Using the Motif Administration Program

The Motif administration program provides a user-friendly interface for configuring SNAplus2. This program is the recommended tool for administering SNAplus2, because it guides you through the configuration process and minimizes the information you need to provide to create a workable configuration.

You can also use the Motif administration program to manage the SNAplus2 system while it is active. The administration program enables you to make and apply changes to the configuration while SNAplus2 is active. You can add, modify, and remove resources (in most cases, even when the node and its resources are active), and use the modified configuration immediately for continued operation.

The Motif administration program displays up-to-date status information through the same interface that is used for configuration, providing easy access to status information for both domain and node resources.

Alternatively, you can use SNAplus2 commands for configuration and system management. A summary of configuration and management commands is provided in “Using the Command-Line Administration Program”.

Invoking the Motif Administration Program

To use the Motif administration program for SNAplus2, first make sure that SNAplus2 is enabled as described in “Enabling SNAplus2 Servers”. (As with any X/Motif application, you may also need to set up the DISPLAY environment variable to indicate a suitable X server.)

To start the Motif administration program running in the background, issue the following command:

xsnapadmin &

Alternatively, if you installed SNAplus2 under the Common Desktop Environment (CDE) and Motif is already running, you can double-click on the SNA Administration icon in the Application Manager window to start SNAplus2.

In a client/server environment, SNAplus2 displays the Domain window.

For a standalone system, SNAplus2 displays the Node window.




	NOTE: This guide uses the term window to describe Motif windows that display information about SNAplus2 resources. A window can contain one or more sections, or panes. A dialog is a Motif window on which you can enter information.

Resource Windows

The Domain window and the Node window show most of the information you need and provide easy access to additional information. From those windows, you can easily display information about resources in your local network.

The Domain window shows all defined nodes, and enables you to add, delete, start, and stop nodes. Double-clicking on any node brings up the Node window for that node.

The Node window shows all the key resources for a particular node.

The menus in the Domain and Node windows provide the following functions:

Selection

The functions in this menu relate to the node that is currently selected in the Domain window or the item that is currently selected in the Node window. From this menu, you can start or stop the node or zoom on it to display its Node window. When you select an item in the Node window, you can control, modify, or delete the item using controls in this menu, or add a new item in the currently selected pane.

Services

This menu provides easy access to all the dialogs required to configure the node for common tasks. Using this menu, you can add or modify resources or get help for configuration and management tasks.

Diagnostics

You can control logging and tracing from items in this menu.

Windows

You can easily access other windows from this menu. These windows include the following:

Emulator Users and Sessionswindow
RJE Workstations window
LU Pools window
CPI-C Destination Names window

Depending on the resources you select and the options you choose, the administration program can present additional resource windows, configuration dialogs, or status logs. You will also see context dialogs that enable you to select a specific resource to configure, confirmation dialogs that ask you to confirm a choice, and message pop-ups that provide feedback or error information. Each window and dialog also includes a help option.

Domain Window

The Domain window shows each active SNA node in the SNAplus2 domain for the system you are using. (A node does not appear in the Domain window if SNAplus2 is not running on the node.) Each node is identified using the name of the system. The Domain window also shows the current status of each node in the domain.




	NOTE: If a server is unexpectedly missing from the list of nodes in the Domain window, verify that the server is switched on and that the SNAplus2 software is running on the server. If necessary, start the SNAplus2 software on that node using the snap start command (see “Enabling SNAplus2 Servers”).

One node in a domain is always identified as the configuration server for the domain. The Domain window shows the word “Master” next to that node. The Master configuration server always contains configuration information for domain resources. Backup configuration servers are identified by the word “Backup” on this window. Backup configuration servers contain copies of the configuration information for domain resources.

An example of a Domain window is shown in Figure 3-1 “SNAplus2 Domain Window”

Figure 3-1 SNAplus2 Domain Window

If any active nodes in the domain (nodes on which SNAplus2 is running) are not configured, SNAplus2 prompts you to configure the node.




