While Cabletron Systems believes the information in this publication is
correct as of the date of publication, it is subject to change
without notice.
Cabletron Systems makes no representations that the
use its products in the manner described in this publication will
not infringe on existing or future patent rights, nor do the descriptions
contained in this publication imply the granting of licenses to
make, use, or sell equipment or software in accordance with the
description.
© Copyright DIGITAL Network Products Group 1998.
All Rights Reserved.
What's Inside this document
This section contains details about known problems that could
not be corrected before the software was released. These problems
have little impact on the working of the clearVISN Router Configurator
software, and many have workarounds.
________________
 Loss of Configurations after Installing clearVISN kits
The Router Configurator is designed to install either Standalone,
or over the top of an existing clearVISN kit (if it is being updated).
If you install the clearVISN software after the Router Configurator
the Router Configurator installation directory will normally be different
and this may mean that you are unable to access the router configurations
that were created on the standalone kit.
It is possible to re-instate the configurations Provided:
- The directory and contents for the standalone Router Configurator have
not been deleted.
- That the version of the Router Configurator in the clearVISN kit
is the same (or higher) than the previous standalone installed kit.
- That you have not created any new configurations following the clearVISN
installation.
To re-instate all the configuration files follow the steps below:
- Find the file BROWSER.MDB from the existing Standalone installation
directory
- Closedown the Router Configurator application.
- Copy the BROWSER.MDB file over the top of the new BROWSER.MDB file in
the "/COMET" subdirectory under the clearVISN root.
For example: if you installed clearVISN to
C:\clearVIS
copy BROWSER.MDB into C:\clearVIS\comet\browser.mdb
- Re-Run the Router Configurator.
Also note that links to existing configuration data files can be added into
the browser using the new router dialog.
Installation errors when Microsoft Office installed
Problems with the installation procedures have been reported when the
Office 95/97 taskbar is running. The following error message may be seen
in such cases:
"The file C:\RCONFIG\ctl3d32.DLL on the installation disk could not be opened.
The installation information file may be corrupted. Please change installation
disk."
The Office taskbar, like other applications must be shut down
before commencing installation of this software. This will avoid the
problem described above.
Removal of ODBC drivers
The ODBC drivers do not currently de-install correctly, since
reference counts to the ODBC drivers are not handled by the
installation/de-installation software.
Installation fails when self registering schedule.ocx
If you get a failed installation when attempting to self register schedule.ocx control then
this may be due to an older version of OLEAUT32.dll. Replacements and upgrades
are normally available from Microsoft service packs.
The size and date of the OLEAUT32.dll should be 491K V2.2/Sep96.
Failed to install file...
Error Messages during Installation
If you see "Failed to install" error message boxes during
installation (shown below), especially relating to ODBC.DLL, CTL3D32.DLL
files, you should make sure all applications are shut down and then re-install.
Occasionally these messages may persist (especially as ODBC.DLL remains
cached for some time after being shut down).
If a dialog box similar to the one above persists,
you should continue and click "Yes "
________________
1.2 Router Configurator Related Issues
 Setting correct image version
for new configurations
When creating new configurations the Distributed Routing Software version is
defaulted to v3.0. Please ensure that this is correct for the target router
as configurations generated for v3.0 routers may not function correctly if
loaded on a router running an earlier release of the Distributed Routing Software.
If the target router is running V2.0 (or earlier) Distributed Routing Software
then either set the "Software Version" field correctly in the new router dialog
screen, or change it using the "Modify->Router Software" option
on the Router menu.
Use of multiple Telnet sessions
during router loads may corrupt router configuration
It is strongly recommended that all Telnet connections to the router
(especially from other applications) be closed down before you
attempt to use the Load or Extra features in the clearVISN Router
Configurator. During the load process, there are periods when one
Telnet session may affect the configuration file load process. This
can lead to reboot loops in the router, and require a reset back to
factory defaults. Because of this, during a router load, commands to
the Router Dialog Window are temporarily disabled.
Routers already configured
will be overwritten
When creating a new configuration for a router that is already
running and configured on your network you should be aware that
the first load of the router from this application will
overwrite all configuration data.
Since the configuration of the router may be destructive, it is
advisable that you make a copy of the configuration data before you
begin. Run a TFTP server (such as the BOOTP/TFTP server, or
the clearVISN core) and use the BOOT TFTP PUT CONFIG command from
the console or a Telnet window to transfer the configuration data
to a safe place.
