How to Set Suite Options (Legacy)

Use the Options window (Tools > Options) to set Suite options that apply across all Extreme Management Center applications. In the Options window, the right-panel view changes depending on what you select in the left-panel tree. Expand the Suite folder in the tree to view the suite-wide options you can set.

Instructions on setting the following Suite options:

Advanced SNMP Settings

The Advanced SNMP Settings view provides the option to have the Management Center Server use the MyMibs directory or thirdparty directory.

The MyMibs directory is where you add proprietary MIBs to the MIB database on the Management Center Server. This MIB information is then distributed to the Management Center remote clients. If you select this option, the Management Center Server also uses the MyMibs directory (e.g. the MIBs are included in the SNMP Server Stack).

The third party directory is used for client-based FlexViews and MIB Tools that are proprietary (Enterprise MIBs owned by other companies), not standard IETF or IEEE MIBs. If you select this option, the Management Center Server also uses the third party directory.

  CAUTION: In most situations, it is recommended the Management Center Server does not use the MyMibs or thirdparty directories. However, the option is provided for situations where that behavior is warranted. Be aware that selecting this option could result in Management Center Server instability and undesirable consequences.

The Use NetSNMP IPv6 option allows you to SNMP-manage network devices that have IPv6 addresses assigned to them. You must have this option selected in order to be able to add a device with an IPv6 address.

These options apply to all users. For these setting to take effect, the Management Center Server must be restarted.

  1. Select Tools > Options in the menu bar. The Options window opens.
  2. In the left-panel tree, expand the Suite folder, and select Advanced SNMP Settings.
  3. Select the desired advanced SNMP options.
  4. Click OK to set the option and close the window. Click Apply to set the option and leave the window open.
  5. Restart the Management Center Server for these settings to take effect.

Advanced Suite Settings

The Advanced Suite Settings view provides the option to enable or disable Management Center Suite Beta Features. A list of the beta features can be found in the Management Center Suite Release Notes. When you enable the Beta features, you are asked for a Beta Activation Key. Contact Extreme Networks Support to obtain a Beta Key. Once you enable the beta features, the button changes to "Disable Beta Features."

This option applies to all users. For this setting to take effect, the Management Center Server must be restarted. To enable beta features:

  1. Select Tools > Options in the menu bar. The Options window opens.
  2. In the left-panel tree, expand the Suite folder, and select Advanced Suite Settings.
  3. In the right-panel, select the Enable All Beta Features checkbox and enter the Management Center Beta Activation Key. Contact Extreme Networks Support to obtain a Beta Key.
  4. Click OK to set options and close the window. Click Apply to set options and leave the window open.
  5. For this setting to take effect, the Management Center Server must be restarted.

Alarm Configuration

Use the Alarm Configuration view to configure options for how alarms are handled on your network. These settings apply to all users.

  1. Select Tools > Options in the menu bar. The Options window opens.
  2. In the left-panel tree, expand the Suite folder, and select Alarm Configuration. The Alarm Configuration view opens.
  3. In the Consolidated Email Option section, the Enable Email digest option lets you combine alarm action emails into a single email. Select the option and specify an interval. Email notifications are collected over the specified interval and then delivered as a single consolidated email.
  4. In the Alarm History section, select the desired options:
    Enable Detailed Alarm History – By default, a history record is created the first time an alarm is raised on a device or interface, and also when it is cleared. If you enable Detailed Alarm History, repeat occurrences of an alarm being raised are also recorded.
    Preserve Triggering Events in Alarm History – This option preserves alarm triggering events, so that any triggering events are stored with the alarm history record. This allows you to view the triggering event by clicking the View Trigger button in the Alarm History window.
    Number of Days to Maintain Alarm History – Specify (in days) how long the Alarm History will be retained.
  5. Select the Enable Sender Overrides option to add an E-Mail Sender and E-Mail Sender Password field to the Console Alarms Manager Edit Action Overrides window. This allow you to override the sender of an email for an alarm email action, including the ability to set the sender's password, if needed. Since alarms are typically sent out as email/text messages, this option allows IT staff to set different ring-tones based on the alarm definition. Doing this on a smartphone typically involves changing the ring-tone for calls from a specific person.
  6. Use the Alarm Action Defaults section to define the default content contained in alarm action messages. For example, with an email action, you can define the information contained in the email subject line and body. With a syslog or trap action, you can specify certain information that you want contained in the syslog or trap message. These values will be used unless they are overridden in an individual alarm.
    The message content is configured as a template, with the content passed directly as typed, except for the variable information which is specified by $keyword. The variable information ($keyword) is replaced with information from the alarm when the alarm action is executed.
    For an explanation of each field, see the Alarm Configuration view.
    For a complete list of available Alarms Manager keywords, see the Edit Action Overrides window in the Console online Help.
  7. Click the Advanced Settings button to open the Alarm Advanced Settings window where you can set advanced alarm options.
  8. Click OK to set options and close the window. Click Apply to set options and leave the window open.

