Improves the performance of TCP-based traffic on the Internet, so your Web sites BLACK load BOX and video streams faster.

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BLACK BOX

®

Improves the performance of TCP-based traffic

on the Internet, so your Web sites load faster,

and video streams faster.

Operates on the sending end only, so nothing special is required

of the receiver.

Opti-WAN Administrator’s Guide

FE922001AA FE922015DA FE922045DA FE922350QA FE922004AA FE922020DA FE922100DA FE922500QA FE922008AA FE922030DA FE922200DA FE922750QA

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FCC and IC RFI Statements

Federal Communications Commission and Industry Canada Radio Frequency Interference

Statements

This equipment generates, uses, and can radiate radio-frequency energy, and if not installed and used properly, that is, in strict accordance with the manufacturer’s instructions, may cause inter ference to radio communication. It has been tested and found to comply with the limits for a Class A computing device in accordance with the specifications in Subpart B of Part 15 of FCC rules, which are designed to provide reasonable protection against such interference when the equipment is operated in a commercial environment. Operation of this equipment in a residential area is likely to cause interference, in which case the user at his own expense will be required to take whatever measures may be necessary to correct the interference.

Changes or modifications not expressly approved by the party responsible for compliance could void the user’s authority to operate the equipment.

This digital apparatus does not exceed the Class A limits for radio noise emis sion from digital apparatus set out in the Radio Interference Regulation of Industry Canada.

Le présent appareil numérique n’émet pas de bruits radioélectriques dépassant les limites applicables aux appareils numériques de la classe A prescrites dans le Règlement sur le brouillage radioélectrique publié par Industrie Canada.

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NOM Statement

Instrucciones de Seguridad

(Normas Oficiales Mexicanas Electrical Safety Statement)

1. Todas las instrucciones de seguridad y operación deberán ser leídas antes de que el aparato eléctrico sea operado. 2. Las instrucciones de seguridad y operación deberán ser guardadas para referencia futura.

3. Todas las advertencias en el aparato eléctrico y en sus instrucciones de operación deben ser respetadas. 4. Todas las instrucciones de operación y uso deben ser seguidas.

5. El aparato eléctrico no deberá ser usado cerca del agua—por ejemplo, cerca de la tina de baño, lavabo, sótano mojado o cerca de una alberca, etc.

6. El aparato eléctrico debe ser usado únicamente con carritos o pedestales que sean recomendados por el fabricante. 7. El aparato eléctrico debe ser montado a la pared o al techo sólo como sea recomendado por el fabricante.

8. Servicio—El usuario no debe intentar dar servicio al equipo eléctrico más allá a lo descrito en las instrucciones de operación. Todo otro servicio deberá ser referido a personal de servicio calificado.

9. El aparato eléctrico debe ser situado de tal manera que su posición no interfiera su uso. La colocación del aparato eléctrico sobre una cama, sofá, alfombra o superficie similar puede bloquea la ventilación, no se debe colocar en libreros o gabinetes que impidan el flujo de aire por los orificios de ventilación.

10. El equipo eléctrico deber ser situado fuera del alcance de fuentes de calor como radiadores, registros de calor, estufas u otros aparatos (incluyendo amplificadores) que producen calor.

11. El aparato eléctrico deberá ser connectado a una fuente de poder sólo del tipo descrito en el instructivo de operación, o como se indique en el aparato.

12. Precaución debe ser tomada de tal manera que la tierra fisica y la polarización del equipo no sea eliminada.

13. Los cables de la fuente de poder deben ser guiados de tal manera que no sean pisados ni pellizcados por objetos colocados sobre o contra ellos, poniendo particular atención a los contactos y receptáculos donde salen del aparato.

14. El equipo eléctrico debe ser limpiado únicamente de acuerdo a las recomendaciones del fabricante. 15. En caso de existir, una antena externa deberá ser localizada lejos de las lineas de energia.

16. El cable de corriente deberá ser desconectado del cuando el equipo no sea usado por un largo periodo de tiempo.

17. Cuidado debe ser tomado de tal manera que objectos liquidos no sean derramados sobre la cubierta u orificios de ventilación. 18. Servicio por personal calificado deberá ser provisto cuando:

A: El cable de poder o el contacto ha sido dañado; u

B: Objectos han caído o líquido ha sido derramado dentro del aparato; o C: El aparato ha sido expuesto a la lluvia; o

D: El aparato parece no operar normalmente o muestra un cambio en su desempeño; o E: El aparato ha sido tirado o su cubierta ha sido dañada.

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Trademarks Used in this Manual

Black Box and the Double Diamond logo are registered trademarks of BB Technologies, Inc. Internet Explorer is a registered trademark of Microsoft Corporation.

Mozilla and Firefox are registered trademarks of Mozilla Foundation.

Any other trademarks mentioned in this manual are acknowledged to be the property of the trademark owners.

We‘re here to help! If you have any questions about your application

or our products, contact Black Box Tech Support at

724-746-5500

or go to

blackbox.com

and click on “Talk to Black Box.”

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Table of Contents (Continued)

Chapter Page

7.4.1 Standard Acceleration Settings ... 32

7.4.2 Custom Acceleration Settings ... 33

7.5 Selective Acceleration ... 33

7.6 Unaccelerated Ports ... 40

8. Analyzing Network Performance ... 41

8.1 Traffic Monitor ... 41

8.2 Round-Trip Histograms ... 42

8.2.1 Traffic Histogram ... 42

8.2.2 Flow Count Histogram ... 43

8.3 Packet Capture ... 43

9. Troubleshooting ... 46

9.1 Quick Answers ... 46

9.1.1 The Opti-WAN is Not Reachable via the Default IP Address—192.168.111.1 ... 46

9.1.2 The Opti-WAN is Not Reachable via the Assigned IP Address ... 46

9.1.3 The System Seems to be Stuck on the “Save Settings” Page ... 46

9.1.4 My Internet Connection is Down ... 46

9.1.5 I Do Not Notice Any Improvement in my Network Applications ... 47

9.2 Serial Console ... 47

9.3 Recovery Console ... 48

9.4 Time Sync ... 50

9.5 Contacting Black Box ... 50

9.6 Returning the Unit for Repair ... 50

9.7 Shipping and Packaging ... 50

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Chapter 1: Specifications

1. Specifications

Environmental: Operating temperature: 50 to 95° F (10 to 35° C);

Operating humidity: 20 to 80% noncondensing, maximum humidity gradation of 10% per hour; Maximum operating vibration: 0.25 Gs 0-Peak, 3–200 Hz sweep @ 1_⁄₂_{octaves/minute;}

Maximum operating shock: 31G, 2.6 ms, 20 inches/second, bottom side; Operating altitude: -50 to 10,000 ft. (-16 to 3048 m)

Memory: 1.5- to 8-Mbps desktop models: 2 GB; 15- to 200-Mbps rackmount models: 4 GB; 350-Mbps to 1-Gbps rackmount models: 8 GB

