Cisco Network Assistant User manual

Americas Headquarters
Cisco Systems, Inc.
170 West Tasman Drive
San Jose, CA 95134-1706
USA
http://www.cisco.com
Tel: [phone]
800 553-NETS (6387)
Fax: [phone]
Getting Started with
Cisco Network Assistant
Version 5.4
Text Part Number: OL-6194-07

THE SPECIFICATIONS AND INFORMATION REGARDING THE PRODUCTS IN THIS MANUAL ARE SUBJECT TO CHANGE WITHOUT NOTICE. ALL
STATEMENTS, INFORMATION, AND RECOMMENDATIONS IN THIS MANUAL ARE BELIEVED TO BE ACCURATE BUT ARE PRESENTED WITHOUT
WARRANTY OF ANY KIND, EXPRESS OR IMPLIED. USERS MUST TAKE FULL RESPONSIBILITY FOR THEIR APPLICATION OF ANY PRODUCTS.
THE SOFTWARE LICENSE AND LIMITED WARRANTY FOR THE ACCOMPANYING PRODUCT ARE SET FORTH IN THE INFORMATION PACKET THAT
SHIPPED WITH THE PRODUCT AND ARE INCORPORATED HEREIN BY THIS REFERENCE. IF YOU ARE UNABLE TO LOCATE THE SOFTWARE LICENSE
OR LIMITED WARRANTY, CONTACT YOUR CISCO REPRESENTATIVE FOR A COPY.
The Cisco implementation of TCP header compression is an adaptation of a program developed by the University of California, Berkeley (UCB) as part of UCB’s public
domain version of the UNIX operating system. All rights reserved. Copyright © 1981, Regents of the University of California.
NOTWITHSTANDING ANY OTHER WARRANTY HEREIN, ALL DOCUMENT FILES AND SOFTWARE OF THESE SUPPLIERS ARE PROVIDED “AS IS” WITH
ALL FAULTS. CISCO AND THE ABOVE-NAMED SUPPLIERS DISCLAIM ALL WARRANTIES, EXPRESSED OR IMPLIED, INCLUDING, WITHOUT
LIMITATION, THOSE OF MERCHANTABILITY, FITNESS FOR A PARTICULAR PURPOSE AND NONINFRINGEMENT OR ARISING FROM A COURSE OF
DEALING, USAGE, OR TRADE PRACTICE.
IN NO EVENT SHALL CISCO OR ITS SUPPLIERS BE LIABLE FOR ANY INDIRECT, SPECIAL, CONSEQUENTIAL, OR INCIDENTAL DAMAGES, INCLUDING,
WITHOUT LIMITATION, LOST PROFITS OR LOSS OR DAMAGE TO DATA ARISING OUT OF THE USE OR INABILITY TO USE THIS MANUAL, EVEN IF CISCO
OR ITS SUPPLIERS HAVE BEEN ADVISED OF THE POSSIBILITY OF SUCH DAMAGES.CCDE, CCENT, Cisco Eos, Cisco Lumin, Cisco Nexus,
Cisco StadiumVision, Cisco TelePresence, the Cisco logo, DCE, and Welcome to the Human Network are trademarks; Changing the Way We Work, Live, Play, and Learn
and Cisco Store are service marks; and Access Registrar, Aironet, AsyncOS, Bringing the Meeting To You, Catalyst, CCDA, CCDP, CCIE, CCIP, CCNA, CCNP, CCSP,
CCVP, Cisco, the Cisco Certified Internetwork Expert logo, Cisco IOS, Cisco Press, Cisco Systems, Cisco Systems Capital, the Cisco Systems logo, Cisco Unity,
Collaboration Without Limitation, EtherFast, EtherSwitch, Event Center, Fast Step, Follow Me Browsing, FormShare, GigaDrive, HomeLink, Internet Quotient, IOS, iPhone,
iQ Expertise, the iQ logo, iQ Net Readiness Scorecard, iQuick Study, IronPort, the IronPort logo, LightStream, Linksys, MediaTone, MeetingPlace, MeetingPlace Chime
Sound, MGX, Networkers, Networking Academy, Network Registrar, PCNow, PIX, PowerPanels, ProConnect, ScriptShare, SenderBase, SMARTnet, Spectrum Expert,
StackWise, The Fastest Way to Increase Your Internet Quotient, TransPath, WebEx, and the WebEx logo are registered trademarks of Cisco Systems, Inc. and/or its affiliates
in the United States and certain other countries.
All other trademarks mentioned in this document or Website are the property of their respective owners. The use of the word partner does not imply a partnership relationship
between Cisco and any other company. (0807R)
Getting Started with Cisco Network Assistant
© 2004-2008 Cisco Systems, Inc. All rights reserved.

