Nortel ALTEON OS BMD00009 User manual

2350 Mission College Blvd.
Suite 600
Santa Clara, CA 95054
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Alteon OS
BBI Quick Guide
Nortel 10Gb Uplink Ethernet Switch Module for IBM BladeCenter®
Version 1.2
TM
Part Number: BMD00009, November 2007

Alteon OS BBI Quick Guide
2BMD00009, November2007
Copyright © 2007 Blade Network Technologies, Inc., 2350 Mission College Blvd., Suite 600, Santa Clara,
California, 95054, USA. All rights reserved. Part Number: BMD00009.
This document is protected by copyright and distributed under licenses restricting its use, copying,
distribution, and decompilation. No part of this document may be reproduced in any form by any means
without prior written authorization of Blade Network Technologies, Inc. Documentation is provided “as
is” without warranty of any kind, either express or implied, including any kind of implied or express
warranty of non-infringement or the implied warranties of merchantability or fitness for a particular
purpose.
U.S. Government End Users: This document is provided with a “commercial item” as defined by FAR
2.101 (Oct. 1995) and contains “commercial technical data”and “commercial software documentation” as
those terms are used in FAR 12.211-12.212 (Oct. 1995). Government End Users are authorized to use this
documentation only in accordance with those rights and restrictions set forth herein, consistent with FAR
12.211- 12.212 (Oct. 1995), DFARS 227.7202 (JUN 1995) and DFARS 252.227-7015 (Nov. 1995).
Blade Network Technologies, Inc. reserves the right to change any products described herein at any time,
and without notice. Blade Network Technologies, Inc. assumes no responsibility or liability arising from
the use of products described herein, except as expressly agreed to in writing by Blade Network
Technologies, Inc. The use and purchase of this product does not convey a license under any patent rights,
trademark rights, or any other intellectual property rights of Blade Network Technologies, Inc.
Originated in the USA.
Alteon OS, and Alteon are trademarks of Nortel Networks, Inc. in the United States and certain other
countries. Cisco®and EtherChannel®are registered trademarks of Cisco Systems, Inc. in the United States
and certain other countries. Any other trademarks appearing in this manual are owned by their respective
companies.

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Contents
Preface 5
Who Should Use This Book 6
Related Documentation 6
Typographic Conventions 7
How to Get Help 8
Chapter 1: Getting Started 9
Features 9
Requirements 10
Switch Set Up 10
IP Interfaces 10
Enabling/Disabling BBI Access 11
Web Browser Set Up 11
Starting the BBI 11
Chapter 2: Browser-Based Interface Basics 15
Toolbar 17
Context Tabs 17
Commands 18
Navigation Window 19
Forms Window 20
Message Window 20
Chapter 3: Configuring the Switch 21
Configuration Steps 22
Using the BBI to Load Switch Software 24
Chapter 4: Viewing Statistics 27
Steps for Displaying Statistics 28

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Chapter 5: The Dashboard 29
Steps for Displaying Dashboards 30

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Preface
Alteon OS Browser-Based Interface (BBI) software is included with the Nortel 10Gb Uplink
Ethernet Switch Module (GbE Switch Module). The BBI software lets you use your Web
browser to access switch information and statistics, and to perform switch configuration via
the Internet.
This BBI Quick Guide provides an overview of how to access and use the Alteon OS Browser-
Based Interface.

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Who Should Use This Book
This BBI Quick Guide is intended for network installers and system administrators engaged in
configuring and maintaining a network. It assumes that you are familiar with your GbE Switch
Module, your Web browser, Ethernet concepts, IP addressing, the IEEE 802.1d Spanning-Tree
Protocol, and SNMP configuration parameters.
Related Documentation
For documentation on installing the switch physically, see the Installation Guide for your
GbE Switch Module.
For details about the switch information, statistics, and configuration parameters available
using the Alteon OS BBI, see the Alteon OS Command Reference and Application Guide.

