Cisco Transport Controller Operation

This chapter describes Cisco Transport Controller (CTC), the software interface for the Cisco ONS 15454. For CTC set up and login information, refer to the Cisco ONS 15454 Procedure Guide.

Chapter topics include:

•CTC Software Delivery Methods

•CTC Installation Overview

•PC and UNIX Workstation Requirements

•Connecting to the ONS 15454

•The CTC Window

•TCC+/TCC2 Card Reset

•TCC+/TCC2 Card Database

•Reverting to an Earlier Software Load

8.1  CTC Software Delivery Methods

ONS 15454 provisioning and administration is performed using the CTC software. CTC is a Java application that is installed in two locations. CTC is stored on the TCC+/TCC2 card and downloaded to your workstation each time you log into the ONS 15454.

8.1.1  CTC Software Installed on the TCC+/TCC2 Card

CTC software is preloaded on the ONS 15454 TCC+/TCC2 cards; therefore, you do not need to install software on the TCC+/TCC2 cards. When a new CTC software version is released, follow procedures in the Cisco ONS 15454 Software Upgrade Guide to upgrade the ONS 15454 software on the TCC+/TCC2 cards.

When you upgrade CTC software, the TCC+/TCC2 cards store the older CTC version as the protect CTC version, and the newer CTC release becomes the working version. You can view the software versions that are installed on an ONS 15454 by selecting the Maintenance > Software tabs in node view (Figure 8-1).

Figure 8-1 CTC Software Versions, Node View

Select the tabs in network view to display the software versions installed on all the network nodes (Figure 8-2).

Figure 8-2 CTC Software Versions, Network View

8.1.2  CTC Software Installed on the PC or UNIX Workstation

CTC software is downloaded from the TCC+/TCC2 cards and installed on your computer automatically after you connect to the ONS 15454. Downloading the CTC software files automatically ensures your computer is running the same CTC software version as the TCC+/TCC2 cards you are accessing. The computer CTC software files are stored in the temporary directory designated by your computer's operating system. You can use the Delete CTC Cache button to remove files stored in the temporary directory. If the files are deleted, they download the next time you connect to an ONS 15454. Downloading the jar files for CTC takes several minutes depending on the bandwidth of the connection between your workstation and the ONS 15454. For example, jar files downloaded from a modem or an SDCC network link require more time than jar files downloaded over a LAN connection.

8.2  CTC Installation Overview

To connect to an ONS 15454 using CTC, you enter the ONS 15454 IP address in the URL field of a web browser, such as Netscape Navigator or Microsoft Internet Explorer. After connecting to an ONS 15454, the following occurs automatically:

1. A CTC launcher applet is downloaded from the TCC+/TCC2 card to your computer.

2. The launcher determines whether your computer has a CTC release matching the release on the ONS 15454 TCC+/TCC2 card.

3. If the computer does not have CTC installed, or if the installed release is older than the TCC+/TCC2 card's version, the launcher downloads the CTC program files from the TCC+/TCC2 card.

4. The launcher starts CTC. The CTC session is separate from the web browser session, so the web browser is no longer needed. Always log into nodes having the latest software release. If you log into an ONS 15454 that is connected to ONS 15454s with older versions of CTC, or to Cisco ONS 15327s, CTC "element" files are downloaded automatically to enable you to interact with those nodes. You cannot interact with nodes on the network that have a software version later than the node that you used to launch CTC.

Each ONS 15454 can handle up to four network-level CTC sessions (the login node and its DCC-connected nodes) and one node-level session (login node only) at one time. CTC performance may vary, depending upon the volume of activity in each session.

Note You can also use TL1 commands to communicate with the Cisco ONS 15454 through VT100 terminals and VT100 emulation software, or you can Telnet to an ONS 15454 using TL1 port 3083. See the Cisco ONS 15454 and Cisco ONS 15327 TL1 Command Guide for a comprehensive list of TL1 commands.