	NOTE: The Domain window does not list SNAplus2 clients. Clients use the resources of SNAplus2 servers (SNA nodes) to access SNA resources.

You can perform any of the following administration tasks from the Domain window:

Start or stop any node in the domain

Select the line for the node and click on the Start or Stop button on this window. (Alternatively, you can click on the line for the node, then select Start node or Stop node from the Selection menu.)

Administer a specific node

Double-click on the line for that node on the Domain window. (Alternatively, you can click on the line for the node, then click on the Zoom button or select Properties from the Selection menu. You can also select the window for the node from the Windows menu.)

When you select a node to be administered, SNAplus2 displays the Node window as shown in Figure 3-2 “Node Window” (For a standalone system, SNAplus2 does not display the Domain window, because the domain has only one node. Instead, SNAplus2 immediately displays the Node window when you start the administration program.)

Add a node to the list of servers for the domain

Click on the line for the node and select Make configuration server from the Selection menu.

Remove the node from the list of servers for the domain

Click on the line for the node and select Remove configuration server from the Selection menu.

Configure logging for all nodes in the domain

Select Logging from the Diagnostics menu.

Turn tracing for a specific node on or off

Click on the line for the node and select Tracing on selected node from the Diagnostics menu.

Get information about domain resources

Choose any of the options on the Windows menu. In addition to shared domain resources, the Windows menu also lists each Node window in the domain.




	NOTE: If any servers in the local domain are running a back-level version of SNAplus2, those servers are listed in the Domain window, but they cannot be configured or controlled with this version of the Motif administration program. To administer resources on these servers, run the appropriate version of the Motif administration tool installed on one of the computers running the back-level version.

Node Window

A sample Node window is shown in Figure 3-2 “Node Window” The title bar shows the name of the system.

Figure 3-2 Node Window

From the Node window, you can add, delete, modify, and manage all of the resources and components for the SNAplus2 node. The layout of the resources in the window shows the relationships among resources and enables you to control which resources are displayed.

The Node box in the top-right corner of the Node window indicates whether the node is Active or Inactive.

Any ports, local LUs, and remote nodes that are defined on the node are always displayed. The Node window shows each link station below its parent port, and each dependent LU below its parent link station. It also shows partner LUs below local LUs and below remote nodes.

The body of the Node window is split into the following panes for the different types of resources for the node:

Connectivity pane: The top pane of the Node window lists connectivity resources for the node, including ports, link stations or PUs on each port, and dependent LUs on a specific link station or PU. For each resource, this window shows current status information.
Independent Local LUs pane: The middle pane shows independent LUs for the node. For each LU, this window also displays information about sessions using the LU.
Remote Systems pane: The lower pane shows information about remote nodes and partner LUs. It also shows session information for each remote node or partner LU.

To change the relative sizes of the panes, click and drag on the boundaries between panes.

You can select a pane by clicking in it. You can also select specific resources within a pane by clicking on the line for the resource. To view or modify the configuration for an item, you can double-click on the item. (You can also use the buttons and menus on this window to access configuration information for specific resources.)

For each item listed, resources that belong to that item are nested within the information for that item. For example, link stations are grouped under the port to which they belong. You can click on the Expand button next to an item to show the resources for that item if they are not currently displayed, or click on the Contract button to hide the resources for an item.

You can perform the following administration tasks from the Node window:

Start or stop a resource: Select the resource and click on the Start or Stop button. (Alternatively, you can select Start item or Stop item from the Selection menu.)
Add a resource for an item: Select the item and click on the New button (or select New from the Selection menu). For example, to add a link station for a port, select the port and click on the New button.
Delete a resource: Select the resource and click on the Delete button (or select Delete from the Selection menu).
View or modify the configuration for any resource: Select the resource and click on the Zoom button (or select Properties from the Selection menu).
Get status information for any resource: Select the resource and click on the Status button (or select Status from the Selection menu).
Copy the configuration for any resource: Select the resource and click on the Copy button (or select Copy from the Selection menu).

