HP OpenView Multicast 2.1 Smart Plug-in for Network Node Manager Release Notes

 

Table of Contents

 NOTES:

  1. Please see the Multicast Smart Plug-in Administrator's Guide, Chapter 2 "Installation and Configuration." You need to be aware of several prerequisites before installing the Multicast SPI.

  2. This file (ReleaseNotes.html) is copied to the target system during installation and is available at:

    /opt/OV/www/htdocs/C/ReleaseNotes/Multicast_SPI_Release_Notes.html

  3. Occasionally, check the following web site for any available patches for the Multicast SPI:

    http://ovweb.external.hp.com/cpe/patches/

 

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Platforms Supported

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  1. Operating System on the Management Station

    For the complete list of patches required, please see the Multicast Smart Plug-in Administrator's Guide, Chapter 2 "Installation and Configuration."

    • HP-UX 11.11
    • HP-UX 11.00
    • Solaris 2.9
    • Solaris 2.8

  2. Network Node Manager Advanced Edition Version 7.01

    Installation of the Multicast Smart Plug-in is supported with Network Node Manager Advanced Edition 7.01 only.

    We recommend the latest Consolidated Patch for NNM Advanced Edition 7.01. For more information and to download these patches, access the http://ovweb.external.hp.com/cpe/patches/ web site.

  3. Accessing the Multicast SPI from a Microsoft Windows Environment using Reflection X Software

    The Multicast SPI runs on HP-UX and Solaris platforms only. However, you may choose to access the Multicast SPI software from a computer running the Microsoft® Windows® 2000 or Windows® XP operating system using Reflection X Software. We tested the Multicast SPI 2.1 with:

    • Reflection X 7.20
    • Reflection X 8.05

    Do not use Reflection X while installing the Multicast SPI or obtaining the licensing password. Please see Reflection X Known Issues.

 

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What Is New In the Multicast Smart Plug-in 2.1

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For complete information about migration, see the Multicast Smart Plug-in Administrator's Guide, Appendix E.

  • Changes from NNM Multicast 2.0 to NNM Multicast 2.0 with the Consolidated Patch

    NOTE: The consolidated patch number is as follows:

    • For HP-UX: PHSS_28159
    • For Solaris: PSOV03228

    • Support for different versions of Cisco IOS and MIBs

      Cisco's new router IOS versions support the IGMP MIB in the standard MIB-II branch.

      The consolidated patch allows management of routers running IOS versions 12.2(4)T and later, as well as, the already supported older versions. In the NNM MIB Browser, you will see IGMP-MIB referenced in two MIB branches. To use the NNM MIB Browser for gathering information, use:

      • .iso.org.dod.internet.mgmt.mib-2.igmpStdMIB (for newer IOS versions i.e., 12.2(4)T or later)
      • .iso.org.dod.internet.experimental.igmpMIB (for older IOS versions)

    • Changes to Monitor Traffic Collection

      The two menu commands under the Multicast menu, Multicast Data Collection -> Monitor Group Traffic Collection and Multicast Data Collection -> Monitor Interface Traffic Collection now use a web interface. The web interfaces provide a Pause button. To sort by a column of your choice, click on the column title.

      Prior to this patch, the native NNM user interface-based table had to be running in order to be able to use the web interface. With the patch, that requirement no longer exists.

      If you encounter problems getting these menu commands working on your computer, check the following configuration files:

      • $OV_CONF/ovweb.conf

        Verify that Browser, Host, and Port are set appropriately. Also verify that the browser specified in this file works correctly. Host and Port must match what is specified in httpd.conf (explained below). See the ovweb.conf manpage for full details.

      • /opt/OV/httpd/conf/httpd.conf

        Verify that ServerName and Port match the values specified for Host and Port in ovweb.conf (explained above).

      • /apps/bin/netscape

        Assuming that your preferred browser (as specified in ovweb.conf) is Netscape, verify that /apps/bin/netscape points to the correct version of Netscape that is operational on your computer.

      • $OV_LRF/httpd.lrf, etc.

        Verify that your httpd process is started by ovstart. See the $OV_LRF/httpd.lrf file and the lrf and ovstart manpages for more details.