CE Approval: Yes

RoHS: Yes

Connectors: Desktop models: (2) RJ-45 bypass, (1) RJ-45 management, (1) USB console, (1) RJ-45 console; Rackmount models: (2) RJ-45 bypass, (1) RJ-45 management, (1) USB, (1) USB console

Power: Desktop models: external power supply: Input: 120–240 VAC, 50–60 Hz, 1.5 amps; Output: 15-VDC, 4 amps, 60 watts;

Rackmount models: internal power supply: Input: 120–240 VAC, 50–60 Hz, 1.5 amps; Output: 15-VSC, 4 amps, 60 watts

Size: 1.5- to 8-Mbps desktop models: 1.6"H x 7.1"W x 5.9"D (4.1 x 18 x 15 cm);

15- to 200-Mbps rackmount models: 1.75" (1U) H x 16.75"W x 14.5"D (4.4 x 42.5 x 36.8 cm); 350-Mbps to 1-Gbps rackmount models: 1.75" (1U) H x 16.75"W x 16"D (4.4 x 42.5 x 40.6 cm)

Weight: 1.5- to 8-Mbps desktop models: 2 lb. (0.9 kg); 15- to 200-Mbps rackmount models: 13.4 lb. (6 kg); 350-Mbps to 1-Gbps rackmount models: 13.5 lb. (6.1 kg)

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Chapter 2: Overview

2. Overview

2.1 Introduction

The Opti-WAN accelerates data transfers over the Internet, which is a critical function in today's business collaborations. Unlike other acceleration solutions, Opti-WAN requires no hardware or software on the receiving end. The core technology, Accelerated TCP, is based on research originally developed by the company founders at the California Institute of Technology’s Networking Laboratory (Netlab). The Opti-WAN accelerates speed transmission of TCP network traffic to any destination with a single device. The accelerator resides only in the data center and does not require any hardware or software on the receiving end. Using Accelerated TCP technology, it can achieve up to 30 times acceleration, or higher under some network conditions. The Opti-WAN offers the following features:

• Line speed up to 1 Gbps

• Standards-compliant native TCP enhancement • Maximized download speed out to the Internet • SNMP compatibility

• Accelerated throughput—the Opti-WAN will accelerate TCP flows up to the model’s rated limit.

The Opti-WAN is simple to install and does not require any software modifications to the sender’s network infrastructure. Once installed, clients will receive faster data transmissions automatically. In addition, the appliance is designed to interact gracefully with existing data flows, sharing the network capacity fairly with existing TCP and UDP traffic.

The Opti-WAN is available as either a desktop chassis or a 1U rackmountable server, and comes in several configurations based on network media type and speed. The following models are available:

• Desktop Chassis, 1.5 Mbps (part number FE922001AA) • Desktop Chassis, 4 Mbps (part number FE922004AA) • Desktop Chassis, 8 Mbps (part number FE922008AA) • Rackmount Chassis, 15 Mbps (part number FE922015DA) • Rackmount Chassis, 20 Mbps (part number FE922020DA) • Rackmount Chassis, 30 Mbps (part number FE922030DA) • Rackmount Chassis, 45 Mbps (part number FE922045DA) • Rackmount Chassis, 100 Mbps (part number FE9220100DA) • Rackmount Chassis, 200 Mbps (part number FE9220200DA) • Rackmount Chassis, 350 Mbps (part number FE9220350QA) • Rackmount Chassis, 500 Mbps (part number FE9220500QA) • Rackmount Chassis, 750 Mbps (part number FE9220750QA) • Rackmount Chassis, 1 Gbps (part number FE92201GQA)

2.1.1 Accelerated TCP

The Opti-WAN is based on patent-pending Accelerated TCP technology, which dramatically increases the speed of data transmis-sion over the Internet, especially across long distances. These speed increases are achieved by reducing the slowdowns in trans-mission associated with TCP’s normal handling of congestion and loss recovery. Accelerated TCP offers the following benefits: • Exceptionally resilient to packet loss and network latency

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Chapter 2: Overview

• No software installation or kernel modifications required • Fairly shares bandwidth with other WAN traffic

• Transparent to firewalls

• Does not use compression or caching

2.1.2 Bypass Connector

The Bypass connector is a mechanical relay. If an Opti-WAN accelerator becomes non-responsive for any reason, the Bypass con-nector on the Opti-WAN will take the accelerator offline and restore the physical connection between the LAN and WAN side of your network. This ensures that interruptions in Internet connectivity are minimal.

2.1.3 Web-Based Management Console

The Opti-WAN provides an easy-to-use Web-based management console. You can access it using a regular Web browser. You can also remotely configure the Opti-WAN accelerator and check its operation.

2.1.4 About This Manual

The Opti-WAN is a plug-and-play device, needing very little configuration. Once you have installed the Opti-WAN unit following the directions in the Quick Start Guide, your file transmissions will automatically be accelerated.

The following topics describe managing the Opti-WAN and provide a starting point to using this guide: • Black Box System Requirements: Lists system requirements.

• Typical Steps for Managing the Opti-WAN: Discusses getting started and performing typical management. • Web-based User Interface: Describes the use of the web-based management interface.

• Proceeding from Here: Discusses more configuration and troubleshooting topics.

• Appendixes: Discusses frequently asked questions and details of advanced installation and configuration.

2.2 Opti-WAN System Requirements

• One 1U rack slot is for the Opti-WAN. The rack space should be no more than 6 feet from the equipment (for example, a LAN switch and a router) to which the Opti-WAN will connect.

• One available LAN port on a switch to be connected to the Opti-WAN management port. • One available power outlet (100-240 VAC).

• A laptop computer with an Ethernet card for use during the initial installation.

2.3 What’s Included

Your package should include the following items. If anything is missing or damaged, contact Black Box Technical Support at 724-746-5500 or [email protected].

FE922001AA, FE922004AA, FE922008AA: FE922015DA, FE922020DA, FE922030DA, FE922045DA, FE922100DA, FE922200DA, FE922350QA, FE922500QA, • Desktop Opti-WAN hardware unit FE922750QA, FE92201GQA:

• (1) blue 5-foot (1.5-m) Ethernet cable • Rackmount Opti-WAN hardware unit • (1) power adapter • (1) blue 5-foot (1.5-m) Ethernet cable • Administrator’s guide in PDF format stored on the • (1) power cord

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Chapter 2: Overview

2.4 Hardware Description

This section describes the controls, LEDs, and ports on the front and back panels of the Opti-WAN.

2.4.1 Opti-WAN Desktop Chassis (FE922001AA, FE922004AA, FE922008AA)

2 3 4 5 6

1

Figure 2-1. Opti-WAN Desktop Chassis Front Panel.

7 8 9 10 11 12

13 Figure 2-2. Opti-WAN Desktop Chassis Back Panel.

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Chapter 2: Overview

Table 2-1. Desktop Chassis components. Number Item Description

1 Power LED OFF: LED is off when power is off. ON: Lights green when power is on.

2 Status LED OFF: LED is off when there is no hard disk activity. ON RED: Lights red when there is hard disk activity.

3 Bypass LED This LED shows the status of the appliance bypass circuitry.

ON RED: The appliance bypass circuitry is engaged (Opti-WAN not inline). ON GREEN: The appliance bypass circuitry is disengaged (Opti-WAN inline). 4 (2) WAN LEDs Link LED: Lights on when a link is attached to the port.

