Getting Started

The AutoDiscovery™ and Layout template provides a rich set of tools that enable you to create and maintain a network diagram. There are three key points to using this template successfully:

•	Understanding AutoDiscovery and layout terminology

•	Creating a basic network diagram

•	Conceptual overviews

AutoDiscovery and Layout Terminology

Networks are diagrammed in many different ways by professionals with diverse backgrounds. Diagramming approaches and menu phrases mean different things to different people. The AutoDiscovery and Layout template uses the following terminology:

Add Objects	Adding a network or device retrieves the information about that network object from the database and places it on the page. This is also referred to as importing an object.
List	Listing interfaces, devices, device counters, or DLCIs allows you to place a list of these items on your diagram.  For example, if you select a router and then choose the List Interfaces command, a dialog box displays allowing you to choose which interfaces to include in the interface list. When you click OK, the interfaces you selected are listed next to the selected router.
Connect	Connecting networks and devices connects them on your diagram to represent physical connections on your network. The template allows you to draw a connection between any network or device that is physically connected on your network.
Map	Mapping shapes to network and device types allows you to reassign the default shapes with a shape of your choice.
Creating a Basic Network Diagram

To create a basic network diagram, start by placing a network on the page and then expanding it by connecting devices and lists to it. The procedure below provides instructions for creating a basic network diagram.

1	Click the Basic Discovery button [image]. This creates a database of your network information.

2	When discovery is complete, click the Add a Network button [image] to place a network, usually the backbone network, on the diagram.

3	Right-click the network on the diagram and choose Connect Devices to connect additional objects to it.

4	Add detail to your devices with lists. You can add lists of interfaces, device counters, connected devices, and DLCIs.

5	Expand your diagram by right-clicking a device and connecting networks to it.

Overviews

If you find yourself confused about discovering your network and creating a network diagram, browse through the conceptual overviews. Here are the primary concepts you need to know when using this template to diagram your network:

AutoDiscovery    Diagram Layout    Object Placement    Frame Relay Circuits	Guided Updating    Hyperlinking Diagrams Together    Mapping Device Shapes
Related Topics

  The AutoDiscovery and Layout Toolbar


The AutoDiscovery and Layout Toolbar

The icons on the toolbar used with this template are shown below. Once you have devices on the page, right-click them to display a context-sensitive popup menu.

This button…	Invokes this action…	To do this…
	Basic Network Discovery	Invoke the Basic Discovery wizard to discover your network and build a database of your network information.
	Add a Network	Place a network on the drawing to use as the starting point of your diagram.
	Map Network Shapes	Change the default shapes used for network types.
	Map Device Shapes	Change the default shapes used for specific devices or device types.
	Map Text Colors	Change the text colors used on your diagram.
	Guided Update	Display a window that lists the devices that have changed on your network.
	Database Viewer	Access the Database Viewer where you can delete and rename objects in the database, set the CIR for DLCIs, and set interface speeds.
	Network Diagram Assistant	Access the Network Diagramming Assistant for help on what to do next.
Related Topics

  Getting Started Diagramming Your Network


To Add a Network

  Access this option by clicking this button on the AutoDiscovery™ and Layout toolbar.

In the Add A Network dialog box:

1	Select a network from the list box.

2	Click OK. The network is placed on the diagram.

Continue adding the networks you want. After networks are placed on the diagram, add the devices connected to each network. Select the How to connect devices topic below for information about adding devices.

NOTE  When adding several networks to a diagram, you may not be able to see all of them in the current page view. To see all the added networks, zoom out so that the entire page is in view.

Related Topics

  About Diagram Layout

  Connect devices

  About Listing Devices

  About Listing Device Counters


To Add Devices

Access this option by choosing AutoDiscovery > Add Devices.

In the Add Devices dialog box:

1	Check the device types you want to display in the list box. Click Load Objects.

2	Select one or more devices to add to your diagram.

3	Click OK. The devices are placed on your diagram.

When adding several devices to a diagram, you may not be able to see all of them in the current page view. To see all the added devices, zoom out so that the entire page is in view.


To Connect Devices

Access this option by right-clicking a network and choosing Connect Devices.

In the Connect Devices dialog box:

1	Select the devices you want to place on the diagram. These devices are placed on the diagram, linked to the selected network.

TIP  The list box includes all of the devices in the AutoDiscovery™ database that have not been placed on your diagram yet. To view all of the devices on your network, click Show Drawn Devices. An asterisk next to the device name signifies that the device is already placed on the diagram.

2	Check Attach Interface IP Address To Links to display the IP address of the links between the network and the selected devices. If you uncheck this, the link appears without an IP address.

3	Click OK to place the devices on your diagram.

Related Topics

  About Diagram Layout


About Listing Interfaces

An interface list is a list of the interfaces that are connected to the selected device. Interface lists can be used as troubleshooting tools as they can help you easily determine which networks your interfaces are connected to.

When you place an interface list on your diagram, you can choose to add the networks that the interfaces are connected to. Note the LAN and WAN network symbols that are used in the graphic below.

Related Topics

  List Interfaces

  About Diagram Layout


To List Interfaces

Access this option by right-clicking a device and choosing List Interfaces.

In the List Interfaces dialog box:

1	Check Automatically Connect to connect the interface list to serial links and/or networks.

2	Choose one or more interfaces from the list box.

TIP  The list box contains all of the interfaces not yet drawn on the diagram. To view all of the interfaces connected to this device, click Show Drawn Interfaces.

3	Select a Relative Orientation button to determine the placement of the list relative to the selected device.

4	Click OK to place an interface list on your diagram.

Related Topics

  Overview

  About Diagram Layout


About Listing DLCIs

A DLCI list is used with networks that have Frame Relay circuits. It lists the DLCIs that are connected to the selected device, allowing you to easily document your Frame Relay circuits. The DLCI list displays the DLCIs connected to a device and automatically connects the DLCI endpoints.

