ONL is going to a single RLI for both router types: NPR (Network Processor Router) and NSP (Network Service Processor). This will occur the afternoon of Tuesday, March 3, 2009. You will need to get a new RLI.jar file. The look and feel of the new RLI is identical to the old RLI except for three things:

• A virtual network can contain both NPR(s) and NSP(s).
• The minimum NPR configuration is one pair of NPRs which is called an NPR cluster. (If you want to use only one NPR, just don't connect the second NPR to the rest of your virtual network.)
• You MUST make a reservation through the RLI. You can no longer make a reservation through the ONL web site.

Also, reservations are handled differently. The reservation changes are:

• Reservations can only be made through the RLI.

That means that you need to define the maximum configuration before you make your reservation through the menu item File => Make a Reservation.

• Reservations can only be deleted (canceled) through the ONL Web page. This can be done through the My Reservations link in the sidebar after you log in.
• The Projected Usage link in the side bar replaces the reservation grid page. It indicates the percentage of components available for the number of days indicated (see upper left-hand corner). So, if you want to find out if you can make a reservation for one NPR tomorrow, make sure that the Days Ahead field is 2 or more days, the Type field is NPR Clusters, and press Go. Then, see if there is atleast 16% (1/6) of NPRs available.

What's New?

Most of the changes associated with this new RLI should be transparent to the ordinary user. Here's a brief summary of what's new:

• A virtual network can contain both NPR(s) and NSP(s).
• All ONL daemons and the ONL experiment database have been upgraded to support the new hardware combination.
• Developer's can add new hardware to the testbed with relative ease.
• Although the format of the experiment file has changed, it is almost identical to the previous format (for those few users who care). What's important though is that the new RLI can convert old experiment files to the new format.

What Users Need To Do

Listed below is what you should do. If you are using a MAC, read the bottom of this page first.

• Save copies of your old experiment files in some new directory

  It is always a good idea to do this ... although we doubt that you will need to refer to these files.

• The new RLI requires Java 1.6 or newer
  • You can check your version of java by entering the command 'java -version'.
  • If you need to install the JRE, go to the Java download page http://java.com/en/download/manual.jsp and download the latest JRE for your platform by following the instructions posted at the Sun site. Note: You only need to download the JRE (less than 20 MB), not the entire JDK (Java Development Kit).
• New RLI.jar file
  • Get the new RLI.jar file by clicking here.

  Note: You no longer need a separate hardware file (NPR.hw).

  • Start the new RLI, and verify that the version number is 3.x

  The version number is shown at the top of the main RLI window. If the version number is 2.x, either you did not get the new RLI.jar file or you are not using the new RLI.jar file.

MAC OS Users

There is one annoyance:

• Even after you install Java 1.6 for the MAC OS, the new JRE (runtime system) will NOT be the default.

If you type in java -version, it will say respond with the old version number. And if you look for more updates, it will say that you are already up-to-date.

So, this is what you need to do:

• Verify that the problem really is the one described above

  Enter the command java -version. If the version number is some form of 1.6, the problem might not be what is described above.

• Install Apple's update for Java 1.6

See http://support.apple.com/downloads/Java_for_Mac_OS_X_10_5_Update_2.

• Replace the java file (usually /usr/bin/java) with a symbolic link to the correct location

  Here is what most MAC OS users did at the command line (assuming java is located at /usr/bin/java):

  which java		# find the location of the java command
  cd /usr/bin		# assumes that java is at /usr/bin/java
  sudo mv java java.old	# rename the current java
  sudo ln -s /System/Library/Frameworks/JavaVM.framework/Versions/1.6/Commands/java  
  			# create a symbolic link to the new java
  

  Now, if you repeat the first step above, you should see that the java is version now 1.6. (Note that you have to use the sudo command twice because those operations require more than ordinary priviledges.) If you find a better way to do this, send us email at testbed-ops@onl.arl.wustl.edu.

If you want to know more about this, try the link http://blogs.sun.com/cmar/entry/java_1_6_finally_available.

Known Problems (March 2009)

Here is a list of known problems. Send email to testbed-ops@onl.arl.wustl.edu if you find others.

• The RLI can not convert an old configuration file that has an odd number of NPRs. You will have to manually recreate the configuration.