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The following table shows all revisions for this document. If you do not have the latest
revision for your release, or you are not sure, please check the TAC webpage at:
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List of Figures . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . xi
Index . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 237
Purpose
The iMonitor User Guide provides detailed instructions for monitoring your iDirect networks
using the iMonitor client application of the iDirect Network Management System (NMS). For
details on configuring your iDirect networks, see the iBuilder User Guide.
Intended Audience
The iMonitor User Guide is intended for network operators, network architects, and other
personnel who operate or monitor iDirect networks. It is not intended for end users or field
installers.
Basic knowledge of TCP/IP concepts, satellite communications, and the Windows operating
systems is expected. Prior experience operating an iDirect network, although desirable, is not
required.
Getting Help
The iDirect Technical Assistance Center (TAC) is available to help you 24 hours a day, 365 days
a year. Software user guides, installation procedures, a FAQ page, and other documentation
that supports our products are available on the TAC webpage. Please access our TAC webpage
at: http://tac.idirect.net.
If you are unable to find the answers or information that you need, you can contact the TAC at
(703) 648-8151.
If you are interested in purchasing iDirect products, please contact iDirect Corporate Sales by
telephone or email.
Telephone: (703) 648-8000
Email: SALES@iDirect.net
iDirect strives to produce documentation that is technically accurate, easy to use, and helpful
to our customers. Your feedback is welcomed! Send your comments to techpubs@idirect.net.
iMonitor is a component of the iDirect iVantage Network Management System (NMS). The
iVantage NMS is a complete suite of tools for configuring, monitoring, and controlling your
iDirect satellite network.
The iVantage NMS consists of the following components:
iBuilder enables rapid, intuitive configuration of any iDirect network. It allows you to
easily add components to your network, change your current configuration, and download
configuration and software to network elements. The iBuilder Revision Server provides
automated management of software and firmware upgrades for your remote modems.
The iBuilder Group QoS (GQoS) user interface allows advanced network operators a high
degree of flexibility in creating subnetworks and groups of remotes with various levels of
service tailored to their network requirements. The iBuilder User Guide provides detailed
instructions for using iBuilder to configure and manage your network.
iMonitor provides network operators with detailed information on real-time and
historical performance of the network. Among its many capabilities, iMonitor allows you
to analyze bandwidth usage; view remote status; view network statistics; monitor
performance of networks, sub-networks and individual network elements; and manage
alarms, warnings and network events. Alarms, warnings and statistics can be forwarded as
SNMP traps. All events and performance statistics are automatically archived. Data
displayed on the iMonitor GUI can be exported directly into Excel for further analysis. A
Network Probe allows detailed investigation of network issues. The iMonitor User Guide
provides instructions for using iMonitor.
iSite allows you to monitor and configure iDirect devices in the field. It includes several
features that aid in the remote commissioning process, including assistance for antenna
pointing, antenna look angle calculation, and cross polarization. An iSite API is available
for custom development.
The Geographic Map is an optional iMonitor feature that displays in real time the exact
geographic location of all remotes within a given network on a world map. Functions
include mobile remote tracking; the ability to zoom, pan in or out, and add or remove
map features from the display; and filtering of remotes filter remotes by active state. The
Geographic Map is described in detail in the iMonitor User Guide.
iDirects Network Management System (the iVantage NMS) is a powerful suite of applications
and servers that provide complete control and visibility to all components of your iDirect
networks. The NMS client/server system architecture consists of three series of components:
NMS applications with Graphical User Interfaces (GUIs) that allow you to configure and
monitor your network
Databases that store configuration and statistical data
A middleware tier that manages access to the databases on behalf of user operations
For a description of all iVantage NMS components see the The iVantage Network Management
System on pagexxi.
1.1 Introduction
This chapter provides important information you will need to understand how iMonitor works
and how to use it effectively. This chapter discusses how to prepare for installation, what you
will see when you first launch iMonitor, how to use the many powerful tools available in
iMonitor, how to create, customize, and print reports, and how to determine the
configuration status of network elements.
iMonitor provides visibility to real-time status and operational characteristics of network
elements.
Status refers to the real-time state of network elements (such as OK, Warning, Alarm).
iMonitor notifies you asynchronously of warnings and alarms for all network elements,
which are collectively called conditions.
Operational characteristics are captured in a variety of network statistical data, such as
IP traffic statistics, satellite link quality, and hardware component operating values.
You can also obtain and view data stored in the historical archive, which allows you to analyze
anomalous conditions and perform trend analysis.
iBuilder
The iBuilder application provides all configuration and control functions to network
operators. Configuration options consist of creating network elements (e.g. networks, line
cards, remotes) and specifying their operational parameters, such as QoS profiles or IP
addresses. Control options consist of applying the specified configurations to the actual
network elements, retrieving active configurations, resetting elements, and upgrading
element software and firmware. Refer to Network Management System iBuilder User Guide
for more information.
iMonitor
The iMonitor application provides complete visibility to the real-time status and operational
data of network elements. Status refers to the real-time state of network elements, such as
OK, warning, or alarm. Operational data are captured in a variety of network statistical data
tables and displays, revealing, for example, IP traffic statistics, satellite link quality, and
hardware component operating values.
In addition to real-time visibility, iMonitor allows you to access state and statistics from the
historical archive in order to analyze anomaly conditions and perform trend analyses. This
guide has a complete list of real-time and historical data available through iMonitor.
iSite
The iSite application is used primarily for commissioning new sites and monitoring TDMA
remotes from the local LAN side. It contains functions to help installers calculate antenna
azimuth/elevation, perform antenna pointing, and put up a continuous wave (CW) carrier for
antenna peaking, cross-polarization and 1 db compression tests. It also provides configuration
and real-time state/statistical information for one or more remote units. Instead of
interacting with the NMS middleware, it connects directly to each remote to perform all of its
operations. iSite does not provide access to historical information. See the Remote
Installation and Commissioning Guide for more on commissioning remotes using iSite.
Note: End-users do not need iSite in order to receive or transmit IP data over the
iDirect system.
For more information about NMS applications, see The iVantage Network Management
System on pagexxi.
Configuration Server
The configuration server is the core component of the NMS server family. It manages access to
the configuration database, which contains all the element definitions for your networks and
their operational parameters. Additionally, the configuration server provides most network
control functions (configuration apply, firmware download, resetting, etc.). The other servers
also use this server to determine what the network components are.
Event Server
The event servers primary job is to generate warnings and alarms and send them to iMonitor
for display. Warnings and alarms are collectively known as conditions. The event server also
collects and archives all system events and provides them to iMonitor for display.
Latency Server
The latency server measures round-trip time, or latency, for every active remote in your
networks. These measurements are stored in the archive and provided to iMonitor for display.
PP Controller Servers
The PP Controller processes control the samnc process on each PP blade.
Consolidation Script
The consolidation process periodically consolidates records in the statistics archive to
preserve disk space on the server machine. Default consolidation parameters are already
entered into your configuration database; they can be tuned to your particular storage
requirements if necessary.
Note: The Geographic Map is a licensed feature. Please contact your iDirect sales
representative for pricing and ordering information.
To support this feature, your client PC or laptop should meet the following minimum
requirements:
1.6 gigahertz (GHz) processor or higher
Microsoft Windows XP, Service Pack 2
512 megabytes (MB) of RAM or more
At least 1 gigabyte (GB) of free disk space
Note: Do not change the name of the map license file. The license file name must be
nmssver_e.lic for the Geographic Map software to operate.
It is not necessary to restart any of the NMS servers; the new license will be enabled
immediately.
3. Click Server and select the IP address or host name of your primary NMS Server machine.
The Server box holds up to three IP addresses. If yours does not exist, enter the IP Address
in the Server box.
4. Click OK to complete the login process.
Note: The NMS server version must match the iMonitor version in order for you to log
in. For example, version 8.0.0 of iMonitor may connect only to version 8.0.0 of
the NMS servers.
The iMonitor application automatically connects to the NMS server processes that are
required to perform the NMS functions. If this connection is lost for any reason, iMonitor
automatically reconnects to the servers when they become available.
When Automatically accept changes is disabled (i.e., when the check box in Figure 5 is
cleared), then the Accept Changes button works as it did in previous releases. When an
iBuilder user changes the configuration, the Accept Changes button on your toolbar changes
color from gray to red.
Before you accept the changes, you may view the changes by selecting View Configuration
Changes (see Configuration Changes Pane on page27). To accept the changes and update
your view of iMonitor, click Accept Changes. Any modifications the other user has made are
now displayed in your copy of iMonitor.
Get Past requests represent a hybrid of real-time and historical: when you request Get
Past data, iMonitor retrieves the most recent data from the archive, and then continues
to give you real-time data until you cancel the request.
All future requests will automatically use the time range you just saved, until you take
down the time range by clicking on the pushpin again.
Right-Clicking
In general, you must right-click on your mouse or use the task bar to display any list of options
in submenus that can be performed on the element you currently have selected.
To dock a window pane somewhere else on the NMS interface or on your monitor, follow these
steps:
1. Point to and right-click the double-ridge lines of the pane you want to move and select
Allow Docking.
2. Place the pointer (mouse arrow) on the double-ridge lines and drag the pane wherever
you want it. Depending on where you drag it, the pane may change shape (for example,
from a vertical display to a horizontal display).
3. If you want to move the pane back into its original place or to another location, start by
grabbing the double-ridge lines with your pointer. Then, you can click the Name toolbar
at the top of the pane to move it around, and you can place your pointer at the edges of
the pane to resize the pane.
4. To detach the pane completely, double-click the double-ridge lines. The pane becomes
separately parented and you may move it independently from the main iMonitor window.
Hiding Elements
You can click Hide to remove the iMonitor Network Tree from view.
Figure 9. Expand Tree Selection Figure 10. Expanded Tree with Child Elements
Sorting Columns
In any pane with columns or list controls, you can sort the entries in the pane by clicking on
the heading of the given column.
1. Right-click in the Tree pane (or right-click the double-ridge lines above the Tree pane) and
select Sort Tree. You can also select EditSort Tree.
4. Click the Sort items by drop-down list and select one of the options. Depending on what
you select in this field, your choices in the Apply sort to field will change.
5. If you select Name, either click the Names are case sensitive check box or clear it.
6. Select the element to which you want to apply the Sort feature.
7. Click OK. The next time you log in, iMonitor will remember and display the last sort
preference you chose.
A plus sign (+) next to an element in the Tree indicates that additional elements exist at the
next level, or branch, of the Tree. Click the plus sign (+) to expand the element to view the
next level of the Tree.
A minus sign (-) next to an element indicates that the element has been expanded and
children are visible at the next level, or branch, in the Tree.
In Figure 15, the UAT-RF Network has been expanded as far as possible. The UAT-RF Network
cannot include children in another network; therefore, its only children are the TxRx and Rx
line cards, and the IG_1_UAT-RF Inroute Group. The Inroute Group is a parent element that
can be expanded by clicking its plus sign (+) to reveal its children elements at the next level
of the Tree.
Title Bar
The Title bar identifies the name of the application (in this case, iMonitor), the iDirect
software version, and the IP address of the server to which you are connected.
Menu Bar
The Menu bar at the top of the display provides access to log in, log out, quit, and other high-
level functions.
Toolbar
The main Toolbar (Figure 18) contains context-sensitive buttons, allowing you to perform a
variety of operations on a currently-selected element without using its context menu. Their
functions are described in Table 1.
Allows you to view Conditions. The Conditions pane has two tabs you can select to
view different aspects of the conditions: Conditions Log and Observation View. See
Conditions Pane on page33 for more information.
Allows you to turn audio on or off when a new alarm or condition is presented or
when a condition is cleared.
Allows you to accept any changes made to the system by another user. This does
not mean that you approve of or agree with the changes; it simply updates your
GUI with the latest database information.
Allows you to view the version number of the NMS and system information.
Audio Notification
You can choose to turn on audio notification to alert you whenever a new alarm or condition is
raised. When you select audio notification, you are only notified of newly-raised conditions by
default. When you acknowledge conditions, the audio notification will stop, even if the alarm
has not yet cleared.
To configure audio notification, select ResultsAudio Notification from the main menu. You
can select any of the three conditions under which you would like to have an audio
notification raised.
You may select one, two, or all three. If you wish to have no audio notification, select None.
To set up how often you want the audio notification to be repeated, or to specify that the
notification should play only when a new condition occurs, select ResultsAudio Notification
Properties from the main menu. Then configure one of the two choices in the Audio
Notification Properties dialog box (Figure 21).
Acknowledging Conditions
You can also use iMonitor to acknowledge all conditions. If audio notification is in effect,
acknowledging conditions prevents continuous audio notification, even if the condition that
raised the audio notification has not cleared. Once youve acknowledged conditions, audio
notification will stop until a new condition is raised. When you acknowledge conditions in
iMonitor, all outstanding conditions are acknowledged. You cannot acknowledge individual
conditions.
To acknowledge conditions:
1. If not already visible, open the Conditions pane by clicking the Toggle Conditions icon on
the main toolbar or select ViewConditions from the main menu.
2. On the Conditions pane, select the Condition Log tab.
3. Click the Acknowledgement icon on the main toolbar. On the Condition Log tab, a check
is displayed for all acknowledged conditions as shown in Figure 22.
View Menu
The View menu on the main menu toolbar allows you to display or hide the following toolbars
and panes. You can also right-click your context menu button (typically the right mouse
button) to see the same options as those in the View menu.
Find Toolbar
The Find toolbar provides users the option to search the NMS for a given element and display
the results in either the Network Tree View or the Results Window. This becomes
increasingly important as the network grows larger. You can search by selecting a specific
element name in the first drop-down list (note that only elements you have created will be in
the list); by type of element in the second drop-down list; or by Name, IP address or ID
number in the third drop-down list. The figure below shows all of the various options within
each category; however, you can actually only click one drop-down list at time. To display the
Find toolbar, select View Find Toolbar from the main menu.
You can also click the Find button on the toolbar to open a dialog box that gives you the same
options.