Active LED: Lights on when there is activity on the port. 5 (2) LAN LEDs Link LED: Lights on when a link is attached to the port. Active LED: Lights on when there is activity on the port. 6 (2) MGMT LEDs Link LED: Lights on when a link is attached to the port. Active LED: Lights on when there is activity on the port.

7 RJ-45 connector WAN: Handles WAN traffic, as instructed in the Opti-WAN Quick Start Guide. 8 RJ-45 connector LAN: Handles LAN traffic, as instructed in the Opti-WAN Quick Start Guide. 9 RJ-45 connector MGMT: Management port for accessing Web-based User Interface.

10 USB Type A connector Links to USB device 11 RJ-45 connector Connects to console 12 Barrel connector DC IN power

13 Power switch The power switch controls power to the Opti-WAN accelerator. • OFF—The unit has no power.

• ON—The unit has been turned on, and power is being supplied to it.

Switch the POWER button ON. The Power LED should go ON on the unit. When the power LED is ON, the unit is powered up and is booting. The boot process takes

about three minutes.

NOTE: If you turn off the system using this switch, the system will not perform a graceful shutdown. You should shut down the appliance from the user interface (UI) first before toggling the switch. The UI will shut down the appliance via the operating system (OS). This leaves the appliance in an OFF state (the Power LED is not lit), but the Power switch is still in the ON position. You can now safety flip the Power switch to the OFF position.

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Chapter 2: Overview

2.4.2 Opti-WAN Rackmount Chassis (FE922015DA, FE922020DA, FE922030DA, FE922045DA,

FE922100DA, FE922200DA, FE922350QA, FE922500QA, FE922750QA, FE92201GQA)

The ports and indicators that are used on the Opti-WAN are shown below. Other ports are not used.

When attaching any external devices to the Opti-WAN, such as a bypass unit as shown in the Opti-WAN Quick Start Guide, always make sure that the Opti-WAN system is turned off. Next, turn on any external devices before turning on the Opti-WAN (unless the documentation for the device specifies otherwise).

NOTE: Important! The power button on the Opti-WAN accelerator must be turned on manually for the unit to operate. 2 4 5 6 9 8 9

1 3 7 7 11 10 11

Figure 2-3. Opti-WAN Rackmount Chassis Front Panel. Table 2-2. Opti-WAN Rackmount Chassis components.

Number Component Description

1 Power button The power button controls power to the Opti-WAN accelerator. 2 Power LED OFF: No power is being supplied to the unit.

Blinking: Power is available, but the unit isn’t turned on. ON: Lights when the unit is turned ON.

3 Status LED OFF: LED is off when there is no hard disk activity. ON RED: Lights red when there is hard disk activity. 4 USB Type B connector Use to access the serial management port on the console. 5 USB Type A connector Links to a USB port.

6 RJ-45 connector Use this Ethernet port to access Web-based GUI for management. 7 (2) MGMT LEDs Link LED: Lights on when a link is attached to the port.

Active LED: Lights on when there is activity on the port.

8 RJ-45 connector WAN connector: Handles WAN traffic, as instructed in the Opti-WAN Quick Start Guide.

9 (2) WAN LEDs WAN Activity LED: Blinks when there is activity on the port. Link LED: ON when link is established.

10 RJ-45 connector LAN connector: Handles LAN traffic, as instructed in the Opti-WAN Quick Start Guide. 11 (2) LAN LEDs LAN Activity LED: Blinks when there is activity on the port.

LAN Link LED: ON when link is established.

12 Power connector IEC-320 connector links to 100/240 VAC 50/60 Hz power. (not shown in diagram) NOTE: The power connector is located on the back of the unit.

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Chapter 3: Typical Steps for Managing the Opti-WAN

3. Typical Steps for Managing the Opti-WAN

1. Install the Opti-WAN.

The Opti-WAN Quick Start Guide provides detailed installation instructions. The process is simple and quick, but the instructions should be followed very carefully. Be sure to power up the Opti-WAN accelerator as instructed. The instructions include informa-tion on how to set the management IP address.

For complete installation details, see the Quick Start Guide.

2. Review and Accept Terms and Conditions.

The Opti-WAN accelerator requires the acceptance of the Terms and Conditions to operate it.

Opti-WAN will require a new review and acceptance of the conditions if the conditions change when installing software updates or new licenses.

3. Check Status and Enable Acceleration.

The System Status page presents an at-a-glance overview of status, settings, and system information for the Opti-WAN, as well as whether or not acceleration is enabled. See Chapter 5, Checking the Opti-WAN System Status.

4. Check HTTP and Network Settings.

For security purposes, we advise you to only use HTTPS for managing via the Web interface. The use of HTTP can be disabled on the HTTP Security page. See Section 7.2, HTTP Security.

The Opti-WAN management network configuration can be modified on the Interfaces page. See Section 7.1, Interfaces.

If the WAN or LAN interfaces do not automatically negotiate speed, you may use the Interfaces page to manually select a speed. See Section 7.1.3, WAN and LAN Interface.

5. Change the Password.

We highly recommend that you change the Control Center password from the default factory values. See Section 6.4, Change Password.

6. Analyze Performance.

Use the Analysis page to monitor traffic throughput and check traffic acceleration. See Chapter 8, Analyzing Network Performance.

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Chapter 4: Web-based User Interface

4. Web-Based User Interface

The Opti-WAN provides an easy-to-use, Web-based console that allows you to remotely configure the Opti-WAN accelerator and check its operation.

Figure 4-1. System status page.

4.1 Accessing the Web-Based User Interface

The Opti-WAN Web-based user interface may be accessed using a Web browser. You may use Mozilla®_Firefox®_{v3 or higher, or}

Internet Explorer®_{v7 or higher.}

1. Establish a network connection to the Opti-WAN Management port as described in the Quick Start Guide.

2. Open your Web browser and initiate a secure connection the Management port’s IP address by entering: https://<ipaddr> If you have configured the IP address of the Management port, then use that address for <ipaddr>. Otherwise, use the

Opti-WAN factory default IP address: 192.168.111.1

In this case, you should set the IP address of the laptop that you’re connecting to the accelerator to 192.168.111.2 (or another address in the 192.168.111.x subnet), with a subnet mask of 255.255.255.0. This ensures that the laptop will be in the same subnet as the WAN accelerator. The Login dialog box will be displayed. If you have any problems connecting to the Opti-WAN accelerator, see Chapter 9, Troubleshooting.

3. L og in using admin as the user name and blackbox as the password. If this is the first time you are logging into the Opti-WAN, you must accept the Black Box Terms and Conditions for using the Opti-WAN appliance.

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Chapter 4: Web-based User Interface

4.2 General Menu Structure

The Web-based user interface has four main tabs. In turn, each tab has a navigation menu, which appears when you select the tab, as shown in the example in Figure 4-2.

