SDX 6.4.x Network Guide > Locating Subscriber Information > Modifying Basic Configuration for NIC Agents on a NIC Host

Modifying Basic Configuration for NIC Agents on a NIC Host

You configure NIC agents for a NIC host by modifying the agent configuration in a configuration scenario provided in the NIC sample data. Typically, you use the configuration for the NIC host DemoHost. This configuration is intended for use with NIC replication.

To use SDX Configuration Editor to configure agents for a NIC host by modifying a sample scenario:

1. Make sure you know which type of agents your configuration scenario uses.

See Overview of NIC Agent Configuration.

2. Update NIC agent configuration to define properties specific to your environment, such as directory properties. See the following sections:

• Configuring Consolidator Agents
• Configuring Directory Agents
• Configuring Router Access Agents
• Configuring SAE Plug-In Agents

Overview of NIC Agent Configuration

You use the basic configuration for each NIC agent, but modify properties such as directory properties to make the agent configuration compatible with your SDX configuration. The NIC configuration scenario that you use determines which agents appear in your configuration.

Table 10 lists all agents that are available in the various configuration scenarios.

 Table 10:  NIC Agents 

 Agent Name
 Type of Agent
 Type of Information

 AcctIdIp

 SAE plug-in

 Mappings of accounting IDs of a subscribers to the SAE IOR and subscriber IP addresses to accounting ID(s)


 DnVr

 SAE plug-in

 Mappings of enterprise access DNs to VRs


 Enterprise

 Directory

 List of enterprise names


 InterfaceIdInterface

 SAE plug-in

 Receives interface tracking events and stores mappings of interface identifiers to interface names


 IpAcctId

 SAE plug-in

 Mappings of subscriber IP addresses to accounting IDs


 IpLoginName 

 SAE plug-in

 Mappings of IP addresses to login names


 IpVr

 SAE plug-in

 Mappings of IP addresses to VRs


 LoginNameVr

 SAE plug-in

 Mappings of login names to VRs


 PoolInterfaceId

 Router access

 Mappings of IP pools to interface identifiers


 PoolVr

 Directory

 Mappings of IP pools to VRs


 UserNameVr

 SAE plug-in

 Mappings of subscriber IP addresses to accounting IDs


 Router

 Consolidator 

 Based on information it receives from the InterfaceIdInterface agent, publishes names of routers in a POP


 VrSaeId 

 Directory 

 Reads information about virtual routers and the mappings between virtual routers and SAEs



 

Table 11 shows the types of agents that each configuration scenario uses.

 Table 11:  Agents in Configuration Scenarios 

 Sample Configuration File
 Directory Agents
 Consolidator Agents
 SAE Plug-In Agents
 Router Access Agents

 OnePop.xml

 PoolVr, VrSaeId

 

 

 


 OnePopAcctId.xml

 PoolVr, VrSaeId

 

 AcctIdIp, IpAcctId

 


 OnePopAssignedIp.xml

 VrSaeId

 Router
 

 InterfaceIdInterface

 PoolInterfaceId


 OnePopDnSharedIp.xml

 PoolVr, VrSaeId, Enterprise

 

 DnVr

 


 OnePopDynamicIp.xml

 PoolVr, VrSaeId

 

 

 


 OnePopLogin.xml

 Pool, VrSaeId

 

 IpLoginName, LoginNameVr

 


 OnePopPcmm.xml 

 PoolVr, VrSaeId

 

 

 


 OnePopSharedIp.xml

 PoolVr, VrSaeId

 

 IpVr

 


 MultiPop.xml

 PoolVr, VrSaeId, site-specific versions of PoolVr and VrSaeId

 

 IpVr

 


 OnePopAllRealms.xml

 PoolVr, VrSaeId, Enterprise

 

 IpVr

 


 OnePopPrimaryUser.xml

 VrSaeId

 

 UserNameVr

 


 OnePopStaticRouteIp.xml

 VrSaeId, PoolInterface

 

 

 



 

 NOTE: If you use a configuration scenario that includes an SAE plug-in agent, make sure that your network has a CORBA naming server that includes the names of the servers that host the SAE plug-in agents. The SDX software distribution includes a CORBA naming server in the omniORB package.



 

Configuring Consolidator Agents

Use the basic editing level in SDX Configuration Editor to update the basic configuration for an agent.

To use SDX Configuration Editor to modify the configuration for consolidator agents:

1. In the navigation pane, select a configuration file for NIC.
2. Select the Agents tab, and expand the Consolidator Agent section.
3. Review the entry in the Source Agent field in the Consolidator Agent section of the Agents pane, and modify it if needed.

See Consolidator Agent Fields in Basic Editing Level.

4. Select File >Save.
5. Right-click the configuration file, and select SDX System Configuration > Export to LDAP directory.

Consolidator Agent Fields in Basic Editing Level

In SDX Configuration Editor, you can modify the following field in the Consolidator Agent section of the Agents pane in a NIC configuration file.

