CCBuilder is the newest tool in the FineConnection component suite. It does not yet have a decent manual. We're working on that! Below is a short How-to that hopefully is of some assistance.
What does "CCBuilder" stand for?
"CCBuilder" stands for Component Config Builder.
What exactly does it do?
CCBuilder guides you through the process of building the xml config files for the components. With a few mouseclicks you can tell CCBuilder for what component you want to build a config (Graph, Pie, table etc), what data you want to collect (Targets - OID's and Instance's) and how you want to show the output visually (series colors etc).
After you have finished defining your configuration file you can save all settings to a xml file. CCBuilder takes care of the proper format. The config file can be used to launch a component or can be read with your favorite text editor (for editing manually - if necessary).
How can CCBuilder be executed?
CBuilder comes packed in the "FineConnection SNMP Components" suite of products and gets it's own menu-entry when installed.
Where is CCBuilder installed?
The CCBuilder executable file is installed in the same directory as where the components are also installed:
- 32 bits Windows OS - "C:\Program Files\FineConnection\SNMP Components\"
- 64 bits Windows OS - "C:\Program Files (x86)\FineConnection\SNMP Components\"
CCBuilder also comes with a few rfc mib files pre-installed. Those (and a few other directories) can be found in "C:\Users\Public\Documents\SNMP Components\DefaultMIBS\". Don't make any changes in this (and underlying) directory because it can corrupt your system.
Can I compile my own mibs?
Yes, definitely! It's very easy, follow the steps below:
- Close CCBuilder (if running)
- Save your mibs in the directory "C:\Users\Public\Documents\SNMP Components\CustomMIBS\" or in a separate folder under this di
rectory. - Launch CCBuilder
- Check the log file in order to verify that all mib files are compiled correctly and that there are no dependency errors. You can view the log file by selecting the "Compiler" tab at the bottom and clicking the "Open the logfile" button.
Please note that the mibs are compiled each time you launch CCBuilder! The more mib files you save in the "CustomMIBS" directory, the longer it takes for CCBuilder to launch!
What steps are involved in building a simple config?
The following example describes the steps to build a simple config file that graphs the incoming bytes (ifInOctets) on port .7 of a switch.
- Launch CCBuilder.
- The "Host details" dialog pops-up. Use this dialog to enter the required data to get access to the SNMP agent of the switch (IPaddress or hostname, Community, SNMP version etc). This dialog pops-up each time CCBuilder is started but you can also switch to another host in the same CCBuilder session by selecting Options|Host.
- In order to build config files that really work CCBuilder needs to know exactly which OID's are supported by the SNMP agent in the switch. Therefore CCBuilder wants you to perform a "device Inspection". During an inspection, CCBuilder sends SNMP getnext requests to the SNMP agent and expands those "branches" of its mib-tree from which a valid responds is received. To start the "Inspection process", right-click the iso node in the mib tree and select "Inspect". Please be aware that Inspect only tests for the nodes that are in the tree!
- After "Inspect" has finished, walk through the mib tree to iso.org.dod.internet.mgmt.mib-2.interfaces.ifTable.ifEntry. Right-click on the node "ifInOctets" and select Build|Graph. The ifInOctets node is added to the target table on the right.
- CCBuilder automatically takes some default assumptions. I.e. it assumes that you want to show the ifInOctets of ALL ports of the switch in a graph (Instance = AI). We're only interested in the ifInOctets of port .7. Click on the ifInOctets target and use the Instance type control to change the instance to "Fixed". The instance is now automatically reset to .0. Select the ifInOctets target row again and click the "Specify the Instance" speedbutton. A new dialog pops-up. Enter .7 in the control and press the Ok button. The instance is now set to .7.
- You can customise your graph by using the controls on the right side of the CCBuilder window. You can define the text for the X-axis, Y-axis, titles etc
- Finally, click the "Test" button to test your config.
- You can also save your config to a file on disk by using the Filename controls on top of the CCBuilder windows to specify the name and location of the config file and after that clicking the Save button.
- If you have saved your config, you can also check the "Create a component shortcut on the desktop" checkbox. This will create a shortcut on your desktop that you can use to quickly launch the RTGraph component and your config!