Compaq Computer Corporation Service Tool Description 1 PRODUCT NAME This paper describes the Compaq DSNlink Version 2.2D for OpenVMS software. For convenience, the full name is abbreviated to DSNlink. 1.1 DESCRIPTION DSNlink is a service tool that allows customers with service contracts to receive product support electronically from their Customer Support Center. Using DSNlink, customers submit and track service requests, copy files, perform searches of techni- cal support databases, and send mail pertaining to products for which they have service contracts. Compaq specialists respond electronically to service requests. If granted permission by the customer, specialists can also log in to the customer's system to diagnose and correct problems remotely. DSNlink provides the communications software necessary to con- nect to and maintain connections between a customer's DSNlink system and the Compaq host. Furthermore, to prevent imperson- ation and unauthorized access, DSNlink connections undergo a rigorous cryptographic authentication and authorization process. 1.2 REQUIREMENTS FOR USING DSNlink This service tool is available to entitled customers who have direct connections to Compaq via one of these network trans- ports: o TCP/IP-Direct connection capabilities such as Telnet access are required. Mail-only access is not sufficient. o A public X.25 network-The X.25 transport is not available from all Customer Support Centers. o DECnet (Phase IV or DECnet/OSI) o A modem transport over PSTN or ISDN lines Customers must meet any non-commercial use requirements imposed by their network. 1 1.3 WHO CAN USE DSNlink? To use DSNlink, customers must have a service contract with Compaq that meets the requirements of their Customer Support Center. There is no additional charge for the DSNlink software. However, customers must register to use DSNlink. 1.4 APPLICATIONS DSNlink has these applications: o Service Request o Interactive Text Search o File Copy o DSNlink Mail o Remote Login The following is an overview of the applications. The Service Request Application The Service Request application allows customers to get product support from the Customer Support Center. Customers can per- form the following operations electronically using the Service Request application: o Send a service request to Compaq o Add information to an existing service request o Review the work on a service request o Obtain lists of open and closed service requests o Obtain a list of their supported products o Obtain a list of routing codes for their supported products NOTE Some Customer Support Centers cannot provide lists of closed service requests and supported products. 2 The Interactive Text Search Application The Interactive Text Search application (ITS) allows customers to perform searches on the technical support databases related to their supported products. The databases have engineering change orders (ECOs), articles on solved problems, Software Product Descriptions, new product information, and so forth. ITS allows customers to perform operations such as searching databases, reading and extracting articles, and copying ECOs to their systems. The File Copy Application The File Copy application supports file copying by customers to Compaq and from Compaq specialists to customers. The files usu- ally pertain to service requests or are submitted for analysis. Files can be in text or binary format. The DSNlink Mail Application The DSNlink Mail application allows customers and Compaq to exchange mail. Compaq uses DSNlink Mail to send these types of mail to customers: o Flash mail has urgent product information, such as announcing software engineering change orders (ECOs). o Information mail is general product information. o Business mail explains new products and services and provides information about updates to existing products and services. o Survey mail requests customers' opinions on Compaq services and product quality. Some Customer Support Centers process service requests in DSNlink Mail rather than the Service Request application. 1.5 UTILITIES and MAINTENANCE FEATURES DSNlink has these utilities and maintenance features: o A local authorizations file allows the system manager to specify which local users have access to DSNlink applica- tions. o A remote authorizations file allows the system manager to specify which remote users have access to DSNlink applica- tions such as the Remote Login application. o A history log keeps a usage history of DSNlink applications. 3 o The DSNlink Configuration utility allows the system manager to reconfigure DSNlink transport attributes, add, remove or correct access numbers, change Support Centers, stop and start DSNlink, rebuild the route map, and deinstall DSNlink. o The Network Exerciser application tests and troubleshoots the connections between your system and Compaq. DSNlink also uses it for installation verification procedures. o DSNlink creates server log files for each connection Compaq makes to your system. o The Modem Testing utility tests your modem components. Customers can modify the supplied configuration file to automat- ically supply default values to the applications. These default values appear in the window and dialog box fields. In the com- mand line interface, DSNlink automatically supplies values from the configuration file. Users can override the default values if desired. 1.6 USER INTERFACES DSNlink has two user interfaces for each application: o A windows interface based on OSF/Motif[R] o A command line interface 1.7 SOFTWARE and HARDWARE REQUIREMENTS Software Requirements: o OpenVMS Version 6.2, 7.1, or 7.2 o Motif Version 1.2 or higher o Network software for the chosen transport o Modems must use MNP (Microcom Networking Protocol) class 5 error checking and data compression software Hardware Requirements: o An Alpha or VAX system o If a modem is used, it must be dedicated to DSNlink o If a DECserver is used, DECserver 700 systems are supported 4 1.8 DISK SPACE REQUIREMENTS The following table shows the space required by the installed kits and the combined uncompressed kit. ________________________________________________________________ Platform__________________Kit_Size______________________________ Alpha 11,500 blocks VAX 11,700 blocks Uncompressed combined 20,100 blocks kit_____________________________________________________________ 1.9 DISTRIBUTION SOURCES The compressed Alpha and VAX kits can be copied from these sources: o This Compaq DSNlink Web site: http://www.support.compaq.com/dsnlink/ o This FTP directory: ftp.support.compaq.com 1.10 GROWTH CONSIDERATIONS The minimum hardware and software requirements for any future version of this product may differ from the minimum requirements for the current version. 