Copyright: © 1996 U.S. Robotics Access Corporation


Allegra T1 for NT Online Help¸ 1996 U.S. Robotics Access Corporation 1 0HELPT1yesyesyesyesyesyesyes09/02/96


TABLE OF CONTENTS
  ALLEGRA T1 FOR NT

     FRAME RELAY ADAPTER

	INTRODUCTION
	About Allegra T1 Online Help
	Conventions
	ABOUT THE ALLEGRA T1 FOR NT
	What does the Allegra T1 for NT do?
	Frame Relay and the Allegra T1 for NT
	Software Configuration
	Hardware Configuration
	THE ALLEGRA T1 LINE MONITOR
	Introduction
	Line Monitor Settings
	Trace Utility
	Trace Configuration
	Trace Output
	Tables And Statistics
	DLCI List
	MAC/DLCI Table
	IP/MAC/DLCI Table
	ARP Table
	Filter/Multicast List
	Packet Statistics
	Configure
	RFC-1490 Configuration
	Frame Relay Configuration
	IP/DLCI Map Configuration
	DLCI Pacing Configuration
	T1 Provisioning Configuration
	Channel Map Configuration
	Test
	TROUBLESHOOTING
	Help with LEDs
	Help with Remote Access


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INTRODUCTION

	About Allegra T1 Online Help
	Conventions


About The Online Reference Guide
ABOUT ALLEGRA T1 ONLINE HELP

Once you have installed the T1 software, you will be able to access the T1 Online Help, located in the U.S. Robotics Allegra T1 Tools program group.  You will find detailed information about the T1, Line Monitor tools, and more.  To access the Reference Guide, just double-click the T1 Reference Guide icon.


CONVENTIONS

	Throughout the T1 Reference Guide, the note symbol will alert you to important information.
	Caution symbol
	Warning symbol


ABOUT THE ALLEGRA T1 FOR NT

	What does the Allegra T1 for NT do?
	Frame Relay and the Allegra T1 for NT
	Software Configuration
	Hardware Configuration


What Does The T1 Adapter Do?
WHAT DOES THE ALLEGRA T1 FOR NT DO?

The Allegra T1 for NT allows a computer running Windows NT to connect to a Frame Relay computer network.  Once connected to the network, remote users can access the network as if they were locally connected.  For example, the Allegra T1 for NT installed in a Windows NT Server at your office lets you access your office network from home.  It enables you to move data back and forth, and access any program or file that you would ordinarily use on the network, all without a special communications program.

The Allegra T1 uses special digital telephone lines to connect your computer with the remote network.  These lines are called Frame Relay.  Frame Relay is a service provided by your phone company that lets you send and receive digital information (the kind you store in a computer) directly over the phone lines.  You can send more information and send it faster over Frame Relay lines than you can over analog phone lines.

 Integrating Frame Relay

The Allegra T1 for NT provides a low-cost, high speed Frame Relay connection device for the Windows NT Server or Workstation.  The Allegra T1 for NT runs as part of a Windows NT Server or Workstation.  All services that are typically available to a user directly connected to the LAN (file and print-sharing, database access and messaging) are enabled for remote users via a Windows NT Server.  The Windows NT computer implements the Frame Relay interoperability standard, RFC-1490, and can interoperate with any remote machine that also supports RFC-1490 (e.g., PCs containing U.S. Robotics Allegra 56, Allegra T1 Adapters and the MPAX Multi-protocol Access Node, and routers).

A Windows NT Workstation containing an Allegra T1 for NT in your home can access multiple remote offices.  Conversely, a Windows NT Server with an Allegra 56 or Allegra T1 Adapter at the office supports multiple simultaneous connections to remote users to allow maximum access to the office LAN.


FRAME RELAY AND THE T1 ADAPTER
FRAME RELAY AND THE ALLEGRA T1 FOR NT

The Frame Relay network carries two types of messages: Frame Relay Management messages and data traffic.  The Frame Relay Management messages are heartbeat messages that pass periodically between the T1 software and the Frame Relay switch to ensure that all is well at both ends.  Data traffic consists of messages that are sent and received by your application, Windows NT network software, over the Frame Relay network.  Data traffic will not flow if there is a problem with the Frame Relay heartbeat messages.

The T1 software starts the heartbeat process by sending a Frame Relay Status Enquiry Request or Poll message to the switch.  It continues to do this every 10 seconds.  The Frame Relay switch responds to each request message with a Status Enquiry Response message.  Every 6th message (once per minute), the T1 software sends out a Full Status Enquiry Request.  The switch responds with a Full Status Enquiry Response message which contains a list of active Data Link Circuit Identifiers (DLCIs.)

A DLCI identifies a circuit between two Frame Relay users.  Data traffic is sent from one user to the other using that circuit.  The telephone company sets up DLCIs for you and the T1 software learns about them from the Full Status Enquiry Response messages.  You do not have to declare or configure the DLCIs for the T1 software.

If no active DLCIs have been set up at the switch, the list in the Full Status Enquiry Response message is empty.  When the T1 software receives a Full Status Enquiry Response message, the link is considered to be in the UP state, even if there are no active DLCIs.  However, data traffic will not be able to be sent or received until the list contains at least one active DLCI.

The T1 Adapter has diagnostic hardware and software capabilities to help you determine whether the link is up or down and whether DLCIs are being provided.  The hardware diagnostics consist of six LEDs on the adapter bracket.  They are displayed as Virtual LEDs using the T1 Line Monitor.  See the Troubleshooting section for a full description of the LEDs and their states, and how to fix problems indicated by the LEDs.  Software diagnostic utilities are part of the T1 Line Monitor.  These include viewing the list of active DLCIs, traffic statistics, and message trace capabilities.  See the T1 Line Monitor section of this guide for details.


SOFTWARE CONFIGURATION

There are two ways to configure the T1 software: through the Control Panel and through the T1 Line Monitor Configure utility program.

If you use the Control Panel Method, be aware that not all configuration parameters are accessible and that you will need to shut down your system for the changes to take effect.  To use the Control Panel method, follow these steps:

1.	Select the Control Panel icon in the Windows NT Main window.

2.	Select the Network icon.

3.	Select the U.S. Robotics Allegra T1 Adapter from the Installed Adapters box. If you are asked to confirm which bus type the adapter is installed on, select OK.  (It should be EISA.)

4.	Change parameter values as needed.  In order for the change to take effect, the system must be shut down and restarted.  The hardware parameters are described in the Hardware Configuration section of this guide.  The software parameters, including T1 Provisioning parameters, are described in the Configure utility in the T1 Line Monitor section.

Line Monitor Method

All software configuration parameters are available through the Control Panel and more are available through the T1 Line Monitor.  Furthermore, parameter changes effected using the Line Monitor can take effect immediately without restarting the system.  To use the T1 Line Monitor Configure utility program, follow these steps:

1.	Start the Line Monitor program by selecting the Allegra T1 Line Monitor icon from the U.S. Robotics T1 Tools program group.

2.	In the T1 Line Monitor window, select Configure.

3.	The Configure window gives you access to three configuration groups: RFC-1490 (for interoperating with other vendors equipment), Frame Relay (for Frame Relay protocol configuration parameters), and DLCI Pacing (for Source Committed Information Rate configuration parameters).

4.	Select the desired configuration group and change configuration parameters as needed.  For information on each of the configuration groups and their parameters, see the Configure utility in the T1 Line Monitor section of this guide.


OVERVIEW
HARDWARE CONFIGURATION

Overview

The T1 Adapter has three hardware parameters: IRQ, I/O Base Address, and DMA Channel.  In order for the adapter to function properly, these parameters must be set to values which do not conflict with settings used by other devices in your PC.  The values selected for the Allegra T1 for NT must be set in the T1 software and the I/O Base Address must also be set .on the adapter itself (using switches).

The T1 installation instructions (in the Allegra T1 for NT Installation Guide) explain how to determine which IRQ, I/O Base Address, and DMA Channel values are already in use in your PC using the Windows NT Diagnostics icon in the Administrative Tools program group.  Once non-conflicting values are determined, the values are set on the adapter and in the software.  If you need details on setting values during the installation process, see the Allegra T1 for NT Installation Guide.

If you need to modify the values after installation (i.e., when installing another device), use the following instructions to change the software and hardware settings:

To change the settings in the software, go to the Control Panel in the Windows NT Main window.

Select the Network icon and then select the U.S. Robotics Allegra T1 for NT from the Installed Adapters box.

If you are asked to confirm which bus type the adapter is installed on, select OK.  (It should be EISA.)  Next an adapter setup window appears.  You can change the IRQ, I/O Base Address, and DMA software settings in the upper left corner.

You can also double check the availability of the values you want to use by running WinMSD (use the WinMSD button at bottom of configuration window)

	Note that if you change the software configuration of the I/O Base Address settings, you must also change the corresponding switch settings on the adapter itself.  Be sure to shutdown and turn off the PC before making changes to the switches!!
IRQ

The Frame Relay card alerts the driver software of an event (such as the arrival of a message) via a hardware interrupt.  The T1 Adapter can use IRQ 5, 9, 10, 11, 12 or 15.

