PE V4.1 Help - NetBrain · lab or a virtual lab via dynamics/GNS3. You can easily setup your workspace at You can easily setup your workspace at NetBrain PE Workstation for these

NetBrain

PE V4.1 Help

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Contents 1 Installation and License ........................................................................................... 1

1.1 Install NetBrain Workstation Personal Edition 4.1 .................................... 1

1.1.1 System requirement ........................................................................... 1

1.1.2 Install NetBrain Workstation Personal Edition 4.1 ............................. 1

1.2 Uninstall NetBrain Workstation Personal Edition 4.1 ............................... 2

1.3 Activate a Trial License .............................................................................. 3

2 Quick Start on Learning network knowledge via PE ............................................... 5

2.1 Documenting Learning Process ................................................................. 5

2.1.1 Build your Experimental Environment ............................................... 5

2.1.2 Execute Telnet/SSH CLI commands .................................................... 9

2.1.3 Collect show-command data ........................................................... 11

2.1.4 Write Map Notes .............................................................................. 16

2.2 Show your maps on Visual Learning Community ................................... 17

3 Work on Qmaps: ................................................................................................... 19

3.1 Create a map ........................................................................................... 19

3.1.1 ImportConfig files to create a dynamic Qmap ................................. 19

3.1.2 Discover Live Network (Load Dynamips .Net File) ........................... 21

3.2 Master Map Page .................................................................................... 24

3.2.1 Drag/ Drop device and extend its neighbors ................................... 25

3.2.2 Remove Device Configuration file from the Master Map Page ....... 26

3.2.3 Copy and Past Device Configuration Files ........................................ 27

3.3 View Properties of a Network Object ..................................................... 28

3.3.1 Device Properties ............................................................................. 28

3.3.2 Interface properties ......................................................................... 33

3.3.3 QmapPage properties ...................................................................... 36

3.4 Manage data inside a Qmap ................................................................... 37

3.4.1 Manage the map page ..................................................................... 37

3.4.2 Manage map notes .......................................................................... 38

3.4.3 Manage map DataFolders ................................................................ 42

3.4.4 Manage Attachment Files ................................................................ 45

3.5 Edit Maps ................................................................................................ 46

3.5.1 Basic editing operations ................................................................... 46

3.5.2 Change the map scale ...................................................................... 47

3.5.3 Auto layout ....................................................................................... 49

3.5.4 Draw shapes ..................................................................................... 49

3.5.5 Draw a device and a link manually................................................... 50

3.6 Copy a map ............................................................................................. 53

4 Use Maps to Understand Your Network ............................................................... 56

4.1 Tip window .............................................................................................. 56

4.1.1 Save a tip as a note .......................................................................... 57

4.1.2 Pinup/unpin a tip ............................................................................. 58

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4.1.3 Show and Hide a tip ......................................................................... 58

4.2 Highlight .................................................................................................. 58

4.2.1 Highlight routing protocols .............................................................. 58

4.2.2 Highlight Multicasting mode ............................................................ 60

4.2.3 Highlight MPLS VRF .......................................................................... 61

4.2.4 Highlight interface rate .................................................................... 62

5 Network Access ..................................................................................................... 63

5.1 Device Settings ........................................................................................ 63

5.2 Access a live network device ................................................................... 65

5.2.1 Ping ................................................................................................... 65

5.2.2 Traceroute ........................................................................................ 66

5.2.3 Telnet/SSH ........................................................................................ 71

5.2.4 Windows Ping .................................................................................. 75

5.2.5 View device info via web browser ................................................... 76

5.2.6 Add new external tools .................................................................... 77

6 Retrieve and Manage Live Data ............................................................................ 79

6.1 Retrieve Live Data from a Device ............................................................ 79

6.2 Batch retrieve live data ........................................................................... 82

6.3 Customize show commands ................................................................... 84

6.3.1 Define a show command template .................................................. 84

6.3.2 Execute show commands ................................................................. 86

6.3.3 View and compare show commands ............................................... 96

6.4 Managing Live Data ................................................................................. 99

6.4.1 Creating a Map DataFolder .............................................................. 99

6.4.2 Exporting from and Importing to a Map DataFolder ..................... 100

7 Analysis toolkits .................................................................................................. 101

7.1 Live data toolkit ..................................................................................... 101

7.1.1 Route table toolkit ......................................................................... 101

7.1.2 ARP table toolkit ............................................................................ 104

7.1.3 CDP table toolkit ............................................................................ 105

7.1.4 MAC table toolkit ........................................................................... 106

7.2 Route propagation ................................................................................ 109

7.3 Comparison Analysis ............................................................................. 112

7.3.1 Compare configuration and routing .............................................. 112

7.3.2 Compare other live data ................................................................ 116

8 User Interface ...................................................................................................... 117

8.1 Start Page .............................................................................................. 117

8.2 Menu Bar............................................................................................... 118

8.2.1 Main Menu ..................................................................................... 118

8.2.2 Home Menu ................................................................................... 118

8.2.3 Map Menu ...................................................................................... 119

8.2.4 View Menu ..................................................................................... 120

8.2.5 Help Menu ..................................................................................... 120

8.3 Quick Access Bar ................................................................................... 121

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8.4 Context Menu ....................................................................................... 121

8.4.1 Context Menu of a L3 Qmap page ................................................. 121

8.4.2 Context Menu of a device .............................................................. 122

8.5 Right Click Menu of an Object .............................................................. 122

8.6 Options .................................................................................................. 124

9 Upgrade NetBrain System ................................................................................... 124

9.1 Auto Update .......................................................................................... 124

9.2 Manual Update ..................................................................................... 126

NetBrain PEV4.1 Help

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1 Installation and License

1.1 Install NetBrain Workstation Personal Edition 4.1

1.1.1 System requirement

To install and run NetBrain Workstation, your system must meet the following

minimum system requirements:

Processor: 1 GHz

Memory: 1 GB

Hard Disk: 1 GB free space

Operating system: Windows XP SP2, Windows Vista, Windows 2003 SP1,

Windows 7, Windows 2008

The following are hardware and software requirements that NetBrain recommends

you to have when installing NetBrain Workstation:

Processor: 2 GHz with 2MB of L2 Cache

Memory: 2 GB

Hard Disk: 10GB if the size of your network is large

Operating system: Windows XP SP2, Windows Vista, Windows 2003 SP1,

Windows 7 ,Windows 2008

1.1.2 Install NetBrain Workstation Personal Edition 4.1

To install and set up NetBrain Workstation, you must have administrator access to

the computer you want to install the program on.

1. Double click the PE4.1 setup file. Follow the instructions in the NetBrain

Workstation Personal Edition 4.1 – Installshield Wizard window. On the first page,

click the Next button.

2. On the System detecting page, you will see your system's properties. You can

compare these system properties to the minimum software requirement. Click the

Next button.

3. On the License Agreement page, read the License Agreement. Click the I agree

button.

4. On the Customer Information page, enter your User Name and Company Name.


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Click the Next button.

5. On the Choose Destination Location page, click the Next button to install NetBrain

Workstation to the default folder.

Tip: To select a different folder, click the Browse button and specify a folder.

6. On the Start Copying Files page, you will see a summary of the installation settings;

to make any changes to the installation settings, click on the Back button. Click the

Install button to begin installing.

7. On the InstallShield Wizard Complete page, click the Finish button.

1.2 Uninstall NetBrain Workstation Personal Edition 4.1

To remove NetBrain Workstation from your computer, you must have administrator

access to your computer to remove programs.

1. Click Start > Programs >NetBrain > Workstation Personal Edition 4.1> Uninstall

Workstation Personal Edition 4.1. The NetBrain Workstation Personal Edition Plus –

Installshield Wizard window opens.

2. Inside the Welcome page, select either the Repair option or the Remove option.

Select the Repair option to restore all program settings back to their original

state.

Select the Remove optionto remove NetBrain Workstation from your

computer entirely.

3. If you select the Remove option, you will be prompted with a message confirming

your decision for removal. Click Yes to continue, click No to return to the previous

step.

4. At the User Data page, you are given the option to delete your user data. If you

want to delete the user data, check the Delete all existing user data option.

Tip: If you delete all existing user data, you will lose all of your workspace data.

However, Qmaps you saved will not be deleted.

5. Click the Finish button.


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1.3 Activate a Trial License

Before you use NetBrain Workstation PE4.1+, you must activate the license. NetBrain

PE4.1+ license will expire in one year after the first activation. You can renew your

license upon certain criteria.

This section includes the following topics:

Activate PE license

PE license limitation

Activate PE license

1. Launch NetBrain Workstation Personal Edition 4.1.

2. Fill in the Email and Activation Key and click the Next button to start the activation

process. After verification, the PE plus license will be activated and you will be able to

use the program as long as you would like to.

If you do not have the Activation Key, click the fill out a short form.

Fill in the form. The fields with an (*) are required, such as the First Name, Last

Name, Email Address and Company. Then click the Submit button and NetBrain will

send you the Activation Key for the PE license.

Tip: If your computer is connected to Internet through a proxy, click Internet Proxy link to set

the Internet Proxy options.

PE license limitation


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NetBrain Workstation PE4.1 is a free edition and has the following limitations

compared to NetBrain workstation Operation Edition (OE) and Consultant Edition

(CE):

a) Only one Qmap can be opened within PE workstation. You can close it first and

then open other Qmaps.

b) The maximum number of devices in each Qmap page is 12.

c) The maximum size of the device configuration file is 12KB.

d) The maximum length of the hostname is 12.


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2 Quick Start on Learning network knowledge via PE

NetBrain Personal Edition can help you gainnetwork knowledge more efficiently. You

can import your dynamips lab into Workstation and then work on the lab from

NetBrain. All of your network tasks can be presented and documented from the map.

And you can share your Qmaps with others and download others’ Qmap.

2.1 Documenting Learning Process

With NetBrain PE Workstation, one can take the following steps to document a CCIE

learning course.

1. Build your experimental environment

2. Execute Telnet/SSH CLI commands

3. Collect show-command data

4. Write map notes

2.1.1 Build your Experimental Environment

The first step is to build your own experimental environment. You may build a real

lab or a virtual lab via dynamics/GNS3. You can easily setup your workspace at

NetBrain PE Workstation for these types of labs. In case you cannot access a lab, you

can just import network configurations into NetBrain Workstation.

Import configuration files

You can import configuration files into NetBrain. Refer to Importing configuration

files for details.

Import the virtual lab

To use tools such as dynamics/GNS3 to build your virtual network lab, please enable

the reverse telnet to devices and configure the IP connections properly. Then save

the configuration files of the network devices as a .net file that can be imported to

NetBrain Workstation.


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To import dynamips lab

1. Click the Discover Live Networkbuttonon the start page.

2. In the pop-up window click the Import.net File button to select the .net file that

you created and click OK. The Discover Live Network window will show the device

info such as hostname, IP address and port number.