      Optionally, you can ignore these two menu commands and bookmark the following URLs on any computer from which you can access the computer that hosts the Multicast SPI:

      • Group: http://<Host>:<Port>/OvCgi/mcastgrptable.ovpl
      • Interface: http://<Host>:<Port>/OvCgi/mcastiftable.ovpl

      Replace <Host> with your Hostname, and replace <Port> with the appropriate port number. The default port number is 3443.
    • New menu command for locating an IP Address

      A new menu command, Locate & Highlight IP Address has been added under the Multicast menu.

      With this menu command, you can locate the subnet or router object in the Multicast submap that contains the specified IP address. This menu command is useful for identifying where an IP address belongs in the map (in other words, which subnet or router) and can be used as part of troubleshooting multicast traffic to or from a specific IP address.

      If the specified IP address belongs to one of the routers managed by the Multicast SPI, that router symbol and the connection-line (representing the interface) is highlighted.

      Otherwise, the subnet symbol where the IP address exists is highlighted.
    • Change to the menu command for clearing highlights

      The Multicast:Clear Highlights menu command clears the highlights created by either Highlight PIM Designated Routers or Locate & Highlight IP Address.

      Clear Highlights replaces the earlier menu command Clear PIM Highlights.
    • Enhancements to the Describe Multicast Object operation

      The Describe Multicast Object menu command now shows an enhanced structure for better readability.
    • Changes to menu accelerator keys

      Due to some changes in the Multicast menu, the accelerator keys for the menu commands have been changed.
    • IP address wildcards in managed.mmon and unmanaged.mmon

      It is now possible to specify IP address ranges using wildcards in the $OV_CONF/managed.mmon and $OV_CONF/unmanaged.mmon files.

      By default, your customized versions of these files are retained. To take advantage of the IP address wildcards, see the comments section of the /usr/newconfig/etc/opt/OV/share/conf/managed.mmon file for more details.

      We recommend that you replace the comments in your $OV_CONF/managed.mmon with those from the new file, /usr/newconfig/etc/opt/OV/share/conf/managed.mmon, so that you have this information for future reference.
    • New and modified configuration parameters in mmon.conf

      A few configuration options have been added or modified in the $OV_CONF/mmon.conf configuration file.

      By default, your customized version of this configuration file is retained. Changes to the configuration options are explained as comments in the new version of the configuration file: /usr/newconfig/etc/opt/OV/share/conf/mmon.conf.

      DO NOT OVERWRITE YOUR CURRENT $OV_CONF/mmon.conf FILE.

      The changes to the mmon.conf file are as follows:

      • NODE_STATUS: Has an additional parameter to configure Status if the Multicast MIBs are inadequate.
      • DOMAIN_SUFFIX: Now, multiple suffixes can be specified.
      • TRIM_FWD_TREE_STATE: Affects forwarding tree display.
      • DISCOVERY_VIA_SNMP: This allows options for the discovery process (MRINFO versus SNMP).

      Tip: We recommend that you copy the comments for NODE_STATUS, DOMAIN_SUFFIX, TRIM_FWD_TREE_STATE, and DISCOVERY_VIA_SNMP from /usr/newconfig/etc/opt/OV/share/conf/mmon.conf to $OV_CONF/mmon.conf, so that you have this information for future reference.

  • Changes from NNM Multicast 2.0 with the Consolidated Patch to the Multicast Smart Plug-In for Network Node Manager 2.1

    NOTE: The consolidated patch number is as follows:

    • For HP-UX: PHSS_28159
    • For Solaris: PSOV03228

    • Forwarding tree display when routers have multiple parallel connections (OpenView "metaconnections")

      Previous versions of NNM Multicast failed to display the forwarding tree on the single line used on the network map to represent multiple, parallel connections between routers (known as an OpenView "metaconnection"). This problem is fixed, and the forwarding tree is also correctly shown on the metaconnection submap.
    • Forwarding tree display when no data is flowing on route

      Previous versions of NNM Multicast displayed forwarding trees using only two colors (one for shared tree, one for source-specific or shortest-path tree. Now the critical-status color (red) may also be used in a forwarding tree display. This color is used when data is not flowing along a portion of the tree, as reported by the routers. A pop-up message appears when this condition is detected during the display of a forwarding tree. This serves as a visual indication of a multicast fault, and aids in diagnosis of multicast issues.