8.3  PC and UNIX Workstation Requirements

To use CTC in ONS 15454 Release 4.0 or later, your computer must have a web browser with the correct Java Runtime Environment (JRE) installed. The correct JRE for each CTC software release is included on the Cisco ONS 15454 software CD. If you are running multiple CTC software releases on a network, the JRE installed on the computer must be compatible with the different software releases. Table 8-1 shows JRE compatibility with ONS software releases.

Table 8-1 JRE Compatibility

ONS Software Release
JRE 1.2.2 Compatible
JRE 1.3 Compatible

ONS 15454 Release 2.2.1 and earlier

Yes

No

ONS 15454 Release 2.2.2

Yes

Yes

ONS 15454 Release 3.0

Yes

Yes

ONS 15454 Release 3.1

Yes

Yes

ONS 15454 Release 3.2

Yes

Yes

ONS 15454 Release 3.3

Yes

Yes

ONS 15454 Release 3.4

No

Yes

ONS 15454 Release 4.0

No

Yes

ONS 15454 Release 4.1

No

Yes

ONS 15454 Release 4.5

No

Yes

Note Software releases 4.0 and later notifies you if an older version JRE is running on your PC or UNIX workstation.


Requirements for PCs and UNIX workstations are provided in Table 8-2. In addition to Netscape Communicator and the JRE, also included on the ONS 15454 software CD and the ONS 15454 documentation CD are the Java plug-in and modified java.policy file.

Table 8-2 Computer Requirements for CTC 

Area
Requirements
Notes

Processor

Pentium II 300 MHz, UltraSPARC, or equivalent

300 MHz is the recommended processor speed. You can use computers with less processor speed; however, you may experience longer response times and slower performance.

RAM

128 MB

—

Hard drive

2 GB recommended; 50 MB space must be available

—

Operating System

•PC: Windows 95, Windows 98, Windows NT 4.0 with Service Pack 5 or later, Windows 2000, or Windows XP

•Workstation: Any Solaris release

—

Web browser

•PC: Netscape Navigator 4.73 or higher, Internet Explorer 5.0 (service pack 2) or higher

•Workstation: Netscape Navigator 4.73 or higher

Netscape Communicator 4.73 (Windows) and 4.76 (UNIX) are installed by the CTC Installation Wizard included on the Cisco ONS 15454 software and documentation CDs.

Java Runtime Environment

JRE 1.3.1_02

JRE 1.3.1_02 is installed by the CTC Installation Wizard included on the Cisco ONS 15454 software and documentation CDs.

If you connect to an ONS 15454 running Release 2.2.1, you must uninstall JRE 1.3.1 and install JRE 1.2.2_05, then reinstall JRE 1.3.1_02 when you connect to an ONS 15454 running Release 3.4 or Release 4.0.

JRE 1.4 is not supported.

Java.policy file

A java.policy file modified for CTC

The java.policy file is modified by the CTC Installation Wizard included on the Cisco ONS 15454 software and documentation CDs.

Cable

User-supplied Category 5 straight-through cable with RJ-45 connectors on each end to connect the computer to the ONS 15454 directly or through a LAN

—


8.4  Connecting to the ONS 15454

You can connect to the ONS 15454 in multiple ways. You can connect your PC directly the ONS 15454 (local craft connection) using the RJ-45 port on the TCC+/TCC2 card, the LAN pins on the backplane, or by connecting your PC to a hub or switch that is connected to the ONS 15454. You can connect to the ONS 15454 through a LAN or modem, and you can establish TL1 connections from a PC or TL1 terminal. Table 8-3 shows the ONS 15454 connection methods and requirements.

Table 8-3 ONS 15454 Connection Methods

Method
Description
Requirements

Local craft

Refers to onsite network connections between the CTC computer and the ONS 15454 using one of the following:

•The RJ-45 (LAN) port on the TCC+/TCC2 card

•The LAN pins on the ONS 15454 backplane

•A hub or switch to which the ONS 15454 is connected

•If you do not use Dynamic Host Configuration Protocol (DHCP), you must change the computer IP address, subnet mask, and default router, or use automatic host detection.

Corporate LAN

Refers to a connection to the ONS 15454 through a corporate or network operations center (NOC) LAN.