You can also enter the IP addresses/port manually to start the discovery process. Or

you can Import Device List from a .CSV file (IP address and Port number should be

specified).

Note:If the IP address is 127.0.0.1 and the port is not defined in the .net file, you

should change the IP address and port number here.


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3. Enter the login credentials.

Click the Login Credential button in the Login Credential window. Enter the

Username/Password and Enable Password. Then click the OK button.

Note: Only one login credential is supported here and this credential is applied for all

devices. To make sure all devices can be accessed successfully, you should configure

same login credentials for all devices.

4. Discover your dynamips lab.

Click the discover button to start discovering your virtual network. Only Cisco routers

and switches are supported.

The discovery results are displayed under the status column. If the system fails to

discover some devices, the status is labeled as “failed”, otherwise it is labeled

“succeeded”. You can select a device and view the log for the discovery details.

Note: Personal Edition is limited by the Rule of a Dozen, so you are allowed to import

12 devices at most into the workspace. The device with the hostname more than 12

characters also cannot be imported to the workspace.


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Also, you can click the Discover button to rediscover the lab. The system will only

discover the failed devices.

Right click in the device list window and select clear status to clean up the discovery

results. Then you can click the Discover button to rediscover all devices.


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2.1.2 Execute Telnet/SSH CLI commands

After importing your dynamips lab successfully, you can right click a device and select

“Telnet/SSH” to access the device. The system will automatically login to the device

and you can execute CLI commands from the telnet window.

Please refer to Access a live network device for details.

You can save show command outputs in a datafolder.

1. Select a paragraph of show command outputs and right click on it.


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2. Click the Document Show Command Outputs button, to open theDocument

Show Command Outputs window.

3. Change the device hostname and modify the default Show Command field if

necessary, select an existing data folder or create a new one by clicking New,

then click OK.

Note: The content of the show command outputs cannot be modified.


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2.1.3 Collect show-command data

PE4.1 Workstation allows you retrieve live data for an individual device or multiple

devices. You can define your own show commands by using a show command

template and execute them automatically.

1. Click the Benchmark button located in the map floating menu, and select Execute

Show Commands option.

2. Select a Map Datafolder in which benchmark results are saved. Please refer to

Execute show commands for details.

Note: Besides show commands, NetBrain also supports ping and traceroute

commands.


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3. After the show commands have been executed successfully, you can view the

show command outputs. Please refer to view and compare show commands for

details.


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4. The show command outputs in a map DataFolder can be attached to a map:

Click the Create hyperlink button to open the "Create Hyperlink" window.

Note:Click the Import button to add show command data to the data folder

manually.


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In the Create Hyperlink window, select the location, select the Link to field, and edit

the note and Anchor Text. Then click the OK button.

Option in Link to field Format of the Anchor Text

Current show

command output

$hostname: $show command

All show command

outputs of selected

device

$hostname: show command data

CurrentDatafolder $(MapFolder name)

The comments and the corresponding hyperlink are the map components displayed

at the top left side of the map. You can perform the following operations on this

component:

Drag and drop the component to any location in the map.

Click the hyperlink on the map to open the show command outputs browser

window.

Right click on a map hyperlink and change the Font or select Properties… to

change the comments and the Link Text.

Tip: You can link a map note and a device to make your network task easy to

understand.

1. Hold the Ctrl or Shift key to select a map note and a device.

2. Right-click one of the two objects you just selected and select the Manual Link

option. The two objects are then linked.


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3. In PEV4.1, you can drag and drop the show command outputs into the current

map page, and NetBrain will create the corresponding hyperlinks.


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2.1.4 Write Map Notes

Map notes can be used to describe network knowledge, a detailed network design, a

network problem or how to troubleshoot a problem. A default map note is

automatically created for a Qmap page.

Click the Map Note icon in the map bar to view all the map data folders

attached to the Qmap. Apart from viewing the standard text inside the map note,

you can click a hyperlink to open the show command output.

For more on map notes please refer to Manage map notes.

Note: A NetBrain map can include multiple pages. This way you can use one map

with multiple pages to describe a network task or site, refer to Manage the map page

for details.


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2.2 Show your maps on Visual Learning Community

You can share your map in our Visual Learning Center.

In the home page, click the Qmap for Learning hyperlink to open the VLC forum.

Click the Post New Thread button in the pop-up website to post a new thread.

Click the Upload Qmap button then click the Browse... Button, select a Qmap in the

pop-up window.

Edit and submit your thread. Your map can be viewed immediately from the home

page of the forum.


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3 Work on Qmaps:

3.1 Create a map

In PEV4.1, everything is saved in the Qmaps, including configuration files, show

command outputs, topology files and other attachments. So simply creating a Qmap

including all the elements is enoughto study. You are only allowed to work on one

Qmap using PEV4.1, alternatively, you can create multiple map pages to

includeadditionalworkspaces. And more, you can easily switch to other map pagesto

change your current workspace.

Important Note: Currently, only Cisco devices are supported within PE4.1 (including

Cisco IOS Router, IOS-XR, IOS-XE, Cisco IOS Switch, Nexus Switch, Cisco Pix Firewall,

ASA Firewall, Cisco WAP). If you want to map out devices of other vendor like Juniper,

HP, please try NetBrain’s OE/CE software.

3.1.1 ImportConfig files to create a dynamic Qmap

Importing configuration files is the first step to create a dynamic Qmap. Before this

step, you need to retrieve the configuration files of your network devices and save

them as text files.

To import configuration files

1. Click the Home tab from the ribbon and select the Map Configuration Files button

( ). The Import Configuration Files window opens.

http://www.netbraintech.com/instant-trial/


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2. Import configuration files. Configuration files can be imported into PE using one of

the following ways:

a). If you want to add all device configuration files located in a folder, click the From

Folder… button. Select the folder from the pop-up window and then click OK.

b). If you want to add one or more individual device configuration files, click the

From Files… button. Select the configuration files you want to add from the Open

window and then click OK.

c). If you want to add a configuration file from the clipboard, click the Clipboard

button and then paste, edit and save the configuration file from the pop-up window.

Note: PE license limitations:

1) The maximum number of devices in each map page is 12.

2) The maximum size of the device configuration file is 12KB.

3) The maximum length of the hostname is 12.

3. Click the Import button.


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3.1.2 Discover Live Network (Load Dynamips .Net File)

To use tools such as dynamics/GNS3 to build your virtual network lab, please enable

the reverse telnet to devices and configure the IP connections properly. Then save

the configuration files of the network devices as a .net file that can be imported to

NetBrain Workstation to create a Qmap.

How to import dynamips lab to map devices

1. Click the Load Dynamips .net File hyperlink button on the start page. (Or you can

click from Home tab >Load Dynamips .net File button)

2. In the pop-up window click the Import .net File button to select the .net file that

you created and click the OK button. The Discover Live Network window will show

the device info such as hostname, IP address and port number.

You can also enter the IP addresses/port manually to start the discovery process. Or

you can Import Device List from a .CSV file (IP address and Port number should be

specified).

Note:If the IP address is 127.0.0.1 and the port is not defined in the .net file, you

should change the IP address and port number here.


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3. Enter the login credentials.

Click the Login Credential button in the Login Credential window. Enter the

Username/Password and Enable Password. Then click the OK button.

Note: Only one login credential is supported here and this credential is applied for all

devices. To make sure all devices can be accessed successfully, you should configure

same login credentials for all devices.

4. Discover your dynamips lab.

Click the discover button to start discovering your virtual network. Only Cisco routers

and switches are supported.

The discovery results are displayed under the status column.If the system fails to

discover some devices, the status is labeled as “failed”, otherwise “succeed”. You can

select a device and view the log for the discovery details.

Note: Personal Edition is limited by the Rule of a Dozen, so you are allowed to import

12 devices at most into the workspace. The device with the hostname more than 12

characters also cannot be imported to the workspace.


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Also, you can click the Discover button to rediscover the lab. The system will only

discover the failed devices.

Right click in the device list window and select clear status to clean up the discovery

results. Then you can click the Discover button to rediscover all devices.


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3.2 Master Map Page

Definition of Master Map page

As we have illustrated earlier in this chapter, you are only allowed to open one Qmap

within PEV4.1. And the current map page you are working on is the master map page,

with the page name highlighted and annotated differently.

The map data and map note pane list all the related data for the current map page,

and NetBrain uses the configuration files within the current map page to build

topology and generate the workspace.

Automatic Master Page Switching

If you switch to another Qmap page, NetBrain will use the configuration files within

the new map page to recalculate the topology and generate the new workspace for

you. So it appears NetBrain may need several seconds to finish the process. The

workspace switching process is seamless but you should be aware of this. Knowing

this will help you to understandthe software more clearly.


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3.2.1 Drag/ Drop device and extend its neighbors

Drag and Drop devices into the master map page

The Map Data pane lists all configuration files saved in the current map page. You can drag

and drop a device into the map page to operate from it.

Extend device neighbors

Click the red plus sign ( ) on the upper right side of the device icon to pop up the

Neighbor Extension box. You can select the desired neighbor, then double-click that

neighbor or press the Enter key to expand it on the Qmap. Or you can double-click the All

Neighbors option to draw all neighbors on the Qmap.


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3.2.2 Remove Device Configuration file from the Master Map Page

To Remove device configuration file from the current map page, right click a device

and select the Remove Configuration from Map option (you can also do this from

the Map Data pane). The configuration file of this device will be removed from the

current map page.

Note: Using the “delete” key to remove devices from the Qmap page will only remove

the device element from the current map page, the configuration files of it will

remain saved in the current map page and you can find it again through Drag/ Drop

device and extend its neighbors.


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3.2.3 Copy and Past Device Configuration Files

In some cases, you may need to select several devices on the current map page and

then work them on another Qmap page. To copy/paste device configuration files

from one map page to another, you can:

1. Select one or more devices on the current Qmap page. Use Ctrl for multiple

selections while use Shift to select all devices.

2. Right click on one of these devices and select the Copy Device(s) option.

3. Open a new Qmap page or switch to another map page.

3. Open a new Qmap page or switch to another map page.

4. Right click on the blank area of the current map page and select Paste Device(s)

Configuration Files, the copied devices are added to current map page successfully.


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3.3 View Properties of a Network Object

The properties of a network object are displayed in the Properties pane.

In the workspace pane or a map, select an object such as a router or an interface, its

properties are displayed in the properties pane.

Tip: You can right-click an object and select the Properties pane. The Properties pane

opens to display the properties of the selected object.

3.3.1 Device Properties

Device Info Page

In PE4.1, NetBrain use some show command to retrieve some device info from the

live network. For the data that cannot be retrieved by show commands or that

NetBrain don’t have live access, you can manually modify the data here.

The device info consists of four types of data:


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Basic device information

Field Description

Hostname The device hostname, used to identify a device.

Management IP The management IP address.

Management Interface The interface with the management IP address configured.

Device Type The type of this device.

Driver The driver of this device.

sysObjectID The sysObjectID of this device. (empty in PE4.1 version)

Vendor The vendor of this device.

