Breakout Usage via GUI

The following section provides a step-by-step explanation on how to initially configure the CML ² Breakout utility for a server, and then how the active labs can be retrieved, enabled and used.

Server Configuration

1. In a terminal, start the Breakout tool with breakout.exe ui (the actual tool name will be different depending on the platform used).

   See also

   More about this can be found at the page that documents the breakout ui command.

2. Launch your web browser and point it at http://localhost:8080

3. Click on the Configuration tab at the top of the page.

   

   Figure 1: Configuration Tab

4. Update the following information at a minimum:

   • “Controller address”: This can be either the IP address or the DNS name of the CML ² server. It needs to include the https:// and should not have any trailing slashes /

   • “Username”: The username used to authenticate with the CML ² server

   • “Password”: The password used to authenticate with the CML ² server

     Note

     The Verify TLS certificates may need to be disabled, if the CML ² server certificate is not trusted by the local PC.

     Other settings can be modified based upon the other executable options.

   • Click on “Save”.

   

   Figure 2: Configuration Settings

Warning

If settings like “Listen Address” or “UI Server Port” were changed, then a restart of the utility is required to make those changes effective. Most other changes take effect immediately after saving them.

Lab Retrieval and Launch

1. Launch your web browser and point it at http://localhost:8080

2. Retrieve the list of Active Labs by clicking on the refresh icon.

   

   Figure 3: Load labs from server

3. Enable the CML ² Breakout utility for the specified lab by clicking on the on/off control on the right of the name.

   

   Figure 4: Enabling a particular Lab

4. At this point, you can connect to your devices for that lab by attaching to your localhost with the specified port for that interface. If you do not know what the port is, you can view the mapping by clicking on the lab title as shown in the figure above.

5. Click on the enabled lab table row to display the lab details.

6. This screen allows you to enable or disable the CML ² Breakout utility for the serial ports connecting to each device. On this screen the following information is available

   • Serial Port per Device: Displays if the virtual serial port is enabled, the associated localhost port number assigned to the port. The port number can be changed, but only when the port is “off” / disabled.

   • Direct launch link: A direct launch link is provided for machines that have the appropriate protocol mapped in their host operating system to launch the preferred Telnet or VNC application.

   • The port numbers will start with the number defined in the server configuration file. The default value is 9000. The port number then increments for each serial device for that node. Then the next node is assigned its ports.

   

   Figure 5: View the lab details for a lab

Note

At this time, there is not a way to automatically sort off of the node label, but the node ID (which is generated as devices are added to a lab.) Ports can be modified manually, but that stays only with the Lab configuration file. If you want to re-use modified settings, it would be good to save that file with a different name, and then customize the method used to launch the CML ² Breakout utility so that it specifies the server and configuration lab files to be used.