Conference netcad::hub_mgnt

Yes, it's possible.  It's not easy though.

HUBwatch uses the SNMP to communicate with the Hub Management Agent 
Module (MAM).  HUBwatch reads and sets objects in the Chassis MIB
to perform LAN Hopping.  (The Chassis MIB is available via ftp from
ftp.dec.com.)

Switching LANs is not easy or straightforward.
	
						-Shawn

Thanks.  I'll let the customer know.
They're planning a migration from several thickwires to hubs.
They currently use a blackbox dial to switch LANs.
They want to explore the possibility of using softare.

Tim

An often heard quote at each Networks Academy...
"If you sell a DEChub 900 and do not sell at least one copy of HUBwatch..."

> They want to explore the possibility of using softare.
Geez!!!  HUBwatch for Windows is $495!  Guess what!  HUBwatch *is* software.

Yes, any application can do anything in SNMP to any DEChub product.  All the
MIBs are published.  Most people have a "c" compiler to write the code.  And
HUBwatch is nothing more than an application program.  But, it's an application
program developed by the same group that makes the DEChubs.  It is thoroughly
tested.  It has years of development work behind it.  AND IT'S CHEAP!

Save your customer a LOT of money and time.  Tell them to buy HUBwatch.
They don't like Windows?  Great!  We support Digital UNIX and OpenVMS VAX and 
a couple of other external platforms (soon).  It is ludicrous to encourage (or
even to not discourage) a customer from writing their own SNMP controller for
the DEChub 900 family.   Just doing the LAN hopping in HUBwatch is well over
30,000 lines of code!  Do you want your customer to waste their time and
money to do that??? 

Tom Hood
HUBwatch

The customer already has HUBwatch for managing their 900EE.  Once
they migrate to DEChubs, they'll probably buy a few more DEChub licenses.

They want to write their own applications to switch VLANs because:
    1.	There's no API for HUBwatch.
    2.  They have an application called network monitor that collects
	all network traffic on a LAN.  It is very useful for debugging
	connection and network problems.  The network monitor runs on a
	dual Ethernet 4000/90.  But the customer has half a dozen LANs
	that they can potentially monitor.  They currently use a black
	box switch to select the two networks to monitor.  After migrating
	to DEChubs, they want to explore the possibility for upgrading
	the network monitor to switch the 4000/90 to the desired VLAN.

Thanks.

Tim

    
    
    	Sounds like you need port switching and an API into Hubwatch.
    
    Are there any plans for an API for Hubwatch?  I can see were customers
    like this are going to want to take advantage of port switching and lan 
    hopping capabilities long before enVISN has hit the streets.
    
    Scott 

No plans for HUBwatch API.

On the other hand, the backup and restore function will be coming soon.
With it, a customer could take a snapshot of a configuration, change the
configuration, take another snapshot, change it again, and take another
snapshot.  Then, restore any saved configuration at any time.  That should
take care of the reconfiguring-at-night problem.

    
    
    Can the saved configuration be loaded via a script or will it take
    someone clicking a mouse?
    
    Scott

Either way.  There is a command line (a cryptic one) for exactly the reasons
your customer wants.  Normal backups or restores would use a GUI.

Tom Hood
HUBwatch