Overview

The Resource Manager Essentials (Essentials) suite is part of the CiscoWorks2000 family of products. It is an enterprise solution to network management. This suite of web-based network management tools enables administrators to collect the monitoring, fault, and availability information needed to track devices critical to the network. Essentials is based on a client/server architecture that connects multiple web-based clients to a server on the network. As the number of network devices increases, additional servers or collection points can be added to manage network growth with little impact on the client browser application.

By taking advantage of the scalability inherent in the intranet architecture, Essentials supports multiple users anywhere on the network. The web-based infrastructure gives network operators, administrators, technicians, Help Desk staff, IS managers, and end users access to network management tools, applications, and services.

Essentials applications provide the network monitoring and fault information you need to track devices critical to network uptime and application availability. They also provide tools you can use to rapidly and reliably deploy Cisco software images and view configurations of Cisco routers and switches. Essentials applications, together with links to Cisco Connection Online (CCO) service and support, automate software maintenance to help you maintain and control your enterprise network.

Features

Essentials works in conjunction with the CiscoWorks2000 Server, which contains a set of management services shared by multiple management applications. These management services are enabled when a suite is installed and an application that relies on one of these services is opened.

If a particular suite of applications does not use a service or does not use a service to the fullest extent to which it is available, the service might not appear on the CiscoWorks2000 desktop.

Essentials uses these CiscoWorks2000 services:

Database engine and utilities
Login and application-launching desktop
Event Management
Online help system
Job Management
Cisco Management Connection (CMC)
Process Management
Security
Web server

For detailed information, refer to Getting Started with the CiscoWorks2000 Server.

Table 1-1 lists Essentials applications in alphabetical order, not the order in which they appear in the navigation tree:

Table 1-1: Essentials Applications

Application Name Purpose Notes

Availability

Monitor the reachability and response time of user-selected devices on the network.

Collect fault and performance information for routers and switches.

To use Availability options, select Resource Manager Essentials > Availability.

To administer Availability options, select Resource Manager Essentials > Administration > Availability.

Change Audit

View and search a central repository of all network changes (for example, inventory, software management, and so on).

Set up periods of time to monitor network changes.

Maintain the repository.

Convert changes into SNMP traps and forward them to your network management system.

To use Change Audit options, select Resource Manager Essentials > Change Audit.

To administer Change Audit options, select Resource Manager Essentials > Administration > Change Audit.

Configuration Management

Maintain an active archive of switch and router configuration files.

Search the archive for configuration files based on user-specified criteria.

Create custom reports for repetitive tasks.

Install support for new devices and enhanced support for existing devices.

Make configuration changes to your managed network devices using NetConfig.

Create configuration templates using NetConfig.

Edit configuration files stored in configuration archive and download files to devices.

Create network show command sets.

Assign users to network show command sets.

To use Configuration Management options, select Resource Manager Essentials > Configuration Management.

To administer Configuration Management options, select Resource Manager Essentials > Administration > Configuration Management.

To use the cwconfig, cwconfig netconfig, and cwconfig netshow commands, use the command line.

Contract Connection

Verify which of your Cisco IOS devices are covered by a service contract

To use Contract Connection, select Resource Manager Essentials > Contract Connection.

Device Views

Create device views for reports.

To administer Device Views options, select Resource Manager Essentials > Administration > Device Views.

Inventory

Import devices from databases or files.

Export device information to files.

Add, delete, change, and list devices in your network inventory.

Schedule polling and collection to update your network inventory.

Display reports and graphs of your hardware and software inventory, and create Inventory custom reports.

Check and change device attributes.

Display a Year 2000 compliance report.

Change system-wide configuration for SNMP, SMTP, proxy and rcp settings.

Allow other network management systems to manipulate Essentials devices.

Install support for new devices and enhanced support for existing devices.

To use Inventory options, select Resource Manager Essentials > Inventory.

To administer Inventory options, select Resource Manager Essentials > Administration > Inventory.

Job Approval

Used by some applications to:

Create and manage approver lists.

Enable and disable Job Approval.

Approve and reject jobs.

To administer Job Approval options, select Resource Manager Essentials > Administration > Job Approval.

Software Management

Analyze upgrade needs.

Schedule, download, and monitor software image upgrades for Cisco devices on your network.

Validate images with devices before initiating downloads, and define and monitor the progress of scheduled jobs.

Track software bugs and image status.

To use Software Management options, select Resource Manager Essentials > Software Management.

To administer Software Management options, select Resource Manager Essentials > Administration > Software Management.

Syslog Analysis

Troubleshoot and track device problems.

View summaries of real-time reports on events that are being logged to syslog on behalf of a router or switch.

Process these messages to generate reports.

Configure automatic actions that occur when certain message types are received.