Setting Alarm/Event Logs and Tables Options

Use the Alarm/Event Logs and Tables view to specify options for limiting disk usage by alarm and event logs and Management Center server logs. These settings apply to all users. You must be assigned the appropriate user capability to configure these options. For more information on configuring log files, see the Management Center Log Files Help topic in the Console online Help.

  1. Select Tools > Options in the menu bar. The Options window opens.
  2. In the left-panel tree, expand the Suite folder, and select Event Logs. The Event Logs view opens.
  3. In the Number of Event Logs to limit section, you can select an option to limit the number of application log files that are saved to the <install directory>\appdata\logs directory. (The option does not limit the number of Traps or Syslog logs that are saved.) Select one of the following options:
    • Do not limit the number of log files saved -- Allows you to keep any number of application log files.
    • Limit the number of log files saved to -- Sets a limit to the number of application log files saved. Older files are deleted when the maximum number is reached. Enter the desired number.
  4. In the Number of Server Logs to limit section, you can select an option to limit the number of server log files that are saved to the <install directory>\appdata\logs directory. Select one of the following options:
    • Do not limit the number of log files saved -- Allows you to keep all server log files.
    • Limit the number of log files saved -- Sets a limit to the number of server log files saved. Older files (determined by the date of the file in the filename) are deleted when the maximum number is reached. Enter the desired number.
  5. In the Number of Rows to keep in Event and Alarm tables section, specify settings that determine the number of rows that will be maintained in all of the tables in the Alarm and Event Log view. The table size reaches an absolute limit when the number of rows is equal to the value of the two parameters added together minus one. With the next entry, the table is clipped back to the number of rows set by the Clip to nnnn rows value. Subsequent entries will allow it to grow again until the Clip when above is exceeded by nnnn rows limit is reached and the table is again clipped.
  6. In the Event Log entry timestamp format section, specify the timestamp format used for event log entries in the actual application log files. (This option does not affect the log entries displayed in Management Center client Event Log views.) Select one of the following options:
    • Use raw timestamp format -- Displays timestamps in a raw non-readable format.
    • Use ISO 8601 timestamp format -- Displays log entry timestamps in a readable format that makes it easier to view the files in a text file.
  7. In the Event and Alarm Table Host/Port Names section, you can configure host name and port name resolution, and display the device hostname in the Source column in alarm and event tables:
    • Resolve source host names - Select this option to resolve host names to IP addresses and IP addresses to host names, if possible. This option allows you to enable/disable host name resolution for the Event and Alarm tables only. (Host name resolution is enabled globally using the Suite Name Resolution option.)
    • Display host name in source column if available
    • Resolve port name/alias - Select this option to resolve device port indices to port names and port aliases, and device port names and port aliases to port indices, if possible. This option allows you to enable/disable port name resolution for Event and Alarm tables only. (Port name resolution is enabled globally using the Suite Name Resolution option.)
  8. The Execute Command Script feature includes script contents in logged events, which is not secure if the script includes passwords. If the Execute Command Script option is deselected (default), the script is removed from the logged event. Select this option to include script contents in Execute Command Script events.
  9. Click OK to set options and close the window. Click Apply to set options and leave the window open.

Setting Client Connection Options

Use the Client Connections view to configure client connection options.