Model The model of this device.

Software Version Software Version of this device, for example, 11.1(12) for a

Cisco router means IOS 11.1(12).

Serial Number Serial Number of this device

Asset Tag The label for this device

System Memory The system memory of this device

Location The location of this device

Contact Contact information for this device

Hierarchy Layer The hierarchy of this device. The value can be: Not set,

Core, Distribution or Access.

Description Description for the device (maximum 256 characters)

Retrieve live data Click this button to retrieve the device date from the live

network.

Customized Information

By default three customized fields are displayed here: field 1, field 2 and field 3. You

can set the values for these fields in the properties pane.

Live Access Information

Fields Description

Device Settings Device settings of this device. Refer to Device Settings for

details.

Device Data

Device data includes Configuration File, Route Table, CDP Table, MAC Table and ARP

Table.

Click the View Data button to view the data in the current map page. If a type of data

is not applied to the certain type of devices, e.g., a router does not have MAC table,

it will be labeled as N/A.


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Interfaces Page

Modules

The module information is retrieved from the live network. For devices that don't

have modules, the Modules pane is not displayed. The module information includes:

Module type

Ports: the number of ports in this module.

Serial number

HW Rev: hardware revision

FW revision: Firmware revision

SW revision: software revision

Description

By default three customized fields are displayed here: field 1, field 2 and field 3. You

can set the values for these fields in the properties pane. The administrator can

change the field name to a more meaning one, and add or delete the customized

fields.


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Interfaces

All interface info of the device is displayed here. Select an interface, the

configurations of this interface are displayed in the pane at the bottom.

Click the plus sign at the left of the interface name to display its property. Refer to

Interface Properties for details of the interface properties.


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Configuration Page

Option Description

Source There are two sources for the configurations:

::Current Map Page: the configuration saved in the current

map page. This configuration is used to build the current

topology.

Local Default: the datafolder used to save the data

retrieved from the live network.

Other Map Page: the configuration file saved in the other

map pages.

Filter Filter the configurations based on design filter.

Save If you modify the configuration files, click this button to

save the changes.

Compare Click this button to compare two configuration files.

Save as Save the configuration to another file.

Live Retrieve the configuration from the live network.

Update to Map Update live configuration to the current map page.

(Availablewhen the source is not the Current Map Page).


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3.3.2 Interface properties

Select an interface of a device from the Map Data pane or a map to display the

properties of this interface in the properties pane. The attribute of L2 and L3

interfaces are different.

L3 Interface Properties


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Object Description

Device Name The device that this interface belongs to.

Interface Name The interface name

IP address The IP address of this interface.

MIB Index The MIB index of the interface. This number is used in

the monitoring to retrieve the interface performance

data.

Bandwidth(Kbps) The interface bandwidth, 10000 Kbit by default

Speed The speed of this interface, 10000 M by default.

Duplex Auto by default. You can also select the Half or Full mode.

Live Status Physical status/Administrative status

MAC Address The MAC address of the interface

Slot# The slot number

Module Type The module type

Description Description of this interface

Routing Protocol The routing protocol configured on this interface

Multicasting Mode The multicasting mode configured on this interface

MPLS VRF The MPLS VRF configured on this interface

Inbound ACL The inbound ACL configured on this interface

Outbound ACL The outbound ACL configured on this interface

Customized Info By default three customized fields are displayed here:

field 1, field 2 and field 3. You can set the values for these

fields in the properties pane.


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L2 interface information

Object Description

Device Name The device that this interface belongs to

Interface Name The interface name

IP address The IP address of this interface

MIB Index The MIB for the index of this interface. This number is

used in the monitoring to retrieve the interface

performance data.

Bandwidth(Kbps) The interface bandwidth, 10000 Kbit by default

Speed The speed of the L3 port, 10000 M by default.

Duplex Auto by default. You can also select the Half or Full

mode.

Live Status Physical status/Administrative status

MAC Address The MAC address of this interface

Slot# The slot number

Module Type The module type

Description Description of this interface

Mode Access mode by default. You can also select the other

type, e.g. dot1q-tunnel, trunk, etc.

VLAN The VLAN information of this L2 interface

Customized Info By default three customized fields are displayed here:

field 1, field 2 and field 3. You can set the values for

these fields in the properties pane.


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3.3.3 QmapPage properties

Right click a bland area of a Qmap and select the properties option to openthe

Properties pane with the detailed info of this Qmap page.

Field Description

Page Name The name of the Qmap page

Background Color The background color of the Qmap page

Show map note editor when the map

opens

Enable this option to show map note

editor when the map opens

Don't export red plus sigh when copy to

image or print

Check this option to make red plus sign not

to be exported when copy the map to

image or printer

Note: The following pane shows what types of device information displayed on the

map. You are allowed to select no more than two options.


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3.4 Manage data inside a Qmap

A NetBrain Qmap is a self-contained map. It not only contains network topology

information, but also the configurations of all devices in a Qmap. The user can

designate a Qmap Datafolder to include all live network data. Notes can be added to

a Qmap. Therefore, a network engineer can include an entire design in a single Qmap

file and share his/her work with other engineers via sending them the Qmap.

A Qmap can contain the following types of data which the user can view and manage

via the Map Attachment window:

Map notes

Map DataFolders

External documents

Device configuration files

3.4.1 Manage the map page

A Qmap can include more than one map page. This can be useful if a network task is

involved in more than one topology map, and all information will be saved in a single

file. You can then easily send the Qmap file to your colleagues for review.

Add a map page

Right-click the map taskbar at the bottom of the map then select the Insert L3/L2

Page option. A new blank map page will be added.

Delete a map page

Right-click on a map page, then select Delete Page to delete the page from the

Qmap.


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Rename a map page

1. Right-click on a map page, then select the Rename Page option. The Rename Map

window opens.

2. Enter the map name and click OK.

3.4.2 Manage map notes

Understand map notes

Map notes can be used to describe network knowledge, a detailed network design, a

network problem or how to troubleshoot a problem. A default map note is

automatically created for all Qmap pages.

View a map note

Click the Map Note icon in the map bar to view all the map data folders

attached to the Qmap. Apart from viewing the standard text inside the map note,

you can click a hyperlink to open the show command output.


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Add a map note

1. Click the button from the map floating menu. The New

Map Note window opens.

2. Enter the map note name.

3. Enter the text note.

Tips:

You can also add a note from the Map Note pane. Right-click a tab and select

the Add option.

You can format your note from the editing bar at the top of the Map Note

pane.

Item Description

Font

Font size

Font color

Bold

Italic

Underline

Strikethrough

Paragraph format

Link to show command data or HTTP URL


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Link to show command data or external document

The data retrieved from live network such as the show command result or the

external document can be stored in a map datafolder which is associated to a Qmap

page, and also you can insert a data link on the map note.

To add a link

1.Click the blank of the map note then click the triangle icon ( ) on the right side of

the Link icon ( ), and then select Link to show command data option, the Map

Data window opens.

Note: right-click the blank of the map note and select Link to > Link to show

command data option on the right-click menu, the Map Data window can also be

invoked.

2.Double-click the live data or the external document and the link of the selected

data is inserted into the cursor position of the map note.

Link to HTTP URL

To insert HTTP URLs into the map note

1.Click the blank of the map note, click the triangle icon ( ) on the right side of the

Link icon ( ), and then select Link to Http URL option.


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Note: you can also right-click the blank of the map note and select Link to > Link to

HTTP URL option on the right-click menu to open the URL window.

2.Enter the title and URL in the corresponding fields then click OK, the HTTP URL is

inserted successfully and title name is shown on the map note. Click the link the

system will open the HTTP link via the browser.

According to the data type you want to link, the style on the map note is different.

Details are shown in the following table.

Data Type Style on map note Description

Map datafolder Map datafolder name Click the map datafolder name link,

the system will show the data in the

map datafolder you selected in the

show command result browser

window.

One device

under map

datafolder

Device name Data Click the device name link, the

system will invoke the show

command result browser window

and browse to the device you

selected automatically.

Configuration

file of one

device under

the map

datafolder

Device name:config file Click the configuration file link, the

selected configuration file will be

opened in the configuration viewer

window automatically.

Route table of

one device

under the map

datafolder

Device name:route table Click the route table link, the

selected route table will be shown in

the Route table pane popped up

from bottom side.

Show command

result of one

device under

the map

datafolder

Device name:show

command

The show command in

the link is the one that

you entered in the

Click the link, the system will open

the show command result via the

show command result window.


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Execute show command

window.

External

document

External document

name

Click the external document link, the

system will open the linked

document via the corresponding

program.

HTTP URL Title Name Click the Title name of the HTTP URL

link, the system will open the URL

via the corresponding web browser.

Modify a map note

Open the Map Note pane and select a map note. You can freely edit the content of a

map note, or rename the note by right-clicking the note tab and selecting the

Rename option.

Tip: You can format your note from the editing bar at the top of Map Note pane.

Delete a map note

Right-click the map note tab and select the Delete option.

Export map notes to RTF

To export all map notes to an RTF file, right-click the map note title and select the

Export to RTF option. The Save As window opens. Select a directory and enter a file

name. The map notes will be saved in RTF format.

3.4.3 Manage map DataFolders

Map DataFolders are used to display the configuration files of the current Qmap page

and store data retrieved from the live network. There can be more than one

DataFolder within a Qmap.

In a Qmappage and click the (Map Data) button in the map floating menu.

TheMap Data pane opens.


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Create a map DataFolder

1. Click the More button and select the New Map Datafolder option from the popup

menu on the Map data window.

2. Enter the map DataFolder name and click OK. The new map DataFolder will be

listed under the Map DataFolders node.


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Import a map DataFolder

With NetBrain Workstation you can import a map DataFolder from an existing

DataFolder.

1. Right-click an existing DataFolder icon in the DataFolder node of the Map

Attachments window. The Select DataFolder window opens. Choose a DataFolder

you want to import and then click the OK button.

2. After selecting the source DataFolder, an Options window opens.

Option Description

Data of devices in the current

map page

The system will only import the data of all

devices in the Qmap.

All data in the DataFolder The system will import all data in the source

DataFolder.

3. Select the data you want to import and then click the OK button, the data in the

selected DataFolder will be imported into your current map DataFolder.

View show command data in a Map Datafolder

Right-click a map datafolder and select the View show command outputs option

from the right-click menu, the Show Command Result Brower window is invoked and

the data in your selected datafolder will be shown in this window by default. For

more information, refer to View and compare show commands

Add Link

Right-click the map datafolder or a device in a map datafolder and select Add link to

this option from the right-click menu, a link related the selected data will be inserted

to the current map page.


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Export the data of a map DataFolder

With NetBrain Workstation you can export a map DataFolder to an existing

DataFolder.

1. Right-click an existing DataFolder icon in the DataFolder node of the Map Data

window, and select the Export to option.

2. Select the DataFolder you want to export to, and then click the OK button. The

data in Local Default DataFolder will be exported to your selected map DataFolder.