That remote is highlighted in the Tree when the user clicks the binoculars icon on the
toolbar. (See Figure 24 on page 22.)
Workspace Toolbar
The Workspace capability solves one of the biggest problems with real-time monitoring
systems: window real estate. As you launch more and more displays, you may find that youre
quickly running out of space in the results pane and you wish you had a bigger display. The
Workspace Toolbar provides a convenient way for you to organize multiple displays into a
series of virtual workspaces. The four workspaces on this toolbar effectively give you four
times the window real estate without having to add another display.
To launch the Workspace toolbar, select View Workspace from iMonitors main menu. You
will see four small windows appear on the right-side of iMonitors main tool bar. Each of these
windows represents a virtual workspace where you can launch different displays. When you
click one of the workspace windows, displays you launched on another workspace are hidden
and a new, blank workspace appears. For convenience, each workspace is highlighted in
yellow whenever a display is present on that workspace.
The figure below shows the Workspace toolbar in action. In this example, workspace one
contains one or more displays and the other workspaces are empty. The fifth workspace pane,
when clicked, shows all panes in all workspaces.
Note: Only real-time and Get Past requests are saved in workspace files.
To save the contents of a workspace, select File Save Workspace As from the main menu.
This operation will save all the displays currently active in the workspace. You may also adjust
the contents of any workspace and re-save it by selecting File Open Workspace from the
main menu.
To reload a previously-saved workspace, select File Open Workspace from the main menu.
When you reload a workspace the saved requests will be automatically resubmitted to the
appropriate servers.
This feature works best when you have the iMonitor application maximized on your PC screen,
but will also function properly if the application is not maximized.
Operational Toolbar
The Operational Toolbar (Figure 27) contains context-sensitive buttons, allowing you to
perform a variety of operations on a currently-selected element without using its context
menu. Those functions are described in Table 2.
Request conditions.
Status Bar
The Status bar is located at the bottom of the iMonitor window and displays the user name of
the person who is currently logged in and what their server connection status is. On the
toolbar shown below, the connection status is Ready.
Conditions Pane
The Conditions switch on the View menu opens the Conditions pane. See Chapter 2,
Monitoring Conditions and Events for complete information on the tabs in this pane. Select
View Conditions on the main menu to open the pane.
Legend Pane
The Legend view displays the Configuration State icons and their meanings. They are
organized by type of element as shown in Figure 30. To view all Legend icons and meanings,
select Legend from the iMonitor View menu.
1. Right-click anywhere in the column headings to display the column selection context
menu.
2. You can use the menu to select or clear individual columns for display one at a time, or
you can select More to view the Select Columns dialog box.
3. In the Select Columns dialog box, click the check boxes to select or clear the
corresponding columns for display. (You can also select and clear a check box by first
selecting the column name in the list, and then clicking the Show or Hide button.) Only
selected columns will be displayed in the pane.
4. Click Show All or Hide All to select or clear all check boxes.
Note: In some cases, the Select Columns dialog box also contains a Show Default
button (Figure 34). Click that button to select only the default columns.
Figure 34. Select Columns Dialog Box with Show Default Button
2 Monitoring Conditions
and Events
You can view Conditions on every element in the Tree, and you can view Events on every
element except the Chassis. On the Protocol Processor and the Blades, you can further view
Blade Information. Table 3 identifies the types of information iMonitor provides for each
element.
Type of Incident
Elements
Information Provided
Teleport Conditions
Protocol Processor Events/Conditions/Blade Info
Blades Events/Conditions/Blade Info
Network Events/Conditions
Line Card Events/Conditions
Inroute Group Events/Conditions
Remotes Events/Conditions
Chassis Conditions
2.1 Conditions
Conditions in iMonitor are made up of Alarms and Warnings, which are collectively called
conditions. Alarms alert you to an interruption in service, whereas Warnings indicate a
condition that could result in an interruption of service if not handled in a timely fashion.
The Conditions pane has tabs that enable you to view conditions using different criteria, as
follows:
Active Conditions This tab shows all outstanding conditions that have not been
cleared. Any current alarms or warnings are displayed on this tab.
Observation View This tab shows all conditions for specific elements you have put
Under Observation. You put a Protocol Processor, Blade, Line Card or Remote under
observation by clicking the element and selecting Under Observation. You may cancel
the observation view by clicking the element in the tree and switching the Under
Observation control off, or by right-clicking on a specific condition in the Under
Observation tab and selecting Cancel Observation.
Disabled Conditions This tab shows any conditions that have been disabled. You can
disable an active condition by right-clicking the condition and selecting Disable
Condition.
Condition Log This tab shows the 500 most recent condition changes; older changes are
dropped from the display. All conditions shown on the Condition Log tab are sorted by the
time that the condition change occurred. iMonitor no longer groups condition changes.
You can clear the contents of the Condition Log tab as follows:
1. With the Condition Log tab selected, right-click anywhere in the Conditions Pane.
2. Select Clear List from the menu.
2. Select View Conditions from the main menu or click the Toggle Conditions icon on the
main toolbar.
3. Click the Observation View tab to view only the conditions (alarms and warnings) for the
element you chose.
Note: If you have previously put another element under observation, without
canceling that observation view, the previous elements information will still
be visible in the pane. To omit the unwanted information, right-click on the
unwanted element and select Cancel Observation.
4. You can right-click the element to either view the elements control panel or cancel the
observation.
5. If you click Cancel Observation, the data in the Observation pane disappears.
6. If you click Control Panel, a pane appears providing more information for you to view
(Figure 38). See Control Panel on page104 for details.
Viewing Conditions
If you want to view conditions, you may want to put an element under observation first. For
information on this, see Putting an Element under Observation for Conditions on page38.
Viewing Events
If you are viewing events, you may want to filter the results. Often it is useful to retrieve
certain events over an extended time period for one or more remotes. Although you can
retrieve all events and sort the results to find the ones youre looking for, iMonitor also allows
you to specify a text filter when retrieving historical events. When you specify a text filter,
iMonitor shows you only those events that match the filter.
The text filter is available at the bottom of the historical time range parameters dialog box
(Figure 41 on page43), either prior to retrieving events or from the Time Range button on an
existing events display. The filter values are applied only to the Event Description section of
the event message. The simplest filter string is simply a substring of the event description,
such as server. Any event message that contains your specified substring will be returned
from the server and displayed in the pane. The text field also supports full Linux regular
expression matching, allowing you to apply an arbitrarily complex expression to the event
description text. For more information on regular expressions, see any of the commercially-
available Linux reference books.
Follow these steps to retrieve and view conditions or events for an element:
1. Right-click the element in the tree and select Conditions or Events from the menu. The
Select Items dialog box appears.
2. Click either Historical or Get Past. If you are viewing Events, you can filter the results, or
simply click OK to begin retrieving events in real-time. If you enter a Text Filter in the
Get Past time range dialog box (Figure 41), the filter values are applied only to the Event
Description field of the event message.
a. If you click Historical, click Time Range. The Select Time Range dialog box appears
(see Figure 40 for Conditions and Figure 41 for Events). If desired, click the ellipses
next to the Start Time and End Time to set the time using the graphical clock display.
If you selected Get Past, see Step b.
Figure 41. Events Time Range Dialog Box with Text Filter
b. If you click Get Past, the Get Past drop-down list appears.
3. Select the elements for which you want to view conditions or events.
Depending on what level in the system you chose to obtain information, the options in the
Select Items dialog box will differ in what is available and unavailable for selection.
4. When you have made your selections, click OK.
Depending on whether you chose to view conditions or events, either the
Conditions/Time Line pane appears or the Events pane appears. Follow the directions in
Step 5 for Conditions or Step 9 for Events below.
5. Conditions. If you are retrieving data on conditions, the Conditions/Time Line pane
appears, displaying the conditions logged for the specified period. This data is displayed
in a multicolumn format. See Figure 43 for an example of data displayed on the
Conditions tab.
On the Conditions tab, notice that many remotes have an arrow next to them. If you click
on the arrow so that it is pointing down, the conditions for that remote are revealed.
6. To view conditions in a graphical format, click the Time Line tab. See Figure 44 for an
example of data displayed on the Time Line tab.
7. On the Time Line display, you can right-click to elect to view the results in Seconds,
Minutes, or Hours.
8. You can also elect to view Details from this menu, which displays a heading line at the top
of the display showing the following information:
Name of Network Element
Type and Serial Number of a Remote or Line Card
Current Date
Number of hours it has been up
Number of hours it has been down
Percentage of time it has been up (Up %)
Percentage of time it has been down (Down %)
9. Events. If you are retrieving data on events, the Events pane appears, displaying the
events logged for the specified period. This data is displayed in a multicolumn format
only. It cannot be viewed in graphical format.
Arrow
The example in Figure 46 shows a remote reset resulting in the following conditions:
1. The first entry shows the remotes state at the start of the specified time range: the
remote is OK, and the last condition that cleared was DOWNSTREAM_SNR.
2. The next entry shows that the PP lost contact with the remote (this happens soon after
the reset was sent from iBuilder).
3. The next entry shows two conditions: the LOST_CONTACT warning is still active, and has
been joined by the layer 3 alarm LAT_TIMEOUT.
4. Finally, the Protocol Processor declares the remote OUT_OF_NETWORK, and this condition
is added to the list, giving us a total of three simultaneous conditions.
5. The next line shows that two of the three conditions cleared: The remote is back in the
network and the Protocol Processor has re-gained contact with it. The layer 3 alarm at
this point is still active.
6. The next line shows that the last condition, LAT_TIMEOUT, cleared.
7. The last two lines show a separate condition that was raised and cleared in a 15-second
time span.
When multiple conditions are shown in this display, the icon in the left column does not
represent the current state of the remote. Rather, it shows the type of condition that
occurred at that time. For example, in number 5 above, the state of this remote is still
ALARM, since the layer 3 alarm is still active. However, this particular entry represents the
clearing of two conditions, and the green icon indicates that to the user.
2.4 Snapshots
There are two types of snapshots: Conditions Snapshots and Data Snapshots.
Snapshots can be selected from the various elements in the iMonitor tree as follows:
Teleport: Teleport Condition Snapshot
Network: Network Condition Snapshot, Network Data Snapshot, Line Card Data Snapshot
Inroute group: Network Condition Snapshot, Network Data Snapshot, Line Card Data
Snapshot
Remote: Device Condition Snapshot
Figure 47 shows an example of a Network Condition Snapshot at the network level. (Both
the List and Detail views are shown. You can toggle between these views by right-clicking
in the window and selecting List or Details from the menu.)
Depending on your selection, the Condition Snapshot includes the following elements:
If you select Teleport Condition Snapshot at the teleport level, all protocol
processors, protocol processor blades, chassis, inroute group, and remotes configured
under the teleport.
If you select Network Condition Snapshot at the network level, all inroute groups
and remotes in that network are displayed.
If you select Network Condition Snapshot on a particular inroute group, only the line
cards and remotes in that inroute group are displayed in the Network Condition
Snapshot box.
If you select Device Condition Snapshot from a remote, only the remote is displayed.
3. You can view different data depending on your selections when you right-click a network
element in the Condition Snapshot pane. Figure 48 shows an example of a remotes
submenu when right-clicked from this pane.
4. In the lower half of the submenu shown in Figure 48 are several options that allow you to
tailor the Condition Snapshot view:
Compact Icons
Arrange Icons
List
Details
Details in Group
Real-time Status Only
Activated
5. Figure 49 shows the results of selecting Details for the Teleport Condition Snapshot.
6. If you hover the pointer (mouse arrow) over an element in the snapshot, a box of
information about that element is displayed. Figure 50 shows an example of the pointer
hovering over a line card in a network.
If you are ever in doubt as to the kind of element you are viewing, you can look at the
Type: line. In this case, you can see that the element pointed to by the mouse is a Line
card. The box also provides the following information on this element:
Type of Unit and Serial Number
Type of element
Name of element
Current Condition of element
Other Details about the element
7. You can double-click a Remote in the snapshot view to see the remotes Control Panel.
See Control Panel on page104 for information about the control panel.
2. With your mouse pointer located within the region of the highlighted elements, right-click
and select a report from those available. For this example, the Remote Availability
report was selected.
Notice that the resulting Select Remotes (Figure 52) dialog box shows only the remotes
that are highlighted in Figure 51. If you had selected this same report (Remote
Availability) from the Tree, even with these remotes highlighted, the resulting dialog box
would have listed all of the remotesnot just the ones you highlighted. Therefore, it is
important that your mouse pointer is actually over the highlighted elements when you
right-click.
3. Make your selections in the dialog box.
4. Click OK to display the selected report.
The Select Items and Stats dialog box has two panes. The pane on the left lists the
Remotes or Line Cards that you can include in the data snapshot. (Figure 53 shows
remotes because Network Data Snapshot was selected for this example.) The pane on
the right lists all the data you can view for these remotes or line cards.
3. In the pane on the left, select the remotes or line cards you want to view.
By default all elements are displayed in the left-hand pane. To select only Activated
elements, click Active. To clear all selections, click Clear.
4. In the pane on the right, expand the tree. Then select all parameters you want to view for
the selected elements. These selections will appear as columns in the Data Snapshot.
5. Click OK to view the Data Snapshot. Only the selected elements and parameters are
displayed.
You can obtain many types of performance information on the elements in your network. This
chapter describes how to view and interpret this information.
Click the Blade Info Pane tabs and expand the contents to display the following information
about the blades:
The Process tab shows the various software processes running on each blade and the
remotes under each process.
The Remotes tab lists the remotes per network being managed by the blades.
The CPU Usage tab show the percentages of CPU usage by category. It also shows CPU idle
time.
The GKD tab shows the current Master Global Key Distributor (GKD) and any higher-
priority GKDs for each blade. The Master GKD is the GKD currently supplying the TRANSEC
Network Acquisition Keys to the blade for distribution to your TRANSEC remotes.
Note: The GKD tab is only displayed for blades on TRANSEC Protocol Processors.
