis

• Setting Up Software Management

• Setting Up Configuration Management

Preparation Overview

Table 2-1 is an overview of preparing to use Essentials applications, with references to more detailed information about each task.

Table 2-1: Preparing to Use Essentials Applications Task Overview

Task	Steps	References
1. Configure the system.	Enter information about the proxy server, SNMP, SMTP, and rcp.	"Configuring the Server" section.
2. Set up Inventory.	a. Create network inventory by either: Adding device information by adding one device at a time. Importing device information from a file or an NMS database.	"Adding or Importing Inventory Data" section.
	b. (Optional) Create a device view.	"Creating a Device View" section.
	c. (Optional) Obtain login privileges to Cisco Connection Online (CCO).	If you do not have login privileges, go to the CCO home page, www.cisco.com, to obtain a login.
	d. (Optional) Enter device serial numbers for devices that have Contract Connection service contracts.	"Changing Device Attributes (Credentials and Serial Numbers)" section.
	e. (Optional) Perform the following Inventory setup tasks: Schedule inventory polling and collection. Set change report filters. Display a detailed device report.	Inventory online help.
3. Set up Availability.	a. Create a device view with at least one device.	"Verifying Availability" section and "Creating a Device View" section.
	b. Verify that Availability functions correctly.	"Verifying Availability" section
4. Set up Syslog Analysis.	a. Configure your routers and switches for syslog analysis.	"Configuring Devices for Syslog Analysis" section.
	b. Verify that Syslog messages are being processed by the Syslog Analyzer.	"Verifying the Syslog Analyzer" section.
5. Set up Software Management.	a. Set up file transfer servers.	"Setting Up File Transfer Servers" section.
	b. Add device passwords to inventory.	"Adding Device Passwords" section.
	c. Set Software Management preferences.	"Setting Software Management Preferences" section.
	d. Obtain login privileges to CCO for importing software images.	If you do not have login privileges, go to the CCO home page, www.cisco.com, to obtain a login.
	e. (Optional) Perform setup tasks. Create a baseline of the devices in your network and populate the software image library. Schedule the Browse Defects job to run periodically. Schedule the Synchronize Library job to run periodically. Create one or more approver lists if you want to use the Maker Checker option. Distribute a software image to a device or group of devices.	Software Management online help.
6. Set up Configuration Management.	a. Enter passwords.	"Entering Device Credentials" section.
	b. Modify device configurations.	"Modifying Device Configurations" section.
	c. Modify device security.	"Modifying Device Security" section.
	d. Upgrade, set up, and troubleshoot Netsys integration if you are using the Cisco Netsys application.	"Setting Up Netsys Integration" section.
	e. Set up NetConfig: f. Verify device configurations in configuration archive. Verify device credentials. Modify device security. Verify device prompts.	"Setting Up NetConfig" section and the NetConfig online help.
	g. (Optional) Perform NetConfig setup tasks: Install Client Application Manager on client systems. Configure default job properties. Assign template access privileges to users. Enable Job Approval.	NetConfig online help.

Accessing the Server

When you access the CiscoWorks2000 Server, the CiscoWorks2000 main screen, with the Login Manager displayed, appears. To access the server, enter the URL of the server in the web browser:

http://server_name:1741  
 

where server_name is the name of the CiscoWorks2000 Server and 1741 is the default TCP port. See Getting Started with the CiscoWorks2000 Server for information about administrator logins.

Logging In

To perform administrator setup tasks, you must log in as system administrator.

User Name: admin
Password: admin

Step 2 Click Connect. The Login Manager dialog box is replaced by the navigation tree.

Configuring the Server

You can configure system-wide information for Essentials applications using the System Configuration option. You should verify that the default information is correct or enter corrected information.

Step 2 Select one of the following tabs to enter information or to verify that the configured information is correct:

See Table 2-2 for descriptions of the tabs.