Clicking on the top tab opens the same page that you can reach by clicking the first entry listed in the navigation menu under that tab:

• System displays the overall System Status.

• Configuration displays Interface Configuration page.

• Analysis displays the Traffic Monitor real-time graph Histogram. • Help displays Product Documentation.

Figure 4-2. The Web-Based User Interface menu system.

4.3 Help

You may view help at any time from the Web-based user interface. Click the Help tab as shown in Figure 4-3 to display this Administrator’s Guide, the Quick Start Guide, or the Packet Filter reference.

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Chapter 4: Web-based User Interface

Figure 4-3. Product Documentation—Help.

4.4 Proceeding from Here

These additional topics are available, but not typically needed.

• Troubleshooting: If you have any problems with your installation, with Internet connectivity, or with traffic acceleration, answers can be found in this section. See Chapter 9, Troubleshooting.

• Appendixes: Appendix: FAQ: This section contains frequently asked questions and answers about Opti-WAN. See Appendix, FAQ.

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Chapter 5: Checking the Opti-WAN System Status

5. Checking the Opti-WAN System Status

After you log in to the Opti-WAN Web-based user interface, the System Status page is automatically displayed. You may return to this page at any time by selecting the System tab.

Figure 5-1. The Status page. The System Status page has information on:

• Interfaces • Bypass • Acceleration

• System information summary (model, serial number, software version, current uptime) • License key status

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Chapter 5: Checking the Opti-WAN System Status

5.1 Interfaces

The Opti-WAN has three interfaces. The System status page gives a summary on their status and provides links to the configuration page of each interface.

Table 5-1. Opti-WAN interfaces.

Interface Description

Management interface The network interface from which the Web-based user interface can be accessed. WAN interface The network interface that connects to the firewall or remote network directly.

LAN interface The network interface that connects to the local network switch or directly to the server. The status and link speed of each interface is displayed in abbreviated form in the System Status page as shown in detail in Figure 5-2.

Figure 5-2. Interfaces section of the main Status page. The color-highlighted status section also shows the link speed of the interface (Figures 5-1 and 5-2): • Green - active interface that is connected and up.

• Yellow - duplex mismatch error.

• Red - carrier signal has not been detected, which usually means that the port is not connected.

To access status or to configure each interface at any time, select the System tab and click on the interface you need. The underlined Interfaces title links to a configuration page showing all three interfaces, and each name (shown in Figure 5-2) links directly to the individual interface configuration page. Each configuration procedure is explained in detail in Chapter 7, Configuring the Opti-WAN.

5.2 Bypass

There is a button to put the unit into Bypass (Turn Bypass On) or to remove the unit from Bypass (Turn Bypass Off). The LED lights green when Opti-WAN is inline and yellow when Opti-WAN is not inline.

Figure 5-3. Bypass button.

5.3 Acceleration

When acceleration is ON, Accelerated TCP accelerates network traffic over the Internet or any private WAN. When acceleration is OFF, the Opti-WAN goes into straight pass-through mode and does not accelerate network traffic.

Interface Description

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Chapter 5: Checking the Opti-WAN System Status

WAN Interface: The network interface that connects to the firewall or remote network directly.

LAN Interface: The network interface that connects to the local network switch or directly to the server.

To turn acceleration ON or OFF, click on the button as shown in Figure 5-4. The color and wording on the acceleration user | interface will reflect the Opti-WAN acceleration status—green color for acceleration ON, and yellow color for acceleration OFF.

Figure 5-4. Acceleration ON/OFF section of the main Status page.

NOTE: A change of the ON/OFF acceleration setting will only affect new TCP flows. TCP flows already in progress will continue to use the setting in place at the start of the flow.

5.4 System Information

The System Information area of the main Status page is shown in detail in Figure 5-5. This area lists the Opti-WAN model name, serial number, and current software version, and shows how long the accelerator has been operational without interruption.

Figure 5-5. System Information area of the main Status page.

5.5 License Information

The License Information area lists the accelerator’s license status, as shown in detail in Figure 5-6. To enter a new license key, see Section 6.1, Entering a License Key.

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Chapter 6: Adjusting the Opti-WAN System

6. Adjusting the Opti-WAN System

The Web-based user interface provides access to adjust System Status. Figure 6-1 shows the navigation menu under the System tab, where you can:

• View the Opti-WAN status. • Enter a new license. • Adjust time settings. • Install a software update. • Perform a software rollback.

• Set up a password for the management interface. • Reboot the Opti-WAN.

• Shut down the Opti-WAN.

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Chapter 6: Adjusting the Opti-WAN System

6.1 Entering a License Key

The WAN accelerator must have a valid license key to accelerate TCP traffic. A unique license key is loaded onto each Opti-WAN accelerator before shipment.

To access the license management page:

1. Click the License menu item under the System tab to display the License management page. The current status will be displayed.

2. The key in the Add New Key field can be used to reinstall a key if needed. The key has 52 characters not counting the dash (‘-’) separator. The key is not case sensitive—upper or lower case letters may be used. Click the Add Key button when done entering the key.

3. You will be prompted to replace the current key if there is one. Click the Replace button to activate the new license.

4. Verify that Opti-WAN acceleration has been turned on by checking the Status page (See Figure 4-1). Use the Turn Acceleration On button on that page to enable acceleration if it is not already enabled.

Figure 6-2. The License Page.

5. If the license key is not accepted, carefully check the key that you entered and try again. If problems persist, please contact Black Box Technical Support at 724-746-5500 or [email protected].

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Chapter 6: Adjusting the Opti-WAN System

6.2 Time Zone Settings

Under the System tab, you can adjust the Opti-WAN time zone settings by selecting the Region, Country, and Area as follows. • Select the Region from the pull-down menu, as shown in Figure 6-3, and click “Next.”

• Select the Country from the subsequent pull-down menu, and click “Next.”

• If the country is subdivided in time-zone areas, select the Area from the available pull-down menu, and click “Next.”

Figure 6-3. Time Settings: selecting Region to adjust Time Zone.

NOTE: Changing time zones will initialize the traffic analysis databases. Past data will not be preserved.

To activate the new time zone, the Opti-WAN needs to reboot. Please click “Confirm & Reboot” to complete the adjustment of the Time Zone, as shown in Figure 6-3.

6.3 Software Updates and Rollbacks

6.3.1 Software Update

To update your Opti-WAN accelerator, you must first obtain a software update image from Black Box. Please contact Black Box Technical Support at 724-746-5500 or [email protected] for update images.

Software updates will preserve the network configuration of the Opti-WAN accelerator. The license and all network settings including the management IP address and the Web interface password will be kept. However, all user data such as traffic values will be erased, so that the Analysis page will only show throughput statistics starting from the time of the update.

Performing a software update on the Opti-WAN Accelerator:

1. Obtain the software update file from Black Box Technical Support. Have the serial number of the accelerator ready. You can find this on the System Status page.

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Chapter 6: Adjusting the Opti-WAN System

3. Select the Software Update entry of the System Menu tab. The Software Update page appears, as shown in Figure 6-4.

Figure 6-4. Software Update Page. 4. Click the Browse button and browse to the desired update file.

