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Configuring and Monitoring
SDLC Interfaces


This chapter describes the SDLC configuration and monitoring commands. It contains these sections:

About SDLC Configuration and Monitoring Commands

Accessing the SDLC Configuration Environment

Accessing the SDLC Monitoring Environment

SDLC Commands

For instructions on configuring SDLC, see Using the DLSw Protocol.

About SDLC Configuration and Monitoring Commands

SDLC configuration commands are available at the SDLC # Config> prompt, where # identifies the interface you specify with the network command. Changes made to the router's configuration do not take effect immediately, but become part of the router's non-volatile configuration memory when the router restarts.

Conversely, SDLC monitoring commands entered within the SDLC monitoring module take effect immediately. However, changes made with monitoring commands do not become part of the router's non-volatile configuration.

When the router restarts, the configuration stored in non-volatile configuration memory supersedes the effects of monitoring commands.

Monitoring consists of these actions:

Accessing the SDLC Configuration Environment

To enter the configuration process, follow these steps.

1. At the * prompt, enter config to display the Config> prompt.

* config

Config>

If the Config> prompt does not appear immediately, press Return again.

2. Enter network and the number of an SDLC interface that you configured earlier using the set data-link sdlc command.

Config>network 3
SDLC 3 Config>

Accessing the SDLC Monitoring Environment

To enter the SDLC monitoring process, follow these steps.

1. At the * prompt, enter monitor to display the Monitor> prompt.

* monitor

Monitor>

2. At the Monitor> prompt, enter network and the number of an SDLC interface that you configured earlier using the set data-link sdlc command.

Monitor> network 3
SDLC Console
SDLC-3>

Displaying Statistics on SDLC Interfaces

You can use the interface command to display statistics for SDLC devices. To do this, enter interface and an interface number at the Monitor> prompt:

Example: Monitor> interface 3

Self-Test Self-Test Maintenance
Nt Nt Interface CSR Passed Failed Failed
3 FR SDLC/1 80000000 1 0 0

SDLC MAC/data-link on Quad Serial Line interface.

Level converter: RS-232/V.35 Adapter cable: RS-232 DCE

V.24 circuit: 105 106 107 108 109
Nicknames: RTS CTS DSR DTR DCD
RS-232 DCE: CA CB CC CD CF
State: OFF OFF OFF OFF OFF

Line speed (configured): 9.615 Kbps
Last port reset: 1 minute, 24 seconds ago

Input frame errors:
CRC error 0 alignment (byte length) 0
Too short (< 2 bytes) 0 Too long (> 2051 bytes) 0
aborted frame 0 DMA/FIFO overrun 0
Output frame errors:
DMA/FIFO Underrun error 0 Outputs aborts sent 0

Nt

Interface number assigned by software during initial configuration.

Nt'

Interface number assigned by software during initial configuration.

CSR

Memory location of the control status register for the SDLC interface.

Self-test passed

Number of times the SDLC interface passed its self-test.

Self-test failed

Number of times the SDLC interface was unable to pass its self-test.

Maintenance failed

Number of maintenance failures.

The following six parameters appear only if a cable is connected, and varies according to cable type.
Level converter

Type of level converter connected to the SDLC interface.

Adapter cable

Type of adapter cable that the level converter is using.

V.24 circuit

Circuits in use on the V.24 circuit.

Nicknames

Signals in use on the V.24 circuit.

RS-232 DCE

Current level converter is RS-232 DCE.

State

State of V24 circuits, signals, and pin assignments (ON or OFF).

Line speed (configured)

Currently configured line speed for the SDLC interface.

Last port reset

How long ago the port was reset.

Input frame errors

Input frame error type (CRC error, too short, aborted, alignment, too long, DMA/FIFO overrun) and the total number of errors.

Output frame counters

Total number of DMA/FIFO overruns and output aborts sent for output frames.

SDLC Commands

This section summarizes and describes SDLC configuration and monitoring commands.

Table 2 lists SDLC configuration and monitoring commands and their functions.

Table 2 SDLC Commands

Command Function
Add [C] [M] Adds an SDLC link station.

Clear [M] Clears link or link station counters.

Delete [C] [M] Removes an SDLC link station.

Disable [C] [M] Prevents connections to an SDLC link station.

