ArcVision The ARCNET LAN Monitor DESCRIPTION ArcVision, a member of the Triticom LANVision series, is designed to monitor and display activity of an ARCNET (ARCNET is a Datapoint Corporation trademark for Attached Resource Computer Network) LAN. ArcVision works with all ARCNET media types including RG-62 coax, twisted pair, and fiber. Operations exist to monitor ARCNET traffic activity in real-time, assign user names to network addresses, locate active nodes, and monitor the ARCNET token rotation timing. Using such information about traffic activity, enables the user to determine network loading, show traffic generated by individual stations (also called nodes), and resolve problems. There are several real-time monitoring display modes available while monitoring traffic. These modes are: - normal -- Tracks packets sent by each station - high-speed -- Extended performance for busy networks - skyline -- Aggregate network traffic display over time Within each display mode, there are error counters and numerous options to tailor the display. Alphanumeric names may be associated with network addresses making it easier to interpret network activity displays. This information is stored in a file which may be recalled and changed at anytime. The addresses of all nodes which are powered-on and actively participating in the ARCNET token-passing process may also be displayed at anytime. In addition, the token-passing process may be monitored to check the token rotation time -- i.e. the time it takes a token originating from the monitoring station to be passed around the nodes on the network and returned to the monitoring station. OPERATION The demo for ArcVision (which monitors a simulated network) is run by typing AV_DEMO from the directory where you unzipped the file. When ArcVision is first invoked, the user is presented with a main menu. An action from this menu may be selected by pressing the first letter of the option or moving the cursor up/down with the up/down arrow keys and then pressing Enter. As a shortcut, pressing the first letter of the option causes immediate action. The user may return to the main menu at any time by pressing the Esc key. Each menu option is described in more detail below. Assigning Names Selecting the ASSIGN LOGICAL NAMES from the main menu allows you to associate names with network addresses. For example, the name 'Dave' may be given to the address 3E, making it easier to remember what devices and workstations are at what network adapter addresses. Upon selecting this option, a screen appears in which two new windows are presented along with the function key options at the bottom of the display. The Name Assignments window displays a column of network addresses (in hex) followed by the name. If no name has been assigned by the user, then the default appears which consists of the station address preceded by "NAME?-". If there are more names than can be displayed, an arrow will appear in the lower left-hand corner of the window. Then, the names which are displayed in the window can be changed by moving the highlight bar up and down using the arrow keys or PgUp/PgDn (page up/page down) keys. Arrows will appear in the upper left-hand corner and/or lower right-hand corner of the window to indicate the presence of more names above or below the ones displayed. The lower window is for user input. To change a name, select the station address by moving the highlight bar up and down using the arrow keys or PgUp/PgDn keys and press Enter. To perform other functions, use the function keys as follows: Function key F2 (Add Name) allows a name to be added or changed. If the network has been actively monitored prior to assigning names, the network addresses that were active are displayed, followed by name currently associated with that network address. Pressing F2 allows the user to input a new or different name for a given address. Function key F3 (Del Name -- Delete Name) will prompt the user to delete the name currently selected at the highlight bar. Function key F4 (Sort Addr -- Sort Address) sorts the entries in ascending order by station address. Function key F5 (Sort Name) sorts the entries in ascending order by alphanumeric name. Function key F6 (Load -- Load File) allows the user (in the operational version only) to load a previously created name file. The file may be created with a spreadsheet (with ASCII comma delimited import/export capability), word processor, or within ArcVision itself. Function key F7 (Save -- Save File) will (in the operational version only) saves the name assignments to a file, in ASCII comma delimited format. Function key F8 (CLR -- Clear) will clear all of the name entries. To leave Assign Logical Names, press the Esc key to return to the main menu. Locating Active Nodes Selecting LOCATE ACTIVE NODES from the main menu locates and displays all network stations which are powered on and actively participating in the ARCNET token-passing protocol. Monitoring Traffic Selecting MONITOR TRAFFIC from the main menu traffic puts ArcVision into its real-time monitoring mode showing various activity on the ARCNET. The top of this display shows the date and time when monitoring began or when the displayed was cleared using the F7 function key. Most of the display is devoted to showing the stations (up to 80; use the arrow keys or PgUp/PgDn to show additional stations if there are more) and their packet counts (those packets sent by that station). The bottom portion show counters and errors. These indicators (from left to right) are as follows: STNS or stations, shows the total number of active stations (counting the number of stations on the display would yield the same result). Packets shows the grand total of all packets counted. Bcast or Broadcast, shows the number of packets that were broadcast to all stations. PPS/Peak indicates the packets per second and peak packets per second since monitoring began. Recon shows the number of reconfiguration bursts that have occurred because of a station leaving or entering the network or some other disruption such as a cable connection/disconnection. Each time a Recon occurs, a "beep" will be heard. Last Recon shows the time the last reconfiguration burst occurred. Elapsed indicates the elapsed time since monitoring began or was cleared using function key F7. Function key F2 (Stn ID -- Station Identification) is used to change the way in which the station IDs are displayed. The default is either the node address or the station's logical name. The logical name is shown if the user loaded names or assigned names prior to monitoring, using the Assign Names option from the Main Menu (if there is a name assigned to an address which is not active, then a '-' will appear after the name instead of a packet count.) If the logical name is not chosen for display, then the station ID is shown as the station's network addresses in hex notation. The third choice is the station address in decimal format. Pressing function key F2 will cycle through these three different formats. Function key F3 (Sort STN -- Sort Station) will sort the station by IDs, in ascending order. The ordering is determined by the way the station IDs are displayed. For example, if the station names are displayed, then the sort will be by name. Likewise, if the station addresses are displayed, then the sort will be by station address. Both sorts are in ascending order. Function key F4 (Sort CNT -- Sort Count) will sort the stations by the number of packets. The sort is in descending order such that the most active stations appear first. Function key F5 (Cnt/Pct -- Station Count/Percent) toggles between displaying of either the station packet counts or percentage of total packets counted. Function key F6 (Pkt/Sky -- Packet/Skyline) toggles between the packet count display and skyline display. If the skyline shows total packet counts by the second or by the minute, for the last 60 seconds or 60 minutes respectively, selected by F8 in this mode. Function key F8 (Norm/HS -- Normal/High Speed) Toggles between normal and high speed mode. High speed mode allows for a higher degree of packet count accuracy especially when monitoring heavily loaded networks or with slower 8088/80286 PCs. All of the counters are maintained during high speed mode, but the display is not updated until it is returned to normal mode. Observing the Token Rotation Timing Selecting the TOKEN TIMING option from the main menu calculates and displays the token rotation time -- the amount of time required for the token to make a complete trip (visiting each active node) "around" the ARCNET. The minimum, current, and maximum times observed are displayed. EQUIPMENT REQUIREMENTS FOR OPERATIONAL VERSION ArcVision is designed to work with virtually all PC/MS-DOS machines with a Standard Microsystems Corporation (SMC) compatible ARCNET adapter card (such as those that work with the Novell RXNET shell) installed. PC/MS-DOS 3.1 or higher is required. To achieve the best possible network monitoring performance, a PC with an 80286 or 80386 processor is recommended. A monochrome or color display may be used. ArcVision is not copy-protected but is serialized. ORDERING INFORMATION The operational ArcVision may be ordered for $150, which includes a user manual, and choice of 3 1/2" or 5 1/4" diskette, from Triticom, P.O. Box 11536, St. Paul, MN 55111; (612) 937-0772.