|
|
With the 4.0.1 release, the Cisco Netsys Baseliner software has been made Y2K compliant. The previous version (4.0) does not meet Y2K requirements; Cisco strongly recommends that you upgrade to the new version.
No other changes were made to the Cisco Netsys Baseliner software.
In order to use this updated version, you must install the Microsoft Windows NT 4.0 Service Pack 4 plus any required Y2K patches. For a description of patches, see http://www.microsoft.com/technet/year2k, click on the Product Guide link and read the product details section for Windows NT.
If there are conflicting statements in the Cisco Netsys Baseliner documentation, you should accept these Release Notes as the most up-to-date.
Information in the readme.txt file on the CD (also displayed during the installation process) takes precedence over On-line Help; and On-line Help is more current than the printed reference guide.
The Netsys Baseliner Reference Guide is automatically copied to your hard drive during installation of the software. The entire book is contained in the file refguide.pdf (for Adobe's Acrobat Reader) in your base installation directory, and it is also installed as a collection of HTM files in the help/NT subdirectory. There is no index file; open the file Netsys/help/NT/reference_guideTOC.HTM in your Web browser.
After you have installed Microsoft Windows NT 4.0 Service Pack 4, install the Netsys Baseliner 4.0.1 software by following these steps:
1. Find your Baseliner serial number on the cover of your original purchased Netsys Baseliner 4.0 CD. It will be in the 3XXXXX range. Also note the volume ID of the C: drive of the machine on which you are installing the software. (To find the volume ID, also called the Volume Serial Number, open a DOS window, be sure you are viewing the C: drive---enter C: and press Enter---then enter dir /p on the command line. The Volume Serial Number is shown at the top of the directory listing.)
2. E-mail the serial number you obtained from the Baseliner 4.0 CD case and the Volume Serial Number obtained from the C: drive to ntg-license-support@cisco.com. A new license key will be generated and e-mailed back to you.
3. Backup your Netsys Baseliner 4.0 installation, or, at a minimum, the data subdirectory, which contains your baselines, and---in case you need to revert to Baseliner 4.0---the license.dat file in the resources\license subdirectory (<Netsys installation directory>\resources\license\license.dat).
4. From the Windows Control Panel, start the Add/Remove Programs utility and remove the Netsys Baseliner 4.0 application. (To open the Control Panel, click the Windows NT Start button and choose Settings.) DO NOT ATTEMPT TO INSTALL THE 4.0.1 SOFTWARE WITHOUT REMOVING THE BASELINER 4.0 VERSION FIRST!
5. Insert the Baseliner 4.0.1 CD. The Baseliner installation program should start automatically. If it does not, locate the CD in your Windows NT Explorer window and double click on the Start icon in the CD's root directory.
6. Your baseline data should still be in place, if you chose to install to the same directory. If your original baseline information is not available (if you installed the new software to a different base directory or on a different computer, for example), copy the contents of your backup installation's data subdirectory, which you created in step 3 above, to the newly installed Baseliner 4.0.1 data subdirectory.
7. Send questions by e-mail to tac@cisco.com or call 1 (800) 553-2447.
1. The automated licensing via email may not be able to communicate properly with your email system. If this is the case, you should use the attachment method instead, where a file called Cisco Baseliner License.txt is generated and placed on your Windows desktop. When you exit the Netsys introductory menu system, send this text file as an attachment to ntg-license-support@cisco.com. It contains all the required licensing information.
In some rare instances, the automated email licensing may cause the menu system to exit. You should restart the Start executable (or remove and reinsert the CD to trigger the autostart function again) and use the attachment method in these cases.
2. If the host-id is not automatically displayed during installation, it can be obtained by going to a DOS prompt at the C: drive and typing dir /p. The host-id (also known as Volume Serial Number) is then displayed at the top of the directory listing (for example, 1753-1800). This hexadecimal number should be entered without the dash.
3. After a successful installation, you must log off and log back on to Windows NT to ensure the required Netsys Baseliner environment variables are set properly. If you do not do this, you may see a warning about these Netsys Baseliner variables not being set.
