BASIC USER TRAINING PROGRAM
Module 4: Topology
Objective
Students will learn to work in the Topology editor to create devices, specify links between devices, create and
set properties. In addition, students will learn to create and use the topology for launching a session with a
device in the topology.
Outline
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Topology Editor
Working on the topology in the Topology editor
Adding a session configuration to a device and Adding Links from and to the device
Starting (launching) a session with a device in the topology
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Lab
Quiz Questions
A topology is used to define the set of devices for a test case. In addition to the devices, it describes the connections or
links between the devices. It includes all the information that a test case needs to access the devices and sessions for
example, the IP address of the device or login information.
The topology is the graphical representation so the layout and the activity of your network can be seen in one glance.
Topology is built on top of Testbed Markup Language (TBML). So what that means is that when
you have topology described in a central language, the same topology can be shared by any other
any TBML-compliant editors such as lab management systems. Also the iTest Topology editor can
open, edit, and save any TBML-compliant file. It
It is saved as the TBML document with file extension .tbml.
Let start with the Activities perspective again. The Build the Topology activity lets you build a topology and provides
quick access to the tools that help you to edit and build on topologies.
Topology editor
You use the Topology editor to define a topology document where all of the physical devices, cards and interfaces on
the devices, links between devices, and session configurations are defined. Here's the layout of the editor:
1, The canvas is where you place elements of the topology .The canvas displays the devices and the links between
devices that make up the topology. In addition, you can display notes and labels directly on the canvas to further
document the topology. Click a device type or link in the palette and you can place it onto the canvas.
2. The palette provides the tools you need to add devices, links, labels, and notes. You can add a label or note anywhere
on the canvas
3. The Topology tab in the Properties view communicates the topology design history for the benefit of coworkers. Most
values are auto-generated. You can specify the following values:
@Description – The text in this column describes the topology to make its usage clear to coworkers. This is
optional.
@Name – This is one-line friendly name for the topology. The @ symbol denotes that this value is a TBML
attribute.
On the topology tool bar,
The
adds a new property or property collection to the topology.
button deletes the selected property.
To create a topology
1. Select the Build a topology activity page in the Activities perspective. The Open Topology wizard starts. You
first specify whether to work on an existing topology or to create a new one.
2. Let’s select Create a new topology
3. Navigate to the project where you want to create the topology in. Typically, you create a topology in the default
project named my_project in the default folder named topologies.
4. Type the name of the new document as ff_device_topology
5. Click Finish.
6. The Topology editor and related views open.
7. Click anywhere on the canvas. Alternatively, right-click anywhere on the canvas and then select Show Properties
View
As you notice, the editor tab is named with the ff_device_topology topology file. The .tbml filename extension stands
for testbed markup language–a standard language for fully describing topologies.
Working on a topology in the Topology editor
1. In the palette, select a device of type ‘router’ and then click on the canvas. (Alternatively, you can drag the
device onto the canvas. Let’s call it router.
2. Notice the yellow warning icon
on the device image and the corresponding warning message in the
Messages section. Hover the curser on the warning icon to see that router has no associated session profile
(that is, there is no set of configuration settings for starting a session with this new device).
Defining a session for a device
Let's add a session definition for router.
1. On the Build a Topology page, click Add Session.
2. On the Add Session dialog box, iTest provides default values for several properties; you can modify the values as
needed
Device: This is the name of the currently selected device. Profile name - Provide a name for the session
configuration, consider using a filename convention like <session type>_<Session name>.
3. Select a session type of Telnet
The Profile name will populate with a default value of telnet.
Profile name serves as the handle to iTest, to know which device to send the command,
so this is to associate a physical device with the session type.
4. We're going to inherit session property settings from an already-defined reference session profile, so
click Inherits properties from a session profile.
5. In the Select Session Profile dialog box, navigate to the cbt_project > reference_profiles folder and
select the cisco_telnet_reference profile as the reference profile.
6. OK, we notice that the IP Address property is a required setting. Let's set it to ffcisco1.fnfr.com
7. Click Save to save the new session definition for the router device. Notice that in the Messages list, the
message that notified us of the need for a session for the device has disappeared.
Tip: Use the grab handles to resize a device graphic as needed.
8. Now that we're familiar with adding a device and configuring a session for it, let's do it again! Drop a
Server type device from the palette onto the canvas and rename it from the default name of server1 to
linux.
Note: The name that you specify here is important because it appears in the Select a Session Profile or Device
dialog box when a test case developer is specifying the device for an open step.
9. Again, the Messages section displays a message notifying us that we need to define a session for the new
device. We click the Add Session button and specify a Session Type of SSH.
10. Again, we choose to define the session configuration by inheriting the session property settings from
an already-defined reference session profile. Click Inherits properties from a session profile.
11. In the Select Session Profile dialog box, navigate to the cbt_project > reference_profiles folder and
select linux_ssh_reference.
