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NorthStar Controller Web UI Overview

You have two options for the NorthStar Controller Web UI:

  • Classic—this option, also known as the Ext UI, is available for all releases. Ext refers to the Extended Javascript (ExtJS) framework upon which this UI is based.

  • New—this option is available starting in release 6.2.0.

To switch between the two UI options, see Switching Between the Classic and New UI. This document shows screenshots from a mix of the two UIs.

The NorthStar Controller web UI has the following menus and sub-menus:

  • Favorites

  • Dashboard

  • Network Management: Includes sub-menus for Topology, Nodes, Analytics, and Provisioning.

  • Applications: Includes sub-menus for Bandwidth Calendar. Network, Events, Path Optimization, Reports, and Maintenance.

  • Administration: Includes sub-menus for Analytics, Authentication, Device Profile, License, Subscribers, System Health, System Settings, Task Scheduler, Transport Controller, Topology Filter, and Users.

Figure 1 shows the navigation bar (or left-nav bar) that appears on the left side of each page. From this bar, you can select the different menu items and sub-menus. You can access the sub-menus by clicking the down arrows.

Figure 1: Web UI Main MenusSidebar menu with teal background featuring Favorites, Dashboard, expandable Network Management, Applications, and Administration sections with icons.
Note:

The availability of some functions and features is dependent on user group permissions.

If you have certain pages that you use frequently, you can save them to Favorites in the left-nav bar for quick access.

The Dashboard (landing page) shows the network status and statistics information in the form of widgets. This page is displayed when you first log in to the web UI. Figure 2 shows a sample of the available widgets.

Figure 2: Dashboard Network monitoring dashboard displaying visualizations and metrics: pie chart for device count by vendor, tables for top LSP sources and destinations, bar charts for LSP summary and top 10 traffic for devices and interfaces.

The Network Management > Topology page is the main work area for the live network you load into the system.

Figure 3 shows an example of the Topology page.

Figure 3: Topology Page Network management interface screenshot showing network status overview with paths, links, and PCC activity, topology visualization of nodes and links with color-coded utilization, node details with IP addresses and statuses, and toolbar for additional actions.

The Network Management > Nodes page, shown in Figure 4, displays detailed information about the nodes in the network. With this view, you can see node details, tunnel and interface summaries, groupings, and geographic placement (if enabled), all in one place.

Figure 4: Nodes PageNetwork management interface displaying nodes list with vmx101 selected showing details like Hostname vmx101 IPv4 10.0.0.101 Management IP 172.16.18.101 AS 11 ISIS Area 490011 System ID 0110.0000.0101 Tunnels tab showing tunnel names like Silver-101-102 Node Z destinations bandwidth and operational status Active Refresh Node List button and pagination controls visible.

The Network Management > Analytics page , shown in Figure 5, provides a collection of quick-reference widgets related to analytics.

Figure 5: Analytics PageNetwork management dashboard showing data visualizations of Label Switched Paths with radial graph, bar charts, line graphs, and tunnel details table.

The Network Management > Provisioning sub-menu has options for provisioning LSPs, configuring devices, and managing work orders (Figure 6 through Figure 11).

Figure 6: Provision LSPUser interface for admin panel with navigation menu on the left and editable binary configuration fields on the right. Save button at bottom right.
Figure 7: Provision Diverse LSPUser interface for configuring Label Switched Paths in a network system. Includes settings for two tunnels with fields for name, nodes, bandwidth, priorities, and metrics. Features NETCONF and RSVP provisioning. Contains buttons for preview, cancel, and submit.
Figure 8: Provision Multiple LSPsConfiguration interface for provisioning multiple Label Switched Paths in MPLS network, highlighting Properties tab, ID Prefix, Count, Provisioning Method, and Submit button.
Figure 9: Configure LSP DelegationConfigure LSP Delegation interface for managing MPLS paths, with options to add or remove delegations, and a table listing LSPs with nodes, IPs, and bandwidth details.
Figure 10: Device ConfigurationDevice Configuration interface with Add, Modify, Delete buttons above an empty table with Name and View Mode columns, and a Provision button below.
Figure 11: Work OrdersScreenshot of a Workorders interface showing a table with work orders details like Action, ID, Type, and Status. Two entries are visible with action add, type lsp, and status Activated. Navigation tools and an empty LSP Details section are also present.

The Administration menu contains the following items:

Note:

The “Admin only” functions can only be accessed by the Admin.

  • Admin Group

  • Authentication (Admin only)

  • Device Profile

  • License (Admin only)

  • Logs

  • Subscribers (Admin only)

  • System Health

  • System Settings (Admin only)

  • Task Scheduler

  • Transport Controller

  • Topology Filter

  • Users (Admin only)

Additionally, you can access user and help functions in the top right corner of the window.

  • User Options (user icon)

    • Account Settings

    • Log Out

  • Help Options (help icon)

    • Documentation (link to NorthStar customer documentation)

    • About (version and license information)

Switching Between the Classic and New UI

When you log in to the Northstar Controller for the first time after installing or upgrading, you are placed in the Classic UI.

When you subsequently log in to the Northstar Controller, you are placed in the UI that you last used. Your last selection is saved per user per browser.

To switch from the Classic UI to the New UI, click the hamburger icon in the top right corner and select New UI.

To switch from the New UI to the Classic UI, click the four-square icon in the top right corner and select Ext UI.

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