Enable [C] [M] Allows connections to an SDLC link station.

List [C] [M] Displays SDLC link station configurations and link counters.

Set [C] [M] Configures specific interface and link station information.

Test [M] Performs an echo test on a link station.

Exit [C] [M] Exits the SDLC configuration or monitoring environment.

Add [C] [M]

Use the SDLC stations that you configure in DLSw or use the add station command to explicitly set up SDLC stations in the following situations:

If you do not explicitly add SDLC stations, the router assumes the following:

Syntax: add station

Example: add station

Enter station address (in hex) [C2]?
Enter station name [SDLC_C2]?
Include station in group poll list ([Yes] or No):
Enter max packet size [2048]?
Enter receive window [7]?
Enter transmit window [7]?
Enter PU2 or T2.1 node type [PU2]?

Enter station address

The station's SDLC address in the range 01 to FE. This station address must correspond to the station address added using the add sdlc command in the DLSw configuration environment.

Enter station name

The name of the SDLC station (maximum characters is 8).

Include station in group poll list

Determines whether or not to include the station in the group poll list for this link. The SDLC software supports the IBM 3174 group poll (GP3174) feature when the router is operating in a local secondary SDLC link role and the adjacent SDLC primary device, typically and IBM mainframe, is suitably configured. You must supply a valid, nonzero group poll address on the link using the set link group-poll command in order for station inclusion to have an effect.

Enter max packet size

The maximum packet size that the router can send to or receive from the remote link station. This value cannot be greater than that specified for the link with set link frame-size.

Enter receive
window

The maximum number of packets that the router can receive without sending a response.

Enter transmit window

The maximum number of packets that the router can transmit without receiving a response.

Enter PU2 or T2.1 node type

The node type, either PU2 (PU 2.0) or T2.1 (PU 2.1).

Clear [M]

Clears counters for the end station.

Syntax: clear

link
station

link

Clears the counters for this SDLC interface. You can display these counters using the list link counters command.

Example: clear link

station name or address or all

Clears counters for either a specific end station or all end stations. You can display these counters using the list station counters command.

Example: clear station c1

Delete [C] [M]

Removes the specified end station from the SDLC configuration.

When used in the monitoring environment, this command terminates any SDLC session in progress.

Syntax: delete station name or address

Example: delete station c1

Disable [C] [M]

Prevents the router from making connections with a SDLC link or station.

Syntax: disable

link
station

link

Prevents the establishment of SDLC sessions on any SDLC link stations on the interface.

When used in the monitoring environment, disable link also terminates all existing connections on the link.

Example: disable link

station name or address

Prevents establishment of an SDLC session to the specified station.

When used in the monitoring environment, disable station also terminates any existing SDLC session.

Example: disable station c1

Enable [C] [M]

Both links and stations are enabled upon creation. You need to enable them if you previously disabled them.

Syntax: enable

link
station

link

Enables the SDLC link entity for use by the SDLC station(s).

Example: enable link

station name or address

Allows connections to the specified end station.

Example: enable station c1

List [C] [M]

In the SDLC configuration process, list displays configuration information on one or all SDLC link stations. In the monitoring process, list displays statistics specific to the data-link layer and the interface.

List [C]

Syntax: list

link
station

link

Displays the configuration of the SDLC interface.

Example: list link

Link configuration for: LINK_2 (ENABLED)
Role: SECONDARY Type: POINT-TO-POINT
Duplex: FULL Modulo: 8
Idle state: FLAG Encoding: NRZ
Clocking: EXTERNAL Frame Size: 2048
Speed: 0 Group Poll: F3
Cable: V.36 DTE

Timers: XID/TEST response: 2.0 sec
SNRM response: 2.0 sec
Poll response: 0.5 sec
Inter-poll delay: 0.2 sec
RTS hold delay: DISABLED
Inter-frame delay: DISABLED
Inactivity timeout: 30.0 sec

Counters: XID/TEST retry: 4
SNRM retry: 6
Poll retry: 10

Link configuration

The name and status of SDLC link stations in the router's configuration.

Role

The role for link stations that you set using set link role, primary, secondary, or negotiable.

Type

The type of link, multipoint or point-to-point.

Duplex

Duplex modem control configuration, half or full.

