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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 options: Favorites, Dashboard, Network Management, Applications, and Administration, some with expandable dropdowns.
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 with device count by vendor pie chart, top LSP sources and destinations tables, LSP status bar chart, and top 10 traffic devices and interfaces bar charts.

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 showing network topology with nodes and links. Network status: 100 percent active paths, 88 percent active links, 90 percent active PCC. Interface utilization bar below. Node details table includes name, hostname, IP address, device type, protocol statuses, AS number, ISIS area, network layer, management IP, and last update. Toolbar with additional actions on the right.

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 selected node vmx101 with its hostname, IP addresses, AS, ISIS area and system ID. Tunnels tab shows tunnel details like names, endpoints, bandwidth, control and path types, and operational status.

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

Figure 5: Analytics PageNetwork analytics dashboard showing visualizations and data on Label Switched Paths LSPs, including node connections, path types, traffic data, metrics, delay, and LSP 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 LSPAdmin panel interface with navigation menu on left and configuration fields bit0 to bit31 with editable text boxes on right. Save button at bottom.
Figure 7: Provision Diverse LSPUser interface for configuring diverse Label Switched Paths in a network, with tunnel settings and provisioning options.
Figure 8: Provision Multiple LSPsConfiguration interface for provisioning multiple Label Switched Paths in a network management tool. Current tab: Properties. Fields: ID Prefix, Count, Provisioning Method, Provisioning Type, Planned Bandwidth, Setup, Hold, Delimiter. Placement Section: Node A and Node Z with buttons for adding and removing nodes. Node Z Tag: default. Action Buttons: Submit, Cancel.
Figure 9: Configure LSP DelegationUser interface for configuring LSP delegation with options to add or remove delegations.
Figure 10: Device ConfigurationDevice Configuration interface with options to Add, Modify, Delete configurations, and a table with Name, View Mode columns.
Figure 11: Work OrdersWorkorders interface screenshot showing table with work order details: actions, IDs, types, statuses, submitters, submission times, comments, approvers, approval times, and approver comments. Two entries with action add, type lsp, status Activated. Submitter and approver are admin. Approval comments Auto Approve. Pagination controls, download, search, and settings icons. LSP Details section below with empty columns for Request, Name, LspIndex, IP A, IP Z, Bandwidth, Setup, Hold, Planned Metric.

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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