Technology Manager 2.0 Release

[CleggGP]

I am having one issue with the new site that started yesterday. The usage statistics is failing with an error message saying:

Unable to get a successful return from url: http://mhmonitoring.lds.org/api/reports/firewall/logs/<firewall_id>, Message

Is anybody else getting this message...?

An error message occurred when a user selected "View Detailed Statistics" on the firewall "Usage Statistics" tab. The cause of the error was identified and resolved. The issue was not service impacting, and now firewall logging statistics can be viewed.

[russellhltn]

I like the idea of being able to attach labels to the APs, but how would we identify them? The MAC address presented to the wired network is different than the one presented to the wireless devices. The best I can think up at the moment is to stand under on AP and then look at the list to see if that's the AP my phone has connected to. The alternative is to start unplugging them to see what unit lights up and appears in TM.

That's the difficult part, identifying which AP is which so that you can label them. You could try to disable all but one AP. After you've identified which AP it is and labeled it, you can move onto the next.

In trying this, I found that when a AP is disabled, the LED on the AP will go green (no WiFi connections). Normally the LED could be green or blue (connected to a WiFi user). That makes disable/look at LEDs a bit tricky.

When a AP is disabled it stops broadcasting. So you can see that in a app like WiFi Analyzer. And of course that is also reflected in signal strength. That might be a better method.

I've also found that the AP list in TM only updates with the 10 minute "checkin". So that list is not very responsive. You have to watch the "Last update" field in the "Usage Statistics" tab to see if the update has occurred.

[pete.arnett]

When you click on "Serial #" then "Usage Statistics" then "View Detailed Statistics" and when "Detailed Logging" window tries to get detail logs, you receive the message:
An error has occurred.
Unable to get a successful return from url: http://mhmonitoring.lds.org/api/reports ... TX151804Q7, Message:

Windows 7 Enterprise (64-bit)
Chrome Version 54.0.2840.71 M (64-bit)

[yarrgh]

I've also found that the AP list in TM only updates with the 10 minute "checkin". So that list is not very responsive. You have to watch the "Last update" field in the "Usage Statistics" tab to see if the update has occurred.

This is only the case when an AP is "added" or "removed" from the network. The 10 minute checkin interval doesn't apply to AP statuses. The refresh button will fetch all current data about the APs that it knows about (from the firewall checkin)

[CleggGP]

When you click on "Serial #" then "Usage Statistics" then "View Detailed Statistics" and when "Detailed Logging" window tries to get detail logs, you receive the message:

"An error has occurred. Unable to get a successful return from url: http://mhmonitoring.lds.org/api/reports/firewall/logs/<firewall_id>, Message:

The cause of the error is known. The issue is not service impacting, and a permanent solution is being investigated. But for now firewall logging statistics can again be viewed.

[Biggles]

Is there a timeline for when the TM notes, in the Help Centre, will be updated to reflect the changes implemented in V2.0?

[jamiep39]

I like the idea of being able to attach labels to the APs, but how would we identify them? The MAC address presented to the wired network is different than the one presented to the wireless devices. The best I can think up at the moment is to stand under on AP and then look at the list to see if that's the AP my phone has connected to. The alternative is to start unplugging them to see what unit lights up and appears in TM.

That's the difficult part, identifying which AP is which so that you can label them. You could try to disable all but one AP. After you've identified which AP it is and labeled it, you can move onto the next.

It would be a handy feature both for tracking down the APs and for troubleshooting to have a button in TM for each AP that triggers the flashing LED feature. I know from the Cisco controller/CLI the LEDs can be set to flash for up to an hour. That'd help easily identify which one is which.

[Biggles]

It would be a handy feature both for tracking down the APs and for troubleshooting to have a button in TM for each AP that triggers the flashing LED feature. I know from the Cisco controller/CLI the LEDs can be set to flash for up to an hour. That'd help easily identify which one is which.

Sounds like a good idea!

I used the following method to identify the WAP's for labelling. Turn off each unit (in TM), one at a time, then using my wifi enabled device as the trigger, walking by each WAP. If the WAP stayed green that was the device to label.

This method can be used whether the building is occupied, or not. Not sure if other users might be happy though, if their internet connection suddenly vanishes. Sorry.

[Mikerowaved]

It's pretty easy with the WiFi Analyzer app from the Google Play store. (It might be available for Apple products as well, I'm just not sure.) Configure WiFi Analyzer to NOT merge duplicated AP's and NOT use the group mode for list. Now Just walk around the building with the WiFi Analyzer app open and watch a parabola on the graph spike up when you pass an AP. Switch to LIST mode and record the MAC address and note the location in the building it was strongest. (If you press and hold an AP entry in LIST mode, it will give you a chance to copy all sorts of info, including the MAC address. You can then paste that into a memo, doc, or spreadsheet.) When you're done walking around, compare the MAC addresses you recorded with the list in TM. You should now have them all identified. Since you're not disturbing the network, this can easily be done on a Sunday.

[Biggles]

Unfortunately not available for Apple products. From a Google search, Apple removed comprehensive (Paraphrasing here) information apps like this from their store several years ago, as it breached their terms and conditions. Such a shame as it appears to be an ideal solution.