iii
Getting Started with Cisco Network Assistant
OL-6194-07
CONTENTS
Preface v
Audience i-v
Purpose i-v
Obtaining Documentation and Submitting a Service Request i-v
CHAPTER 1What Is Network Assistant? 1-1
CHAPTER 2Network Assistant Features 2-1
Front Panel View 2-2
Topology View 2-3
Menu Bar, Toolbar, and Feature Bar 2-4
Menu Bar 2-4
Toolbar 2-5
Feature Bar 2-6
Network Assistant Modes 2-8
Wizards 2-9
Smartports 2-9
Privilege Levels 2-9
Updates for Network Assistant 2-9
Online Help 2-10
CHAPTER 3Installing Cisco Network Assistant 3-1
Installing Network Assistant 3-1
Starting Network Assistant 3-1
Connecting to Network Assistant 3-2
Event Notification 3-3
CHAPTER 4Planning and Creating Communities 4-1
Planning a Community 4-1
Candidate and Member Characteristics 4-1
Community Device Limit 4-2
Automatic Discovery of Candidates and Members 4-2
Community Names 4-2

Contents
iv
Getting Started with Cisco Network Assistant
OL-6194-07
Hostnames 4-2
Passwords 4-3
Communication Protocols 4-3
Community Information 4-3
Creating a Community 4-3
Discovering and Adding Devices 4-3
Manually Adding Members 4-4
Converting a Cluster to a Community 4-4
Verifying a Community 4-4
APPENDIX AConfiguring a Catalyst 4500 Series Switch for Network Assistant Management A-1
Network Assistant-Related Features and Their Defaults A-1
Configuring Your Switch for Network Assistant A-2
Minimum Configuration to Access Catalyst 4500 from Network Assistant A-2
Additional Configuration Required to Manage a Community A-3
Additional Configuration Required to Manage a Cluster A-3
I NDEX

v
Getting Started with Cisco Network Assistant
OL-6194-07
Preface
Audience
This guide is for system administrators, network managers, and other users who want to manage standalone
network devices and device groups through a GUI. It presents Cisco Network Assistant, known as Network
Assistant, as a solution.
Purpose
The purpose of this guide is to give users information to start using Network Assistant. It consists of
these chapters:
• Introduction—What Network Assistant is and what it does.
• Network Assistant Features—How to use Network Assistant to manage devices and networks.
• Installing Network Assistant—How to install Network Assistant on your workstation, start it, and
connect it to a network device.
• Planning and Creating Communities—The concepts and procedures for planning and creating
communities by using Network Assistant. The concept of clusters is supported for backward
compatibility.
Obtaining Documentation and Submitting a Service Request
For information on obtaining documentation, submitting a service request, and gathering additional
information, see the monthly What’s New in Cisco Product Documentation, which also lists all new and
revised Cisco technical documentation, at:
http://www.cisco.com/en/US/docs/general/whatsnew/whatsnew.html
Subscribe to the What’s New in Cisco Product Documentation as a Really Simple Syndication (RSS) feed
and set content to be delivered directly to your desktop using a reader application. The RSS feeds are a free
service and Cisco currently supports RSS Vers io n 2.0.

