Cymphonix Support FAQ

1. What model of Network Composer do I have?
2. How do I install Network Composer?
3. Where do I place Network Composer in my network?
4. How does Network Composer work with VLANs/Subnets?
5. How does Network Composer work with DHCP?
6. What is Telnet/SSH and how do I use it with Network Composer?
7. What kinds of applications are included in the various application signature groups? What specific applications are in the Peer to Peer (P2P) signature group?
8. Where can I access a live demo of Network Composer?
9. How do I update Network Composer?
10. Can I reset the system password?
11. Why can't I see any Web requests in my reports?
12. Are there any special configuration issues between Network Composer and my PIX™ router/firewall?
13. Why can't I see the graphics from an external Web connection?
14. Why does it show multiple hits for a Web page I only went to one time?
15. How do I upgrade my Network Composer?

1. What model of Network Composer do I have?

There are two Network Composer models which both have the model number printed on the front bezel of the systems. BC200/NC200 – Recommended for 15 - 150 users on connections with up to 25,000 packets per second (pps) connection.

• 150 user profile maximum
• 25,000 pps Web requests

BC500/NC500 – Recommended for 50 - 500 users on connections with up to 40,000 pps connection.

• 1500 user profile maximum
• 40,000 pps Web requests

BC100/4 – Early models of the BC500/NC500 may read BC100/4 on the front bezel. The systems are upgradeable to NC500 class machines with a memory upgrade available through Cymphonix Support Services.  For more information please contact us.

2. How do I install Network Composer?

See the Quick Start Guide.

3. Where do I place Network Composer in my network?

Network Composer typically installs between the Internet router/firewall and the LAN switch.

Ideally, it is installed within the same LAN broadcast domain as the majority of users, so that it can auto-populate the users on the network. Network Composer must be placed inline with the traffic flow in order to shape or optimize network traffic. For more information, see the appropriate Quick Start Guide.

4. How does Network Composer work with VLANs/Subnets?

Network Composer treats VLAN tagged frames as normal frames. No additional configuration is needed if you are using VLANs.

Network Composer can also monitor, report on, and shape users that are in different subnets. You must configure Network Composer to watch for these additional subnets in Tools & Settings -> Network -> Remote Subnets. Network Address Translation (NAT) between subnets is not supported. See the user guide for more information.

5. How does Network Composer work with DHCP?

Dynamic Host Configuration Protocol or DHCP is used within many networks to assign IP Addresses and therefore access to network resources. When DHCP is in use, a given user may have an IP Address for less than one day, to weeks at a time. For this reason, Network Composer tracks network usage by MAC address, which is specific to each machine on the network. As a result, networks using DHCP may notice that several IP Addresses are associated with each user profile.

6. What is Telnet/SSH and how do I use it with Network Composer?

Telnet and SSH (Secure Shell - a secure version of telnet) are used to access the command line configuration menu of Network Composer. We recommend using an SSH client to access the configuration menu especially if running over the Internet. While most computers have telnet capabilities built in, you can download a shareware application that supports both telnet and SSH from our download page. For instructions on connecting via Telnet/SSH, view this guide. (link to Accessing Network Composer Configuration Interface)

7. What kinds of applications are included in the various application signature groups? What specific applications are in the Peer to Peer (P2P) signature group?

A list of applications included in each application class is available by clicking on the class name in the Application Settings Manager. As of the v.5.1.1 release, the Peer to Peer application class includes signatures for the following file sharing clients, and will also match to any other clients that use the same root protocols:

• KaZaa
• Morpheus
• eDonkey
• Gnutella
• Shareaza/Gnutella2
• Direct Connect
• WinMX
• OpenNAP
• Napster
• iMesh
• BearShare
• BitTorrent
• Audiogalaxy
• Apple Juice
• Hotline
• GoBoogy
• Open FT
• Soul Seek

8. Where can I access a live demo of Network Composer?

You can request a live demo of Network Composer here.

9. How do I update Network Composer?

Each new update is released with a release notes which contains specific information about applying and activating the update on your system. A list of all the release notes is available here, and you can tell the current version of your system by looking at the main screen.

10. Can I reset the system password?

BC500 users can reset the system password by using the LCD. Scroll down the LCD menu until you see Reset Password, then choose the green check button to execute.

11. Why can't I see any Web requests in my reports?

Frequently this indicates that the patch cables have been connected backwards. Check to make sure that the patch cable from the LAN network switch is connected to the network jack and the cable to the router/firewall is connected to the source jack.

12. Are there any special configuration issues between Network Composer and my PIX™ router/firewall?

Network Composer is set by default to auto-negotiate the connection speed and link type (N-way). This allows the system to use standard patch cables in most situations. If you are using a Cisco PIX firewall, we recommend the use of a cross-over cable between Network Composer and the firewall.

13. Why can't I see the graphics from an external Web connection?

The graphics engine in Network Composer transmits graphics information over port 2001. If you are using an external connection (outside the firewall from the system), you may need to open port 2001 to allow the graphics information to be viewed.

14. Why does it show multiple hits for a Web page I only went to one time?

The system counts each item loaded on a Web page as a hit so some pages may have several hits each time the page is loaded. With the release of v.5.1.1, the hit counter does not count each image as a hit, which dramatically reduces the number of hits per page, making it much more useful as an indicator of Web surfing activity.

15. How do I upgrade my Network Composer?

See the Upgrade Guide.