Source Agent

• Path to the agent for which this consolidator agent publishes data.
• Value—Text string
• Default—No value
• Example—/agents/InterfaceIdInterface
• Property name—sourceAgent

Configuring Directory Agents

Use the basic editing level in SDX Configuration Editor to update the basic configuration for an agent.

To use SDX Configuration Editor to modify the configuration for directory agents:

1. In the navigation pane, select a configuration file for NIC.
2. Select the Agents tab, and expand the Directory Client Agent section.
3. Review the entries in the Directory Agent section of the Agents pane, and modify if needed.

See Directory Agent Fields in Basic Editing Level.

4. Select File >Save.
5. Right-click the configuration file, and select SDX System Configuration > Export to LDAP directory.

Directory Agent Fields in Basic Editing Level

In SDX Configuration Editor, you can modify the following fields in the Directory Client Agent section of the Agents pane in a NIC configuration file.

Search Base

• DN of the location in the directory from which the agent should read information.
• Value—<DN>, <base>
• Default—No value
• Example—o=Network,<base>
• Property name—baseDN

Search Filter

• Directory search filter that the agent should use.
• Value—LDAP search filter
• Guidelines—Optional field.
• Default—No value
• Example—(objectclass=umcVirtualRouter)
• Property name—searchFilter

Search Scope

• Location in the directory relative to the base DN from which the NIC agent can retrieve information.
• Value—One of the following options:

• Object—Entry specified in the Search Base field only
• Level—Entry specified in the Search Base field and objects that are subordinate by one level
• Subtree—Subtree of entry specified in the Search Base field

• Guidelines—Optional field.
• Default—Subtree
• Property name—searchScope

Server URL

• Location of the directory in URL string format.
• Value—Location of the directory that stores configuration information in URL string format ldap:// <host>:<portNumber>

• <host>—IP address or name of directory host
• <portNumber>—Number of TCP/IP port

• Default—No value
• Example—ldap://127.0.0.1:389/
• Property name—java.naming.provider.url

Backup Servers URL

• List of redundant directories.
• Value—List of URLs separated by semicolons
• Default—No value
• Example—ldap://127.0.0.1:389/
• Property name—net.juniper.smgt.des.backup_provider_urls

Authentication DN

• DN that contains the username that the directory server uses to authenticate the NIC agent.
• Value—<DN>, <base>
• Default—No value
• Example—cn=nic, ou=Components, o=Operators, <base>
• Property name—java.naming.security.principal

Password

• Password that the directory server uses to authenticate the NIC agent.
• Value—Text string or Base64 string
• Default—No value
• Example—nic
• Property name—java.naming.security.credentials

Configuring Router Access Agents

Use the basic editing level in SDX Configuration Editor to update the basic configuration for an agent.

To use SDX Configuration Editor to modify the configuration for router access agents:

1. In the navigation pane, select a configuration file for NIC.
2. Select the Agents tab, and expand the Router Access Agent section.
3. Review the entries in the Router Access Agent section of the Agents pane, and modify if needed.

See Router Access Agent Fields in Basic Editing Level.

4. Select File >Save.
5. Right-click the configuration file, and select SDX System Configuration > Export to LDAP directory.

Router Access Agent Fields in Basic Editing Level

In SDX Configuration Editor, you can modify the following fields in the Router Access Agent section of the Agents pane in a NIC configuration file.

Primary Router ID

• IP address of the JUNOSe router on which the OSPF link-state advertisement (LSA) database resides.
• Value—IP address
• Example—127.0.0.1
• Property name—snmpRouterId

SNMP Port

• TCP port on the JUNOSe router to which the agent connects.
• Value—Number of TCP port
• Default—161
• Property name—snmpPort

Local Port

• TCP/IP port on which the agent listens for SNMP traps.
• Value—Number of TCP port
• Default—162
• Property name—localPort

SNMP Community String

• SNMP community string that identifies the group of JUNOSe routers with which the agent can establish SNMP sessions.
• Value—Text string
• Default—Public
• Property name—snmpCommunityString

SNMP Timeout Value

• Time after which the agent terminates SNMP operation.
• Value—Number of seconds in the range 0-4294967295
• Default—5
• Property name—snmpTimeout

SNMP Retries Value

• Number of times that the agent tries to complete an SNMP operation.
• Value—Integer in the range 0-4294967295
• Default—3
• Property name—snmpRetries

Configuring SAE Plug-In Agents

Use the basic editing level in SDX Configuration Editor to update the basic configuration for an agent.

To use SDX Configuration Editor to modify the configuration for SAE plug-in agents:

1. In the navigation pane, select a configuration file for NIC.
2. Select the Agents tab, and expand the SAE Plugin Agent section.
3. Review the entries in the fields in the SAE Plugin Agent section of the Agents pane, and modify if needed.

See SAE Plug-In Agent Fields in Basic Editing Level.

