Troubleshooting Tools

The utilities that can be used to troubleshoot NetWare Link/PPP are described in the following sections:

• PPPTRACE
• CAPITRCE
• PPPCON
• MONITOR

PPPTRACE

PPPTRACE is a utility that captures and displays decoded PPP packets; encoded IPX, IP, AppleTalk, and source route bridge packets; and modem control packets. PPPTRACE can be used to determine the contents and validity of modem initialization scripts and login initialization scripts, to observe and debug Link Control Protocol (LCP) and NetWare Control Protocol (NCP) negotiation, and to debug problems with communications links.

To view packets generated by NetWare Link/PPP, complete the following steps:

1. Enter LOAD PPPTRACE at the console prompt.

2. Select Real-Time Monitor, then press F8 until the interface you want to view is displayed.

3. To capture the data to RAM, press F7 .

   You can view the captured data by watching the PPPTRACE Real-Time Monitor window, using the Play Back option, or using the print utility. Remember that the PPPTRACE Real-Time Monitor window will probably not show all the packets; use the Play Back window or the print utility to see all the captured packets.

   The PPPTRACE print utility reads a capture file, converts the file contents from hexadecimal to ASCII, and writes the contents to an output file that can be printed or viewed with an ASCII editor or browser. The command for this DOS executable file has the following format:

   PPPDISP <saved_file> <output_file>

CAPITRCE

CAPITRCE is a utility that captures and displays decoded packet communications between the following:

• The CAPI Manager (CAPIMGR) and the CAPI adaptation component (WHSMCAPI)
• The ISDN physical layer (each ISDN interface) and the CAPI Manager

If a problem with a PPP over ISDN connection cannot be traced to the PPP layer, CAPITRCE can be used to observe and troubleshoot negotiation between the CAPI Manager and its upper and lower layers (the CAPI adaptation layer and CAPI driver, respectively).

To view packets exchanged between the CAPI Manager and its upper and lower layers, complete the following steps:

1. Enter LOAD CAPITRCE , select CAPI Manager or one of the displayed ISDN drivers for tracing, then select Yes when prompted if you want to create a new trace.

   The Select Trace Function window is displayed.

2. If required, select Options and specify an alternative name for the log file or specify that new data will be appended to an existing log file (select Append for the File Mode option), press Enter , then press Esc .

3. Select Start to begin the trace, and, after a desired interval, select Stop to end the trace. Then select Convert.

4. If required, modify the default settings for the following trace options:

   • Output File---You can change the name of the output file to any other *.TXT filename.
   • Convert Filter Options---For Messages, the default, Yes, specifies that CAPI messages will be included in the trace. Specify No if you do not want CAPI messages included.

     For functions, the default, No, specifies that a detailed trace of each CAPI function will not be included. If you want a detailed trace of all CAPI functions, specify Yes.

   • B3 HEX Data---The default, Yes, specifies that the hexadecimal data portion of the DATA_B3_REQ and DATA_B3_IND CAPI messages will be included in the trace. Specify No to exclude this information.
   • B3 ASCII Data---The default, No, specifies that the ASCII data portion of the DATA_B3_REQ and DATA_B3_IND CAPI messages will be excluded. Specify Yes to include this information.
   • Data Size---You can modify the size of the data packets being traced to meet your requirements. The default is sufficient for identifying the packet type.
   • Times---The default, No, specifies that the time stamp for each packet will not be included in the trace. This time stamp is based on the time kept by the server and indicates when the packet is received by the CAPI Manager or ISDN driver. Specify Yes to include this information.
   • Start (hh:mm:ss) and stop (hh:mm:ss)---You can specify a starting and stopping time for a section of the trace that you want to view.

5. Complete the conversion and exit CAPITRCE.

   At the Select Trace Function window, press Esc , then select Yes when prompted if you want to exit.

6. Enter LOAD EDIT SYS:FILENAME , where FILENAME is the name of the converted log file (the *.TXT file).

   The trace file is displayed.

7. Press Esc to exit the trace file.

PPPCON

PPPCON is a diagnostic console utility that provides access to both NetWare Link/PPP interface statistics and information about the status of various components of the PPP data-link protocol. PPPCON uses SNMP to access this information from any local or remote system on the network.

You can use PPPCON to perform the following tasks:

• Reset a modem that has entered an error state
• Reset a PPP interface
• Display the configured parameters for each PPP interface
• Display PPP interface statistics dynamically
• Display the status of serial interface signals
• Monitor the states of the Link Control Protocol (LCP), Network Control Protocol (NCP), and Link Access Protocol-Balanced (LAPB) layers
• Display parameters negotiated by PPP LCP
• Test the PPP link by temporarily establishing the PPP LCP connection with a PPP Echo test

Using PPPCON to Reset a Modem

You can use this option when a modem is not answering an incoming call or when you need to check the modem initialization script. To use this option, complete the following steps:

1. Enter LOAD PPPCON at the console.

2. Select the PPP Interfaces option.

3. Select the interface on which the modem you want to reset resides.

4. Select the PPP Reset Modem option.

5. Press Return to reset the modem.

6. Wait 15 seconds or longer for the script to finish. The Status field changes to Success if the initialization is successful or Failed if the initialization is unsuccessful. If the initialization failed, proceed to Create or Change a Modem Script.

MONITOR

You can use MONITOR to check the state of PPP connectivity by viewing the statistics for the PPP driver. Statistics for each port are displayed on a per-port basis.

Following are examples of some of the statistics:

• Baud Rate
• Transmit Packets
• Transmit Packets Miscellaneous Errors
• Compression Algorithm

Each port on the PPP board also has states listed for the following protocols:

• LCP
• AppleTalk
• IP
• IPX
• Bridge (source route bridge, SNA/NetBIOS Translation Bridge, or both)

Each link state has a number associated with it. State 2 indicates that you have configured the protocol and it is listening for a response on the line. State 9 indicates that the protocol has opened the connection and is transmitting across the line. State 0 indicates that the protocol has closed the connection and is not listening.

LCP

A PPP link is established after the originating PPP interface first sends LCP packets to configure the data link. In the MONITOR window, the selected interface LCP state should indicate 9, which represents the LCP Open state. If a connection has been attempted and LCP is not in state 9, there is probably a data communications problem on the line or the LCP negotiation options are preventing the completion of the call.

If there is a problem, load NIASCFG to verify that the WAN interface has the Physical Type option set to the correct value (parameter path: Select Configure NIAS > Protocols and Routing > WAN Call Directory > Selected WAN Interface). If you are using a DSU/CSU, verify that the data encoding (NRZ or NRZI) is set to the same value as that used by the router interface on the other side of the WAN connection. Also verify that the data encoding is set to the same value as that used by the DSU/CSU or other communications device to which the port is connected. Finally, verify that all other NIASCFG parameters are configured correctly.

Run the SD.EXE program (refer to the Novell Synchronous/+ Adapter Installation Guide ) to test the Synchronous/+ board. Contact your telco to have it check the line and perform loopback testing with the DSU/CSU.

AppleTalk, IP, IPX, and Source Route Bridge

If LCP is in state 9 and the desired protocol is not connecting, the problem probably exists in the configuration of the protocol. If the desired protocol is in state 0, you might not have enabled the protocol and it is not listening on this line. If the desired protocol is in state 2, the protocol has been configured and is waiting for a response from the other side.