Managing Properties

This chapter contains the following sections:

About Network Properties

The Network Properties tab allows you to create your own properties that you can use to configure your TIF policies.

Default Properties

Cisco XNC provides the following properties by default:

  • Latency
  • Number
  • Bandwidth
  • String

Each property contains one or more policies. For example, the Number property contains policies that are related to numbers, such as weighted least cost path, or hop count based shortest path. The Bandwidth policy contains policies related to bandwidth, such as including or avoiding links with a specific bandwith.

Many of the policies also contain metrics that further define the property. The latency properties, for example, include time-based metrics. You could use a latency property with a policy to include only those links that have latency less than 1 nanosecond.

Custom Properties

You can create custom property templates based on an existing template. After you have created a custom property template, you can rename the policies that are associated with that template, create metrics for the template, and use that template as a parent to create additional templates. The custom properties can be used when you create TIF policies.

Manual Links

Create manual links if you have links that have not been discovered by Cisco XNC.

Adding a Link Property

Link properties use the values of both custom and default property templates.

    Step 1   On the Cisco XNC menu bar, click Topology.
    Step 2   In the topology diagram, click the link for which you want to set properties.
    Step 3   In the Properties tab, click Add Property.
    Step 4   In the Add Property dialog box, complete the following fields:
    Name Description

    Property drop-down list

    Choose the property that you want to add to the link.

    Metric drop-down list

    Choose the metric that you want to add to the link.

    Value field

    The value for the metric that you want to use for the link.

    Step 5   Click Add Property.

    Adding a Property Template

      Step 1   On the Cisco XNC menu bar, click Topology.
      Step 2   In the Templates tab, click Add Template.
      Step 3   In the Add Property Template dialog box, complete the following fields:
      Name Description

      Name field

      The name that you want to assign to the property template

      The name may contain between 1 and 256 alphanumeric characters including the following special characters: underscore (_), hyphen (-), plus (+), equals (=), open parenthesis ("("), closed parenthesis (")"), vertical bar (|), or at sign (@).

      Parent drop-down list

      Choose the parent template to use for the custom template.

      Step 4   Click Add Template.

      Changing Policy Names for a Custom Property Template

      You can change the policy names for custom property templates. Policies that belong to default property templates cannot be changed.

        Step 1   On the Cisco XNC menu bar, click Topology.
        Step 2   In the Templates tab, in the Property Templates table, click the Parent column for the custom property for which you want to change policy names.
        Step 3   In the Policies tab, click the policy name that you want to change.
        Step 4   In the Change Policy Name dialog box, enter the new policy name.
        Step 5   Click Submit.

        Adding Metrics to a Custom Property Template

        You can add metrics to any custom property template.

          Step 1   On the Cisco XNC menu bar, click Topology.
          Step 2   In the Templates tab, in the Property Templates table, click the Parent column for the custom property for which you want to add metrics.
          Step 3   In the Properties tab, click Add Metric.
          Step 4   In the Add Metrics dialog box, complete the following fields:
          Name Description

          Metric Name field

          The name to be used for the metric.

          The name may contain between 1 and 256 alphanumeric characters including the following special characters: underscore (_), hyphen (-), plus (+), equals (=), open parenthesis ("("), closed parenthesis (")"), vertical bar (|), or at sign (@).

          Factor field

          The factor to be used for the metric.

          Default Value field

          The optional default value to be used for the metric.

          Step 5   Click Add Metric.

          Editing Custom Metrics

          You can edit metrics that belong to a custom property template. You cannot edit default metrics.

            Step 1   On the Cisco XNC menu bar, click Topology.
            Step 2   In the Templates tab, in the Property Templates table, click the Parent column for the custom property for which you want to edit the metrics.
            Step 3   In the Properties tab, click the metric that you want to edit.
            Step 4   In the Add Metrics dialog box, you can do the following:
            • Enter a default value and click Set Default Value.
            • Click Remove Metric to delete the metric.
            • Click Cancel to close the dialog box without making any changes.

            Creating a Manual Link


            Note

            You should create manual links only if undiscovered links are in the topology.

              Step 1   On the Cisco XNC menu bar, click Network Properties.
              Step 2   On the Manual Links tab, click Create Link.
              Step 3   In the Create Link dialog box, complete the following fields:
              Name Description

              Name field

              The name that you want to assign to the link.

              The name may contain between 1 and 256 alphanumeric characters including the following special characters: underscore (_), hyphen (-), plus (+), equals (=), open parenthesis ("("), closed parenthesis (")"), vertical bar (|), or at sign (@).

              Source Node drop-down list

              Choose the source node for the link.

              Source Port drop-down list

              Choose the source port on the selected node.

              Destination Node drop-down list

              Choose the destination node for the link.

              Destination Port drop-down list

              Choose the destination port on the selected node.

              Step 4   Click Create Link.