Ccnp

/home/nfcuser — user created to drive NetFlow Analyzer, user working directory

configs — router configs for NFA use (it’s not happy with them)
exports — directory, sym link to directory where NFA drops exported CSV files. Don’t delete!
images — directory to dump screen capture GIF/JPEG saves into

/opt/CSCOnfa — Cisco Flow Data Analyzer

check.All — script to check Java, DisplayServer, UtilityServer are running
start.All — script to start DisplayServer, UtilityServer
stop.All — stops themcisco — mojo (ASN.1/SNMP toolset) — not for user use

NFADisplay — NFA Display UI

bin — programs, scripts, also *.class = Java classes

start.Display script — starts NFA Display screen (UI)

helpRuntimeJava

RuntimeJavaWin95

NFAServer — NFA DisplayServer (Display talks to)

AliasDefn — known AS’s, ports, protocols

[not well documented: see perhaps the UsePortText flag in the NFADS.resources file]

bin — programs, scripts

check.DisplayServer — script to check DisplayServer
DisplayServer — program
NFADS.resources — options for DisplayServer, MaxMB, UsePortText
start.DisplayServer — starts just DisplayServer
stop.DisplayServer — stops it

Cache — cached infoexported_files — where exported CSV files go, /home/nfcuser/exports sym link to this

logs — misc log files (server)

RouterGroup — tree file sets and router groups

util — utilities

mgmt_NFC.exp — expect script (is expect installed?).Appears to copy specified collected info to another directory. Looking at the script, from another machine. Probably used behind the scenes to bring in data from another DisplayServer.

NFAUtility — NFA UtilityServer (does all backend dirty work, talks to NFCGW)

bin — scripts, programs, Java classes

check.UtilityServer
start.UtilityServer
stop.UtilityServer

config — config files for UtilityServer

HostPreferences.txt — address à name translation
NFCCC.txt — NetFlow collectors and userid and port
RouterConfig.txt — address, SNMP community, tms/netflow

Conjecture when NFA looks at directory of router configs, it populates this file. (Not very documented?)

data — AS.txt_0, HostAliases.txt — purpose not clear, probably not user fileslogs — log files for UtilityServer

NFAU.log — log file

state — directory to hold .pid file for UtilityServeroriginals — directory of original config/script files (install probably put locations of things into them)

/opt/CSCOnfc — Cisco FlowCollector

What is a VPN?

A Virtual Private Network or VPN is a network implemented using a shared network infrastructure but so as to provide the security and privacy of a private leased-line network. Older examples would be Frame Relay and ATM. Lately, VPN has come to more often refer to IPSec tunnels over the Internet, or perhaps PPTP or L2TP dial VPN connectivity across a shared internetwork.

For our purposes in this article, the VPNs will be IP networks where the WAN core of a corporate network has been outsourced to a Service Provider. The IP VPN connectivity is provided across a shared IP network belonging to the Service Provider. It will turn out the BGP and MPLS-based VPNs we will talk about are powerful enough to provide secure connectivity (and relatively simple configuration) for both intranets and extranets.

What is SMDS?

Switched Multimegabit Data Service (SMDS) is a high-speed, connectionless, low-delay, packet switched, networking service that operates over public data networks. Think Frame Relay on steroids.

Bellcore developed the specifications for SMDS due to the demand for wide-area networking with LAN-like characteristics. (Pete comment: And some of us think it was a way to experiment with pre-ATM ATM-like data transport, anticipating an ISDN-like 15-year rollout of ATM).

Introduction

This article continues the series on LAN switching and Cisco Catalyst switches.

MultiLayer Switching (MLS) is a key component of high performance at Layer 3 with the Catalyst 5000 switches. It also is a marvelous opportunity to review what happens when packets pass through a router. Understanding this is very useful in the understanding router and switch performance optimization(s), also in troubleshooting network design and configuration issues.

Prior articles on switching or related topics:

Introduction

This article continues the series on LAN switching and Cisco Catalyst switches. This article we’ll talk about dynamic VLAN’s, and explain what VQP and VMPS are, as well as how they work and how to configure them.

Prior articles in the series:

• Switching: VLAN’s
• Switching: Trunks and Dynamic Trunking Protocol (DTP)

What are VQP and VMPS

We talked in a prior article about configuring ports to belong to a VLAN. This is the static approach to VLAN’s, where a port is always a member of a specific VLAN. You can also configure a port to dynamically determine what VLAN to belong to. Initially (and fundamentally) this process is tied to the MAC address of the end station on the port. Cisco is in the process of making this much more administrator-friendly (and useful!) by tying it into directory servers — more on that later.