DMA

The Frame Relay card uses a DMA Channel on the motherboard to send data from the board to the Frame Relay software driver. The choices for DMA are 0, 1, 3, 5, 6 or 7.

I/O Base Address

The I/O Base Address is the address of the channel through which information is transferred between an adapter card and the computer's CPU.  The T1 Adapter has a set of switches for setting the I/O Base Address.  A jumper, JP1, enables and disables setting the I/O Base Address manually.  The jumper must be covered with the jumper cover (the IN position) as illustrated below.  (Software setup alone is not yet supported for the I/O Base Address.)  The switches are located together and are turned off and on in a pattern to provide different I/O Base addresses.  The switch, set for I/O Base 0x300 is shown below.

JP1 must be covered (IN)

I/O Base Switch (set to 0x300)

The switches on the T1 Adapter must be set to the same value as that selected in the software configuration described above.  The switch values are shown below.

 I/O Base Address Switch Settings

S1	S2	S3	S4	Range
ON	ON	ON	ON	200 - 20F
ON	ON	ON	OFF	220 - 22F
ON	ON	OFF	ON	240 - 24F
ON	ON	OFF	OFF	260 - 26F
ON	OFF	ON	ON	280 - 28F
ON	OFF	ON	OFF	2A0 - 2AF
ON	OFF	OFF	ON	2C0 - 2CF
ON	OFF	OFF	OFF	2E0 - 2EF
OFF	ON	ON	ON	300 - 30F
OFF	ON	ON	OFF	320 - 32F
OFF	ON	OFF	ON	340 - 34F
OFF	ON	OFF	OFF	360 - 36F
OFF	OFF	ON	ON	380 - 38F
OFF	OFF	ON	OFF	3A0 - 3AF
OFF	OFF	OFF	ON	3C0 - 3CF
OFF	OFF	OFF	OFF	3E0 - 3EF


THE ALLEGRA T1 LINE MONITOR

	Introduction
	Line Monitor Settings
	Trace Utility
	Trace Configuration
	Trace Output
	Tables And Statistics
	DLCI List
	MAC/DLCI Table
	IP/MAC/DLCI Table
	ARP Table
	Filter/Multicast List
	Packet Statistics
	Configure
	RFC-1490 Configuration
	Frame Relay Configuration
	IP/DLCI Map Configuration
	DLCI Pacing Configuration
	T1 Provisioning Configuration
	Channel Map Configuration
	Test


INTRODUCTION

The Allegra T1 Line Monitor is the set of utility programs installed into the Allegra T1 Tools program group (window).  When you invoke the Line Monitor (by selecting the T1 Line Monitor icon), the Line Monitor connects with the T1 software.  If there is more than one T1 Adapter installed, you need to make the connection to one of the adapters by using the Connect command in the Settings group.

The utility programs allow you to configure the T1 software and to check and monitor physical layer connectivity of the Frame Relay line.  The Line Monitor icon brings up a window that is divided into two sections.  The main part of the window is taken up by the Virtual LEDs.  The window also has a menu bar of items to choose from for diagnostic, statistics and configuration utilities.  These are summarized below:

Virtual LEDs: A representation of the LEDs on the back of the Allegra T1 card with an  explanation of their meanings.   help is available for each LED by clicking with the mouse on the LED you want information about.  The LEDs are also described in Troubleshooting.

Line Monitor Settings:  Modifies the Line Monitor display, add sound, and view Allegra T1 driver information.  For more information, see Line Monitor Settings.

Trace Utility: Displays trace information from Allegra T1 software describing the activity of the software including real time displays of data and Frame Relay link management messages and error reports.  For details on using the trace utility, see Trace Utility.

Tables and Statistics: Includes the list of active DLCIs, various tables used in the Allegra T1 software for routing traffic to the correct DLCI, tables containing information about the types of traffic the application is willing to receive, and statistics on the traffic to and from the application.  For a description of each table and the statistics provided, see Tables and Statistics.

Configure Utility:  Used for Frame Relay management and interoperability (RFC-1490) configuration.  For a description of the configuration parameters, see Configuration.

Test: Used for setting local and remote hard loopbacks on the Allegra T1 adapter.  The local loops allow you to test the adapter, and the remote loops can be used to help the Frame Relay service provider test the line.  For a description of how to set the loops, see Test.


SETTINGS
LINE MONITOR SETTINGS

The Line Monitor has a variety of settings (described below) which modify the Line Monitor display and function.  To change the settings:

1.	Start the Line Monitor program by selecting the  Allegra T1 Line Monitor icon from the U.S. Robotics Allegra T1 Tools program group.

2.	In the Allegra T1 Line Monitor window select Settings.

3.	Select the desired item from the pull down menu.

The items are described below:

No Title: Removes the Line Monitor menu bar that appears along the top of the Line Monitor window.  To restore the title, double click with the left mouse button anywhere in the background area of Line Monitor window.

Always on Top: Makes the Line Monitor window always appear on top of the other Windows NT desktop windows.  When you select another window from the desktop, it will not cover up the Line Monitor window.  This is useful if you want to constantly monitor the virtual LEDs.  Note that you can also resize the window and move it to the top of the screen to allow yourself maximum work space in the desktop while monitoring the virtual LEDs.  When this item is activated, a checkmark appears in front of the item name.  To deactivate the item, select it again.  The checkmark disappears, indicating that it is no longer activated.

Sound: If your computer is equipped with an IBM compatible speaker, you can select this item to enable a chime sound to indicate when something has happened that changes the state of the virtual LEDs.  For example, a chime will sound when the Frame Relay link comes up, when the link goes down, or when the on-board CSU is put into a loopback state by the Frame Relay provider.  When this item is activated, a checkmark appears in front of the item name.  To deactivate the item, select it again.  The checkmark disappears, indicating that it is no longer activated.

View T1 Stats

Displays a series of T1 Adapter hardware event counters along the bottom of the Line Monitor window.  These counters can be used to help diagnose T1 line problems. When this item is activated, a checkmark appears in front of the item name.  To deactivate the item, select it again.  The checkmark disappears, indicating that it is no longer activated

	To reset the counters, use the Reset T1 Stats command from the Settings command list.
SLOS: The Sync Loss count increments when the T1 adapter is not synchronized to the receive T1 stream.  This is an indicator of one of three problems: an impaired line, improper line coding, or clock ambiguity.  It is normal to detect a few of these events when you first connect the T1 line to the T1 Adapter.  Reset the counter and watch for events.  If additional SLOS events occur, check the T1 Provisioning parameters (described in the Configure section) and report to the T1 line provider that the T1 Adapter is detecting Sync Loss.

FBE: The Framing Bit Error count increments when a framing bit is received in error.  Similar to, but less severe than, the Sync Loss error.  Generally indicates an impaired line.  It is normal to see a few of these errors when you first connect the T1 line to the T1 adapter.  Reset the counter and watch for additional errors.  If errors occur, report to the T1 line provider that the T1 Adapter is detecting Framing Bit Errors.

B8ZS: Increments when a B8ZS code word is detected.  The count is independent of whether the adapter is configured for B8ZS.  When B8ZS line coding is implemented, a B8ZS code word is imbedded into data messages in place of strings of 8 zeros.  Since strings of 8 zeros are fairly common, this count will increment frequently and correctly if the T1 line code is B8ZS and the T1 line code parameter (see T1 Parameters in the Configure section) is set to B8ZS.  If it does not increment, there maybe a line problem or a configuration problem in the network or in the T1 T1 Parameters.  If the line and the T1 are set for AMI line coding, this counter should not increment.  In this case, if it does increment, there is a configuration or line problem.

SEFE: The Severely Errored Framing Event count increments when 2 out of 6 framing bits are received in error.  Used to give you an idea of the performance of the T1 circuit.  You can expect to see a few errors since the availability objective for T1 circuits is slightly less than 100%* (between 99.7% and 99.97% depending upon the circuit length and end points).  The percentages are for error free seconds.  You may want to clear the counters and monitor this counter over a 24 hour period of time.  Calculate the average number of error free seconds to determine if your T1 line performance meets the objective.

ZD16: The 16 bit Zero Detect count increments when a string of 16 consecutive 0s has been received.  It is normal to detect a few of these events when you first connect the T1 line to the T1 Adapter.  Reset the counters and watch for additional events. If the T1 line and T1 Adapter are set up for B8ZS line coding, this counter should not increment since strings of 8 consecutive bits are replaced with the B8ZS code.  Additionally, if they are set up for AMI line coding and 56 Kbit/sec line speed, the T1 Adapter should not be receiving strings of 16 consecutive 0s.  56 Kbit/sec framing allows up to 8 bits of zeros in a row but not 16.  Therefore, if the counter increments, contact your T1 line provider and report the ZD16 events.

