
Rapid Spanning Tree Visio Simulation
=====================================

Requirements
------------
To run this software you will need any version of Visio 2000 (US or International English) running under Windows 2000 (preferred), Windows NT4.0, or Windows98.  As this software was built and tested on Visio 2000 (SR1), SR1 is advised. It is your responsibility, not ours, to ensure that you are running a legally licensed copy of Visio. We do not distribute Visio.

Distribution
-------------
Releases of the simulation tool for standards contribution and study are distributed by posting a .zip file in the P802.1 documents directory. Go to:

 http://grouper.ieee.org/groups/802/1/index.html
 
and select the documents link and the directory for the year of distribution (currently docs2000). Each distribution file has a name of the form RVR_NNan.zip where 'NN' is a sub-version number, 'a' is a single alpha character and 'n' is an optional revision number. At the time of writing the current release is 0.06d and is distributed in RVR_06d.zip.

Unzipping the release file should extract the following or similar files:

Rapid Spanning Tree.vsl
Rapid Spanning Tree.vst
Rapid Spanning Tree.vss
Rapid Spanning Tree Rarely Used.vss
Rapid Spanning Tree Simulation Guide.pdf
Read_me.txt
Permitted_use.txt
install.bat

The .vsl file is a Microsoft DLL and contains the bulk of the intelligence of the tool (see below). The .vst is a Visio Template, i.e. the drawings that come up when you open a New file. The .vss is a Stencil. This is the set of prepared shapes, connectors, and icons that you can drag and drop onto the networks you draw and are recognized by the simulation tool.

The full stencil contains all the objects needed to control the simulation. Once these have been incorporated into a drawing, as has been done in the standard template, it is not necessary to retain them all on the stencil, so the standard  distribution uses a preferred  subset of the full stencil. 

The distribution may also contain a number of test scenario drawings as .vsd files. The Read_me.txt and Permitted_use.txt files are also included by convention. They reiterate information found elsewhere in this guide.
 
Installation
------------
Prior to installation ensure that Visio is not running.

Installation is simply a matter of copying files to certain directories used by Visio. The .vsl file should be copied to the Startup  directory and the .vst and .vss files to a Rapid Spanning Tree sub-directory in the Solutions directory. When first installing the simulation tool it will be necessary to create the Rapid Spanning Tree sub-directory with exactly that name.

The accompanying read_me.txt, permitted_use.txt, and install.bat files can safely be kept in the Rapid Spanning Tree directory, though of course the purpose of install.bat is to copy the files, creating the directory if necessary.
The example scenarios (.vsd files) can be copied to any convenient directory. They will automatically pickup the necessary stencil from the Rapid Spanning Tree directory.

The install.bat file included in the distribution can  be used to automate installation of the Rapid Spanning Tree solution. It assumes that Visio is installed on the current drive, though it takes a single optional parameter x: to copy to drive x instead.

Versioning
----------
The stencil provides objects to be placed on each drawing page that display the Rapid Spanning Tree .vsl version, the stencil (.vss) version, and the version of the template (.vst) file used to create a drawing (.vsd) file.

Once you have opened a Rapid Spanning Tree drawing you should check, by eye, that the stencil version matches the .vsl version e.g.  0.05s, 005s.  Differences here means that you have not correctly installed or upgraded from a previous version

Uninstalling Rapid Spanning Tree
--------------------------------
The  Rapid Spanning Tree solution can be completely removed from Visio by removing the .vsl file from the Startup folder while Visio is not running. It is not necessary to delete the Rapid Spanning Tree subfolder from the Solutions directory, although that can of course be done.

Purpose
-------
This simulation tool is being made available as is to facilitate study of IEEE P802.1w Rapid Reconfiguration and RSTP and advance the standards process. There is no commitment on the part of the authors to further develop this tool, to fix real or perceived defects, or to continue to distribute the tool in the future. This statement should not be taken to represent any disavowal of or reduction in the intellectual property rights of the authors or their employers.

Unsupported Software
--------------------
Except as otherwise explicitly and personally communicated, the authors have no time or resource to answer questions about the tool itself, accept bug reports, deal with enquiries as to if there is a new release or further planned development, or respond to any other input on how the program could be improved. You may receive no response to any such communication.
Observations and constructed scenarios to facilitate discussion of the behavior of RSTP, the faithfulness of the tool in reproducing such behavior, and to advance the standards effort consistent with the Purpose described above can be emailed to Mick Seaman mick@telseon.com or circulated to the P802.1 working group directly.

Permitted Use
-------------
Permission is granted to use the simulation tool for the Purpose described above. In using  the tool you agree (a) not to reverse engineer or copy the design of the tool or its methods without the express written consent of its authors (b) that you are aware of the restrictions and possible shortcomings of the tool described in Disclaimer below (c) that the Activation Icon provided in the tool is retained and displayed in all diagrams created using the tool and subsequently distributed.
 