•The ONS 15454 must be provisioned for LAN connectivity, including IP address, subnet mask, default gateway.

•The ONS 15454 must be physically connected to the corporate LAN.

•The CTC computer must be connected to the corporate LAN that has connectivity to the ONS 15454.

TL1

Refers to a connection to the ONS 15454 using TL1 rather than CTC. TL1 sessions can be started from CTC, or you can use a TL1 terminal. The physical connection can be a craft connection, corporate LAN, or a TL1 terminal. Refer to the Cisco ONS 15454 and Cisco ONS 15327 TL1 Command Guide.

—

Remote

Refers to a connection made to the ONS 15454 using a modem.

•A modem must be connected to the ONS 15454.

•The modem must be provisioned for ONS 15454. To run CTC, the modem must be provisioned for Ethernet access.


8.5  The CTC Window

The CTC window appears after you log into an ONS 15454 (Figure 8-3). The window includes a menu bar, toolbar, and a top and bottom pane. The top pane displays status information about the selected objects and a graphic of the current view. The bottom pane displays tabs and subtabs, which you use to view ONS 15454 information and perform ONS 15454 provisioning and maintenance. From this window you can display three ONS 15454 views: network, node, and card.

Figure 8-3 Node View (Default Login View)

8.5.1  Node View

The CTC node view, shown in Figure 8-3, is the first view displayed after you log into an ONS 15454. The login node is the first node displayed, and it is the "home view" for the session. Node view allows you to view and manage one ONS 15454 node. The status area shows the node name; IP address; session boot date and time; number of critical (CR), major (MJ), and minor (MN) alarms; the name of the current logged-in user; and security level of the user.

8.5.1.1  CTC Card Colors

The graphic area of the CTC window depicts the ONS 15454 shelf assembly. The colors of the cards in the graphic reflect the real-time status of the physical card and slot (Table 8-4).

Table 8-4 Node View Card Colors 

Card Color
Status

gray

Slot is not provisioned; no card is installed

Violet

Slot is provisioned; no card is installed

White

Slot is provisioned; a functioning card is installed

Yellow

Slot is provisioned; a minor alarm condition exists

Orange

Slot is provisioned; a major alarm condition exists

Red

Slot is provisioned; a critical alarm exists


Ports can be assigned one of four states, OOS, IS, OOS_AINS, or OOS_MT. The color of the port in both card and node view indicates the port state. Table 8-5 shows the port colors and their states.

Table 8-5 Node View Card Port Colors 

Port Color
State
Description

Gray

OOS

Port is out of service; no signal is transmitted.

Violet

OOS_AINS

Port is in an auto-inservice state; alarm reporting is suppressed, but traffic is carried and loopbacks are allowed. Raised fault conditions, whether their alarms are reported or not, can be retrieved on the CTC Conditions tab or by using the TL1 RTRV-COND command.

Cyan

OOS_MT

Port is in a maintenance state. The maintenance state does not interrupt traffic flow, alarm reporting is suppressed, but traffic is carried and loopbacks are allowed. Raised fault conditions, whether their alarms are reported or not, can be retrieved on the CTC Conditions tab or by using the TL1 RTRV-COND command. Use OOS_MT for testing or to suppress alarms temporarily. Change the state to IS, OOS, or OOS_AINS when testing is complete.

Green

IS

Port is in service. The port transmits a signal and displays alarms; loopbacks are not allowed.


8.5.1.2  Node View Card Shortcuts

If you move your mouse over cards in the graphic, popups display additional information about the card including the card type; the card status (active or standby); the type of alarm such as, critical, major, and minor (if any); the alarm profile used by the card; and for TXP or MXP cards, the wavelength of the DWDM port. Right-click a card to reveal a shortcut menu, which you can use to open, reset, delete, or change a card. Right-click a slot to preprovision a card (that is, provision a slot before installing the card).

8.5.1.3  Node View Tabs

Table 8-6 lists the tabs and subtabs available in the node view.