5. Click “Upload File.”

NOTE: Depending on your network connection to the Opti-WAN appliance, it could take 30 or more minutes to complete a soft-ware update. Navigating away from the Softsoft-ware Update page during an update will abort the update

procedure.

IMPORTANT: Wait until completion. Do not navigate away from the Software Update page during an update.

After a successful update, the Opti-WAN will use the updated software on the next reboot. 6. To use the new software immediately, click the Reboot button.

7. If the update fails (Figure 6-5), the Opti-WAN accelerator will continue to operate normally using the old software image. If you reboot, the old image will still be used.

The software update may fail because of:

• Use of the wrong update image—make sure that you are using an image that was furnished explicitly for the specific serial number of the Opti-WAN accelerator unit.

• Use of a file that is corrupted or is not a Opti-WAN image file—make sure that you are using the correct file and that it transferred to your file system without errors.

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Chapter 6: Adjusting the Opti-WAN System

Figure 6-5. Software Update Failed Message.

6.3.2 Software Rollback

The Opti-WAN keeps two operating system partitions in case a software rollback is needed. One partition is active and contains the active model and operating system. The other partition contains the inactive model and operating system and can be reactivated to replace the current one.

To apply a software rollback to the Opti-WAN, select the Software Rollback entry of the System menu tab, and click the Activate & Reboot button. The Software Rollback page is shown in Figure 6-6.

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Chapter 6: Adjusting the Opti-WAN System

6.4 Change Password

Limit access to the management interface of the Opti-WAN by changing the password from the factory default, which is “blackbox.” Fill out this page to change the password.

Passwords can be from 4 to 255 characters long and may contain any printable ASCII characters, including alphanumeric and characters such as !@#$, etc.

Figure 6-7. Change Password Page.

6.5 Reboot and Shutdown

6.5.1 Reboot

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Figure 6-8. Reboot Page.

6.5.2 Shutdown

You can shut down the Opti-WAN accelerator from the Web-based user interface, under the System tab (see Figure 6-9). The shutdown should take about a minute. However, only shut down if you have physical access to the appliance, as you will not be able to power it back on from the Web-based user interface.

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Chapter 7: Configuring the Opti-WAN

7. Configuring the Opti-WAN

When you select the Configuration tab, access is provided to a navigation menu with six entries:

• Interfaces—perform IP configuration for the management port, and adjust media type for the WAN and LAN interfaces when necessary.

• HTTP Security—set the Web interface to support only HTTPS, or HTTP as well.

• SNMP—support of standard interface MIBs via SNMP. Authentication is based on a configurable, read-only community/security name string.

• Acceleration Settings—three different profiles that determine how Accelerated TCP performs and interacts with other traffic on the network, plus the option to customize Accelerated TCP settings.

• Selective Acceleration—optionally specify VLANs over which the Opti-WAN will and will not accelerate traffic.

• Unaccelerated Ports—optionally specify up to two TCP ports over which the Opti-WAN will not accelerate traffic. Traffic over these ports will pass through the device untouched.

Figure 7-1. Interfaces Status Information Page.

7.1 Interfaces

The Interfaces Status Information page, shown in Figure 7-1, presents the current settings of the Management, WAN, and LAN interfaces of the Opti-WAN accelerator.

To display this page, select the Configuration tab and then select the Interfaces entry, at the top of the pull-down menu. The Interfaces page can also be opened via the Interfaces title link on the System Status page and also on the top-level Configuration tab heading.

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Chapter 7: Configuring the Opti-WAN

NOTE 1: The Web-based user interface is served over the management interface (Figure 7-2). If settings change, your browser will attempt to reconnect. However, if the Opti-WAN becomes unreachable, you will need physical access to change network settings.

NOTE 2: After changing the IP address, point your web browser to the new address to re-establish a connection to the Web-based User Interface console. If the IP address of the Management Port would conflict with other devices on your net-work, see Chapter 9, Troubleshooting .

7.1.2 Connect the Management Interface

Set the IP address of the connected Ethernet interface on your laptop to 192.168.111.2 with a subnet mask of 255.255.255.0. Open a Web browser on your laptop (Internet Explorer v7 or higher, or Mozilla Firefox v3 or higher) and go to http://192.168.111.1 to access the Web-based user interface console.

NOTE: HTTPS is always enabled and is recommended for security in managing the Opti-WAN. See the Opti-WAN Quick Start Guide for detailed setup instructions.

Figure 7-2. Management Interface Settings Page.

7.1.3 WAN and LAN Interface

The WAN Interface Page and LAN Interface Page provide status information (active or not), duplex state/type (e.g., full-duplex), MAC address, Autoselect, medium, MTU, options and flags information.

These pages also enable you to specify the speed of the WAN and LAN interfaces. Use these to correct speed mismatch issues with devices without autonegotiation. The default “Auto Select” setting turns on autonegotiation.

Opti-WAN LAN and WAN ports use autonegotiation to set their speed and duplex mode by default. The interface settings for the devices at the other end of these connections must match the Opti-WAN settings. The match is either achieved through auto-negotiation or by setting a matching speed and duplex mode for the Opti-WAN and the other device.

To correct a speed mismatch on the WAN, modify the Media Type to set a matching speed and duplex mode for the Opti-WAN and the other device. The mismatch can also be corrected on the device at the other end.

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Chapter 7: Configuring the Opti-WAN

Figure 7-3. WAN Interface Settings Page.

Figure 7-4. LAN Interface Settings Page.

7.2 HTTP Security

The Opti-WAN management interface supports access over both HTTP and HTTPS.

HTTPS is always enabled and is recommended for security. Though HTTP is turned on by default for compatibility, we strongly recommend using HTTPS only— this avoids authenticating using an unencrypted link.

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Chapter 7: Configuring the Opti-WAN

Most browsers will report a problem with the Opti-WAN security certificate. To remedy this problem for Firefox or Internet Explorer browsers, use one of the following procedures:

7.2.1 HTTPS Support Using Firefox 3.0+

In Firefox 3.0+, the first HTTPS connection to the Opti-WAN accelerator will display an error:

Figure 7-6. Firefox—Secure Connection Failed.

Basically, this means that Firefox doesn’t trust the Certificate Authority (CA) that signed the certificate. This is expected, since Opti-WAN certificates are self signed. To bypass this error in the future, click “Add Exception.” The Add Security Exception window appears.

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Chapter 7: Configuring the Opti-WAN

Next, click “Get Certificate.” Check “Permanently store this exception” and click “Confirm Security Exception.” Firefox has now stored the accelerator’s self-signed certificate as a trusted source. All future connections to the accelerator from this host and browser will no longer prompt you with certificate warnings.

7.2.2 HTTPS Support Using Internet Explorer 7.0

The setup of Internet Explorer for HTTPS is similar to that of Firefox. However, Internet Explorer will always generate an error saying that the SSL certificate is invalid, even if you add the certificate to the Internet Explorer trusted certificate store. Once you establish an HTTPS connection to the Opti-WAN, you’ll see:

Figure 7-8. Internet Explorer—Security Certificate Problem.