2. Click any of the tabs to view different types of information. Figure 56 shows examples of
all four Blade Info tabs.
Notice on the GKD tab (bottom image) that the blade has lost communication with the
configured Master GKD (with priority 30) and has connected to the GKD with priority 20. If
the higher-priority GKD comes back on line, the blade will reconnect to that GKD. For
more information, see the appendix Managing TRANSEC Keys in the iBuilder User Guide.
3. You can also right-click the blade in any of the first three tabs and select CPU Usage. This
option allows you to view historical information about CPU usage on the blade. See CPU
Usage (Blades Only) on page64 for instructions on how to view this information.
1. Right-click a remote and Select Probe from the menu to open the Probe dialog box.
2. To alter the Transmit Power Value, click Change in the Remote Power section to open
the Change Remote Tx Power dialog box.
Note: You cannot set the power outside of the Min/Max range defined for this remote
in iBuilder.
4. To connect directly to the remote or protocol processor blade, click Remote or Blade in
the Terminal Sessions area of the Probe dialog box (Figure 57).
5. To reset the modem, click the Reset button in the Reset Remote area of the Probe dialog
box (Figure 57).
6. To transmit an unmodulated (CW) or modulated (PN) carrier:
a. Specify an unused RF Uplink Frequency for transmission in the Cross Polarization
area of the dialog box (Figure 59). This is the center frequency of the satellite carrier
you want to transmit.
b. Specify the BUC LO Frequency translation for the remotes BUC.
c. Click Start CW to begin transmitting an unmodulated carrier, or click Start PN to
begin transmitting a modulated carrier.
Figure 59. Probe Dialog Box: Cross Polarization and Adjust Transmit Power
d. To dynamically change the transmit power once the carrier is active, select the up
and down arrows to adjust the Transmit Power (Figure 59). Each time you click an
arrow, the transmit power changes by .5 dBm.
e. To change to a different frequency, click the Stop button (Figure 59) to bring down
the existing carrier; specify a new RF Uplink Frequency; then click the appropriate
start button to retransmit the carrier.
f. When you have finished, reset the remote to return the remote to normal
functionality. You can use the Reset button on the probe, or you can reset the remote
from iBuilder.
Note: A carrier launched from this screen will automatically stop transmitting five
minutes after the carrier was started or the power was last adjusted. You can
configure a custom key on the remote to change this timeout. See Modifying
the Timeout Duration for a CW or PN Carrier on page62 for details.
7. To view statistics, reset statistics or perform bounce functions, select a layer in the
Protocol Layer drop-down list.
Note: Only Real-time is available in the Get Past menu when viewing CPU Usage.
2. Select the blade for which you want to view information. Notice that the Line Cards and
Remotes sections are unavailable for selection.
3. Click OK to view the Blade CPU Usage pane. The Chart View tab is selected by default
(Figure 64).
4. Click the List View tab to view the data in multicolumn format.
5. You can also view limited CPU Usage information in list format on the CPU Usage tab by
following the directions in Monitoring Protocol Processor Blades on page57.
3.4 Timeplan
The Timeplan graph shows you the number of TDMA time slots allocated to each remote on an
inroute, averaged over a one-second time period. This display provides an excellent glance at
the relative busy-ness of the inroute and the remotes that are getting the most time slots.
This display shows real-time data only; the NMS back-end does not archive Timeplan slot
allocations.
The Timeplan display can be selected from:
Receive line cards in TDMA receive mode
Inroute groups
To view Timeplan information, follow the directions below:
1. Right-click a receive line card in TDMA receive mode or an inroute group.
2. Select Time Plan from the menu.
If you selected a receive line card from the tree, the Timeplan graph appears
immediately (Figure 67 on page 67). However, if you selected an inroute group from the
tree, the Select Line Cards dialog box opens (Figure 66).
3. In the Select Line Cards dialog box, select the check boxes for receive line cards or
inroute groups for which you wish to view data. You can also use the buttons as follows:
All selects all elements in the list
Clear clears all elements in the list
Active selects only the active elements in the list
Because the information in the timeplan graph is specific to an individual inroute (i.e. line
card), when you select multiple line cards from the inroute group level iMonitor launches a
separate graph for each line card.
The graph is organized into two sections. The top section of the graph shows the total number
of slots allocated across all remotes in the inroute. The Y-axis of this display is scaled to the
total number of time slots available on this inroute. For each entry written to the top graph,
the bottom graph shows the slot allocation to each remote, along with the total number of
unallocated (i.e. free) slots. Check the Show Serial Numbers box to toggle the display of
remote name vs. serial number in the bottom graph. Check Allocated Slots to show only
allocated slots on the graphs. Select Free Slots to show only free slots on the graphs.
Note: For inroutes with more than 200 slots and a large number of remotes, all
timeplans may not be displayed in real time on the timeplan graph.
Note: The graph does not show slots handed out via free-slot allocation; it only shows
slots allocated based on remote demand.
5. Click the Slot Assignment tab to view each timeplan message as it is sent to the remotes.
Because the inroute distribution data is specific to an individual inroute group, when you
select multiple line cards from the network level, iMonitor launches a separate pane for each
inroute group in the network.
This Inroute Distribution display (Figure 71) is organized into the following columns:
Remote name and serial number
Total slots allocated to this remote across ALL inroutes
The totals at the bottom show the total slots allocated to all remotes across all
inroutes, the percentage of the total bandwidth this represents, and the total number
of slots in all timeplans
For each inroute, the total number of slots allocated to each remote in the inroute
The totals at the bottom show the total slots allocated to all remotes in this inroute,
the percentage of this inroutes bandwidth this represents, and the total number of
slots in this timeplan
3.6 Latency
The NMS measures the round-trip time from the hub to each remote and back every five
seconds. All values are available from iMonitor in real-time. Latency responses exceeding 800
msec are available from the historical archive and are saved for one week by default. The
Latency display can be selected from:
Networks
Inroute Groups
Remotes
To view latency measurements for one or more remotes:
1. Right-click a network, inroute group, or remote in the iMonitor Tree.
2. Click Latency to open the Select Items dialog box.
3. Select the remotes for which you want to view information. Notice in Figure 73 that all
but the Remotes section are unavailable for selection.
4. If desired, select Historical and click Time Range to open the Select Time Range dialog
box (Figure 74). Then enter a Start Time and End Time, or use the slider to set the Start
Time.
Figure 74. Select Time Range Dialog Box and Clock Display
Note: You can click the ellipses next to the Start and End times to set the time via
the graphical clock display.
5. If you did not select Historical, to retrieve past data and then continue to receive real-
time statistics, select a time interval in the Get Past drop-down list.
Note: Historical latency reports show only data for latency timeouts. They do not
show measurements that are below the threshold.
The NMS measures latency by sending an empty ICMP echo request and measuring the elapsed
time until it receives a corresponding ICMP echo response from the remote. The round-trip
time (RTT) is limit-checked by default; if the RTT is greater than two seconds, iMonitor raises
a Warning for this remote. Additionally, the receipt of the ICMP echo response is used to
generate the layer 3 LATENCY Alarm, which indicates a potential IP problem. The NMS back-
end generates this alarm if it misses three consecutive ICMP echo responses.
Note: Latency is measured from the NMS server; the latency results do not represent
latency values from the remotes to arbitrary IP addresses on the public
Internet.
As with all multicolumn lists, you may copy and paste multiple rows from the latency display
into another Windows application such as Excel for further analysis.
Note: Table 12 on page 179 lists all line card statistics archived by the NMS.
Note: If you selected Line Card Stats at the Network level, every line card in that
network is displayed in the Line Cards area of the Select Line Cards dialog box.
If you selected Line Card Stats for a specific line card, only that line card is
displayed in the dialog box.
2. In the Line Cards area of the dialog box, select the line cards for which you want to view
statistics.
3. If desired, select Historical and enter a Time Range to retrieve historical statistics from
the archive.
Note: If you select Historical, you can click the ellipses next to the Start Time and
End Time to set the time via the graphical clock display.
4. If you did not select Historical, to retrieve past data and then continue to receive real-
time statistics, select a time interval in the Get Past drop-down list.
Figure 77. iMonitor Hub Line Card Statistics Pane: Initial View
Figure 77 shows the initial view of the Hub Line Card pane launched from the network
level of the tree. Four line cards were selected in the Select Line Card dialog box.
6. In the tree at the left, click a hub line card or an upstream or downstream channel to
view the graph or statistics for that line card or channel.
Note: For a multichannel line card in SCPC return mode, the upstream channel in
the tree shows the name of the upstream SCPC carrier and the name of the
remote that is transmitting that carrier.
7. Click the buttons on the left to select data for the graph. (See page 77 for a description of
the buttons.)
8. Click the second tab to view the data in tabular form.
Figure 78 on page 77 shows both the HLC Graph tab and the tabular statistics from the second
tab for the eM1D1 line card selected in the tree. In the HLC Graph tab shown in the figure,
the Temp button is selected, resulting in a graphical display of the variation in line card
temperature over time. Selecting a different button (or multiple buttons) would result in a
different graph. If you select a different line card, or if you select an individual upstream or
downstream channel, the buttons that you can select for the graph and the data displayed on
the second tab change accordingly.
Figure 78. Hub Line Card Statistics: Graphical and Tabular Display
The graphs and buttons available on the HLC Graph tab as well as the related information
displayed on the second tab depend on the line card or channel selected in the tree at the
left of the graph. For example, if you select a multichannel receive-only line card in SCPC
return mode, then you can examine general line card statistics such as the line card
temperature or number of errors on the GIGE Ethernet port. If instead you select a receive
channel on that line card, you can examine channel-specific statistics such as the number of
bytes received on the SCPC channel and the number of times TDM lock was lost.
You can change the graphical display on the HLC Graph tab by toggling the buttons to the left
of the graph (Figure 77). The buttons work as follows:
The Hour, Min and Sec buttons change the scale of the X axis to hours, minutes or
seconds.
The All, Single and None buttons help control which statistics are displayed on the graph:
Selecting the All button automatically selects all the statistics appropriate to the
selected line card or channel for display on the graph. After selecting All, you can
then click selected buttons to turn them off one by one.
Selecting the Single button turns the buttons representing individual statistics into
toggle buttons. For example, if the Single and Temp buttons are both selected, then
only the temperature will be displayed on the graph. If you then select the TxAtt
button while the Single button is selected, the graph will switch from temperature to
transmit attempts. If the Single button is not selected, both statistics will be
graphed.
Selecting the None button de-selects all selected statistics and clears the graph.
The remaining buttons represent the various statistics that can be displayed on the graph.
You can select a single statistic button or multiple statistics button. Buttons that are not
appropriate for the selected line card or channel are not selectable.
Note: You can hover your mouse over any button for a textual description of the
buttons function.
You can also right-click inside the graph to view a menu of display options.
Figure 79 shows the right-click menu for the Hub Line Card statistics graphs. You can use the
right-click menu to change the display. For example, you can:
Select ChangeScale to modify the scales of the X axis or Y axis.
Select Legend to display or hide the legend.
Change the background (Back Color) or Text color.
If you select Mouse Tracking, you can click and drag along the plot line to view the value
of each data point.
Note: The Left, Right and Bottom selections toggle off and on the scale displays on
the left, right and bottom of the selected graph.
In the second tab, you can right-click anywhere in the column headings to display a menu of
fields for display. Check all fields that you want to see on the screen. Figure 81 shows the
available fields for an individual SCPC return channel on an XLC-M line card (on the left) and
for the XLC-M line card itself (on the right).
Figure 81. Hub Line Card Statistics for an SCPC Return Channel and for an XLC-M Line Card
TDMA upstream performance statistics are collected for remotes that transmit on a TDMA
inroute.
SCPC upstream performance statistics are collected for remotes that transmit an SCPC
upstream carrier.
Upstream performance statistics are available from the following levels of the iMonitor Tree
view:
Network (by selecting Grouped Remotes)
Inroute Group (by selecting Grouped Remotes)
Remote
Upstream performance statistics displayed in iMonitor for remotes transmitting on a TDMA
inroute include:
The number of acquisition bursts received from the remote
The number of missing acquisition bursts
The number of traffic bursts received from the remote
The number of traffic CRC errors in bursts received from the remote
The number of missing traffic bursts
The number of keepalive bursts received from the remote
Upstream performance statistics displayed in iMonitor for remotes transmitting an SCPC
return channel include:
The number of IP packets received from the remote
The number of HDLC errors in packets received from the remote
The number of keepalive packets received from the remote
Note: If you selected Upstream Performance Graph for Grouped Remotes, every
remote in that network or inroute group is displayed in the Remotes area of the
Select Remotes dialog box. If you selected Upstream Performance Graph for a
specific remote, only that remote is displayed in the dialog box.
2. In the Remotes area of the dialog box, select the remotes for which you want to view
statistics.
3. If desired, select Historical and enter a Time Range to retrieve historical statistics from
the archive.
Note: If you select Historical, you can click the ellipses next to the Start Time and
End Time to set the time via the graphical clock display.
4. If you did not select Historical, to retrieve past data and then continue to receive real-
time statistics, select a time interval in the Get Past drop-down list.
Figure 83. iMonitor Upstream Performance Statistics Pane: TDMA and SCPC Channels
6. In the tree on the left, click a remotes upstream channel to view the graph or statistics
for that remote.
Figure 83 shows sample Upstream Performance Graphs for both a remote transmitting an
SCPC return channel (top) and for a remote transmitting on a TDMA upstream carrier
(bottom).
Note: If a remote changed between SCPC and TDMA upstream channels during the
reporting period, two upstream carriers will appear under the remote. Select
either channel to see the graph and statistics data for that carrier type.
7. Click the buttons on the left to select data for the graph. (See the description on
page 84.)
8. Click the second tab for a tabular view of the remotes Upstream Performance Statistics.
Figure 84 shows sample data for remotes transmitting both TDMA and SCPC upstream
carriers.
You can change the graphical display on the US Perf. Graph tab by toggling the buttons to the
left of the graph (Figure 83 on page 83). The graphs (as well as the related information
displayed on the second tab) are different for TDMA and SCPC upstream carriers.