NOTE  Frame Relay support is available if you purchase and install the Frame Relay add-on.

Related Topics

  List DLCIs

  About Diagram Layout


How to List DLCI's

Access this option by right-clicking a device and choosing List DLCIs.

In the Select DLCIs dialog box:

1	Choose one or more DLCIs from the list box.

TIP  The list box contains all of the DLCIs not yet drawn on the diagram. To view all of the DLCI’s connected to this device, click Show Drawn DLCIs.

2	Select a Relative Orientation button to choose the placement of the list relative to the selected device.

3	Click OK. A DLCI list is placed on your diagram.

NOTE  Frame Relay support is available if you purchase and install the Frame Relay add-on.

Related Topics

  Overview

  About Diagram Layout


To Connect Networks

Access this option by right-clicking a device and choosing Connect Networks.

In the Connect Networks dialog box:

1	Select one or more networks from the list box.

TIP  The list box contains all of the networks in the AutoDiscovery™ database not yet placed on the diagram. To view all of the networks connected to the device, click Show Drawn Networks. An asterisk next to the device name signifies that the device is already placed on the diagram.

2	Check Attach Interface IP Address To Links to display the IP address of the links between the network and the device. If you disable this, the link appears without an IP address.

3	Click OK. If the network is not currently on the diagram, the network is added and connected to the device. If the network is already on the diagram, a connection is drawn from the device to the network.

Related Topics

  About Diagram Layout


About Listing Devices

A device list is a list of the devices that are connected to the selected network. This type of list is useful if you have a complex network and you want to limit the number of devices on your diagram so that it is easy to read. In this case, you might diagram your most important devices and then use device lists to easily see which devices are connected to that network.

Related Topics

  List Devices

  About Diagram Layout


To List Devices

Access this option by right-clicking a network and choosing List Devices.

In the List Devices dialog box:

1	Choose one or more devices from the list box.

TIP  The list box contains all of the devices not yet drawn on the diagram. To view all of the devices connected to this network, click Show Drawn Devices. An asterisk next to the device name signifies that the device is already drawn on the diagram.

2	Select a Relative Orientation option to determine the placement of the list relative to the selected device.

3	Click OK. A device list is placed on your diagram.

Related Topics

  Overview

  About Diagram Layout


About Listing Device Counters

A device counter list is a list of device types and the quantity of each type connected to the selected network. This type of list is useful because it tells you exactly what is connected to the selected network. If you need to redesign the layout of your network, you could use a device counter list to help determine potential traffic patterns on your network and plan how to decrease high traffic spots.

Related Topics

  List Device Counters

  About Diagram Layout


To List Device Counters

Access this option by right-clicking a network and choosing List Device Counters.

In the List Device Counters dialog box:

1	Click the devices you want to include in the device counter list.

2	Select a Relative Orientation option to determine the placement of the list relative to the selected device.

3	Click OK to place a device counter list on your diagram.

Related Topics

  Overview

  About Diagram Layout


About Guided Update

You can easily view and incorporate network changes using the Guided Update™ feature. Use Guided Update after you re-run discovery to display a list of the components on your network that were added, modified, or deleted since the last time you discovered the network. The changes are displayed in the Guided Update window in a tree view. Guided Update shows the following changes:

Device Changes – new or deleted interfaces

Network Changes – devices added to or deleted from the network

New Objects – new network objects

When the changes display in the Guided Update window, you can do the following:

•	Apply them to your diagram immediately

•	Save the changes to a file to apply to your diagram another time. Do this if you want to save the changes, but not put them on the diagram at this time. The next time you run Guided Update, these changes will be overwritten with the new changes in the Guided Update window.

•	Load a previously saved file of network changes

Related Topics

  Use Guided Updating


To use Guided Update

  Access this option by clicking this button on the AutoDiscovery™ and Layout toolbar.

NOTE  Use Guided Update after you re-run discovery on your network. Guided Update displays a list of the components on your network that were added, modified, or deleted since the last time you discovered the network.

In the Guided Update window:

1	Expand the type of change you want to see: device changes, network changes, or new objects.

2	Select the specific device you want more information about.

3	Click Details. The Details window shows the details about what changed. For example, if you select a new device under a specific network in the Network Changes list and then click Details, the Details window shows the device(s) added to the network.

4	On the diagram, the actions available for the selected entry display to guide you in what you can do next. Select the button for the action you want to perform and click Enter. The appropriate dialog box displays, in which you can update the diagram with the change. If there are multiple changes, you can select as many changes as you want to implement. The action may remain on the diagram if you perform only part of the available changes. For example, if several devices were added to a network and you added only some of them to the diagram, the action remains on the page because there are additional devices you can add to the page. To remove the action from the drawing, deselect the item in the Guided Update window.

To save a list of changes

If you do not want to incorporate all the changes at one time, you can save the list and open it later and apply more changes. If you do not save the list, it will be overwritten the next time you select Guided Update, regardless of whether you re-run discovery.

•	Choose File > Save from the Guided Update window to save the list of changes. To open them later, choose File > Open and navigate to the file.

Related Topics

  Overview

  About Diagram Layout


About Mapping Device Shapes
About Mapping Shapes

The AutoDiscovery™ and Layout template ships with default shapes that are assigned to network objects by matching the SysObjectID of the device to a shape found in the stencil library. A SysObjectID is a value obtained using SNMP (Simple Network Management Protocol) that vendors use to identify their products.

You can customize your diagrams by changing the default shape mapping for device types, network types, or specific network objects found by the discovery engine. The changes that you make to network and device mappings take precedence over the default mappings shipped with the template. This feature allows you to use preferred shapes, whether they are part of the Visio library, or created by you. Separate dialog boxes are provided for mapping device shapes and network shapes.