Just click on “Continue to this web site” and proceed as normal. Internet Explorer will always flag the self-signed certificate to be in an error state. You can add the certificate to the trusted store by clicking “Install Certificate,” but the certificate error status will remain.

7.3 SNMP

The Opti-WAN accelerator supports standard interface MIbs via SNMP v1, v2c, and v3. Authentication is based on a configurable, read-only community string for v1 and v2c, and a security name for v3. The same identification string is used for all SNMP versions.

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Chapter 7: Configuring the Opti-WAN

Figure 7-9. SNMP Configuration Page, SNMP OFF.

To enable SNMP on the Opti-WAN, set the community string, check the Enable box, and click on the “Apply” button. Once enabled, the Status for SNMP should turn to ON, as shown in Figure 7-10, below. SNMP can be disabled by unchecking the Enable button and clicking the “Apply” button.

The Opti-WAN accelerator will respond to SNMP requested on UDP port 161 when SNMP is enabled.

Figure 7-10. SNMP Configuration Page, SNMP ON.

7.4 Acceleration Settings

The Opti-WAN has different profiles that determine how Accelerated TCP performs and interacts with other traffic on the net-work, shown in Figure 7-11. They should not be modified unless you are directly advised to do so by Black Box Technical Support.

7.4.1 Standard Acceleration Settings

The Opti-WAN accelerator has three pre-built standard acceleration settings: • Fastest—Standard parameters for good performance on most networks.

• Fast—Comparable in aggressiveness to TCP Reno. Useful when fair sharing of a saturated bottleneck link is important. • Safe Mode—Conservative performance settings. Useful for extremely low bandwidth clients and diagnosing performance

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Chapter 7: Configuring the Opti-WAN

Figure 7-11. Acceleration Settings Page.

The factory default for the Opti-WAN is the Fastest profile. The current setting is highlighted in green. To change the setting, simply click on the button for the desired new setting.

7.4.2 Custom Acceleration Settings

When you are advised to use a custom acceleration setting, click on Custom, which will lead to the page shown in Figure 7-12 Those settings should not be modified unless you are directly advised to do so by Black Box Technical Support.

Figure 7-12. Custom Acceleration Settings Page.

7.5 Selective Acceleration

The Opti-WAN provides a selective VLAN acceleration configuration management tool. Using this interface, you can disable acceleration for traffic on specified parts of your network. The configuration management tool organizes VLANs into groups for

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Chapter 7: Configuring the Opti-WAN

A typical configuration management tool workflow is: • Create VLAN groups

• Associate one or more VLANs to groups • Enable or disable acceleration for VLAN groups • Save and apply the configuration

The Selective Acceleration tool is found under the Configuration Menu.

Figure 7-13. Selective VLAN Acceleration Menu.

The configuration tool organizes VLANs into groups. VLAN groups can be created with the Add a Group button from the main selective VLAN acceleration page (Figure 7-13). Adding a VLAN group will take you to the new group form as displayed in Figure 7-14. The group addition form enables you to name the VLAN group and to optionally enable its acceleration profile for member VLANs.

Figure 7-14. VLAN Group Addition Form.

Once a VLAN group has been named, click on “Add” or “Add Another” to save the VLAN group. Press the Apply button to activate the new VLAN group configuration.

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Figure 7-15. Saved VLAN Group.

Saved VLAN groups will be displayed on the main Selective VLAN Acceleration page as illustrated by Figure 7-15. Click on a target VLAN group’s name to modify the settings of that VLAN group.

Figure 7-16. VLAN Group Modification Page.

The VLAN Group modification page (Figure 7-16) enables a group to be renamed, deleted, or have its member VLANs or acceleration profile adjusted. Click the Save button to apply all changes to the VLAN group.

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Chapter 7: Configuring the Opti-WAN

The Select VLAN Acceleration Ranges page (Figure 7-17) enables you to change the VLAN members of a group. Valid VLAN rang-es are from 0 to 4095. A VLAN group is selected by the Group pull-down menu. To add a member to a VLAN group, select the “+” operation and specify the VLAN ranges. In the example shown in Figure 7-18, VLANs ranging from 0 to 255 inclusively are added to the “Human Resources” VLAN group. To add a single VLAN, input the VLAN number in the “Begin” field and leave the “End” field blank.

Figure 7-18. Group VLAN Addition. Apply changes to the VLAN group by clicking on the Apply button.

Figure 7-19. Group Member VLANs. All VLAN members of the recently modified group are displayed.

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Chapter 7: Configuring the Opti-WAN

Figure 7-20. Group VLAN Subtraction.

To remove a VLAN member or a VLAN range from a group, select the “-” operation (Figure 7-20) and input the range of values for the VLANs to be removed. To subtract a single VLAN, input the VLAN number in the “Begin” field and leave the “End” field blank. Click “Apply and continue editing” to save and review your changes.

Figure 7-21. Group member VLANs.

In the example shown in Figure 7-20, a single VLAN (129) was removed from the “Human Resources” VLAN group which origi-nally ranged from 0 through 255. As a result, the “Human Resources” VLAN group now consists of two VLAN ranges from 0 through 128 and from 130 to 255 (see Figure 7-22). Click “Cancel” to return to the main Selective VLAN Acceleration page as the VLAN group changes were saved during the previous step.

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Chapter 7: Configuring the Opti-WAN

Figure 7-22. Saved Groups with VLANs.

The main Selective VLAN Acceleration page will display all VLAN groups and their associated VLAN members. As shown in Figure 7-22, the Human Resources VLAN group acceleration profile is currently enabled. To disable acceleration for the VLAN group, access the Group settings page by clicking on the VLAN group name.

Figure 7-23. Group Settings.

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Figure 7-24. VLAN Search Tool.

The Selective VLAN Acceleration main page may contain multiple VLAN groups. To assist you in locating a target VLAN or group, a search box, as shown at the top of Figure 7-24, enables you to search for a specific VLAN number or group name.

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To search by VLAN group names, just type the known consecutive characters of a group name into the search dialog box and click on Search. Figure 7-25 illustrates a search for a group name that contains “re.” The search results are listed below the query.

Figure 7-26. VLAN Number Search.

To search by VLAN number, just type the number into the search dialog box and click on Search. Figure 7-26 illustrates a search for a VLAN group that contains VLAN “120.” The search result is listed below the query.

7.5 Unaccelerated Ports

Optionally, specify up to two TCP ports over which the Opti-WAN will not accelerate network traffic. Traffic over these ports will pass through the device untouched.

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Chapter 8: Analyzing Network Performance

8. Analyzing Network Performance

The Opti-WAN provides real-time analysis and monitoring of acceleration performance.

The Analysis tab of the Opti-WAN Web-based user interface (shown in Figure 8-1) provides four real-time charts plus packet capture capabilities:

• Traffic Monitor—Volume of traffic in bytes flowing through the Opti-WAN.

