Conference netcad::hub_mgnt

    You will need 1 IP address for each DECagent90 in order to manage the
    DECbridge 90s (the DECbridge 90 is not managable through the DEChub 900
    Hub Manager).  
    
    The DECrepeater 900 TM could be managed using either an address of its
    own or by assigning an address to the DEChub 900 Hub Manager.  If you
    use the Hub Manager, then it can manage both the DECrepeater 900 and
    the DECrepeater 90FL.
    
    You could use fewer DECagent 90's; you don't really need 1 per hub,
    since they are only really required for managing the bridges and don't
    need to be in the same hub as a bridge to manage it.
    
    Are you planning to use the OBM port on the hub?  If so, you need a
    separate address for it (as opposed to the In-band address).

    Thanks for the quick reply.
    
    The customer wants 1 DECagent in every hub for resilience purposes
    (i.e. if 5 of the 6 hubs were to go down they still want to be able to
    manage the sixth one!).
    
    If I understand you correctly I need the following:
    
    6 * IP addresses (1 for each DECagent)
    6 * IP addresses (1 for each DEChub 900 Manager in-band)
    6 * IP addresses (1 for each OBM port - which we will use if in band
    fails)
    -----------------------
    18 addresses in total.
    
    Would assigning an IP address to each DECrepeater 900 give us any extra
    functionality?
    
    I presume the DECagent 90 will enable manage the DECbridge 90FL (as
    well as the DECbridge 90)?
    
    I forgot to mention that we will also be configuring a DECserver 90TL
    in each hub.  Will these require their own IP address or will the
    DECagent address suffice?
    
    thanks again,
    
    John
    

(1) Giving each DECrepeater 900 its own IP address only gives you the ability 
    to manage it standalone (ie in a DEChubONE or whatever it's called). Other-
    wise, there's no added benefit.

(2) DECagent 90 manages the DECbridge 90 and the DECbridge 90FL identically.

(3) Each DECserver 90TL requires its own IP address.

    > The customer wants 1 DECagent in every hub for resilience purposes
    > (i.e. if 5 of the 6 hubs were to go down they still want to be able
    > to manage the sixth one!).
    
    I guess that depends on what you mean by 'goes down' and on where the
    HUBwatch station is going to be; if both the HUBwatch station and the 
    DECagent90 it is using to manage a bridge are on the 'backbone' side of
    the bridge, then it is more or less irrelevant what is happening on the
    hub side.
    
    Just for my own curiosity, why two bridges in each hub?  What are they
    bridging to/from?
    
    Note that because VMS/UCX does not support SLIP (directly), in order to
    connect to the OBM port, you'll need to set up another DECserver (a
    90TL or 90M will do) to act as a SLIP router; this one should (for 
    reliablity and servicability) be located with the HUBwatch workstation.

    Thanks again for the answers.
    
    The customer will not be configuring a DECbridge 90 and DECbridge 90FL
    in each hub.  It will be a DECbridge 90 OR DECbridge 90FL - sorry for
    misleading you.
    
    RE: OBM port and SLIP.
    
    The customer is purchasing some DECserver 90TLs.  Some ports on the
    DECserver 90s will be used as LAT ports.  Will it be possible to use
    the spare ports on these DECservers to route SLIP to the OBM ports on
    the Hubs?
    
    Regards,
    JG
    

>    The customer is purchasing some DECserver 90TLs.  Some ports on the
>    DECserver 90s will be used as LAT ports.  Will it be possible to use
>    the spare ports on these DECservers to route SLIP to the OBM ports on
>    the Hubs?

	Yes.  DECserver 90TL/90M/900TM will all provide SLIP.

    > The customer is purchasing some DECserver 90TLs.  Some ports on the
    > DECserver 90s will be used as LAT ports.  Will it be possible to
    > use the spare ports on these DECservers to route SLIP to the OBM ports
    > on the Hubs?
    
    It would be possible, but it doesn't buy you anything; the objective is
    to provide Out Of Band Management - connectivity from the HUBwatch
    workstation to the Hub Manager _WHEN_THE_NETWORK_IS_DOWN_.  If the OBM
    port is connected to a serial port in the hub, then HUBwatch may not be
    able to reach the terminal server when it wants to use the OBM
    connection.
    
    You want to do something like this:
    	
    	+-------------+
        | HUBwatch    |
        | Workstation |
        +-------------+
              |
    thinwire -+-----+--------------> (network)
                    |
                +--------------+
                | DECserver90M |
                +--------------+
                  | | | | | |
                (SLIP lines to hubs)
    
    Using a DECserver90M standalone on the same thinwire as the workstation
    means that you are not dependant on any other network components (just
    that cable and the DECserver) working in order to get management access
    to your hubs. 
    
    If the distances are great, you'll need modems on either end of the
    SLIP lines; use _at_least_ 9600bps - faster if possible.  While the hub
    supports lower speeds on the OBM port, the performance would probably
    be horrible.

    Thanks for the quick responses.
    
    John
    

    Along the same lines as the question stated in .0, I'd like to ask a 
    question regarding IP addresses on a DEChub 90. We have a customer who
    will be configuring one with the following components:
    
    (2) DECbridge 90
    (2) DECsever 90TL
    (2) DECrepeat 90C
    (1) Packetprobe 90
    
    Could someone tell me which of these require IP addresses. From
    previous responses, it's clear that the DECserver does, but I need
    help with the other devices. 
    
    Also, how do you set the addresses on these? 
    
    Thanks,
    
    Jonathan
    
    
    
    
    

	The DECserver 90TL and the DECpacketprobe 90 will need their own 
	IP addresses. The DECbridge 90s and the DECrepeater 90C will need 
	a DECagent 90 somewhere on the same LAN; this DECagent 90 will 
	need an IP address. The IP addresses for all 3 of these can be 
	set from the module's console port. Any port on the 90TL can be 
	enabled as the console port. Type help on the 90TL for the 
	appropriate commands, and don't forget to enable sets. Instructions 
	are in the 90TL manual and in the configuration chapter of the 
	HUBwatch Installation and Configuration manual. For the DECagent 
	90 and the DECpacketprobe 90, just pick the obvious menu choices.

	You should be careful about putting 2 DECbridge 90s in the same 
	hub. One must have backplane management turned off; the other 
	can have management turned on since there is no DECagent 90 in 
	the same hub. You also have to guarantee that neither DECbridge 90 
	will see more than 200 nodes on its workgroup (backplane) side. 
	Since each bridge will see every node forwarded by the other 
	bridge, it is easy to exceed 200.

    
    I'll give you a simpler rule for multiple DECbridge 90s in a hub:
    
    DON'T
    

    RE: .10 and .11
    
    Thank you for your help.
    
    Jonathan