vi
Getting Started with Cisco Network Assistant
OL-6194-07

CHAPTER
1-1
Getting Started with Cisco Network Assistant
OL-6194-07
1
What Is Network Assistant?
Network Assistant is an application that you can use to manage standalone devices and device
groups—communities and clusters—from anywhere in your intranet. You can perform multiple
configuration tasks without using command-line interface (CLI) commands. You can also apply actions
to multiple devices and ports at the same time for VLAN and quality of service (QoS) settings, inventory
and statistics reports, link and device monitoring, software upgrades, and many other networking
features.
Network Assistant graphical user interface (GUI) provides these views:
• Topology view—shows devices that are in a community, a cluster, or that are eligible to join the
community or cluster, link information between devices, and other connected clusters.
• Front-panel view—allows you to monitor the real-time status of the devices and perform many
configuration tasks. The devices and port LEDs in the view look like the physical devices and the
port LEDs.
A community is a device group that can contain up to 40 connected network devices. Network Assistant
uses the Cisco Discovery Protocol (CDP) automatic discovery capability to find eligible network devices
and to add them to a community. When a network device is added to a community, it becomes a member
device. Network Assistant manages, configures, and monitors each member on an individual basis. Each
member must have an IP address assigned to it.
Most Cisco network devices that have IP addresses, such as routers, switches, and access points, can
belong to a community. For a specific list of network devices, see the release notes. For information on
community limitations, see the “Community Device Limit” section on page 4-2.
You can create a community to manage Cisco cluster-capable devices as well as noncluster-capable
devices in the same logical group, regardless of their physical locations and the software installed on the
devices.With Network Assistant you can create, modify, delete, and manage multiple communities.
A cluster is a device group that can contain up to 16 connected network devices, but they have to be
cluster-capable Catalyst devices. The devices belong exclusively to one cluster; they do not participate
in other clusters. You assign an IP address to a device that will become the command device. The IP
address of the command device is the single point of access that Network Assistant uses to configure,
manage, and monitor the command device and the member devices.
A community offers these benefits that a cluster does not:
• Communities can manage routers, access points, and switches. Clusters can only manage switches.
• The device limit for communities is 40, but the device limit for clusters is 16.
• Network Assistant can communicate securely with every member in a community. In a cluster,
Network Assistant communicates with member devices through the command device, but the
communication is secure only between Network Assistant and the command device. It is not secure
from the command device to member devices.

1-2
Getting Started with Cisco Network Assistant
OL-6194-07
Chapter 1 What Is Network Assistant?
• If a community member fails, Network Assistant can continue to manage the other members. If a
cluster command device fails, Network Assistant cannot manage the other members of the cluster
unless a cluster standby device has been configured.
• Communities have fewer restrictions than clusters about where members are located and how they
are connected to each other. For more information on cluster member restrictions, see the online
help.
• If candidate devices do not have CDP enabled, you can still create a community and manually add
the devices. Clusters cannot be created unless CDP is enabled on all the candidate devices.
Network Assistant features include front panel and topology views of device groups. See Chapter 2,
“Network Assistant Features,” for more information.
For information on setting up communities, see Chapter 4, “Planning and Creating Communities.”
For information on setting up device clusters, see Chapter 4, “Planning and Creating Clusters” of the
Getting Started with Cisco Network Assistant document, version 1.0.

CHAPTER
2-1
Getting Started with Cisco Network Assistant
OL-6194-07
2
Network Assistant Features
Network Assistant simplifies the management of communities or clusters by offering a GUI, alternative
modes for configuring network devices, two levels of access, and comprehensive online help. Figure 2-1
shows the main features of the GUI.
Figure 2-1 Network Assistant GUI
These sections describe the Network Assistant features:
• Front Panel View, page 2-2
• Topology View, page 2-3
1Toolbar 3Topology view
2Feature bar 4Front Panel view
200761
1
2
4
3

2-2
Getting Started with Cisco Network Assistant
OL-6194-07
Chapter 2 Network Assistant Features
Front Panel View
• Menu Bar, Toolbar, and Feature Bar, page 2-4
• Network Assistant Modes, page 2-8
• Wizards, page 2-9
• Smartports, page 2-9
• Privilege Levels, page 2-9
• Updates for Network Assistant, page 2-9
• Online Help, page 2-10
Front Panel View
When Network Assistant connects to a community or a cluster, you can display the Front Panel view of
your device by clicking the Front Panel on the toolbar or by choosing Monitor > View > Front Panel
on the feature bar. If the device belongs to a community, you see all of the devices that were selected the
last time that the front panel view appeared for that community. If the device is a cluster, you see the
cluster members that were selected the last time that the view was displayed.
By using the Front Panel view, you can
• Drag and re-arrange the devices that appear.
• Select and configure the devices.
• Right-click a port and configure it.
• Select multiple ports, on the same device or on different devices, and configure the ports at the same
time.
Figure 2-2 shows a community with these members: Catalyst 4948, 3750, 3560, 3550, 2960, 2955, and
2950 switches and a Catalyst Express 500 switch.

