Use the drop down list to select a device to connect via. The default is Direct connection. You only need to specify another device when direct access to the desired device is not possible. CatTools allows you to hop from one device to another using Telnet or SSH to reach your final destination. For example, if your device is behind an access list, but a Linux box has access to that device, you can connect via the Linux box first, then launch a telnet or SSH session to the destination device from there.

Note: When using a Cisco router as a jump point, it is recommended that you disable "logging synchronous" in the Line VTY section of the config. This can cause problems when trying to telnet out from the router.

By default, most Cisco routers would have been configured with 5 lines: line vty 0 4. CatTools is multi-threaded and can support, depending on your edition, up to 30 client threads (connections). If you have created an activity for more than five devices, which all connect via the router, you may end up with timeout errors or connection failures as a result of all the available router lines being used.

To prevent these errors occurring you can:

1. Increase the number of VTY lines available on your main connect via router.
2. Set the client threads to use 5 threads.
3. Use a Linux box as a connect via device instead of a router.

Use the drop down list to select connection method. The default is telnet.

Note: that when using SSH there may well be a specific variant of it that is required to connect with the specific device. For instance, Netscreen devices supporting SSH2 require the variant SSH2-nopty to connect successfully with CatTools.

Set the enable mode privilege level, if required. Typically, this is not required and should be left blank. On a Cisco router, there are 16 privilege levels (0 to 15). Standard enable mode puts you in level 15.

The privilege level is appended to the enable command when the command is sent to the device, so if data is present, but not required, it may cause an error when the device tries to authenticate enable mode.

Check this box if the initial login to this device requires a password (typically the VTY or initial console password).

Check this box if the initial login to this device requires both a username and password.

The non-standard VTY login prompt for this device. The VTY prompt refers to the text that the device prompts you with when asking for the initial login password. For example: Password:

The non-standard Enable prompt for this device. The enable prompt refers to the text that the device prompts you with when asking for the Enable password. For example: Password: orSuper user login:

The non-standard Console prompt for this device. The console prompt refers to the text that the device prompts you with when asking for the initial console login password. For example: Password:

The non-standard Username prompt for this device. The username prompt refers to the text that the device prompts you with when asking for the initial login user name. This is normally used along with a password for AAA/TACACS/RADIUS or Local authentication. For example: Username: or Please enter login name: