(C)Copyright 1996-1999 SysKonnect.
All rights reserved
skconc2.htm created 29-Nov-1999
Readme-File for SKCONC2.SK9 v1.08
Firmware Package for the SysKonnect FDDI Concentrator II
This file contains
This readme describes the software package delivered with the
SK-FDDI Concentrator II and describes the method of how to configure
the concentrator by using the Bootstrap Protocol or downloading a
configuration file.
The section 'Application Notes' give useful hints for configuring
browsers, terminal emulation programs, etc.
To start up the concentrator for the first time, refer to the
User's guide shipped with the SK-FDDI Concentrator II.
All product names mentioned in this file are trademarks of their
respective holders.
The System installation path contains the following files:
SKCONC2.TXT - This readme file
DEE.COM - Terminal emulation program (refer to section 2.1)
DEEREAD1 - Text file describing DEE.COM (German version)
DEEREAD2 - Text file describing DEE.COM (English version)
SKCONC2.ZIP - Compressed SK-FDDI Concentrator II firmware
(refer to section 2.2)
TOS9.EXE - DOS utility to generate a SK9 coded file
(refer to section 3)
CONFIG2.TXT - Default configuration values (text format)
CONFIG2.SK9 - Default configuration values (SK9 coded)
SK-CONC2.MIB - Private MIB definition
RFC1213 - Original RFC1213 standard
RFC1512 - Original RFC1512 standard
DEE.COM is a DOS executable terminal emulation program which
enables communication with the concentrator over a RS232
interface.
Using the terminal emulation, it is possible to manage the
SK-FDDI Concentrator II over the VT100 user interface and to
start the diagnostic software to test the concentrator hardware.
Any kind of terminal that satisfies the following parameters
can be used:
Terminal VT100
Rate 9600 bit/s
Parity No
Stop Bit 1
Data Bit 8
Protocol XON / XOFF
The file SKCONC2.ZIP contains the firmware for the SK-FDDI
Concentrator II in a compressed format. This software is NOT
intended to operate with the SK-FDDI Concentrator I.
Since your concentrator comes preconfigured with this software,
it is not necessary to upload this file, it is just a backup.
However, if you are required to upload this file:
1. Copy it to your hard disk.
2. Use your 'unzip' utility to decompress the file.
3. Refer to the download instructions in the manual delivered with
the concentrator.
The boostrap protocol provides a method for booting machines to
receive much of the information required to communicate on a network.
The SK-FDDI Concentrator II starts sending BOOTP requests if no
IP address is specified at start up time (delivered default
configuration). The concentrator's TCP/IP (WWW server, Telnet, etc.)
will not work unless an IP address has been configured manually or
a reply is received from a BOOTP server.
The status of the concentrator's BOOTP client can be observed from the
'BOOTP Status' window of the concentrators User Interface. If you want
to observe it, build a V.24 link to a VT100 terminal, and login to the
User Interface. Select the 'Concentrator Status', then the 'BOOTP Status'.
After receiving a BOOTP reply, the BOOTP client has finished it's work.
The received parameters are displayed in the 'BOOTP Status' window and
will be saved to the concentrator configuration. The TCP/IP will be
initialized with the parsed IP parameters and is now fully working.
The BOOTP client of the SK-FDDI Concentrator II complies with
RFC's 951, 1084, 1532, 1533 and 1542.
The following parameters can be parsed to the concentrator via the
Bootstrap Protocol.
o IP Address,
o IP Subnet Mask,
o IP Default Gateway,
o Hostname (for WWW),
o TFTP Server IP Address,
o Configuration File
IP Address:
The IP address of the concentrator.
NOTE: It is mandatory to specify this parameter at the BOOTP server.
IP Subnet Mask:
This parameter is the concentrator's subnet mask. It is registered as
vendor option code 1 in RFC 1533. It is recommended to specify this
parameter.
IP Default Gateway:
This IP address is the default gateway which enables the communication
between different subnets. It is registered as 'Router Option' in
RFC 1533 (option vendor code 3). The 'Router Option' is defined as a
list of IP addresses. The first address in this list will be configured
as the default gateway. It is recommended to specify this parameter.
Hostname (for WWW):
This name is the hostname of the concentrator. This parameter is
registered as 'Host Name Option' in the RFC 1533 (option vendor code 12).
It is recommended to specify this parameter.
TFTP Server IP Address:
This is the IP address of the TFTP server. This parameter is registered
in the BOOTP header by a field called 'siaddr' (RFC 951). It
represents the server address for the next boot step, e.g. for
downloading a boot file. BOOTP servers which are able to perform
the next boot step deliver their own IP addresses in this field.
The field for the BOOT server can be configured on most BOOTP
servers.
The concentrator uses this IP address for downloading concentrator
software updates or configuration files, if applied. It is recommended
to specifiy this parameter with the TFTP server address, if required.