The buttons work as follows:
The Hour, Min and Sec buttons change the scale of the X axis to hours, minutes or
seconds.
The All, Single and None buttons help control which statistics are displayed on the graph.
(For details see page 78.)
The remaining buttons represent the various statistics that can be displayed on the graph.
You can select a single statistic button or multiple statistics button. Buttons that are not
appropriate for the return channel type are not selectable.
For TDMA Upstream Performance Statistics there are two groups of buttons with identical
names. Use the top group to select acquisition statistics; use the bottom group to select
traffic statistics. (This is illustrated in Figure 85 on page 85. TDMA buttons are shown on
the left and SCPC buttons are shown on the right.) For example, use the top Bursts button
to select acquisition bursts; use the bottom Bursts button to select traffic bursts.
Note: As shown in Figure 85, you can hover your mouse over any button for a textual
description of the buttons function.
Figure 86 shows the tabular and graphical views of one remotes TDMA upstream data.
Figure 86. Remote Upstream Performance Statistics: Graphical and Tabular Display
You can right-click inside the graph to view a menu of display options.
Figure 88. Remote Upstream Performance Statistics for TDMA and SCPC Return Channels
7. Click the second tab to see the remotes Upstream Performance Statistics in the form of a
table.
Figure 89. Remote Performance Statistics CRC Errors: Graphical and Tabular Display
Figure 89 shows a graph of TDMA traffic CRC errors for a remote and the data used to build
the graph.
To view the SATCOM Graph, Remote Status, or UCP Info on remotes, follow the directions
below.
Note: You can also view this information on the remote Control Panel. See Control
Panel on page104.
1. Right-click a remote and select SATCOM Graph or Remote Status/UCP Info to open the
Select Items dialog box. The remote is pre-selected in the Remotes area of the dialog
box.
2. If desired, select Historical and click Time Range to open the Select Time Range dialog
box. Then enter a Start Time and End Time, or use the slider to set the Start Time. (See
Figure 74 on page 72.)
Note: If desired, you can click the ellipses next to the Start and End times to set
the time via the graphical clock display.
3. If you did not select Historical, to retrieve past data and then continue to receive real-
time statistics, select a time interval in the Get Past drop-down list.
4. Click OK.
The SATCOM pane contains three tabs (Figure 91). The Remote Status and UCP Info tabs
contain the raw data used to draw the SATCOM graph.
Note: You may adjust the default color settings on the SATCOM graphs by selecting
the Properties option from the context menu. Right-click anywhere inside the
display to launch the menu.
SATCOM Tab
Figure 91 shows an example of the graphs on the SATCOM tab.
This example shows the most recent data using the Get Past option of the parameters dialog
box. The window is organized into three separate graphs. The displays show the following
information:
Graph 1: The downstream signal-to-noise ratio as perceived at the remote, superimposed
on top of the number of times the remote has lost lock on the downstream carrier (TDM
lost). The TDM lost value is cumulative since the remote was last powered-up, but this
graph shows only deltas from message to message.
Graph 2: The upstream signal-to-noise ratio as perceived at the hub, superimposed on top
of the remotes transmit power.
Graph 3: The symbol and frequency offset values applied to the remote from the Protocol
Processor as part of uplink control processing.
Each graph contains heading text that shows the last value received (either real-time or from
the archive depending on the type of request). You can close any of the displays by clicking on
the X in the upper-right corner of the graph.
Note: The maximum time range you may display in this pane is one hour. This limit
includes both historical and real-time information.
Note: Some of the content of the remote status message is based on the remote mode
of operation. For example, remotes in a DVB-S2 network report different status
than remotes in an iNFINITI network. Therefore the columns displayed by
iMonitor vary depending on the remote mode.
As shown in Figure 95, there are four separate UCP graphs, one for each statistic:
Upstream C/N
Power Adjustment
Symbol Offset
Frequency Offset
6. Click the corresponding button on the left to display or hide each graph.
7. Right-click inside the graph to view a menu of display options. General options for the
right-click menu are described on page 79.
8. Each line on a graph represents the corresponding statistic for one of the remotes
selected in the Name column in Figure 95. Select Legend from the right-click menu to
determine which remote is represented by each line color.
9. To view the raw statistics for a remote, highlight the remote in the Name column and
then click the second tab with the remotes name. These statistics are identical to those
on the UCP Info tab of the SATCOM graph discussed in the previous section.
Note: If you want to change the list of remotes that you can view without relaunching
the display, click the Filter button (Figure 95) to open the Select Remotes
dialog box.
Note: When you right-click a remote and select Downstream QoS Stats or Upstream
QoS Stats from the menu, you can view all the QoS statistics for a single
remote.
2. In the Group Tree pane of the Select Group dialog box, select an element in the tree
over which you want to aggregate the Group QoS statistics. Sub-elements are
automatically selected.
Note: Checking Select single node allows you to select an individual element in the
Group Tree pane. This is illustrated in Figure 99.
3. Select Real time and enter a Start Time, or enter a Start Time and End Time. Duration
will adjust automatically.
Note: You can also use the slider to adjust Duration. Start Time and End Time will
adjust automatically.
The Group Stats display has two tabs: the Plot tab and the List tab. The Plot tab is
automatically selected when you first open the display. The Plot tab allows you to view a
graphical representation of the data on the List tab. By default, three graphs appear: BW
Requested, BW Allocated and BW Free.
Note: You will not see the graphs until you select a QoS node in the tree view on the
left.
5. Select elements at different levels of the tree in the left-hand pane to control the
aggregation of the statistics displayed in the Plot and List tabs of the right-hand pane.
Figure 101 shows the total statistics aggregated over the selected Bandwidth Group.
6. You can right-click anywhere in the plot area and highlight Select Graph to view or hide
any of the three graphs. You can perform the same function by toggling the top three
buttons on the left side of the display.
You can also use the context menu or the toggle buttons to change the display. For example,
you can:
Click Hour, Min or Sec to change the granularity of the X axis to hours, minutes or
seconds.
Select ChangeScale to modify the scales of the X axis or Y axis
Note: The Tight button automatically adjusts the scale of the Y axis to span exactly
the statistical data being reported.
Select Legend to display or hide the legend
Change the background (Back Color) or Text color.
If you select Mouse Tracking, you can click and drag along the plot line to view the value
of each data point.
Note: The Left, Right and Bottom selections toggle off and on the scale displays on
the left, right and bottom of the selected graph.
7. Click the List tab to view the Group QoS Stats in tabular form (Figure 104).
8. Select elements at different levels of the tree in the left-hand pane to control the
aggregation of the statistics displayed in the table in the right-hand pane. Figure 104
shows the total statistics aggregated over the selected Bandwidth Group.
The following statistics are displayed in the List tab in the right-hand pane of the Group Stats
display:
BW Req shows the total bandwidth requested by the selected subgroup
BW Alloc shows the total bandwidth allocated by the selected subgroup
Free BW Alloc shows the amount of bandwidth allocated to the subgroup in excess of the
requested bandwidth.
Note: The BW Req column only displays correct data when congestion is not present.
5. Select a Service Level in the tree to view statistics for that Service Level.
6. Click the four top buttons on the left to toggle on and off the four graphs. There is one
graph per Service Level statistic:
Tx kbps / sec shows the traffic in kbps for the Service Level.
Tx packets / sec shows the packets per second for the Service Level.
Rejected Packets shows the number of unreliable packets rejected for transmission
due to a full Service Level queue when Drop Oldest First is not selected for the
Service Level configuration in iBuilder.
Dropped Packets shows the number of unreliable packets dropped from the queue and
not transmitted when Drop Oldest First is selected for the Service Level configuration
in iBuilder.
7. You can click the List tab for a tabular view of the statistics for the selected Service
Level.
2. In the Save As dialog box, browse to the folder in which you want to save the statistics.
Figure 108 shows two examples of the many tabs of information accessible from a remotes
control panel.
3. Select the remotes you want to monitor in the Remotes area of the dialog box.
4. Select the Historical check box to select a fixed time range for viewing. Otherwise, select
a time interval from the Get Past drop-down menu, or merely click OK to begin viewing
data in real-time. (Real-time is selected by default from the Get Past drop-down menu.)
Note: For historical data, you can click the ellipses next to Start Time and End
Time to set the Time Range using the graphical clock display.
5. Click OK to launch the ACM Gain display. The ACM Gain tab is selected by default.
The ACM Gain tab graph (Figure 111) shows the ACM Gain over time for the selected
remote(s) or for the entire DVB-S2 outbound carrier (if you launched the display from the
Line Card level of the iMonitor tree).
6. If you launched the display from the Network or Inroute Group, you can click on any
available remote in the left pane to display the ACM Gain for that remote. You can switch
to a new remote at any time by selecting it.
Figure 112. Selecting Remotes in the Left Pane of the ACM Gain Display
7. If you want to change the list of remotes that you can view without relaunching the
display, click the Filter button to open the Select Remotes dialog box.
a. Use the arrow buttons to move remotes between the Available Remotes pane and the
Selected Remotes pane to modify the list.
b. Click OK to return to the main ACM Gain display.
8. You can right-click in the graph to change the display by selecting menu options.
For example, you can change the scales of the X axis or Y axis; display or hide the legend;
or change the background or text color. If you select Mouse Tracking, you can click and
drag along the plot line to view the value of each data point.
9. To see the ACM Gain data in tabular form, click the List Data tab.
The table on the List Data tab shows the following information for each time period:
Low MC shows the minimum MODCOD of the DVB-S2 carrier as configured in iBuilder.
CCM kSym shows the number of kilosymbols that would have been required to transmit
the data if it had all been transmitted using Low MC as the MODCOD.
Actual kSym shows the number of kilosymbols that were actually required to transmit the
data using ACM.
ACM Gain shows the percent gain in efficiency achieved by comparing the CCM bandwidth
that would have been required with the actual bandwidth used.
The remaining columns show the number of kilobytes transmitted at each MODCOD.
Perform these steps to view the MODCOD distribution for your DVB-S2 carrier, or for selected
remotes receiving the carrier:
1. Right-click a DVB-S2 network, Tx line card, or remote in the iMonitor tree and select DVB-
S2 StatsMODCOD Distribution to open the Select Remotes dialog box.
2. Make your selections in the dialog box. (See page106 for details.)
3. Click OK to view the MODCOD Distribution display.
4. If you launched the display from the Network, click on any available remote in the Name
column to display the MODCOD Distribution for that remote. You can switch to a new
remote at any time by selecting it.
Note: The buttons on the right only apply to the Timeline tab.
Note: You can also click the Filter button to change the list of available remotes in
the left pane.
5. To see the MODCOD Distribution over time, click the Timeline tab.
The Timeline tab graphs the traffic of the selected remote per MODCOD over time. When
viewing the Timeline tab:
a. If you launched the display from the Network, click on any available remote in the
Name column to display the traffic for that remote. You can switch to a new remote
at any time by selecting it.
b. Click the Hour, Min or Sec button to change the granularity of the X axis to hours,
minutes or seconds.
c. Select the None or All button to de-select or select all MODCODs.
d. Select Single to turn the MODCOD buttons into toggle buttons. When Single is
selected, only one MODCOD button can be selected at a time.
e. Click the MODCOD buttons to select which MODCODs appear on the graph. There is a
separate line on the graph for each selected MODCOD that is being transmitted. No
line will appear if there is no traffic being transmitted on that MODCOD.
Note: Right-click anywhere in the graph and select Legend to view a color-coded
legend of the traffic per MODCOD.
6. To see the MODCOD Distribution data in tabular form, click the List Data tab.
The table on the List Data tab shows the Total kilobytes transmitted during the time period as
well as the number of kilobytes transmitted at each MODCOD. For specific remotes, this
includes all data sent to that remote. If you launched the display from the Tx line card, then
the table includes all data transmitted on the DVB-S2 downstream carrier.
Perform these steps to view the MODCOD Utilization for your remotes:
1. Right-click a DVB-S2 network or remote in the iMonitor tree. Then select DVB-S2
StatsMODCOD Utilization from the menu to open the Select Remotes dialog box.
2. Make your selections in the dialog box. (See page106 for details.)
3. Click OK to view the Message Structure tab of the MODCOD Utilization display. The
display contains one row for each remote.
4. Select a remote in the Structure column. If you selected Historical in the Select Remotes
dialog box (Figure 120), the time range of the selected remotes data is displayed at the
top of the display.
The Message Structure tab contains the following columns:
The Structure column contains the remote names. When you select a remote in the
Structure column, the data for that specific remote is shown when you click the
MODCOD tab or the Detailed Data tab. (See page 114 and page 115 for descriptions of
those tabs.)
The Sparkline column provides a graphical indication of which MODCODs the remote
received during the reporting period. There is one vertical line per statistical record.
Each line represents the MODCOD index of the MODCOD reported in the corresponding
record. The MODCOD index range is 0 (QPSK 1/4) to 21 (16APSK 8/9). (See Table 7 on
page 116.) The height of each line is proportional to the index of the MODCOD
reported in the corresponding record.
You can configure a number of settings that affect how the Sparkline data is
displayed by right-clicking a Sparkline and selecting options from the context menu.
For details, see Customizing the Display with the Sparkline Context Menu on
page117.
The Nominal column shows the Nominal MODCOD configured for the remote at the
time of the latest statistics record of the statistics sample. (The fields of the statistics
record are described on page 115.)
The Current column shows the MODCOD received by the remote in the latest
statistics record of the statistics sample.
The Utilize column shows the overall Bandwidth Utilization factor as calculated from
all records in the statistics sample. (See page112 for an explanation of the Bandwidth
Utilization factor.)
5. Click the MODCOD tab for a graphical representation of the percentages of data received
at each MODCOD for the remote that you selected on the Message Structure tab.
Figure 122 shows a remote that has received two MODCODs during the time represented
by the statistics. The remote received its outbound data on MODCOD 8PSK-3/5 for 91.95%
of the time and on MODCOD 8PSK-2/3 for 8.05% of the time.