Table 8-6 Node View Tabs and Subtabs 

Tab
Description
Subtabs

Alarms

Lists current alarms (CR, MJ, MN) for the node and updates them in real-time.

—

Conditions

Displays a list of standing conditions on the node.

—

History

Provides a history of node alarms including date, type, and severity of each alarm. The Session subtab displays alarms and events for the current session. The Node subtab displays alarms and events retrieved from a fixed-size log on the node.

Session, Node

Circuits

Creates, deletes, edits, and maps circuits.

—

Provisioning

Provisions the ONS 15454 node.

General, Ether Bridge, Network, Protection, BLSR, Security, SNMP, DCC/GCC (R4.1) or DCC/GCC/OSC (R4.5), Timing, Alarm Behavior, Defaults Editor, UCP, WDM-ANS (R4.5)

Inventory

Provides inventory information (part number, serial number, CLEI codes) for cards installed in the node. Allows you to delete and reset cards.

—

Maintenance

Performs maintenance tasks for the node.

Database, Ether Bridge, Protection, BLSR, Software, Cross-Connect, Overhead XConnect, Diagnostic, Timing, Audit, Routing Table, RIP Routing Table, Test Access


8.5.2  Network View

Network view (Figure 8-4) allows you to view and manage ONS 15454s that have DCC connections to the node that you logged into and any login node groups you may have selected.

Note Nodes with DCC connections to the login node do not display if you select Disable Network Discovery on the Login dialog box.

The graphic area displays a background image with colored ONS 15454 icons. A Superuser can set up the logical network view feature, which enables each user to see the same network view.

The lines show DCC connections between the nodes. DCC connections can be green (active) or gray (fail). The lines can also be solid (circuits can be routed through this link) or dashed (circuits cannot be routed through this link).

There are four possibilities total for the appearance of DCCs: green/solid, green/dashed, gray/solid, and gray/dashed. DCC appearance corresponds to the following states: active/routable, active/nonroutable, failed/routable, or failed/nonroutable. Circuit provisioning uses active/routable links. Selecting a node or span in the graphic area displays information about the node and span in the status area.

Figure 8-4 Four-Node Network Displayed in CTC Network View (R4.1)

The icon colors indicate the node status (Table 8-7).

Table 8-7 Node Status Shown in Network View 

Color
Alarm Status

Green

No alarms

Yellow

Minor alarms

Orange

Major alarms

Red

Critical alarms

gray with Unknown#

Node is initializing for the first time. CTC displays Unknown# because CTC has not discovered the name of the node yet.


Table 8-8 lists the tabs and subtabs available in the network view.

Table 8-8 Network View Tabs and Subtabs 

Tab
Description
Subtabs

Alarms

Lists current alarms (CR, MJ, MN) for the network and updates them in real-time

—

Conditions

Displays a list of standing conditions on the network

—

History

Provides a history of network alarms including date, type, and severity of each alarm

—

Circuits

Creates, deletes, edits, filters, and searches for network circuits

—

Provisioning

Provisions security, alarm profiles, BLSR and overhead circuits

Security, Alarm Profiles, BLSR, Overhead Circuits

Maintenance

Displays the type of equipment and the status of each node in the network; displays working and protect software versions; and allows software to be downloaded

Software


8.5.3  Card View

Card view displays information about individual ONS 15454 cards. Use this window to perform card-specific maintenance and provisioning (Figure 8-5). A graphic showing the ports on the card is shown in the graphic area. The status area displays the node name, slot, number of alarms, card type, equipment type, and the card status (active or standby), card state (IS, OOS, OOS_AINS, or OOS_MT), or port state (IS, OOS, OOS_AINS, or OOS_MT). The information that is displayed and the actions you can perform depend on the card.

Figure 8-5 CTC Card View Showing a DS3N-12 Card

Note CTC displays a card view for all ONS 15454 cards except the TCC+, TCC2, XC, XCVT, and XC10G cards. Provisioning for these common control cards occurs at the node view; therefore, no card view is necessary.

Use the card view tabs and subtabs, shown in Table 8-9, to provision and manage the ONS 15454. The subtabs, fields, and information displayed under each tab depend on the card type selected. The Performance tab is not displayed for the AIC card.