Configuration File:
This is the file name of the default configuration file. This
parameter is registered in the BOOTP header by the field 'file'
(RFC 951). This field represents the path and file name of the
boot file. The concentrator uses this parameter for parsing the
path and filename of the configuration file which is to be
downloaded. It is useful to specify this parameter if the
concentrator is managed by configuration files.
Step 1) Specify the required parameters at the BOOTP server. It is
advisable to create a template for the following constant
concentrator parameters: IP Subnet Mask, IP Default Gateway,
TFTP Server IP Address, and Configuration File.
A permanent IP address has to be configured for each concentrator,
together with its FDDI MAC address and Hostname.
Step 2) If your BOOTP server is located in a different network then
start a BOOTP relay agent at your router(s).
Note: BOOTP frames will not be routed. BOOTP relay agents are
needed to forward BOOTP frames to different networks.
Step 3) Connect the SK-FDDI Concentrator II to the network. You may watch
the concentrator's BOOTP client from the BOOTP status window of
the User Interface.
Managing the concentrator can be done via the VT100 interface
or via a WEB browser. To manage a concentrator pool, the SK-FDDI
Concentrator II provides a further powerful management feature: Specify
your own configuration file, convert the file to a 'SK9' file by using
the TOS9 utility and download your configuration to all concentrators
via TFTP. For a detailed description refer to the following steps:
NOTE: At least the IP address must be configured on the SK-FDDI
Concentrator II in order to download files via TFTP.
Step 1) Make a copy of the file CONFIG2.TXT, e.g. PRIVCONF.TXT.
Do not modify CONFIG2.TXT, it contains the preloaded default
configuration.
Step 2) Modify PRIVCONF.TXT. The config file parameters are grouped into
the configuration sections [SMT], [IP], [SNMP], [TFTP], [PORTS],
and [USER]. Edit the configuration parameters to setup your
configuration.
The '#' character is reserved for comments. All following
characters up to the end of the line are ignored. You may
add your own comments. Please note, it is NOT possible to
download configuration files larger than 8 kB.
When downloading the config file, all previous [SMT], [IP],
[SNMP], and [TFTP] parameter values in the concentrator
configuration are overwritten by the parameters in the config
file, if specified.
If you want to have one config file for all concentrators,
delete at least the lines
inet 0.0.0.0 # IP address
host "" # Hostname for WWW
in the [IP] section.
CAUTION: Configuring more than one concentrator with the same
IP address may generate serious problems within your network.
Each specified port parameter in the [PORTS] section overwrites
the parameter of the corresponding port in the concentrator.
Ports which are not specified in this section are not modified.
The [USER] section provides the definition of users, user rights,
and passwords. When downloading the config file, new users may
be added to the concentrator configuration if the maximum
number of users is not exceeded. If a user already exists,
its user rights and password will be overwritten by the
parameters in the config file. It is not possible to remove
users in this way.
CAUTION: Since the passwords can be read and printed, please ensure that
your config file cannot be read by other 'unprivileged' users
when modifying the user configuration.
NOTE: Do not move parameters from one section to another. Each parameter
must remain in the section it belongs to.
NOTE: Parameters which are not specified correctly are ignored.
No error message will be displayed.
Step 3) Create a SK9 file by using the TOS9 utility.
Type: "tos9 -2 -a 0 privconf.txt > privconf.sk9"
Step 4) Copy the SK9 file to your TFTP server.
Step 5) Start your WEB browser or telnet session and download the
config file.
Step 6) Reset the concentrator and verify the new configuration.
Please remember that parameters which are not specified
correctly are ignored.
Step 7) After the new configuration of the concentrator has been tested
successfully, the config file may be downloaded to the other
concentrators of your concentrator pool.
Proxy Servers:
If the SK-FDDI Concentrator II is accessed via a proxy server,
make sure that the dynamical WEB pages (e.g. the page MAC
Statistics) are not cached by the proxy server. Some proxy servers
cache dynamical pages. In which case, the outdated page will always
be returned (e.g. the frame counters in the MAC Statistics will
not be incremented).
If necessary, modify the configuration of your proxy servers,
so that frames from the SK-FDDI Concentrator II will not be
cached.
WEB Browsers:
The number of open connections to the SK-FDDI Concentrator II
is limited to a small number. To use these resources as effectively
as possible, the embedded WEB Server for the concentrator closes
the connection each time a response is sent.
Some browsers (e.g. the Internet Explorer) reset the HTTP
connection and print an error message although they have actually
received a response. Example:
"The browser was unable to open the site: http://...
The server connection was reset."
If this happens, configure your browser to access the SK-FDDI
Concentrator II via a proxy server.
Telnet Session under Windows 95 or Windows NT:
In order to obtain a correct screen display, the character set
"Terminal" should be configured within the telnet utility.
Terminal Emulation:
o Disable the Auto Wrap feature on your terminal emulation
program.
o For some terminal emulation programs (e.g. ProComm)
type <shift> <function key #> instead of <function key #>.
o The VT100 character set contains the ASCII characters from
0 - 127. Typing other (special) characters may produce
unexpected results.