6. To change to a different type of graph (such as a pie chart), right-click anywhere in the
display and select Type. Select the format you want from the list of options.
7. To view a legend showing the color coding of the different MODCODs, right-click anywhere
in the display and select Legend. (See Figure 123.)
8. To see the MODCOD Utilization data in tabular form, click the Detailed Data tab.
This tab displays all the statistics records currently being analyzed for the specific remote
that you selected on the Message Structure tab. Each record includes:
The Date and time of the statistics record
The configured Nominal MODCOD of the remote at the time of the record
The Current MODCOD of the remote at the time of the record
The Bandwidth Utilization factor (BW Utilization) calculated for that specific record.
(See page112 for an explanation of the Bandwidth Utilization factor.)
Note: The MODCOD Index Numbers (which start at 0) are not identical to the MODCOD
numbers used in the DVB-S2 standard as documented in the iDirect Technical
Reference Guide (which start at 1).
1. If you enable Mouse Tracking, you can click and drag along the Sparkline to view the
MODCOD Index of each data point. In Figure 126, Mouse Tracking has been enabled and
the mouse is over a line representing a data point with MODCOD index of 12 (8PSK 2/3).
See Table 7 on page 116 for the MODCOD index associated with each MODCOD.
2. Select Out of Bound to open a dialog box (Figure 127) that allows you to differentiate
between MODCODs inside or outside a configured range.
In the dialog box, you can set a minimum MODCOD index (Min. Boundary) and a Maximum
MODCOD index (Max. Boundary). Then click OK.
Individual spark lines that represent MODCOD indexes that fall within these boundaries
are displayed in one color in the Sparkline column. Individual spark lines that are outside
the boundaries are displayed as a different color.
3. Select Size to open a dialog box (Figure 128) that allows you to configure the Width and
Height of your Sparklines.
Figure 128. MODCOD Utilization: Setting Size of Sparkline Column and Rows
Enter a Width to set the width of the Sparkline column in pixels. You cannot adjust the
column on the GUI to be smaller than this setting. Enter a Height to adjust the height of
the rows (in pixels) on the Message Column tab.
4. Select Apply Filter to open dialog box (Figure 129) that allows you to set the maximum
number of lines in a Sparkline.
Figure 129. MODCOD Utilization: Setting the Maximum Spark Lines for a Remote
In Max. Samples, enter the maximum number of lines that you want to display in the
Sparkline column for the selected remote. For example, if you enter 100 for Max.
Samples, only the latest 100 records are represented in the Sparkline column for that
remote.
Note also that critical data such as timeplan messages are sent to all remotes at the lowest
MODCOD configured for the downstream carrier, regardless of the current maximum MODCOD
of the individual remotes.
Perform these steps to monitor the SNR values being reported by your remotes to the protocol
processor:
1. Right-click a DVB-S2 network or remote in the iMonitor tree and select DVB-S2 StatsSNR
Graph to open the Select Remotes dialog box.
2. Make your selections in the dialog box. (See page106 for details.)
3. Click OK to view the SNR Plot tab of the SNR Monitoring Display.
4. You can right-click anywhere in the graph to change the graph display. See page120 for
more details.
5. To see the SNR data in tabular form, click the List Data tab.
In the table:
The MODCOD column displays the best MODCOD at which the remote can currently
receive data
The Bitmap column is intended for use by iDirect engineers and support personnel. It
displays the bitmap sent from the protocol processor to the line card representing all
MODCODs at which the remote can currently receive data.
The SNR column displays the SNR values reported by the remote
The Structure column in Figure 133 shows the following types of statistical data that can
be viewed on this screen:
UDP Rx High/Low indicates the number high and low priority UDP packets received by
the line card from the protocol processor. These packets contain the data for
transmission on the outbound carrier. Each UDP packet is subdivided into ACM
packets. Each ACM packet contains data that can be sent on a specific maximum
MODCOD.
ACM Packets Rx High/Low indicates the number of high and low priority ACM packets
received by the line card from the protocol processor that can be transmitted at a
given MODCOD.
ACM Packets Tx High/Low indicates the number of high and low priority ACM packets
received by the line card from the protocol processor for a specific MODCOD that have
been transmitted.
Note: In some cases, the line card may not send the data to the remote at the
remotes maximum MODCOD. To achieve the most efficient frame packing and
to minimize latency, an outbound frame may contain data for multiple remotes
with different maximum MODCODs. ACM Packets Tx High/Low indicates the
number of packets received from the protocol processor per MODCOD that have
been transmitted. It does not indicate whether or not the packets were actually
transmitted at the requested MODCOD.
3. The Hub Debug Statistics display has two tabs. The row that you select in the Message
Structure tab determines which statistics are displayed in the other tab. In Figure 135,
the row containing ACM Packets Rx Low is selected. This causes the corresponding data
to be displayed on the second tab. Notice in Figure 135 that the name of the second tab
has changed to match the selected structure.
Figure 135. Hub Debug Statistics: Selecting Structure for Second Tab
4. Click the tab on the right to view the statistics in real time. All ACM statistics are
displayed by MODCOD.
5. You can reset the counters in the display to zeroes by clicking the Reset View button
(Figure 137) at the top right of the screen.
When you click the Reset View button, iMonitor clears all values and sparklines and
begins accumulating data starting with the next set of statistics received from the line
card.
rmtarp displays the MAC and IP addresses for all remotes in this remotes inroute
group. This does not include the remote you are connected to.
ll hdlc shows the HDLC address of this remote.
These commands are illustrated in Figure 138.
Figure 138. Viewing IP Routing and HDLC Information from the Remote Command Line
Note: SkyMonitor is a licensed feature. If you plan to add SkyMonitor units to your
networks, please contact the iDirect Technical Assistance Center (TAC).
You can launch SkyMonitor from the iMonitor network tree either by right-clicking the
SkyMonitor unit itself, or by selecting a line card carrier that you have associated with a
SkyMonitor port in iBuilder. If in iBuilder you configured a port for a specific iDirect carrier,
then when you right-click the line card for that carrier and launch SkyMonitor, SkyMonitor
automatically displays the bandwidth defined for that carrier. If you launch SkyMonitor by
right-clicking the SkyMonitor unit, the ports are automatically tuned to the center frequency
that you configured for each port. For details on configuring SkyMonitor units in iBuilder, see
the iBuilder User Guide.
Note: When the NMS server processes are started, the NMS Sky Server process
automatically creates an exclusive connection to each licensed SkyMonitor
unit. If you are already connected to a SkyMonitor unit using a web browser,
the Sky Server connection will fail and you will not be able to view your
carriers from your iMonitor clients. Similarly, if the NMS has established a
connection to a SkyMonitor unit, you cannot connect using a web browser.
Figure 139 shows the initial SkyMonitor view. The current settings (Center Freq., Span, etc.)
are displayed in the monitor pane on the left.
2. The keypad on the right allows you to temporarily change the RF port settings, capture
data, recall captures, and save screen images. These functions are discussed in detail
later in this section.
3. You can select a new SkyMonitor port by clicking a port number in the RF Port section of
the keypad. (If you launched SkyMonitor from a line card, the RF port configured for the
carrier is automatically selected.)
4. Click the Start button to begin monitoring your preconfigured carrier or RF port. Figure
140 shows an iDirect carrier being monitored by a SkyMonitor spectrum analyzer.
5. Click the Stop button if you want to stop monitoring the bandwidth and clear the display.
Note: You can determine the exact frequency and amplitude of any point on the
monitor by positioning your cursor over that point on the screen.
Operate the keypad buttons as you would the buttons on a typical spectrum analyzer. As an
example, if you want to temporarily change the Center Frequency to be different from the
iBuilder configuration, follow these steps:
1. Click the Frequency button to view the sub-function buttons. (See Figure 142.)
2. Click the Center Frequency button.
3. Using the Data section of the keypad, click the number buttons to enter the value of the
new center frequency.
As you enter the data, it is displayed in the monitor pane on the left side of the window as
shown in Figure 143. You can click the up and down arrow buttons to increment or
decrement the last digit you entered. You can also click the minus sign button (-) to clear
the previously-entered digit.
4. Click the appropriate button for the units you are entering (GHz, MHz, KHz or Hz). Once
you select the units, the value displayed at the bottom of the screen changes to the new
center frequency, converted to KHz.
5. If you want to restore the iBuilder configuration, click the Preset button in the
Instrument State section of the keypad.
2. If you want to save the current data, click the Save Data button. This writes the spectrum
analyzer data to a file on your NMS server.
3. To capture data at five minute intervals over a set time period:
a. Click the Capture Time button.
b. In the Data area of the keypad, enter the time period over which you want to collect
data and click the Min or Sec button.
c. Click the Save Continuous button. Data is saved to a single capture file on the NMS
server every five minutes for the specified time period.
3. Select a time range within which to search for data files by entering a Start Time and End
Time or by adjusting the slider.
4. Click OK to view the Select Sky Data to Recall dialog box. (The maximum time range you
can enter is one week.)
5. In the Select Sky Data to Recall dialog box, select the data you want to recall and click
OK. The dialog box shows the Center Frequency and Timestamp of each data file. For
iDirect carriers, the line card Name is also displayed.
6. If the file you selected contains a continuous capture, you can click the Prev and Next
buttons to sequentially display the captured data.
7. Click the Stop button when you want to stop viewing the data file.
2. Click the Copy Bitmap button. This copies the image on the monitor pane to the
computers clipboard.
3. Open the application into which you want to past the image.
4. Select the paste function of the application, or type Ctrl + V to paste the image into the
application.
This chapter discusses the IP and Satellite Traffic graphs. It also describes the statistics on
which the various graphs are based.
To Internet
Upstream Lan Segment
Upstream Router
To Protocol
To line cards, satellite, remotes
Internet Processor
Note: Due to the different collection points for IP and SAT statistics, the IP Statistics
display may show more upstream traffic than is actually possible; i.e., greater
than the channel rate or configured rate limit. This is normal and not a cause
for concern.
To Internet
Remote 1
Upstream Router
Upstream Lan Segment
Protocol
Processor
Remote 3
2. Click SAT Traffic Graph. The Select Items dialog box appears.
3. Select the remotes for which you want to view information. Notice that all but the
Remotes section are unavailable for selection.
4. Click either Historical or Get Past, or OK to view real-time.
You may specify a historical time range or Get Past value from the parameters dialog. The
maximum interval you can select is 12 hours. The farther you go back in time, less
granularity will be available from the database due to archive consolidation.
If you retrieve more than 30 minutes of data, the display will be easier to read if you
select the Minutes or Hours interval from the context menu.
a. If you select Historical, click Time Range. The Select Time Range dialog box appears
(see below). If desired, click the ellipses next to the Start and End times to set the
time via the graphical clock display. If you selected Get Past, see Step b.
Figure 154. Select Time Range Dialog Box and Clock Display
b. If you selected Get Past, the Get Past drop-down list appears. Select an interval of
time.
5. Click OK.
6. The SAT Traffic pane appears with three tabs. Below are examples of the SAT Traffic tab
(Figure 156) and the SAT Downstream tab (Figure 157). The SAT Upstream tab has the
same format as the downstream, but displays data regarding the upstream path.
Note: You can also view the total kbps traffic in both directions for a selected group
of remotes by launching the SAT Bandwidth Usage display. See Satellite
Bandwidth Usage on page148 for details.
7. You can change the graphical display on the Sat Traffic tab by toggling the buttons to the
left of the graphs (Figure 156). The buttons work as follows:
The U and D buttons (shown below) toggle on and off the Upstream and Downstream
graphs. Click these buttons to display one or both graphs.
The Hour, Min and Sec buttons change the scale of the X axis to hours, minutes or
seconds.
The Bits and Bytes buttons toggle the scale of the Y axis to Kbits per second or Kbytes
per second.
The All and None buttons select all traffic types for the graphs or clear the display.
The Symbol button applies only to the Downstream graph for DVB-S2 ACM networks.
If the Symbol button is selected, the Y axis shows the satellite traffic in kilosymbols
per second. If you select Bits (Kbps) or Bytes (KBps), the actual satellite bandwidth
consumed on an ACM carrier varies at any given data rate depending on which
MODCODs are being transmitted at the time. Clicking the Symbol button allows you to
view the total satellite traffic independent of the MODCODs being transmitted.
The Totals button adds a line to the graphs showing the total traffic for all the
selected traffic types.
The last five (traffic type) buttons determine which traffic types are included on the
graphs. You can select any combination of: Reliable, Unreliable, Overhead, Multicast
and Broadcast.
8. To choose among various display options on the graph, right-click inside the window to
view the menu below.
Scroll Lock locks the upstream and downstream scroll bars together after a historical
query.
Direction allows you to view upstream traffic, downstream traffic, or both.
Units switches between kilobits per second and kilobytes per second.
Interval switches among the following:
Seconds (3 minutes total)
Minutes (1 hour total, averaged over 1 minute)
Hours (12 hours total, averaged over 10 minutes)
Activity allows you to selectively choose which IP types to display, or to show the total IP
traffic as a single graph line.
Rate Limits displays configured upstream and downstream rate limits. This selection only
exists for Satellite Traffic statistics; it does not exist in the IP Traffic statistics menu.
Copy copies the current graph display to your PCs clipboard.
Properties allows to you modify the default color settings.
3. In the Remotes area of the dialog box, select the remotes for which you want to view
statistics.
4. If desired, select Historical and enter a Time Range to retrieve historical statistics from
the archive.
Note: If you select Historical, you can click the ellipses next to the Start Time and
End Time to set the time via the graphical clock display.
5. If you did not select Historical, to retrieve past data and then continue to receive real-
time statistics, select a time interval in the Get Past drop-down list.
7. You can click the Upstream Data or Downstream Data tabs to view the raw statistics used
to draw the graphs.
10. If you selected Grouped RemotesIP Traffic Graph, the selected remotes are shown at
the left of the display. You can show or hide the traffic of individual remotes by selecting
or clearing the check boxes. This is illustrated in Figure 164. The top image shows the
traffic graph with two remotes selected. The bottom image shows the same graph for only
one of the remotes.