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Typographic Conventions
The following table describes the typographic styles used in this book.
Table 1 Typographic Conventions
Typeface or
Symbol Meaning Example
AaBbCc123 This type is used for names of commands,
files, and directories used within the text. View the readme.txt file.
It also depicts on-screen computer output and
prompts. Main#
AaBbCc123 This bold type appears in command exam-
ples. It shows text that must be typed in
exactly as shown.
Main# sys
<AaBbCc123> This italicized type appears in command
examples as a parameter placeholder. Replace
the indicated text with the appropriate real
name or value when using the command. Do
not type the brackets.
To establish a Telnet session, enter:
host# telnet <IP address>
This also shows book titles, special terms, or
words to be emphasized. Read your User’s Guide thoroughly.
[ ] Command items shown inside brackets are
optional and can be used or excluded as the
situation demands. Do not type the brackets.
host# ls [-a]

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How to Get Help
If you need help, service, or technical assistance, see the "Getting help and technical
assistance" chapter in the Nortel 10Gb Uplink Ethernet Switch Module for IBM BladeCenter
Installation Guide.

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CHAPTER 1
Getting Started
This chapter briefly describes the software features and requirements for the Alteon OS
Browser-Based Interface (BBI), and explains how to access the BBI start page.
Features
The network administrator can access switch configuration and monitoring functions through
the BBI, a Web-based switch management interface. The BBI has the following features:
Many of the same configuration and monitoring functions as the command-line interface
Intuitive and easy-to-use interface structure
Password protection
Nothing to install; the BBI is part of the Alteon OS switch software
Automatically upgraded with each new software release
NOTE – You can perform most configuration and monitoring tasks through the BBI.
For a comprehensive set of commands, use the command-line interface. Refer to Alteon OS
Command Reference for the Nortel 10Gb Uplink Ethernet Switch Module for
IBM BladeCenter.

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Requirements
GbE Switch Module
Installed Alteon OS switch software
PC or workstation with network access to the switch’s management interface, as config-
ured using the management module
Frame-capable Web-browser software, such as the following:
Netscape Navigator 4.7x or higher
Internet Explorer 6.0x or higher
Mozilla FireFox 1.0.4 or higher
JavaScript enabled in your Web browser
Switch Set Up
Before you can access the BBI, minimal configuration is required on the GbE Switch Module.
IP Interfaces
At least one IP interface must be configured on the switch. This is configured from the man-
agement module and not the command-line interface. The management module assigns the
management IP address by default, starting at 192.168.70.127 for I/O module slot 1 through
192.168.70.130 for I/O module slot 4.
Each IP interface address provides a point of access for Alteon OS switch management. The
default management interface is 128, which allows access to Alteon OS switch management
via the management module network only.
For complete information about configuring IP interfaces, see your GbE Switch Module
Installation Guide.

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Enabling/Disabling BBI Access
By default, BBI access is enabled. If you need to disable or re-enable access, use the following
command from the GbE Switch Module command-line interface:
For more information on the accessing and configuring the switch through the command-line
interface, see your Alteon OS Command Reference.
Web Browser Set Up
Most modern Web browsers work with frames and JavaScript by default, and require no addi-
tional set up. However, you should check your Web browser’s features and configuration to
make sure frames and JavaScript are enabled.
NOTE – JavaScript is not the same as Java. Please make sure that JavaScript is enabled in your
Web browser.
Starting the BBI
When the switch and browser set up is done, follow these steps to launch the BBI:
1. Start your Web browser.
2. Enter the switch IP interface address in the Web browser’s URL field.
For example, consider an IP interface with a network IP address of 1.90.90.96
You could enter the following:
>> Main# /cfg/sys/access/http <disable|enable (or just d|e)>

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If the IP interface’s address has a name on your local domain name server, you could enter the
name instead. For example, with Internet Explorer, you could enter the following:
3. Log in to the switch.
If your switch and browser are properly configured, you are asked to enter a password:
Enter the account name and password for the switch’s administrator or user account. The
default account name is admin, and the default password is admin. For more password infor-
mation, see your Alteon OS Command Reference manual.