Delete a map DataFolder

Right-click the map DataFolder you wish to remove and select the Delete option.

3.4.4 Manage Attachment Files

Any type of file can be imported to a Qmap via the AttachmentsFileswindow, such as

a Word document, Visio map or Excel document.

Create an external document

1. Right-click the node in the Map Datapane and select the Attach

option. The Open window opens.

Tip: You can also click the Attach option at the top left of the Map Data pane to add

attachments.

2. Select a file and then click OK. The file is attached to the Qmap.

Tip: In the file selection window, you can select multiple files via pressing the Ctrl key.

View an external document

To view an external document, double-click the file and the system will open the

default application to read this file.


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3.5 Edit Maps

With NetBrain PE Workstation, you can edit a Qmap with copy and paste, auto-layout,

text and sharp annotations. You can also draw a Qmap manually.

3.5.1 Basic editing operations

3.5.1.1 Undo and redo

With NetBrain Workstation, you are able to undo and redo your modifications to a

Qmap.

Press the Ctrl + Z keys to undo your change. Press the Ctrl + Y keys to redo your

change. Or you can click the Undo and Redo buttons at the top of menu bar.

3.5.1.2 Select objects in a map

To select one object

Click an object in a Qmap to select it.

To select multiple objects

Hold the Ctrl or Shift key and click objects in the Qmap one by one.

To select an area

1. On the Map tab, within the View group, click the Select button and choose the

Area Select option.

2. Move your mouse to define an area in the Qmap. All objects within the area are

selected.


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3.5.2 Change the map scale

3.5.2.1 Crop to real size

NetBrain Workstation provides the ability to crop your Qmap to real size. For

example, if your Qmap has excess blank and unused space, cropping the Qmap to

real size can cut down these areas to make the Qmap easier to read.

To crop the map to real size

On the Map tab, within the Topology Map group, click the Crop Size button.

3.5.2.2 Zooming and view function

The NetBrain Qmap is an interactive map. You can zoom in or out of a Qmap to show

different layers of data. Rolling the mouse wheel forward/backward will zoom in or

out of a Qmap at a default percentage of 20% per one step. The zoom field ,

located at the top of the Workstation window, shows the magnification percentage

of the current Qmap. You can manually select a magnification level from the

drop-down menu, enter a value by hand.

Network data is presented in hierarchy on Qmaps. Different data layers can be

presented at different magnifications. By default, a newly created Qmap is presented

at a magnification level of 100%. In this case, you can view device names. The

following information can be displayed in a Qmap:

Device Name

Interface Name

Interface IP address

LAN/WAN Name

Routing protocol

Multicasting Mode

Inbound ACL

Outbound ACL

MPLS VRF

Description


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You can customize the data you want to show on each Qmap and at which

magnification level the data layers start to become visible:

1. Press the F2 key to open the View Options window.

Note: The items shown in the following picture are designed for NetBrain OE and CE

editions, they are useless in your version and you can safely ignore them.

2. Check the checkboxes in front of the data layers you want to show on the Qmap.

Item Description

Device Name Display the device name

Interface Name Display the interface name

Interface IP address Display the interface IP address

LAN/WAN Name Display the LAN/WAN name

Routing protocol Display the routing protocol configured on

interface

Multicasting Mode Display the multicasting mode configured on

interface

Inbound ACL Display the inbound ACL configured on interface

Outbound ACL Display the outbound ACL configured on

interface

MPLS VRF Display the MPLS VRF configured on interface

Description Display the interface description


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3. Select a data layer entry and then click the Show at Zoom column field for that

entry to edit it. You can select a magnification level from the drop-down menu or

enter the desired value manually.

Option Description

Show/Hide and layout

labels automatically

To automatically layout Qmap labels to a legible

position.

Zoom step To set the zoom rate when rolling the mouse wheel for

one step.

Set as default To save the current data layer settings as your default

Qmap settings for future Qmaps.

4. Close the window.

3.5.3 Auto layout

The auto layout feature helps you layout all devices in the Qmap to an optimal

position automatically. Please be aware that the auto layout function will undo any

manual adjustments made to the Qmap.

To auto layout the map

On the Map tab, within the Topology Map group, click the Auto Layout button.

Tip: If you are not satisfied with this layout, you can repeat the Auto Layout

operation.

3.5.4 Draw shapes

NetBrain Workstation provides the drawing function to help you to annotate your

Qmaps. You can draw rectangles, eclipses, lines, curves, closed regions, and define a

path.

Here we will show how to draw an ellipse;the same applies to all other shapes, like

rectangle, line, curve, etc.


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To draw an ellipse

1. On the Map tab, within the View group, click the Draw icon and then select the

Ellipse option.

2. Move your mouse to draw an ellipse on the map. Right-click menu of an ellipse:

Option Description

Double-click To enter text for the for the ellipse

Edit Copy, paste, or cut this shape to other Qmaps or to other

positions on the Qmap

Order Change the display order of this shape from other objects

Font Change the text font of the text in the shape

Text Color Change the text color of the text in this shape

Background Color Change the background color of the shape

Transparent Background Make the background of the ellipse transparent

Tips:

1. All shapes can be edited from the Map tab > Format group.

2. Select the shape and drag it to move positions.

3.5.5 Draw a device and a link manually

With NetBrain Workstation you can draw a device or a link manually to modify

network topology. This may be necessary when you do not have the required

configuration files or the type of configuration is not supported by NetBrain.


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3.5.5.1 Diagram a device from Diagram Stencil

To manually diagram a device on the map

1. On the Map tab, within the Viewgroup, select the Stencil iconto open the Map

Stencil pane.

2. Select and drag an icon to the Qmap. An object represented by the icon will then

be displayed on the current Qmap.

Tip: Click the button to find more stencils.

3.5.5.2 Draw a link manually between two devices

To draw a link

1. Select two network objects, such as routers, switches, firewalls, or LAN segments.


Page | 52

Tip: Hold the Ctrl or Shift key to select two objects.



To define interface information

1. After linking two devices, right-click the link and select the Properties option to

open the Properties: Link pane.

2. Modify the property values of the First Device and Second Device on the

Properties: Link pane as needed. The related information will be displayed on the

map when you zoom in/out.


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3.6 Copy a map

Save as

To save a Qmap as another copy

1. Select the > Save As option. The Save As window opens.

2. Select a target folder and click the Save button, the current Qmap will be saved as

a copy. After this operation, the current copy will be closed and the other copy will

be opened.

Email a map

NetBrain Workstation offers you the ability to use a defined email application, for

instance, Microsoft Outlook, to email Qmaps to others.

To email a map

1. Right-click a Qmap and then select the Copy Map to > Email option. If the current

Qmap has not been saved, you are prompted to save the Qmap.

2. Click the OK button. The Qmap file is automatically attached to an email.

3. Enter the e-mail address and edit the subject and content.

4. Send the email.

Print a map

To preview a Qmap

1. Open or create a Qmap and click > Print > Print Preview. The preview page

opens.


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Button Description

Print Print the map

Next Page View the next page

Prev Page View the previous page

Two Page View two pages at a time

Zoom In Zoom into the page

Zoom Out Zoom out of the page

Close Close the preview page

Qmap


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2. Select a printer and print range.

3. Click the OK button.

Tips:

1. You can also click Copy Map to > Printer from the map right-click menu to open the

Print window.

2. To print a large map, you can zoom into the map as desired and then print the

map.

Export a map to an image file

With NetBrain Workstation you can save a map as a GIF file.

To convert a Qmap to an image file

1. Right-click a blank area of the Qmap and select the Copy Map to > Image option.

2. Select a directory, enter the file name and click the OK button. The map is saved as

a GIF file.


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4 Use Maps to Understand Your Network

4.1 Tip window

With NetBrain Workstation you have the ability to view the integrated configurations

for a network design on a Qmap. This can help you understand network

design. Move the mouse over the labels on the link between devices and the tip

window opens (click the Map tab > Show Tip button, located in the View group, if it

does not open automatically). The tip window not only shows the configurations

related to the network object over which the mouse is hovering, but also the

configurations of related network objects. For the example shown in the figure below,

the access group configured in the interface uses ACL 7. Therefore, the interface

configurations as well as the configurations of the ACL 7 are displayed in the tip

window.

Notes:

NetBrain displays the configurations of the master map page by default.If you

want to view the configurations stored in other places, click the Option button

and select a source.


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NetBrain Workstation provides nine types of configuration tips:

Type of Tip Description

BGP Neighbor Shows the basic configurations of the BGP and related

configurations.

Interface Name Shows the basic configurations of the interface and related

configurations.

Interface IP Shows the IP address and description configurations for the

corresponding interface and the routing protocol configured on

the interface.

Interface

Protocol

Shows the routing protocol configurations of the interface and

the related routing protocol configurations.

Interface ACL Shows the ACL configurations of the interface and the related

access-list configurations.

Interface MPLS Shows the VRF configurations of the interface and the related IP

VRF configuration.

Interface

Multicasting

Shows the multicasting configuration of the interface and the

related multicasting route configurations.

PIX Interface

Name

Shows the basic configurations of an interface.

PIX Interface IP Shows the IP address configurations of the interface and the

route inside configuration.

PIX Interface ACL Shows the ACL configuration of the interface and the related

access-list and object-group configurations.

Note: These configuration tips are for L3 Qmaps. L2 Qmaps support these types of

configuration tips in addition to types specifically for L2 configurations.

4.1.1 Save a tip as a note

Click the button to save configurations in the tip window as a note. The note is

always visible in the Qmap. Click the note to edit its content.


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4.1.2 Pinup/unpin a tip

Click the button to pinup/unpin the tip window to the Qmap, so that the tip

window will not disappear when you move the mouse away.

4.1.3 Show and Hide a tip

On the Map tab, within the View group, click the Show Tip icon to show or hide the

tip window.

4.2 Highlight

NetBrain PE Workstation enables you to highlight IGP routing protocols, BGP

neighbors, multicasting modes, and MPLS VRFs on the Qmap.

4.2.1 Highlight routing protocols

In a Qmap, you can highlight links or devices according to the routing protocols

running on the interfaces or devices of your network. This helps you visualize the

routing protocols running in your network.

To highlight all routing protocols

1. Click the Highlight button on the map floating menu and then select the Highlight

Routing Protocol option to open the Select Routing Protocol window.


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2. Select the routing protocols you want to highlight and then click the OK button.

The selected routing protocols running on the devices in the map are highlighted.

Tip: Click a routing protocol in the left pane and the corresponding devices that have

one or more interfaces configured this protocol are listed in the right pane.

Note: A legend, depicting routing processes along with their assigned colors, is

located at the top left of the highlighted Qmap.


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4.2.2 Highlight Multicasting mode

In a Qmap, you can highlight the multicasting mode configured on the devices in the

Qmap.

To highlight the Multicasting mode

Select Highlight > Multicasting Mode from the Qmap right-click menu.