Disclaimer
----------
While the authors are interested in advancing standards in general and IEEE P802.1w Rapid Reconfiguration in particular, there can be no guarantee that the Rapid Spanning Tree simulation represents an accurate or permitted interpretation of any revision of P802.1w or the final standard when that is approved. No representation is made as to the fitness of the tool for any particular purpose, including but not limited to the design and performance modeling of networks. The tool is being distributed (see Purpose above) to facilitate study of RSTP by participants in the standards process. It is the responsibility of the users, not the authors, of the tool to verify the correspondence between the behavior represented by the tool and the state machines and other provisions of P802.1w.

Copyright
---------
Submissions (slides, printed papers, electronic versions of these) to the IEEE standards process are copyright IEEE. The templates, i.e. the initial drawings that you will see when first selecting the Rapid Spanning Tree solution in Visio, are no exception as will be any drawings that you produce and share with the standards group. This copyright may extend to the literal representation of the application as a collection of bytes, allowing the IEEE and participants in the IEEE standards process to make copies as required for study. However these rights do not extend to use, modification, reverse engineering, or reuse of the simulation tool or its internal methods, anymore than they extend to the coding and representational methods used in the postscript, PDF, word, or Zip files used to share text and diagrams. Use of the simulation tool is subject to the conditions described in Permitted Use above; with these restrictions the copyright of any diagrams and scenarios that you create using the tool rests with yourself in the first instance.


History and Features
====================



Issue   0.06d            2000 Dec 16
=============
Main features/changes

 - Implements P802.1w/D8

 - MaxAge    (default 20) is now a setable parameter.
 - HelloTime (default 2)  is now a setable parameter.
 - FwdDelay  (default 15) is now a setable parameter.

 - Bugget fixed whereby forceVersion zero bridges were not 
   ignoring RSTP BPDUs.

 

Issue   0.06c            2000 Dec 01
=============
Main features/changes

 - Implements P802.1w/D8(ProofRead)

 - A bridge can be powered on/off manually, (dotted outline).
   Start powered off and auto power on randomly in a 
   HelloTime interval ie 2 secs, (dashed outline). Seed
   is selectable (0 = no rand).  Recordable option.
   Advice -set rand = 0 while a diagram is being developed
   (for speed)

 - forceVersion can now be toggled between Zero and Two
   (a bridge is colored BLUE when forceVersion == 0) 
   Force Version is fixed for a bridge (ie NOT recordable)

 - The time that the system takes to detect stability has
   now been made a setable parameter.  Default 16 secs.
   Stability has been re-defined to include no change of
   forwarding/learning state as well as Root/Desgin etc.
   Note - with random start times and tens of bridges
   means that there can be may hundreds of steps and the
   recalculation can take tens of seconds.  So the shorter
   the fwd calc time the faster.

 - TxHoldCount (default 4) is now a setable parameter.
   Same for all bridges.   This allows the investigation
   of alternate values for TxHoldCount.
   
 - The option (and buttons) to goto a fixed step number 
   has been withdrawn.  Steps numbers are now too fluid
   to be usefull and the buttons caused interface clutter.



Issue   0.05v            2000 Nov 22
=============
Main features/changes

 - Implements P802.1w/(D8-) i.e. what WILL be in D8 (hopefuly)

 - Hublets now circular and connect in the centre. They are 
   automaticaly "forced to back" so BPDU arrow heads are not
   obscured.  Old square hublets still fuction but are now
   not available on stencil.

 - Added ability to set each ports Priority.  (uses Data3 
   in similar way that setting portId uses Data1 and 
   portPathCost uses Data2 - see word doc for full documentation)
   It is input as a (max) two digit HEX number.

 - Fixed bug in that having mutltiple LAN segments connected into 
   the same port! caused the systems to run forever.  User is 
   now warned and sim does not leave the "need reset mode".

 - Fixed bug in which links connected to an an open break 
   did not start disabled.  Note only segments that connect to
   NOTHING are considered operEdge.
   
 - Toggle Bridge Power is now on Bridge menu (right mouse click)
   and changes the outline of a bridge but otherwise has
   NO EFFECT - this feature is under construction.
                             



Issue   0.05t            2000 Nov 20
=============
Main features/changes

 - Implements P802.1w/(D8-) i.e. what WILL be in D8 (hopefuly)

 - Port Probe Added.  Once a reset button has been pressed,
   you can point the red port probe into a port and the 
   variables at that port are disaplayed in the port output box.
   The port probe can be moved without the need to re-calc again.

 - Fixed bug in seting a port Path Cost which caused it not to
   work if the port also had a manualy set portID.