ZD8: The 8 bit Zero Detect count increments when a string of 8 consecutive 0s has been received.  It is normal to detect a few of these events when you first connect the T1 line to the T1 Adapter.  Reset the counters and watch for additional events.  If the T1 line and T1 Adapter are set up for B8ZS line coding, this counter should not increment since strings of 8 consecutive bits are replaced with the B8ZS code.  However, if they are set up for AMI line coding and/or 56 Kbit/sec line speed, the T1 Adapter may be receive strings of 8 consecutive 0s.  56 Kbit/sec framing allows up to 8 bits of zeros in a row.  Therefore, if the counter increments and you are using B8ZS, contact your T1 line provider and report the ZD8 events.  Otherwise you can disregard this counter.

COFA: The Change of Frame Alignment count increments when the last resync resulted in a change of frame or multiframe alignment.  It is normal to detect a few of these events when you first connect the T1 line to the T1 Adapter.  Reset the counters and watch for additional events.  COFA events indicate that there is no single master clock.  The T1 service and the T1 Adapter require that there be one and only one master clock.  Normally, clock is provided by the T1 service and the T1 software receives clock.  Check that the T1 software Clock Source parameter is set to external (see the Frame Relay Configuration section.)  If it is, then the COFA events indicate that clock is not being received from the T1 line and you should report this to your T1 line provider.

* Data Communications Technical Reference, ACCUNET T1.5 Service Description and Interface Specification, December 1990, ATT&T.

Resets T1 Stats

Resets the T1 Adapter hardware event counters to zero.  The counters are displayed along the bottom of the T1 Line Monitor window.  If the counters are not currently displayed, select the View T1 Stats command from the Settings menu to display them.

Connect To

To use the Line Monitor utilities, the Line Monitor must attach to the T1 Adapter driver software.  If there is only one T1 Adapter installed, the Line Monitor attaches automatically when you select the T1 Line Monitor icon.  When the Line Monitor is attached, you will see an Adapter number to the left of the title at the top of the Line Monitor window.

If there are multiple T1 adapters installed and running in your NT machine, you must use this Connect To command to connect the Line Monitor to a specific T1 driver.  When you select the Connect To menu item, a list of T1 adapters appears.  To make the connection, choose the one that you are interested in.  The list of adapters corresponds to the list maintained by NT.  To view NTs list, go to the Main window, select the Control Panel icon, select Network, and then look at the list titled Adapter Cards on the left side of the screen.

If you want to monitor multiple T1 adapters at the same time, simply bring up a second T1 Line Monitor by selecting the T1 Line Monitor icon again then connect to another T1 driver.

If the "Connect To" command is not selectable (grayed out) then you are already connected to an adapter and can use the Disconnect command to disconnect, there are no T1 Adapters installed, or the T1 driver software did not load properly.

Disconnect

Use this command to disconnect the Line Monitor from the T1 driver software.  If this command in not selectable (grayed out ) then you are not connected to any adapter software and can use the "Connect To" command to make a connection.

About

This command pops up a window containing copyright information.

Driver Info

This command displays specific information about the T1 adapter driver software.  The display includes the software version number and compilation date and time.


TRACE UTILITY

The Allegra T1 Line Monitor allows a trace of the activities of the Allegra T1 software.  This is a very powerful tool that lets you choose the type and level of information most useful for solving your specific problem.  To use it effectively, you need to understand how to configure the traces to provide you with the desired output.  Configuration is made simpler if you understand how the pieces of the Allegra T1 software fit together.

Think of the Allegra T1 software as a pipe.  Above the pipe is the application and below it is the Frame Relay network.  Messages move between the application and the Frame Relay network by passing through the pipe.  The top of the pipe communicates with the application and is called the NDIS interface (IF) section of the software.  The bottom of the pipe communicates with the Allegra T1 card and is called the Port section of the software.  See illustration below:

T1 Software - Pipe Analogy

Of course the pipe analogy is overly simplified; the Allegra T1 software does more than just blindly pass data messages.  If RFC-1490 is enabled, the software has to encapsulate and de-encapsulate the data messages.  Furthermore, if they are IP messages, it may have to perform some address resolution tasks using the Address Resolution Protocol (ARP) software.  Each message that passes through the pipe must also go through Frame Relay Protocol (FRP) processing where the DLCI is either added or removed from the message.  In addition to processing data messages, the Allegra T1 software exchanges status enquiry (heartbeat or poll) messages with the Frame Relay switch.  These messages are processed in the Link Management Information (LMI) section of the software.  The relationship between each piece of software is illustrated below:

 T1 Software

If you look at the Trace Configuration utility, you will notice the components of the Frame Relay software correspond to the configuration fields in the Trace Configuration window.  When you set the Trace level for a specific component, you will see information from that component in the Trace Output window.

To get to the Trace utility:

1.	Start the Line Monitor program by selecting the T1 Line Monitor icon from the U.S. Robotics T1 Tools program group.

2.	In the T1 Line Monitor window select Trace.

3.	To set up the desired tracing, select Trace Configuration from the pull down Trace menu.  For details on the Trace Configuration fields, see below.

4.	To see the trace display, select Trace Output from the pull down Trace menu.  For details on the Trace Output window, see below.


TRACE CONFIGURATION

The Trace Configuration window has 3 columns of trace locations with configurable trace levels.  The left two columns contain regular trace locations and the next column to the right contains message dump locations.  Each trace location corresponds to an area in the Allegra T1 software.  To better understand where these locations are with respect to each other, to the application and to the Frame Relay network, see the discussion on Trace Utility

A regular trace is a description of the activity in that section of the software.  For example a trace from the FRP section might say Message received from Frame Relay network on DLCI 100.  A message dump is a hex display of the message.  The column to the right of the message dump locations in the Trace Configuration window allows you to select the number of bytes to display.  The default is 48.

Trace levels, 0 - 5, reflect the amount of detail you want to see.  To see all trace messages for a trace location, select 0.  To see only the critical error messages select 5.  Level 4 messages are warning messages, levels 3, 2, and 1 are general information messages with the level of detail increasing as the level number decreases.  When you select one level you get the traces for all higher levels as well.  For example, if you select level 2, you will see trace messages for level 2, 3, 4, and 5.  It is generally practical to simply use level 1 when you want to turn traces on and level 5 when you want to turn them off.

The Trace Configuration fields are described below:

Port: For traces from the section of the software that sends to and receives from the Frame Relay Adapter and the Frame Relay network.

FRP: For traces from the section of the software that adds and removes the DLCI from the data message.

NDIS TX, NDIS RX, and NDIS IF: For traces from the section of software that sends and receives from the application.  To see traces on messages being transmitted, turn on NDIS TX.  To see traces on messages being received, turn on NDIS RX.  To see traces for other activity generated by this section of software, turn on NDIS IF.

LMI: For traces from the section of the software that controls the Link Management Information messages.  This covers the Frame Relay status enquiry (heartbeat or poll) messages which the Allegra T1 software exchanges with the switch.  Note that if there is a problem with the Allegra T1 line, these messages may not appear on the Trace Output screen until the lower level physical problem is solved.

RFC-1490 TX, RFC-1490 RX, RFC-1490 IF, RFC-1490 ARP: For traces from the section of software that adds and removes the RFC-1490 encapsulation headers.  To see traces on messages being transmitted, turn on RFC-1490 TX.  To see traces on messages being received, turn on RFC-1490 RX.  To see traces for other activity generated by this section of software, turn on RFC-1490 IF.  To see traces on activity specifically for the resolution of IP addresses using the Address Resolution Protocol (ARP), turn on RFC-1490 ARP.

NDIS TX Msg: To display hex dumps of messages being transmitted in the NDIS section of the software.

NDIS RX Msg: To display hex dumps of messages being received in the NDIS section of the software.

RFC-1490 TX Msg: To display hex dumps of messages being transmitted in the RFC-1490 section of the software.

RFC-1490 RX Msg: To display hex dumps of messages being received in the RFC-1490 section of the software.

RX to Application: To display hex dumps of messages being sent to the application.

Message Dump sizes: Change the number of bytes displayed in the message dump by changing the number in these fields.  The default is 48.

Collect Trace Data: Indicate how many times per second you want the trace information to be collected from the Allegra T1 software.  The default is 3.

Set To Global: To set all the trace locations to the same trace level.


TRACE OUTPUT

The Trace Output window displays real-time trace information from the Allegra T1 software.  The actual information displayed depends upon the setup of the Trace Configuration parameters.

To use the Trace Output effectively, determine what type of information you need displayed and set the appropriate Trace Configuration parameters.  For example, if you want to know if there are any data messages being sent from the Windows NT machine to the Frame Relay line, set NDIS TX, NDIS IF, and FRP to trace level 1.

When a message is sent from the Windows NT machine through the Allegra T1 software, you will see information about the message displayed in the Trace Output window.

If you want to see the contents of the messages, set NDIS TX Msg to trace level 1.

Trace Output Utility Buttons are described below.

Pause: Pauses the display of trace information.