Qmap


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4.2.3 Highlight MPLS VRF

In a Qmap, you can highlight the MPLS VRF configured in the interface of MPLS PE

devices in the Qmap.

To highlight MPLS VRF

Select Highlight > MPLS VRF from the map right-click menu. The MPLS

VRF-configured interfaces are highlighted on the Qmap.


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4.2.4 Highlight interface rate

To highlight interface rate

1. Select Highlight > Interface Rate from the map right-click menu to open the

Select Interface Rate window.

2. Select one or more interface rate items and then click the OK button. Interfaces

having the different rates are displayed in different colors.


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5 Network Access

5.1 Device Settings

You can manually define the device setting for a device:

1. Right-click a device in the Map Data pane (or on the Qmap page) and select the

Device Settings option to openthe Device Settings window.


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Object Description

Management IP The default value is the IP address of the loop back interface

of the smallest number, usually loopback0, parsed from the

configuration file.

Live Status Click the Ping button to check the connection to the device.

Username Name of the user to access the device.

Password Password corresponding to the username.

Privilege

Password

Password to enter the privileged mode of the device.

Access mode Set the protocol to access the device, telnet or SSH.

Port If Telnet is checked, port number 23 is automatically filled in

the Port box; if SSH is selected, port number 22 is

automatically filled in the Port box. You can modify port

number.

Enable Password Password to enter the privileged mode of the device.

Non-privilege

Prompt

Input the non-privilege prompt in this field, the default

value is “>”.

Privilege Prompt Input the privilege prompt in this field to enter the

privileged mode, the default value is “#”.

Login Prompt Input the prompt for inputting the username in this field,

the default value is “Username:”.

Password Prompt Input the prompt for inputting the password in this field, the

default value is “Password:”.

Enable Password

Prompt

Input the prompt for inputting the enable password in this

field, the default value is “Password:”.

Applyabove

settings to all

devices in

current page.

To apply some or all items of device settings to all the

devices within the current map page, check the

corresponding checkboxes. Click the OK button and the

selected items will be applied to all devices.

Tips:

The Telnet/SSH parameters defined in the Device Settings tab can be used for

the following operations:

o Accessing live devices via Telnet or SSH protocolexcept NetBrain

telnet/SSH tools.

o Retrieving live data from live devices


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5.2 Access a live network device

5.2.1 Ping

To ping a device

1. Right-click a device in the Workspace pane and select the Ping To option. The

device is set as the destination device.

2. Select the source from the Ping From pane.

Local PC: Execute the ping operation to the destination from the local PC.

Device: Execute the ping operation to the destination from the device you

select.

Click the button to pop up the Select a Device dialog. Select a device

and the system will automatically Telnet or SSH to the selected proxy device

and execute the ping operation.

Check the Interface option and select an interface from the down-drop menu.

The system executes the extend ping operation and the source is the IP

address of the interface you select.

3. Select the destination from the Topane.

IP: Fill in an IP address or domain name in the field.

Device: Click the button to pop up the Select a Device window. Select a

device and the management IP address of the device is automatically


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selected as the destination. You can also select the other IP address from the

Interface drop-down menu.

5.2.2 Traceroute

With the NetBrain traceroute tool you can discover the path that packets actually

travel from a source to a destination, then use the traceroute result to create a Qmap

page.

5.2.2.1 Use Traceroute to discover a path

1. Right-click a device on the Qmap page and select the TracerouteTo option. The

Traceroute dialog opens. The destination device is set to your selected device.

2. Select the source from the Traceroute From pane.

Local PC: The traceroute operation to the destination is executed from the

local PC

Device: The traceroute operation to the destination is executed from the


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selected device. To select a device as the source, click the button to

pop up the Select a Devicedialog. Select a device and the system will

automatically Telnet or SSH to the selected device and execute the traceroute

operation to the destination.

Check the Interface option and select an interface from the down-drop menu,

the system executes the extend traceroute operation and the source is the IP

address of this interface.

3. Select the destination from the Topane.

IP address: Fill in an IP address or domain name in the field as the

destination.

Device: Click the button to pop up the Select a Device window. Select a

device and the management IP address of the device is automatically

selected as the destination. You can also select another other IP address from

the Interface drop-down menu as the destination.

4. Click the Traceroute button. The traceroute command is executed and the results

are displayed.

5. Click the Map button to map the trace route results. The map trace results are

diagrammed as a path.

Tips:

You can copy and paste traceroute results to the window without executing

the traceroute command. Then click the map button to map the trace route

results.

You can set an option to create a new Qmappage for the traceroute results

automatically. Click the Options button in the Traceroute window.


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Option Description

Timeout Time to wait for a response. 30 seconds by default.

Max Hop Maximum number of hops to reach the destination. 30

hops by default.

Map Options Show traceroute path in new Qmap page: Not

Available here.

Display Traceroute Path window before

mapping: Check this option to open the

Traceroute Path window before mapping

traceroute results. You can edit the trace route

results.

Close window after mapping: Check this

option to close the Traceroute window

automatically after clicking the Map button.

If the Display the Traceroute Path window before mapping option on the Options

window is selected, the Edit Path window will be opened.


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You can modify the path before mapping the result. Click an entry in this dialog and

you can perform the following operations:

Add hop: click this button to open the routing hop window; you can add a

new hop to the traceroute path.

Edit hop: click the Edit hop button, you can modify the selected entry

Delete hop: click this button the selected entry will be deleted


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5.2.2.2 Map Traceroute Results

You can copy and paste the trace route results into the PE Workstation to create a

map page.

1. Right-click a blank area of the Qmap and then select the Map Traceroute Results

option to open the Map Traceroute Results window.

2. Copy and paste the traceroute results into this window and click the Map button.

A new Qmap page containing the traceroute results is then created.

You can modify the traceroute source for the traceroute result by two options below:

Check the Source IP option and enter any valid IP address, the system will use

the entered IP as the source of the traceroute path. If the Use Local PC as

source option is checked, the IP address of the local PC will be filled in the

Source IP text box.

Check the Device option and click button to select a device on the Select

a Device window. The system will use this device as the source of the

traceroute path


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5.2.3 Telnet/SSH

Right-click a device in Map Datapane (or on the current Qmap page) and select the

Telnet/SSH CLI option. The system connects to the device automatically using the

defined credentials in the Device Settings window. If the credentials are not defined

or are incorrect, you will be prompted to enter the required credentials.

Menu for the Telnet/SSH window:

Catalog Menu Icon Description

File

Session

Connect

Opens the Connect window where you can

connect to or edit existing sessions, or create

a new session.

Quick

Connect

Opens the Quick Connect window. This is

the quickest way to define a session.

Reconnect

Reconnects you to your most recent session.

Disconnect

Disconnects you from the current session.

Save Session Saves the current session.

Print

Auto print: Toggles on and off the Auto Print

feature. When on, this feature directs the

terminal A device usually consisting of a

keyboard, a display unit such as a cathode

raytube, and a serial port used for entering

and sending data to a computer and

displaying any data received.

Screen: Prints the contents displayed in the

terminal screen

Selection: Prints the text selected in the

terminal screen to the printer.

Print Setup Opens the Windows Print Setup window.


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Ordinary Log

Records the current session in a log file.

Recent

Session

Displays the names of the most recently

used sessions.

Exit Closes the Telnet/SSH tool.

Edit Copy Copies selected text from the session.

Paste Pastes the contents of the Windows

clipboard to the session window at the point

of the text cursor.

Copy&Paste Copies the selected text from the session

window and pastes it at the location of the

text cursor.

Select All Selects all text in the active session window

including the text in the scroll back buffer.

Find

Opens the Find window to search the text in

a session window and scroll back buffer for a

specific string.

Print

Selection

Sends the text selected in the session

window to the printer. You can also do this

by clicking on the Print Selection button

located on the toolbar.

Clear Screen Clears the session window.

View Menu bar Toggles the menu bar on and off

Toolbar Toggles the toolbar on and off.

Option Session

Options

Opens the Session Options window.

Global

Options

Opens the Global Options window.

Tools Keymap

Editor

Opens the Keymap Editor.


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Save show command outputs in a datafolder

1. Select a paragraph of show command result and right click on it.

2. Click the Document Show Command Outputs button, the Document Show

Command Outputs window opens.


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3. Change the device hostname and modify the default Show Command field if

necessary, select an existing data folder or create a new one by clicking New...,

then click the OK button.

Note: The content of the show command outputs cannot be modified.

Create a Telnet/SSH connection

1. On the Home >tab, in the Live Access group, click the Telnet/SSH icon to openthe

Connect window.

2. Click the button to openQuick Connection window.


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3. Set the properties for the quick connection.

Object Description

IP address IP address of the remote host or device.

Port Port number of a service on a remote machine. For

Telnet, the default port is 23; for SSH, the default port

is 22.

Request Timeout Time to wait for a response, in milliseconds. The

default request timeout value is set at 2000

milliseconds.

Protocol Connection protocol. Currently Telnet and SSH are

supported.

Username Login username.

Password Login password.

Jumpbox Not available here.

4. Click the OK button to connect to the specified device.

Create a new session

In the Connect dialog, click the New Session button, the Session Properties>

Connection. In this dialog, you can define properties for this section, including

connection, terminal and appearance properties.

5.2.4 Windows Ping

Right-click a device in the Workspace pane and select the Advanced Tools >

Windows Ping option. The C:\Windows\system32\cmd.exe dialog opens and the

system automatically pings the management IP address of the device.


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5.2.5 View device info via web browser

Some devices can be accessed via web browser. NetBrain Workstation provides a

shortcut for launching Internet Explorer (IE) to browse the selected device. The URL

to browse the device is http://$(management IP address) by default.

To change the URL

1. Right-click a device and select the Advanced Tools >Customize... The External

Tools dialog opens.

2. Select the Web Browser item and change the URL in the Arguments field.



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To launch the web browser to access a device online

1. Right-click a device on the Map Data pane and select the Advanced Tools > Web

Browser option. The Internet Explorer (IE) opens.

5.2.6 Add new external tools

NetBrain Workstation allows you to utilizean external program to access the live

device

To add an external tool

1. Right-click a device then select Advanced Tools>Customize to open the External

Tools window.

2. Click the Add button. A new external tool appears on the Menu Contents pane


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and the title is named as {New Tool 1}.

3. Set the properties for the {New Tool 1}.

Object Description

Menu Contents Display the existing external tools. Web Browser and

Windows Ping are defined by default.

Click the Add button to add a new external tool.

Select an item and click the Delete button to delete it.

Select an item and click the Move Up or Move Down

button to adjust the display order in the right-click menu.

Title Identify the new external tool.

Command The full file path of the selected program application file.

Arguments The postfix of the command.

-telnet is different from /telnet since different tools carry

parameters in different forms, for example, putty uses -telnet

while secureCRT uses /telnet.

Management IP, Telnet Port and Hostname are defined

in the device settings.


