Cisco Transport Planner DWDM Operations Guide, Software Release 11.1

Manage the Cisco Transport Planner Window

The Cisco Transport Planner window provides a menu bar, toolbar, a Project Explorer pane, a Properties pane, an Analyzer pane, and a Task Pane to allow you to manage a network design as shown in the following figure. The Mgmt Tree tab displays the networks that you have created for a project. The NtVw Net# tab displays the sites for a network (identified by the Net# on the tab).

Figure 1. Cisco Transport Planner Window with Network Tree


1	Tool Bar	4	Properties Pane
2	Tasks Pane	5	Analyzer Pane
3	Project Explorer Pane	6	Status Bar

Menu and Toolbar Options

The Cisco Transport Planner window menu bar and toolbar provide primary Cisco Transport Planner functions. The below table shows the actions that are available from the menu and toolbar.

Table 1. Menu and Toolbar Options

Menu Option

Toolbar

Description

File

New

Creates a new Cisco Transport Planner project. See theCreating a Project.

Open

Opens an existing Cisco Transport Planner project. See theOpening a Project.

Import Network

Imports node parameters from a network.

Closes the current project without closing the Cisco Transport Planner session. If you have not saved the current project, Cisco Transport Planner will prompt you to save before closing. See the Closing a Project.

Save

Saves the current project. See the Closing a Project.

Save As

Allows you to save the current project with a new file name. See the Saving a Project.

Clear History

—

Clears the file history from Cisco Transport Planner. Cisco Transport Planner maintains a list of the last ten open projects in the File menu.

Exit

—

Exits the Cisco Transport Planner software.

View

My Default Layout

—

Changes the Cisco Transport Planner display to the user default layout. Cisco Transport Planner allows you to define the default value for Platform Options, Project Options, and General Options. The defined value are used as default for each new created project. See theSetting Cisco Transport Planner Options.

Default Layout

—

Returns the Cisco Transport Planner display to the system default layout.

Task Pane

—

Displays the commands available for the selected entity (network, site, duct, etc.).

Project Explorer

—

Displays the Project Explorer pane, which includes folders for project notes, networks, sites, fibers, traffic demand groups, subnets, maintenance centers, restricted equipment list, and reports. Clicking the plus (+) sign by each folder expands the folder. Clicking the minus (–) sign by each folder hides the folder. contents. You can also right-click a folder and choose Expand from the shortcut menu to show folder contents. The default location of the Project Explorer pane is the upper left section of the Cisco Transport Planner window.

Properties

—

Displays the Properties pane, which shows parameter settings for the selected entity in the Project Explorer pane, Mgmt Tree tab, or NtVw Net# tab. The default location of the Properties pane is the lower left section of the Cisco Transport Planner window.

Analyzer Messages

—

Displays the Analyzer Messages pane at the bottom of the Cisco Transport Planner window. The Analyzer Messages pane displays any error messages that occur during network analysis.

A2A Finalized Circuits

—

Displays Any-to-Any Finalization report at the bottom of the Cisco Transport Planner window. The Any-to-Any Finalization report pane displays the demands that are finalized in the network.

Tools

Options

—

Opens the Options Explorer dialog box, where you can change the user default settings. See theSetting Cisco Transport Planner Options.

DB Parts Mgmt

Opens the PartsTreePanel dialog box, where you can view the list of available parts for each release. See the Setting the Default Project Values.

Price List Mgmt

—

Opens the Price Manager dialog box, where you can view maintenance contracts and add price databases. See the Managing the Price List.

Export

—

Opens the Export dialog box, which allows you to export user options, price lists, maintenance contracts, and parts database files. See theExporting User Options, Price Lists or Alien Definitions.

Import

—

Opens the Import dialog box, which allows you to import user options, price lists, maintenance contracts, and parts database files. See the Importing User Options, Price Lists or Alien Definitions.

Import from Sherpa

—

Opens the Import dialog box, which allows you to import Layer 2 network designs using the Cisco Carrier Packet Transport system.

Delete Cache

—

Deletes the CTP cache on restart.