Resume: Resumes the display of trace information.

Reset: Resets and reinitializes the Allegra T1 lower level software.  It does not reinitialize the interface with the application.

Echo: Sends an echo request test packet.  When received by another U.S. Robotics device, an echo response packet will be returned, demonstrating that the Frame Relay line is functioning properly for data transmission and receipt.  This test requires that the Frame Relay link is up, that at least one DLCI provided, and that the remote device is a U.S. Robotics device.

Clear:  Clears the display of trace information.

Loop:  Send a loop test packet.  Unlike the Echo utility, this does not require that the Frame Relay link be up or that there be a U.S. Robotics device to respond.  Any loop set along the hardware path will cause the loop test packet to be returned.  For example, you can test the Allegra T1 Adapter hardware by enabling Local CSU Loopback in the Test utility window, then sending a loop test packet.  If the packet is sent, then immediately received (as reported in the Trace Output window), the hardware is working properly.


TABLES AND STATISTICS

The Line Monitor provides a variety of tables and statistics to help you understand the current state of the Allegra T1 software.  To go to the Table and Statistics:

1.	Start the Line Monitor program by selecting the  Allegra T1 Line Monitor icon from the Allegra T1 Tools program group.

2.	In the Allegra T1 Line Monitor window select Tables/Stats.

3.	The Tables/Stats window gives you access to multiple tables and statistics: DLCI List, MAC/DLCI Table, IP/MAC/DLCI Table, ARP Table, Filter/Multicast List, and Packet Statistics.

4.	Select the desired item.


DLCI LIST

The DLCI (Data Link Circuit Identifier) List command displays information about Frame Relay connections to remote sites.  A DLCI is assigned by the Frame Relay service provider for each connection between your site and other Frame Relay sites.  The Frame Relay switch gives the list of DLCIs to the Allegra T1 software during the normal Frame Relay heartbeat process.  The heartbeat process is an exchange of Frame Relay management (status enquiry or poll) messages between the Allegra T1 software and the switch.  At pre-defined intervals (usually once per minute) the switch sends the current list of DLCIs and their status to the Allegra T1 software.

	If this list is empty, the Allegra T1 software will not send or receive data messages because it needs at least one active DLCI.  If the list is empty, contact your Frame Relay service provider.
DLCI List utility button is described below:

Reset:  The Reset button allows you to reset and reinitialize the Allegra T1 lower level software.  It does not reinitialize the interface with the application.

OK:  Exits the window.

DLCI List fields are described below:

Status:  Indicates whether the DLCI is inactive or active.  No data traffic can travel on an inactive DLCI.  The status is determined and reported by the Frame Relay switch.

DLCI:  A DLCI representing a path from this Frame Relay site to another site.  It is provided to the Allegra T1 software by the Frame Relay switch.

Min Rate:  If DLCI Pacing (also known as Source Committed Information Rates) is employed (see the Configure section), the minimum rate for this DLCI will appear in this field.

Max Rate:  If DLCI Pacing is employed, the maximum rate for this DLCI will appear in this field.

Current Rate:  This field shows an approximation of the real-time transmit/receive rate on the Allegra T1 Adapter.


MAC/DLCI TABLE

The MAC/DLCI table is used by the Allegra T1 software to keep track of what remote machines can be reached through the DLCIs.  Each computer having access to a LAN or WAN has a unique Media Access Control (MAC) address.  MAC addresses are used when sending data messages to indicate the destination and the source of the message.  When a message is received from the Frame Relay service, the Allegra T1 software keeps a record of the messages source MAC and the DLCI from which it came.  Then, when the Allegra T1 software receives a message from the NT network software, it looks up the messages destination MAC in the MAC/DLCI table to determine which DLCI to use to forward the message.

	When RFC-1490 is in use, you should also look at the IP/MAC/DLCI table for mapping information.
MAC/DLCI Table fields are described below:

#:  This is simply a sequential reference number.

MAC:  This is the MAC address of a machine on the other side of the Frame Relay network which has sent a message that was received by the Allegra T1 software.

DLCI:  This is the DLCI from which the message was sent.

Count:  Each time a message is received from the remote machine, this count is incremented.  Periodically, this count is reset to 0.  If the count remains 0 for 15 minutes, this table entry is removed from the table to free up system resources for more active remote machines.

Current MAC Address:  The MAC address used by the application.  It is usually the same as the Permanent MAC address, but it is possible for the application to select and use a different MAC address.  If it does, it tells the Allegra T1 software what the current MAC address is.

Permanent MAC Address:  The MAC address assigned by the Allegra T1 product.

IP Address:  The IP address used by the application.

Subnet: The subnet mask used by the application.


IP/MAC/DLCI TABLE

This table is only used when RFC-1490 is in use and there is IP traffic crossing the Frame Relay network.  When RFC-1490 is applied to IP traffic, the MAC addresses are removed from the data messages before they cross the Frame Relay network.  This means that MAC/DLCI Table entries cannot be built from RFC-1490 IP messages.  Furthermore, the data message needs to have the MAC addresses restored before the message is sent to the NT software.  To facilitate restoring the MAC addresses and selecting DLCIs for outgoing messages, the IP/MAC/DLCI Table is maintained.

When an RFC-1490 encapsulated IP message is received from the Frame Relay network, the source IP address and DLCI are recorded in the table.  When an IP message is received from the NT software, the source IP and MAC addresses are recorded in the table.

When a message is sent out onto the Frame Relay network, the IP/MAC/DLCI Table is used to select the correct DLCI for the destination IP address.  When a message is received from the Frame Relay network and needs a destination MAC address, the table is used by matching the destination IP with a MAC address.  The message also needs a source MAC address so either the Frame Relay interface MAC address (002069fffffe) or the IP gateway MAC address (determined by NT network software) is used, whichever is appropriate.

IP/MAC/DLCI Table fields are described below:

#:  This is simply a sequential reference number.

MAC/DLCI:  This is the hardware (MAC or DLCI) address that corresponds to the IP address in this table entry.  If it is the 6 byte MAC address, it is the MAC address of a machine from the LAN side of the NT machine.  If it is a DLCI, it is the DLCI on which a message with the given source IP address was received by the Allegra T1 software.

Count:  Each time a message is received with this (source) IP address, this count is incremented.  Periodically, this count is reset to 0.  If the count remains 0 for 15 minutes, this table entry is removed from the table to free up system resources for more active machines.

IP:  The IP address learned from the IP data traffic whose corresponding hardware address is shown in the MAC/DLCI field.

Current MAC Address, Permanent MAC Address, IP Address, Subnet:  See these fields under MAC/DLCI Table.


ARP TABLE

This table is only used when RFC-1490 is in use, and there is IP traffic crossing the Frame Relay network.  When RFC-1490 is applied to IP traffic, the MAC addresses are removed from the data messages before they cross the Frame Relay network.

When the Allegra T1 software needs to recreate the MAC header, it looks in the IP/MAC/DLCI table for the destination MAC address that corresponds to the destination IP address in the message.  If the MAC address is not found, the Allegra T1 software ARPs (i.e., sends out an Address Resolution Protocol request) for the IP address.  The machine whose IP address is ARPed for will answer with an ARP replay message.

Similarly, when the Allegra T1 software prepares to send an IP data message to the Frame Relay network and does not have a DLCI for the destination IP address, it ARPs across the network to find where the machine with the destination IP address is located.  This table keeps track of all pending ARP requests.

This table is dynamic in nature and should not be confused with the ARP tables often presented by network level software.  Once the ARP response is received, the information is put into the IP/MAC/DLCI table and is removed from this table.  Note that entries in this table last only about 5 seconds.

ARP Table fields are described below:

#:  This is simply a sequential reference number.

Type:  Describes the type of message used for the ARP request.

MAC/DLCI:  The hardware (MAC or DLCI) address that is learned from the response to the ARP request message.

Src IP Addr:  Indicates that the IP address being resolved is a source IP address.

Dest IP Addr: Indicates that the IP address being resolved is a destination IP address.


FILTER/MULTICAST LIST

When you start up the Windows NT computer, the NT network software provides the information to the T1 driver software that is shown in the two display boxes:  Packet Filter Receives and Multicast Address List.  The Packet Filter Receives box contains the list of MAC address types acceptable by the application.  These types include broadcast (destination MAC is the broadcast MAC), directed (destination MAC is the MAC used by the application), all multicast (destination MAC is any multicast address), and multicast list (destination MAC is one of a pre-defined group of multicast addresses).  If this list contains the multicast list type, the acceptable multicast MAC addresses are shown in the Multicast Address List box.

If the T1 software receives a data message from the Frame Relay network with any of these MAC address types, it will pass the message up to the NT software.  If it receives a message whose destination MAC does not match one of these MAC address types, it will not pass the message up, but will discard it instead.


PACKET STATISTICS

This utility has two display boxes:  Byte Count and Frame Count.  Each display shows counts of received and transmitted bytes or frames.  The statistics are subdivided based on the destination MAC address type (see discussion of MAC address type in Filter/Multicast List section).