• Traffic Histogram—Volume of traffic in bytes vs. RTT, passing through the Opti-WAN during the selected time period. • Flow Count Histogram—Number of active TCP flows vs. RTT passing through the Opti-WAN during the selected time period. • Packet Capture—Captures the protocol headers for traffic going through this Opti-WAN accelerator and saves the information

in pcap format.

8.1 Traffic Monitor

From the Analysis tab’s navigation menu (Figure 8-1), select Traffic Monitor to chart throughput for both incoming and outgoing traffic over the selected time period, as shown in Figure 8-2.

The Traffic Monitor presents the performance of the Opti-WAN accelerator over time. The chart shows the throughput for all network traffic in each direction. Accelerated Accelerated TCP traffic is highlighted in green while unaccelerated Native TCP traffic is shown in red.

You may check the Auto-refresh check-box at the lower left to have the graph update automatically every 15 seconds.

Figure 8-1. Throughput Chart on the Traffic Monitor Page.

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Chapter 8: Analyzing Network Performance

For each interface, the graph may display three types of traffic, as defined in the legend: • Green: the total amount of accelerated TCP traffic transmitted by the interface; • Red: the total amount of unaccelerated TCP traffic transmitted by the interface; • Blue: the total amount of non-TCP traffic transmitted by the interface.

If you want to change the types of traffic that are displayed, use the checkboxes above the graph and then click “Update.” By default, all three types are shown. The data displayed is additive: Accelerated TCP (accelerated) traffic is shown first (closest to the x-axis), then Native TCP (non-accelerated) traffic, and then other (non-TCP) traffic.

The graphs show throughput for the last five minutes by default. You may select a different time period to display from the navi-gation list, up to one year’s worth of data. Click the Update button to display data for the selected period.

NOTE: The Opti-WAN only stores traffic pattern data; it does not store any of the actual data that passes through it. It may take a few minutes before useful traffic pattern data is available when you first start the accelerator.

The traffic pattern data is stored in the Opti-WAN for one year and does not clear out when the unit is restarted. You do not have to perform any database maintenance.

8.2 Round-Trip-Time Histograms

In addition to the traffic monitor, the Analysis navigation menu also includes two histograms that show the traffic volume (in bytes) and the number of flows.

The Opti-WAN charts those values as histograms, versus round trip delay (or Round Trip Time, RTT), measured and grouped in various millisecond increments.

Both histograms can display data for various time intervals, ranging from the last five minutes to the last year. You may check the Auto-refresh check-box at the lower left corner of each histogram chart, to have the graph update automatically every five seconds.

8.2.1 Traffic Histogram

The Traffic Histogram represents the total volume of traffic in bytes, passing through the accelerator appliance during the selected time period, for each RTT bin.

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8.2.2 Flow Count Histogram

The Flow Count Histogram represents the Number of TCP flows active and passing through the accelerator appliance, during the selected time period for each RTT bin.

Figure 8-3. Flow Count Histogram: Number of active TCP flows vs. RTT (ms).

8.3 Packet Capture

The Packet Capture button enables an administrator to capture the protocol headers for traffic going through this Opti-WAN accelerator and saves the capture in a compressed standardized format. The captured files can be forwarded to Black Box to help tune performance, when appropriate.

Capture files are limited to one million packets, stored in pcap format and tar-gzip compressed. Figures 8-4 through 8-6 show the Packet Capture steps as they are presented on the Web-based user interface.

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Figure 8-5. Packet Capture started.

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As shown in Figure 8-7, all stored packet captures are listed in a pulldown menu format. These archived files may be retrieved or deleted on request.

Figure 8-7. Packet Capture, manage files.

Figure 8-8. Packet Capture filters.

Packet Capture allows the use of TCPDump packet filters to further define the data to be captured. More information about the TCPDump filter syntax can be found by clicking the “tcpdump-style” or “Show examples” link on the Packet Capture page as

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Chapter 9: Troubleshooting the Opti-WAN

9. Troubleshooting the Opti-WAN

If you have problems during Opti-WAN installation, the following answers may help you resolve them.

9.1 Quick Answers

9.1.1 The Opti-WAN is Not Reachable via the Default IP Address— 192.168.111.1.

If your computer is connected to the Opti-WAN accelerator, but when you enter 192.168.111.1 into the browser’s address bar, you get a message that it is not reachable, follow the steps below.

Use this procedure if you are unable to browse to an Opti-WAN accelerator when it is first installed. If you have already installed the Opti-WAN and are unable to contact it again using the IP address that you assigned, see Section 9.2, Recovery Console. 1. Important! Make sure that the Opti-WAN accelerator is powered up. The Opti-WAN has a POWER button/indicator on the

front panel that will be lit if the unit has been powered up. If the POWER button is dark, make sure that the power cord has been connected securely in the back and is plugged into a working power source. Then press the POWER button for at least three seconds to power up the Opti-WAN. Hold the button down until the green LED is on and is not blinking. You may use a pen or a bent paper clip to push the button.

2. Check physical connectivity to make sure that all cables are connected securely.

3. Next, verify that the laptop/workstation that is connected to the Opti-WAN has an IP address with the prefix 192.168.111 (for example, set the IP address on your laptop to 192.168.111.2). Set the network mask to 255.255.255.0 for the laptop’s Ethernet interface.

4. If the laptop has multiple Ethernet interfaces, ensure that only the interface that is connected to the Opti-WAN accelerator has the 192.168.111 prefix.

• Under Windows, open a command window and type “ipconfig /all” to check for the assignment of IP addresses. If no IP address is assigned to the Ethernet interface that is attached to the Opti-WAN, type “ipconfig /renew”.

• Under Linux/FreeBSD, type “/sbin/ifconfig -a” to check for address assignment. If the correct IP is not present, type “/sbin/dhcli -ent eth0”, where eth0 should be replaced by the name of the Ethernet interface that is connected to the Opti-WAN.

If the laptop has multiple Ethernet interfaces, it is essential to ensure that the correct Ethernet interface is connected and configured.

9.1.2 The Opti-WAN Is Not Reachable via the Assigned IP Address.

Use the Recovery Console, Section 9.2 if you are unable to browse to an Opti-WAN accelerator. This is particularly useful if you have forgotten the accelerator’s assigned IP address.

9.1.3 The System Seems to Be Stuck on the “Save Settings” Page.

After changing Interface Settings and clicking the Apply button, window refresh does not work for older browsers in the Mozilla family. Use either Internet Explorer or Firefox. When this happens, it is safe to power down the accelerator after 60 seconds, and then power it back up again.

9.1.4 My Internet Connection Is Down.

The Bypass connector on the Opti-WAN accelerator should failover in case the Opti-WAN has a power failure or a software malfunction.

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Chapter 9: Troubleshooting the Opti-WAN

Refer to the installation diagram, Figure 9-1, for the following steps.

1. If an Opti-WAN accelerator is reachable via the configured IP address, point your browser to the IP address. On the Status win-dow, check whether both the WAN and LAN interfaces are in the Connected state (shown in green). If any of these checks fail, proceed with the following steps.