4. Select File >Save.
5. Right-click the configuration file, and select SDX System Configuration > Export to LDAP directory.

In addition, configure the SAE for the SAE plug-in agent, see Configuring the SAE for SAE Plug-In Agents.

If you use NIC replication, see Configuring the SAE to Communicate with SAE Plug-In Agents When You Use NIC Replication.

SAE Plug-In Agent Fields in Basic Editing Level

In SDX Configuration Editor, you can modify the following fields in the SAE Plug-In Agent section of the Agents pane in a NIC configuration file.

Event Filter

• LDAP filter that restricts the events that the agent collects.
• Value—<pluginAttribute>=<attributeValue>

• <pluginAttribute>—Plug-in attribute name
• <attributeValue>—Value of filter

• Default—No value
• Example—PA_USER_TYPE=INTF
• Property name—eventFilter

Number of Events Sent in a Synchronization Call

• Number of events the SAE sends to the agent at one time during state synchronization.
• Value—Integer in the range 1-2147483647
• Guidelines—This field is used if state synchronization is enabled for the SAE plug-in agent. State synchronization is enabled by default.
• Default—50
• Property name—stateSyncBulkSize

Configuring the SAE for SAE Plug-In Agents

For each SAE plug-in agent in your configuration, you must also configure a corresponding external plug-in for the SAE.

For information about configuring an external plug-in for the SAE, see SDX Subscribers and Subscriptions Guide, Chapter 6, How to Configure SAE Plug-Ins. Use the following guidelines:

• For the CORBA object reference, use the following construction:

<host>:<port-number>/NameService#<plugInName>

• <host>—IP address or name of the machine on which you installed the NIC host that supports the agent
• <port-number>—Port on which the name server runs
• <plugInName>—Name of the agent

• Specify the plug-in attributes that the agent uses. You must specify the attributes PA_SESSION_ID and PA_ROUTER_NAME, and other attributes that you specified for the agent's network data types and the agent's event filter. Do not, however, specify attributes of type PAT_OPAQUE, such as the attribute PA_DHCP_PACKET.
  

  NOTE: Do not include attributes that are not needed.

  
  

Configuring the SAE to Communicate with SAE Plug-In Agents When You Use NIC Replication

You must configure the SAE to communicate with each SAE plug-in agent in each NIC host that you use in the NIC replication.

To configure the SAE to communicate with an SAE plug-in agent in a NIC host:

1. Create an external plug-in with a unique name in the configuration for the SAE that communicates with the agent.

See Configuration Fields for SAE Plug-In Agents.

2. Either configure the agent as a global-user tracking plug-in or as a retailer-specific tracking plug-in.

This action specifies which events the SAE sends to the agents.

See Configuration Fields for SAE Plug-In Agents.

3. Repeat Steps 1 to 2 for each SAE plug-in agent in each NIC host that you use in the NIC replication.

For information about these tasks, see SDX Subscribers and Subscriptions Guide, Chapter 6, How to Configure SAE Plug-Ins.

Configuration Fields for SAE Plug-In Agents

Use the information in the following field descriptions as guidelines when configuring external plug-ins for an SAE plug-in agent.

CORBA Object Reference

• CORBA object reference for the plug-in.
• Value—CORBA object reference in the format: corbaname::<host>:900/NameService#<agentName>_<groupName>/saePort<plugInName>

• <host>—IP address or name of the machine on which you installed the NIC host that supports the agent
• <agentName>—Name of the agent
• <groupName>—Name of the group to which the NIC host that supports the agent belongs

• Default—No value
• Example—corbaname::192.168.0.100:900/NameService#nicsae_sys-1/saePort
• Property name—Plugin.<pluginName>.objectref

• <pluginName>—Name of the external plug-in that you created, such as nic1

Attributes

• Plug-in attributes that the agent uses.
• Value—Comma-separated list of plug-in attributes. For a complete list of attributes.

See SDX Subscribers and Subscriptions Guide, Chapter 7, Configuring Authorization and Accounting Plug-Ins.

• Guidelines—You must specify the attributes PA_SESSION_ID, PA_ROUTER_NAME, and other attributes that you specified for the agent's network data types and the agent's event filter. Do not, however, specify attributes of type PAT_OPAQUE, such as the attribute PA_DHCP_PACKET. Use only the attributes that you need to lessen effect on SDX system performance.
• Default—Comma-separated list of all possible attributes
• Example—PA_SESSION_ID, PA_ROUTER_NAME
• Property name—Plugin.<pluginName>.attr

• <pluginName>—Name of the external plug-in that you created, such as nic1

Global User Tracking Plug-ins

• Tracks all subscriber sessions. These plug-in instances are called after a subscriber session starts and after a subscriber session ends.
• Value—Comma-separated list of plug-in instances
• Default—fileAcct
• Example—fileAcct, nic1, nic2
• Property name—User.tracking.plugins