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Working with Profiles

This chapter covers the following topics:
Commands for working with profiles
Profile types and indexes
Modifying the working profile
Changing contexts in the working profile
Creating new profiles

Commands for working with profiles

Some commands for working with profiles operate at a directory level, displaying information about any profile in the system. Other commands operate only on the working profile-the profile that has been read into the system's edit buffer.

Table 3-1 lists MAX TNT commands related to working at the directory level with profiles:

Table 3-1. Commands related to profiles

Command

Purpose
Dir

 Displays a directory listing of profiles.

Delete

 Deletes a profile.

Get

 Displays the contents of any profile or subprofile without reading the profile into the edit buffer.

New

 Creates a new default instance of a specified profile type and makes it the working profile.

Read

 Reads a profile into the edit buffer, where it can be modified. Reading a profile makes it the working profile.

Table 3-2 lists MAX TNT commands that operate only on the working profile:

Table 3-2. Commands related to the working profile

Command

Purpose
List

 Lists the contents of the current context (nested level) in the working profile.

Set

 Sets the value of a parameter in the working profile.

Write

 Writes the contents of the edit buffer to flash memory.

For information about each command, see the MAX TNT Reference Guide.

Profile types and indexes

A profile is a group of configuration parameters related to a particular purpose. Different types of profiles are supported. For example, Connection profiles contain parameters related to a WAN connection, and T1 profiles contain parameters related to configuring a T1 line.

To see a list of profile types on your system, use the Dir command:

The left column shows a list of profile types in the system, and the right column describes the purpose of each profile type. In many cases, there are more than one profile of a given type. Each profile of the same type must have a unique index, which may be a name or an address within the system.

To list all profiles of a given type, specify the profile type on the command line. For example, to list the two User profiles that ship with the system:

In this command output, the leftmost column shows how many bytes of flash memory are used to store the profile. The second and third columns show the date and time the profile was last modified. The rightmost column shows the profile's index (in this case, a name).

Profiles related to connections and logins

Profiles related to connections and logins are created by the administrator, and the administrator deletes them when they are no longer needed. The maximum number of such profiles is limited only by flash memory. The profiles are indexed by a name assigned by the administrator. They include:

Connection profiles

Filter profiles

Firewall profiles

Frame-Relay profiles

IP-Route profiles

User profiles

To display or create one of the profiles, you must specify its index on the command line. For example:

When you list a User profile's contents, you'll see an asterisk next to the Name parameter, indicating that this is the profile's index.

System-wide profiles

Profiles related to the configuration of the unit itself, or to routing within the system, are present when the unit ships. These profiles do not require an index, because only one instance of the profile can exist. System-wide profiles include:

Answer-Defaults profile

Base profile

External-Auth profile

IP-Global profile

Log profile

SNMP profile

System profile

Terminal-Server profile

To display the contents one of these profiles, you simply specify the profile type on the command line. For example:

Profiles for configuring physical devices

 Profiles related to configuring physical devices (line profiles) are created by the system when it first detects the presence of a particular card. These profiles are indexed by their physical address within the MAX TNT system. Each type of card or built-in port has a related profile type, for example:

Ethernet profiles

E1 profiles

Serial profile

SWAN profiles

T1 profiles

T3 profiles

and so forth, depending on the types of cards installed in the system. For example, if you install an eight-port T1 card in shelf 1, slot 13 of the MAX TNT, the system creates the following profiles:

When you list a T1 profile's contents, you'll see an asterisk next to the physical address parameter, indicating that this is the profile's index:

Each device in the MAX TNT has a physical address composed of its shelf number, slot number, and item number in the following format:

For a standalone system, the shelf number is always 1. In multishelf systems, the shelf number is from 1 to 9.

Note: For call routing purposes, an address can contain a zero for the shelf, slot, or item number. In a Call-Route address specification, a zero always means any.

Figure 3-1 shows how the slots are numbered on the back panel of a standalone shelf.

Figure 3-1. Back panel of a MAX TNT shelf

The shelf-controller at the top of the shelf is always assigned slot number 17. The shelf-controller can also be referred to as controller or c. For example, the following addresses are equivalent and all refer to the shelf-controller:

Expansion slots are numbered from 1 to 16, starting with the top expansion slot just below the shelf-controller. For example, the first slot on shelf 1 has the following address:

A modem card that uses two slots (such as the card in slots 2 and 3 in Figure 3-1) is always addressed by the first of those slot numbers. For example, a digital modem card in the second and third slots has the following address:

The item number addresses a particular port or item on the specified slot card. An item-number of 0 (zero) denotes the whole slot.