2-3
Getting Started with Cisco Network Assistant
OL-6194-07
Chapter 2 Network Assistant Features
Topology View
Figure 2-2 Front Panel View and Port Popup Window
Topology View
When Network Assistant connects to a community or a cluster, the Topology view appears by default. If
you change this default, you can see the Topology view by clicking Topology view on the toolbar or by
choosing Monitor > Views > Topology.
Note You can change the preferences in Network Assistant to show the Front Panel view by default by
choosing Application > Preferences > Show Front Panel View when connected to network. If you do
not want Network Assistant to show the Topology view by default, deselect Show Topology View when
connected to a network.
The Topology view shows how the devices within a community or a cluster are connected. If you manage
a community, you can see the VLAN links by highlighting them. You can make neighboring devices
members of the community or cluster, or you can remove members.
The Topology view in Figure 2-3 shows the members of a community and the neighboring devices
discovered by Network Assistant. When you right-click a device or a link icon, a popup window appears.
1Member devices 3Settings popup window
2Check boxes to show devices
200739
1
32

2-4
Getting Started with Cisco Network Assistant
OL-6194-07
Chapter 2 Network Assistant Features
Menu Bar, Toolbar, and Feature Bar
Figure 2-3 Topology View and Device Popup Windows
Note When you are managing a community, the Topology view displays all the devices in that community. To
display a different community, you must connect to that community.
When you are managing a cluster, the Topology view displays only the cluster and the network
neighborhood of the specific command or member device that you access. To display a different cluster,
you must access the command device or a member device of that cluster.
Menu Bar, Toolbar, and Feature Bar
These menu bar, toolbar, and feature bar has these options:
• Menu bar—use to configure communities and Network Assistant.
• Toolbar—contains icons and buttons for commonly used configuration options and for information
windows such as the legend and the online help.
• Feature bar—use to configure devices, ports and VLANs, perform monitoring, and access reports.
Menu Bar
The menu bar has these options:
• Application—choose printing options, select interaction modes, set user preferences, search for and
install Network Assistant updates, show or hide the feature bar, create and modify communities, and
request system message notifications.
1Device popup window 2Link popup window
200744
1 2

2-5
Getting Started with Cisco Network Assistant
OL-6194-07
Chapter 2 Network Assistant Features
Menu Bar, Toolbar, and Feature Bar
• Window—navigate to open the Network Assistant windows.
• Help—open the online help.
Toolbar
Table 2-1 lists the toolbar options from left to right on the toolbar.
Ta b l e 2-1 Toolbar Icons and Buttons
Toolbar Option Icon Task
Connect Connect Network Assistant to a community, a cluster, or a standalone device.
Refresh Update the views with the latest status.
Print Print a Network Assistant window or help topic.
Preferences Set Network Assistant display properties, choose the views to open when Network
Assistant is connected, and choose how often Network Assistant searches for an update.
Save
Configuration1
Save the configuration of the devices to your PC.
Software
Upgrade1
Upgrade the software on one or more devices.
Smartports1Display or configure Smartports setup on a device.
Port Settings2Display and configure port parameters on a device.
VLANs1Display VLAN membership, assign ports to VLANs, and change the administration
mode.
Inventory Display the device type, the software version, the IP address, and other information
about a device.
Health Monitor measurements that show the health of your managed devices.
Event
Notification
Display messages about network and device events.
Front Panel Display the Front Panel view.

