Network Tools¶

The CISCO / BushNET Serial Manager provides graphical tools for managing VLANs, configuring Spanning Tree Protocol, and viewing syslog messages.

Overview¶

VLAN Editor¶

The VLAN Editor provides a visual interface for managing VLANs and port assignments.

Viewing VLANs¶

1. Open Tools → VLAN Editor
2. Click Refresh to fetch the current VLAN configuration from the switch
3. The VLAN table displays all configured VLANs with their status and assigned ports

Creating a VLAN¶

1. Enter the VLAN ID (2-4094)
2. Enter a VLAN Name (e.g., "Engineering")
3. Optionally add a Description
4. Click Create

Editing a VLAN¶

1. Select a VLAN from the table
2. Modify the name or description
3. Click Edit to apply changes

Deleting a VLAN¶

1. Select the VLAN to delete
2. Click Delete
3. Confirm the deletion

Assigning Ports to VLANs¶

1. Select a VLAN from the table
2. View Available Ports and Assigned Ports lists
3. Select a port and click Assign to add it to the VLAN
4. Select a port and click Remove to unassign it

Port Mode Configuration¶

For each port, configure the switchport mode:

Trunk Configuration¶

For trunk ports, configure:

Voice VLAN¶

Configure a voice VLAN for IP phones on access ports using the voice VLAN spinner.

Config Preview¶

Click Generate Config to preview the IOS commands:

vlan 10
 name Engineering
!
interface GigabitEthernet1/1
 switchport mode access
 switchport access vlan 10

Spanning Tree Configuration¶

The Spanning Tree dialog provides comprehensive STP management with support for multiple STP modes.

STP Modes¶

Global Settings¶

Configure system-wide STP parameters:

Global Features¶

Enable or disable system-wide STP features:

• BackboneFast — Faster convergence for indirect link failures
• UplinkFast — Faster failover for access-layer switches
• EtherChannel Misconfig Guard — Detect EtherChannel misconfiguration
• LoopGuard — Prevent alternate/root ports from becoming designated
• BPDU Guard Default — Enable BPDU Guard on all PortFast-enabled ports

Instance/VLAN Management¶

1. Select a VLAN or MST instance from the instance table

2. View root bridge information:

   • Root Bridge ID
   • Root Path Cost
   • Root Port
   • Bridge Priority

3. Set root bridge priority:

   • Click Set Root Primary to make this switch the root bridge
   • Click Set Root Secondary to make it the backup root bridge

Per-Port STP Settings¶

Select a port from the port status table to configure:

Port Status Table¶

The table shows the STP state of all ports:

Config Preview¶

Click Generate Config to preview the STP commands before applying.

Syslog Viewer¶

The Syslog Viewer provides a graphical interface for viewing, filtering, and managing switch log messages.

Viewing Logs¶

1. Open Tools → Syslog Viewer
2. Click Refresh to fetch log messages from the switch (parses show logging output)
3. Messages are displayed in a colour-coded table by severity

Severity Levels¶

Filtering¶

Filter log messages using multiple criteria:

Click Clear Filters to reset all filters and show all messages.

Statistics¶

The viewer displays real-time statistics:

• Total Messages — Total number of log entries
• Filtered — Number of messages matching current filters
• Errors — Count of error-level and above messages
• Warnings — Count of warning-level messages

Auto-Refresh¶

Enable Auto-Refresh to automatically poll for new log messages at a configurable interval.

Exporting Logs¶

Click Export to save filtered log messages to a file for analysis or compliance documentation.

Logging Configuration¶

The Syslog Viewer also allows you to configure switch logging settings:

Buffer Settings¶

Remote Syslog Server¶

Configure the switch to forward log messages to a remote syslog server:

Click Apply to send the logging configuration to the switch.