      In addition, the display of a forwarding tree now correctly follows the shared path for the next hop downstream if the incoming shortest-path route is not receiving data. Prior versions of NNM Multicast did not handle this correctly.
    • Support for routers with standard ipMRoute MIB

      This version of the product adds new support for routers that utilize the ipMRouteStdMIB. Now both standard and experimental versions of the ipMRoute MIB are supported:

      • .iso.org.dod.internet.mgmt.mib-2.ipMRouteStdMIB
      • .iso.org.dod.internet.experimental.ipMRouteMIB
    • New configuration parameters in mmon.conf

      A few configuration options have been added:

    • NO_DISABLED_INTERFACE_IN_SUBNETS

      By default, disabled interfaces may result in "blue subnets" appearing on the map because the disabled interface may be the only multicast-enabled interface in the subnet. With no other object to define the subnet's status, it is unknown (blue).

      Setting this parameter to 1 disables the display of "blue subnets" that are caused by disabled interfaces by eliminating all disabled interfaces from subnets. This can greatly reduce the number of objects on a multicast map.

      The disabled interfaces will still be seen on router submaps, and via the Describe Multicast Object menu command when one or more routers is selected.

    • MAX_SNMP_GETBULK_ROWS

      SNMP accesses may try for 1000 or more objects using SNMP v2C get-bulk. Some routers are overwhelmed by this. This parameter determines the maximum number of objects requested with each SNMP get-bulk request. This default value works with all routers, at the cost of reduced efficiency for more capable routers.

      •
    • New configuration parameters in mmon_ma.conf

      Three interface types have been added to mmon_ma.conf:

      • propVirtual
      • l2vlan
      • l3ipvlan

      For information about using this configuration file, see the Multicast Smart Plug-in Administrator's Guide, Chapter 2 "Installation and Configuration."
    • Interface labels

      For Cisco and Foundry routers, interface labels will incorporate the standard short-form of the interface description. As examples:

      Interface DescriptionSubmap label text
      Ethernet2/0Et2/0
      ATM9/0/0.1-aal5 layerAT9/0/0.1
      GigabitEthernet4/14Gi4/14

 

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Known Issues / Resolutions

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Possible Conflicting Threshold/Rearm Traps in NNM

The Multicast SPI uses two SNMP trap OIDs within the number range reserved for in-house customer configurations of NNM threshold and rearm events:

  • .1.3.6.1.4.1.11.2.17.1.0.5369
  • .1.3.6.1.4.1.11.2.17.1.0.5370

If you configured custom threshold/rearm traps in NNM, please verify that these OIDs are not currently in use within your NNM configuration. If they are already in use, please modify your NNM configuration so that these OIDs are available to the Multicast SPI before installing the Multicast SPI.

To verify the NNM configuration for these OIDs:

  1. Start the NNM interface (ovw).
  2. On any submap, click Options:Event Configuration.
  3. In the Enterprise list, click OpenView.
  4. On the menu bar, click View:Sort->Sort by Event Identifiers.
  5. Check for the presence of the following OID numbers:
    • .1.3.6.1.4.1.11.2.17.1.0.5369
    • .1.3.6.1.4.1.11.2.17.1.0.5370

  6. If these OIDs are not listed, continue with the Multicast SPI installation.

    If these OIDs are listed, reconfigure those two traps in NNM before installing the Multicast SPI. See the "Data Collection & Thresholds" section of the NNM manual, Managing Your Network with NNM, Chapter 11 "Customizing Events" for more information.

NNM Environment Variables Required

The Multicast SPI requires that the NNM environment variables be configured properly:

  • During installation
  • When starting background processes (ovstart)
  • When running foreground processes (ovw)

See the "Establishing Universal Pathnames" section of the NNM manual, Managing Your Network with NNM, Chapter 5 "Initial Network Discovery" for more information. Also, see the ov.envvars manpage.

Multicast Group Name Versus Group Class D IP Address

Several of the Multicast SPI dialog boxes include a field requesting that you specify the desired "Group." For static groups, specify the class D IP address assigned for this group’s use, rather than the group name.

To determine the class D IP address assigned for the group, at the command prompt, type:

nslookup <group name>

Logging and Tracing Switch Limitation

If you enable the logging and tracing feature provided with the Multicast SPI using multiple switches in the process registration files, you may find that the Multicast SPI quits working and the console window displays:

Usage Error: ....