2-6
Getting Started with Cisco Network Assistant
OL-6194-07
Chapter 2 Network Assistant Features
Menu Bar, Toolbar, and Feature Bar
Feature Bar
The feature bar shows the networking features that are available for the devices in your community or
cluster. By default, the feature bar is in standard mode. In this mode, it is always visible, and you can
reduce or increase its width. In autohide mode, the feature bar appears only when you move the cursor
to the left edge of the Network Assistant workspace.
• To see the feature bar in standard mode, click Application >Feature Bar, and select Standard
Mode.
• To hide the feature bar, click Application >Feature Bar, and select Autohide Mode.
Topology Display the Topology view.
Legend Display the legend, which describes the icons, labels, and links.
Help for Active
Window
Display the help topic for the active, open window. You can also click Help from the
active window or press the F1 key.
Feedback Open a Web page where you can leave feedback about your experience with Network
Assistant.
Search Enter terms in the field at the right of the toolbar, and click the Search button to search
the online help.
1. Not available in read only mode. For more information about the read only and read-write access modes, see the “Privilege Levels” section on page 2-9.
2. Some options from this menu option are not available in read only mode.
Table 2-1 Toolbar Icons and Buttons (continued)
Toolbar Option Icon Task

2-7
Getting Started with Cisco Network Assistant
OL-6194-07
Chapter 2 Network Assistant Features
Menu Bar, Toolbar, and Feature Bar
Figure 2-4 shows the feature bar.
Figure 2-4 Feature Bar
The features are grouped under menus. When you click a menu item, the configuration window for the
feature opens.
Access modes affect the availability of features; some are not available in read only mode. For more
information about how access modes affect Network Assistant, see the “Privilege Levels” section on
page 2-9.
200755

2-8
Getting Started with Cisco Network Assistant
OL-6194-07
Chapter 2 Network Assistant Features
Network Assistant Modes
Network Assistant Modes
You can use Network Assistant in these modes:
• Expert Mode—Configures a feature in a single window. Network Assistant is in expert mode by
default. To run a feature in expert mode choose Expert in the Application menu. To access the
online help in expert mode, click Help in the window.
• Guide Mode—Configures a feature one step at a time and displays the corresponding help
information for the window that is appearing. Features that appear with a signpost icon on the
feature bar (see Figure 2-5) means that you can run them in guide mode, When you select the
feature, a series of steps guides you through the configuration for that feature.
To run guide mode, choose Guide in the Application menu, To run a guide-mode feature in Expert
mode, you must choose Expert before selecting the feature.
Note Guide mode is not available if your switch access level is read only. For more information
about the read only access mode, see the “Privilege Levels” section on page 2-9.
Figure 2-5 Guide Mode Signposts
1Guide mode icon 2Menu items that support only the expert mode
200756
2
1

2-9
Getting Started with Cisco Network Assistant
OL-6194-07
Chapter 2 Network Assistant Features
Wizards
Wizards
All wizards contain Wizard in their names on the feature bar. Like guide mode, wizards provide a
step-by-step approach for completing a specific configuration task. Unlike guide mode, wizards do not
prompt you to enter information for all of the feature options. Instead, they prompt you to enter minimal
information and use the default settings of the remaining options to set default configurations.
Wizards are not available for read only access levels. For more information about the read only access
mode, see the “Privilege Levels” section.
Smartports
Network Assistant detects where you have not used Smartports to configure a device connection and
provides this information in the Event Notification window. You can configure the connection either
manually or based on suggestions provided by Network Assistant. Open the Smartports window to either
select a role to apply or use Smartports to suggest a role to apply. See the online help for more
information on Smartports.
Privilege Levels
Network Assistant provides two types of access to configuration options: read write and read only. Your
access type is determined by your privilege level, a number from 1 to 15. Privilege levels correspond to
these access types:
• Level 15 provides read write access.
• Levels 1 to 14 provide read only access. Any options in the Network Assistant windows, feature bar,
toolbar, and popup windows that change the device, community, or cluster configuration are enabled
for read only access. This means that you cannot modify the configuration shown in the windows
started by these items.
By default, Network Assistant tries to log you on with privilege level 15. However, this normally requires
that you pass the authentication with a proper username and password. Lower levels do not generally
impose this requirement.
Note You must have privilege level 15 to access Network Assistant through a TACACS+ or a RADIUS server.
Updates for Network Assistant
Network Assistant can search Cisco.com to see whether new packages are available. Use either of these
actions to request a search:
• Choose Application > Preferences, and use the Preferences window to request an automatic search
every week or every month.
• Choose Application > Application Updates to request an immediate search for updates.
If an update is found, you can install it through Network Assistant.