NOTE  When you change the default shape mapping of a device type or network object, the new mapping takes effect the next time you add a device to the diagram. You cannot change the shape of an object already on a diagram.

Related Topics

  Map Device Shapes

  Map Network Shapes


To Map Device Shapes

  Access this option by clicking this button on the AutoDiscovery™ and Layout toolbar.

This topic outlines mapping shapes for default objects and specific objects. It also provides instructions for customizing your stencil locations.

NOTE  When you change the default shape mapping of a device type or network object, the new mapping takes effect the next time you add a device to the diagram. You cannot change the shape of an object already on a diagram.

Mapping shapes for default objects

In the Map Device Shapes dialog box:

1	Click Map Default Objects.

2	Choose a device type from the Default Object Types list.

3	Locate the stencil you want to use in the Stencils pane.

TIP  Stencils have a .vss filename extension. The shapes contained within the stencil display in the Shapes pane.

4	Select the shape to map the device type to from the Shapes pane.

TIP  This mapping is temporarily saved when you select a shape. You can continue to map different default objects before exiting the dialog box.

5	Click OK. All of the mappings you selected are saved. The selected shape(s) are used the next time you add the selected device type to your diagram.

Mapping shapes for specific devices

In the Map Device Shapes dialog box:

1	Click Map Object Types.

2	Check the device types you want to view in the list box. Click Load Objects.

3	Select the device you want to map. All devices of this type will use the new shape, not just the selected shape. For example, if you select a specific printer type and change its default shape, all printers of this type will use the new shape.

4	Locate the stencil you want to use in the Stencils pane.

TIP  Stencils have a .vss filename extension. The shapes contained within the stencil display in the Shapes pane.

5	Select the shape to map the device to from the Shapes pane.

TIP  This mapping is temporarily saved when you select a shape. You can continue to map different default objects before exiting the dialog box.

6	Click OK. All of the mappings you selected are saved. The selected shape is used the next time you add the selected device to your diagram.

Using Other Stencils and Shapes

By default, the Map Device Shapes dialog box allows you to navigate stencils and shapes. If you have other shapes that you want to use in your diagrams, you can customize Visio to display them in this dialog box.

1	Choose Tools > Options, then click the File Paths tab.

2	In the Stencils field, enter a semi-colon (;) and the path to your stencils at the end of the existing text.

3	Click OK. You will be able to access this path the next time you map shapes.

Related Topics

  Overview


To Map Network Shapes

  Access this option by clicking this button on the AutoDiscovery™ and Layout toolbar.

This topic outlines mapping shapes for network types and provides instructions for customizing your stencil locations.

NOTE  When you change the default shape mapping of a device type or network object, the new mapping takes effect the next time you add a device to the diagram. You cannot change the shape of an object already on a diagram.

In the Map Network Shapes dialog box:

1	Choose Large Shapes or Small Shapes.

•	To change the shape for networks placed on the diagram, click Large Shapes.

•	To change the shape for network icons used in interface lists, click Small Shapes.

2	Select the network type you want to map in the left pane.

3	Locate the stencil you want to use in the Stencils pane.

TIP  Stencils have a .vss filename extension. The shapes contained within the stencil display in the Shapes pane.

4	Select the shape to map the network type to from the Shapes pane.

TIP  This mapping is temporarily saved when you select a shape. You can continue to map different network types before exiting the dialog box.

5	Click OK. All of the mappings you selected are saved. The selected shape is used the next time you add the selected network type to your diagram.

Using Other Stencils and Shapes

By default, the Map Network Shapes dialog box allows you to navigate stencils and shapes. If you have other shapes that you want to use in your diagrams, you can customize Visio to display them in this dialog box.

1	Choose Tools > Options, then click the File Paths tab.

2	In the Stencils field, enter a semi-colon (;) and the path to your stencils at the end of the existing text.

3	Click OK. You will be able to access this path the next time you map shapes.

Related Topics

  Overview


To Map Text Colors

  Access this option by clicking this button on the AutoDiscovery™ and Layout toolbar.

NOTE  When you change the text colors used in your diagrams, the new colors takes effect the next time you add an object to the diagram. You cannot change the color of text already on a diagram.

In the Map Text Colors dialog box:

1	Choose an object type in the left pane.

2	Choose a color to map the object type to in the right pane.

TIP: You can select multiple mappings in a session. All selections are saved when you click OK.

3	Click OK to save the new mappings.


About Hierarchical Diagrams

There are many reasons to diagram your network. You can create one large diagram suitable for a wall chart, or you can create smaller diagrams and arrange them in a logical hierarchy.

Hierarchical Diagrams and Hyperlinking

If you decide to create a diagram hierarchy, you can use the hyperlink feature to link your diagrams together. This allows you, or your users, to access more detail on a device. For example, your top level page can contain a backbone network and its associated routers. Each router on the diagram can be hyperlinked to a secondary page that illustrates that router and its interfaces. The router on the secondary page is automatically linked back to the top level page for easy navigation.

Putting Your Hyperlinks to Use

Navigate as you diagram	The hyperlinks are active when you view your diagram in full screen mode, allowing you to navigate through multi-page or multi-file documents.
Publish to the Web	If you create hyperlinks in your diagram, they are preserved when you save your diagram as an HTML page. The links you create are preserved as Web page hyperlinks.
Related Topics

  Link Diagrams

  About Publishing Diagrams to the Web


To Link Diagrams

Access this feature by right-clicking a device on your diagram, then choosing Create Hyperlinked Page.

This opens a new page, creating a hyperlink from the selected object on the original page to the new page. The same object is placed on the new page as the destination link from the original page. A hyperlink is also created from the new page back to the original page so users can easily navigate back. From here, you can continue building your network diagram.