Example: Add the Putty.exe application as an external tool:

o Click the Add button. A new item appears on the Menu Contents pane

named {New Tool 1}.

o Select the {New Tool 1}. Modify its title to “Telnet via Putty”.

o Click the button. The Open window opens.

o Select the Putty.exe application file from the local computer and click

the Open button.

o Select the -telnet $(ManagementIP) argument for the Putty

application.

o Click the OK button.

To use an external tool

Right-click a device on the Workspace pane and select Advanced Tools > Telnet via

Putty and the Putty launches.


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6 Retrieve and Manage Live Data

NetBrain PE Workstation can be configured to automatically retrieve live data for an

individual device or multiple devices. Users can batch live data (benchmark) for some

or all devices in a Qmap page. Benchmark data types include: configuration files,

routing tables, MAC tables, ARP tables, CDP tables and interface information. For

other types of data, the user can define theirown show commands via show

command template to display any additional data required.

Benchmark data is a time stamped snapshot of the operational network at the time

the benchmark was run and can be used to recall a known good network state while

troubleshooting the network. For example, benchmarked configuration files are

compared against the current configuration to visualize what has changed. Live data

is stored in DataFolders on the local computer. A DataFolder is a file directory

managed by NetBrain.

6.1 Retrieve Live Data from a Device

NetBrain Workstation provides two ways to retrieve live data from devices:

Show Command: The system automatically Telnet/SSH to the device using the

device setting and then executes the show command. The results are saved in the

Local Default DataFolder and are displayed in the corresponding window or pane.

The device Configuration file, Route table, MAC table, ARP table and CDP table are all

retrieved in this way. The following table describes show commands and the

corresponding modes to retrieve live data:

Data type Supported device type

Configuration file Cisco IOS Router, IOS-XR, IOS-XE, Cisco IOS

Switch, Nexus Switch, Cisco Pix Firewall, ASA

Firewall, Cisco WAP

Route table Cisco IOS Router, IOS-XR, IOS-XE, Cisco IOS

Switch, Nexus Switch, Cisco Pix Firewall, ASA

Firewall, Cisco WAP

MAC table Cisco IOS switch.

ARP table Cisco Router, IOS switch.

CDP table Cisco Router, IOS-XR, IOS-XE, IOS switch.


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To retrieve an individual configuration file

1. Right-click a device on the Map Datapane and then select the Device Data >

Device Configuration option to open the Device Configuration dialog.

2. Click Retrieve Live button to retrieve the configuration.

Tip: The retrieved configuration file is saved in the $Map page name::Local Default

DataFolder.


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To retrieve an individual Route/ARP/CDP/MAC/STP table

Right-click a device on the Map Datapane and then select the Device Data sub menu

to open the different tables, then click Retrieve Live button inside the corresponding

table to retrieve the live data

The result is shown in the Route (MAC/ARP/CDP/STP) table pane.

Tip: The retrieved Route ARP/CDP/MAC/STP table is saved in the

$Current_map_page_name::Localdefault DataFolder.

Notes:

o For a router, you can retrieve the Route, ARP and CDP tables.

o For L3 switch, you can retrieve the Route table, ARP, CDP,MAC and STP

tables.

o For LAN switch, you can retrieve the CDP, MAC and STP tables.

o If a route table has route entries more than 10000, NetBrain

Workstation will not retrieve the route table.


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6.2 Batch retrieve live data

By default you can batch retrieve live data from the Workstation, including

configuration files, route tables, interface information, ARP, MAC and CDP tables. The

retrieved data are saved in a DataFolder in your Workstation only and not shared

with other Workstations.

To batch retrieve live data

1. Click the Retrieve Live Data icon ( ) to openthe Retrieve Live Data

window.

2. Select a DataFolder from drop-down list to save the retrieved live data.

Note: By default, the system will create a DataFolder using the current date

and time. You can modify the DataFolder name or select a DataFolder.

3. Click the Start button.

Tips:

1. Click the Benchmark > Retrieve Live Data option from the map context menu.

All devices within the map are listed.

2. Select the devices in the Retrieve Live Data window:

All devices in the current workspace will be checked and listed in the Retrieve Live

Data window by default. You can select the devices using one of the following

methods:


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Click the Select All button to select all devices. Click the Deselect All button,

all devices in the devices and results panes will be deselected.

Enter a string in the Find box and then click the Find button. The cursor

moves to the first matched result. Click the Find button again and the cursor

moves to the second matched result. If no result is matched, a window will

pop up to inform you.

You can filter devices with the first character, such as entering the character b.

The cursor moves to the device with a name starting with b. Click b again and

the cursor moves to the next device with a name starting with b.

Select/unselect one device and select/unselect another device while pressing

the Shift key. All devices between these two devices will be selected or

unselected.

Notes:

1. Click the Options button to open the Options window. Select the data type

that you want to retrieve.

2. Check the Auto Update Map Configuration option in the Retrieve Live Data

window. The workstation will replace the configuration files in the current

map page with the retrieved configuration files.

3. If you find any device failed in the retrieving process, please check the network

setting of the device to make it right.


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6.3 Customize show commands

By default all users can define a template for a set of show commands and apply that

template to a group of devices. Instead of using CLI to run show commands manually

and view the result, this feature provides automation to collect and manage the

show command outputs.

6.3.1 Define a show command template

1. Click the down-down menu from the Home tab of ribbon and

select Show Command Templates option to open The Show Command

Template Explorer window.

2. Click the Add button to open The Show Command Template Properties

window.


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1. Fill in the Name and Description.

2. Enter the show commands following the instruction.

o Note: You are only allowed to add show commands start with 'show',

'get', 'ping', or 'trace'.

3. Click the Add button.

Notes: Define the wildcard in the Show Command Properties window.

By resolving device configuration files, the wildcards in the show command are

automatically replaced by the objects. The workstation offers 4 types of wildcards.

Wildcard Description

$interface Indicates all interfaces of the device.

$visible_interface Indicates all interfaces of the devices visible on the

Qmap.

$Ethernet* Indicates all Ethernet interfaces of the device.

$serial* Indicates all serial interfaces of the device.

The wildcard $ indicates the interfaces. For example, $interface means to execute the

show command for all interfaces of the device, $visible_interface means all visible

interfaces of the device on the Qmap, $ethernet* means all Ethernet interfaces. For

example, to show the layer 3 information on all interfaces of the device, define the

command as following:


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After executing this show command on the device, the system will replace $interface

with all interfaces on the device.

6.3.2 Execute show commands

1. Click the Execute Show Command ( ) icon from the Home tab of ribbon

to open the Execute Show Commands window.

2. Select a destination DataFolder to save the show command outputs from the

drop-down list.

Note: By default, the system will create a DataFolder using the current date

and time. You can modify the DataFolder name or select a DataFolder.

3. Click the Add button to select devices to execute show commands.


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4. Click the Add via Template button. The Add Show Commands for All Target

Devices via Template window opens.

Tip: If you want to add a new template, click the Add Template button, and then fill

in the corresponding fields and click OK.


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5. Select one or more show command templates and then click the OK button.

Notes:

To use show commands out of the template, click the Add button. The Add

Show Commands for All Target Devices window opens. Define a show

command in this window.

If you want to add individual show commands for a device, follow the steps

below to accomplish it.


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1. Click on a device in the Target Devices pane.

2. Click Add via Template or Add to add show commands for this device.

3. Uncheck the Apply to all target devices checkbox.

4. Click OK.

Click on a device in the Target Devices pane, right click on one or more show

commands in the right pane, and press Ctrl or Shift for multiple selections. The

operations you can perform for these show commands are listed below :

Option Description

Save as Template Save the show commands you have selected as a new template

Apply to Multiple

Devices

Apply the show commands you have selected to other devices.

Click on this option, a new window pops up with all target devices

listed there.

Copy to clipboard Copy the show commands to clipboard for further usage.

Edit Edit the show command, this option is only available for single

show command selection.

Remove Remove the show commands you have selected.


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6. If you want the show commands to be executed multiple times, click the

Options button to set the times and interval.

7. Click the Start button to start executing show commands.

Tip: Select a device, the log file for this device appears in the below pane.

8. Click the View Results button to view the results.

Tip:If the show commands have been executed multiple times, click the arrow button

to get the view of next time.


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To execute show commands on a Q-path

1. Select a Q-path result on the Qmap.

2. Right-click on the Bezier and select the Execute Show Commands option or click

Benchmark > Executes Show Commands on the floating map bar to openthe

Execute Show Commands window.

3. NetBrain Workstation automatically imports all devices associated with the

Q-path and replaces $Visible_Interface with all interfaces as well as $Source_IP

and $Destination_IP with the source IP address and destination IP address of the

Q-path respectively.

4. Click the Start button to start executing show commands.

To execute show commands on a Qmap

1. Click the Benchmark button located in the map floating menu, and select Execute

Show Commands option to open the Execute Show Commands window.

2. Select a Map Datafolder in which benchmark results are saved. Please refer to

Execute show commands for details.

Note: Besides show commands, NetBrain also supports ping and traceroute

commands.


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3. After the show commands have been executed successfully, you can view the

show command outputs. Please refer to view and compare show commands for

details.


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4. The show command outputs in a map DataFolder can be attached to a map:

Click the Create hyperlink button to open the "Create Hyperlink" window.


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Note:Click the Import button to add show command data to the data folder

manually.

In the Create Hyperlink window, select the location, select the Link to field, and edit

the note and Anchor Text. Then click the OK button.

Option in Link to field Format of the Anchor Text

Current show

command output

$hostname: $show command

All show command

outputs of selected

device

$hostname: show command data

CurrentDatafolder $(MapFolder name)

The comments and the corresponding hyperlink are the map components displayed

at the top left side of the map. You can perform the following operations on this

component:

Drag and drop the component to any location in the map.

Click the hyperlink on the map to open the show command outputs browser

window.

Right click on a map hyperlink and change the Font or select Properties… to

change the comments and the Link Text.


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Tip: You can link a map note and a device to make your network task easy to

understand.

1. Hold the Ctrl or Shift key to select a map note and a device.



3. In PEV4.1, you can drag and drop the show command outputs into the current

map page, and NetBrain will create the corresponding hyperlinks easily.


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6.3.3 View and compare show commands

1. From the Home tab, click the Show command drop down menu and

select Show Command Outputs to open the Show Command Outputs

Browser window.

The device is displayed on the upper left side. The lower Show command pane lists

the show commands executed on the device and the results are displayed in the right

pane.

You can also select a datafolder to view the results of retrieving live data. The

configuration files, routing tables and L2 tables (CDP/ARP/MAC tables) will be listed.

Notes:

Select an execution time from the Execution Time drop-down list or show the

last or next result by clicking the button.

Click the buttonto re-execute the show command immediately.

Click the button to save the show command result modification.

Use to change the style and

formatting of show command outputs.

Fill in the description of a show command result in the Note pane.

Click the Export button, and then select a file folder to save the show

command outputs as .txt files.