To use Syslog options, select Resource Manager Essentials > Syslog.

To administer Syslog options, select Resource Manager Essentials > Administration > Syslog.

Application Name	Purpose	Notes
Availability	Monitor the reachability and response time of user-selected devices on the network. Collect fault and performance information for routers and switches.	To use Availability options, select Resource Manager Essentials > Availability. To administer Availability options, select Resource Manager Essentials > Administration > Availability.
Change Audit	View and search a central repository of all network changes (for example, inventory, software management, and so on). Set up periods of time to monitor network changes. Maintain the repository. Convert changes into SNMP traps and forward them to your network management system.	To use Change Audit options, select Resource Manager Essentials > Change Audit. To administer Change Audit options, select Resource Manager Essentials > Administration > Change Audit.
Configuration Management	Maintain an active archive of switch and router configuration files. Search the archive for configuration files based on user-specified criteria. Create custom reports for repetitive tasks. Install support for new devices and enhanced support for existing devices. Make configuration changes to your managed network devices using NetConfig. Create configuration templates using NetConfig. Edit configuration files stored in configuration archive and download files to devices. Create network show command sets. Assign users to network show command sets.	To use Configuration Management options, select Resource Manager Essentials > Configuration Management. To administer Configuration Management options, select Resource Manager Essentials > Administration > Configuration Management. To use the cwconfig, cwconfig netconfig, and cwconfig netshow commands, use the command line.
Contract Connection	Verify which of your Cisco IOS devices are covered by a service contract	To use Contract Connection, select Resource Manager Essentials > Contract Connection.
Device Views	Create device views for reports.	To administer Device Views options, select Resource Manager Essentials > Administration > Device Views.
Inventory	Import devices from databases or files. Export device information to files. Add, delete, change, and list devices in your network inventory. Schedule polling and collection to update your network inventory. Display reports and graphs of your hardware and software inventory, and create Inventory custom reports. Check and change device attributes. Display a Year 2000 compliance report. Change system-wide configuration for SNMP, SMTP, proxy and rcp settings. Allow other network management systems to manipulate Essentials devices. Install support for new devices and enhanced support for existing devices.	To use Inventory options, select Resource Manager Essentials > Inventory. To administer Inventory options, select Resource Manager Essentials > Administration > Inventory.
Job Approval	Used by some applications to: Create and manage approver lists. Enable and disable Job Approval. Approve and reject jobs.	To administer Job Approval options, select Resource Manager Essentials > Administration > Job Approval.
Software Management	Analyze upgrade needs. Schedule, download, and monitor software image upgrades for Cisco devices on your network. Validate images with devices before initiating downloads, and define and monitor the progress of scheduled jobs. Track software bugs and image status.	To use Software Management options, select Resource Manager Essentials > Software Management. To administer Software Management options, select Resource Manager Essentials > Administration > Software Management.
Syslog Analysis	Troubleshoot and track device problems. View summaries of real-time reports on events that are being logged to syslog on behalf of a router or switch. Process these messages to generate reports. Configure automatic actions that occur when certain message types are received.	To use Syslog options, select Resource Manager Essentials > Syslog. To administer Syslog options, select Resource Manager Essentials > Administration > Syslog.

Supported Devices

Devices supported by this suite of applications can be found in the CiscoWorks2000 navigation tree (select CiscoWorks2000 Server > Applications and Versions) or on CCO.

Adding Functionality and Incremental Device Support

If you have CCO access, you can go to the Essentials web page to download software enhancements and incremental device support (IDS) by entering the following URL in your browser:

http://www.cisco.com/kobayashi/sw-center/netmgmt
/cw2000/rm-essentials.shtml

Consult the package readme files for additional information on installing new features and enhancements.

Before performing the scenarios in this document, be sure your administrator has set up the Essentials applications and performed the administrator tasks described in the installation guide. If, for example, the proxy URL is not set, you might be unable to complete Essentials tasks outside your network.

Time Zone Implementation

Many time zones are supported in Essentials. However, it is important to note that Essentials applications that have scheduling and reporting functions and that produce a time stamp will vary depending on:

Server and client---Time stamps can differ between server and client if they are located in different time zones. (The client time zone is also called the local time zone.)
Platforms---Windows NT and UNIX servers support different time zones. They are not synchronized.
Managed devices---These support a particular time zone set, which might be different than the time zone set supported by the client or server.
Programming languages---Essentials applications are written in Perl, Java, and C++. You might see differences in menus and reports because each language uses a different set of time zone conversion libraries.

For detailed information see the Resource Manager Essentials 3.1 Release Notes and the CiscoWorks2000 CD One 2nd Edition Release Notes on CCO.

Table of Contents

Overview

Overview

Features

Supported Devices

Adding Functionality and Incremental Device Support

Time Zone Implementation