Step 3 Click Apply to save changed information, or click Defaults to apply the defaults.

Step 4 Repeat Step 2 and Step 3 until you have verified or corrected all the information displayed in the System Configuration dialog box. The dialog box is displayed until you select another option from the navigation tree.

Setting Up Inventory

This section describes the tasks that you must perform to set up the Inventory application.

Adding or Importing Inventory Data

You must have at least one managed device (a device whose inventory information is tracked by Essentials) to verify correct Essentials installation. To manage your network, you need to add the device information for all your managed devices.

You can populate your network inventory by:

• Adding devices one at a time by entering the device information manually.

• Importing a group of devices from:

  • A comma-separated value (CSV) file or a device integration file (DIF) that you create from another information source.

  • A supported network management system (NMS) on the same host as your server (local import).

  • A supported NMS on a different host from your server (remote import).

The supported NMS software is described in the "Supported NMS Environments for Device Import" section.

Adding Device Information Manually

This section describes how to add devices manually and troubleshoot problems you might have when using this method of adding devices.

You must fill in the Device Name field with the device name or IP address. For Inventory, the other fields in this dialog box are optional. For other applications, you might need to fill in other fields. For more information, refer to the online help.

Step 3 Click Next. The Enter Login Authentication Information dialog box appears.

You must fill in the Read Community String and Write Community String fields and verify the passwords. For Inventory, the other fields in this dialog box are optional. For other applications, you might need to fill in other fields. For more information, refer to the online help.

Step 7 Use the Add/Import Status Summary to check the status of the device you specified. You should see the following:

Device Status	Number of Devices
Managed	0
Alias	0
Pending	1
Conflicting	0
Suspended	0
Not Responding	0
Device Attribute Errors	0

Step 8 Click Update on the Add/Import Status Summary dialog box to update device status.

You might need to wait several minutes for the device to become managed. Click Update on the Add/Import Status Summary dialog box every minute or so to check current device status.

For additional information, refer to the online help.

If you added a device and the Add/Import Status Summary dialog box shows that the device status has not changed from pending within 15 minutes, check the status of all processes to make sure they are running normally:

Step 10 To determine if the DIServer process is running, select CiscoWorks2000 Server > Administration > Process Management > Process Status. (The DIServer is the process responsible for validating devices and changing their status from pending.)

Even if the DIServer process has the state Running Normally, it might be in an error state. You need to stop and restart it:

Step 11 Select Resource Manager Essentials > Administration > Inventory > Import Status to return to the Add/Import Status Summary screen, then click Update. The device status should change to managed within a couple of minutes.

Importing Device Information

You can import devices from a file or from a local or remote network management system (NMS).

• To import devices from a file, extract data from your existing data source into a comma-separated value (CSV) file or device integration file (DIF). Select Resource Manager Essentials > Administration > Inventory > Import from File to access the CSV or DIF file and import the device information. For additional information, refer to the online help.

• To import devices from a local NMS database, select Resource Manager Essentials > Administration > Inventory > Import from Local NMS. The available databases are listed in the Local NMS Import dialog box. For information about the device import software supported for local import, see the "Supported NMS Environments for Device Import" section. For additional information, refer to the online help.

• To import devices from a remote NMS database:

  • You might have to work with the system administrator of the host on which the NMS database is running. For more information, refer to the online help.

  • You must perform several system and NMS configuration steps that are contingent upon the NMS you are using. For information about the device import software supported for remote import, see the "Supported NMS Environments for Device Import" section. For additional information, refer to the online help.

  • After you configure your system and NMS, select Resource Manager Essentials > Administration > Inventory > Import from Remote NMS to import devices from the databases listed in the Remote NMS Import dialog box.

If you have difficulty importing device information, try the following:

• Increase the SNMP timeout setting. Refer to the online help for more information.

• Verify that you have correct read community strings entered for the devices.