  1. Select Tools > Options in the menu bar. The Options window opens.
  2. In the left-panel tree, expand the Suite folder, and select Client Connections.
  3. In the right panel, select the Enable disconnect from user inactivity checkbox if desired, and specify the amount of time (in minutes) before the user disconnects. This option specifies a duration of end user inactivity (no keyboard or mouse activity) before the user is disconnected from the Management Center Server. If this option is enabled, after the specified amount of time, the end user is disconnected from the Management Center Server and the application closes. This option applies to the current logged-in user. You must be a member of an authorization group assigned the Server Information > Disconnect Clients capability to configure this option.
  4. Select the Redirect Client/Server SNMP Communications checkbox, if desired. When a client and server are running on different workstations, SNMP requests are made from the client workstation and device status polling requests are made from the server. Checking this option redirects all SNMP requests through the server. In this configuration, the server uses the same Status Polling settings that would have been used by the client. Redirecting all SNMP requests to the server workstation could adversely affect performance of Management Center applications. This option applies to the current logged-in user and has no effect when the client and server are running on the same workstation. You must be a member of an authorization group that allows users to configure SNMP Redirection in order to configure this option.
  5. Configure the Messaging Credentials option. Messaging credentials are used for establishing connections between the Management Center server and NAC appliances, and the Management Center server and PCC appliances. If your network includes NAC and/or PCC appliances running version 4.0.1 or earlier, you must enable the "Allow legacy credentials for messaging connections" checkbox. If your appliances are version 4.1 or later, disable the checkbox. This option applies to all users. If you change the credentials, you will need to configure your PCC appliances to use the new credentials. For instructions, see How to Change Messaging Credentials on the PCC Engine in the PCC online Help.
  6. Select the Show Credentials checkbox to view the current messaging credentials. This option applies to all users.
  7. Click OK to set options and close the window. Click Apply to set options and leave the window open.

Scheduling a Database Backup

Use the Database Backup view to schedule backups of the Management Center database. An up-to-date database backup is an important component to ensuring that critical information pertaining to all Management Center applications is saved and readily available, if needed. These option applies to all users.

Select one or more days of the week and specify a time for the backup to be performed. The backup will take place at the same time for each selected day.

The database is backed up to the specified directory. Saving backups to a separate location such as a network share ensures that an up-to-date copy of the database is available should a problem such as a server disk failure occur. The backup directory must exist and be writable or it will not be accepted.

Both the start and stop of the database backup are logged to the Console Event View log for verification and tracking purposes.

For more information, see Tuning Database Backup Storage in Performance Tuning section of the Management Center Technical Reference.

  1. Select Tools > Options in the menu bar. The Options window opens.
  2. In the left-panel tree, expand the Suite folder, and select Database Backup.
  3. In the right panel, select the days of the week and a time for the backup to be performed.
  4. Specify whether to save all backup files or limit the number of files saved. If you specify a number of files to save, then older backups are removed after a scheduled backup is completed and the limit has been reached.
  5. Specify the directory where the backup will be stored.
  6. The Backup Alarm and Reporting Database checkbox lets you enable and disable the automatic backup of alarm data and Management Center reporting data. Because the alarm and reporting databases can be quite large, this allows you to control the amount of disk space used by the database backup operation.
  7. You can customize the date and time formats of backup files by selecting the option that formats the date – day (DD), month (MM), and year (YYYY) – according to your personal preference.
  8. Click OK to set options and close the window. Click Apply to set options and leave the window open.

Setting Data Display Format Options

Use the Data Display Format view to specify your network mask, MAC address separator, how to display end-system MAC addresses in right-panel tables, and auto group delimiter display options. You can also specify how to display devices in the device tree. These settings will apply to the current logged-in user.

  1. Select Tools > Options in the menu bar. The Options window opens.
  2. In the left-panel tree, expand the Suite folder, and select Data Display. The right-panel Data Display view is displayed.
  3. Specify one of the following network mask options:
    • CIDR (where translation is possible) – Network masks are entered and displayed using CIDR (Classless Inter-Domain Routing) format. CIDR format uses a slash followed by a number between 8 and 32, to define the number of contiguous, left-most "one" bits that define the network mask. For example, /16 for a 16-bit mask.
      NOTE:Dot delimited masks without contiguous left-most "one" bits cannot be translated to CIDR. For example, the dot-delimited mask 255.0.255.0 is a valid mask, but cannot be displayed in CIDR format.
    • Dot Delimited – Network masks are entered and displayed using dotted decimal format. Dotted decimal notation represents IP addresses and network masks as four octets separated by periods. For example, a 16-bit mask in dotted decimal notation is 255.255.0.0.
  4. Specify whether you want MAC addresses displayed with a period (.), colon (:), or dash (-) separator (e.g. 00.00.1D.76.66.66, 00:00:1D:76:66:66, or 00-00-1D-76-66-66).
  5. Specify how you want to display end-system MAC addresses in right-panel tables. You can display them as a full MAC address or with a MAC OUI (Organizational Unique Identifier) prefix. This allows you to display the associated vendor the MAC address belongs to, if an OUI mapping exists. You can also limit the vendor name to a certain number of characters, if desired. When the Display Unknown MACs as Unknown checkbox is selected, the MAC address for unknown users is displayed as "Unknown" in the End-Systems view. If the checkbox is not selected, the pseudo MAC address assigned to each device is displayed instead of "Unknown" for end-systems learned on an L3 controller.
  6. Specify the Auto Group Delimiter you want to use. This character is used to separate the values that define a device's Contact and Location grouping in the left-panel device tree. Sub-groups in the Grouped By > Contact and Grouped By > Location folders are automatically created based on the Contact and Location values in the Console Properties Tab (Device). This option defines the delimiter that is used to separate those values into groups. For example, using the default delimiter (/), a device's location defined as NewHampshire/Salem/Closet3 will automatically create a hierarchy of three sub-groups under the Grouped By > Location folder.
  7. Specify how device names should be displayed in the left-panel tree:
    • Use IP Address – use the device's IP address.
    • Use System Name – use the administratively-assigned name of the device taken from the sysName MIB object.
    • Use User Defined Nickname – use the user-defined nickname as defined in the Console Properties Tab (Device).
  8. Click OK to set options and close the window. Click Apply to set options and leave the window open.

