The device manager is for basic configuration and
monitoring of the switch. Use this introduction to familiarize yourself
with its features.
Introduction
Front Panel view
Dashboard
Toolbar icons
Menus
Secured sessions
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Introduction
The device manager is a graphical device management
tool that provides real-time views of the configuration and performance
conditions for a single switch. It provides features such as Express
Setup and Smartports to simplify switch management tasks. It also uses
graphical, color-coded displays such as a front panel view of the switch,
graphs, and animated indicators to simplify switch monitoring tasks.
To use the device manager, you do need some basic
knowledge about networking. For an overview of networking fundamentals,
see Networking
Essentials for Small and Medium-Sized Businesses.
For comprehensive configuration and monitoring features,
use the switch command-line interface (CLI).
You can launch the device manager from anywhere in
your network through a web browser such as Microsoft Internet Explorer
or Netscape Navigator. See the switch release notes for the system requirements
for running the device manager. The Support window provides a link to the
switch documentation.
Note: If your switch is running the cryptographic
software image, we recommend that you use the option to run a secured session with the switch to ensure that your
device manager session is protected from unauthorized access.
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Using the Front Panel View
The Front Panel view is a graphical display of the
switch front panel. The display shows all the switch components color-coded
according to their status. The colors can help you to quickly see if
a faulty condition or an error condition exists. See the
Legend for the meanings of the colors.
The Uptime field shows how long the switch has been
operating since it was last powered on or was restarted. Status is automatically
refreshed every 60 seconds or when you click
Refresh on the toolbar. The refresh counter shows the number
of seconds that remain before the next refresh cycle.
Move the pointer over a port to display the port
number, description, status, speed, and duplex mode. Note that the speed
and duplex mode for a port only appear in the pop-up window when a device
is connected to the port.
The Front Panel view also identifies the chassis
bay in which the switch is installed.
The system LED on the Front Panel view shows the
status of the switch and matches the LED on the physical switch.
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Using the Dashboard
The Dashboard provides information about the switch
and is the main window for monitoring the switch status and its performance.
For more information about the gauges, indicators, and graphs, see Dashboard.
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Using the Toolbar Icons
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Refresh
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Click Refresh to update the
information displayed on the Front Panel view, the graphs, and the configuration
and monitoring windows.
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Print
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Click Print to print a device
manager window, such as the Dashboard or the Port Statistics window.
Note: The menu or the Front Panel view
cannot be printed. To print an online help page, click Print
from the online help title bar.
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Smartports
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Click Smartports to display
the Smartports window from which you can enable Cisco-recommended system
and port-to-device settings. You can also display the Smartports window
from Configure > Smartports. For information, see Smartports.
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Software Upgrade
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Click Software Upgrade to
upgrade the switch software. You can also display the Software Upgrade
window from Maintenance > Software Upgrade.
For more information, see Software Upgrade. The software upgrade
feature is available only on the Cisco IOS Release 12.2 and later switch
software image.
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Legend
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Click Legend to display a
color-coded explanation of the icons and colors used on the Front Panel,
Port Status, and Port Settings windows. You can also display the
Legend from
Help.
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Help
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Click Help for a description
of the device manager features and for procedures on how to use the
features. The Help also provides links to the
Legend and to support resources (such as the switch
documentation and technical assistance).
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Using the Menus
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The device manager has options under
the Configure, Monitor, and Maintenance menus to help you monitor and
configure the switch:
The device manager
can execute basic configuration tasks at the switch and port levels.
The Configure menu options provide some simplified configuration tools
to set up the switch and its ports. The menu also provides an option
to restart and reset the switch. To save any changes that you make on
the configuration windows, you must click Submit. For more information,
see Smartports, Port Settings, Express Setup, and Restart / Reset.
Note: The information on the configuration
windows is not automatically refreshed. Click
Refresh on the toolbar to update the information displayed on
these windows.
The device manager
receives, collects, and displays status and detailed, run-time statistics
every 60 seconds or when you manually refresh the system by clicking
Refresh on the toolbar. The Monitor menu options display this
data in graphs and tables. For more information, see Trends, Port Status, and Port Statistics.
The Maintenance menu
provides the Telnet option to display the switch CLI and the Software
Upgrade option to upgrade the switch software. For more information,
see Telnet and Software Upgrade. The software upgrade
feature is available only on the Cisco IOS Release 12.2 and later switch
software image.
In addition to the Configure, Monitor, and Maintenance
menu options, the menu provides the Dashboard, which displays the main window
for monitoring the switch status and the performance.
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Using Secured Sessions
The switch uses the Secure Sockets Layer (SSL) protocol
to secure the HTTP communications between the switch and your network
management station. When you attempt to display the device manager,
this protocol:
Authenticates the web-based
connection between the switch and your network management station
Encrypts and decrypts
the information exchanged between the switch and your network management
station to protect the information from unauthorized access over the
Internet
SSL is enabled by default on the switch. It is available
only on the cryptographic version of the Cisco IOS Release 12.2 and
later switch software image.
When the device manager is first launched, it displays
a message that asks if you want a secured session with the switch. If
you choose Yes, the switch launches the device manager in secure
mode. You can also start a secured connection by entering https://
before the switch IP address. (HTTP over SSL is abbreviated as HTTPS.)
You can also click the Session: Standard | Secured
link at the top right corner of the device manager window. Click Standard
to launch an unsecured session. Click Secured to launch
a secured session.
There are several ways to determine whether your
device manager session is secured:
Look at the URL in
the browser Address field. A URL that starts with https:// means
that the session is secured through SSL. A URL that starts with http://
means that the session is not secured.
Look at the Session: Standard | Secured link at the top right corner of the device manager window. If the link appears as Session: Standard | Secured, then the switch is running a secured session. If the link appears as Session: Standard | Secured, then the switch is not running a secured session.
Look for a locked padlock
image at the bottom of your browser window. The locked padlock appears
only if the session is secured.
Note: SSL is not supported on Telnet connections
with the switch. As a result, when you open a Telnet session from the
device manager, the transmission to and from the switch is not secure
even though the device manager might be running in secured mode. Be
careful with the information that you send through your Telnet sessions.
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