Creating a Device View

To set up and verify the Essentials applications, you must create a static device view (a group of devices) that includes at least one device. For additional information, refer to the online help.

Step 6 Click Finish.

Changing Device Attributes (Credentials and Serial Numbers)

To make sure your devices have the correct device access, password information, and user information, you can change the device attributes. For Contract Connection to provide accurate contract status information, you must add device serial numbers to the entries of devices that have service contracts.

To check device attributes, select Resource Manager Essentials > Administration > Inventory > Check Device Attributes.

To edit device attributes:

---

Step 1 Select Resource Manager Essentials > Administration > Inventory > Change Device Attributes. The Change Device Attributes dialog box appears.

Step 2 Select the device whose device information you want to edit, then click Next. The Change dialog box displays the options.

Step 3 Select one or more options, then click Next. A dialog box appears for each option you selected. The dialog box fields are blank; they do not display current information.

Step 4 Edit dialog boxes as follows:

• To retain the current value, leave the field blank.

• To change a value, enter the new information in the field. If you are changing a password, you must enter the username.

• To delete a value, click Delete next to the field. If you are deleting a password, you must also enter the username.

---

Note Verify your entries before you click Next in any dialog box. If you change device attributes, you cannot undo the change, except by reediting.

---

Step 5 When you finish with a dialog box:

• Click Next to apply the changes and go to the next dialog box.

• Click Finish to apply the changes and exit the final dialog box.

• Click Back to close the dialog box without changing any information.

Verifying Availability

To verify that Availability is working correctly, you must have a test device view with at least one device. You can use the view you created during Inventory setup. Use this test device view to verify that Availability displays the devices in the view in the Reachability Dashboard.

---

Step 1 Select Resource Manager Essentials > Administration > Availability > Change Polling Options.

Step 2 Select the test device view that you created from the All Views list, then click Add to add it to the Polled Views list.

This creates a view for Availability polling.

---

Note You must add views to the Polled Views list. Only polled views are monitored.

---

Step 3 Click Next. The Change Polling Options dialog box appears.

Step 4 Select 5 Minutes from the Verify device reachability every drop-down list, then click Finish.

Step 5 Wait for at least 10 minutes to make sure Availability polls the devices in your test device view.

Step 6 Select Resource Manager Essentials > Availability > Reachability Dashboard. The Reachability Dashboard appears.

Step 7 Click the view name. The devices in your test device view should appear in the Reachability Dashboard.

---

Now that you have configured one Availability view and specified polling parameters, you can monitor devices and run reports. For details about using Availability, refer to the online help.

Setting Up Syslog Analysis

Syslog Analysis lets you centrally log and track messages generated by devices. You can use the logged error message data to analyze router and network performance. You can customize Syslog Analysis to produce the information and message reports that are important to your operation.

Because system message logging is not part of the Windows NT operating system, Essentials provides syslog message logging as a Windows NT service (Essentials syslog service). The syslog service saves each system message to the default directory, C:\Programs Files\CSCOpx. Syslog Analysis reads the syslog.log file for messages, processes the messages, and writes them to the Essentials database. CGI scripts use the database information to generate system message reports.

Refer to the online help for more information about Syslog Analysis.

Configuring Devices for Syslog Analysis

Before you can use Syslog Analysis, you must configure routers and devices to forward messages to Essentials or a system on which you have installed the distributed Syslog Analyzer collector. For more information about setting up devices for message logging, refer to the Syslog online help, the Cisco IOS Software Documentation on CCO (for Cisco IOS devices), and the appropriate reference guide.

Configuring Cisco IOS Devices

To configure Cisco IOS devices:

Step 2 Enter enable and the enable password. The prompt changes to host#.

Step 3 Enter configure terminal. You are now in configuration mode, and the prompt changes to host(config)#.

Step 4 To make sure logging is enabled, enter logging on.

Step 5 To specify the Essentials server to receive the router syslog messages, enter logging 123.45.67.89 (where 123.45.67.89 is the IP address of the server).