You can also choose Insert > Hyperlink to link objects on your diagram to other documents, separate pages within the same document, or an HTML page on the Web. If you are working on a document alone, linking to pages within the same document may be the easiest way to work. However, having the ability to link to separate documents helps facilitate projects involving multiple people.

Related Topics

  Overview

  About Publishing to the Web


About Publishing Diagrams to the Web

Choose File > Save As and Insert > Hyperlink to organize your Enterprise network into multi-page, hot-linked diagrams in a way that makes sense to you. You can easily put all of your diagrams on your company’s intranet, or even on the World Wide Web. This gives you the ability to make information easily available to other people.

Related Topics

  About Hierarchical Diagrams

  Link Diagrams

  About Diagram Layout


About Diagram Layout

Everyone has something different in mind when they sit down to diagram their network. Here are some tips to consider when designing your diagram.

Choosing a Page Size

Consider your end result when choosing a page size. You can set the page size by choosing File > Page Setup. For most cases, the default setting of Same as Printer is fine. Here are some special cases:

If you are designing…	Then you might choose…
A wall chart	A large page size, for example a size D or E in the ANSI Engineering or ANSI Architectural categories.
For the Web	A paper size you can easily view online with minimal scrolling, such as 8.5” x 3.5.” When you save a diagram to HTML, it converts your diagram to a graphic format of your choice and generates an HTML page for you. The resulting graphic is approximately the same size as the paper you selected.
Using Lists on Your Diagram

Combine lists with objects. You can use lists to decrease the number of objects on your page. You may want to diagram the connectivity objects on your network and then use a list to display workstation names. Another option is to create hyperlinks to other pages.

Create multiple lists for the same device. When you choose a List command, a dialog box displays where you can choose which items you want to include on the list. If you want to draw a list of all the items attached to a device, you might want to create several lists rather than one large one. This allows you to rearrange them on the page so that they don’t run off the page or crowd other objects.

Long versus Short lists.  Long lists may be more appropriate for a wall-sized chart because they will fit better on the paper size (size D or E). For smaller paper sizes, you may want to create multiple lists, as described above, or hyperlink separate diagrams together.

Adding Devices to a Diagram

When adding several devices to a diagram, you may not be able to see all of them in the current page view. To see all the added devices, zoom out so that the entire page is in view. New objects are placed to the right of and above the device that was last added.

Related Topics

  About Hierarchical Diagrams

  About Publishing Diagrams to the Web

  About Object Placement


About Object Placement

You will encounter different ways to control the location of objects as you add them to your diagram. Some of these are:

•	Relative orientation options

•	Drag and drop object manipulation

•	Aligning Shapes command

NOTE  When adding several devices to a diagram, you may not be able to see all of them in the current page view. To see all the added devices, zoom out so that the entire page is in view. New objects are placed to the right of and above the device that was last added.

Relative Orientation Options

These radio buttons are available when you are adding a list to your diagram. Use them to specify the placement of the list relative to the selected object.

Drag and drop object manipulation

You can drag and drop any object to move it on your diagram. If objects are overlapping, select an object and drag it to a new location. The connecting line will follow the object’s path.

TIP  Using the Zoom feature lets you see exactly how straight your line is.

When you place an object on the page, the IP address of the object is attached to the object’s connecting line. If you drag and drop the object to rearrange it on the page, the placement of the IP address may be incorrect. To fix this, right-click the IP address and choose Unlink Interface From Connector. This separates the address from the object so that you can reposition the address. When the address is where you want it, right-click it and choose Relink Interface To Connector.

Aligning Shapes command

If you want to align two objects so that the connecting lines are straight, select the object that is positioned where you want it, hold down the Shift key, then select a second object. Choose Tools > Align Shapes.


About Frame Relay

Visio offers a Frame Relay add-on that allows you to include frame relay components on your diagram. If you have this add-on, the discovery engine will find your Data Link Connection Identifiers (DLCI) and store them in the database. From that point, you can create frame relay circuits, which are also stored in the database. The circuits you’ve created are used to automatically draw DLCI connections.

If you install the Frame Relay add-on after you have already used the AutoDiscovery™ and Layout template, you cannot add frame relay information to any existing diagrams.

Related Topics

  About Creating Frame Relay Circuits


About Frame Relay Circuits
About Creating Frame Relay Circuits

Use this dialog box to create Frame Relay circuits to logically link two Data Link Connection Identifiers (DLCI). A DLCI  is a component of a permanent virtual circuit (PVC) that has an arbitrarily assigned number. The AutoDiscovery™ and Layout template discovers all DLCI endpoints, however, it cannot correlate both endpoints for each DLCI. It resolves one endpoint for each DLCI. You can use the Create Circuits command to specify the other endpoint for each DLCI.

Use this field…	To do this…
Context Router	Name the router you selected before choosing the Create Circuits command.
Destination Routers	List the routers that are on the other side of a cloud to which the context router may be connected. This can also be thought of as “one hop away” from the context router.
DLCIs contained in the selected routers	List the DLCIs currently in the context router.
Load All Frame Relay Routers	List all routers that have a DLCI associated with it in the Destination Routers list.
Search for Router	Search for a specific router. Enter the router’s IP address. If it is currently in the list of Destination Routers, it is highlighted. If it is not in the list, it is added.

NOTE  Frame Relay support is available if you purchase and install the Frame Relay add-on.

Related Topics

  To Create Frame Relay Circuits

  About Frame Relay


To Create Frame Relay Circuits

Access this command by right-clicking a frame relay router and choosing Create Circuits.

The right side of the Create Circuits dialog box shows the current DLCI’s associated with the selected router. The left side lists all the routers that are on the other side of a cloud to which the context router may be connected.

1	Locate your destination routers by clicking Load All Frame Relay Routers or click Search for Router and specify an IP address.

