9.1 Understanding Connections

The Connection Manager reports the status of current connections for NCP Server and lists the connections. You can access the reports by using the Manage NCP Services > Manage Connections page in OES Remote Manager or the connection command in the NCP Server Console (ncpcon(8)) utility. In OES Remote Manager, you can also view open files for a connection, clear specific NCP connections, and send a broadcast message out to current NCP connections.

9.1.1 Connection Information

The Connection Information report displays the current status of the following parameters:

Parameter	Description
Connection Slots Allocated	Displays the number of slots currently allocated for use. As connection slots required on this server exceed the current number of slots displayed here, new slots are allocated. Depending on the server’s memory, connection slots are usually allocated in blocks of 16. Connection slots are allocated as needed by users and other services.
Connection Slots Being Used	Displays the number of connection slots currently in use. As this number matches or exceeds the Connection Slots Allocated entry, more connection slots are allocated to the connection table.
Signing Level	Displays the level at which NCP packet signature signing is set on the server. NCP packet signatures prevent packet forgery by requiring the server and the workstation to sign each NCP packet. A higher packet signature number impacts the performance of your server. At some point, the need for security might outweigh certain performance issues. 0: The server does not sign packets (regardless of the client level). 1: The server signs packets only if the client requests it (the client level is 2 or higher). This is the default value. 2: The server signs packets if the client is capable of signing (the client level is 1 or higher). 3: The server signs packets and requires all clients to sign packets or logging in will fail.
Login State	Displays whether users are allowed to log in to the server. To disable users from being able to log in to the server (for server maintenance or other reasons), enter disable login at the NCPCON prompt, or enter ncpcon disable login at a terminal console prompt. To allow users to log in to the server, enter enable login at the NCPCON prompt, or enter ncpcon enable login at a terminal console prompt.
Licensed Connections	Displays the number of connections that are currently licensed. Licensed connections are authenticated, logged in, and consume a license. An unlicensed connection does not consume a license and can be authenticated or not. An unlicensed, authenticated connection can access the eDirectory database but cannot access any other resources.
Not Logged In Connections	Clears all user connections that are open but not currently authenticated to the server. Use this parameter to clear all user connections that are not logged in.

9.1.2 Connection Listing

The Connection Listing page displays the following information about each current connection:

Table 9-1 Connection Listing Report

Parameter	Description
Station	Shows the connection number for each connection. Connection 0 is the connection used by the server. The server’s operating system uses connection numbers to control each station’s communication with other stations. Remote Manager does not distinguish connections that don’t count against the server’s connection limit.
Name	Shows the name of the user, server, service, login status, and links to specific information about that user connection such as the login time, connection number, network address, login status, number of NCP requests, files in use, and security equivalence. Connections with an asterisk (*) displayed next to the name indicate an unlicensed connection (it does not consume a license). These licenses can be either authenticated or not authenticated. An unlicensed, authenticated connection can access the NetIQ eDirectory database but not other server resources. From this detailed Connection Information page, you can also clear the connection or send a message to the user.
Reads & Writes	Shows the number of reads and writes (in bytes) made by each connection.
NCP Request	Shows the number of NCP requests made by each connection.
Login Time	Shows the login day, date, and time for the connection.

9.1.3 Detailed Connection Information

For each connection, the Connection Manager reports additional details, which are available by clicking the Name link for the connection. Some parameters are not present if they do not apply.

Table 9-2 Detailed Connection Information Report for a Specific Connection

Parameter	Description
Connection	The station number for the connection.
Login Status	Shows whether the connection is Authenticated or Not Logged In.
Authentication Method	Shows the authentication method used if the connection is logged in.
Login Time	Shows the login day, date, and time for the connection.
Privileges	Shows whether the connection has privileges, such as Supervisor or Console Operator.
Connection Type	Shows whether the connection is internal or external.
NCP Requests	Shows the total number of NCP requests made by the connection.
Bytes Read	Shows the total number of reads made by the connection.
Bytes Written	Shows the total number of writes made by the connection.
Network Address	Shows the IP address where the connection originates.
Open Files	Shows the files open for the connection.
Security Equivalence	Shows the name of the user, server, or service if it is logged in.