Modulo

The sequence number range to use on the link: mod 8 (0-7) or mod 128 (0 - 127).

Idle state

The bit pattern (flag or mark) transmitted on the line when the interface is not transmitting data.

Encoding

The SDLC transmission encoding scheme, NRZ or NRZI.

Clocking

Interface clocking, either external, internal, or mixed.

Frame Size

The maximum frame size that the interface can send.

Speed

For internal clocking, specifies the speed of the transmit and receive clock lines. For mixed clocking, the speed applies to the transmit clock line only.

Group Poll

Shows the group poll address configured for this link.

Cable

For RBX Series routers, shows the cable type connected to this interface.

Timers:

All the timers listed below have a 100ms resolution.

XID/TEST resp.

The time the router waits for an XID or TEST response message before retransmitting the XID or TEST frame. A 0 (zero) indicates that the router retries indefinitely.

SNRM response

The maximum time the router waits for an UA response message before the station retransmits SNRM(E).

Poll response

The maximum time the router waits for a response from any polled station before retrying.

Inter-poll delay

The amount of time that the primary router waits after receiving a response, before polling the next station.

RTS hold delay

The amount of time that the primary router waits before dropping RTS low after the transmission of a frame. This parameter is specific to half-duplex operation.

Inter-frame
delay

The minimum amount of time (in 5.12 microsecond time units) that the primary router waits between transmitting frames.

Inactivity
timeout

For idle NRM/E secondary stations, sets the time after which the interface transitions the station to its recovery state. A 0 (zero) allows the station to remain idle indefinitely.

Counters:

XID/TEST
retry

The maximum number of times the router sends an XID or TEST frame without receiving a response before timing out. A 0 (zero) indicates that the router retries indefinitely.

SNRM

The maximum number of times the router sends an SNRM(E) frame without receiving a response before timing out. A 0 (zero) indicates that the router retries indefinitely.

Poll retry

The maximum number of times the router polls a station without receiving a response before timing out. A 0 (zero) indicates that the router retries indefinitely.

station all or address or link station name

Displays information for the specified SDLC link station or for all link stations.

Example: list station c1

Address Name Status Max BTU Rx Window Tx Window Node Type
------- -------- ---------- ------- --------- --------- ----------
C1(00) SDLC_C1 ENABLED 2048 7 7 T2.1

Example: list station all

Address Name Status Max BTU Rx Window Tx Window Node Type
------- -------- ---------- ------- --------- --------- ----------
C1(00) SDLC_C1 ENABLED 2048 7 7 T2.1
C2(00) SDLC_C2 DISABLED 2048 7 7 PU 2

Address

The address of the SDLC link station, and optionally, its corresponding group poll address in parentheses. The group poll address appears when you have configured the station for group poll list inclusion, and is the address established for the overall SDLC link. The group poll address is only meaningful when it is nonzero. A zero address indicates that the station is configured for group inclusion, but a valid link group address is not configured.

Name

The name of the SDLC link station.

Status

The status of the SDLC link station, enabled or disabled.

Max BTU

The frame size limit of the station. It must not be larger than the maximum Basic Transmission Unit (BTU) packet size you configured with set link frame-size.

Rx Window

The size of the receive window.

Tx Window

The size of the transmit window.

Node Type

The SNA peripheral node type, either PU2 (PU 2.0) or T2.1 (PU 2.1).

List [M]

Syntax: list

link configuration
link counters
station

link configuration

Displays information for the SDLC interface. Once the link is active, entering list link at the monitoring prompt causes the software to display only parameters that are relevant to the specific link role. It also shows the resolved value of a negotiable link role. See list link in the configuration environment, for a description of the information displayed

link counters

Displays information for the SDLC counters since the last router restart or the last clear counters.

Example: list link counters

Link counters for: LINK_2 (ENABLED)
I-Frames I-Bytes Re-Xmit UI-Frames UI-Bytes
--------- --------- --------- --------- ---------
Send 0 0 0 0 0
Recv 0 0 0 0
RR RNR REJ UP
--------- --------- --------- ---------
Send 0 0 0 0
Recv 0 0 0 0

I-Frames

Information frames sent and received.

I-Bytes

Information bytes sent and received.