Help

Manual

—

Opens the Cisco Transport Planner online help.

Tips of the Day

—

Opens the Tip of the Day dialog box, which provides helpful hints about using Cisco Transport Planner. Click the Next button to view the next tip and the Back button to view a previous tip. Check Show Tips on Startup to display the Tip of the Day dialog box when you launch Cisco Transport Planner.

About

—

Displays Cisco Transport Planner version information.

Network Toolbar

—

Create a new subnet

Opens the Network Creation wizard when you click this icon and then click in the Cisco Transport Planner window. See theCreating a Project.

—

Create a new site

Opens the Site Creation wizard when you click this icon and then click in the Cisco Transport Planner window. See the Adding Sites.

—

Create a new duct

Allows you to create a new duct between sites. See the Adding Fiber Spans.

—

Create a new P2P demand

Opens the Point to Point Demand Creation wizard when you click this icon and then click two sites. See theUnderstanding Contentionless Functionality.

—

Create a new P-ring demand

Opens the P-Ring Creation wizard. See the Creating a Protected Ring Demand.

—

Finalize Any-to-Any traffic

Opens Finalize Any-to-Any Traffic window.

—

Toggle the filter for Any-to-Any finalized traffic

Displays the Any-to-Any demands that are finalized in the network

—

Create a new TDM Aggregated demand

Opens a TDM creation wizard. See the Creating TDM Aggregated Demands.

—

Create a new OTN Aggregated demand

Opens a OTNXC creation wizard. See the Creating OTN Aggregated Demand.

—

Connection Viewer

—

A new tool that provides a Card View and Mesh View for analyzed networks.

Note

Connection Viewer lists only the Line sides in the drop-down list.

—

Create a new Ethernet Aggregated demand

Opens a Ethernet creation wizard. See the Creating Ethernet Aggregated Demands.

—

Set various GUI options

Displays the CTP GUI Options dialog box where the wavelength options can be set. The wavelength information can be displayed in nm, as a channel number or both.

—

Hide/show Network Details

Hides or displays duct information (duct name, EOL), amplifier forcing, and circuits on the network map in the Network tab.

—

Wavelength usage information

Hides or displays wavelength usage percentage in color on the network map in the Network tab.

– To display the wavelength usage in color, click Wavelength Usage Information in the network view. This option is enabled only after network analysis is complete.

– To highlight ducts that have selected wavelengths, choose the required wavelength from the adjacent drop-down list and then click Wavelength Usage Information. The default option is Auto, where all the wavelengths in the duct are selected.

—

Zoom in

Zooms in on the NtVw Net# tab.

—

Zoom out

Zoom out from the NtVw Net# tab.

—

Normal viewing

Returns the NtVw Net# tab to normal viewing (1:1).

—

Fit to window

Resizes the view so that all sites fit inside the NtVw Net# tab window.

—

Save network view image

Saves a JPEG of the network design. See the Creating a JPEG of the Network Design.

—

Analyze Network

Analyzes the selected network. See the Analyzing the Network.

—

Enter design mode

Puts the selected Design-Analyzed network back into the design mode for further changes. See the Analyzing the Network.

—

Put current network in upgrade mode

Creates a copy of the selected Design-Analyzed network in the Upgrade state. See the Creating an Upgrade Network.

—

Delete current network

Deletes the selected network. See theDeleting a Network.

—

Copy current network

Copies the selected network. See theCreating a Copy of the Network.

—

Put current network in install mode

Creates a copy of the selected Design-Analyzed network in the Install state. See the Creating a Network in the Install State.

—

Copy & Go back to Design Mode

Copies the selected network in the Design state. See theCreating a Copy of the Network in Design State.

—

Reports Diff

Opens the Reports Diff dialog box, which allows you to create a report that shows the differences between networks.

—

Run the Garbage Collector

Deletes unloaded networks from memory.

Cisco Transport Planner Panes

Cisco Transport Planner provides four panes that help you manage a network design: Project Explorer, Properties, Analysis, and Tasks Pane.