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4. Allow the BBI Dashboard page to load.
When the proper account name and password combination is entered, the BBI Dashboard page
is displayed in your browser’s viewing area. There may be a slight delay while the Dashboard
page is being initialized. You should not stop the browser while loading is in progress. When
loading is complete, a folder icon appears in the left-hand navigation window.
NOTE – The sample screens that appear in this document might differ slightly from the screens
displayed by your system. Screen content varies based on the type of BladeCenter unit that you
are using and the firmware versions and options that are installed.

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CHAPTER 2
Browser-Based Interface Basics
Once you are properly logged in, the Alteon OS Browser-Based Interface (BBI) appears in
your Web browser’s viewing window:

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There are four main regions on the Alteon OS screen:
The toolbar is used for selecting the context for your actions in the other windows.
The navigation window is used for selecting particular items or features to act upon.
The forms window is used for viewing or altering switch information.
The message window is used for displaying the most recent switch syslog messages and
events.

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Toolbar
Context Tabs
The toolbar is used for setting the context for your actions in the application. There are three
context tabs:
The selected context tab is highlighted, to remind you of the current context mode.
Configure When selected, you can access the switch configuration forms. Configuration
forms can be altered only if you are logged in using the administrator account.
Select an item in the navigation window to display the desired configuration
form in the forms window.
Statistics When selected, you can view information about switch performance. Select an
item in the navigation window to display the desired statistics in the forms
window.
Dashboard This context tab is selected by default when the BBI is first activated. When
selected, basic switch information and status can be viewed in the forms win-
dow. Select an item in the navigation window to display the desired dashboard
information in the forms window.

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Commands
The following general commands are available on the toolbar:
Apply Pending configuration changes do not take effect until you click the Apply
command. Once applied, all changes take effect on the switch immediately. If
you do not save the changes, however, they will be lost the next time the
switch is rebooted.
Save Writes applied configuration changes to non-volatile flash memory on the
switch.
Revert Removes pending configuration changes made since the last Apply command.
Use this command to remove pending configuration changes made since the
last Apply command.
Diff Show any pending configuration changes.
Dump Generates a dump of critical state information in the switch.
Show Log Opens a new Web-browser window for displaying the most recent switch log
messages. Close the log browser when finished.
Help Opens a new Web-browser window for displaying the basic online help infor-
mation. Close the help browser when finished.
Logout Log off the switch and exit the BBI.

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Navigation Window
The navigation window is used for selecting a particular switch feature to act upon. Status, sta-
tistics, or configuration forms for the selected item will appear in the forms window, depending
on the context chosen on the toolbar.
The navigation window contains a tree of folders, sub-folders, and feature icons:
You can click on any closed folder to open it and reveal its contents. Click on any open folder
to close it. Click on any feature icon to load the appropriate status, statistics, or configuration
form in the forms window.
Some folders also have forms. If the name of the folders is underlined, click on the name to
display the appropriate form.

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Forms Window
When a feature icon is selected on the navigation window, a status, statistics, or configuration
form is displayed in the forms window. The exact nature of the form depends on the current
context selected on the toolbar, as well as the type of information available. Not all feature
icons have forms for all contexts.
Some forms display switch information such as settings, status, or statistics. Others allow you
to make configuration changes to switch parameters.
Message Window
Switch log messages are generated by events such as login/logout activity, password changes,
configuration changes, and switch reboot. The BBI records the most recent messages and dis-
plays each one briefly in the message window. When the last message has been displayed, the
cycle is repeated.
To view all messages at the same time, select the Show Log command on the toolbar. A new
Web-browser window will be opened to display the log information. Close the window when
finished.
For a list of syslog messages, see your Alteon OS Command Reference manual.