Note: When viewing multiple remotes on the same graph, select Legend from the
right-click menu to determine which remote is represented by each line color.
11. If you selected Grouped RemotesIP Traffic Graph, you can click the Filter button
(Figure 164) to open the Select Remotes dialog box (Figure 165).
Use the Select Remotes dialog box to select which remotes are displayed in the pane on
the left side of the main display (Figure 164). Click the arrow buttons to move remotes
between the Selected Remotes area and the Available Remotes area. Only Selected
Remotes are shown on the main display.
12. If you selected Grouped RemotesIP Traffic Graph, you can click the Sort Remotes By
button to open the Sort Remotes By dialog box (Figure 166). This allows you to sort the
remotes on the graph by the volume of traffic to or from the remote.
In the Sort Remotes By dialog box, sort the order that the remotes appear in the Name
column by traffic volume as follows:
a. Select the Direction (Upstream or Downstream).
b. Select a Traffic type, or select Totals to sort by total traffic.
c. Select All Buffered Data to sort the remotes based on the traffic volume in all the
statistics in the time interval; or select Last Data Point to sort the remotes based on
the amount of traffic in the last statistics record received for each remote.
13. To choose among various display options on the IP Traffic Graph, right-click inside the
window to view the menu below.
The menu options are described below. Some of these options perform the same functions as
the buttons on the left side of the display. (See Figure 161.)
Select Graph allows you to select the Upstream and/or Downstream graph for display
Change allows you to change characteristics of the graph such as text color; the scale of
the X axis and Y axis; the data refresh rate; and the units for the Y axis.
Legend displays a color-coded legend of the graph contents.
Traffic allows you to select some or all of the following traffic types for display on the
graph: TCP, UDP, ICMP, IGMP, HTTP, Other. It also allow you to graph the Total traffic.
Copy Whole Plot sends the current graph to your PCs clipboard.
Copy Visible Area sends only the portion of the graph currently visible in iMonitor to your
PCs clipboard.
Max Points allows you to limit the number of statistics records used to plot the graph.
Refresh Rate allows you to change the data refresh rate for the graph.
Manual Refresh refreshes the display immediately.
3. Make the appropriate selections, and click OK. The SAT Bandwidth Usage results pane
appears, as shown below.
5 Reporting on Networks
iMonitor allows you to generate reports from the statistics archive. Each is discussed in detail
in this chapter.
You can generate reports from the following elements in the iMonitor tree:
Networks
Inroute groups
Remotes
Line cards
The following reports are available from multiple levels of the iMonitor tree:
SAT Long Term Bandwidth Usage
IP Long Term Bandwidth Usage
Remote Availability
Line Card Availability
2. Select IP Long Term Bandwidth Usage or SAT Long Term Bandwidth Usage. The Long
Term Bandwidth Usage Parameters dialog box appears.
3. In Remote Devices, select the check boxes of the remotes for which you want to
generate reports.
4. When the Total All Remotes box is selected, iMonitor will add all the values together for
all of the selected remotes. If clear, iMonitor reports on each remote individually.
5. In Direction, select Downstream, Upstream, or Both to tell iMonitor whether to report
on downstream usage, upstream usage, or usage in both directions.
6. In IP Type or OTA Type, select one or more protocol types that you would like in your
report, or select None to report only on total traffic, not broken down by protocol.
Selecting the All check box selects all of the protocol type boxes and results in a
complete listing of the individual values for each protocol type.
7. Select Total Traffic to sum the columns of IP traffic in a Grand Total.
8. In Time Range select the time period for your report. By default, you can select up to six
months in the past; values older than this are not saved by the back-end server. If you
wish to save IP statistics for longer than six months, please contact iDirects Technical
Assistance Center (TAC).
In Time Range, enter the start date by selecting a day, month, and year from the
calendar drop-down box. You can enter time values using the text boxes, or by clicking
the Details button to display the clock tool.
To specify an hour value, click the hour hand, and then click the hour. To select a minute
value, use the same technique, but click the minute hand instead. You can also double-
click anywhere on the dial to move both hands to that location.
Note: This method for specifying time is available from all historical query
parameters panes.
9. The Interval box allows you to specify the time period represented by each message
returned from the server. This feature allows you to show more or less granularity in the
results depending on the type of report you want. In general, raw data is less informative
for long-term reporting than data consolidated to represent larger time periods.
The minimum interval available will vary depending on the Start Time you specify for
your report. As usage data ages, the NMS server automatically consolidates records to
save disk space, so the higher-granularity intervals may not be available if your Start
Time value is far in the past. iMonitor automatically chooses the highest-granularity
interval for you. For more information on how the NMS server consolidates usage records
see Accessing the NMS Statistics Archive on page171.
10. In the Sort By drop-down list, specify an initial sort order for the report. Once the report
is generated you can re-sort at any time by clicking on the appropriate column heading.
11. When you have finished specifying the parameters, click OK to run the report. After the
server has retrieved the data, consolidated it into your chosen interval, and delivered it
to your client, a separate pane appears showing the results of the report.
5.1.2 Results
The report is organized into Totals and Averages tabs. The Totals tab shows total kilobytes
for each message returned from the server in the interval that you selected. There is a total
value at the end of each row, and a grand total at the bottom of each column. The Averages
tab shows the calculated kilobits per second value for each message.
Totals Tab
Figure 170 shows an example of the Totals tab of the Sat Long-Term Bandwidth Report. In
this example, the user chose to total all remotes, and to not break out the report by IP
protocol type. If the user had chosen to report individual IP protocols, each supported
protocol would have appeared in its own column.
Averages Tab
Figure 171 shows the same report as Figure 170, but with the Averages tab selected. As with
the Totals tab, only the averages for the total IP traffic are calculated, since the user chose
to not break out the data by individual IP protocol type.
12. Click Averages to view the average values for each parameter for the period of time the
report covers.
The upstream theoretical maximum is an estimate only; the actual maximum will vary
depending on a number of factors, such as the number of remotes in the network, the
minimum data rate for each remote, and IP packet sizes.
Keep in mind that the larger your interval, the lower the percentage will probably be. This is
due to the fact that kbps values are averaged over the entire period of the interval, so spikes
in activity will tend to be hidden in the average value.
An example report is shown in Figure 173. For each remote selected, the report displays the
percentage of the time period the remote was up and down; the total number of hours during
the time period the device was up and down; and the number of outages. Up refers to the
time the remote was able to pass traffic, and Down refers to the time the remote was unable
to pass traffic due to either a Layer 2 or Layer 3 Alarm being active (or both). The last line of
the report shows the average up/down hours and percent of all the devices for which you
generated the report.
6 Monitoring Remotes
Using the Geographic
Map
You can view your teleport and all remotes in your networks on iMonitors Geographic Map.
These elements are positioned on the map according to their current geographic locations. A
remote is represented by a green, yellow, or red icon, depending on its real-time state. You
can interact with the map to zoom, pan, select remotes for further operations, toggle labels
and elevation, and perform other useful functions.
Note: You must be logged on as a Super User to use the Geographic Map in iMonitor.
See the iBuilder User Guide for information on configuring user account
privileges.
2. In the Remotes area of the Select Remotes dialog box, select the remotes you want to
view on the map. You can use the buttons to select All remotes, to Clear all remotes, or
to select only Active remotes. If you select Historical and enter a Time Range, the map
will be displayed with remote tracking over the selected time. (See Tracking and
Locating Mobile Remotes on page163 for details.)
3. As an alternative to selecting Historical and a Time Range, you can select a duration
from the Get Past drop down menu to display tracking for that time period up to the
present.
4. When you have finished making your selections, click OK to view the Geographic Map in
the main pane of the iMonitor display.
The toolbar is shown below. It is highlighted whenever one or more Geographic Maps is active.
Table 8 describes the functionality of all buttons on the Map Toolbar. Icon names used in this
document are in bold typeface.
Allows you to Zoom In through successive map levels, centered on the current mid-
point of the map.
Allows you to Zoom Out through successive map levels, centered on the current
mid-point of the map.
Allows you to Pan to a new region of the map within the current zoom level by using
the hand cursor to drag the map in any direction. If the entire map is visible, this
function does nothing.
Jumps directly to the Highest Zoom Level from the current zoom level. (The
highest zoom level shows the entire map.)
Allows you to click your mouse on a remote icon to determine Details of that
remote. When you click a remote icon, the remotes name, exact location, and any
current conditions are displayed.
Enables and disables Mobile Remote Tracking. When enabled, mobile remotes
that move within the network leave a trail on the map indicating where they have
been.
The Clear Track button clears the trails of mobile remotes from the map that result
when Mobile Remote Tracking is enabled. This button does not disable Mobile
Tracking.
The Toggle Elevations button turns on or off elevation measurements and contours
on the map display. Elevations are available only on lower zoom levels.
The Map Labels button turns on or off the name display for map features such as
cities, towns, rivers, ports, and highway route numbers. The labels displayed vary
with zoom level.
When enabled, the Circle Remote Images button causes the map to display a
shadow or outline around each remote icon. This function is useful when remotes are
clustered, or when elevation or label data obscures the remote icons.
When enabled, the Flash Remote Images button causes all remote icons to flash
continuously. This feature allows you to quickly identify all remotes in a specific
network or inroute group. It is especially useful at higher zoom levels.
When the Filter on Alarms button is selected, remotes with alarm status are visible
on the map.
When the Filter on Warnings button is selected, remotes with warning status are
visible on the map.
When the Filter on Mesh Alarms button is selected, remotes with mesh alarm
status are visible on the map. (Mesh is not supported in iDX Release 3.0.)
When the Filter on OK button is selected, remotes with OK status are visible on the
map.
When the Filter on Elsewhere button is selected, roaming remotes with elsewhere
status for the network being monitored are visible on the map.
When the Filter on Offline button is selected, remotes with offline status are
visible on the map.
When the Rx Only icon button is selected, remotes in Rx-only mode are visible on
the map.
When the Filter on Sleep button is selected, remotes in Sleep Mode are visible on
the map.
Mobile Remote Tracking button on the Map Toolbar. As the remotes transmit their geographic
coordinates to the NMS, iMonitor places the remotes on the map in their reported locations.
Mobile remote tracking also traces the location history of each mobile remote in real time by
leaving a grey ghost image of the remote whenever its reported location changes. In Figure
180, the green icon just off the coast of Russia is the current location of the remote. The grey
trail traces its movement over time.
Note: It is not possible to track Secure Mobile Remotes. By design, these units do not
report their geographic locations to the hub.
2. Click any of the grey icons in the trail of a remote. An Information Message will display
the name of the remote along with its position and the time of day when its location
corresponded to the grey icon you selected.
3. Right-click to display the remote submenu. When you select an operation from the menu,
iMonitor will display the results with the remote pre-selected.
group pre-selected. The figure below shows the results of selecting three remotes on the
map, and then selecting Network Data Snapshot from the menu.
Note: If the status of a remote changes so that the remote status no longer matches a
selected filter, the remote will disappear from the map. Similarly, if a remote
that was not visible due to filtering changes to a visible status, the remote will
appear on the map.
The following criteria can be applied when filtering Remotes on the geographic map:
Show all remotes (no filtering)
Show or hide remotes with Alarm status
Show or hide remotes with Warning status
Show or hide remotes with OK status
Show or hide remotes with Elsewhere status (See note below.)
Show or hide remotes with Offline status
Show or hide remotes in Receive-Only mode
Show or hide remotes in Sleep Mode
Hide all remotes
Note: Remotes with Elsewhere status are roaming remotes that are configured in the
network being monitored, but that have moved to another network. An icon for
a remote with Elsewhere status reflects the last position in which that remote
was displayed on the geographic map prior to leaving the network.
Filters can be set either by selecting icons on the geographic map toolbar, or by right-clicking
in the map pane and using the filter menu. The following two sections describe these options.
2. Select or clear the check marks in the menu to choose the remotes you want to view on
the map. You can select any combination of status filters. With the settings shown in the
figure below, only remotes with Alarm or Warning status are visible on the map.
Note: Selecting All from the filter menu selects all menu items. Selecting None clears
all selections. These are quick methods for toggling all geographic map
filtering on or off.
Many iDirect customers have requested specific reports on various aspects of their network
behavior, ranging from IP traffic activity to system uptime to satellite link behavior. iMonitor
allows users to retrieve historical data and populate a number of raw and graphical displays
on both firmware versions and per-remote uptime via web-based tools. iMonitor also provides
an easier way of retrieving long-term bandwidth usage statistics for network usage profiling.
iDirect also provides limited support for read-only direct archive access. This section
discusses how this is done and provides information about specific tables in the archive
database.
Note: The intended audience for this appendix are technical personnel with
experience developing relational database applications, preferably using
ODBC. In addition, the statistics tables in this appendix may be useful to
network operators who want to better understand what statistics are logged at
the NMS and the associated fields displayed on the various iMonitor screens.
Note: Note: if you access the statistics archive using ODBC, you may have to modify
your reporting software to handle gaps in the data.
Latency measurements below a default threshold of 800 msec are not logged to the
archive; only measurement times above this value are logged.
Consecutive latency time-outs are written to a single entry in the database along with a
count. For example, 10 consecutive latency time-outs are written as a single database
record with a count of -10.
Consecutive Sweep messages are written to a single entry in the database along with a
count. For example, 10 consecutive Sweeps are written as a single database record with a
count of 10.
All of these settings can be overridden or modified if necessary. Please contact iDirects
Technical Assistance Center for help changing the default archive behavior.
Note: Beginning with iDX Release 2.1, by default you cannot use SSH to log on directly
to the root account of your NMS server or Protocol Processor blade. You can use
SSH to log on to other accounts such as the idirect account. You can then enter
su - from the command line to log on as root.