Re-Xmit

Retransmitted frames.

UI-Frames

Unnumbered Information frames sent and received.

UI-Bytes

Unnumbered Information bytes sent and received.

RR

RRs (Receive Ready) sent and received.

RNR

RNRs (Receive Not Ready) sent and received.

REJ

Rejects sent and received.

UP

Unnumbered Polls (group polls) received.

station all or address or link station name

Displays the status of the specified SDLC link station or all stations.

Example: list station all

Address Name Status Max BTU Rx Window Tx Window Node Type
------- -------- ---------- ------- --------- --------- ----------
C1(00) SDLC_C1 IDLE 2048 7 7 PU 2
C2(00) SDLC_C2 ENABLED 2048 7 7 PU 2

Example: list station c1

Address Name Status Max BTU Rx Window Tx Window Node Type
------- -------- ---------- ------- --------- --------- ----------
*C1(00) SDLC_C1 IDLE 2048 7 7 PU 2

Address

The address of the SDLC link station, and optionally, its corresponding group poll address in parentheses. The group poll address appears when you have configured the station for group poll list inclusion, and is the address established for the overall SDLC link. The group poll address is only meaningful when it is nonzero. A zero address indicates that the station is configured for group inclusion, but a valid link group address is not configured.

An * (asterisk) next to stations means that you added the station in the DLSw configuration process using the add sdlc command.

Name

The name of the SDLC link station.

Status

The status of the SDLC link station:

Enabled— Enabled, but not allocated

Idle— Allocated, but not in use

Connected— Connected

Disconnected— Disconnected

Connecting— Connection establishment in progress

Discnectng— Disconnection in progress

Recovering— Attempting to recover from a temporary data link error

Max BTU

The frame size limit of the station. This frame size must not be larger than the maximum Basic Transmission Unit (BTU) packet size you configured with set link frame-size.

Rx Window

The size of the receive window.

Tx Window

The size of the transmit window.

Node Type

The SNA peripheral node type, either PU2 (PU 2.0) or T2.1 (PU 2.1).

station name or address counters

Displays frame transmit and receive counts for the specified link station.

Example: list station c1 counters

Counters for: SDLC_C1 , address C1 (ENABLED)

I-Frames I-Bytes Re-Xmit UI-Frames UI-Bytes XID-Frames
-------- ------- -------- --------- -------- ----------
Send 569 88870 0 0 0
Recv 345 4804 0 0 0

RR RNR REJ TEST SNRM DISC
-------- ------ -------- --------- -------- ----------
Send 4779 0 0 1 1 0
Recv 4443 0 0 1 0 0

UA DM FRMR
-------- ------- --------
Send 0 0 0
Recv 0 0 0

I-Frames

Information frames sent and received.

I-Bytes

Information bytes sent and received.

Re-Xmit

Frames retransmitted.

UI-Frames

Unnumbered Information frames sent and received.

UI-Bytes

Unnumbered Information bytes sent and received.

XID-Frames

Exchange Identification frames sent and received.

RR

Receive Ready frames sent and received.

RNR

Receive Not Ready frames sent and received.

REJ

Rejects sent and received.

TEST

Test frames sent and received.

SNRM

Set Normal Response Mode frames sent and received.

DISC

Disconnect frames sent and received.

UA

Unnumbered Acknowledgment frames sent and received.

DM

Disconnected Mode frames sent and received.

FRMR

Frame Reject frames sent and received.

Set [C] [M]

In the SDLC configuration process, set configures specific information for one or all SDLC link stations.

In the SDLC monitoring process, set dynamically configures information for one or all SDLC link stations without affecting the router's configuration memory. You can issue set only on disabled links or stations. Not all parameters are available in the monitoring process. Enter ? after you type a command to display the available parameters.

All time values are in seconds, with a 100ms resolution.

Syntax: set

link cable
link clocking
link duplex
link encoding
link frame-size
link group-poll
link idle
link inactivity
link inter-frame delay
link modulo
link name
link poll delay
link poll retry
link poll timeout
link role
link rts-hold
link snrm timeout
link snrm retry
link speed
link type
link xid/test
station

link cable type

For RBX Series routers, sets the type of cable connected to this interface. The options are

Example: set link cable rs-232 dte

link clocking internal or external or mixed

Configures the SDLC link's clocking. To connect to a modem or DSU, set clocking to external. To connect directly to another DTE device, use a DCE cable and set the clocking to internal. If the modem provides the receive clock lines and expects the transmit clock line, use mixed. For internal and mixed clocking, you must enter set link speed to configure a clock speed in the range 0 to 6250000 bits per second.