 Problems launching Telesaving Details view
On some systems using the sample Web server may result in the
non display of the Telesaving details page (obtained by clicking
on the budget bar).
If you are unable to display Telesaving details page for the system
or an interface you will need to install a retail Web server and then
re-install the Router Configurator.
Once the web server is installed on the system make sure that you have
configured a directory for running CGI scripts (normally in a \scripts
subdirectory). Re-installing the router configurator over the existing
installation will retain existing configurations and will allow the
Router Configurator to put its generated HTML files and .CGI programs
in the correct location for the web server.
Changes to Future versions
of Router Software may break Extra command scripts
Note that Command Line Interface (CLI) commands may change slightly
from version to version of the router software. This may mean
that when a router image is changed, it will cause some Extra
command scripts to fail. You can to some extent avoid this by
careful design and selection of appropriate phrases in the WAITFOR
directives.
Concurrent use of Telnet
and Load or Extra functions
The Router software allows only two Telnet sessions to a router to be
active at the same time, and also ensures that only one of the
sessions can actively use the configurator program. Therefore, it
should be noted that if two Telnet sessions are already in use when
attempting to use the Load or Extra functions, then connection to the
router will fail. Should this occur, then log out from one or both of
the Telnet sessions and retry. Also, note that when two Telnet
sessions are running concurrently, a TALK 6 command in one
session will force the other session back to the login "* "
prompt.
Router console (CLI)
commands that cause script failures.
The following router CLI commands act on live configuration
settings (rather than those saved in non-volatile memory). If
you use these commands in Extra scripts, errors
may be displayed on the CLI when scripts are run.
- (IP Config) ADD FILTER
- (IP Config) ADD ROUTE
- (IP Config) CHANGE FILTER
- (IP Config) CHANGE ROUTE
- (IP Config) DELETE FILTER
- (IP Config) DELETE ROUTE
- (OSPF Config) ADD NEIGHBOR
- (OSPF Config) DELETE NEIGHBOR
This problem arises because the configuration process that
constructs Extra scripts manipulates the saved non-volatile
configuration. This will typically involve the repeated use of
commands (after loading new non-volatile configuration data).
Since the above commands work on both the saved data and the
live system, they will result in an error message if repeated
(for example, if you attempt to ADD ROUTE twice), even if the
non-volatile configuration has been reloaded.
For the above commands, it is advisable to remove all checking
(eg. WAITFOR directives) of the returned text from the
router. Provided that the commands are included in the Extra
script without error checking, the load process will provide
the correct configuration after a restart.
Changing
In-Band Management Address may make router unreachable
When modifying the routers In-Band management address (in the system
settings window) note that the PREVIOUS address used will remain as an
interface address. If you modify the In-Band management address so that
it is in the same subnet as the old address this can result in an invalid
configuration that will not be detected until the router is loaded.
When the router restarts with this configuration it can only use one
of the multiple address in the subnet, and will not respond to the others.
When modifying the In-Band management address you should re-check the
IP addresses assigned to interfaces in the IP interfaces screen.
Note that in all cases multiple IP addresses will only function correctly
if they are NOT within the same subnet.
BOOTP server operation on hosts using
multiple subnets
The BOOTP server supports multi-homed systems using multiple network adaptors,
and will respond to BOOTP Clients depending on which adaptor the packet was received
on provided that each adaptor has only one IP Subnet. The configuration of the adaptor
and its interface address provides the IP load host address for the BOOTP response packet.
If you have defined multiple subnets on a single adaptor then the BOOTP server can
not know which IP interface address to use for loading in the BOOTP response packet.
Although the BOOTP server will choose one of the interface addresses this may not
be in the subnet you expected.
If you use multiple subnets per adaptor card port then the Easystart (Automatic loading)
facility may fail since the bootp server may not choose the same subnet as that for the
in-band IP address of the router.
Occasional Timeouts or errors
in Load or Extra scripts
Unexpected router timeouts during script
execution may occur occasionally due to timer inaccuracies on the PC
while waiting for router reply text. These problems can normally be
overcome by repeating the script, for example, by re-running the
script in the Extra dialog box or loading again in the Loader dialog.
Error Messages seen during
router LOAD/EXTRA screens
When the router Loader or Extra command scripts execute, you will
see (in the Router Dialog window) some router console errors in
response to the scripted commands. This is normal and results
from the need for the script to establish the correct starting
point.
