This chapter describes:
The Auto-Update utility simplifies system management tasks associated with the Transcend dRMON Edge Monitor System. From your network management station, you can use the Auto-Update feature to query an Edge Monitor about the software versions installed on it. You can also use the Auto-Update utility to distribute newer versions of NIC drivers and dRMON SmartAgent files to the Edge Monitor, which in turn updates the end nodes as needed. You can update one node at a time, or many nodes.
Auto-Update software components reside in three locations, as shown in Figure 5-1:
Figure 5-1 Components of the Auto-Update Utility
These components work together to provide comprehensive communication about software versions and update scheduling. Updating software for the TdEMS can be viewed as a two-part process: Part A and Part B, as shown in Figure 5-2.
For Part A, sending the new files from the network management station to the Edge Monitor, you first need to locate the latest files for the Edge Monitor and the dRMON SmartAgent software. You can then update the Edge Monitor station.
Figure 5-2 Updating Software Versions with the Auto-Update Utility
The Auto-Update utility uses FTP to transfer files and directory listings between the network management station and the Edge Monitors. Each Edge Monitor has an update directory for the transferred files. As shown in Part B, once the Edge Monitors are updated, they notify the end nodes that new files are available. The updates are performed according to the schedule you define.
The end nodes receive a notification message from their Edge Monitors about the new files. After determining that the dates of the new files are more recent than those already on the end nodes, the dRMON SmartAgent PC software requests the new files from the Edge Monitor.
For more details about working with the Auto-Update utility, see the next section, "Discovering Edge Monitors," or view the online help in the Auto-Update software.
Be sure you have the latest files for the Edge Monitor, so you do not overwrite a newer driver version.
Once the Auto-Update software is installed on your network management station, you must first have it discover or locate the Edge Monitors. For the purposes of description, let us assume that your network has multiple Edge Monitors. You can add to or maintain the list of Edge Monitor in three different ways:
The Discovery dialog box is shown in Figure 5-3.
Figure 5-3 Discovery Dialog Box
Press the [F5] key or select Refresh from the View menu to refresh the window to retrieve scheduling information and file listings for the newly discovered and previously known Edge Monitors and end nodes.
Once the Edge Monitors are known to the Auto-Update utility, they appear in the Auto-Update main window with their IP addresses, as in Figure 5-4. You can view the Edge Monitors by IP address, Name, Name@IP address, or IP address followed by the Name in brackets.
Figure 5-4 Auto-Update Main Window
The next step is to direct the Auto-Update utility to find the latest files. Update the Edge Monitors and end nodes on your network with care, making certain that you have the most recent available files. Before you refresh the Edge Monitors' update directory, you should check the 3Com World Wide Web site listed below for newer files.
Whenever new files (the disk image) are available for the Transcend dRMON Edge Monitor System, they can be downloaded from:
http://www.3com.com/software/index.htm
Save the files on your hard drive or on a floppy disk. Then follow these steps to load the disk image into the Auto-Update utility:
1 . From the Action menu, select Load from Disk, or click the New button on the toolbar.
2 . Enter the drive and directory where you have the latest files. You can also have subdirectories searched, as shown in Figure 5-5, if you select the Load Subdirectories Also check box.
Figure 5-5 Loading a Disk Image
Now that a list of files is available for the Auto-Update process, you need to determine which files from the list are to be updated and which Edge Monitors are candidates for updating.
When you select Load Disk Image from the Action menu or click the New button on the toolbar to load the files into the Auto-Update utility, the following events occur:
Determine which Edge Monitors or files you want to update by deselecting any to be excluded.
To include or exclude an Edge Monitor for updating:
1 . Right-click the IP address of the Edge Monitor in the right pane of the main window, as shown in Figure 5-6.
Figure 5-6 Choosing an Edge Monitor for Updating
2 . The context menu appears, showing the Include in Update and Exclude from Update choices.
3 . Select the desired choice.
Figure 5-7 Including an Edge Monitor in Update
Figure 5-8 Excluding an Edge Monitor from Update
You can specify various parameters for the Edge Monitor update schedule. You can:
You can select an Edge Monitor and from the right mouse button menu, select Properties to verify the update schedule of that device, as shown in Figure 5-9.
Figure 5-9 Scheduling an Edge Monitor
Figure 5-10 Selecting Nodes for Updating
End nodes can be designated for updates in the same way as Edge Monitors, as shown in Figure 5-10. End nodes that have been designated for exclusion from the update list appear dimmed.
For each Edge Monitor, you can view the list of files scheduled to be included in the update. Files on the end stations requiring updates are marked with a check mark in the list of files. If a file has been excluded from the upgrade list, it appears dimmed.
To begin the distribution process, click the Start button. This action notifies the Edge Monitors that their files have changed so that, in turn, they can notify the end nodes of new files.
If you need to load a different disk image, be sure to click the Clear button, shown in Figure 5-11, to clear the list of files in the to-be-sent list.
Figure 5-11 Clear Button
The Edge Monitor log displays the status of the connections between an Edge Monitor and the Auto-Update utility. The log shows whether or not an Edge Monitor was contacted, whether it was found, or when it was last updated.
The log's contents are cleared whenever the Auto-Update utility is first opened or whenever you click the Clear Now button, shown in Figure 5-12.
Figure 5-12 Log Window
You can customize the appearance of the Auto-Update main or contents window.
From the menu bar, click Preferences.... The dialog box shown in Figure 5-13 appears.
Figure 5-13 Setting Preferences for the Auto-Update Utility
You can change:
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