Example: set link clocking internal

link duplex full or half

Configures the SDLC link for full-duplex or half-duplex modem control.

Example: set link duplex full

link encoding nrz or nrzi

Configures the SDLC transmission encoding scheme as NRZ (Non-Return to Zero) or NRZI (Non-Return to Zero Inverted). NRZ is the default.

Example: set link encoding nrz

link frame-size

Configures the maximum size of the frames that can be transmitted and received on the data link. The valid entries are 576 to 18000. The default is 2048.

You must set the link frame size greater than the maximum packet size configured with set station max packet. Otherwise, the router automatically resets the max packet size to the link frame size, and issues the following ELS message:

SDLC.054: nt 3 SDLC/0 Stn C4-MaxBTU too large for Link adjusted (4096->2048)

Example: set link frame-size

Frame size in bytes (576 - 18000) [2048]?

link group-poll address

Sets a group poll (unnumbered poll) address for the link. The address must be nonzero.

The SDLC software supports the IBM 3174 group poll (GP3174) feature when the router is configured for a local secondary SDLC link role and the adjacent SDLC primary device, typically and IBM mainframe, is suitably configured. The router ignores this value when it is in local primary mode.

The add station or set station group-inclusion commands include a station in the group poll list. The list station monitoring command displays a parenthesized group address, which confirms the inclusion.

Example: set link group-poll

Enter group poll address (in hex) [00]? F3
Group poll support enabled

link idle flag or mark

Configures the transmit idle state for SDLC framing. Flag provides continuous flags (7E hex) between frames. Mark puts the line in a marking state (OFF, 1) between frames.

Example: set link idle flag

link inactivity #-of-seconds

Applies to stations that have been activated (NRM/E) by the SDLC protocol. If the station does not receive any frames for the number of seconds specified, the station enters into a recovery state. The range is 0 to 7200 seconds. The default is 30 seconds. A 0 (zero) allows the station to remain idle indefinitely.

Example: set link inactivity

Enter secondary link station inactivity timeout [30.0]?

link inter-frame delay

Inserts a delay between transmitted packets. This command ensures a minimum delay between frames so that the SDLC interface is compatible with slower serial devices at the other end. This value is passed in 5.12 microsecond units.

Example: set link inter-frame delay

Transmit Delay Counter [0]?

link modulo 8 or 128

Sets the sequence number range to use on the link to 8 or 128. Modulo 8 specifies a sequence number range of 0 to 7, and modulo 128 specifies 0 to 127. The default is 8.

Note: When you change this value, the transmit and receive window sizes become invalid. Use set station to change the receive-window and transmit-window sizes. Valid window sizes for mod 8 are 0 to 7; valid window sizes for mod 128 are 8 to 127.

At connection start-up, a SNRME (rather than a SNRM) and extended SDLC frame headers are used.

Example: set link modulo 8

link name name

Establishes a name for the link that you are configuring. This parameter is for informational purposes only.

Example: set link name

Enter link name: [LINK_0]?

link poll delay

Sets a time delay between each poll that the interface sends.

Example: set link poll delay

Enter delay between polls [0.2]?

link poll retry

Sets the number of times the interface retries to poll a secondary SDLC link station before it decides the link station is down and closes the connection.

Example: set link poll retry

Enter poll retry count (0=forever) [10]?

link poll timeout

Sets the amount of time the interface waits for a poll response before timing out.

Example: set link poll timeout

Enter poll timeout [0.5]?

link role primary or secondary or negotiable

Configures the interface as an SDLC primary, secondary, or negotiable link station. The default is primary.

Configuring the role values so that they are not conducive to each other and to the actual SNA devices in use can prevent successful link activation. Configure the link role as follows:

Connecting multiple T2.1 devices on a multidrop link by definition denotes that true link role negotiation is not being performed, and you should use a predefined link role on both the router and the T2.1 device(s).

