SAN JOSE, Calif., Jan. 9, 1995 -- Network administrators can nowprovide complete and up-to-date diagnostic information about their networksdirectly online to Cisco's customer support staff for quick and accuratetroubleshooting and design assistance.
A new version of the CiscoWorksnetwork management applicationsuite can establish a direct link to Cisco's Mosaic-based Cisco ConnectionOnline (CCO) service at the time a customer service case is submitted,automating the otherwise lengthy and error-prone process of gatheringdiagnostic information before troubleshooting begins.
This new capability, called CiscoConnect, comes in CiscoWorks 3.0 whichwill be available in second quarter 1995. The CiscoConnect applicationcreates an Internet link enabling the CCO service to gather problem-solvinginformation automatically. CCO, introduced in July 1994, provides accessto Cisco TechnicalAssistance Centers and maintains technical supportdatabases, known problem reports, software updates, configuration examplesand other value-added services.
Network Aware Links to Cisco's Support Staff
CiscoConnect and CCO service are the initial steps in Cisco'sNetworkAware program, designed to automate network management by tightlylinkingup-to-date knowledge of the customer's network with the experience ofCisco's technical support staff. The Network Aware program focuses onthree areas of network management: implementation and change, monitoringand diagnostics, and design and optimization.For diagnostic data gathering, CiscoConnect leverages information(device configuration and interface, controller, stack, process, buffer andcurrent microcode information, etc.) collected by other CiscoWorksapplications. CiscoConnect also compiles a customer profile including agiven user's protocols, firmware levels and system software versions. Theprofile is registered with CCO service to provide a quick reference forCisco's technical staff and to automatically inform customers of newfeatures related to their network installations.
Diagnostic, Control Information at a Glance
CiscoWorks 3.0 will also include CiscoView, a newapplication thatlets operators use physical device views to immediately spot problems andquickly access the information needed to solve them.CiscoView stores and maintains graphical renderings for Cisco products.The first release of CiscoView supports Cisco 7000,4000, 4500 and 2500series routers and theA100 HyperSwitch ATM switch. Renderings depict thephysical configuration of each device, with cards in appropriate slots andLED displays indicating current status.
The application provides automatically updated inventory information,including software versions and serial numbers. Administrators can easilyretrieve memory configuration data, flash memory contents, firmwareversions and MAC-level addresses.
Information presented goes beyond standard MIB-II interface data suchas packets, bytes, errors, etc., to include specific information about WANs(e.g., Frame Relay and X.25 statistics) and LANs (e.g., Ethernet, TokenRing and FDDI statistics).
With point-and-click controls, operators at any skill level can fixroutine problems by initiating such actions as clearing an interface orpartitioning an integrated router/hub port, freeing network managers formore critical tasks.
Available for the HP OpenView (HP/UX and SunOS), SunNet Manager and IBMNetView/AIX platforms, CiscoWorks 3.0 is priced at $9,995. ExistingCiscoWorks customers will be upgraded at no additional charge.
Posted: Jan 9 09:51:01 1995