Setting Date/Time Format Options

Use the Date/Time Format view to customize the date and time formats to your own personal preference. These settings apply to the current logged-in user.

  1. Select Tools > Options in the menu bar. The Options window opens.
  2. Select Date/Time Format in the left-panel tree. The right-panel Date/Time Format view is displayed.
  3. Select the Date option that formats the date – day (DD), month (MM), and year (YYYY) – according to your personal preference.
  4. Select the Time option that formats the time – 12-hour or 24-hour clock – according to your personal preference.
  5. Click OK to set options and close the window. Click Apply to set options and leave the window open.

Setting Diagnostic Configuration Options

Use the Diagnostic Configuration view to configure the level of information collected in client-side diagnostic logs. The information collected in these logs can be used for troubleshooting purposes. Each Management Center application has its own log. The diagnostic information is recorded in the log for the application you are currently working in. The logs are located in the following directory:
     Windows: \Documents and Settings\<user home directory>\Application Data\NetSight\logs
     Linux: ~/NetSight/logs

The table in this Options view lists the Management Center applications and various Management Center components, and lets you configure the level of information to be collected for each one.

  1. Select Tools > Options in the menu bar. The Options window opens.
  2. Select Diagnostic Configuration in the left-panel tree. The right-panel Diagnostic Configuration view is displayed.
  3. In the table, select the row(s) you would like to edit, and toggle the Show/Hide Table Editor button to display the Table Editor row at the bottom of the table. In the Table Editor row, click on the last column and use the drop-down list to select the desired level:
    • Restore Defaults – restores the level to its factory default setting.
    • log4j File Override – sets the level to the level specified in the log4j.properties file.
    • Off – turns off all diagnostic logging.
    • Critical – records only Error events.
    • Warning – records Warning and Error events.
    • Informational – records Warning, Error, and Info events.
    • Verbose – records debug information in addition to Warning, Error, and Info events.
    CAUTION:The Informational and Verbose settings will create large log files and may impact system performance.
  4. Once you have selected a new level, a green exclamation mark (Apply Needed) marks the cells that have been changed (but not Applied) and the Apply button becomes active. Click Apply to apply the changes to the table.
  5. Click OK to close the window.

Setting ExtremeNetworks.com Update Options

Use the ExtremeNetworks.com Update view to configure options for accessing the ExtremeNetworks.com website to obtain information about the latest Management Center product releases and Extreme Networks firmware releases available for download. These settings apply to all users. You must be a member of an authorization group that includes the "Request and Configure ExtremeNetworks.com Support" capability in order to configure these options.