It is not required that the respective T2.1 devices perform true end-to-end role negotiation when you configure the router's link as negotiable; the router senses the actual role, whether predetermined or not, and adjusts accordingly. Conversely, if you anticipate end-to-end T2.1 role negotiation and do not configure the router's link role as negotiable, the value you configure influences the role negotiation.

Example: set link role primary

link rts-hold

Sets the time to hold RTS (Request to Send) high after transmitting a frame. This setting is for half-duplex mode and has no effect in full-duplex mode.

Example: set link rts-hold

Enter RTS hold duration after transmit complete [0.0]?

link snrm timeout

Sets the time to wait for a Unnumbered Acknowledgments (UA) response before retransmitting an SNRM(E). Applies only to primary stations.

Example: set link snrm timeout

Enter SNRM response timeout [2.0]?

link snrm retry

Sets the number of times to retransmit an SNRM(E) without receiving a response before giving up. Applies only to primary stations.

Example: set link snrm retry

Enter SNRM retry count (0=forever)[6]?

link speed

For internal clocking, specifies the speed of the transmit and receive clock lines. For mixed clocking, the speed applies to the transmit clock line only. The range is 0 to 6250000 for CNX, 0 to 8000000 for DNX, and 0 to 10000000 for RBX.

Example: set link speed

Internal Clock Speed [0]?

link type multipoint or point-to-point

Configures the SDLC link to either multipoint or point-to-point.

Example: set link type multipoint

link xid/test timeout

Sets the maximum amount of time to wait for an XID or TEST frame response before retransmitting the XID or TEST frame. Applies only to primary stations.

Example: set link xid timeout

Enter XID and TEST frame response timeout [2.0]?

link xid/test retry

Sets the maximum number of times the SDLC interface resends an XID or TEST frame before giving up. A 0 (zero) causes the router to retry indefinitely. Applies only to primary stations.

Example: set link xid retry 5

Enter XID and TEST retry count (0 = forever) [4]?

station address or name address

Changes the station's SDLC address in the range 01 to FE.

Example: set station c1 address

Enter station address (in hex) [C1]? ce

station address or link station name group-inclusion no or yes

For SDLC secondary stations, sets whether or not to include this station in the group poll list for this link. The SDLC software supports the IBM 3174 group poll function. You must add a group poll address using set link group-poll for this to have an affect.

Example: set station c1 group-inclusion yes

station address or name max-packet

The maximum size of the packet that the station can receive. The default is 2048 bytes.

Do not set the maximum packet size larger than the link frame size configured with set link frame-size. If you do, the router automatically resets the max packet size to the link frame size, and issues the following ELS message:

SDLC.054: nt 3 SDLC/0 Stn C4-MaxBTU too large for Link adjusted (4096->2048)

Example: set station c1 max-packet

Enter max packet size [2048]?

station address or name name

The name of the SDLC station.

Example: set station c1 name

Enter station name [SDLC_C1]?

station address or name receive-window

The maximum number of frames the router can receive before sending a response. The range is 1 to 7. The default is 7.

Example: set station c1 receive-window

Enter receive window [7]?

station address or name node-type pu2 or t2.1

The node type of the station, either PU2 (PU 2.0) or T2.1 (PU 2.1).

Example: set station c1 node-type pu2

station address or name transmit-window

The maximum number of frames the router can transmit before receiving a response frame. The range is 1 to 7. The default is 7.

Example: set station c1 transmit-window

Enter transmit window [7]?

Test [M]

Sends a specified number of TEST frames to the specified station and waits for a response. Use this command to test the integrity of the connection. Press any key to cancel the test.

Disable the link station before using this command.

Note: This command does not apply to adjacent primary link stations, that is, when the local router link is defined as secondary.

Syntax: test station name or address #frames frame-size

Example: test station c1

Number of frames to send [1]? 5
Frame length [265]?
Starting echo test -- press any key to abort
5 frames sent, 5 frames received, 0 compare errors, 0 timeouts

Number of frames

Number of TEST frames to send.

Frame length

Length of the frame sent. Do not enter a length larger than the maximum frame length of the specified station.

Exit [C] [M]

Use the exit command to return to the previous prompt.

Syntax: exit

Example: exit



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