2	Select a router from the Destination Routers pane. The DLCIs associated with that router display. If a circuit currently exists between two DLCIs, a bitmap displays in the associated table cell.

3	To connect two DLCIs, click in the appropriate table cell. Clicking the cell again disconnects the DLCIs. Right-clicking the circuit allows you to change the circuit name in the Circuit Name field.

4	Click OK to save your changes.

NOTE  Frame Relay support is available if you purchase and install the Frame Relay add-on.

Related Topics

  About Frame Relay Circuits

  About Frame Relay

  Edit Frame Relay Circuits


DLCI Configuration

This dialog box is invoked automatically after discovery has finished and new frame relay virtual circuits were discovered. Analysis depends on the CIR (Committed Information Rate) being set correctly for the DLCI representing this virtual circuit. Typically, the CIR stored in the frame relay MIB for a virtual circuit is 0. This dialog box allows you to set the CIR to its correct value.

To change a CIR

1	Right click the CIR in the list box and choose one of the predefined speeds, or double click the CIR and enter a specific value in bits per second (bps).

2	Click OK.

NOTE  Frame Relay support is available if you purchase and install the Frame Relay add-on.


To Edit Frame Relay Circuits

Access this dialog box by right-clicking a device and choosing Edit Circuits.

1	Select the circuit to edit in the Circuits list.

2	Edit the circuit name, endpoint name, or CIR. If changing the CIR for multiple circuits at once, select all the circuits and then click Change CIR for Selected Items.

3	Select OK.

NOTE  Frame Relay support is available if you purchase and install the Frame Relay add-on.

Related Topics

  Overview

  About Frame Relay


About Editing Frame Relay Circuits

This dialog box shows all circuit properties for a specified Frame Relay router, or for a group of routers. Use this dialog box to edit Frame Relay circuit properties.

Use this field…	To do this…
Circuits	List the circuits associated with the router you selected before selecting the Edit Circuits command.
Circuit Name	Show the circuit name for the highlighted circuit in the Circuits list. You can enter any name you like for the circuit.
Endpoints	Show the name of the DLCI endpoints for the circuit. You can change the name of the endpoints by entering a new name.
CIR (Committed Information Rate)	Set the DLCIs Committed Information Rate. For symmetric CIR rates where the same value is used for both endpoints, you can choose from the available rates on the drop-down menu, or enter any rate you like. For asymmetric CIR rates that have a different CIR for each end point, enter the CIR for each endpoint. The change takes effect as soon as you move on to a different DLCI. You are not required to click OK to change the CIR. NOTE  If the CIR is not in the list, enter it in bits per second value. Do not enter the text bps, kbps, or Mbps.
Change CIR for Selected Items	Change the CIR for multiple circuits selected. Select the circuits and edit the CIR information, and then click this button to change all selected circuits at once.

NOTE  Frame Relay support is available if you purchase and install the Frame Relay add-on.

Related Topics

  Edit Frame Relay Circuits

  About Frame Relay


To Edit DLCI Information

Access this dialog box by right-clicking a frame relay router and choosing Edit DLCIs.

In the Edit DLCI Information dialog box:

1	Select the DLCI whose properties you want to change.

2	Enter the new name in the DLCI field.

3	Enter the CIR in the CIR (Committed Information Rate) field. To change the CIR for multiple DLCIs at once, select all the DLCIs and enter the CIR, and then select the Change CIR for all Selected DLCIs button. The DLCI field is disabled if more than one DLCI is selected.

NOTE  If the CIR is not in the list, enter it in bits per second value. Do not enter the text bps, kbps, or Mbps.

4	Click OK.

Related Topics

  Overview

  About Frame Relay


About Editing DLCI Information

Use this dialog box to edit DLCI properties for a specified Frame Relay router, or for a group of routers. You can change the DLCI name to assign it a more meaningful name, and change the DLCI’s Committed Information Rate (CIR).

Use this field…	To do this…
DLCIs	List the DLCIs associated with the object you selected on the diagram.
DLCI	Edit the name of the DLCI. You can assign any name you like to a DLCI.
CIR (Committed Information Rate)	Edit the DLCI’s Committed Information Rate.
Set CIR For All Selected DLCIs	After specifying a CIR in the above field, click this button to change the CIR for the selected circuit(s).
Print Report	Invoke a Windows NT system print dialog box used to print a report of the information presented In the Edit DLCI Information dialog box.

NOTE: Frame Relay support is available if you purchase and install the Frame Relay add-on.

Related Topics

  Edit DLCI information

  About Frame Relay


Getting Help

Online Help

If you need help while using the AutoDiscovery™ and Layout template, use the online Help as your first line of defense. All dialog boxes have a Help button that provides procedures and conceptual information.


About Auto Discovery
About AutoDiscovery™

AutoDiscovery searches your network and creates a database of the devices found on the network. Information about each device is gathered as well, such as the device’s network name, its IP address, its operating system, the manufacturer, the SNMP community string used by the device, and interface information.

To make discovery easy, there are two different discovery wizards; the Basic Discovery wizard that requires minimum information from you, and the Advanced Discovery wizard where you can customize discovery and have greater control over what is discovered.

How do I access the AutoDiscovery wizards?

•	To access the Basic Discovery wizard, click this button on the AutoDiscovery™ and Layout toolbar [image].

•	To access the Advanced Discovery wizard, choose AutoDiscovery > Discover > Advanced Discovery. You can also right-click a specific network on your diagram to re-run discovery on it using the Advanced Discovery wizard.

How long will it take?

No two networks are alike, so it’s difficult to specify how long it will take to discover your network. It can go as quickly as a few minutes for a small network or up to a number of hours for a large network. For example, it may take 12 hours to discover a network with 200 routers. Here are some factors if you feel you need to optimize the process:

Consider the number of devices it needs to look for. When choosing options in the Advanced Discovery wizard, keep in mind that the more options you select (such as types of devices to be discovered and the number of networks) the longer it will take to complete the discovery.