2. Enter the mysql database utility:
# mysql
3. At the mysql prompt, type the following command:
mysql> grant SELECT on *.* to <user>@% identified by <password>;
Replace the string <user> with the user name you want for the account, and replace the
string <password> with the password you want. Note that the double quotes around
password and single quotes around the percent sign are required.
4. Activate the account:
mysql> flush privileges;
5. Exit the mysql utility:
mysql> quit;
The user you just created has the following privileges:
Can connect from any host.
Can see all databases.
Can only read information.
You can further restrict the access privileges on this account, e.g. you can specify connection
only from a specific remote host. If you wish to tailor this account to provide additional
security, you should contact iDirects TAC at (703) 648-8151.
Once you have set up the read-only access account, you must connect to the database named
nrd_archive. Other connection details are your responsibility. There are a number of
database clients that support ODBC connections, each with their own specific requirements.
Unfortunately, we are unable to provide support for all the different ODBC clients in the
marketplace.
Note: Retrieving information based on serial number is not recommended you will
lose access to historical data if the hardware is swapped in the field.
In the archive database, remote unique ids in all tables are stored in the column named
unique_id. In the config database, this same ID is stored in a table named NetModem in the
column NetModemId. The remote name is in the column named NetModemName.
A sample SQL query that retrieves the remotes name from a known remote ID is:
select NetModemName from nms.NetModem where NetModemId = 15;
The config database name is nms, and that name must be in your query to tell the MySQL
server which database to look in.
In the archive database, network ids in all tables are stored in the column named
network_id. In the config database, this same ID is stored in a table named Network in the
column named NetworkId. The network name is in the column named NetworkName.
A sample SQL query that grabs a remotes network name from a known network ID might be:
select NetworkName from nms.Network where NetworkId = 1;
A.3.4 Timestamps
All raw data received from network elements is time stamped at the NMS prior to being
written to the database. All timestamp fields in the archive database are Linux time_t values,
which represent the number of seconds since January 1, 1970.
Note: For efficiency, archive data is divided into multiple tables for each data type.
Names of tables that contain data are derived from the base table names
shown in Table 9. When referring to tables in this section, the base table
name is used.
Table 9. Archive Database Tables
Data
Base Table Name Contains
Saved For
raw_ip_stats IP stats sent from the protocol processor 24 hours
ip_minute_stats raw IP stats consolidated to one record per minute 30 days
ip_hour_stats IP minute stats consolidated to one record per hour 6 months
lat_stats latency measurement 1 week
nms_hub_stats hub line card statistics 1 week
nms_remote_status remote information 1 week
nms_ucp_info uplink control adjustments 1 week
event_msg events sent from protocol processors, hub line cards, and remotes 1 week
state_change_log hub line card and remote state changes (conditions raised and 30 days
lowered)
pp_state_change_log protocol processor state changes 30 days
chassis_state_change_log chassis state changes 30 days
raw_ota_stats over-the-air stats sent from the protocol processor 24 hours
ota_minute_stats raw ota stats consolidated to one record per minute 30 days
ota_hour_stats ota minute stats consolidated to one record per hour 6 months
raw_otacast_stats over-the-air multicast stats sent from the protocol processor 24 hours
Data
Base Table Name Contains
Saved For
otacast_minute_stats raw otacast stats consolidated to one record per minute 30 days
otacast_hour_stats otacast minute stats consolidated to one record per hour 6 months
raw_mesh_stats mesh stats sent from the remote 24 hours
mesh_minute_stats raw mesh stats consolidated to one record per minute 30 days
mesh_hour_stats mesh minute stats consolidated to one record per hour 6 months
remote_dvbs2_stats DVB-S2 statistics per remote 30 days
hub_dvbs2_stats DVB-S2 statistics per line card 30 days
pp_dvbs2_stats DVB-S2 statistics per protocol processor blade 30 days
nms_group_qos_stats group-level GQoS statistics 30 days
nms_sl_qos_stats service level GQoS statistics 30 days
group_qos_hour_stats group-level qos stats consolidated to one record per hour 6 months
group_qos_minute_stats group-level qos stats consolidated to one record per minute 30 days
rev_activity revserver log per network upgrade Unlimited
rev_state revserver log per remote per network upgrade Unlimited
sl_qos_hour_stats service-level qos stats consolidated to one record per hour 6 months
sl_qos_minute_stats service-level qos stats consolidated to one record per minute 30 days
nms_inroutes channel-specific hub line card stats for multichannel line cards 1 week
raw_scpc_rmtrx_stats SCPC return channel stats per remote 24 hours
scpc_rmtrx_hour_stats SCPC return channel stats consolidated to one record per hour 30 days
scpc_rmtrx_minute_stats SCPC return channel stats consolidated to one record per minute 6 months
raw_tdma_rmtrx_stats TDMA return channel stats per remote 24 hours
scpc_tdma_hour_stats TDMA return channel stats consolidated to one record per hour 30 days
scpc_tdma_minute_stats TDMA return channel stats consolidated to one record per minute 6 months
Mesh statistics
Group QoS statistics
Service Level QoS statistics
Remote TDMA return channel statistics
Remote SCPC return channel statistics
The statistics consolidation process is more complicated than for data in other tables. It is a
multi-step process designed to keep very old data without losing information, and at the same
time optimize disk space usage. As the statistics data gets older, multiple individual records
are combined together to form a single record. Using this method, the count of total traffic
sent through the system is maintained as the data ages; all thats lost is the granularity
between shorter periods of time.
The consolidation process works as follows. Every day, using consolidation parameters from
the config database, the consolidator process performs the following tasks on the each of the
raw statistics tables (default values are used here):
1. Delete all records from the hour statistics table older than 4464 hours.
2. Consolidate all records from the minute statistics table older than 744 hours into one
record per hour and write that record to the hour statistics table.
3. Delete all records from the minute statistics table older than 744 hours.
4. Consolidate all records from the raw statistics table older than 24 hours into one record
per minute and write that record to the minute statistics table.
5. Delete all records from the raw statistics table older than 24 hours.
Note: For convenience, HTTP traffic is broken out separately from TCP traffic, but
the TCP counts include HTTP as well. If you want a total count of traffic, do not
include the HTTP values in your addition.
Note: By default, latency statistics are not stored if the measured latency is less than
800 msec.
If remotes are not active in the network, i.e. they are deactivated or incomplete in iBuilder,
the latency server will not attempt to measure their latency and no data will be written to
this table in the database for them.
Transmit (tx) values are always zero for receive-only line cards, and receive (rx) values are
always 0 for transmit-only line cards. While traffic CRCs almost always indicate an anomaly
condition, acquisition CRC values well above zero are normal when remotes are coming into
the network. In fact, by default iMonitor doesnt raise a warning condition on acquisition CRCs
until they go above 200 in a 20 second period.
In addition to the nms_hub_stats message, multichannel line cards also send one statistics
record for each active TDMA or SCPC upstream channel. These channel-specific statistics are
written to the nms_inroutes table. Each nms_inroutes record associated with a nms_hub_stats
record contains the same timestamp as the nms_hub_stats record. In addition, the hlc_did
field in each nms_inroutes record equals the modem_sn field of the associated nms_hub_stats
record. (The modem_sn field of the nms_hub_stats record contains the line cards DID.
Although its Data Type is small int, mysql reserves four bytes for this field.)
Note: Channel-specific fields in the nms_hub_stats table (such as lock status and lock
loss) are not valid for line cards in multichannel TDMA or SCPC mode. Instead,
this per-channel information is written to the nms_inroutes table (Table 13) for
each active return channel.
(Table 14). The scpc_rmtrx_minute_stats table and scpc_rmtrx_hour_stats table contain the
same fields as the raw_scpc_rmtrx_stats table (Table 15).
Interpreting the entries in the state_change_log table requires some understanding of how
the NMS manages conditions and overall element state. First of all, it is possible for multiple
conditions to be active for a single hub or remote at any given time. Consider the following
scenario:
1. A remote is in steady state with no active conditions. The overall state of the unit is OK.
2. A rain storm blows into a remotes location, which causes the SNR of the downstream
signal to drop below the defined low limit. This is condition 1, a warning. The overall
state of the unit changes to WARNING.
3. The weather situation persists, and the protocol processor loses contact with the remote.
This is condition 2, a warning. The overall state of the unit remains at WARNING.
4. The protocol processor is unable to re-gain contact with the remote, so it declares the
unit out-of-network. This is condition 3, an alarm. The overall state of the unit changes to
ALARM.
5. The NMS latency server stops hearing ICMP echo responses from the remote. This is
condition 4, an alarm. The overall state of the unit remains at ALARM.
We now have four simultaneously active conditions, and the overall state of the remote is
ALARM. Each time a new condition is raised for a remote, it is written to the database with
the current time of the NMS server machine in the timestamp field. The occurred_at field is
also given the same timestamp. All pre-existing conditions for that same element are re-
written with the same timestamp in the timestamp field. However, their occurred_at fields
remain unchanged, thus indicating the time those conditions were first raised. Using the
timestamp field as a key, you can determine all active conditions for a remote at any given
time.
When conditions clear, they are written once again to the state_change_log table, but this
time with the severity field set to EVT_CLEARED. Not all conditions clear at the same time,
but when all conditions have cleared the overall state of the unit returns to OK.
The only conditions with alarm severity are those that cause a service interruption. Currently
there are three conditions that fall into this category: LLDOWN (layer 2),
UCP_OUT_OF_NETWORK (layer 2), and LAT_TIMEOUT (layer 3). You can generate a remote
up/down report for a given time period by correctly parsing the entries in this table and
ignoring all warning conditions.
Entries in this table can be processed in essentially the same way as hub line card and remote
state changes. See Hub and Remote State Changes on page185 for more details.
table and sl_qos_hour_stats table contain the same fields as the nms_sl_qos_stats table
(Table 29).
WARNING! If you are currently accessing the statistics archive directly using ODBC, your
software will not work on this new archive structure without modifications.
See the following sections for detailed information.
A.5.1 Background
Prior to iDS Release 6.1, each archive data type was represented by a single MySQL database
table. Using the raw_ip_stats table as an example, all IP statistics for all remotes were
written directly to this table as they arrived at the NMS. Historical queries for IP statistics
were performed on this table as well. In large networks, the table could grow to well over one
gigabyte. This large size, combined with a large amount of read and write operations, caused
a significant performance load on the NMS servers CPU and degraded response time in the
iMonitor and iBuilder GUIs.
To alleviate this situation, the NMS now uses a multiple-table storage scheme in which each
type of archived data is divided among multiple tables by time and groups of remotes.
Dividing tables in this manner is known as data striping. The following sections discuss this
implementation change in detail.
Time Table 1
Time Table 2
D
at
a
S Time Table 3
tri
pe
d
in Time Table 4
6-
ho
ur Time Table 5
se
gm
en
ts
Database
Archive Operation Server Incoming Stats
Table
Database
Tables
Database
Tables
Archive
Database
Tables
Table
Database
Operation Selection Incoming Stats Server Incoming Stats
Tables
Algorithm
Database
Tables
Database
Tables
In all releases beginning with iDS Release 6.1, instead of writing all data to one table as it
arrives at the NMS, the server first passes the data through a table selection algorithm. This
process determines the correct database table for the data that has just arrived. A similar
selection process also occurs when historical data is queried from iMonitor.
The selection rules are based on the following criteria:
The type of data IP statistics, events, condition changes, etc. As before, each type of
data has its own table structure
The remotes unique database ID
The current timestamp
time_table_number
second_dimension_table_number
time_interval
base_table_name
second_dimension_name
The type of The number The number of The time The actual tables names, The second
statistics of time tables per segment derived from the base dimension
data periods kept time period interval in table name. (These data type ID
for this kept for the each table, match the table names in
statistics second in minutes prior releases)
type dimension
data type ID
0 6 1 360 chassis_state_change_log chassis_id
1 6 1 360 event_msg unique_id
2 6 1 360 lat_stats unique_id
3 6 1 360 nms_hub_stats unique_id
4 6 1 360 nms_remote_status unique_id
5 6 1 360 nms_ucp_info unique_id
6 6 1 360 pp_state_change_log blade_id
7 6 1 360 raw_ip_stats unique_id
8 6 1 360 raw_ota_stats unique_id
9 6 1 360 raw_otacast_stats network_id
10 6 1 360 state_change_log unique_id
11 6 1 360 ip_minute_stats unique_id
12 6 1 360 ip_hour_stats unique_id
13 6 1 360 ota_minute_stats unique_id
14 6 1 360 ota_hour_stats unique_id
15 6 1 360 otacast_minute_stats unique_id
16 6 1 360 otacast_hour_stats network_id
17 6 1 360 raw_mesh_stats unique_id
Database Values:
ttn = TABLE_INFO.time_table_number
tis = (TABLE_INFO.time_interval * 60) // convert to seconds
sdtn = TABLE_INFO.second_dimension_table_number
btn = TABLE_INFO.base_table_name
Variables:
t = <timestamp> (Linux time_t)
id = unique_id of element (e.g. remote)
Note: When running a distributed NMS system, you must read TABLE_INFO from the
master MySQL machine. This is typically the same machine as your
Configuration Server.
raw _ip_stats_0
raw _ip_stats_1
raw_ip_stats_2
Existing
Data { Existing
raw _ip_stats
data
Empty
{
raw _ip_stats_3
raw _ip_stats_4
raw_ip_stats_5
When you restart the NMS servers, new data arriving at the NMS will be archived to the new
tables. The old data will remain in the old tables until you delete it or convert it to the new
format.
If you want to convert your existing archive data to the new format, follow these steps:
1. Log on to the NMS server as root.
2. At the command prompt, type:
cd /home/nms/utils/db_maint
3. Convert your archive data by typing:
./DB-Conversion.pl
Converts your archive data to the new table format
The DB-Conversion.pl command has the following format and output:
./DB-Conversion.pl -h
Usage:
DB-Conversion.pl [-cd=NAME] [-ad=NAME]
-cd : Change config database from [nms]
-ad : Change archive database from [nrd_archive]
WARNING! If you choose to modify the default TABLE_INFO settings, and you are running
a Distributed NMS, you must change the database on the master MySQL
machine. This is typically the same machine as your Configuration Server.