Clear: Resets the counters to zero.

Sync: Synchronizes the counters with the saved running total.


CONFIGURE

Use the Allegra T1 Line Monitor Configure utility to make changes to the Allegra T1 Frame Relay configuration parameters.  To go to the Configure screen:

1.	Start the Line Monitor program by selecting the Allegra T1 Line Monitor icon from the Allegra T1 Tools program group.

2.	In the Allegra T1 Line Monitor window, select Configure.

3.	The Configure window gives you access to 3 configuration groups: RFC-1490 (for interoperating with other vendors equipment), Frame Relay (for Frame Relay protocol configuration parameters), and DLCI Pacing (for Source Committed Information Rate configuration parameters).

4.	Select the desired configuration group and change configuration parameters as needed.


RFC-1490 CONFIGURATION

RFC-1490 (previously called RFC-1294) is the standard which allows equipment from different vendors to exchange messages over Frame Relay.  Before it was defined, vendors would use proprietary message encapsulation schemes that allowed communication between equipment from the same vendor, but not equipment from different vendors.  This was great for the individual vendor since it ensured that you had to buy at least two pieces of equipment from that vendor!  RFC-1490 enables communications between equipment provided by any vendor that supports the RFC-1490 standard.  This directly benefits the customer who can now mix and match equipment from a variety of sources.

	Changes you make in this window take effect immediately  when you make the change.  You do not need to use another field or exit the window for the changes to take effect.
RFC-1490 configuration utility buttons are described below:

Permanent: writes out to disk any changes you make in the configuration window so the next time you shutdown and restart, the changes remain in effect.

Default: resets all the fields to their default values.

OK: exits the window.

RFC-1490 configuration fields are described below:

RFC-1490: When RFC-1490 is enabled, the RFC-1490 encapsulation rules are applied to each message.  To determine whether you need RFC-1490 encapsulation is necessary for the Allegra T1 software, you need to know what type of device is on the other side of the Frame Relay network.  The default is disabled.

When to Enable RFC-1490

Enable RFC-1490 if the remote device is not a U.S. Robotics device.  The remote device must also support RFC-1490 encapsulation.  Examples of such devices include CISCO, Wellfleet and ACC routers and bridges.

Enable RFC-1490 if the remote device is a U.S. Robotics device which has RFC-1490 encapsulation enabled.  [Note: it is more efficient not to use RFC-1490 since RFC-1490 adds overhead processing to each message.  You can avoid the overhead by disabling RFC-1490 on both pieces of equipment if they are both from U.S. Robotics.]

When to Disable RFC-1490

Disable RFC-1490 if the remote device is a U.S. Robotics device which has RFC-1490 disabled.

ARP Type: The RFC-1490 standard defines encapsulation of Address Resolution Protocol (ARP) messages for sending ARPs over Frame Relay.  Not all venders support this part of the standard.  Venders that do not support ARP, but that do support RFC-1490 IP encapsulation, may use IP ICMP Echo messages instead of ARP messages to perform address resolution.  The default is ARP.

Whether or not another vender's device supports ARP encapsulation may not be clear from their documentation.  It is suggested that you assume that ARP encapsulation is supported.  If it does not work, try it with ICMP.

Wellfleet router products support RFC-1490 ARP encapsulation.  CISCO and ACC routers do not support Frame Relay ARP resolution at this time but do support IP and use IP ICMP Echo messages.

When to use ARP Type ARP

Set the ARP Type to ARP when the remote device fully supports RFC-1490.  Use ARP if the remote device is a Wellfleet router.

When to use ARP Type ICMP Echo

Set the ARP Type to ICMP Echo when the remote device does not support encapsulation of ARP messages.  Use ICMP Echo if the remote device is a CISCO or ACC router.

IP Messages and IPX Messages: When RFC-1490 is enabled, data packets will be encapsulated based upon the settings in the IP Messages and IPX Messages fields.  The settings refer to specific RFC-1490 encapsulation rules.  The encapsulation settings are Bridged, Bridged with Frame Check Sequence, and Routed.  The default for each is Routed.

To determine what type of encapsulation is necessary, you need to know what the device is on the other side of the Frame Relay network.  If the remote device is a router, set IP and IPX to Routed.  If the remote device is a bridge, set IP and IPX Bridged or Bridged with Frame Check Sequence (FCS).  Consult the remote bridge's user guide to determine which type it supports.  If it is not specified, use Bridged.

If the Allegra T1 adapter is communicating to multiple remote devices using multiple DLCIs, you need to choose the encapsulation type more carefully.  For example, if sending IP messages to an ACC bridge and IPX messages to a CISCO router, you should set IP to Bridged and IPX to Routed.


FRAME RELAY CONFIGURATION

The Frame Relay configuration window contains parameters specific to the Frame Relay protocol.  Under normal operating conditions, you will not need to change the settings.

Frame Relay configuration buttons are described below:

Reset: allows you to reset and reinitialize the Allegra T1lower level software.  It does not reinitialize the interface with the application.

Permanent: writes out to disk any changes you make in the configuration window so the next time you shutdown and restart, the changes remain in effect.

Apply: makes the changes you have made take effect (but only for this session, use the Permanent button to make the changes permanent).

Default: resets all the fields to their default values.

OK: exits the window.

Frame Relay configuration fields are described below:

Management Type: There are two standards for Frame Relay, ANSI T1.617 Annex D and Local Management Interface (LMI).  Both standards define Frame Relay.  Most telephone company Frame Relay switches use Annex D.  However, a few use LMI and some autodetect the type being used by the end user (your PC).  The Allegra T1Adapter can also autodetect the type used by the switch.  Note that a PC running Frame Relay with management type of Annex D cannot exchange management messages with a switch using management type LMI.

When to use "Auto Detect"

Auto Detect should work with any switch; however, if you want to set the type, contact the telephone company providing the Frame Relay service to find out which type they use, then set this parameter to the same type.

Do not use Auto Detect if you have connected two pieces of equipment back-to-back where one is simulating the Frame Relay network.  The one simulating the network should be set to Annex D or LMI.  The other machine may be set to Auto Detect.

When to use "ANNEX D"

In general, if your Frame Relay provider is not NYNEX or New England Telephone, Annex D will work.

When to use = "LMI"

In general, if your Frame Relay provider is NYNEX or New England Telephone, LMI will work.

Detected Type: If the Management Type, above, is set to Auto Detect, this field shows the type that the Allegra T1software has determined to be in use at the switch.

Maximum DLCI: The Maximum DLCI value is selected automatically for you when you select the management type.  The range of values depends upon the value of the Management Type.  If the type is Annex D, the range is 1 - 991, and the default is 991.  If it is LMI, the range is 1 - 1022, and the default is 1022.  The maximum must be greater than or equal to the minimum specified in Minimum Allowable DLCI.  You should not have to change this value.

Minimum DLCI: The Minimum DLCI value is selected automatically for you when you select the management type.  The range of values depends upon the value of the Management Type.  If the type is Annex D, the range is 1 - 991.  If it is LMI, the range is 1 - 1022.  The default value is the same under both management types: 16.  You should not have to change this value.

T1 (Link Integrity Polling Timer): The Allegra T1software sends a Status Enquiry Request message (heartbeat or "poll" message) every T1 seconds.  It expects to receive a Status Enquiry Reply message from the network within the T1 seconds.  T1 is the Link Integrity Polling Timer.  The Link Integrity Polling Timer should be less than the Verification of Polling Cycle Timer (T2) to ensure adequate time for the delivery of Status Enquiry Request and Reply messages.  The default is 10 seconds.  You should not have to change this value.

T2 (Verification of Polling Cycle Timer): The Allegra T1software setup to simulate the network expects to receive a Status Enquiry Request message (heartbeat message) from the connected device every T2 seconds.  T2 is the Verification of Polling Cycle Timer.  The Verification of Polling Cycle Timer should be larger than the Integrity Polling Timer (T1) to allow for short delays in the receipt of the messages.  The default is 15 seconds.  You should not have to change this value.

N1 (Full Status Polling Rate): The Allegra T1software sends a Status Enquiry Request message containing only the keep alive sequence (heartbeat) every T1 seconds.  Every N1 Status Enquiry Request message contains a Full Status request in addition to the keep alive sequence.  N1 is the Full Status Polling Rate.  For example, if T1 is 10 and N1 is 6, then a Status Enquiry Request message is sent every 10 seconds and every 6th message (or one message per minute) contains a Full Status request.  The default for N1 is 6.  You should not have to change this value.

N2 (Maximum Errors): Errors are detected as anomalies in the receipt of timing messages or in the content of messages.  The receipt of timing messages and the checking for content errors are considered to be "events."  A failure declaration is made after N2 errors are detected within N3 events.  N2 is the value in the Maximum Errors field.  N3 is the value in the Number of Events field.  For example, if N2 is 2 and N3 is 4, then a failure declaration is made after 2 errors are detected within 4 events.  Maximum Errors should be less than or equal to the Number of Events.  When the Frame Relay Management type is Annex D, the default is 3.  When it is LMI, the default is 2.  You should not have to change this value.

