Changing the System Configuration

Aside from protocol-related parameters (X.25/LAPB and raw sync) the SyncSwitch 1000 has a number of administration-related parameters:

Networking Settings (IP address, netmask, gateway)
Event Logging (where to send messages, and whether or not to send them)
Sync over TCP Settings (idle timer setting)
Administrator Authentication (password selection)
Statistics Authentication (password selection)
Link Configuration (setting up the serial ports)
SyncSwitch Mapping (setting an association between a serial port in the local SyncSwitch and a remote one)
Back Door (allowing telnet access for support purposes)

Each of these items can be configured from the web interface of SyncSwitch 1000.

Note: If you have not already performed the initial SyncSwitch 1000 configuration described in the Installer's Guide, start there.

Point your browser to your SyncSwitch 1000 and from the left-hand navigation:

Select System Configuration to make configuration changes, or
Select Sync/TCP Statistics or System Information to help with troubleshooting.

Note: Configuration changes are not enabled unless you are logged in as the 'admin' user. For 'stats' users, all information is read-only.

Networking Settings

These settings define the address of the SyncSwitch 1000 on your network.

Type in a new IP Address, Network Mask and Gateway for the SyncSwitch 1000 on your LAN. The Network Mask should be specified in dot notation. (i.e. 192.168.1.1/24 should be specified as 192.168.1.1 with a network mask of 255.255.255.0)
Note: The Gateway is unnecessary when all the clients are on the same IP sub-network.
Select Apply in the "Networking" section.
When the interface finishes applying the change(s) it will ask you to reboot. Select Reboot System from the left-hand navigation. It will take approximately one minute for the SyncSwitch 1000 to reboot.
Point your browser to the IP address and log in as user name "admin".

Note: The Reboot System option is not available for the 'stats' user.

Event Logging

Event logs provide a history of events by sending system files to a specified IP address. These logged files are directed to the specified IP address where they are logged based on the locations specified by the OS of that machine.

Type in the IP address to receive system log files.

To set up a target Linux machine to receive log files you must first change the SYSLOGD_OPTIONS parameter in /etc/sysconfig/syslog on the the target machine to accept logs from a remote machine.

e.g. (SYSLOGD_OPTIONS="-m 0 -r -x")

Sync Over TCP Settings

This feature allows you to set up SyncSwitch 1000 to automatically close the remote initiated TCP connection when there is no activity after a specified amount of time.

Type in the number of seconds the SyncSwitch 1000 should allow inactivity. If a virtual ciruit is inactive longer than that specified time the connection will be closed. (The default is 0 seconds, which will not time out inactive connections.)
Log call activities to syslog by selecting Yes. This information will get added to the system logs sent to the IP address defined in Event Logging above.

Note: If a lot of virtual circuits will be sitting idle for more than the defined time limit then it is best to set this value to zero (0). Also, when listening for incoming calls it is best to set this value to zero (0) to avoid closing needed connections. Setting the value to zero (0) will cause SyncSwitch 1000 never to close connections due to inactivity.

Web Administrator Authentication

The web administrator user ID "admin" has full access to this web interface.

Type in the new password in the Set New Password field.
Confirm the password in the second text field.
Select Apply.

The next time the admin user accesses this interface they will be required to use the new password.

Web Statistics Authentication

The web statistics user ID "stats" has access to the same interface as the "admin" user, but many of the screens are read only. The stats user cannot change the system or link configuration nor can they restart or reboot the SyncSwitch 1000. This user can view the system and link configuration, the link statistics and is able to run a packet trace.

Type in the new password in the Set New Password field.
Confirm the password in the second text field.
Select Apply.

The next time this user accesses the interface they will be required to use the new password. Only the admin user has permission to change this password.

Link Configuration

The SyncSwitch 1000 supports a number of different protocols on the serial port(s).

To set the serial protocols:

Select Serial Protocols from the left-hand navigation.
Select the Protocol from the drop-down list. Only those protocols supported by your SyncSwitch 1000 will be offered.
Click Set Protocols.
Reboot the SyncSwitch 1000 to complete the change. You should do this before continuing on with further configuration.

Once the serial protocol has been selected, there are a number of configuration parameters which can be set for X.25/LAPB and raw synchronous links.

SyncSwitch Mapping

SyncSwitch ports are used in pairs or groups with the data received from one serial port being sent for transmission by a remote port (and vice versa). This is controlled using a configured mapping table.

Back Door

This feature is used to give access to port 23 on a SyncSwitch 1000, allowing one Telnet session. This should only be used when requested by The Software Group's technical support.

Open the back door by selecting the Open Back Door button.
Close the back door by selecting the Close Back Door button or by selecting Reboot System.

The back door will be open to anyone with access to the IP address of the SyncSwitch 1000. If your SyncSwitch 1000 is on the Internet, anyone on the Internet will have Telnet access to your SyncSwitch 1000.

Note: Restarting Software will not close the back door but rebooting the system will.

For Multi-link SyncSwitch 1000s (8000 or 16000) this feature is not provided. Secure shell access (SSH) on port 22 is always open.

Backing Up The Configuration

Once you have configured the SyncSwitch 1000, you may wish to make a copy of the configuration. The utility ssbackup can be used to download the configuration from the SyncSwitch 1000 to a file on your PC, or to upload a file from your PC to set the configuration of your SyncSwitch 1000.

Updating the SyncSwitch 1000 Software

New versions of the software in your SyncSwitch 1000 will be released from time to time. The utility ssupdate can be used to download the new software version to your SyncSwitch 1000.