Items start with number 1 for the leftmost item on the card. For example, Figure 3-2 shows the address of the third T1 line on a T1 card in slot #1 in shelf 1.

Figure 3-2. Address of an individual T1 line

Note: The T1 card faceplate numbers the lines from 0 to 7. However, the profile indexes number the lines from 1 to 8.

To read a T1 profile, you must specify its address as the profile index, for example:

Profiles for configuring a local IP interface

 When the system first detects the presence of an Ethernet port, it creates a default profile for configuring an IP interface on that Ethernet port. The administrator may also create new IP-Interface profiles with unique logical-item numbers (to assign multiple IP addresses to a single LAN port), and may delete them when they are no longer needed.

Note: Although the administrator may delete IP-Interface profiles, you should never delete the default IP-Interface profile created by the system. If you do, none of the other IP-Interface profiles created for that interface will work.

IP-Interface profiles are indexed by an interface address within the MAX TNT system. For example:

An interface address is composed of a physical address and a logical-item number, in the following format:

The logical item number addresses a specific logical interface. It is zero for the default IP-Interface profile created by the system. If the administrator configures additional logical interfaces, the logical-item number of the profile index does not necessarily have to be contiguous, but must be unique.

To access an IP-Interface profile, you must specify its full interface address, for example:

When you list the profile's contents, you'll see an asterisk next to the interface address parameter, indicating that this is the profile's index:

The logical-item address syntax explained in this section also applies to individual items on a line or port, such as the individual channels of a T1 line. However, for a T1 channel, the address syntax is not used as a profile index, but only as a way to address the channel in a Call-Route profile. For details, see the MAX TNT Hardware Installation Guide.

Profiles for routing calls to a device or item

Call-Route profiles have a unique type of index, which specifies not only a channel or modem address but also an entry number in the call-routing database. The additional number is required because each WAN channel or host port (such as a modem or HDLC channel) can have multiple Call-Route profiles addressing it. For information about call routing, see the MAX TNT Hardware Installation Guide.

The system has one default Call-Route profile that prevents it from dropping calls. In addition, when the system detects the presence of a host slot card (such as a modem or HDLC card), it creates a default Call-Route profile for routing calls to that slot. The administrator may also create any number of Call-Route profiles, and may delete them when they are no longer needed. Call-Route profile indexes use the following format:

The entry number is zero unless the administrator creates additional profiles for the specified address. To see the list of Call-Route profiles, enter the Dir command as in the following example:

To access a Call-Route profile, you must specify its full index, for example:

When you list the profile's contents, you'll see an asterisk next to the index parameter:

Modifying the working profile

This section explains how to modify an existing profile by setting its parameter values and writing the changes to flash memory. For information about creating profiles, see Creating new profiles.

Reading and writing a profile

To modify an existing profile, you must first read it into the edit buffer by using the Read command. For example:

The profile that has been read into the edit buffer is the working profile. It remains the working profile until another profile is read into the buffer.

When a profile has an index, you must specify the index in the Read command; for example:

The Write command writes the contents of the edit buffer to flash memory. For example:

The Write command does not clear the working profile out of the edit buffer. It simply saves any changes you have made.

Note: If you attempt to write a new profile that has the same name as an existing one, or to write a profile that has been modified by another user after you read it into the edit buffer, you'll be asked to confirm that you want to overwrite the profile. To force the write action without confirmation, add the -f option to the Write command. (For details, see the MAX TNT Reference Guide.)

Listing the working profile

The List command displays the contents of the working profile. For example:

For more information about profile contents, see Changing contexts in the working profile.

Parameter types and syntax

Table 3-3 shows parameter types with examples of correct syntax and descriptions of their use.

Table 3-3. Parameter types and syntax

Type

Syntax

Description
Text 

station = test
The maximum length of a text value varies. For some text values, the online help includes a list of valid characters. Some text values can be mixed case. Others (such as index fields) are converted to lower-case when set. When the value is allowed to contain spaces or quotes, it is displayed in quotes. Password fields are displayed as asterisks unless the user has allow-password permissions.

Number

dial-number = 1212
A numeric value is displayed as decimal, but you can set it in hex or octal by preceding the value with 0x or 0, respectively.

Enumerated

rip = routing-off
Supports a limited set of values, all of which are displayed in the on-line help. You can specify the minimum matching string or the full value name.