The load scripts sometimes send text (especially EXIT commands)
to force the command line back to a known state.
In some cases this may not be sufficient to break free of console
input on the router (for example a lengthy command reading
input parameters). In such cases manual intervention from a
telnet session is sometimes required to return the router's console
back to the normal prompt.
Temporary differences between
Screens and Command Line configuration
When configuring some features, the console
interface on the router seen from the Extra page Telnet Session
may not show protocols as having been configured even after they
have been entered from other screens. In particular, after having
configured SNMP communities and then viewing the configuration
in the Extra page you may notice that the entered communities
are not shown.
This behaviour is due to the router's implementation of the SNMP
code, which shows the values currently in use, rather than those
loaded from the configuration file. Any differences should disappear
after the router has been loaded, or the router is restarted from
the Extra/Router Dialog Window.
________________
1.3 Other Router Problems Relating to Configuration and Management
HUB - LAN Interconnect changes
made during a router load - corrupts hub configurations
If you are running a router in a DEChub 900 MultiSwitch V4.1.1
you should not attempt to load that router at the same time as
making LAN Interconnect changes. If changes are made to the LAN
Interconnect settings at the same time as the router is restarted,
then the hub will lose track of its configuration and require
a reset back to factory defaults.
Easystart limited support on Hub900 systems
EasyStart and BOOTP requests for configuration files are not supported
by the Distributed Routing Software (Version 2.0) when it is running
in RouteAbout Central or DECswitch 900 systems connected to a
Hub900.
In this situation, you should set the in-band IP address of the
RouteAbout system using the Hub900 console, and then load configuration
data from the Router Configurator application.
TFTP load timeouts on routers when switching DECnet/OSI on or off
If DECswitch 900ET or RouteAbout Central EW systems are re-configured to
turn the DECnet/OSI protocol on or off, then loading the router will
apparently fail.
In fact the load will succeed but following a change in state of DECnet
the MAC address of the system will change. The router does not
force ARP cache entries to be flushed, and therefore, the PC attempting
the router load will not be able to reach the newly reconfigured system until
its ARP cache times out or is flushed.
After the ARP cache has timed out or is flushed, loading will succeed.
________________
1.4 clearVISN Router Manager Related
For clearVISN V2.2 you should upgrade your Router Configurator kit
Recent releases of clearVISN (in particular Version 2.2) were shipped with
a version of the Router Configurator (V2.1) that has been superceeded.
If you install clearVISN with the Router Configurator option selected
then you will need to upgrade the Router Configurator software after having
installed clearVISN and rebooted your system.
This can be done by running the standalone router configurator installation
procedure available from the world wide web or from the CD-ROM accompanying
your RouteAbout system. DO NOT use the version included in the \tools directory
on the clearVISN CD-ROM as this will not correctly build the menu options in the
IntraNet Manager (and will continue to launch the old version of the
Router Configurator). These problems are addressed in this kit.
If the Router Configurator was not selected when installing the clearVISN software
then it can be added later by running the standalone Router Configurator installation
procedure.
If you install clearVISN without the Router Configurator (and reboot) because you
had previously installed the standalone version of the Router Configurator, then
you can update the IntraNet Manager menu options by running the program
COREUPDATE.EXE in the DRS subdirectory under the Router Configurator root directory.
Please Note: Due to a problem in the IntraNet manager if you install the V3.0
Router Configurator software over the base V2.1 Router Configurator you may see
duplicated menu options. Because of this the V3.0 Router Configurator kit adds
menu items prefixed with V3.0 - and these are the menu options you should use.
This problem should be fixed in a future release of clearVISN.
Security And Authentication
The Router Configurator does not implement a user Login/Username
authentication, and therefore it is possible to gain access to
router configuration files from outside the Router manager screens.
In cases where user security is required on your PC, NTFS
file protection can be used to prevent unauthorised access to
this application and its data. You should set file protection
on RCONFIG.EXE so that it is accessible only to those users with
Administrator privileges.
Long Path names for the clearVISN
installation directory.
When this application is used within clearVISN and the Router Manger core
it may fail to invoke the Router
Configurator if it has been installed in a directory with a long
path name. The problem arises from the registration file RtrConfg.REG
in the root clearVISN directory. If the path name for the Router
Configurator program is longer than 40 characters then the clearVISN
Router Manager code will not be able to invoke the Router Configurator
program.