Table 8-9 Card View Tabs and Subtabs 

Tab
Description
Subtabs

Alarms

Lists current alarms (CR, MJ, MN) for the card and updates them in real-time.

—

Conditions

Displays a list of standing conditions on the card.

—

History

Provides a history of card alarms including date, object, port, and severity of each alarm.

Session (displays alarms and events for the current session); Card (displays alarms and events retrieved from a fixed-size log on the card)

Circuits

Creates, deletes, edits, and search circuits.

Circuits

Provisioning

Provisions an ONS 15454 card.

For DS-N and OC-N cards, Line, Line Thresholds (different threshold options are available for DS-N and OC-N cards), Elect Path Thresholds, SONET Thresholds, or SONET STS, and Alarm Behavior.

For DWDM cards, subtabs may include Optical Line, Optical Band, Optical Amplifier, Parameters, Optics Thresholds, depending on the card selected.

Maintenance

Performs maintenance tasks for the card.

Loopback, Info, Protection, and J1 Path Trace (options depend on the card type). TXP and MXP cards have an Automatic Laser Shutdown subtab.

Performance

Performs performance monitoring for the card.

—

Inventory

The MXP card displays an Inventory screen of the pluggable ports.

—


8.6  TCC+/TCC2 Card Reset

You can reset the ONS 15454 TCC+/TCC2 card by using CTC, or by physically reseating a TCC+/TCC2 card. Resetting the TCC+/TCC2 card reboots the TCC+/TCC2 card and reloads the operating system and the application software. Additionally, a card pull reset temporarily removes power from the TCC+/TCC2 card and clears all buffer memory.

You can apply a reset from CTC to either an active or standby TCC+/TCC2 card without affecting traffic. If you need to perform a card pull on an active TCC+/TCC2 card, put the TCC+/TCC2 card into standby mode first by performing a reset using CTC.

Note When a software-initiated reset is performed on an active TCC+ card or TCC2 card, the AIC card goes through an initialization process and also resets because the AIC card is controlled by the active TCC+ or TCC2.

8.7  TCC+/TCC2 Card Database

When dual TCC+ cards or dual TCC2 cards are installed in the ONS 15454, each TCC+/TCC2 card hosts a separate database; therefore, the protect card's database is available if the database on the working TCC+/TCC2 fails. You can also store a backup version of the database on the workstation running CTC. This operation should be part of a regular ONS 15454 maintenance program at approximately weekly intervals, and should also be completed when preparing an ONS 15454 for a pending natural disaster, such as a flood or fire.

Note The following parameters are not backed up and restored: node name, IP address, mask and gateway, and IIOP port. If you change the node name and then restore a backed up database with a different node name, the circuits map to the new node name. Cisco recommends keeping a record of the old and new node names.

8.8  Reverting to an Earlier Software Load

Reverting to Software R2.2.1 or later loads the database without affecting traffic or DCC connectivity. This feature requires dual TCC+ cards and CTC Software R2.2.1 or later as the protect version. If you are using dual TCC2 cards, Software R4.0 or later is required.

When you click the Activate button after a software upgrade, the TCC+/TCC2 copies the current working database and saves it in a reserved location in the TCC+/TCC2 Flash memory. If you later need to revert to the original working software load from the protect software load, the saved database installs automatically. You do not need to restore the database manually or recreate circuits.

Tip The revert feature is useful if a maintenance window closes while you are upgrading CTC software. You can revert to the protect software load without losing traffic. When the next maintenance window opens, complete the upgrade and activate the new software load.

Note A revert from a matching maintenance release software load uses the current active database; therefore, no provisioning is lost. All other reverts do restore the database. (A maintenance release has a three-digit release number, such as, 2.2.2).

Circuits created and provisioning performed after a software load is activated (upgraded to a higher software release) does not reinstate with a revert. The database configuration at the time of activation is reinstated after a revert. This does not apply to maintenance reverts (such as, 2.2.2 to 2.2.1), because maintenance releases use the same database.