Boolean

private-route = yes
An enumerated field with only two allowable values, which are specified in the on-line help. The values may be true/false or yes/no.

Hexadecimal

ase-tag  =  c0:00:00:00
Must be entered in hexadecimal notation (nn:nn:nn:...:nn), where each n is a hexadecimal number from 0 to F.

IP address

ip-address = 10.2.3.4/24
An IP address is displayed and entered in dotted-decimal. A subnet mask is optional.

Complex

 mp-options = { 1 1 2 }

or:

pool-base-address = [0.0.+

 A complex parameter can be a subprofile or an array value. See Changing contexts in the working profile.

Setting parameters in the working profile

To modify the parameters of the working profile, use the Set command. For example:

Combining command-line shortcuts to set parameters

 If you are not certain of the values supported for a parameter in the working profile, you can display online help and then use the displayed information to quickly set the parameter by proceeding as follows:

  1. Use the Set command to display the supported values for the parameter. For example:

  2. Press the Up Arrow key or Ctrl-P to redisplay the Set command you just entered.

    For information about command history and using the Up Arrow key, see Chapter 2, Getting Started.

  3. Press the Delete key to remove the question-mark.

  4. Type the appropriate value and then press Return. For example:

Similarly, suppose you are setting several parameters that have similar names and values. For example, the following two array values:

Proceed as follows:

  1. Enter the first of the similar Set commands. For example:

  2. Press the Up Arrow key or Ctrl-P to redisplay the Set command you just entered.

  3. Press Delete and then enter 56:

  4. Press the Back Arrow key or Ctrl-B to backspace to the 1, then press Delete and enter 2:

  5. Press Return to execute the modified command.

Changing contexts in the working profile

In addition to parameters, a profile may also contain subprofiles, which themselves may contain subprofiles, creating several nested levels or contexts within the profile. In addition, some parameters are array values, which also reside in a separate context within the profile.

To set the value of a parameter or display its online help, you must either move to the context in which it resides, or specify the full path of that context on the Set command line.

Subprofiles

To see an example of profile contents that include subprofiles, read the External-Auth profile into the edit buffer and list its contents. For example:

Listing a subprofile

 To move to the context of a subprofile, specify its name in the List command. For example:

If a profile contains nested subprofiles, you can move directly to the nested subprofile by specifying multiple subprofile names on the List command line.

Moving back up to the previous context

To move back up to the previous context, type a space and two periods after the List command. For example:

As in a file system, the .. characters switch the context up one level. If you have moved several nested levels into a profile, you can move back up several levels at a time by specifying the .. characters repeatedly in the List command line.

Setting values in a subprofile

You can set the value of a parameter in a lower-context subprofile by specifying both the subprofile and parameter names in the Set command. For example, you can set the Auth-Port value from the top level of the External-Auth profile as in the following example:

Or, you can list the subprofile and then set parameter values as usual. For example:

Parameters with array values

 Parameters with array values behave similarly to subprofiles, in that you can list them and set parameter values, and then return to your previous context in the profile. However, arrays are not nested.

To see an example of profile contents that include array values, list the contents of the Rad-Auth-Server subprofile of the External-Auth profile:

Listing an array

 To move to the context of the individual array values of the Auth-Client parameter, specify the parameter name in the List command:

Moving back up to the previous context

 To move back up to the previous context, type two periods after the List command:

Setting array values

 You can set an array value from a higher context by specifying both the parameter name and the array index in the Set command. For example, you could set Auth-Client addresses from the Rad-Auth-Server subprofile of the External-Auth profile as follows:

Or, you could set the addresses from the top level of the External-Auth profile, as in the following example:

Or, you can list the array and then set array values by specifying the array index in the Set command. For example:

Creating new profiles

There are two ways to create a new profile:

Using the New command

 The New command uses the following syntax:

If you specify the profile-index on the command line, it is validated before use. For example:

If you specify a legal index, it is applied to the new profile, which is read into the edit buffer:

Depending on the profile type, the index chosen can affect the factory default values set in the profile. For example, if you specify the index default for a User profile, the factory default permission settings are as follows:

If you specify the index admin instead, the profile's factory-default permissions are set as follows:

Specifying a new index value for a configured profile

 Another way to create new profiles is to read an existing profile into the edit buffer, modify its index and any other parameters as required, and then write the new profile. For example:

This method can be especially useful for configuring lines and ports. For example, if the eight lines on a T1 card all have a similar configuration, you can copy the parameter settings from one line to the next. For example:


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