Project Explorer Pane

The Project Explorer pane provides a management tree for the entire project. Each network appears as a folder that contains the sites, fibers, traffic groups, subnets, maintenance centers, restricted equipment lists, and reports for that network. If you have made changes to a network design, that network folder and the changed item folder appear in blue italics in the pane.

By default, the Project Explorer pane is located in the upper-left section of the Cisco Transport Planner window. The below table shows the actions that are available from the Project Explorer toolbar.

Table 2. Project Explorer Toolbar Options
Toolbar	Description
	Displays the Project Explorer as a single pane.
	Displays the Project Explorer as split panes. The upper pane contains the main project tree; the lower pane shows only the folders for the network that is selected in the upper pane.
	Auto scrolls to the selected object in the Project Explorer tree. For example, if you click on a site in the NtView Net# tab but it is not in view in the Project Explorer tree, Cisco Transport Planner will automatically scroll the Project Explorer pane until the selected site is in view.
	Allows selection of multiple folders or icons (or both) in the Project Explorer pane.
	Moves backward through the list of previously selected items in the Project Explorer pane.
	Moves forward through the list of previously selected items in the Project Explorer pane.
	Moves (undocks) the Project Explorer pane from the default location in the upper left corner so that you can move it around your desktop area as an individual window.
	Moves the Project Explorer pane back to the default location.
	Hides the Project Explorer pane. To view again, move the mouse over the Prop tab that appears in the upper left corner of the Cisco Transport Planner window.
	When in hidden mode, reopens the Project Explorer pane in the default location.
	Closes the Project Explorer pane. To reopen, choose Project Explorer from the View menu.

Properties Pane

The Properties pane shows all of the parameters set for a selected item (either in the Project Explorer pane, the Network Mgmt Tree tab, or the NtVw Net# tab). Many items are editable in the Properties pane. By default, the Properties pane is located in the lower-left section of the Cisco Transport Planner window.

The below table shows the actions that are available from the Properties Pane toolbar.

Table 3. Properties Pane Toolbar Options
Toolbar	Description
	Categorizes the properties by type.
	Organizes the properties in alphabetical order.
	Shows or hides the description area at the bottom of the Properties pane.
	Expands the property categories (if collapsed).
	Collapses the property categories (if expanded).
	Moves (undocks) the Properties pane from the default location in the lower left corner so that you can move it around your desktop area as an individual window.
	Moves the Properties pane back to the default location.
	Hides the Property pane. To view again, move the mouse over the Prop tab that appears in the upper left corner of the Cisco Transport Planner window.
	When in hidden mode, reopens the Properties pane so that it appears in the default location.
	Closes the Properties Pane. To reopen, choose Properties from the View menu.

Analyzer Pane

The Analyzer tab at the bottom of the Cisco Transport Planner window appears after you have analyzed a network design. Clicking the Analyzer tab opens the Analyzer pane. The below table shows the actions that are available from the Analyzer pane.

Table 4. Analyzer Toolbar Options
Toolbar	Description
	Moves down through the Analyzer messages.
	Moves up through the Analyzer messages.
	Opens the Apply Filters dialog box, which allows you to filter the messages to show or hide Exceptions, Errors, Warnings, and/or Info.
	Expands the Analyzer message categories (if collapsed).
	Collapses the Analyzer message categories (if expanded).
	Moves (undocks) the Analyzer pane from the default location in the lower left corner so that you can move it around your desktop area as an individual window.
	Moves the Analyzer pane back to the default location.
	Hides the Analyzer pane. To view again, move the mouse over the Analyzer tab that appears in the bottom of the Cisco Transport Planner window.
	Opens the Analyzer pane so that it remains open in the bottom section of the Cisco Transport Planner window.
	Closes the Analyzer pane. To reopen, choose Analyzer messagesfrom the View menu.

Tasks Pane

The Tasks Pane lists the available commands and reports for a selected item. The commands change based on the selected item. For example, a selected site will have different commands available than a selected fiber span. By default, the Tasks Pane is located in the upper right section of the Cisco Transport Planner window. The below table shows the actions that are available from the Tasks Pane toolbar.