Evaluate your time-out settings. In the Advanced Discovery wizard, you can specify how long the discovery engine should wait before timing out if a device doesn’t respond to a PING or SNMP request. For example, if you have many devices that don’t respond to SNMP requests, you can consider decreasing the SNMP time-out field.

Consider your link speeds. For example, if you have a remote office connected by a WAN link, the packet exchange will be slower. You may want to exclude the devices on remote subnets from your discovery network (in the Advanced Discovery wizard). Alternatively, you might want to increase the number of SNMP retries and timeouts.

How can I gauge AutoDiscovery’s Progress?

After you complete the fields in the discovery wizard, the Discovery Monitor displays. It monitors the status of the discovery process.

When is it done?

A message displays on the Discovery Monitor when discovery is finished. You can then add networks and devices to your diagram.

Related Topics

  Add a network to your diagram


Understanding Auto Discovery
Understanding AutoDiscovery™

The AutoDiscovery technology searches your network and creates a database of the devices found on the network. Information about each device is gathered as well, such as the device’s network name, its IP address, its operating system, the manufacturer, and the SNMP community string used by the device.

How long will it take?

No two networks are alike, so it’s difficult to specify how long it will take to discover your network. It can go as quickly as a few minutes for a small network or up to a number of hours for a large network. For example, it may take 12 hours to discover a network with 200 routers.

In addition to this wizard, there is an Advanced Discovery wizard where you can customize discovery and have greater control over what is discovered. To access this wizard, choose AutoDiscovery > Discover > Advanced Discovery. Using this wizard you can determine how networks and devices are discovered, and limit the discovery to specific networks and devices, including and excluding what you want discovered.

How can I gauge discovery’s progress?

After you complete the fields in the discovery wizard, the Discovery Monitor displays. It monitors the status of the discovery process.

When is it done?

A message displays on the Discovery Monitor when discovery is finished. You can then add networks and devices to your diagram.


About Advanced Discovery

The AutoDiscovery™ technology searches your network and creates a database of the devices found on the network. Information about each device is gathered as well, such as the device’s network name, its IP address, its operating system, the manufacturer, the SNMP community string used by the device, and interface information. The Advanced Discovery wizard provides greater control in determining what is discovered.

•	To access the Advanced Discovery wizard, choose AutoDiscovery > Discover > Advanced Discovery. You can also right-click a specific network on your diagram to re-run discovery on it using the Advanced Discovery wizard.

How long will it take?

No two networks are alike, so it’s difficult to specify how long it will take to discover your network. It can go as quickly as a few minutes for a small network or up to a number of hours for a large network. For example, it may take 12 hours to discover a network with 200 routers. Here are some factors if you feel you need to optimize the process:

Consider the number of devices it needs to look for. When choosing options in the Advanced Discovery wizard, keep in mind that the more options you select (such as types of devices to be discovered and the number of networks) the longer it will take to complete the discovery.

Evaluate your time-out settings. You can specify how long the discovery engine should wait before timing out if a device doesn’t respond to a PING or SNMP request. For example, if you have many devices that don’t respond to SNMP requests, you can consider decreasing the SNMP time-out field.

Consider your link speeds. For example, if you have a remote office connected by a WAN link, the packet exchange will be slower. You may want to exclude the devices on remote subnets from your discovery network. Alternatively, you might want to increase the number of SNMP retries and timeouts.

How can I gauge AutoDiscovery’s progress?

After you complete the fields in the wizard, the Discovery Monitor displays. It monitors the status of the discovery process.

When is it done?

A message displays on the Discovery Monitor when discovery is finished. You can then add networks and devices to your diagram.


Discovery Type

This page allows you to choose what you want discovered. The following options are available:

Routers

Discover only routers. The discovery engine starts by reading the routing table of a seed router that you named during the installation process. It finds other routers in the seed router’s routing table and continues the process with the routers it has found in the seed router. You can change the seed router on a later page.

Include specific devices

Explicitly name (by IP address or name) certain devices that you want included in discovery. You specify these devices on a later page in the wizard.

Exclude specific devices

Explicitly exclude certain devices (identified by IP address or name) from the discovery process. You specify these devices on a later page in the wizard.

Non-Router devices

Discover devices other than routers. The discovery engine uses a combination of searching router ARP caches and sending PINGs to find other devices. You specify what options are used on a later page in the wizard.

Ignore non-SNMP devices

Specifies whether devices that do not respond to an SNMP request are recorded in the database.

Include previously discovered devices

If this option is not selected, only new devices are discovered. If this option is selected, the discovery engine will re-discover devices already stored in the database. The database information is updated to match the current device configuration.

SNMP retries

The number of times an SNMP request is made to an unresponsive device.

SNMP time-out

Time interval, in milliseconds, between SNMP retries.

PING retries

Number of times a PING is attempted.

PING time-out

Time interval, in milliseconds, between PING attempts.


Enter Community Strings

This page allows you to specify which SNMP community strings are used for SNMP requests. You should include all of the community strings used in your network.

The order in which the community strings are listed is important. The discovery engine uses the community strings in the order in which they are shown. Place your most commonly used community strings first in the list.


Specify the Seed Router

To discover routers, the discovery engine needs a starting point in your network, or seed router. The discovery process uses this router to locate the other routers on your network.

Enter the IP address of a router to be used as the seed router. Choose the router that is closest to you, usually your default gateway, for the seed router. If you do not know your default gateway, click Use Default Gateway and discovery will determine and use the default gateway router.

You can also enter the router name if using Domain Name Server (DNS) or NetBIOS. If you enter a name, the router’s IP address prefills when the name is resolved.

When you click Next, an attempt is made to communicate with the seed router. If this communication fails, you will be given the option of continuing or entering a different seed router. If you are sure this address is correct, you may continue. However, the discovery engine may not be able to communicate with the seed router.