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Click the Import button, fill in the corresponding fields and then paste the

show command outputs. Click the OK button to import the show command

outputs.

To compare show command outputs

This function allows you to compare two show command outputs, for example,

running-config and startup-config or the results of the same show command in the

different time. After selecting a DataFolder, the system automatically searches all CLI

command results and adds them to the command combox. By default, the command

executed most recently is selected.


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1. Click theCompare option within the Show Command Outputs Brower

window.

2. Select the DataFolder in which the show command outputs were saved.

Double-click an item, the Show Command Outputs Browser window opens.

Select a device and then click the Compare button to open the e Compare

show command window.

3. Select the first DataFolder and second DataFolder.

4. Select the show command and execution time.

5. Click the Compare button. The comparison result is located in the

NetBrainDiff window where the differences are highlighted.


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6.4 Managing Live Data

All live device data are stored in DataFolders. A DataFolder is a local file directory

created on each NetBrain Workstation. The following types of data are stored in a

DataFolder:

Configuration Files

Route Tables

ARP Tables

MAC Tables

CDP Tables

Show Command Outputs

The system automatically creates a default DataFolder, “Local default”, upon

installation. All data retrieved from live devices are saved in the Local default

DataFolder. You can create any number of new DataFolders and import the data into

a Datafolder from other DataFolders.

6.4.1 Creating a Map DataFolder

1. From the Map Data pane, right click on the Map Datafolders node and select New

Map DataFolder link to open the New DataFolder dialog.


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2. Enter a name for the new DataFolder.


6.4.2 Exporting from and Importing to a Map DataFolder

To export a DataFolder

1. Right-click a Map Data Folder in the Map Data pane then select Export DataFolder

option to open the Browse For Folder dialog.

2. Specify a folder to save data to. You can import the data from another DataFolder

to a local DataFolder.

To import a DataFolder

1. Right-click a Map Data Folder in the Map Data pane then select Import DataFolder

option to open the Select DataFolder dialog.

2. Select a DataFolder from the list then click OK button.


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7 Analysis toolkits

7.1 Live data toolkit

NetBrain PE Workstation provides toolkits to work on data retrieved from the live

network, including Router, ARP, CDP and MAC tables. The toolkits provide a graphical

user interface for you to easily filter and visualize data entries, as well as compare

two tables retrieved at different times. For example, with the route table toolkit you

can simply enter a destination IP address to find its route entry. You can then drag

and drop this at entry into a Qmap.

7.1.1 Route table toolkit

After you retrieve the route table from the live network or view the cached route

table in a DataFolder. The Route Table pane opens.

The fields for the route table are listed as follows:

Column Mapping

Alg. The algorithm of the route

Dest.Addr The destination IP address of the route

Mask The netmask of the route

AD The administrative distance of the route

Metric The route metric

Interface The outbound interface of the route

Next Hop IP The next-hop IP address of the route

Next Hop Device The next-hop device of the route

Age The age of the route

From the route table pane, you can:

Sort route entries by a particular parameter


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Filter route entries

Drag and drop a route entry to a Qmap

Go to a next-hop device

Compare route tables

To sort the routes

Click a column title from the route table pane, such as the AD and age, or a title to

sort the column in the ascending or descending order.

Tip: To determine flapping routes, you can sort the route table by age in ascending

order. Flapping routes have a small age therefore they will appear at the top of the

route table. To filter route entries Enter an IP subnet or an IP address in the Filter

text box and click the Filter button. The system will

search the route table and display the corresponding routes. You can drag and

drop a route entry directly to a Qmap. The device and its next-hop device of the

route are displayed in the map.

To compare two route tables

Refer to the Compare route table for details.

To go to the next-hop

Select a route entry and click the Go To Next-hop button to display the next-hop

device's route table.

To copy the route table to a DataFolder

1. Click the Copy to button to open the Select DataFolder window.


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2. Select a DataFolder to save the route table.


Other operations in the right-click menu for a route entry:

Operation Description

Copy to Clipboard… Copy the selected route to the clipboard.

Import… Import route tables that have been saved in text file

format.

Export… Export the desired route table to a csv file.

View Original Text… View the original text format route table.

Select Device… Select another device to view its route table.

Tips: Options of route table operation can be viewed from Option drop down list:

Auto-Switch to Selected Device in Map: With this option checked, the Route

Table pane will display the select device's route table automatically.

Use Live Data for Go To Next-Hop: With this option checked, when you click

the Go to Next-hop button the system will retrieve route table information

from the live network immediately.

Note: If the selected router is a PE router in the MPLS network, you can also view its


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VRF route table by selecting the VRF name from the VRF drop-down list in the Route

Table pane.

7.1.2 ARP table toolkit

After you retrieve the ARP table from the live network or view the cached ARP table

in a DataFolder, the ARP Table pane opens.

From the ARP table pane, you can:

Sort the ARP entries by a particular parameter

Filter ARP entries

Retrieve live ARP table information

Compare ARP Tables

Import/Export ARP tables

To sort ARP entries

Click a column title from the ARP table pane, such as the IP address, MAC address, or

the ARP table title to sort the column in an ascending or descending order.

To filter ARP entries Input an IP address or MAC address in the Filter text box

and click the Filter button. The system will search the

ARP table and display the corresponding entries.


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To retrieve live ARP table information

Click the Retrieve Live button from the ARP pane. The system will retrieve the ARP

table from the live device.

To compare two ARP tables

1. Click the Compare button to open the Compare ARP Table window.

2. Select two DataFolders from the Compare ARP Table window.

3. Click the OK button. The system will compare the two ARP tables in a new pane.

7.1.3 CDP table toolkit

After you retrieve the CDP table from the live network or view the cached CDP table

in a DataFolder, the CDP Table pane will open.

From the CDP table pane, you can:

Sort the CDP entries by a particular parameter

Filter CDP entries

Retrieve live CDP table information


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Compare two CDP tables

Import/Export CDP tables

To sort the CDP entries

Click a column title from the CDP table pane, such as the IP Address or Device Name

title, to sort the CDP table in an ascending or descending order.

To filter CDP entries

Input an IP address or other keywords in the Filter text box


CDP table and display the corresponding entries.

To retrieve live CDP table information

Click the RetrieveLive button from the CDP table pane to retrieve CDP table

information from a live device.

To compare two CDP tables

1. Click the Compare button to open the Compare CDP Table window.

2. Select two DataFolders from the Compare CDP Table window.

3. Click the OK button. The system will compare the two CDP tables in a new pane.

7.1.4 MAC table toolkit

After you retrieve the MAC table from the live network or view the cached MAC table

in a DataFolder, the MAC Table pane will open.


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From the MAC table pane, you can:

Sort the MAC entries by a particular parameter

Filter MAC entries

Retrieve live MAC table information

Compare two MAC Tables

Import/Export MAC table

Go to the next hop device of the MAC address

To sort the MAC entries

Click a column title from the MAC table pane, such as the IP Address or Device Name

title, to sort the MAC table in an ascending or descending order. To filter MAC

entries Input an IP address or other keywords in the Filter text box


MAC table and display the corresponding entries.

To retrieve live MAC table information

Click the RetrieveLive button from the MAC table pane to retrieve MAC table

information from the live device.

To compare MAC tables

1. Click the Compare button to open the Compare MAC Table window.


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2. Select two DataFolders from the Compare MAC Table window.

3. Click the OK button. The system will compare the two MAC tables in a new pane.

Go to the next hop device of the MAC address

Click the Go to next-hop button, the system will search the switch neighbors of the

selected MAC address in the switch connectivity table and MAC table. If the next hop

switch is found, the MAC table of switch is displayed.


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7.2 Route propagation

The route propagation feature allows you to view how the route to a network subnet

is propagated through all devices in a Qmap. The following diagram shows the route

propagation result for subnet 10.10.10.0/24. For each device in the Qmap, the

system searches the route table of this device to find the route entry for the subnet

10.10.10.0/24. If the route entry is found, the system draws an arrow to the next hop

device of this route entry. The diagram clearly shows how the route is propagated to

a device from the source device. For example, starting from device NY_core and

following the arrow, you have the path: NY_core ->bst_core-> BST-core2

->bst_netman. This path presents the traffic flow for destination subnet

10.10.10.0/24 from NY_core to bst_netman and the route propagation follows the

path in the reverse direction.

The route propagation is calculated based on routing tables cached on the DataFolder.

In the former case, no hop is drawn for a device if the cached routing table for this

device does not exist or no route entry is found in the cached routing table. To

ensure the result completeness of route propagation, please benchmark route tables

for all devices of interest.

To run the route propagation

1. Create a Qmap or open an existing Qmap and diagram all devices of interest.

2. Select Highlight > Route propagation in the floating toolbar on the Qmap to open

the Route Propagation Analysis window.


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3. In the Destination IP field, input the destination subnet IP address and mask

length to be analyzed.

4. The source DataFolder is routing tables cached in. The “map color” is used to

diagram the route propagation on the Qmap

5. If you wish to calculate the route propagation using another source, check the

Second DataFolder checkbox and select another datafolder from the drop box.

Tip: This choice is useful when you make network changes and would like to know the

route change. In this use case, you benchmark route tables for all devices you are

interested in before and after the network change and store the benchmark data in

different DataFolders such as before-change and after-change. And then set the

current DataFolder to after-change and select the default source in step 4. In this step,

select before-change as Baseline DataFolder.

Tip: if no route propagation is drawn for a device, check of the following

possibilities:

No Routing table: the routing table of the device is not cached in the

DataFolder.

Next Hop not in workspace: The next hop device does not exist in the

workspace.

No Route Entry: No corresponding route entry is found in the routing table.

Options:

Clear old propagation in Qmap: With this option checked, old route

propagation results will be cleared before diagramming a new propagation on

the Qmap.


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Display devices that cannot be diagramed due to lack of routing to the

destination: With this option checked, the system pops up a Show Next Hop

Knowledge window

Double click the entry in this window, the topology view will auto locate the device in

the map.

To clear the route propagation results

Select Qmap> Highlight > Clear All option.


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7.3 Comparison Analysis

The comparison analysis feature enables you to pinpoint any changes between the

current network state and saved historical data. When a network problem occurs,

the benchmark data that is representative of a normal network state can be

compared to the current state to quickly determine what has changed. With

NetBrain comparison analysis you can compare configuration files, route tables and

other live data, including ARP, MAC and CDP tables.

7.3.1 Compare configuration and routing

You can compare route tables or configuration files for all devices in a Qmap

between two Map DataFolders. When network changes are made, it can be helpful

to know the exact device configurations and routes that have been modified. To do

this, benchmark the routing tables or configuration files for devices affected by the

change before and after implementation, and save the benchmark results in two

separate DataFolders.

To compare configuration and routing

1. Click the Compare > Compare Config & Routing button in the map context menu

to open the Compare Configuration and Routing window.

2. Set the corresponding parameters.


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Item Description

First DataFolder Choose the first DataFolder for comparison.

Second DataFolder Choose the second DataFolder for comparison.