Table 5. Tasks Pane Toolbar Options
Toolbar	Description
	Moves (undocks) the Tasks Pane from the default location in the lower left corner so that you can move it around your desktop area as an individual window.
	Moves the Tasks Pane back to the default location.
	Allows to convert Non-SSON networks to SSON networks.
	Hides the Tasks Pane. To view again, move the mouse over the Tasks tab that appears in the upper right corner of the Cisco Transport Planner window.
	When in hidden mode, reopens the Tasks Pane so that it appears in the default location.
	Closes the Tasks Pane. To reopen, choose Tasks Pane from the View menu.

Shortcuts

Cisco Transport Planner provides the following mouse shortcuts:

Double-clicking a network icon in the Network Mgmt Tree tab opens the NtVw Net# tab, which shows the sites for that network.
Right-clicking a report table column displays a shortcut menu that allows you to view or hide the columns in a report.
Right-clicking an item in the Network Mgmt Tree tab or NtVw Net# tabs opens a shortcut menu that allows you to choose actions to perform on the selected item. The shortcut menu options differ based on the item selected and the network state. (Many commands are not available until a network is analyzed.) The following table lists the shortcut menu actions that are available for each item.
Right-clicking on multiple items in the Project Explorer pane opens a shortcut menu that allows you to choose actions to perform on multiple items. The shortcut menu options are Delete, Unlock, Unlock Pay As You Grow Bundles, and Insert Site. The Unlock Pay As You Grow Bundles option is available only for sites and the Insert Site option is available only for ducts.

Table 6. Shortcut Menu Actions
Toolbar	Description
Networks in the following states: Design, Install, and Upgrade	Unload/Load—Unloads or loads the network. See the Loading and Unloading Networks. Edit Note—Allows you to create a note for that item. See the Adding Notes to a Project.
Networks in the following states: Design, Install, and Upgrade	Delete—Removes the network from the project. See theDeleting a Network . Copy—Creates a copy of the network. See the Creating a Copy of the Network. Upgrade to Design— Copies the selected network in the Design state. See theCreating a Copy of the Network in Design State . Arrange Sites—Allows you to rearrange sites in the Cisco TransportPlanner window. See the Arranging Sites. Forcing Manager—Unlocks individual units in multiple sites/ducts. See the Forcing Manager.
Analyzed networks	Unload/Load—Unloads or loads the network. See the Loading and Unloading Networks. Edit Note—Allows you to create a note for that item. See the Adding Notes to a Project. Install—Creates a copy of the network in the Install state. See the Creating a Network in the Install State. Open Site Functional View—Opens the site functional view. See the Viewing the Site Functional View. UnSplit Node—Unsplits the node on the site. To split again, right-click on the site and select Split Node. Delete—Removes the network from the project. See the Deleting a Network. Upgrade—Creates a copy of the network in the Upgrade state. See theCreating an Upgrade Network . Copy—Creates a copy of the network. See the Creating a Copy of the Network. Layout—Opens the Layout tab. See the Viewing the Layout of Single Site. Internal Connections—Opens the Internal Connections tab. See the Viewing Internal Connections. Optical Results—Opens the Optical Results tab. See the Viewing Optical Results. Wavelength Routing—Opens the Wavelength Routing tab. See the Viewing Wavelength Routing. Bill of Material—Opens the Bill of Materials tab. See the Viewing a Network BoM.
Analyzed networks	Installation—Opens a submenu with the following options: NE Update—Creates a configuration file for each site in the network See the Saving the NE Update File. Installation Parameters—Opens the Installation Parameters tab. See the Viewing the Installation Parameters. Arrange Sites—Allows you to rearrange sites in the Cisco Transport Planner window. See the Arranging Sites.
Sites	Edit—Allows you to edit the demand. See the Editing a Point-to-Point Demand, Editing a P-Ring Demand, or Editing a ROADM Demand . Edit Note—Allows you to create a note for that item. See the Adding Notes to a Project. Unlock—Unlocks the site. See the Unlocking Parameters in the Network Design. Delete—Removes the site from the project. See the Deleting Sites. If the network is analyzed, the following actions are also available: Layout—Opens the Layout tab. See the Viewing the Layout of Single Site. Internal Connections—Opens the Internal Connections tab. See the Viewing Internal Connections. Optical Results—Opens the Optical Results tab. See the Viewing Optical Results. Wavelength Routing—Opens the Wavelength Routing tab. See the Viewing Wavelength Routing. Bill of Material—Opens the Bill of Materials tab. See the Viewing a Network BoM. Installation—Opens a submenu with the following options: NE Update—Creates a configuration file for each site in the network. See the Saving the NE Update File. Installation Parameters—Opens the Installation Parameters tab. See the Viewing the Installation Parameters. Provision Node—Exports the NE UPdate Configuration file to the node. Opens the Node Login window. See the Bidirectional Communication with the Network Element. Unlock Pay As You Grow Bundles—Recalculates the PAYG bundles for the site when the network is analyzed. See the Unlock Pay As You Grow Bundles.
Sites	Open Site Functional View—Opens the site functional view. See the Viewing the Site Functional View. Unlock—Unlocks the site. See the Unlocking Parameters in the Network Design. Forcing Manager—Unlocks individual units in multiple sites/ducts. See the Forcing Manager.
Fiber spans	Edit Note—Allows you to create a note for that item. See the Adding Notes to a Project. If the network is analyzed, the Unlock command is also available. See the Unlocking Parameters in the Network Design.
Traffic demands	Edit Note—Allows you to create a note for that item. See the Adding Notes to a Project. Edit—Allows you to edit the demand. See the Editing a Point-to-Point Demand,Editing a P-Ring Demand, or Editing a ROADM Demand. Delete—Removes the demand from the project. See the Deleting a Traffic Demand. Add/Remove Site—Allows to add or remove sites from P-Ring, Ethernet Aggregated, OTN Aggregated and TDM Aggregated demands. If the network is analyzed, the Unlock command is also available. See the Unlocking Parameters in the Network Design.