Discover Non-Router Devices

This page allows you to specify how you would like to discover non-router devices.

Search router ARP caches

Search ARP caches in all the routers that have been discovered to find the addresses of devices recently active on the network.

PING undiscovered devices

PING IP addresses that the discovery engine has not seen to find devices that may not have been found in router ARP caches.

If you select this option you can adjust the time-out and retry values used for PING request.

NOTE  Choosing the PING option can cause the discovery process to take longer to complete, as the discovery engine will attempt to PING devices which may not be there. The time in milliseconds required to attempt contact with each non-existent device will be the number of retries multiplied by the time-out value.

Search for Intel LANDesk managed systems

If you select this option, the discovery engine will keep track of how many Intel LANDesk managed systems you have on your network. These devices must have the LANDesk Server Manager or LANDesk Client Manager software installed. If you have device counter lists on your diagram, the lists will include how many of these systems are connected to the specified network.


Enter IP Networks

The AutoDiscovery™ technology uses a list of discovery networks to define the subnets that are explored, and consequently what devices are discovered. Only devices that reside on one of these networks and subnets are included in the discovery.

Discover these Networks

Shows the list of IP networks that discovery will search. This list should include all networks that contain devices you want to discover. For example, if you have a device with an IP address of 207.15.31.5 and a subnet mask of 255.255.255.0, that device will only be discovered if an IP address of 207.15.31.0 and subnet mask 255.255.255.0 is listed in the Discover These Networks list.

To add a network to the list, enter its IP address and subnet mask in the New IP Address and Subnet Mask fields, and then click Add.

Previously Excluded Networks

Selecting this button displays the Select Previously Excluded Networks dialog box. This dialog box shows the IP networks that were seen on prior discoveries but were not included because they were not included in the Discover these Networks list. To include one of these networks, select its IP address in the list and click OK. After discovery has completed, you will see a similar dialog box showing the IP networks that were seen during discovery but not discovered because they were not included in the discovery list. You will be able to immediately discover those networks at that time if you choose.


Specify the Devices to Add to Discovery

This page allows you to enter specific IP addresses to discover.

New IP Address

To add an IP address or DNS name to the list, type the address and click Add or press Enter. You can also enter the device name if using Domain Name Server (DNS) or NetBIOS. If you enter a name, the device’s IP address prefills when the name is resolved.

Selected IP Addresses

Displays the IP addresses that will be discovered.

Read File

The discovery process uses the file address.txt for the list of specific addresses to discover. This file is located in the \bin subdirectory. Click Read File to show the contents of the address.txt file one line at a time in the Selected Addresses field.

When you click Next, an attempt is made to communicate with each device you entered. The results are summarized on the next page. You can remove any devices that are not communicative.


Testing Specific Devices

This page tests communications with the devices that were entered on the Discover Specific Devices page. An attempt is made to PING each device. If the PING attempt is successful, an SNMP request is attempted.

IP Address

The device’s IP address.

PING Result

Shows the result of the PING operation. Success means that the device was successfully pinged. It does not mean that a successful SNMP request was made.

Community String

If the PING Result column shows success, this column shows the community string that was used for the successful SNMP request. If the request failed, SNMP Request Failed displays.

System Description

If both the PING attempt and the SNMP attempt were successful, the System Description field shows the system description retrieved from the device.

After all devices have been queried, the list is sorted. The top of the list contains the devices that were fully responsive, i.e. they were successfully pinged and a successful SNMP request was performed. The devices that were successfully pinged but did not respond to the SNMP request are shown next. The devices that were completely non-communicative are shown last. All of the devices that are kept in this list when you continue are included in the discovery.

Remove

Removes the selected device(s).

Remove PING Failures

Removes the device(s) that did not respond to the PING request.

Remove SNMP Failures

Removes the device(s) that did not respond to the SNMP request.

Related Topics

  Why a PING request might fail

  Why an SNMP request might fail


Why a PING Request Might Fail

•	The request timed out. You can configure the time-out value for PING requests on the Discovery Type page in the discovery wizard.

•	The device does not exist.

•	A network path to the device does not exist, or a device along that path is down.

•	The machine on which the AutoDiscovery™ and Layout template has been loaded has an incorrect default gateway or subnet mask. These settings are configured in the Windows Network Configuration Control Panel.

•	The device exists but is turned off.


Why an SNMP Request Might Fail

•	The request timed out. You can configure the time-out value for SNMP requests on the Discovery Type page in the discovery wizard.

•	None of the community strings listed in the Community Strings page in the discovery wizard are valid for this device.

•	Some devices have an access list that restricts the IP addresses that are able to perform an SNMP request.  Check the product documentation for this device to determine if it has access lists and, if so, how to configure those access lists.


Exclude Specific Devices

This page allows you to specify devices that you do not want discovered. All of the devices listed in the Excluded Addresses list are completely ignored by the discovery engine.

To exclude a device

1	Enter its IP address into the Device Address field. You can also enter the device name if using Domain Name Server (DNS) or NetBIOS. If you enter a name, the device’s IP address prefills when the name is resolved.

2	Click Add or press Enter.

You can edit the exclude.txt file directly, located in the \bin subdirectory, to add those IP addresses you do not want discovered by the discovery engine. This enables you to enter an entire list quickly without having to use the Excluded Addresses field. The discovery engine reads the exclude.txt file if Exclude Specific Devices is selected in the manual discovery options.


Undiscovered IP Networks

This dialog box lists the IP networks that were seen during discovery, but were not discovered because they were not part of the active discovery network. These networks were ignored because a device with an interface connected to one of the networks in the discovery network was found that contained an interface connected to a network not in the discovery network.

•	Select the network(s) you want to discover and click OK.