N3 (Number Of Events): The receipt of timing messages and the checking for content errors are considered to be "events."  Errors are detected as anomalies in events.  A failure declaration is made after N2 errors are detected within N3 events.  N2 is the value in the Maximum Errors field.  N3 is the value in the Number of Events field.  For example, if N2 is 2 and N3 is 4, then a failure declaration is made after 2 errors are detected within 4 events.  The Number of Events should be greater than or equal to the Maximum Errors.  The default is 4.  You should not have to change this value.

Clock Source: The Allegra T1 card can provide clock internally or can accept clock provided by an external source.  In most instances, clock is provided by an external source, the Frame Relay network.  Occasionally, two machines using Allegra T1 cards are setup to work "back-to-back", where the Allegra T1 software on one machine is set up normally, and on the other machine is set up to simulate the Frame Relay network.  In such a scenario, clock must be provided on one of the two machines.  As a convention, clock is provided on the machine simulating the network.

Because the Network Simulation field default is disabled, the Clocks Source default is external.  You should not have to change this value unless you need to simulate a Frame Relay Network.

When to use "External"

Set Clock Source to "External" when connecting to a true Frame Relay network.  This is the normal case.

When to use "Internal"

Set Clock Source to "Internal" when the Allegra T1 software is simulating the network (Network Simulation field set to Enabled.

Network Simulation: The Allegra T1 software can be configured to simulate the activities of a Frame Relay switch.  You can run applications over the Allegra T1 software just as you would if it were simulating a network.  It allows you to test two devices without using Frame Relay connections from the telephone company.  You attach the two devices directly to each other using a cross-over cable that has the transmit lines (1 and 2) crossed with the receive lines (7 and 8).

When the Allegra T1 software simulates the network, it must supply at least one DLCI like a Frame Relay switch does.  If there is an entry in the DLCI Pacing configuration window, the DLCI defined there will be used.  If not, a default DLCI is used.  The default is the number 100 plus the number of the adapter.  For example if the adapter number is 2, the DLCI is 102.  You can check to see what DLCI is used by looking at the DLCI List in the Tables/Stats utility.

When to enable Network Simulation

Enable Network Simulation only when you have directly connected this Allegra T1 Adapter to another Frame Relay device using a cross-over cable.  This allows you to run tests without using a Frame Relay network.  Enable network simulation in one device only.

When to disable Network Simulation

Disable Network Simulation when connecting to the real Frame Relay network provided by the telephone company.  If enabled, the Allegra T1 software will not be able to establish a connection to the switch and no traffic will be passed across the Frame Relay network.


IP/DLCI MAP CONFIGURATION

The DLCI Map table allows the user to Map specific IP Addresses  to DLCIs when RFC-1490 Encapsulation has been enabled.  You do not need to use this table or the Default DLCI if the Frame Relay switch is providing only a single DLCI.

Before sending an IP packet onto the Frame Relay network  the Allegra T1 software must determine to which DLCI to send the packet.  The data packet contains a destination IP address. When there are multiple DLCI,s (multiple Frame Relay destinations),  the DLCI that provides access to the machine with that destination address must be used.  The software takes the following actions in the order specified to determine the correct DLCI to use:

1.	Check IP Address in IP/MAC/DLCI table which has been built dynamically from received IP packets (see IP/MAC/DLCI Table under Tables/Stats)

2.	Check user defined IP/DLCI Map

3.	Check user defined Default DLCI

4.	If only one DLCI received from the switch, map all IP traffic to this DLCI

5.	Try to resolve the IP/DLCI mapping by generating Frame Relay ARP or ICMP Echo on all DLCIs

If  there are multiple DLCIs, the user should define entries in the IP/DLCI Map.

The IP/DLCI Map configuration pushbuttons are described below:

OK: Exits the window.

Default: Clears all IP to DLCI user defined mappings, sets the Default DLCI to 0 (which represents none entered ) and clears all the edit fields in the IP/DLCI Map Add/Edit Mapping configuration box.

The IP/DLCI Map configuration has three configuration boxes: Default DLCI, IP/DLCI Map, and  the Add/Edit Mapping box.

Using the Default DLCI Box: The Default DLCI box is used to set the default DLCI to be used for all IP traffic not defined in the IP/DLCI Map. To define a Default DLCI, enter the desired DLCI value and select the APPLY pushbutton.

Using the Add/Edit Mapping Box:  To add a record to the IP/DLCI Map box, enter the DLCI for which you want to define a mapping in the DLCI field.  Enter the specific IP Address and Subnet mask in the IP Address and Subnet Mask  fields.  Select the ADD pushbutton and the entry will be added to the IP/DLCI Map box.

Using the IP/DLCI Map Box: To Delete an entry from the IP/DLCI Map box, select the item in the IP/DLCI Map listbox.  Select the Delete pushbutton and the selected item will be deleted.  To clear the entire IP/DLCI Map listbox, select the Clear pushbutton and all entries will be deleted.  To edit an entry in the IP/DLCI Map listbox, select the item and then select the Edit pushbutton. The item will be removed form the IP/DLCI Map listbox and inserted into the Add/Edit Mapping box. Modify the entry and then select the Add pushbutton. The entry will then be added to the IP/DLCI Map listbox.


DLCI PACING CONFIGURATION

The DLCI Pacing Table, also known as Source Committed Information Rates (CIR) Table, allows you to set up Allegra T1 software to respond to congestion at the Frame Relay switch.  If the Frame Relay switch is set up to report congestion (and most switches are not), the Allegra T1 software can decrease its rate of transmission.  If the Allegra T1 software slows its transmission to the Frame Relay network, the congestion at the switch may be alleviated.

There are 3 modes which the Allegra T1 software uses to control transmission rate: pacing off, constant rate pacing, and variable rate pacing.  These modes are effective when the software is sending messages to the Frame Relay network at full speed.

When pacing is off, the Allegra T1 software simply sends messages as fast as possible.  This is the default.

When constant rate pacing is used, the Allegra T1 software sends messages as fast as the pacing rate allows.  For example if the constant rate is set to 40 Kbits/sec, the maximum transmission out of the Frame Relay card will be 40 Kbits/sec even if the Frame Relay connection is a full T1 line.

When variable pacing is used, the Allegra T1 software tries to send as fast as the maximum pacing rate allows but relies on congestion control information sent from the switch to slow transmission to the minimum rate when necessary.

DLCI Pacing configuration buttons are described below.

Reset: Allows you to reset and reinitialize the Allegra T1 lower level software.  It does not reinitialize the interface with the application.

OK: Exits the window.

The DLCI Pacing window has three configuration boxes:  Defaults, Pacing parameters, and Add/Edit PVC Record. The Defaults box contains the minimum and maximum pacing rate defaults.  The defaults will be applied to all DLCIs provided by the switch (see the DLCI List under Tables/Stats)  even if none are explicitly  listed in the Pacing parameters box. To make exceptions to the defaults for specific DLCIs, set up an entry in the Add/Edit PVC Record box.

Using the Defaults Box: Use the Min and Max Rate fields to define the default pacing.  To turn pacing off, use the Set to No Pacing button.  To set up a default constant or variable rate pacing, enter the desired value in bits per second in the Min Rate and Max Rate fields.  To make the rate change go into effect, select the Apply button within the Defaults box.

Using the Add/Edit PVC Record Box: To add a record to the Pacing Parameters box, enter the DLCI for which you want to define Pacing in the DLCI field.  Enter the specific Min and Max rate values in bits per second  in the Min and Max Rate fields.  Select the Default pushbutton to use the default pacing parameters for this DLCI. Select the No Pacing pushbutton to transmit at the highest possible rate for this DLCI.  Select the ADD pushbutton and the entry will be added to the Pacing parameters box.

Using the Pacing Parameters Box: To Delete a record from the Pacing parameters box, select the item in the Pacing Parameters listbox.  Select the Delete pushbutton and the selected item will be deleted.  To clear the entire Pacing Parameters listbox, select the Clear pushbutton and all entries will be deleted.  To edit an entry in the Pacing parameters listbox, select the item and then select the Edit pushbutton. The item will be removed form the Pacing Parameters listbox and inserted into the Add/Edit PVC Record box. Modify the entry and then select the Add pushbutton. The entry will then be added to the Pacing parameters listbox.

When to use Constant or Variable Pacing: There are two circumstances under which to use constant pacing.  You should use it if the 56 Kbits/sec rate of traffic coming from the Allegra T1 adapter is overwhelming a slower link in the communications path.  You should also use it if the line speed provided to you is less than 56 Kbits/sec.  Constant rate pacing is activated by assigning the desired constant rate to both the Min and Max Rates fields.

