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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 Menus Sidebar menu with options: Favorites, Dashboard, Network Management dropdown, Applications dropdown, Administration.
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 visualizing device counts by vendor, top LSP sources and destinations, LSP status, and top traffic 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 44 of 44, active links 15 of 17, and active PCC 9 of 10.

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 showing selected node vmx101 with details: IPv4 10.0.0.101, Management IP 172.16.18.101, AS 11, ISIS Area 490011, and System ID 0110.0000.0101. Tunnels tab shows Silver-101-1-102, Silver-101-1-103, and Silver-101-1-104 with active status.

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 with LSP visualizations: network topology, path types, traffic data, metric distribution, delay graph, and tunnel details.

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 Administration panel with navigation menu on left and editable fields bit0 to bit31 on right. Save button at bottom right.
Figure 7: Provision Diverse LSP User interface for configuring dual LSP tunnels in network management, with fields for Name, Nodes, IPs, Bandwidth, and settings for Provisioning and Diversity.
Figure 8: Provision Multiple LSPs Configuration interface for provisioning multiple Label Switched Paths in a network. Properties tab open with fields for ID Prefix, Count, Provisioning Method, Type, Planned Bandwidth, Setup, Hold, Delimiter. Node A and Node Z sections are empty. Submit and Cancel buttons present.
Figure 9: Configure LSP Delegation Configuration interface for LSP Delegation in MPLS networks. Features table with LSP details, controls for adding or removing delegations, and bulk selection options.
Figure 10: Device Configuration Device Configuration interface with options to Add Modify Delete configurations a table for Name and View Mode and a Provision button.
Figure 11: Work Orders Screenshot of network management interface showing Workorders table with actions add, type lsp, status Activated. Admin is both submitter and approver. LSP Details section is empty.

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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