TFTP Server:
The inactivity timeout for the TFTP Server should be greater
than or equal to 10 seconds.
- WEB Refresh Rate
Specifying a refresh rate cause the WWW browser to reload the
volatile WEB pages of the Concentrator II when the refresh rate
expires. Volatile Concentrator II pages are 'Chassis Status',
'Ring Status', 'Port Statistics', and 'MAC Statistics'. The
refreshing mechanism is disabled per default. If a refresh rate
is specified a message is displayed near the 'update' button,
e.g.: "This page will be refreshed every 30 seconds."
The WEB Refresh Rate can only be set via WEB interface.
- Duplicate MAC Address Reconnect
Specifies the manner in which the concentrators SMT will handle
the detection of a Duplicate MAC Address.
Per default this switch is set to OFF and the concentrator
will leave the ring after Duplicate MAC detection as defined
in the SMT specification.
In environments with heavy error rates duplicte MAC addresses
may be detected erroneously. Therefore it is possible to force a
restart of the concentrators SMT after the detection of a
duplicate MAC Address.
This Parameter can only be set via Telnet and serial Interface.
NOTE: Before you use this switch please contact our technical
support first. Since setting this switch to ON is not
conform with the SMT specification.
Administrators of FDDI Networks must guarantee that
no duplicated MAC addresses exists because this
may down your Network.
v1.08
New features:
- A web refresh rate can now be set to automatically
actualize web pages.
- Duplicate MAC Address Reconnect switch was added.
Problems fixed:
- Strings set via SNMP where corrupted in
CRT Interface (#10273).
- Unable to set SNMP variable skfddiRingOpThreshold
(#10252), (#10251).
- Telnet didn't work in certain circumstances (#10229).
- Accessing the Concentrator via a Win98 or Win200
workstations over TCP/IP causes a fatal error in the
Concentrators firmware (#10401).
- Wrong detection of not existing Duplicate MAC addresses (#10375).
- Stations stop sending Directed Beacons after 165ms (#10408).
- Timer expires too fast (#10376).
- ANTC Testsuit fails with LC_LONG test (#10205).
- Port Stop fails under Dup-MAC-conditions (#10419).
Known limitations:
- SNMP: cannot write the user table.
- SNMP: cannot download software via TFTP.
v1.06
New features:
None.
Problems fixed:
- Wrong Duplicate Mac Adress detection (bug #10375)
- Wrong timer behaviour (bug #10376)
Known limitations:
- SNMP: cannot write the user table.
- SNMP: cannot download software via TFTP.
v1.05
New features:
Send SMT Echo frames with a maximum of 50 Bytes.
Problems fixed:
None.
Known limitations:
- SNMP: cannot write the user table.
- SNMP: cannot download software via TFTP.
v1.04 beta 01
New features:
None.
Problems fixed:
- Errornous SMT counter resets (bug #10207)
- EBuf errors are no longer counted in states other than the active
line state (bug #10208)
- Now restart STUCK timer when become beaconer in state RM3_DETECT
or RM4_NON_OP_DUP. (bug #10270)
Known limitations:
- SNMP: cannot write the user table.
- SNMP: cannot download software via TFTP.
v1.03
New features:
None.
Problems fixed:
- Wrong interpretation in user interface (bug #10177)
- TVX config value was interpreted wrong (bug #10203)
- Fan could be stoping state at the beginning.
Known limitations:
- SNMP: cannot write the user table.
- SNMP: cannot download software via TFTP.
v1.02
New features:
None.
Problems fixed:
- SNMP: skfddiPORTLerCutOffCondition returns wrong port number
(reported port = cutoff port - 1). If port 1 is cutoff
no trap is reported but a warning message is displayed
at the VT100 terminal: "Warning: Variable not found".
- SNMP: SKConcCounterResetTime returns the system up time instead
of the expected time since the last counter reset.
Known limitations:
- SNMP: cannot write the user table.
- SNMP: cannot download software via TFTP.
v1.01
New features:
- BOOTP service is now available.
Problems fixed:
- Fan Sensors generate accidental alert states although fans
are running.
- SNMP: returns SysObj ID of the concentrator I.
- The receive frames are not counted properly.
- The UIF hangs when a software download is started without
configuring an IP address.
- The concentrator reboots when trying to cut off port 24.
Known limitations:
- SNMP: cannot write the user table.
- SNMP: cannot download software via TFTP.
v1.00
New features:
None.
Problems fixed:
None.
Known limitations:
- BOOTP is not implemented.
- SNMP: cannot write the user table.
- SNMP: cannot download software via TFTP.
v1.01
New features:
None.
Problems fixed:
- Fan Sensors generate accidental alert states although fans
are running.
Known limitations:
None.
v1.00 (970407)
New features:
None.
Problems fixed:
None.
Known limitations:
None.
*** End of Readme File ***