Variable rate pacing should be used if congestion is occurring at the Frame Relay switch.  Variable rate pacing is activated by assigning a value to the Min field that is less than the value assigned to the Max field.  The Allegra T1 software will send at the maximum rate until the switch reports congestion to it.  It will then slow transmission down to the minimum rate.  Transmission rate will increase as the switch reports the alleviation of congestion.

When not to use Pacing: Do not use pacing if the switch does not support congestion control (with FECN and BECN bits).  Do not use pacing unless there is a congestion problem or throughput bottleneck over the network.  In general, you should start with the controlled transmission rate disabled and change it only if transmission rate problems occur.


T1 PROVISIONING CONFIGURATION

Your T1 service provider can configure the T1 line different ways.  In order for the T1 to communicate over your T1 line, these T1 Provisioning parameters must be set up to agree with the T1 line provisioning.  The default values work with most newly installed T1 lines.  In general, you should not change any of these parameters unless the T1 line provider indicates that the T1 service requires different values.

If there is a mismatch between these T1 provisioning parameters and the T1 line configuration, the Alarm LEDs and/or the Sync LED will indicate a problem.  See the Troubleshooting section for details.

	The values needed to work with your T1 line can be obtained from your T1 provider.
T1 Provisioning configuration buttons are described below.

Permanent: Writes out to disk any changes you make in the configuration window so the next time you shutdown and restart, the changes remain in effect.

Default: Resets the T1 parameter settings to their default values.

OK: Exits the window.

The T1 provisioning parameters are summarized in Table 1 and are described below:

CSU Configuration Parameters

Parameter	Default	Choices
Framing Format	Extended Superframe (ESF)	Superframe (SF) Extended Superframe (ESF)
Line Code	B8ZS	AMI B8ZS
Active Channels	24 x 64 (if Line Code is B8ZS) 24 x 56 (if Line Code is AMI)	24 x 56 24 x 64
Line Buildout	0 dB	0, -7.5, -15, and -22.5 dBs.
Yellow Alarm Select (only for SF Frame format)	0 in bit 2 of all channels	0 in bit 2 of all channels 1 in the S-bit position of frame 12
FDL Type (only for ESF Frame format)	Accunet	Accunet (TR-54016 and T1.5 specifications) ANSI (T1.403 specification)
Performance Reports (only for ESF Frame format)	OFF	ON OFF

T1 Frame Type: Frame type refers to the type of T1 formatting used on the T1 line.  The types are Superframe (SF) and Extended Superframe (ESF).  The default is ESF.

Line Code: The Line Code is the bipolar format of the signal at the bit level.  The choices are AMI and B8ZS. The default is B8ZS.

Line Buildout: The Line Buildout setting specifies the output signal level (in dBs) of the T1 line interface.  The signal level selected will depend on the distance (cable length) between the T1 Adapter and the first line repeater.  The choices are 0, -7.5, -15, and -22.5 dBs.  0 dB is the strongest signal, -22.5 dB is the weakest.  The default is 0 dB.

Channel Rate: Full T1 service provides 24 channels per frame.  Each channel has a maximum capacity of 64 Kbits/sec throughput.  Some T1 service only provides a 56 Kbits/sec throughput capacity.  If the Line Code field is set to AMI, this field is set to 56 Kbits.  If the Line Code is set to B8ZS, this field should probably be set to 64 Kbits.  In rare cases, the combination of B8ZS and 56 may be needed if the line requires it.  If the Line Code field is set to AMI, this field must be set to 56 Kbits.  Otherwise, the default is 64.

FDL Type (ESF only): The Facility Data Link (FDL) Type field describes which standard is supported, Accunet (TR-54016 and T1.5 specifications) or ANSI (T1.403 specification).  Select the field accurately so that it conforms to requests for line and payload loopback, and also for performance statistics reporting.  The default is Accunet.

FDL Reports (ESF only): The internal CSU/DSU can generate performance statistics at the request of T1 service provider equipment.  The default is OFF.

	Providing performance statistics reports is costly and degrades the performance of the T1.  Thus, performance reports should be enabled only at the request of the T1 service provider (which usually happens when attempting to resolve T1 link performance problems)
Yellow Alarm (SF only): Specifies the format for transmission of yellow alarm.  A yellow alarm can have one of two formats: a pattern of 0's in bit 2 of all frame channels, maintained for at least 1 second, or a 1 in the S-bit position of frame 12.  The default is 0 in bit 2 of all channels.


CHANNEL MAP CONFIGURATION

The T1 line is partitioned into 24 channels.  Usually, all 24 channels are used.  However, it is possible for the T1 service provider to provide fractional T1 service by enabling only some of the channels.  When this happens, the T1 channel map must be set up to indicate which channels are enabled and which are disabled.

By default, all the channels are enabled.  To disable a channel, move to the channel number and select the check box.  Do the same to enable a disabled channel.

Channel Map configuration buttons are described below.

Permanent: Writes out to disk any changes you make in the configuration window so the next time you shutdown and restart, the changes remain in effect.

All Off:  Disables all the channels (note that the T1 line cannot sync with the T1 Adapter if all channels are disabled.)

All On:  Enables all channels.

Default: Resets the T1 parameter settings to their default values (all on).

OK: Exits the window.


TEST

Use the Line Monitor Test utility to set internal local and remote loops on the T1 Adapter.  To go to the Test screen:

1.	Start the Line Monitor program by selecting the  T1 Line Monitor icon from the U.S. Robotics T1 Tools program group.

2.	In the T1 Line Monitor window select Test.

3.	You can now select either Local Loopback or Remote Loopback from the pull-down menu.

Local Loopback

There are three local hardware loop points: CSU, DSU and Analog.  The only differences between these loop points are their locations on the T1 Adapter.

Enable any one of the Local Loopbacks to set an internal hardware loop.  This allows you to use the Loop Test in the Trace Output utility.  The Loop Test sends out a message and expects to receive the same message back.  (Note that you do not have to set up any Trace Configuration to see the results of the Loop Test.)

When a loopback is set, the yellow LED flashes and any message sent from the software to the T1 Adapter is looped back to the software.  This provides a mechanism for testing the T1 Adapter and the hardware settings (IRQ, I/O Base Address, and DMA) which are used when communicating between the software and the hardware.

If you suspect that your T1 Adapter is defective, run a loop test after setting each of the loop points.  If any test fails, contact U.S. Robotics Customer Support.

The default settings for Local CSU, DSU and Analog Loopback are disabled.

Remote Loopback

There are three remote hardware loop points: CSU, DSU and Analog.  The only differences between these loop points are their locations on the T1 board.

When one of the remote loopback points is set, messages from the line are looped back to the line (they are not passed up to the T1 software).  In general, the remote loopback parameters is reserved for factory testing.  Do not set any of them when the Frame Relay service provider performs a CSU loop test to test the Frame Relay line.  The loop will be set by the test itself.

Note, however, one case when you may want to use this loopback.  If you are testing two T1 Adapters in a back-to-back setup using a cross-over cable to connect them, you can set a remote loopback on one of the machines and send a Loop Test from the Trace Output utility on the other machine.  If the adapters and the cables are functioning correctly, the Loop Test message should be sent back to the originating machine when it hits the loopback.  Note that this test will not work if the two T1 Adapters are connected to a real Frame Relay network.

The Allegra T1 Adapter provides a variety of mechanisms for troubleshooting line and connectivity problems.  Line problems are most easily diagnosed using the T1 LEDs as described in the Help With LEDs section below.  If there are problems establishing a higher level connection (such as PINGing or attaching to a Novell server), see the Help With Remote Access section below.  If you suspect that the T1 Adapter is defective, see the Help Testing T1 section.


HELP WITH LEDs
TROUBLESHOOTING

	Help with LEDs
	Help with Remote Access


HELP WITH LEDs

The T1 has six LEDs to diagnose T1 and Frame Relay connectivity problems.  The LEDs are shown below as they appear on the Adapter and in the Virtual LED display in the T1 Line Monitor

Allegra T1 LEDs

The LED conditions are summarized in the tables below:

	Note that multiple LEDs may be on at a time.  Always pay attention to the alarm LEDs (RA,YA,BA) and the Loop LED even if the Sync and Prot (Frame Relay Protocol) LEDs are on.
  Frame Relay Protocol LED