2-10
Getting Started with Cisco Network Assistant
OL-6194-07
Chapter 2 Network Assistant Features
Online Help
Online Help
Network Assistant provides comprehensive online help that explains configuration and monitoring tasks.
Sometimes the information in a help topic differs for different devices. In these cases, the right pane of
the Help window contains all the versions of the topic, each labeled with the hostnames of the devices
it applies to.
Online help includes these features:
• Conceptual help that gives background information on networking features
• Window help that gives procedures for performing tasks
• An index of online help topics
• A tab for requesting a search of all the online help topics
• A glossary of terms used in the online help

CHAPTER
3-1
Getting Started with Cisco Network Assistant
OL-6194-07
3
Installing Cisco Network Assistant
This chapter describes how to install Cisco Network Assistant and how to connect it to a device or an
existing community.
For information about the requirements needed to install Network Assistant, see the Release Notes
at:http://www.cisco.com/en/US/products/ps5931/prod_release_notes_list.html
Installing Network Assistant
To install Network Assistant on your PC, follow these steps:
1. Go to this web address: http://www.cisco.com/go/NetworkAssistant.
You must be a registered Cisco.com user to access this site. You do not need any other access
privileges.
2. Find the Network Assistant installer file, cna-windows-k9-installer-5-0-en.exe.
3. Download the Network Assistant installer, and run it. (You can run it directly from the web if
your browser offers this choice.)
When you run the installer, follow the displayed instructions. In the final panel, click Finish to
complete the Network Assistant installation.
Note Network Assistant is free. There is no charge to download, install, or use it.
Starting Network Assistant
After you install Network Assistant, you will see its icon on your desktop, a Network Assistant shortcut
under the Start menu, and a Network Assistant entry under Start > Programs. When you click any of
these, you see a partial Network Assistant GUI and the Connect window.
In disconnect mode, Network Assistant is not connected to a device or a community; it cannot manage
a standalone device, a community, or the command device of a cluster. Its menu bar and toolbar support
only the tasks that customize Network Assistant itself. The feature bar, which usually lists device
features, is empty.

3-2
Getting Started with Cisco Network Assistant
OL-6194-07
Chapter 3 Installing Cisco Network Assistant
Connecting to Network Assistant
Connecting to Network Assistant
Use the Connect window in Network Assistant to connect to a community or cluster. Figure 3-1.shows
the Connect window.
To connect Network Assistant to a device:
Step 1 From the Connect window, enter the IP address of the device.
• For an existing community, select its name from the pull-down menu. For an existing cluster, select
the IP address.
When you select a community, you can also set the access mode and access level. If you do not set
the access mode before connecting to the community, Network Assistant applies the read/write
access mode to all the devices in the community.
• For HTTP and Access Mode options, click the Optionsbutton.
– In the HTTP protocol field, select HTTP or HTTPS. To communicate with a clusterered or a
standalone device, use HTTPS (secure HTTP) instead of HTTP.
– Select an HTTP port. Use an HTTP port other than 80 on cluster command devices or standalone
devices.
– Select an access mode. Read-only access mode is the default.
– Click OK to return to the Connect Window.
• You can also use this window to connect to a new community. For instructions on how to use the
Connect to a new community option to create a community, see the “Creating a Community”
section on page 4-3.
Note For information about using the HTTPS and HTTP options in a community, see the “Communication
Protocols” section on page 4-3.
Because Catalyst 4500 series switches ship with HTTP and HTTPS disabled by default, you must enable
them as needed. HTTPS v3.0 is supported in Cisco IOS 12.2(25)SG cryptographic versions and later.
Figure 3-1 Connect Window
Step 2 Click Connect.
When you click Connect, you are either connected to the community directly, or you are prompted for
a username and password and then connected. When you connect to a cluster, Network Assistant asks if
you want to convert the cluster to a community. For more information on converting a cluster to a
community, see the “Converting a Cluster to a Community” section on page 4-4.