Step 6 Set the logging trap level by entering logging trap informational.

Configuring Catalyst Devices

To configure Catalyst devices:

Step 2 Enter enable and the enable password. The prompt changes to host(enable).

Step 3 To make sure logging is enabled, enter set logging server enable.

Step 4 Enter set logging server 123.45.67.89 (where 123.45.67.89 is the IP address of the server) to specify the server that is to receive the Catalyst switch syslog messages.

Step 5 Set the logging trap level by entering set logging all level 6 default.

Severity level 6 means all messages from level 0-6 (from alerts to informationals) will be logged to the server.

Step 6 Verify that the syslog filter file settings are correct.

Step 7 Verify that syslog is running by selecting CiscoWorks2000 Server > Administration > Process Management > Process Status.

Verifying the Syslog Analyzer

To verify that the Syslog Analyzer is processing syslog messages from the network:

# enable
# configure terminal
 

#> banner motd /
This is a test /
#> end
 

Verify that the report contains the Syslog message generated by the configuration change.

Setting Up Software Management

Software Management performs system software upgrades, boot loader upgrades, and software configuration operations on groups of routers and switches. For more information about setting up Software Management, refer to the online help.

Space Requirements for Downloaded Files

Before you can use Software Management, you must have sufficient space to store the software image files. You should have 2 to 8 MB of space for each image.

Setting Up File Transfer Servers

Essentials installs two file-transfer servers that the Software Management application uses to transfer software files:

• A Trivial File Transfer Protocol (TFTP) server

During Software Management installation, the tftpboot directory is created under the directory in which Essentials is installed (the default is C:\Program Files\CSCOpx).

This directory saves and stores files that are loaded to a device when you use Essentials applications supported by TFTP. All users have read, write, and execute privileges to the tftpboot directory.

• A remote copy (rcp) server

You can disable rcp if you do not want Essentials to use it with any devices.

Step 3 Click Finish.

Adding Device Passwords

Before you can use Software Management to manage device software images, you must add the required device passwords to Inventory.

Read and write community strings are required and the Telnet password is recommended. For information, see the "Changing Device Attributes (Credentials and Serial Numbers)" section or the online help.

Configuring the SMTP Server

Software Management uses an SMTP server on your network to deliver reports. The default location is localhost, which means that Software Management uses the SMTP server on the server.

Step 4 Click Apply.

Setting Software Management Preferences

Software Management has many preferences that you can set to control how the application behaves.

• Click Finish to save your changes.

• Click Default to display the default configuration.

Setting Up Configuration Management

Before Configuration Management can gather device configurations, you need to update the Essentials database with passwords, modify device configurations, and modify device security. You might also need to integrate Netsys and set up NetConfig.

Entering Device Credentials

Before the configuration archive can gather device configurations, you need to enter the following device credentials:

• TACACS, local, and rcp information for the devices

  • If a device is configured for TACACS authentication, add the TACACS username and password, not the Telnet passwords.

  • If a device is configured for local user authentication, add the local username and password.

If you already added or imported devices into Inventory and did not specify this information, you can change the device attributes. For information, see the "Changing Device Attributes (Credentials and Serial Numbers)" section, or the Inventory online help.

Modifying Device Configurations

You need to modify your device configurations to enable Configuration Management to gather the configurations. After your devices become managed, the configuration files are collected and stored in the configuration archive.

Make Sure Devices Are rcp-enabled

To make sure the devices are rcp-enabled, log in to each device and enter the following commands in the device configurations:

# ip rcmd rcp-enable
# ip rcmd remote-host remote_username IP_address local_username enable
 

where IP_address is the IP address of the system on which Essentials is installed. (Alternatively, you can enter the hostname.) The default remote_username and local_username are cwuser.