12. Specify the IP Address (actually the hostname) of the device: fflinux1.fnfr.com
13. Now, we'll finish defining the session settings by providing the User name and Password: both are "fanfare".
Click Save to save the session definition and associated it with the device we named linux.
Adding a connection between devices
At this point, we have two devices in the topology and it's time to add a link (connection) between the devices.
1. On the palette's Default Links section, select Ethernet Link.
2. Click in the router device and drag to the linux device. iTest adds a link between port1 on router and port1 on
linux. There is a lot more we could do at this point, but let's stop here.
Working with properties of elements in the topology
When you select any item on the canvas, the appropriate tab in the Properties view displays the names and values of
all of its properties.
For example, select the link and notice that the Link tab lists its properties, notably Source (the starting port for the
link) and Target (the destination port of the link). The value of the type property is ethernet.
The Device tab displays more information about the selected device; it is arranged like this:
Now, let's take a look at the device we called router.
Adding a port to a device
1. Select router on the canvas and then click the Device tab in the Properties view. The Device tab lists
properties of the device and their values.
2. In the toolbar, click the arrow for the Add button and select Add Port. The editor adds port2. Do it again and the
editor adds port3—it's that simple.
Adding a property to a topology element
You may want to add a property definition to the current default list of property definitions. For example, for the
device with the default abstract (logical) name of router, you might want to add a type property that will hold the
model type of the actual physical device, like s2940.
1. Select Add Property from the Add menu in the Properties view for router.
2. In the New Property dialog box, specify a property called type with a value of s2940 and a Vendor
of fanfare. (The Vendor is a unique identifier of the provider of the session type templates—typically
com.fnfr for Fanfare.)
The editor adds a new type property into the property list for the router device.
3. In our example, port3 has a special feature; it supports Gigabit Ethernet. Let's add a property
definition to port3. Select click the Add button (a shortcut for using the drop-down menu)
4. In the New Property dialog box, specify a property called isGigi with a value of
.
yes and a Vendor of
fanfare.
The editor adds a new isGigi property into the property list for port3 on the router device. We could, for
example, query this property in a test case to perform special tests whenever a port has the isGigi property
set to yes.
Editing property values
Changing a property value is as easy as selecting the value in the list and typing or selecting a new value.
For example, we want to change connection endpoints for the link between the devices:
1. Select the link on the canvas.
2. On the Link tab, click the value for Source A drop-down menu lists the three options that you can select
from. Select port3.
In our example, let's also change the name of port1 on the linux device to be more understandable. This will help test
case developers in the future because meaningful property names are helpful when they are trying to create generalpurpose steps.
1. On the canvas, select the linux device.
2. On the Device tab, click port1.
3. Change the Value for port1 to nic1
4. Notice that when you select the link, the Target property has been updated to have the value nic1.
Working in the palette
The palette provides the tools you need to add devices, links, labels, and notes.
You can zoom in and out on the canvas.
You can add a label or note anywhere on the canvas:
To add a label: In the palette toolbar, click Label
Use the Enter key to add lines.
and then click at the desired location. Type the label text.
To add a note: In the palette toolbar, click Note
and then click at the desired location. Type the title text in
the bold text box. Type the body text in the next text box. Use the Enter key to add lines.
To resize notes and labels, use the grab handles. To move, drag and drop.
Accessing devices in a topology
Let's save the topology as we have defined it. Click the disk button in the toolbar.
Compared to the methods we used in earlier modules to start sessions, you'll find that accessing devices from the
topology is a very direct and quick way to manage sessions.
To start a session on a device
On the canvas, right-click the device, select Start Session, and then select the named session to start.
iTest immediately opens a session with the device and displays the session window, where you can begin interacting
with the session on the device.
Working on topology devices in the 'Connect to Devices' activity page
Let's go back to the Connect to Devices activity page so you can see how you can use the new topology there.
On the Sessions toolbar, click Add Topology to select our new topology.
In the Choose Topology dialog box, browse to and select the topology.
Now, the topology appears in the list, and we can navigate to the telnet session defined on the router, select it, and then
click the Start Session button in the toolbar.
Again, iTest immediately opens a session with the device and displays the session window, where you can begin
interacting with the session on the device.
Starting multiple sessions at the same time
Let's go back to the Topology editor.
1. On the Activities home page, click Build a Topology.
2. In the Open Topology wizard, select Existing Topology and then navigate to ff_device_topology to open it.
Earlier, we learned to start a session from the canvas by right-clicking a device and selecting Start Session. You might
also want to start several sessions simultaneously.
To start multiple sessions simultaneously
Click the Start Session button in the Message section.
In the Start a Session dialog box, select all of the sessions to start and click Start.
Once again, iTest immediately opens a session with each device and displays the session windows.
Summary
We have learned how to create devices, specify links between devices, create and set properties. In addition,
we learned to create and use a topology for launching a session with a device.