  1. Select Tools > Options in the menu bar. The Options window opens.
  2. In the left-panel tree, expand the Suite folder, and select ExtremeNetworks.com Update. The ExtremeNetworks.com Update view opens.
  3. To schedule a routine time to check for updates, use the drop-down list to select the desired frequency (Daily, Weekly, Disabled) for checking for updates. If you specify a Weekly check, use the drop-down list to select the day of the week you wish the check to be performed, and set the desired time. If you specify a Daily update, set the desired time.
  4. If necessary, you can change the NAC assessment web update server. This is the web update server used by NAC Manager to update NAC assessment server software. This update operation pertains only to NAC on-board agent-less assessment servers.
  5. If your network is protected by a firewall, you will need to configure proxy server settings to use when accessing the ExtremeNetworks.com website. In the HTTP Proxy Server section, click Edit to open the Edit Proxy Settings window. Select the Specify Proxy Server checkbox and enter your proxy server address and port ID. Consult your network administrator for this information. If your proxy server requires authentication, select the Proxy Authentication checkbox and enter the proxy username and password credentials. The credentials you add here must match the credentials configured on the proxy server. Proxy credentials are cached once used successfully. If you change them here, it is recommended that you restart the Management Center Server to clear the old credentials from the cache. Click OK.
    NOTE:The update procedure will use these proxy settings only when necessary, otherwise the settings will be ignored.
  6. Enter the credentials used to access the ExtremeNetworks.com website to obtain firmware and Management Center update information. You will need to create an account at ExtremeNetworks.com and define a user name and password for the account, then enter the same credentials here.
  7. Click OK to set options and close the window. Click Apply to set options and leave the window open.

MAC OUI Vendor List

Use the MAC OUI Vendor List view to display the IEEE OUI and Company_id Assignments public mapping list, and update and modify the list, if desired. For example, you can update the list to the latest version from the IEEE website, and if you have devices that do not have an OUI (Organizational Unique Identifier), you can add your own vendor entries.

  1. Select Tools > Options in the menu bar. The Options window opens.
  2. In the left-panel tree, expand the Suite folder and select MAC OUI Vendor List. The MAC OUI Vendor List view opens.
  3. Use the toolbar buttons at the top of the table to add, edit, or delete MAC OUI vendors, or update the MAC OUI Vendor list from either the IEEE website or a file.
  4. Click OK to set options and close the window. Click Apply to set options and leave the window open.

Setting Name Resolution Options

Use the Name Resolution view to set options related to host name and port name resolution.

  1. Select Tools > Options in the menu bar. The Options window opens.
  2. In the left-panel tree, expand the Suite folder, and select Name Resolution. The Name Resolution view opens.
  3. Use the Host Name Resolution section to set options for resolving host names to IP addresses and IP addresses to host names.
    1. The Enable Name Resolution option allows host names to be displayed in place of IP addresses throughout Extreme Management Center. When enabled, the feature is primarily used by NetFlow. With name resolution enabled, flow data would show "Client=rsmith-ws Server=proxy-usa", rather than "client=10.20.1.2 server = 10.20.1.1". The option is off by default because name resolution can add additional load on the network’s DNS server.
    2. The Use short hostnames for local addresses option is enabled by default when hostname resolution is enabled. When enabled, the hostname cache will remove the fully qualified hostname's domain if it matches one of the specified local address domains. For example, "jsmith-ws.mycompany.com" would display as "jsmith-ws" if mycompany.com is listed as a local address domain. This option can be disabled when troubleshooting problems with hostname resolution, or if IP addresses are preferred.
    3. The Local Address domains is a list of home domains that will be deleted from a local hostname when it is added to the hostname cache. Use the Add Domain field to add or remove a domain. You can add multiple home domains when subdomains are defined for your network. The first time the hostname cache service is started, if the Local address domains list has not been defined, Management Center attempts to auto-populate it by resolving the IP address of the Management Center server. If it resolves to a subdomain, Management Center creates multiple entries for all subdomains but the root domain (.com). If it cannot do this successfully, the list will not be populated.
    4. Enter the Maximum number of cached resolutions, which is the maximum number of IP/hostname pairs that can be cached in memory. This number can be adjusted to control the amount of memory used by this service.
    5. Enter the Maximum number of pending resolutions, which is the maximum number of hostname resolution requests that can be queued up. This number can be adjusted to control the maximum amount of time spent waiting for a resolution.
    6. The Aging Threshold option determines how long IP/hostname pairs will be cached in memory. After the aging threshold time has passed, the IP/hostname pair is removed from the cache in order to prevent stale IP-hostname associations. This option addresses the fact that DHCP assigns a new IP address to users frequently, especially on reboots. Without an aging threshold, hostnames will continue to be associated to the IP they had at the first lookup. The default value is 24 hours; the minimum value is 1 hour.
    7. The DNS Lookups Per Minute option set the maximum number of hostname lookups that the DNS server can perform each minute. This prevents hostname resolution from using so many resources on a switch that switching of real traffic is affected.
  4. Use the Port Name Resolution section to set options for resolving device port indices to port names and port aliases, and device port names and port aliases to port indices.
    1. Enter the Maximum number of cached resolutions, which is the maximum amount of port data that can be cached in memory. This number can be adjusted to control the amount of memory used by this service.
    2. Enter the Maximum number of pending resolutions, which is the maximum number of port name resolution requests that can be queued up. This number can be adjusted to control the maximum amount of time spent waiting for a resolution.
    3. Enter the Interface name change polling interval, which specifies how often the port name resolution service checks devices to see if port information has changed.
  5. Use the Advanced Settings button to open the Name Resolution Advanced Settings Options window, where you can set advanced name resolution options.
  6. Click OK to set options and close the window. Click Apply to set options and leave the window open.