It is possible to work around this problem by editing the RtrConfg.REG
file to use a relative path name to the Router Configurators executable.
| Software Update |
|
Fixed in |
|
1/ Original Release
| | V3.0-1 |
|
2/ Fixed handling of multiple install due to temporary install files
not being removed.
| | V3.0-2 |
|
3/ Handling of large delay Satellite data links and loading over such
links was improved.
| | V3.0-4 |
|
4/ Entry of DN0 on ISDN interfaces no longer mandatory.
| | V3.0-4 |
|
5/ SNMP Community settings for Get/Trap corrected.
| | V3.0-4 |
3.1 Application Notes
Removing configuration files
- Uninstall
The Uninstall process does NOT remove the files or database associated
with router configurations. This is intentional to allow upgrade
software to be installed without the loss of router configuration
information.
Note that Uninstall is available for Internet kits only. It is not
available when the Configurator is installed as part of the clearVISN
product suite.
Extra (Router Dialog / Telnet)
window character handling
To facilitate the operation of the record function, as well as for
performance reasons, the Telnet window used in the Extra Commands
dialog does NOT implement single character I/O with the router. This
may cause some differences in the behaviour with a system over a
network, where single character interactions may cause some response
from the router.
For example, in some cases the console uses a paged output mode,
where Space or Return may be used to get the next page of text. In
this case, Return will delimit a possible command and will be sent to
the router, which will result in a new page, whereas Space will be
interpreted as a possible part of a command line and have no effect
until you press the Return or the Enter key.
Enable of Datalinks verses
Routing/Bridging
In the clearVISN Router Configurator, datalinks and routing
circuits can both be enabled and disabled separately, as would be the
case on the router. This means that you can configure bridging or
routing protocols independently of the datalink state.
However, you should be aware that on the loaded router the state of
the datalink WILL affect the routing protocol that is carried
over the interface. Routing will not run over a disabled datalink.
________________
3.2 Router Information
Use of Surrogate Routers
Support for "surrogate" routers is provided to allow you to
create and debug your router configuration with minimum impact on
other users of the network. To implement this successfully, the
surrogate router should always be prevented from affecting the real
target router. In particular, since the surrogate router may be loaded
with the same configuration as the target, we advise that it be
isolated from the real target router to avoid routing problems.
A solution that provides physical isolation from the target router
is to use two Ethernet cards on the configuration PC, as shown
below:
![[Surrogate] <------NW_CARD_1--[=PC=]---NW_CARD_2 ----------[Public_LAN + Target Router]](surrog.gif)
Note that the Configurator will always
attempt to save and restore the configuration file for a
surrogate router to avoid such problems. However, the recommendation
above avoids possible problems in the event of a router
restart.
Port Numbering
Where numbers are used to refer to connectors on the front of
the router panel, they are numbered from 0. The numbering system
used is consistent with the command line interface that may be
used for any additional configuration commands. Note, however, that
in some cases this will differ from the labelling on the front
panel of the router.
This kit includes the following additional components:
4.1 Sample Script Files
In the subdirectory \SAMPLES (of the directory where
you installed the Router Configurator software) you will find
a number of example scripts that may be useful as a guide to extending
your configurations.
4.2 Supported Tools
In the subdirectory \TOOLS (of the directory where
you installed the Router Configurator software) you will find
utility applications that may be used with RouteAbout or DECswitch
routers. The following are currently included:
4.2.1 Digital Trace Facility (DTF) .\TOOLS\SUPPORTED\DTF
The Digital Trace Facility (DTF) is a host-based facility which
allows the tracing of packets as they traverse through the protocol
layers within the router. DTF supports Digital UNIX Alpha, ULTRIX,
Linux OpenVMS and Windows NT host platforms.
Any later versions of DTF installation kit and user documentation
will be available over the Internet at the following locations:
- http://www.networks.digital.com
- http://www.networks.europe.digital.com (Europe)
- http://www.networks.digital.com.au (Asia Pacific)
Use the search feature to find and down load DTF kit updates
Updates and fixes to this software will be available on the Digital
World wide web from DIGITAL Networking Products Business (NPB) using the following
URL. The NPB home pages below can be used for further information on products and
services, or in the event of items being moved from the URL shown below.
If you want to hear about future updates of fixes to the software
then send us your email address. we can be reached at
routerconfig@reo.mts.dec.com.
If you have any comments on this software, then please let us know.
|
4.0
Included with this software