LED State	Green Protocol LED
ON (normal)	Normal operating state.  The Frame Relay link is up.
OFF	The software is running and is sending out periodic Frame Relay Protocol Status Enquiry Request (poll or "heartbeat") messages, but the Frame Relay switch is not responding to the messages.  This is normal for the first few seconds of operation.  However, within a minute, the Frame Relay switch should start replying to the messages and the green LED will change to ON.  If this does not happen, 3 things may be wrong: 1. The Frame Relay Management type used by the T1 software may be different than that used by the switch.  The type used is Annex D or LMI.  Check with the telephone company to confirm that the management type you configured is set to the type used by their switch.  If the management type you are using is Auto Detect, then it should not matter which type is used by the switch.  If the type is not Auto Detect and the type is not the same as that used by the switch, change the setting  (instructions for changing configuration are given under Frame Relay Configuration in the T1 Line Monitor section, above).  If it is the same, then there is probably a problem with the physical connection.   2. Bad physical connection between the Frame Relay card and the switch.  Check the alarm LEDs (RA, YA, BA).  If any are on, see the appropriate table below.  If they are not on, call your Frame Relay service provider and tell them the Frame Relay link at your site appears to be down.  If they set a CSU loopback to test the line, the yellow Loop LED should light up for the duration of the test.  If the line tests succeed, there may be a problem that the line tests do not uncover or the switch may not be configured correctly.  3. The switch may not be set up to recognize your site.  Ask the service provider if they can see the Frame Relay heartbeat messages sent out by the T1 software traveling the line.  If the T1 adapter is receiving clock from the Frame Relay network, you should be able to see the messages using the Trace Output debug tool with LMI level 1 set with Trace Configuration (see Trace Configuration description in the T1 Line Monitor section above).  If they see clean messages in both directions at both the Windows NT machine and the switch, the switch is set up and all of the line components are good.  If the Frame Relay link is still down, contact U.S. Robotics Technical Support.
Blinking	The Frame Relay Link was up but now it is unstable.  The T1 software is attempting to bring the link back up during this period of time.  If unsuccessful, the link will go down and the LED will turn off.
T1 Line Sync LED

T1 Line Sync LED

ON (normal)	Normal operating state.  The T1 Line is in the on-line state.
OFF	The T1 line is off line or the T1 driver software is not running.  The latter should only occur when the T1 is turned off, is in the process of coming up, or experienced an error during startup.  If this is not the case, then the T1 line is off-line and you should contact your T1 provider to alert them of a problem. Also tell them whether any of the alarm LEDs are on.   The problem may be a conflict between the T1 Provisioning configuration and the T1 line configuration (see T1 Provisioning in the Line Monitor section).  You should also turn on the T1 Statistics (see Settings in the Line Monitor section).  Check the counters for any indication of a specific problem which could help the T1 provider determine what is wrong with the T1 line.
 CSU Loop LED

CSU Loop LED

OFF (normal)	Normal operating state.  The internal CSU/DSU is not undergoing either local or remote loopback testing.
Blinking	The on-board CSU/DSU has been set to loopback.  You can manually make this happen using the T1 Line Monitor loopback settings (see the Test utility).   This also occurs during CSU testing by the T1 service provider to determine if there is a line problem.  If this condition persists, contact your T1 service provider for information.
ON	Reserved for future use.
  Blue Alarm (BA) LED

Blue Alarm (BA) LED

OFF (normal)	Normal operating state.  A Blue Alarm is not being generated.
ON	A Blue Alarm is being sent to the T1 internal CSU/DSU.  If this continues, contact your T1 service provider for information.  The problem may be a conflict between the T1 Provisioning configuration and the T1 line configuration (see T1 Provisioning in the Line Monitor section).   You should also turn on the T1 Statistics (see Settings in the Line Monitor section).  Check the counters for any indication of a specific problem which could help the T1 provider determine what is wrong with the T1 line.
  Yellow Alarm (YA) LED

Yellow Alarm (YA) LED

OFF (normal)	Normal operating state.  A Yellow Alarm is not being generated.  This is the .
ON	A Yellow Alarm is being sent to the T1 internal CSU/DSU.  If this condition persists, contact your T1 service provider for information.  The problem may be a conflict between the T1 Provisioning configuration and the T1 line configuration (see T1 Provisioning in the Line Monitor section).   You should also turn on the T1 Statistics (see Settings in the Line Monitor section).  Check the counters for any indication of a specific problem which could help the T1 provider determine what is wrong with the T1 line.
  Red Alarm (RA) LED

Red Alarm (RA) LED

OFF (normal)	Normal operating state.  A Red Alarm is not being generated.
ON	A Red Alarm is being sent to the T1 internal CSU/DSU.  If this condition persists, contact your T1 service provider for information.  The problem may be a conflict between the T1 Provisioning configuration and the T1 line configuration (see T1 Provisioning in the Line Monitor section).   You should also turn on the T1 Statistics (see Settings in the Line Monitor section).  Check the counters for any indication of a specific problem which could help the T1 provider determine what is wrong with the T1 line.


HELP WITH REMOTE ACCESS

There are different ways to use the T1 Adapter in a computer running Windows NT.  Your computer is probably set up as a NT Server connected to the Frame Relay network with a T1 Adapter and to a LAN with a LAN adapter.  In this setup, remote users with T1 Adapters in Windows NT, DOS, or O/S 2 based computers connect to your Windows NT machine to gain access to the LAN.

On the other hand, you may have the computer set up to be a NT Workstation.  If so, you are probably using the T1 Adapter to connect to a remote office LAN through a Windows NT Server or a router at the office.  As you can imagine, there are numerous other remote access scenarios where at least one machine uses the T1 Adapter in the Windows NT environment.

Use this section when the remote access over Frame Relay is not working.  It provides instructions for determining why the remote access attempt fails and for fixing the problem.  It uses a bottom level up process, having you check the Frame Relay link first (bottom level) and progressing up to application configuration (top level).  Since it cannot cover all possible customer configurations, it makes some assumptions.  The assumptions are:

You have a Windows NT Server attached to the Frame Relay network using a T1 Adapter and to the local LAN using a LAN adapter.

There is one remote user attempting (but failing) to access the local LAN through a Frame Relay connection to the Windows NT Server.

	If you have a Windows NT Workstation instead of a Server, follow all of the steps except step 3.  (The basic principles in step 3 should be performed by the LAN administrator on the machine providing LAN access.)
1.	Use the T1 software Virtual LEDs to determine if the Frame Relay link between the switch and the Windows NT machine is up.  If the green Protocol LED and the green Sync LED are on, the Frame Relay link is up and you can go to the next step.  If it is off, use the LED tables above to correct any problem(s) indicated by the LEDs.

2.	Check the DLCI List (in the Tables/Stats utility of the Line Monitor) to see if the switch is providing the DLCI needed to go between your site and the remote site.  The Frame Relay service provider can tell you which DLCI you should expect to have.  If you see the correct DLCI, go on to the next step.  If there is no DLCI between the two sites, remote access is impossible because Frame Relay data traffic requires an active DLCI.  Call your Frame Relay service provider and ask them to provide the DLCI.  If they believe they are already doing so, ask them to reset the DLCI.  Often that is all that is required to get the switch to inform the T1 software of the DLCI.  Note that some switches require that the second half of the connection (i.e., between the switch and the remote site) be up before it will provide either side with a DLCI.

3.	Try to determine if any traffic is coming into the Windows NT Server from the LAN.  Check any LEDs on the LAN Adapter for indication of traffic.  Use tools provided with the LAN Adapter or by Windows NT to determine if traffic is being received by the Windows NT Server.  Use the T1 software Packet Statistics, and Trace Output  (set NDIS Tx, and NDIS Tx Msg Trace Configuration parameters to 1) to determine if any traffic is coming through the Windows NT Server from the LAN.  If no traffic is seen, there is probably a LAN connection or Windows NT Server configuration problem.  If traffic is seen, go to the next step.

4.	Determine if any traffic is coming into the Windows NT machine from the Frame Relay connection.  Use the T1 software Packet Statistics and Trace Output  (set FRP, NDIS Rx and NDIS Rx Msg Trace Configuration parameter to 1).  If no traffic is seen, there is probably a problem at the other end.  Check that the Frame Relay link at the remote site is up.  If it is, have the system administrator of the remote machine determine if the data messages are being sent out.  If they are not sent out, then there is probably a configuration problem at the remote site.  If they are being sent out, the Frame Relay switch may not be properly routing them to your Windows NT machine.  You need to call your Frame Relay service provider and ask them to reset the DLCI mapping between the remote site and your site.

If you suspect that the T1 Adapter is not functioning properly, run through a series of local loop tests.  In the T1 Line Monitor Test utility, set the Local CSU Loopback and generate a Loop Test from within the Trace Output utility.  Remove the Local CSU Loopback and repeat the test for the Local DSU and Analog Loopbacks. The Trace Output should indicate that the loop test message was sent and then received for each loop set.  If any of the loop test messages fails to return, there is probably a hardware problem with your T1 Adapter.  Contact U.S. Robotics Customer Support for resolution of the problem.

5	If the data traffic is being received over the Frame Relay line but the application is rejecting it, there may be a problem with the message format.  If RFC-1490 is being used on the Windows NT machine it must be used and set up with the same configuration parameters on the machine at the remote site.  If the Frame Relay message formatting is the same at each end, then there is probably an application set up problem (such as incorrect IP or Gateway addressing for TCP/IP applications or framing type mismatch for Novell applications).  Contact the LAN administrator or refer to application documentation for specific help.


yesyesyesyesFX-56 Reference Guide For Windows NTFALSETITLEyesyes11/01/96


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U.S. ROBOTICS

U.S. Robotics Access Corporation

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Skokie, Illinois 60076-2999

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