In addition, you can choose specific configuration tasks for the node from the Services menu, control logging (for the domain) and tracing (for the node) from the Diagnostics menu, and view or modify domain resources by selecting one of the items on the Windows menu.

Resource Items

The layout of the resources in a window shows the relationships among them.

If an item has one or more child items associated with it, an Expand symbol or Contract symbol appears next to it. An Expand symbol indicates that the associated child items are hidden. You can click on the Expand symbol to show them. A Contract symbol indicates that the child items are shown. You can click on the Contract symbol to hide them. If an item has neither symbol next to it, the item has no associated child resources.

For example, a link station is associated with a particular port. In the Connectivity pane of the Node window, the link station is displayed below its parent port, along with all other link stations associated with that port. The port is always displayed, but you can choose whether the list of associated link stations is shown or hidden. Similarly, link stations with a list of associated LUs can be expanded to show the LUs, or contracted to hide them.

A parent resource must always be configured before its child resources, and deleting the parent resource causes all its child resources to be deleted too.

Tool Bar Buttons

Resource windows include tool bar buttons to make it easy to perform common functions. A tool bar for SNAplus2 is shown in Figure 3-3 “SNAplus2 Tool Bar”

Figure 3-3 SNAplus2 Tool Bar

Not all buttons appear in the tool bars of each resource window. If a button's operation is not valid for the currently selected item (or an operation requires an item to be selected, but none is), the outline of the button is displayed in gray, and the function cannot be selected (the button cannot be pressed). The following buttons can appear on resource windows:

Start: Starts the selected item.
Stop: Stops the selected item.
Add: Adds a new resource item. (In the Node window, you add a resource into the selected pane.)
Delete: Deletes the selected resources.
Zoom: Opens the dialog for the selected item to view or modify the item's configuration.
Copy: Copies the selected item. Pressing this button opens a dialog whose fields duplicate the configuration of the selected item. Complete the dialog's fields (filling in the new item's name) to add the new resource.
Status: Displays the current status of the selected item.

Many resources, such as ports and link stations, cannot be modified while they are active. You can, however, view an active resource's parameters by selecting the resource and clicking on the Zoom button to open its dialog, or click on the Status button to view detailed status information for the resource.

Resource Dialogs

Resource dialogs show the current configuration information for the resource. A sample dialog for an LU of types 0-3 is shown in Figure 3-4 “Sample Dialog”

Figure 3-4 Sample Dialog

Resource dialogs guide you through the configuration process and supply default values whenever possible. For example, when you add a dependent LU, the Motif administration program automatically fills in the LU number field with an available LU number on the link station you specify. If you do not supply a required value, the program presents a message pop-up that indicates the information you need to provide.

Most dialogs provide a Description field; the information you enter there is displayed on the window where the resource is displayed.

Press the Done button when you are finished, or the Cancel button to exit without changing the configuration for the resource. For context-sensitive help on the dialog, click on the Help button.




	NOTE: The basic Motif dialogs expose only the key configuration fields; SNAplus2 supplies default values for advanced fields. To access advanced configuration parameters, click on the Advanced button. If you decide to adjust advanced parameters, complete the basic dialog before opening the advanced dialog, because that dialog can change depending on the values you enter for basic parameters. For information about advanced configuration fields, see the online help for the Motif administration program.

Status Dialogs

When you select a resource and click on the Status button, the Motif administration program shows detailed status information for the resource, as shown in Figure 3-5 “Sample Status Dialog”

Figure 3-5 Sample Status Dialog

Status dialogs show information about the current state of the resource. The information is updated dynamically as you view it.

Help Windows

The online help for the Motif administration program provides detailed guidance for each configuration task you need to perform. In particular, task sheets can take you through each step you need to perform in configuring a particular resource. The task sheet for configuring node parameters (always the first step in configuring SNAplus2) is shown in Figure 3-6 “Sample Help Window”

Figure 3-6 Sample Help Window

Additional help windows are included for each window and dialog, for error messages, and for SNA concepts.