4. If your license is invalid (for example, if you mistyped your application key), you will be notified when the Baseliner starts, and you will be given an opportunity to reenter the licensing values. If you still experience licensing problems, you can check the cout.log file in the Data\Temp subdirectory of your Netsys installation for further information about the licensing error.
1. The Cisco Netsys Baseliner uninstall software (invoked from the Add/Remove utility in the Windows Control Panel) does not remove all folders and files, including your baseline files. You still have to delete some folders manually after you have run the uninstall utility. This is intentional, to avoid inadvertent loss of your data. You should also be aware that, since baselines can be quite large (especially if you have generated web reports), several megabytes of Netsys data may still occupy space on your system after you have removed the program.
2. Certain small dialog windows exhibit semi-modal behavior that can cause the program to appear locked up (no response to button clicks or menu commands). These windows can easily become hidden beneath other windows belonging to the Cisco Netsys Baseliner and other applications, and they do not show an icon in the Windows task bar. If this happens, you need to locate and then close the hidden window by minimizing or moving other windows on the desktop. This will occur most when performing topology-related operations.
3. Modal dialogs between the topology and the main Baseliner window may not function properly. For example, a modal dialog raised for a topology window will not block out operation in the main window. Conversely, a modal dialog raised from the main window will not block out operation in the topology window. If you are presented with a modal dialog, you should dismiss this dialog before proceeding with other operations.
4. The watch cursor in the main window will not be displayed over the menu bar even though the watch cursor is displayed in the main window.
5. A watch cursor may be displayed in the main window during lengthy operations but a watch cursor will not be displayed in the topology window at the same time. You should not attempt topology operations while the main window has a watch cursor. The converse is also true---a watch cursor may be displayed in the topology but not in the main window. You should not attempt operations in the main window while the topology window has a watch cursor.
6. Each time a baseline is closed, memory is leaked in proportion to the size of the baseline. If you close and open several baselines in the same session with the tool, the tool will continue to leak memory. The workaround is to exit the tool and reenter the application.
7. The right side of the Integrity Check report will be truncated when printed. This affects mainly the problem types which are listed at the end of the report. The workaround is to save the report to an HTML or text file and then print that file.
8. Netscape Navigator 4 and Internet Explorer 4 are the recommended versions of browsers to use when viewing the generated web reports and on-line help.
9. If you are running a configuration collection from the tool (with the "Collect Cisco Router Configurations" wizard), you should not close the baseline or exit the tool while the collection is running. If you do so, the collection will be interrupted, and the baseline will not be updated if you had requested it.
10. A DOS box will be spawned when configuration collection is started from the tool. You should not close this DOS box. You can minimize it, but it should not be closed.
11. While it is possible to have multiple instances of the Cisco Netsys Baseliner software running simultaneously, it is not recommended. Under some circumstances, particularly if a topology view is open, one of the running instances could hang while attempting to open a web browser (to display on-line help, for example).
12. When you open a report that contains no data, the Results grid may still display rows from the previous report. This is a visual problem only, not an internal mixup of data. The erroneous display will be erased if you cover it with another window, minimize then restore the main window, or otherwise cause the program to refresh the report's display.
13. As stated in the printed Reference Guide, the minimum system requirements for installing and using the software are:
The multimedia introduction on the installation CD states a minimum requirement of 120MB of free disk space. This is the minimum amount required for installation to proceed, but you should have at least 200MB of free disk space to be able to generate reports for a small to medium sized baseline.
However, the general rule of "more memory is better" applies to both disk space and RAM. Insufficient memory may result in sluggish response and diminished usability of the software. Performance may vary widely based on many of the baseline's characteristics. But if your network exceeds 100 interfaces, you should consider doubling the minimum RAM requirement. If you have more than 2,500 interfaces, you should consider increasing RAM to at least 256MB.
14. Topology views can only be printed in PostScript format, and, as such, require a PostScript printer.
1. Multimedia training for the product is included on the CD in the form of Lotus ScreenCam movies. To best view the training, plan for some uninterrupted time to view each segment in its entirety.
