Understanding CiscoWorks for Windows

Overview

What's New

Operating System Support

Device Support

Package Support Updater

Starting CiscoWorks for Windows

Launching from Server

Launching from a Remote Client

Logging In

Uninstalling CiscoWorks for Windows

Understanding CiscoWorks for Windows

CiscoWorks for Windows is a web-based suite of applications that provides dynamic status, statistics, and comprehensive configuration information about Cisco devices. It is targeted at small and medium business, departmental users, and network managers.

This chapter contains the following sections:

Overview

CiscoWorks for Windows is a web-based comprehensive network management solution for small to medium business networks. It provides a powerful set of monitoring and configuration tools for administering Cisco-based switch, router, hub, and access server networks.

With CiscoWorks for Windows, you get the following applications:

CiscoView version 5.4—For a single Cisco device, provides graphical back- and front-panel views; dynamic, color-coded graphical displays to simplify device-status monitoring; device-specific component diagnostics, and device configuration. CiscoView can be launched from the CiscoWorks for Windows desktop, or from the WhatsUp Gold application.
WhatsUp Gold version 7.03—NMS software from Ipswitch, Inc. Whereas CiscoView provides you with the ability to monitor one Cisco device at a time, WhatsUp Gold provides the means to monitor devices through a topology map; allowing network discovery, mapping, monitoring, and alarm tracking.
Threshold Manager—Enables you to set thresholds on Cisco RMON-enabled devices, reducing management overhead and improving troubleshooting capabilities. Threshold Manager can be launched from the CiscoWorks for Windows desktop, or from the WhatsUp Gold application.
Show Commands—Displays detailed router system and protocol information without you having to remember complex Cisco IOS commands and their or syntax. Show Commands can be launched from the CiscoWorks for Windows desktop, or from the WhatsUp Gold application.

What's New

CiscoWorks for Windows 6.1 provides the following new features:

Web interface for all applications
Improved, unified security with single logon
Desktop launch point for all applications
Autodiscovery of devices using SNMP
Hierarchical maps available on both console and client
Improved user interface for Show Commands and Threshold Manager
Desktop launch point for the Package Support Updater

Operating System Support

CiscoWorks for Windows runs on the following operating system (OS) platforms:

Windows 2000 Professional (with Service Pack 2, higher)
Windows 2000 Server (with Service Pack 2, higher)
Windows 2000 Advanced Server (with Service Pack 2, higher)
Windows NT 4.0 (workstation and server with Service Pack 6, and higher)

CiscoWorks for Windows supports the following browsers:

Microsoft Internet Explorer 5.5 with Service Pack 2, and 6.0
Netscape Navigator 4.77 , 4.78, and 4.76

Note For CiscoWorks for Windows to work properly, Java, Javascript and Cookies must be enabled in the browser.

Device Support

For a brief description about the applications provided with CiscoWorks for Windows, and the devices they support, go to:

http://www.cisco.com/univercd/cc/td/doc/product/rtrmgmt/cwfw/index.htm

Note Support for more devices can be added any time after the initial product release or installation. When new device packages become available, they are placed on Cisco.com. Check this site to ensure that you have the latest device package release.

Package Support Updater

Use the Package Support Updater (PSU) to integrate new Cisco device information asynchronously with the CiscoView engine, uninstall device packages, install new device packages, or upgrade existing installed packages.

The Package Support Updater allows you to display a list of currently installed device packages and their versions, view a log of all device package changes, uninstall one or more packages, and automate device package installations and upgrades (refer to the "Maintaining Device Packages" section in Chapter 3).

Starting CiscoWorks for Windows

You can start CiscoWorks for Windows by:

Launching from Server

To launch CiscoWorks for Windows from the server, click Start > Programs > CiscoWorks for Windows 6.1 > CiscoWorks for Windows 6.1 Desktop.

CiscoWorks for Windows login window appears in your default browser.

Launching from a Remote Client

To start CiscoWorks for Windows from a remote client:

In Netscape Navigator, type the name of the server in the Location field, and press Enter.
In Internet Explorer, type the name of the server in the Address field, and press Enter or click Go.

For example, if CiscoWorks for Windows is installed on the computer emch-pc, you must type the following in the Location (Netscape Navigator), or Address (Internet Explorer) field:

http://emch-pc/

When the standard HTTP port (port 80) is used by other applications, CiscoWorks for Windows installs the web server on port 1741. In such cases, you must type the name of the server and port number separated by a colon (:).

For example, you must type the following to invoke CiscoWorks for Windows on the server emch-pc, if CiscoWorks for Windows web server is installed on

port 1741:

http://emch-pc:1741/

The CiscoWorks for Windows login window appears in the browser window.

Logging In

When the CiscoWorks for Windows login window appears, type your user name and password, then click Login.

The special admin login provides you with administrator privileges—allowing you to perform any administrative task.

Note Ask your system administrator for detailed username and password information.

For information on launching CiscoWorks for Windows applications, refer to Chapter 2, "Using the CiscoWorks for Windows Desktop".

Uninstalling CiscoWorks for Windows

You can uninstall CiscoWorks for Windows if you encounter problems during reinstallation, or if you wish to remove the program.

To uninstall CiscoWorks for Windows:

Step 1 Click the task bar Start menu.

Step 2 Select Programs > CiscoWorks for Windows 6.1 > Uninstall CiscoWorks for Windows 6.1.

Note Uninstalling CiscoWorks for Windows will also uninstall WhatsUp Gold if it was installed from the CiscoWorks for Windows Version 6.1 CD.

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