Configure Devices for Syslog Analysis

Configure your devices for Syslog Analysis if you want the device configurations to be gathered and stored automatically in the configuration archive when syslog messages are received. For information, see the "Setting Up Syslog Analysis" section or refer to the online help.

Modifying Device Security

To archive device configurations, Configuration Management must be able to run certain commands on the devices. You must disable the security on the devices that prevents Configuration Management from running the commands shown in Table 2-3.

Table 2-3: Required Configuration Management Commands

Command Type	Command	Description
IOS commands	term len 0	Turns paging off for the Telnet session.
	write term	Gets the running configuration.
	show config	Gets the startup configuration.
Catalyst commands	set len 0	Turns paging off for the Telnet session.
	write term	Gets the running configuration.
FastSwitch command	show run	Gets the running configuration.

Setting Up Netsys Integration

Netsys is a Cisco network management application that you can choose to integrate with Essentials. After integration, you can pass information to Netsys from the Inventory application and receive Netsys reports that you can view from the CiscoWorks2000 interface.

Supported Netsys Versions

You can integrate Configuration Management with the following versions of Netsys:

• Version 4.2 for UNIX operating systems

• Version 4.0.1 for Windows NT

Upgrading Netsys Integration

When you upgrade from a previous version of Essentials, you must upgrade Netsys integration. You can choose either of the following procedures. The two procedures have different effects. The second procedure must be performed before you begin the CiscoWorks2000 upgrade.

Step 2 Access CiscoWorks2000 and log in as administrator.

Step 3 Select Resource Manager Essentials > Administration > Configuration Management > General Setup. The General Setup dialog box appears.

Step 4 Select the Netsys Setup tab.

Step 5 Select the Create Baseline check box, then click Apply.

If a message appears informing you about a timeout problem or an exception, click Apply to continue. The baseline regeneration proceeds.

The following procedure restores the previous Netsys setup information, baseline, and reports. Report generation will continue after the upgrade according to the previous schedule.

Caution This procedure must be performed before you begin the upgrade installation.

Step 2 Upgrade to Essentials 3.1.

Step 3 Restore the files and directories you backed up to the directory install_dir/htdocs/netsys, where install_dir is the directory where Essentials 3.1 is installed.

Setting Up Netsys on a Remote Windows NT System

Note The following setup tasks are not required when Netsys is installed on the same system as CiscoWorks2000.

To integrate with Netsys running on a remote Windows NT system:

Step 2 Copy the rcmf.exe file from the CiscoWorks2000 Server to any directory on the Netsys server (c:\Temp is recommended).

This file is located in the install_dir\RemoteNetsysNT directory, where install_dir is the directory in which CiscoWorks2000 is installed.

Step 3 Run rcmf.exe on the Netsys server to install remote shell services:

a. Exit all running programs.

b. Open an MS-DOS window.

c. Navigate to the directory to which you copied rcmf.exe.

d. Enter rcmf and press the Enter key. The installation program starts. A dialog box appears asking if you want to install rcmf.

e. Click Yes. The Welcome dialog box appears.

f. Click Next. The Setup type dialog box appears.

g. Select the Typical or Custom setup type:

• Typical installs rcmf in the C:\Program Files\rcmf directory with no more interaction.

• Custom allows you to select the installation directory.

h. Click Next.

• If you selected the Typical setup type, the Start Copying Files dialog appears. Go to step (j).

• If you selected the Custom setup type, the Destination Location dialog appears.

i. In the Destination Location dialog box, click Browse to browse for the directory in which to install rcmf, then click Next. The Start Copying Files dialog box appears.

j. Click Next in the Start Copying Files dialog box to start installing files, or click Cancel to cancel the installation.

Rcmf is installed, and the Setup Complete dialog box appears. A CiscoWorks2000 Remote Service entry with an uninstall option is added to the Program menu.

