Background on Switch Lists
Switch Lists were introduced in version 2 and are one
of the more powerful and yet least understood parts of
the Managed Switch Port Mapping Tool. A Switch List is a
method of automating what you can do manually with the
tool.
*note that all of this information is
already contained in the help file installed with the
application. Press the F1 key to get help from within
the application.
What is a Switch List?
A Switch List is a set of switches that are mapped sequentially, one after the other - the results of each mapping is automatically saved in the History Database for later review and searching. Each switch in the list is part of a Switch Group. A Switch Group is the combination of the switch IP address and the IP addresses of up to two secondary devices. We gather ARP table information using SNMP from these secondary devices. Please visit this page for a graphic showing the composition of a Switch List.
Steps to create a Switch List
A switch list can be thought of as an automated version of doing manual switch mapping yourself. Think of it as clicking on Select Group, then selecting a switch group you have used before, then mapping that switch. Then repeating the process for another switch. Below are the steps starting at the lowest level through the top level.
The lowest level: Device Settings
First you have to create device settings for each
device you are going to be talking with using SNMP. This
includes all switches and any other secondary devices
like routers or servers. If you have been mapping
switches manually, you've already been creating settings
for both the switches and the other devices.
From
the left control panel press Switch Lists, then press
Device Settings Editor to add or edit the settings for a
switch or other SNMP device.
The next level: Switch Groups
Second, you must create a set of Switch Groups (or a
profile). The
Switch List is composed of a set of Switch Groups. Why is this? It
is because a Switch Group is the unique combination of a switch IP
and the secondary device IP addresses. The secondary devices can be
core switches, routers, print servers, web servers, dhcp servers -
anything that has: 1. visibility into the network handled by the
subject switch and 2. SNMP access. We get the ARP table from each of
these secondary devices, save it, then use it to find IP addresses
for the MAC addresses the switch has given us. Remember, most
switches are layer 2 which means they keep track of MAC addresses,
not IP addresses so we have to find the IP addresses to match the
MAC addresses. If you have been mapping switches manually, you've
been creating Switch Groups as you go. *Switch Groups were
called Switch Configurations in versions prior to 2.30.
From the left control panel press Switch Lists, then press
Switch Group Editor to add or edit the Switch Groups. Note that when
you edit a Switch Group, you can launch the Ping Sweep Editor from
there and keep in mind that the Ping Sweep ranges are saved with the
Switch, not with the Switch Group.
The top level: The Switch List
When you create a new Switch List you will be
selecting a set of Switch Groups. You can put them in the order
you need.
From the left control panel press Switch Lists, then press Create
New Switch List or Edit Switch List. Once you have completed your
list (we recommend a small list of 2 or 3 switches to start), then
select and highligh the Switch List and press Map Selected List Now.
Depending on the settings, you may see web browser reports popup
after each switch is complete and a summary report at the end.
Use the left control panel Review History button to reload the
results into the grid or to search for a specific string in certain
columns.
NetScanTools is a registered trademark of Northwest Performance Software, Inc.
'NetScanTools Pro', 'NetScanTools Standard', 'NetScanTools LE', 'ipPulse', 'Northwest Performance Software' and 'NetScanTools.com', are trademarks of Northwest Performance Software, Inc.
Any trademarked names mentioned herein are the property of their respective owners.
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