Use the following guidelines:

  • mmap (only one switch per session)
  • mmonitor (only one switch per session)
  • mtraffic (only one or two switches per session)

Suggestion: Convert to using environment variables instead of -d, -k, -n switches. Continue using the -f switch.

See the Multicast Smart Plug-in Administrator's Guide, Appendix C "Logging and Tracing for the Multicast Smart Plug-in" for more information.

Reflection X Known Issues

  1. DO NOT USE Reflection X for:

    • Installing the Multicast SPI
    • Obtaining permanent passwords for the Multicast SPI (menu command in the NNM interface (ovw))
    • Checking current license information (menu command in the NNM interface (ovw))

    The HP Auto Pass License Software does not work well in the Reflection X environment.

    While using the HP Auto Pass licensing dialog boxes, use an HP-UX display on the HP-UX operating system or a Solaris display on the Solaris operating system.

  2. While testing with Reflection X, occasionally the Multicast SPI dialog boxes (Java windows) appeared without borders. If this happens, close the NNM interface (ovw), completely exit your Reflection X session, and then restart Reflection X to fix the problem.

Possible Start-up Difficulty

If you experience difficulty running the Multicast SPI after installation and configuration, verify that the Multicast SPI processes started properly. At the command prompt, type:

ovstatus mmonitor mtraffic

If you see the following error message:

824: SecurityModule.smCanRun: Error reading from local file

Simply restart that process. At the command prompt, type:

ovstart mmonitor or ovstart mtraffic

This problem has been noticed the first time only after installation and configuration.

Problem After NNM Terminates Abnormally

If the NNM interface (ovw) terminates abnormally, the Multicast SPI processes may continue to exist. This situation causes unnecessary resource consumption and may prevent access to open the same map in read-write mode.

Look for the processes with the following names and kill them (kill -9 <pid>):

  • /opt/OV/bin/mmap
  • /opt/OV/bin/JRE/bin/…/jre
  • /opt/OV/bin/mshowgrouptable
  • /opt/OV/bin/mshowinterfacetable

Font Warnings in NNM

You might see font warnings in the terminal window in which you typed ovw to start the NNM interface (ovw).

You might also see the message:

Java HotSpotTM Server VM warning: Disabling implicit null checks

You can ignore these warnings or install the listed fonts.

Traffic Collection Tables Don't Automatically Refresh

If you start traffic collection tables (using the menu commands Multicast:Multicast Data Collection->Monitor ...) when the tables are empty, the tables are not automatically refreshed. After data collection has begun, close the web browser and re-open the traffic collection tables.

Missing Functionality for Alarms

Double-clicking an alarm in the Multicast Alert Alarms category of the NNM alarm browser results in the message No object found. Navigate to the multicast object in the NNM GUI (ovw) map.

The Alarms command on the router shortcut menu (available by right-clicking on a router) doesn't work. Filter alarms for a router in the Multicast Alert Alarms browser.

 

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Multicast Smart Plug-in Documentation

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The Multicast Smart Plug-in Administrator's Guide is available in several places:

  • At the root directory of the installation CD (Multicast_SPI_Admin_Guide.pdf)
  • The installation process places the same file at /opt/OV/www/htdocs/C/manuals/Multicast_SPI_Admin_Guide.pdf
  • From the HP Documentation web site at http://ovweb.external.hp.com/lpe/doc_serv/

The NNM manual, Managing Your Network with NNM, is available in several places:

  • A printed copy included with the product
  • The installation process places the same file at /opt/OV/www/htdocs/C/manuals/Managing_Your_Network.pdf
  • On any submap in the NNM interface (ovw), click Help:Online Manuals->Managing Your Network
  • From the HP Documentation web site at http://ovweb.external.hp.com/lpe/doc_serv/

These documents are in Portable Document Format (PDF) and can be viewed with your web browser. Adobe Reader can be installed from http://www.adobe.com/products/acrobat/. If you are installing on a UNIX browser, be sure to read Adobe's knowledge base article #317421, available at http://www.adobe.com/support/techdocs/142ba.htm, which documents how to install the plug-in into your UNIX browser. You can use Netscape's Help:About Plug-ins menu command to see which plug-ins are enabled.

For Japanese browsers, be sure to download the Acroread ASIAN Font Pack from http://www.adobe.com/products/acrobat/acrrasianfontpack.html.