Issue   0.05s            2000 Nov 17
=============
Main features/changes

 - Implements P802.1w/(D8-) i.e. what WILL be in D8 (hopefuly)

 - Teleson, Activation Icon added.  Each active page MUST now
   have a Teleson Activation Icon, on that page, it must be
   in from the edge, in front, not mucked about with.
   Unless the the above is complied with the simlator will 
   not opperate. 
   Note you do not of course need to have the Teleson 
   Activation Icon showing in  STATIC  diagrams    which 
   have been previously generated by the simulator.    

 - The simulation now simulates 1000 (was 100) ticks a second
   (so takes a little longer to run).  Times now appear 
   with three decimal places.  (Users with 05n diagrams will 
   need to re-record any config changes.  In all other ways,
   excluding the need for the Teleson Activation Icon,
   0.05n diagrams are compatible with 0.05s diagrams)

 - Display bug fixed, in that Activity and bpdu list WIDTH was
   not actining a specified (i.e. allowing user to truncate the
   width.

 - Added ability to set each ports Path Cost.  (uses Data2 
   in similar way to setting port Id uses Data1 - see word doc
   for full documentation)



Issue   0.05n(1-4)      2000 Nov 06-10
=============
Main features/changes

 - Implements P802.1w/D7+

 - Fixed deficiency in that syncConf flag was not
   considered in determining if incoming bpdu was
   a ConfirmedRoot Message.  (This is a deficiency 
   that is also in D7)

 - Install time - batch file now attepmts to create
   the  startup  folder required for Visio2000



Issue   0.05m      2000 Nov 03
=============
Main features/changes

 - Implements P802.1w/D7+

 - correction of a toolbar button that was incorectly
   showing as enabled not disabled.

 - Example 1 re-arranged so that last bpdu sent is 
   nearest to diagram. (as in expample 2)



Issue   0.05k      2000 Nov 01
=============
Main features/changes

 - Implements P802.1w/D7+

 - txCount control leaked bucket sugestion



Issue   0.05j      2000 Nov 01
=============
Main features/changes

 - Implements P802.1w/D7+

 - txCount control updated as sugested in a comment

 - Six bridge (example2) added
 
 - Setable Backstop Time added (to stop accidental 'run forever') 



Issue   0.05g      2000 Oct 31
=============
Main features/changes

 - Implements P802.1w/D7+

 - Documentation moved to a word file called  "Rapid Spanning Tree - Visio.doc"

 - Connection Change recorder now released - see documentation


 
Issues  0.05a - 0.40m  
=====================
   Special internal releases as requested by customer.  
   Documenetation unchanged from 0.04k


Issue   0.04k      2000 Oct 15
=============
Main features/changes

 - Attempting to implement to P802.1w/D7+
   (Implementation bugs are possible due to the large number of names changes) 

 - The whole approach is now PAGE based.

 - LANs are now implemeted as BOTH connector and line styles.

 - Bridge Port number display is now user selectable (none, all, used);

 - A new (nonprinting) hexagonal WalkFrom shape

 - Now does a true PLAY back of a calculated sernario. (So faster)

 - Hublets (small fixed square grey four port) hubs added.

 - operEdge is now NOT magicaly set for LANs attached to a ports and a Hub(let)

 - LAN (and line) ending size/weight now user selectable.
 
 - Bridges can be expaneded and shrunk (when combined with above both large 
   and small scale diagrams can be created)

 - Horizontal and vertial LANs now supplied for convience, as it is easier
     when using 'connectors' to start in one of these two positions.

 - Support for (comming in future release) of display of sync proposals and aggrements




Issue   0.03p      2000 Oct 06
=============
Main features/changes

 - Still attempting to implement to P802.1w/D6 
     ie does NOT include D7 changes.

 - Nearly all items and figures now smaller and use thinner lines.

 - LANs are now implemeted as conectors not lines.

 - Horizontal and vertial LANs now supplied for convience, as it is easier
     when using 'connectors' to start in one of these two positions.

 - Designated & opperEgde now has new symbol i.e. black blob & diamond.

 - Backup Discarding now has new symbol (three strikes) note this can be
     thought of as Alternate Discarding (two strikes) but the extra stike
     reports this a port as being in Backup state.

 - Bridge now shows Root(Bridge)Id and Root Path cost under its BrigeId.

 - Activity list now shows a pointer to the line being displayed
     in the diagram.

 - RST Toolbar is now only show once an RST document is created or loaded
     (All new/opened pages are scanned and the toolbar is shown if any page
     contains an object named "Bridge".)  The RST toolbar will stay showing
     until visio is closed.

 - Documentation now on second page of template.
   



Issue   0.03m      2000 Sept 29
=============
If you received issue 0.03g please delete all the files that came with it,
especially   RSV.vsl  which is now obsolete.  (Check that it is not in 
Visio's  startup  folder)



Issue   0.03g      2000 Sept 27 
=============
First issue.


-- 
The Authors





	