2. Check that Opti-WAN accelerator has power. The POWER button on the front panel must be lit.

3. Bypass connector—Verify that the cable that connects the Bypass Unit to your Internet access router is plugged securely into an Ethernet port on the router, and that the cable that connects the Bypass Unit to your LAN switch is also plugged securely into the switch.

4. Finally, manually force the bypass to activate by disconnecting the USB cable between the Opti-WAN and the Bypass Unit, therefore passing traffic directly from the router to the switch and check whether Internet connectivity is restored.

If the above steps all fail to restore the Internet connectivity, it is possible that your Internet connection has failed.

Servers Opti-WAN _Firewall Router Internet

Smartphone at the airport Laptop computer on hotel Wi-Fi Desktop computer in home office Branch office network

Figure 9-1. Opti-WAN Installation Diagram.

9.1.5 I Do Not Notice Any Improvement in My Network Applications.

Make sure that you have installed your license and have enabled acceleration (see Chapter 5, Checking the Opti-WAN System Status).

Make certain that your Internet connection is not the bottleneck—it must have sufficient bandwidth for the data traffic that it has to support.

The Opti-WAN is designed to optimize network data delivery using the Accelerated TCP technology for transfers of large and small files over relatively long distance paths. Certain TCP applications that have mostly small transfers such as HTTP transactions over a LAN environment do not need acceleration and will not experience a significant degree of optimization.

In addition, certain applications such as CIFS actually create bottlenecks that cannot be eliminated through any acceleration mech-anisms without modifying the application behaviors or their associated data. Since the Opti-WAN does not alter the applications themselves, it does not accelerate such applications without modifications.

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Chapter 9: Troubleshooting the Opti-WAN

9.3 Recovery Console

The Opti-WAN is equipped with a recovery console that allows changes to its network settings and web user interface login. To login into the recovery console, you must have physical access to the appliance. Connect a keyboard and monitor the Opti-WAN appliance and turn the system on. Wait for the login prompt to appear and use the following credentials:

Login: recovery Password: recovery

Figure 9-2. Recovery Console.

A successful login to the recovery console will display the Recovery Console main menu (Figure 9-2). The arrow keys can be used to navigate the menu options.

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Chapter 9: Troubleshooting the Opti-WAN

The Network Settings menu (Figure 9-3) allows you to modify the Opti-WAN management port network configuration. The changeable network parameters are:

• app_ip - Appliance IP address • app_ip_dns - Appliance DNS server

• app_ip_gateway - Appliance default gateway

• app_ip_netmask - Appliance IP netmask The following network parameters are shown for reference. They should never be changed from their defaults.

• app_ip_type - Appliance IP type.

• lan_interface - LAN interface designation.

• management_interface - Management interface designation.

• wan_interface - WAN interface designation. Changes to the appliance’s network configuration are saved when you press the ‘ok’ button. New network settings are automatically loaded and immediately go into effect.

Figure 9-4. Password Reset.

The Web user interface login and password can be reset with the Recovery Console’s Password Reset menu option. Figure 9-4 shows the default login and password for the Opti-WAN appliance. For security purposes, Black Box recommends changing these default values as soon as possible.

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Chapter 9: Troubleshooting the Opti-WAN

9.4 Time Sync

You can use the Time Sync function to synchronize the appliance time with an NTP server. See Figure 9-5.

Figure 9-5. Time sync.

9.5 Contacting Black Box

The Contact Us entry under the Help tab provides Black Box Support and Corporate contact information. Black Box Technical Support

E-mail: [email protected] Phone: 724-746-5500

Corporate office: 724-746-5500

9.6 Returning the Unit for Repair

If you determine that your Opti-WAN unit is malfunctioning, do not attempt to alter or repair the unit. It contains no user- serviceable parts. Contact Black Box Technical Support at 724-746-5500 or [email protected].

Before you do, make a record of the history of the problem. We will be able to provide more efficient and accurate assistance if you have a complete description, including:

• the nature and duration of the problem. • when the problem occurs.

• the components involved in the problem.

• any particular application that, when used, appears to create the problem or make it worse.

9.7 Shipping and Packaging

If you need to transport or ship your Opti-WAN unit:

• Package it carefully. We recommend that you use the original container.

• If you are returning the unit, make sure you include everything you received with it. Before you ship for return or repair, contact Black Box to get a Return Authorization (RA) number.

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Appendix: Frequently Asked Questions

Appendix. Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)

1. What does the Opti-WAN do?

The Opti-WAN is a one-sided network acceleration device that speeds up TCP traffic from a single local point to any number of remote points. Common applications that may benefit from the Opti-WAN include: HTTP/HTTPS, NFS over TCP, FTP, Remote Desktop, and SSL-based VPN.

2. How is the Opti-WAN connected?

The Opti-WAN is deployed inline with traffic that is to be accelerated. Please refer to the Setup Guide for a connection diagram.

3. Do I need a crossover cable?

The Opti-WAN has Gigabit Ethernet interfaces, which support autosensing crossover connections. However, if existing devices on your network do not have autosensing capabilities, either the LAN or WAN port of the Bypass Unit should be connected via a crossover cable.

4. Is my router, switch, firewall, or network device compatible with Opti-WAN?

Because the Opti-WAN is compliant with TCP/IP standards, any network device supporting TCP/IP standards will work. There may, however, be problems such as duplex mismatch and issues with Cisco’s spanning tree convergence time. The acceleration itself may depend on whether TCP traffic is transparent to these intermediate devices.

5. What are the power requirements for the Opti-WAN?

The Opti-WAN accepts 100-240V AC power only.

6. How does the hardware bypass work?

The hardware Bypass connector is a mechanical relay. The Bypass connector will take a non-responsive Opti-WAN (because of crash, hardware, or power failure) off-line and restore the physical connection between the LAN and WAN side of your network.

7. What are the known incompatibilities?

The Opti-WAN may not be compatible with other in-line devices, such as WAN acceleration devices that could modify TCP traffic. Cisco switches can take up to 30 seconds to restore physical connectivity when bypass engages or disengages because of the spanning tree algorithm. Cisco PIX and ASA firewalls perform TCP state tracking, which may limit the ability of Opti-WAN to accelerate traffic to certain destinations.

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Appendix: Frequently Asked Questions

9. What are the Ethernet port configurations?

By default, the Opti-WAN accelerator is set to autonegotiation 10/100/1000. If autonegotiation fails, the Ethernet interfaces stay at the line speed but with half-duplex.

10. Does the Opti-WAN need an IP address to function?

Since the Opti-WAN accelerator acts as a transparent TCP proxy, it does not need an IP address to transfer packets. A static IP address is recommended for the management port.

11. What functions are available through the management interface?

The management interface includes licensing, configuration settings, network analysis, and remote software upgrade.

12. Does the Opti-WAN function as a router or firewall?

No, the Opti-WAN accelerator is a transparent, Layer 2 bridging device.

13. What are the vulnerabilities of the Opti-WAN?

If the management port is exposed to the Internet, the vulnerabilities are the same as any other server. With standard firewall protection, however, the Opti-WAN presents no additional security risks or vulnerabilities.

14. How do I get updates for the Opti-WAN?

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