2. The multimedia training consists of audio and video elements. If you do not have audio capability on your PC, full scripting allows you to read along with the video demonstration. However, it is difficult to follow the screen action and read the script in the video-only mode.
3. The recommended way to stop a training segment is to first select the stop button on the player control panel and then select the Windows close box ('X') to close the player. With certain sound card configurations, closing the multimedia player with the 'X' box while a segment is playing may cause the disabling of the PC sound drivers. If you find that sound is no longer functioning, you can first try adjusting the volume on the ScreenCam control panel. If this does not work, rebooting the PC will restore normal sound operation.
4. With certain video card configurations, repetitive starting/stopping/pausing of an individual segment may cause playback problems. Rebooting the PC will restore normal video operation.
5. Avoid minimizing the multimedia player control panel while a segment is playing. This causes the player control panel to disappear under the black background displayed during multimedia playback. If this should happen, you can use Ctrl+Esc or Alt+Tab to redisplay the player control panel.
1. In the section about Automated Batch Processing (page 3-11), the printed reference guide states that the Microsoft Schedule service should not be used to automate the command-line utilities getconfig.bat and run_ngs.exe. Cisco engineers have since isolated the problem described and now advise that the Schedule service and At command can be used reliably if they are run from a batch file that also sets both the TEMP and TMP environment variables. These variables must be set in the same process in which the run_ngs utility is executed. To find out how you should set them, check the Environment tab on the Windows NT Control Panel's System utility. Then duplicate these two commands in your batch file. This will ensure their availability to the run_ngs utility. (Note that the auto_update.bat file included in your installation directory does set these variables correctly, so you can use the Schedule service if you use this batch file.)
2. In the section describing the Integrity Check Summary report (page 6-8), the printed reference guide describes the contents of figure 6-2 incorrectly. The first entry of the Integrity Check Summary report actually shows one IP-specific, high priority Access List problem, which is categorized as "Access List: Non-utilized rule" (not three IP Address/Mask/Network Class type problems as described).
3. In the section about the Add Campus command on the floating Options menu (page 4-38), the following paragraph has been added: "Devices can only belong to one campus, and the software will not save an empty campus. If your new campus overlaps one or more existing campuses and does not contain any devices of its own, it will not be saved."
Cisco Connection Online (CCO) is Cisco Systems' primary, real-time support channel. Maintenance customers and partners can self-register on CCO to obtain additional information and services.
Available 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, CCO provides a wealth of standard and value-added services to Cisco's customers and business partners. CCO services include product information, product documentation, software updates, release notes, technical tips, the Bug Navigator, configuration notes, brochures, descriptions of service offerings, and download access to public and authorized files.
CCO serves a wide variety of users through two interfaces that are updated and enhanced simultaneously: a character-based version and a multimedia version that resides on the World Wide Web (WWW). The character-based CCO supports Zmodem, Kermit, Xmodem, FTP, and Internet e-mail, and it is excellent for quick access to information over lower bandwidths. The WWW version of CCO provides richly formatted documents with photographs, figures, graphics, and video, as well as hyperlinks to related information.
You can access CCO in the following ways:
For a copy of CCO's Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ), contact cco-help@cisco.com. For additional information, contact cco-team@cisco.com.
Cisco documentation and additional literature are available in a CD-ROM package, which ships with your product. The Documentation CD-ROM, a member of the Cisco Connection Family, is updated monthly. Therefore, it might be more current than printed documentation. To order additional copies of the Documentation CD-ROM, contact your local sales representative or call customer service. The CD-ROM package is available as a single package or as an annual subscription. You can also access Cisco documentation on the World Wide Web at http://www.cisco.com, http://www-china.cisco.com, or http://www-europe.cisco.com.
The Cisco Netsys Baseliner Reference Guide is also to your hard drive during installation of the software, in both PDF and HTML formats (HTML files are in the Netsys\Help directory).
If you are reading Cisco product documentation on the World Wide Web, you can submit comments electronically. Click Feedback in the toolbar and select Documentation. After you complete the form, click Submit to send it to Cisco. We appreciate your comments.
Posted: Wed Jul 21 10:04:05 PDT 1999
Copyright 1989-1999©Cisco Systems Inc.