Compare Configuration Files Check to compare configuration files.

Compare Route Tables Check to compare route tables.

Add Device Add desired devices for the comparison.

Remove Remove the selected device.

Compare Start the comparison.

3. Click the Compare button. The summarized results pane opens. This pane contains

the summarized results for route tables and configurations.

Batch compare route table results

The Batch Compare Route table contains the following fields:

Field Description

Device Device name.

First Total number of route entries in the first DataFolder.

Second Total number of route entries in the second

DataFolder.

Unchanged Unchanged entry amount.

New Newly added entry amount.

Deleted Deleted entry amount.

Modified Modified entry amount.


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Batch compare configuration results

The Batch Compare Config table contains the following fields:

Field Description

Device Name Device name.

First Config File The first configuration file name.

Second Config File The second configuration file name.

Modified Display whether the two configuration files are

modified.

To view the individual configuration comparison result

1. Double-click an entry in the summarized configuration comparison result to open

the NetBrainDiffwindow. The differences are highlighted.


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2. Click the Next button to view the next difference.

To view the individual routing comparison results

Double-click an entry in the summarized routing comparison result to open the

Compare Route Table window.

The route entry can fall into one of the following nodes:

Field Description

All fields are matching All routes under this node are similar. Routing and

traffic did not change.

Only destination addresses

match

Routes under this note have a similar destination

address. However, the other attributes are


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different, such as the algorithm, netmask, AD, or

next-hop device.

Routes exist only in right route

table

The routes are no longer in the left DataFolder.

Routes have been deleted from the first

DataFolder.

Routes exist only in the left

route table

The routes are no longer in the right route table.

Routes have been deleted from the second

DataFolder.

7.3.2 Compare other live data

With NetBrain Workstation, in addition to device configurations and routing tables,

you can also compare other types of live data.

Compare ARP table

Compare CDP table

Compare MAC table


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8 User Interface

8.1 Start Page

Field Description

Qmap for learning Open the dynamic diagram learning center

Map Configuration

Files

Create a Qmap by importing configuration files

Discover Live

Network

Create a Qmap by loading dynamips .Net File to discover your

experimentallaboratory.

Open Qmap Open and existing Qmap

Try NetBrain’s enterprise edition for more features and

complete solution.

Open the online map center to download all kinds of learning

Qmaps.

Get assistance through helpful support links, NetBrain contact

information and program manuals.

Submit a ticket to report the issues you encounter


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8.2 Menu Bar

All functions and operations of NetBrain Workstation can be invoked through the

menu bar. There are four main menus:

Menu Description

New, Open, Save, Save As and Print Qmap. Options and Exit.

Home Perform basic NetBrain functions including Create Qmaps, execute

show commands and use tools to access your live network.

Map Create, edit and operate a Qmap. Add map attachments, map notes

and copy Qmap to other sources.

View View the Start Page, show command outputs.

Click this button to minimize the ribbon.

Get assistance through helpful support links, NetBrain contact

information and program manuals.

8.2.1 Main Menu

Menu Description

New Create a new Qmap.

Open Open a Qmap.

Save Save a Qmap.

Save As Save a Qmap as another name.

Print Print: Print a Qmap.

Print Setup: Setup print options.

Print Preview: Preview the Qmap before printing.

Options View and edit the general options.

Exit Close the Workstation.

8.2.2 Home Menu

Menu Description

Create Map Map Configuration Files: Create a Qmap by importing device

configuration files.

Discover Live Network: Load Dynamips .net File to import

your experiment laboratory into NetBrain.

Map Open: Open a new Qmap


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Save: Save the changes you have made to the current Qmap

New Map:Open a new blank Qmap.

Benchmark Benchmark: Execute benchmark task to retrieve device data

(configuration files, routing tables, ARP/MAC/CDP tables)

from the dynampicslaboratory.

Show Command: Execute show commands to retrieve the

corresponding data.

Analyze Ping to: Select a device and then select the Ping or Ping from

option.

Traceroute: Select a device and then select the Trace or

Tracefrom option.

Telnet/SSH: Select a device and then select the Telnet/SSH

option to login to the device.

8.2.3 Map Menu

Menu Description

Topology

Map

Open: Open a new Qmap

Save: Save the changes you have made to the current Qmap

New Map: Open a new blank Qmap.

View Auto Layout: Auto layout the device icons on the Qmap.

Auto link: Automatically draw links between devices.

Crop Size: Crop the Qmap to real size.

Highlight: Highlight the routing protocol, Multicasting mode and

MPLS VRF on a Qmap.

Select: Select objects on a Qmap.

Draw: Draw shapes and add text to a Qmap.

Show Tip: Show/hide the Tip window while moving the mouse over

a label on a Qmap.

Options: Open the QmapView Options window.

Format Change the format of objects on a Qmap.

Content Attach: Open the Map Data pane to add DataFolders and external

documents to the current Qmap page.

Map Note: Add Qmap note.

Copy to: Copy the Qmap to a different target.


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8.2.4 View Menu

Menu Description

Views Start Page: Open the Start Page.

Data Show Command Outputs: Open the Show Command

Outputs Browser pane.

Split Window New Vertical Tab Group: Layout the tab windows

vertically.

New Horizontal Tab Group: Layout the tab windows

horizontally.

8.2.5 Help Menu

Menu Description

NetBrain Help Open the NetBrain PEV4.1 manual.

Online Tutorial View the NetBrain Workstation demo video online.

NetBrain WEB Open the NetBrain homepage, http://www.netbraintech.com.

Discussion Forum Open the NetBrain forum, http://forums.netbraintech.com.

Contact Us View our contact information.

Submit a Ticket Submit a ticket to NetBrain if you have any question or

problem.

Check update Check update from NetBrain, including new software release,

bug fixing, updated vendor and model support.

Create Tech

Support Log

Create a tech support log and save the log to a file folder.

Activate Product Open the Activate License window.

http://www.netbraintech.com/

http://forums.netbraintech.com/


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About NetBrain

Workstation

Show general information about your NetBrain Workstation.

8.3 Quick Access Bar

Menu Description

New Create a new Qmap.

Open Open a Qmap.

Save Save a Qmap.

Undo Undo an operation.

Redo Redo an operation.

Print Open the print window.

Map Zoom Display and set the zoom level of the map.

8.4 Context Menu

8.4.1 Context Menu of a L3 Qmap page

Click the blank space in a L3 Qmap and the following context menu is displayed.

Menu Description

Highlight Highlight Routing Protocol: Highlight routing

protocols on the Qmap.

Highlight Multicasting Mode: Highlight multicasting

mode on the Qmap.

Highlight MPLS VRF: Highlight MPLS VRF on the

Qmap.

Highlight Interface Rate: Highlight interface rate on

the Qmap.

Route Propagation: Highlight route propagation info

on the Qmap.

Clear All: Clear the routing protocols highlight from

the Qmap.

Show/Hide Legend: Show/hide the legend on the

Qmap.

Compare Compare Config & Routing: Compare the

configuration and route tables of all devices on the

Qmap.

Compare Show Command Outputs:Compare the


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show command outputs of all devices on the Qmap.

Benchmark Retrieve Live Data: Retrieve data for all devices in

the Qmap.

Execute Show Commands: Execute show commands

for all devices in the Qmap.

View Show Command Outputs: View show

command outputs for all devices in the Qmap.

Map Data View all data attached to the current map page, or

you can add or remove data to/from it.

Map Notes View the map notes.

8.4.2 Context Menu of a device

Click a network device in a L3 Qmap and the following context menu is displayed.

Object Description

Config Config: Open the configuration file of the selected device.

Route Table Route Table: Open the route table of the selected device.

Fix-up Route Table: Open the fix-up route table of the selected

device.

Compare Route Table: Compare the route tables of the

selected device that have been saved in two different map

DataFolders.

CLI Telnet/SSH CLI: Open the Telnet/SSH window and try to

connect the selected device with the credentials defined in

device settings.

Execute show commands…: Open the Execute show

commands window and set the selected device as target

device automatically.

View show commands results…: Open the Show commands

result browser window for you to browse the show command

result.

MAC Table Open the MAC Table of the selected switch in the MAC table

pane.

Extend Neighbor Open the Neighbor Extension window.

8.5 Right Click Menu of an Object

Click the right button of your mouse on a network object to open the right-click

menu. Each type of network object has a corresponding right-click menu that reflects

relevant operations and information. The following image is the right-click menu for

a router on a L3 Qmap:


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Menu Description

Auto Link Automatically link the selected devices.

Extend Neighbors Extend a device’s neighbors by type.

Device Settings Open the device setting of the selected device.

Telnet/SSH CLI Telnet/SSH to the selected device.

Ping to Ping the selected device.

Traceroute to Traceroute to the selected device.

Device Data Open and view the configuration file, route table, ARP/CDP table,

fix-up route table or NAT table of the selected device.

Show Commands View the show command outputs of the selected device.

Advanced Tools Launch the Ping from, Traceroute from, Telnet via Putty, Telnet via

SecureCRT, Web Browser and Windows Ping tools.

Copy(Paste)

Device(s)

Configuration Files

Select one or more devices, use this option to copy the configruation

file(s) to another Qmap page.

Remove

Configuration from

Map

Remove the configuration files of the device from the current map

page.

Create Device Note Add a note to the selected device.

Properties View the properties of the selected device.


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8.6 Options

Menu Description

Check Update Update NetBrain system, refer to Update NetBrain System for

details.

Dock CLI Window

In old tab group: Default style to dock CLI window.

New vertical tab group: Dock the CLI window in a new vertical tab

group.

New horizontal tab group: Dock the CLI window in a new horizontal

tab group.

Internet proxy setting If you use proxy to access the network, please fill in the proxy

settings.

9 Upgrade NetBrain System

We are constantly making the improvement on the software. You can check whether

there is a new release from inside the Workstation and decide whether to install the

new release. There are two ways to update NetBrain system:: Auto Update or

Manual Update.

9.1 Auto Update

Click > Options. The Options window opens. Click the Check Update tab.

Check one of the four options:


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Option Description

Install updates automatically The system downloads and installs the new version

automatically without notification.

Download updates but let me

choose whether to install them

The system performs download operation automatically.

You can decide whether to install the new version.

Check for updates but let me

choose whether to download and

install them (recommended)

The system checks the update and notifies you if a new

version is available. You can decide whether to download

and install the new version. We recommend you to

select this option.

Never check for updates

(not recommended)

The system will not check the update.

Note: This is the normal way to update your NetBrain System.


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9.2 Manual Update

You can also manually check updates from the NetBrain PEV4.1. Click the About icon

at the top right of the Workstation and select the Check Update menu.

The system will compare the versions of your PE with the latest versions available. If

a new version is available, the system will download the latest version and install it.

Documents

PE V4.1 Help - NetBrain · lab or a virtual lab via dynamics/GNS3. You can easily setup your workspace at You can easily setup your workspace at NetBrain PE Workstation for these