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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. EPE Planner, 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, Administration, some with dropdown arrows.
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 showing device count by vendor in a pie chart, top LSP sources and destinations in tables, LSP status summary in a bar chart, and top 10 traffic devices and interfaces in bar charts for network performance insights.

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 a network topology with 44 active paths, 15 active links, and 9 active PCC. Nodes are blue circles, links color-coded from blue to red for utilization. Bottom table details node info like name, hostname, IP, type, and status indicators.

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 PageScreenshot of a network management interface showing node details for vmx101 with IP 10.0.0.101, AS 11, and tunnels connected to vmx102, vmx103.

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 Label Switched Paths. Includes network topology, path types chart, traffic and delay graphs, metric distribution, 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 LSPConfiguration interface for provisioning an LSP with fields for method, name, node A and Z, IP address, type, status, path type, path name, bandwidth, setup, hold, metric, and comment. Includes Preview Path, Cancel, and Submit buttons.
Figure 7: Provision Diverse LSPConfiguration interface for provisioning Label Switched Paths in a network, featuring fields for tunnel names, nodes, IP addresses, bandwidth, RSVP settings, metrics, and comments. General section includes NETCONF and RSVP settings, link diversity, and diversity group. Options to preview, cancel, or submit configuration.
Figure 8: Provision Multiple LSPsConfiguration interface for provisioning multiple Label Switched Paths in a network, showing selected Properties tab with fields for ID Prefix, Count, Provisioning Method, and more.
Figure 9: Configure LSP DelegationConfiguration interface for LSP Delegation in networking, showing table with columns for Add, Name, Node A, Node Z, IP A, IP Z, and Bandwidth. Features buttons for Check All, Uncheck All, and Submit, with pagination and tools like refresh. Tabs for Add Delegation and Remove Delegation for managing MPLS paths.
Figure 10: Device ConfigurationDevice Configuration interface with options to Add, Modify, Delete; empty Name and View Mode table; Provision button.
Figure 11: Work OrdersNetwork management interface showing provisioning work orders table with two activated entries. Columns: Action, ID, Type, Status, Submitter, Submitted Time, Submitter Comment, Approver, Approved Time, Approver Comment. LSP Details section below with empty fields.

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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