Extreme Management Center Feedback Program

This option allows you to enable or disable participation in the Management Center Customer Feedback Program. If you participate, Management Center gathers anonymous usage information used to better understand how Management Center software is used and to make decisions on enhancing the product. This bi-directional communication with ExtremeNetworks.com also enables features for you such as the ability to get best practices firmware configurations, find the latest firmware updates based on your own network, create Support cases directly from Management Center that automatically upload troubleshooting information, and more.

The information gathered will not be used for marketing purposes or to contact you.

Setting Extreme Management Center Server Health Options

Use the NetSight (Extreme Management Center) Server Health view to select an option to send an email if the Management Center database goes down, and when the database comes back up.

  1. Select Tools > Options in the menu bar. The Options window opens.
  2. In the left-panel tree, expand the Suite folder, and select NetSight Server Health. The NetSight Server Health view opens.
  3. Select the Send email option.
  4. Enter the email address of the person who should receive the notification.
  5. Click OK to set options and close the window. Click Apply to set options and leave the window open.

Setting Network Monitor Cache Options

The network monitor cache stores information about the physical topology of a device, with additional emphasis on port information. Data is pulled from multiple places including slot and port details (Entity, ifTable), default role (Policy), neighbor link details (CDP, EDP, LLDP), Ethernet Automatic Protection Switching (EAPS), and Multi System Link Aggregation (MLAG).

The cache is maintained in a two-tiered structure: device physical data is cached to the database and a fast in-memory cache maintains a subset of this data in memory on the server. The in-memory cache can contain all or a subset of devices stored in the database.

On the specified polling interval, the data is validated and automatically updated as necessary. Decreasing the poll interval increases background SNMP performed by the server.

Storing this information greatly improves performance for views in Management Center that request the data. Leave the cache enabled for the best experience.

Use the Network Monitor Cache view to configure options for the cache.

  1. Select Tools > Options in the menu bar. The Options window opens.
  2. Select Network Monitor Cache in the left-panel tree. The right-panel Network Monitor Cache view is displayed.
  3. Use the Enable Device Cache checkbox to enable or disable the Network Monitor Cache. Enabling the cache improves performance for Management Center views that request this information.
  4. Use the Enable In-Memory Caching checkbox to enable or disable the in-memory cache. To limit memory usage, you can disable the In-Memory Cache and have the network monitor cache rely directly on the database.
  5. Use the Maximum In-Memory Cache Size option to set the maximum number of devices whose data will be stored in the In-Memory Cache. This option lets you adjust the amount of memory the cache will use.
  6. Use the Data Polling Interval option to set the frequency (in minutes) that the device data is checked for changes. If the device data is stale, the data is refreshed in the cache. Reducing the interval will increase background SNMP performed by the server.
  7. Use the Advanced Settings button to open a window where you can set network monitor cache advanced options.
    • Maximum number of SNMP worker threads option. The cache is populated with results from SNMP queries to devices. If multiple devices are added to the cache at the same time, this number determines the maximum number of threads that can send SNMP queries in parallel.
    • Per-Feature polling overrides. Allows you to set unique polling intervals for individual cache features that should be polled more frequently. Set to 0 to use the interval set for the Data Polling Interval.

Setting Port Monitor Options

Use the Port Monitor view to specify Port Monitor display options. These settings will apply to the current logged-in user.

  1. Select Tools > Options in the menu bar. The Options window opens.
  2. In the left-panel tree, expand the Suite folder and select Port Monitor. The Port Monitor view opens.
  3. In the Interval between Polls field, enter the amount of time (in seconds) that should elapse between polls of the device.
  4. In the Table Colors section, use the buttons to select the primary and secondary row colors you want to display in tables. A sample of your selection displays in the Sample table scheme to the right of your selections.
  5. In the Enable Display of Port Monitor Data section, use the checkboxes to specify what data displays for a Port Monitor session. If the Show Empty Panels Collapsed checkbox is selected, panels without information will be collapsed so those panels with information are easier to view.
  6. In the Maximum Open Port Monitor Count field, specify the maximum number of Port Monitor windows that can be open at one time. If too many windows are open at one time, system operation may be impacted. The default setting is 5.
  7. Click OK to set the option and close the window.

