NCL can be accessed through either a command line interface or a Graphical User Interface (GUI). The GUI allows network managers to view the status of network components and control those components from a Motif-based window interface. This utility provides a hierarchical graphical approach to the management of DECnet-Plus. The manageable components of DECnet-Plus (modules, entities and subentities) are represented in a tree-like structure below the icon that represents the node you are managing. This provides an easy way to familiarize yourself with the organization of these manageable entities (the entity hierarchy). Another way to view the entity hierarchy is to use this help facility -- see HELP ENTITY_HIERACHY. For further information regarding the network management GUI, refer to the DECnet-Plus Network Management book.
1 – Invoking
On Tru64 UNIX, the GUI is located at dna_mgmt. On OpenVMS, you can invoke the NCL GUI by: $ run sys$system:net$mgmt The same OpenVMS rights required to run NCL on are also required to run this utility. Refer to HELP NETWORK_MANAGEMENT ACCESS_CONTROL RIGHTS_IDENTIFIERS for more information about rights identifiers.
2 – Displaying NCL Commands
You may choose to enable the displaying of NCL commands in order to see what NCL commands are being issued on your behalf by the GUI. Do so by pulling down the Options menu, selecting the Default Actions menu item, and enabling Display NCL Commands in the dialog box. The NCL commands will appear in the window from which you started the GUI. Viewing these commands will help familiarize you with NCL syntax.
3 – Tasks
The NCL GUI can also perform task-oriented functions which involve many NCL commands or are complex in some way. The currently supported NCL GUI tasks are: o show known links o show known node counters o check transports You can invoke these tasks by pulling down the Tasks menu and selecting the appropriate task.