Site Icons

A site icon indicates the functionality of site. The below table shows the site icons.

Table 7. Site Icons
Site Name	Site Icon	Description
Add/Drop		Indicates that this site has add/drop capability. Only point-to-point and P-ring circuits can be added/dropped at this site.
Gain equalizer		Indicates that this site uses wavelength selective switch cards to control the generated tilt and extend unregenerated distances. The site is realized as an ROADM site without demultiplexer cards.
Hub		Indicates that this site is equipped with filters for adding and dropping all the channels (on both West and East sides). All express paths are open in hub configurations.
Line amplifier		Indicates that any add/drop traffic is prevented at this site.
OSC site		Indicates that site is designated for network communication, providing the possibility to access the optical service channel (OSC) for management of the MultiService Transport platform (MSTP) network. By default, no amplifiers are included in this site. However, if Cisco Transport Planner determines that an amplifier is required in the network, it can automatically place it at this location. Cisco Transport Planner allows you to set (force) preamplifier and booster amplifiers for each direction on a OSC Site node.
Pass Through		Indicates that no equipment will be located at this site.
R-OADM		Indicates that this site supports Any-to-Any and also Fixed (point-to-point and P-ring) traffic types.
PSM		Indicates a PSM site with Aw representing the working path and Ap representing the protected path.
Terminal		Indicates a terminal site.
OXC		Indicates a multi degree OXC site.
OIC		Indicates a multi degree OIC site
SSON		Indicates SSON is enabled.

Icons	Description
	Expands the services of a demand (if collapsed).
	Collapses the services of a demand (if expanded).
	Creates a new service.
	Deletes an existing service.
	Selects siblings at the same level.
	Selects all siblings of the same type.
	Opens the path constraints editor.
	Opens the regeneration editor.
	Opens Optical Bypass editor.

Bias-Free Language

Book Title

Cisco Transport Planner DWDM Operations Guide, Software Release 11.1

Chapter Title

GUI Information and Shortcuts

Results

Chapter: GUI Information and Shortcuts