1.11 DSNlink COMMUNICATIONS The following sections provide a high-level overview of the communication mechanisms used within DSNlink: o An architectural overview o Domain and node identifiers o Protocols used by the DSNlink communication software o Details about the use of DSNlink applications over a TCP/IP network such as the Internet 5 1.11.1 DSNlink Architectural Overview DSNlink provides secure communications even in a hostile net- working environment. The architecture, a client/server model, defines five layers: DSNlink Application, DsnSession, DsnGate- way, DsnTransport, and the networks. o The DSNlink Application layer provides services for a spe- cific application. o The DsnSession layer provides data security through com- pression and a three-way cryptographic challenge-response handshake. An MD5-based secret key method is used. The DsnS- ession layer assumes that the underlying layers provide no security. An established connection at this layer guarantees the identity of the client and server to each other. o The DsnGateway layer allows an unlimited number of systems to communicate using heterogeneous protocols. shows gateway nodes connecting heterogeneous protocols between client and server nodes. The DsnGateway layer uses a routing database called the route map to manage connections. o The DsnTransport layer selects the appropriate transport and resolves differences between message-oriented network protocols such as X.25 and stream-oriented protocols such as TCP/IP by providing a stream-oriented interface to the DsnGateway layer. o The host operating system provides the networks. 1.11.2 DSNlink Domains and Nodes DSNlink uses domain and node names to identify individual sys- tems. A DSNlink domain name is an enterprise-wide name used for secu- rity and obligation purposes. Compaq uses a customer's access number, obligation identifier, hardware serial number, or con- tract number as the DSNlink domain name. Compaq uses the word "digital" as its DSNlink domain name. Authentication keys are identified based on this source domain and destination domain relationship. A DSNlink node name identifies a system within a DSNlink domain. This relationship allows multiple nodes running DSNlink to use the same domain name. A DSNlink node may exist in more than one DSNlink domain, which allows one DSNlink node to choose among multiple access numbers. Usually the DSNlink node name is the IP host name or DECnet node name of the system. 6 1.11.3 Protocols The Application, DsnSession, and DsnGateway layers each use their own protocols to provide the necessary services. The DsnTransport layer does not add any protocol to the underlying raw transport. o The DsnGateway protocol performs redirecting and forwarding functions, which provide connection failover and hopping from one network protocol to another. o The DsnSession protocol provides a session context with source and destination identities. Each identity consists of a domain, node, and user tuple. o Each application has its own protocol that includes an autho- rization check. Because the identities have been validated by the DsnSession layer, the application server uses the client's domain, node, and user DsnSession attributes. 1.11.4 Configuring Firewalls to Use TCP/IP with DSNlink Applications Customers must configure their firewalls to permit communica- tions between their systems and Compaq. The following is a list of TCP/IP ports used by DSNlink applications. ________________________________________________________________ Port________Abbreviation______Application_______________________ 2370 dsn_nsd Name Services Directory 2372 dsn_mail DSNlink Mail 2373 dsn_its Interactive Text Search 2374 dsn_login Remote Login 2375 dsn_netex Network Exerciser 2376 dsn_sra Service Request Application 2379________dsn_file__________File_Copy_________________________ 7 1.11.5 SECURITY FOR APPLICATIONS The following sections explain the security measures for each DSNlink application. NOTE Although DSNlink offers cryptographically strong authenti- cation, DSNlink does not provide encryption. o All applications record their activities in log files on both the customer's and Compaq's systems. o The Name Services Directory application performs connection forwarding and redirecting services in the DsnGateway layer. This application accesses only the route map database. It never accepts a DsnSession layer connection. o The DSNlink Mail application sends mail messages between systems. The customer's remote authorizations file must per- mit access by the DSNlink Mail application. The DSNlink mail server interacts only with the mail agent on the customer's system. o The Interactive Text Search (ITS) application allows a customer to access articles in Compaq's technical support databases. This is a customer-to-Compaq connection only. DSNlink cannot connect to a customer's system using ITS. o The Remote Login application allows a Compaq specialist to log in to a customer's system. Before logging in, the cus- tomer provides the specialist with a user name and password and changes the DSNlink remote authorizations file to enable the Remote Login application. The DsnSession layer performs authentication. o The Network Exerciser application performs simple loopback tests. The Network Exerciser accesses only its log file on the customer's system. Customers can control access by the application with the remote authorizations file. o The Service Request application allows customers to send electronic service requests to Compaq. Specialists reply using DSNlink Mail. Compaq cannot connect to a customer's system with the Service Request application. o The File Copy application transfers files between a cus- tomer's system and the DSNlink host system. Compaq cannot copy files to a customer's system unless the customer's re- mote authorizations file permits it. If access is allowed, Compaq copies files to a specific incoming files directory only. 8 1.12 ORDERING INFORMATION Contact your Compaq Account Support Representative or call your local Customer Support Center. © Digital Equipment Corporation 1999. All Rights Reserved. Compaq, the Compaq logo, and the DIGITAL logo are registered in the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office. MNP is a registered trademark of Microcom, Inc. OSF/Motif is a registered trademark of the Open Software Founda- tion, Inc. 9