To ignore these networks, click Cancel. If you choose to ignore these networks, you can discover them later when you run the Basic or Advanced Discovery wizard. Networks you ignore now will show up in the Previously Excluded Networks field of the Enter IP Networks page in the discovery wizard the next time it is invoked.


Seed Router

The Seed Router is the starting point for discovery. The discovery engine starts discovery by examining the routing table in the seed router. From this point it can find other routers in the enterprise. Once this is accomplished, the discovery engine can branch out and discover SNMP agents and other devices in the enterprise.

Choose the router that is closest to you, usually your default gateway, for the seed router.


General Device Information Property Page

The General page shows descriptive information about a device gathered from a number of sources. The information is taken from MIB-II.

Network Name

The device name as it is known on the network. The discovery engine found this name for the device in a DNS server.

Identifier

The OID configured for the device.

Community String

The community string currently set for the device. If a device does not respond with any of the default community strings, the discovery engine cannot access that device.

Last Discovered/Rediscovered

Shows when the discovery engine last performed a discovery on this device.

Last Known To Be On The Network

Shows the last time the discovery engine successfully communicated with this device. When discovery runs, it pings all the devices that have been discovered. Therefore, the device may have been down since the time shown here but the discovery engine did not try and communicate with it.

Description

Shows the description string retrieved from MIB-II.


Interface Names Property Page

The Interface Names page enables you to view and change the names assigned to the interfaces in the device. These are the names that are used when listing interfaces.

Available Options

Shows the available options for names for interfaces. To include one of these options in the Selected Options list, select it, then click Add.

Selected Options

Shows the selected options for interfaces. To remove an option from the list, select it, then click Remove.

The order in which options are listed in the Selected Options list is important. Options are tried in the order in which they are listed until one can be used. When a valid option is found, the interface is named according to that option. To adjust the priority of an option, select it then click either the raise priority [image] or lower priority [image] icon.

Current Names

Shows the interfaces in the device and their current names. Click on the column title to sort the list by that column.

When you have selected the options you want to use, click Preview to see what the names of each interface will be if you use those options.

Click OK or Apply to update the interface names in the database.


Interface Information Property Page

This page contains a list showing relevant information about each interface in the device. Click on the column title to sort the list by that column.

If #

The interface number configured for this interface in the device.

IP Address(es)

The IP address or addresses configured for this interface.

Subnet Mask

The subnet mask for this interface.

Name

The name configured in the Interface Extensions MIB for this interface. This MIB is not necessarily present, so this column may be empty.

Address

The MAC address for the interface.

Type

What type of network the interface is attached to.

Speed

The interface speed in Mbps.

Description

The MIB-II description for this interface.


Device Class Property Page

The Class Property Page allows you to change the class that is assigned to a device. The class affects what bitmap is used for displaying the device and where it appears in device lists. Changing a device’s class will not affect the data collected from that device.

To Change a Device Class

•	Select a new class in the Available Classes list and click OK.


Novell Information Property Page

The Novell Server Information page shows information retrieved from the Novell Server MIBs. It includes the server name, serial number, internal IPX network number, and NetWare version.

The CPU Information list shows all of the CPUs that were reported by the NetWare Server MIB. The Volume Information list shows the NetWare volumes that were reported by the NetWare Server MIB.


The DBEXPORT Utility

The DBEXPORT.EXE utility is a DOS executable that creates a tab-delimited file containing the contents of the AutoDiscovery and Layout database. Any non-printing characters embedded in the descriptive files are converted to a <SPACE>. The output can be imported into any CSV-compliant database and spreadsheet application.

When DBEXPORT is executed, it accesses the current AutoDiscovery and Layout database. Only data from the database will be used to create the file, no SNMP activity occurs. To specify a different database, choose AutoDiscovery > Configuration > Change Database Directory.

The data includes device, interface, and frame relay information. The device information includes name and description. Interface information includes IP addresses, subnet masks, interface name, interface speeds and types. Frame Relay information includes DLCI and CIR data.

Example

To create a file named ADL.txt using the current AutoDiscovery and Layout database, enter the following command at a command prompt:

..\Visio\Solutions\Network Diagram\_bin\dbexport  ADL.txt

NOTE  DBEXPORT.EXE must be executed from the \visio\solutions\Network Diagram\_bin folder, unless this path is included in your PATH environment variable.

Field Descriptions

NOTE  All field names ending in Title can be edited in the Database Viewer, accessible by choosing the Database Viewer icon from the AutoDiscovery and Layout toolbar.

Field Name	Description
Device Class	Device class name obtained from the database
Device Name	Device name from sysName
Device Title	Device title from the database
Device SysObjID	Device object ID from sysObjectID
Device System Description	Device description from sysDesc
Device Community String	Community string for device access
Interface #	Interface index from sysIndex
Interface Title	Interface title from the database
IP Address	Interface IP address from ifIPAddress
IP Title	IP title from the database
Subnet Mask	Interface IP mask
MAC Address	Interface MAC from ifPhysAddress
Media Type	Interface type from ifType
Speed of Port	Interface speed from ifSpeed
Interface Name	Interface name from ifName
Interface Description	Interface description from ifDesc
DLCI	Interface Frame Relay Data Link Connection Identifier
DLCI Title	DLCI title from the database
CIR	DLCI Committed Information Rate

Output

The output is sent to the file specified at the command prompt when using DBXPORT. There are two types of records, both with the same format: Device and Interface. There is one Device record per device and it is created based on the device’s name and OID. There may be multiple interface records if there are multiple IP addresses or DLCI's assigned to an interface, and they are created based on an interface index.

All records contain the Device Class, Device Name, and Device SysObjectID fields. All fields in the record are filled if text is available (except devDesc). All fields will be text.

Requirements

An AutoDiscovery and Layout database must exist at a location defined by Visio Enterprise.