User Settings

With this window, you can:

These settings are saved in permanent storage on the command switch, so they remain in effect in subsequent sessions.

Changing the Cluster Builder and Cluster Manager Polling Interval

The polling interval determines how often the software polls the command switch to determine the cluster status, update the switch port status, and check for new members. This information is used to refresh graphics in the Cluster Builder and Cluster Manager windows.

To change the polling interval:

  1. Move the Cluster Builder Polling Interval or Cluster Manager Polling Interval slide indicator to select a new polling interval (in minutes) on the scale.
    The default is 2 minutes.
    A long polling interval reduces the load (number of requests) on the command switch, and topology updates are reported less frequently. A short polling interval has the opposite effect. Cisco recommends that you use a short interval only for troubleshooting or while building a cluster.
  2. Click OK to put your changes in effect and close the window.
  3. In Netscape, click Reload to reload the page (in Internet Explorer, click Refresh).

Changing the Link and Switch Graph Polling Interval

The graph polling interval determines how often the software queries the command switch to obtain switch and link utilization data throughout the cluster. This information is used to update link and switch bandwidth graphs.

To change the link and device graph polling period:

  1. Move the Graph Polling Interval slide indicator to select a new polling interval (in seconds) on the scale.
    The default is 24 seconds.
    A long polling interval reduces the amount of network traffic but the graphs might display dated information. A short polling interval has the opposite effect.
  2. Click OK to put your changes in effect and close the window.
  3. In Netscape, click Reload to reload the page (in Internet Explorer, click Refresh).

Setting the Hop Count

The hop count specifies the number of  times a CDP request can be forwarded from the command switch to other CDP devices in the network. Consequently, the hop count controls the size of the Cluster Builder network map. For example, if the hop count is 3 (the default), the command switch sends a CDP request to its immediate CDP neighbors, which forward the request to their immediate CDP neighbors, which forward the request for the final time. The outer boundary of the network map is defined by edge devices that receive the CDP request in the final forwarding.

To set the hop count, move the Hop Count slide indicator to select a new number on the scale.

Note: CDP requests are not forwarded by devices that do not support clustering, therefore the cluster cannot be extended beyond these devices.

Disabling the Suggested Candidates Window

When Cluster Builder starts, it automatically displays a window that allows you to add candidates to the cluster. If you do not want the Suggested Candidates window displayed each time you launch Cluster Builder, you can disable it.

To disable the Suggested Candidate window:

  1. In the Suggested Candidate section of the User Settings window, deselect the Show every time Cluster Builder starts checkbox.
  2. Click OK to put your change in effect and close the User Settings window.

Disabling the Splash Screen

When the Cluster Management Suite starts, it automatically displays a splash screen that contains information about the browser and utilities that support the suite. The splash screen remains displayed for 3 seconds, then the default application screen is launched (see Selecting the Default Launch View). If you do not want to view the splash screen at start-up, you can disable it. When the splash screen is disabled, it flashes momentarily before displaying the default application screen.

To disable the Splash screen:

  1. In the Splash Screen section of the User Settings window, deselect the Show Splash Screen at Startup checkbox.
  2. Click OK to put your change in effect and close the User Settings window.

Selecting the Default Launch View

By default, Cluster Builder launches whenever the Cluster Management Suite is accessed or if the software has never run on a command switch. However, you can select Cluster Manager as the default view to launch whenever you access the application.

To change the default view from Cluster Builder:

  1. In the Default View section of the User Settings window, deselect the Cluster Builder checkbox.
  2. Click OK to put your change in effect and close the User Settings window.

To change the default view from Cluster Manager:

  1. In the Default View section of the User Settings window, select the Cluster Manager checkbox.
  2. Click OK to put your change in effect and close the User Settings window.