Getting started

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Overview:

You can get started with CatTools in just four simple steps:

 

 1.        Define your configuration options such as email using the Setup Menu. (Using the Options/Setup menu)

 2.        Enter the details for at least one network device. (Using the Devices tab)

 3.        Create an Activity and associate you device(s) to it. (Using the Activities tab)

 4.        Run the Activity. This can be accomplished using either the "Run now" button or the scheduler.

 

More details on each of these steps follows:

 

Setting the CatTools configuration options:

•Click on the Options | Setup menu.
•Set the e-mail options
•Enter the e-mail address you want notified of errors and reports into the respective fields.
•Enter your e-mail address into the From address field.
•Set the details of your main SMTP mail server.
•If your server requires authentication, enter the details (most servers do not require this).
•Send a test e-mail by pressing the Test button.
•Defaults are fine for the rest of the settings while getting started.

 

 

Entering devices into the database:

•Click the "Devices" pane.
•Click the "Add" button.
•Fill in each of the required fields. When a field has focus, the description of each field is displayed in the status bar (at the bottom of the "Device Information" window).
•Fields marked with an asterisk (*) are required fields and must be filled in.

 

 

Creating a scheduled Activity:

•Click the "Activities" pane.
•Click the "Add" button.
•Select the type of activity to perform from the drop down list (e.g. Device.Backup.Running Config).
•Give the activity a meaningful unique name and description.
•Choose the persistence of the activity (e.g. Permanent or Run once then deactivate).
•The report file and e-mail addresses can usually be left as default.
•Click the "Time" tab and set the time you want the activity to run. Leaving the time as "Never" means that you must initiate it manually using the "Run now" button to activate the activity.
•If required, you can save your activity to the favorites database. This saves the Time part of the schedule, so you can recall it for use on other activities.
•Click the "Devices" tab and check all the devices you want to connect to for this activity.
•Click the "Options" tab and set any specific options that relate to this activity. In most cases, the options can be left as default.

 

 

Running a scheduled Activity:

•Click the "Activities" pane.
•Check (tick) all the Activities you would like to schedule.
•Press the "Start timer" button.
•CatTools will enter into "Active Timer Mode" and run the activities at the scheduled intervals and/or times.

 

 

Running an Activity immediately:

•Click the "Activities" pane.
•Select the activity you would like to run immediately.
•Press the "Run now" button (alternatively, right-click the activity and click on "Run now" in the drop down list).
•CatTools will run the selected activity and then return to idle mode.

 

 

Monitoring the client Activity:

•Click the "Info log" pane.
•Select the message level you want to see from the drop down list (Info messages only).
•View the messages as they arrive from the clients and main program.
•Last message received is shown at the top of the list.
•You can resort the info log entries by clicking on one of the column headers within the Info log pane.

 

 

Viewing the results:

•Click the "Activity log" pane.
•View the results of the activities as they finish.

 

 

Viewing a report:

•Select the "Report" pane, click the Open button and select the text report you wish to view in the report grid.

 

 

Viewing captured data and config files:

•Click the "View" menu and choose the folder to view.
•CatTools will open a Windows explorer session to the selected folder.
•Navigate the folder structure and view the desired files.