Step 4 On the Netsys server:

a. Make sure that the TMPDIR system variable is defined. If it is not, define it as a full path to an existing directory.

b. To start the remote shell services, enter net start crmrsh from the directory in which you installed them.

c. From the directory in which you installed the remote shell services, enter the command that corresponds to your CiscoWorks Server type. CW2000_host is the name of the CiscoWorks2000 Server.

• For a Windows NT CiscoWorks2000 Server, enter:

# crmrsh addrhost "CW2000_host SYSTEM" Administrator
# crmrsh addrhost "CW2000_host bin" Administrator
 

• For a UNIX CiscoWorks2000 Server, enter:

# crmrsh addrhost "CW2000_host bin" Administrator
 

d. Add an entry to the hosts file for the CiscoWorks2000 Server. The hosts file is located in the directory c:\Winnt\system32\drivers\etc.

Step 5 Verify that the CiscoWorks2000 and Netsys servers can communicate with each other over the network by pinging each system from the other.

Step 6 Verify that remote shell services are running correctly:

a. On the Netsys server, enter:

# crmrsh addrhost CW2000_host username Administrator
 

where CW2000_host is the name of the CiscoWorks2000 Server and username is an operating system login name.

b. Log in to the CiscoWorks2000 Server using the login that you entered on the Netsys server system (username).

c. On the CiscoWorks2000 Server, enter:

# rsh -l Administrator Netsys_host "dir"
 

where Netsys_host is the name of the Netsys server, to list the contents of the root directory on the Netsys server.

If a directory listing appears, the remote shell services are working.

Troubleshooting Netsys Integration Setup

If you have any problems setting up integration with Netsys running on a Windows NT system, troubleshoot the Netsys server.

Step 5 To troubleshoot other errors, examine the netsys_debug.log file, which is located in the directory specified by the value of the PX_TMPDIR environment variable.

Setting Up NetConfig

This section describes how to set up NetConfig.

Verifying Device Configurations

NetConfig can configure only devices that have archived configurations. To verify that devices you want to configure have an archived configuration and troubleshoot those that do not, use the Archive Status report.

For information, refer to the Configuration Management online help.

Verifying Device Credentials (Attributes)

Make sure every device you want to configure using NetConfig has correct device credentials in the Inventory application. NetConfig must have access to the correct credentials to make device configuration changes.

To verify device credentials, select Resource Manager Essentials > Administration > Inventory > Check Device Attributes. If any devices that you want to configure with NetConfig have incorrect credentials, see the "Changing Device Attributes (Credentials and Serial Numbers)" section or the online help.

Modifying Device Security

In addition to running the configuration commands that you assign to each job, NetConfig must run certain commands on devices to configure them. You must disable the security on these devices that prevents NetConfig from running the commands listed in Table 2-4.

Table 2-4: Required NetConfig Commands

Command Type	Command	Description
IOS commands	term len 0	Turns paging off for the Telnet session.
	write term	Gets the running configuration.
	show config	Gets the startup configuration.
	reload	Reloads or resets the device.
	write mem	Writes the running configuration to the startup configuration.
	erase startup	Erases the startup configuration.
	config t	Enters config mode.
	exit	Exits config mode.
Catalyst commands	set len 0	Turns paging off for the Telnet session.
	write term	Gets the running configuration.
	reload	Reloads or resets the device.
FastSwitch command	show run	Gets the running configuration.
	reload	Reloads or resets the device.

Verify Device Prompts

NetConfig requires the following CLI prompts:

• For Cisco IOS devices, the login prompt must end with a greater-than symbol (>), and the enable prompt must end with a pound sign (#).

• For Catalyst devices, the enable prompt must end with the string:

(enable)
 

These are the default prompts. If you have changed the defaults, make sure the prompts meet the requirements listed above.

Logging Out

To end your system administrator tasks, you must log out of CiscoWorks2000.

Posted: Fri Mar 31 10:49:21 PST 2000
Copyright 1989 - 2000©Cisco Systems Inc.