Setting Services for Extreme Management Center Server Options

Use the Services for NetSight (Extreme Management Center) Server view to specify your TFTP settings. These settings apply to all users. You must be assigned the appropriate user capability to configure these options.

  1. Select Tools > Options in the menu bar. The Options window opens.
  2. In the left-panel tree, expand the Suite folder, and select Services for NetSight Server.
  3. Specify a TFTP root directory, whether you are using the Management Center TFTP server or another TFTP server. The root directory is the base directory to which the TFTP server is allowed access. The TFTP server will be allowed to create files to or read files from this directory and any of its subdirectories. Use the default root directory, or if you would like to use an alternate root directory, enter a path to that directory in this field or use the Browse button to navigate to the directory. Changing the TFTP root directory may require restarting the TFTP server.
    NOTE:If you are using a TFTP server other than the Management Center TFTP service, keep in mind the following requirements when setting the path to your root directory:
    • If your TFTP server is configured with a TFTP root directory, it must match the root directory entered here.
    • If your TFTP server is not configured with a TFTP root directory, change the TFTP root directory here to the root of the drive (e.g. C:\ or D:\).
    • If you are using a TFTP server on a remote system, use the Universal Naming Convention (UNC) when specifying the root directory path. The UNC convention uses two slashes // (UNIX or Linux systems) or backslashes \\ (Windows systems) to indicate the name of the system, and one slash or backslash to indicate the path within the computer. For example, on a Windows system, instead of using
      h:\ (where h:\ is mapped to the tftpboot directory on the remote drive)
      use
      \\yourservername\tftpboot\
  4. If the TFTP server resides on a remote system, or if the local system is configured with multiple IP addresses, enter the IP address for the TFTP service in the TFTP Server IP Address field. This field accepts both IPv4 and IPv6 addresses.
  5. Click OK to set options and close the window. Click Apply to set options and leave the window open.

Setting SMTP E-Mail Server Options

Use the SMTP E-Mail Server view to specify the SMTP E-Mail server that will be used by the Management Center E-Mail notification feature. The E-Mail notification feature is used in Console's alarm action configuration, as well as in Inventory Manager's Capacity Planning report scheduling and in Automated Security Manager actions. These settings apply to all users. You must be assigned the appropriate user capability to configure these options.

  1. Select Tools > Options in the menu bar. The Options window opens.
  2. In the left-panel tree, expand the Suite folder, and select SMTP E-Mail Server.
  3. In the right panel, specify the SMTP (E-Mail) server that should be used for outgoing messages generated by the E-Mail notification feature.
  4. Enter the sender's address that will be inserted in outgoing e-mail notification messages. The address should be in a fully qualified format such as "sender's name@sender's domain."
  5. Enter the password that will be provided by the user before the email can be processed.
  6. Click OK to set options and close the window. Click Apply to set options and leave the window open.

Setting Status Polling Options

Use the Status Polling view to specify options for polling devices in the left-panel device tree. Console uses the polling options and poll groups defined here to contact the devices and update tree information. When a device is added to the Management Center database using the Add Device menu option or a Console CDP Seed IP Discover, it is added to the default poll group selected here. (A Console IP Range Discover lets you assign devices to any of the three poll groups.) You can then reassign individual devices or device groups to a different poll group using the Access view in the Console Properties tab. These settings apply to all users. You must be assigned the appropriate user capability to configure these options.

Optimal Poll Intervals

There are three distinct poll groups, and each device belongs to one of the three groups. This lets you poll critical devices at a more frequent interval, while polling non-essential devices less frequently.

The overall density of polling is controlled by the Maximum number of devices to contact at once setting. This determines the maximum number of devices from each group that can be polled at any given time. Console always attempts to poll up to the maximum number of devices until all of the devices in the three groups have been polled. As responses are received and devices are removed from the poll queue, other devices are added to the queue. Once all the devices have been polled, Console stops polling and batches information to update clients.

If the Maximum number of devices to contact at once is too high, such that the poll density is too high, system performance will degrade quickly. The optimal poll setting is dependent on many factors including but not limited to CPU speed, RAM, and network devices. As the number of devices that you are polling increases, the poll density (Maximum number of devices to contact at once) should be reduced to increase performance.

