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NorthStar Controller Web UI Overview

You have two options for the NorthStar Controller Web UI: Classic, New.

The Classic option is also known as the Ext UI. Ext refers to the Extended Javascript (ExtJS) framework upon which this UI is based.

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 Menus Menu with options: Favorites (star), Dashboard (speedometer), Network Management (network diagram), Applications (window), Administration (gear), teal background.
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 visualizations: pie chart of device count by vendor, tables for top LSP sources and destinations, LSP summary bar chart, and bar charts for top 10 traffic of 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 showing network topology with active paths at 100 percent, active links at 88 percent, and active PCC at 90 percent. Nodes are all up, with details like name, hostname, and IP address displayed in a table.

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 Page Network management interface screenshot showing node details for vmx101: Hostname vmx101, IPv4 10.0.0.101, AS 11, ISIS Area 490011, with 8 Active Tunnels tab selected.

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

Figure 5: Analytics Page Network analytics dashboard showing Label Switched Paths with network topology, path types, traffic data, metric distribution, delay over time, and detailed tunnel 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 LSP Configuration interface for LSP provisioning in a network management system with fields for Name, Node A and Z, IP Z, and dropdowns for Provisioning Method NETCONF, Type RSVP, Admin Status Up, Path Type primary. Includes buttons Preview Path, Cancel, Submit.
Figure 7: Provision Diverse LSP User interface for provisioning Label Switched Paths in a network with fields for tunnel configuration and general settings.
Figure 8: Provision Multiple LSPs User interface for configuring multiple LSPs in MPLS networks, showing fields for ID Prefix, Count, Provisioning Method and Type, and bandwidth settings. Tabs include Properties, Advanced, Design, Scheduling, and User Properties. Action buttons: Submit and Cancel.
Figure 9: Configure LSP Delegation Configuration interface for LSP Delegation in MPLS networks with options to add or remove delegations. Features include a table with LSP details such as Name, Node A and Z, IPs, and Bandwidth. Controls for selection, pagination, downloading, and submitting changes available.
Figure 10: Device Configuration Device Configuration interface with options to Add, Modify, or Delete configurations, table with Name and View Mode columns, Provision button below.
Figure 11: Work Orders Workorders interface screenshot showing a table with work order details like actions, IDs, types, statuses, submitter info, approvers, and approval comments. Two entries are visible with action add and status Activated. Pagination and toolbar options are present. An LSP Details section below has 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.