Device info

Vendor: Use the drop down list to filter the 'Device Type' list box by vendor or choose all vendors to show all Device Types.

Device Type: Use the drop down list to select the CatTools device type.

Group: Enter or select the name of a group you want this device to belong to. This is a free form field where you can simply create a new group by typing new text. Use group names to group your devices into logical or physical categories.

Name: Give the device a unique name.

Host Address: Enter the IP address of the new device (in standard aaa.bbb.ccc.ddd format, or use a hostname)

File Name: This is the base file name CatTools will use for this device's data and reports. This field reflects the device name, but transforms any characters that are not usable in a file name.

Model: Use the drop down list to select the device Model. This is a free form field so you can enter any text you like. This field is only for documentation and has no effect on the operation of CatTools - the Device Type determines how CatTools handles a session with a device.

Connect via: Use the drop down list to select a device to connect via. The default is "direct connection". You only need to specify another device when direct access to the desired device is not possible. CatTools allows you to hop from one device to another using Telnet or SSH to reach your final destination. For example, if your device is behind an access list, but a Linux box has access to that device, you can connect via the Linux box first, then launch a telnet or SSH session to the destination device from there.

Note: When using a Cisco router as a jump point, it is recommended that you disable "logging synchronous" in the Line VTY section of the config. This can cause problems when trying to telnet out from the router.

By default most Cisco routers would have been configured with 5 lines (line vty 0 4).  As CatTools is multi threaded and can support (depending on your edition) up to 30 client threads (connections); if you have created an activity for more than 5 devices which all connect via the router, you may end up with timeout errors or connection failures as a result of all the available router lines being used.

To prevent these errors occurring you could:

a) Increase the number of VTY lines available on your main connect via router.

b) Set the 'client threads' to use '5 threads'.

c) Use a Linux box as a connect via device instead of a router.

Method: Use the drop down list to select connection method. The default is "telnet". Note that when using SSH there may well be a specific variant of it that is required to connect with the specific device. For instance, Netscreen devices supporting SSH2 require the variant  SSH2-nopty  to connect successfully with CatTools. More information on Session connections is available here.

Port: Enter the port number the selected connection method is to use. The telnet default is 23, etc, and typically this does not need to be changed. SSH connections should use port 22.