The default Maximum number of devices to contact at once setting and poll group intervals provided as defaults are a good starting point. If necessary, adjust the values to optimize status polling for your network.

  1. Select Tools > Options in the menu bar. The Options window opens.
  2. In the left-panel tree, expand the Suite folder, and select Status Polling. The Status Polling view opens.
  3. In the SNMP section, set the status polling options for devices whose poll type is set to "SNMP."
    1. Set the Maximum number of devices to contact at once. This is the maximum number of IP addresses that Console will attempt to contact simultaneously.
  4. In the Ping section, set the status polling options for devices whose poll type is set to "Ping."
    1. Set the Number of Ping Retries. This is the number of attempts that will be made to ping a device. The default setting is 3 retries, which means that Console retries a timed-out request three times, making a total of four attempts to contact a device.
    2. In the Length of Ping Timeout field, enter the amount of time (in seconds) that Console waits before re-trying to contact a device. The default setting is 3 seconds. The maximum setting is 20 seconds.
      NOTE:When SNMP requests are redirected through the server, all SNMP timeouts are extended by a factor of four (timeout X 4) to allow for the delays incurred by redirecting requests through the server.
    3. Set the Maximum number of devices to contact at once. This is the maximum number of IP addresses that Console will attempt to contact simultaneously.
  5. In the Poll Group section, there are three poll groups that each define a unique poll frequency. A poll frequency specifies the actual length of the poll cycle. You can rename the poll groups according to your network's needs and specify different poll frequencies. For example, if you are monitoring devices on the other side of a WAN link, you can rename a poll group to "WAN Devices" and then assign that poll group to those devices. Poll group names must be unique. For more information on setting poll group intervals, see the guidelines outlined in Optimal Poll Intervals.
  6. Select one group as the default poll group. When a device is added to the Management Center database using the Add Device menu option or a CDP Seed IP Discover, it is added to the default poll group selected here. (IP Range Discover lets you assign devices to any of the three poll groups.) You can also assign individual devices or device groups to a specific poll group using the Access view in Console's Properties tab.
  7. Click OK to set options and close the window. Click Apply to set options and leave the window open.

Setting System Browser

Use the System Browser view to specify the web browser for Management Center to use when launching web pages from Management Center applications. This setting applies to the current logged-in user.

  1. Select Tools > Options in the menu bar. The Options window opens.
  2. In the left-panel tree, expand the Suite folder, and select System Browser.
  3. In the right panel, select your preferred web browser. The browser selections displayed depend on the web browsers installed on your system. Select Default to specify the system default browser.
  4. Click OK to set options and close the window. Click Apply to set options and leave the window open.

Tree

Use the Tree view to specify whether a warning message will be displayed when performing drag and drop operations on devices and device groups in the network elements tree. For example, if you drag a device in the tree to a user-defined folder, the warning appears asking if you are sure you want to drop the selected device into this folder. This warning allows you to verify that you do indeed want to perform a drag and drop operation to that folder, and prevents you from inadvertently moving devices. However, if you find it annoying to have the warning appear each time you do a drag and drop operation, you can deselect the option. This setting applies to the current logged-in user.

  1. Select Tools > Options in the menu bar. The Options window opens.
  2. In the left-panel tree, expand the Suite folder, and select Tree.
  3. In the right panel, deselect the checkbox if you do not want the warning to appear.
  4. Click OK to set options and close the window. Click Apply to set options and leave the window open.

Web Server

Use the Web Server view to specify the HTTP and HTTPS port ID for HTTP web server traffic. This port must be accessible through firewalls for users to install and launch Management Center client applications. By default, Management Center uses port ID 8080 (HTTP) and 8443 (HTTPS). If you change the port ID, you must restart the Management Center Server for the change to take effect.

This setting applies to all users. You must be assigned the appropriate user capability to change this setting.

  1. Select Tools > Options in the menu bar. The Options window opens.
  2. In the left-panel tree, expand the Suite folder, and select Web Server.
  3. In the right panel, enter the desired port IDs.
  4. Specify a session timeout value for all Management Center web-based views, such as Management Center web pages and the legacy Console java application's FlexViews.
  5. The Password AutoComplete option lets you disable automatic password completion for users logging into Management Center web interfaces. Note that for Extreme Access Control web interfaces, you must enforce from NAC Manager for the option to take effect.
  6. Click OK to set options and close the window. Click Apply to set options and leave the window open.
  7. You must restart the Management Center Server for any Port ID changes to take effect.

Related Information

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