WARNING! You must stop NMS Services before changing the table structure, or run this
process offline.
4. Use the ./DB-Migration.pl script to change the table structure. All forms of this
script are shown below.
# ./DB-Migration.pl -h
DB-Migration.pl [-cd=NAME] [-ad=NAME] [-DD]
-cd : Change config database from [nms]
-ad : Change archive database from [nrd_archive]
-DD : Do not touch any data outside of the ip_stats
-suffix : Change suffix for existing tables for database
[nrd_archive], default is "old"
If you run the script with no arguments as shown below, it will rename the existing tables by
adding the suffix old. For example, event_msg_1 becomes event_msg_1_old. Once you have
verified the data in the new format, you should remove these renamed tables by entering the
command:
./DB-Migration.pl
This converts existing data to new table structure.
Note: You must have access to the root account on the NMS server to retrieve the
calculator.
Follow these steps to copy the archive database partitioning calculator to your PC or laptop:
1. Log on to the root account of the NMS server.
Note: Beginning with iDX Release 2.1, by default you cannot use SSH to log on directly
to the root account of your NMS server or Protocol Processor blade. You can use
SSH to log on to other accounts such as the idirect account. You can then enter
su - from the command line to log on as root.
2. From the root account, copy the partitioning calculator to a directory on the NMS server
that you can access remotely from your PC. In this example, the calculator is copied to
the /home/idirect/ directory.
cp /home/nms/utils/db_maint/table_info-calculator.htm /home/idirect/
3. Create a folder on your PC or laptop where you want to store the calculator.
4. Start Cygwin on your PC or laptop.
5. In the Cygwin window, use the cd command to change your directory to the new folder.
The command syntax is show here using the directory db_calculator at the top level of
the C: drive.
cd /c/db_calculator
6. In the Cygwin terminal window, type:
SCP idirect@<IP Address>:/home/idirect/table_info-calculator.htm ./
where <IP Address> is the IP address of your NMS server.
7. Enter the password when prompted. The calculator will be transferred to your PC.
8. Enter the following command to reformat your copy of the file for the Windows
environment.
unix2dos table_info-calculator.htm
9. Close your Cygwin terminal window.
3. If you are running Windows XP with Service Pack 2, you must right-click the security
message at the top of the calculator window and select Allow Blocked Content. Then
click Yes in the warning dialog box.
4. Use the calculator to determine the optimal settings for your archive database partitions.
The parameters and their usage is described below.
Figure 194 shows the calculated results for the nms_remote_status table in a network with
750 remotes with a logging rate of four times per minute. The parameters are entered in the
top portion of the screen. The results appear in the lower (yellow) portion of the screen when
you click the Calculate Table_Info data button.
The following parameters can be entered in the calculator.
The Base Table Name (identical to the base_table_name in the TABLE_INFO table on
page202) represents the table definition for the table set that contains all statistics of
this type. Before calculating the results, you should select the Base Table Name of
interest from this list.
Time to Keep Data (hrs) represents the amount of time in hours to retain the data for
this Base Table Name before it is overwritten. You can modify this parameter based on
your requirement to keep records of this type on the NMS server and your available disk
space.
Maximum Table Size (MB) is used to calculate the optimal number of tables that should
be created for this Base Table Name. This parameter is not stored in the database. It is a
limit used by the calculator to help compute the best results. In general, you should use
the default setting.
Number of Records per Minute is the rate per minute at which records of this type are
being logged for each remote (or other device) in the table set. This is not a configurable
parameter and it varies dynamically with network load. If you have measured a value for
your network for which you want to optimize the table set, you can change this
parameter to reflect that value. Otherwise, you should use the default setting.
Number of Second Dimension Elements represents approximately the total number of
devices (second dimension elements) associated with the Base Table Name in your
network. Note that if the number of remotes in your network changes significantly, you
should consider re-executing the calculator and reconfiguring the TABLE_INFO for tables
that log remote statistics. You can vary the number of second dimension elements used by
the calculator in increments of 250.
Record Size (in bytes) is the size of the database record for this Base Table Name. In
general, you should use the default setting.
After entering all parameters, click the Calculate Table_Info data button to calculate the
following results:
Time Table Number represents the optimal number of time segments recommended for
this Base Table Name based on the parameters entered. This result corresponds to the
time_table_number in the TABLE_INFO table shown in Table 33 on page202.
Second Dimension Name represents the number of tables per time period recommended
for this Base Table Name based on the parameters entered. This result corresponds to
the second_dimension_name in the TABLE_INFO table.
Time Interval (hrs) represents the length of time for each time segment recommended
for this Base Table Name based on the parameters entered. This result corresponds to
the time_interval in the TABLE_INFO table.
After you have calculated the optimal time_table_number, second_dimension_name and
time_interval for all tables you want to optimize, you can log into the root directory of the
NMS server and use MySQL to change the TABLE_INFO configuration in the NMS database to
match the optimal values.
Figure 195 shows the table set that would be created for nms_remote_status if INFO_TABLE
were modified in accordance with the values calculated in figure Figure 194 on page209.
UNION
(SELECT * FROM state_change_log_4 WHERE timestamp BETWEEN
20061120100000 AND 20061120140000)
UNION
(SELECT * FROM state_change_log_5 WHERE timestamp BETWEEN
20061120100000 AND 20061120140000)
ORDER BY timestamp;
With this method, MySQL concatenates and sorts the records for you. No external post-
processing required.
The iDirect NMS provides real-time notification of system anomalies, classified by severity.
The iMonitor GUI provides complete visibility to the real-time status and operational
characteristics of network elements. Status refers to the real-time state of network
elements, i.e. OK, warning, and alarm.
Alarms indicate an interruption in service or remote sites that are out-of-network. Warnings
display potential anomalous conditions and system values that are out of range.
This appendix provides troubleshooting recommendations for a subset of alarms and warnings.
Not all warnings are listed in this appendix. See Table 6 on page 35 for comprehensive lists of
warnings for each element.
B.1 Alarms
Table 34 lists alarms, their descriptions and recommended actions.
B.2 Warnings
Warnings signal a condition that could possibly result in a future interruption in service if not
handled in a timely fashion. Table 35 lists a subset of warnings, their descriptions and
recommended actions. See Table 6 on page 35 for comprehensive lists of warnings for each
element.
Note: Warning limits can be configured using iBuilder. For details on setting warning
limits, see the iBuilder User Guide.
iDirects NMS includes an SNMP proxy agent that provides real-time status, statistical
information, and basic configuration information to any interested SNMP client.
The SNMP Proxy Agent Management Information Base (MIB) supports both SNMP Get requests
for polling and SNMP traps for asynchronous notification of status changes. The MIB is
automatically updated to reflect changes in element status and/or configuration, including
the addition and deletion of network elements. It also collects statistical information
regarding network elements.
The SNMP Proxy Agent is automatically installed on the NMS server as part of the iDirect
software release and is included in the normal NMS server startup and shutdown procedure.
Beginning with iDirect Release 7.0, the SNMP MIB supplies the statistical information in Table
37 for iDirect network elements.
Note: Add the above line only if snmpd.conf does not already contain it.
4. Restart the snmpd service:
Example: /etc/init.d/snmpd restart
5. Use the SNMP SET command to set the MIB Object resetAllStatTables to 1.
Usage: snmpset -v 2c -c private <NMS server Ipaddress>
resetAllStatTables.0 u 1
Data types and table entry names are available from the MIB itself, which is available in the
following file on the NMS server machine:
/usr/share/snmp/mibs/IDIRECT-REMOTE-MIB.txt
Network
Trap Name Generate When... Severity
Elements
snmpProxyStart SNMP Proxy Agent starts up N/A SNMP Proxy Agent
snmpProxyStop SNMP Proxy Agent shuts down N/A SNMP Proxy Agent
upstreamSNR Upstream SNR goes outside specified limits Warning Remotes
downstreamSNR Downstream SNR goes outside specified Warning Remotes
limits
tempLimit Onboard temperature goes outside Warning Remotes
specified limits
latency Latency measurement exceeds high limit Warning Remotes
symbolOffset Symbol offset goes outside specified limits Warning Remotes
ethernetUnplugged The local LAN port is non-functional Warning Remotes
ucpLostContact The protocol processor loses contact with a Warning Remotes
remote
lldown The protocol processors link layer Alarm Remotes
interface for a remote goes down
ucpOutOfNetwork The protocol processor declares a remote Alarm Remotes
out of network
latTimeout Latency measurements are failing Alarm Remotes
remoteOffline The remote has been commanded offline Offline Remotes
lackHubStats The NMS is no longer receiving hub Alarm Hub Modems
statistics
acqHubModemCRC Acquisition CRC count exceeds high limit Warning Hub Modems
trafficHubModemCRC Traffic CRC count exceeds high limit Warning Hub Modems
ppStateTrap The NMS has stopped hearing from the Alarm Protocol Processor
protocol processor
powerAlarm1, 2, 3 The specified power supply has failed Warning Chassis
fanAlarm One of the fans has failed Warning Chassis
chassisDown The NMS cannot contact the chassis Alarm Chassis
scpcRxErrors A remote has received errors on the Warning Remotes
downstream
Network
Trap Name Generate When... Severity
Elements
fllDacErrors A remotes digital-to-analog converter Warning Remotes
(DAC) is operating outside the defined
limits
rxOverflowFramesHubModem Receive Overflow Frames, data lost Warning Hub Line Card
downstreamPpsOverdrive Packets-per-second overdrive between PP Warning Hub Line Card
and line card
backplaneLost10Mhz The line card lost the backplane 10 MHz Warning Hub Line Card
clock signal
calibratedTxPower Transmit power is above or below the Warning Remotes
calibrated limit
txFrequency Transmit frequency is above or below the Warning Remotes
calibrated limit
mobileLostGps Mobile remote lost the GPS signal Warning Remotes
lcFailure Line card has failed Alarm Hub Line Card
meshError Mesh mode has changed: Remote is not in Alarm Remotes
mesh mode
meshTdmLockLost TDM lock lost Alarm Hub Line Card
meshHubRxScpcSnr The Hub downstream Rx loopback C/N Warning Hub Line Card
exceeds the calibrated hub clear sky C/N
meshHubRxTdmaSnr The Hub TDMA C/N exceeds the calibrated Warning Hub Line Card
hub clear sky C/N
lineCardAGCOutOFRange AGC gain out of range Warning Hub Line Card
meshRmtRxScpcSnr The remote downstream Rx C/N exceeds Warning Remotes
the calibrated remote clear sky C/N
meshRmtRxTDMASnr The remote Rx TDMA loopback C/N Warning Remotes
exceeds the calibrated remote clear sky
C/N
remoteAgcOutOfRange AGC gain out of range Warning Remotes
rcmAAlarm The Reference Clock Module control timer Warning Chassis
A is in error
rcmBAlarm The Reference Clock Module control timer Warning Chassis
B is in error
lostChassisConnection Lost connection to Chassis Manager Server Warning Chassis
microChassisOverTemp Chassis over temperature alarm Warning Four-Slot Chassis
microRCMANotPresent RCM A has not been installed in the Chassis Warning Four-Slot Chassis
microRCMAFault RCM A of the chassis has failed Warning Four-Slot Chassis
microRCMBNotPresent RCM B has not been installed in the chassis Warning Four-Slot Chassis
Network
Trap Name Generate When... Severity
Elements
microRCMBFault RCM B of the chassis has failed Warning Four-Slot Chassis
microPwrAlarmABad Chassis power supply A has failed Warning Four-Slot Chassis
microPwrAlarmAOverTem Chassis power supply A exceeds Warning Four-Slot Chassis
temperature limit
microPwrAlarmBBad Chassis power supply B has failed Warning Four-Slot Chassis
microPwrAlarmBOverTemp Chassis power supply B exceeds Warning Four-Slot Chassis
temperature limit
microFSMNotPresent FSM has not been installed on the chassis Warning Four-Slot Chassis
microFSMFault FSM has failed on the chassis Warning Four-Slot Chassis
microFSMFanFault FSM fan has failed on the chassis Warning Four-Slot Chassis
microIFMNotPresent IFM has not been installed on the chassis Warning Four-Slot Chassis
microIFMFault IFM has failed on the chassis Warning Four-Slot Chassis
microAlarmDisabled Audible alarms are disabled for the chassis Warning Four-Slot Chassis
microOPMAFaul OPM B has failed on the chassis Warning Four-Slot Chassis
microOPMBFault OOPM B fault alarm Warning Four-Slot Chassis
reset Reset has occurred Warning Remote/Line Card
unready Not ready for failover Warning Line Card
flash Flash Warning Warning Remote/Line Card
activationStatus Activation Status Alarm Remote
elsewhereError Remote is Elsewhere Elsewhere Remote
backplaneLostSOF Backplane lost Start Of Frame Warning Chassis
rmtMAXTxPwr Remote exceeds Max Tx Power Warning Remote
bladeCPUHigh High CPU usage on Blade Warning PP Blade
rmtSleep Remote Sleep Alarm Alarm Remote
hubTenMHzAlarm Hub 10MHz Alarm Alarm Line Card
gigeFailed GIGE Port Failed Alarm Line Card
gigeHealth GIGE Port Health Warning Warning Line Card
rxOnly Remote in Rx Only mode Rx only Remote
crc8Errors CRC 8 errors high Warning Remote
crc32Errors CRC 32 errors high Warning Remote
ravenFailed Raven failed Alarm Remote/Line Card
bladeNoEncLic Blade has no encryption license Warning PP Blade
rmtAcqBurst Remote acquisition Burst Warning Warning Remote
Network
Trap Name Generate When... Severity
Elements
rmtCAWillExpire Remotes X.509 certificate will expire Warning Remote
rmtCAExpired Remote X.509 certificate has expired Warning Remote
rmtCAInvalid Remotes X.509 certificate is invalid Warning Remote
rmttxTDMAAcqCrc Remotes TDMA acquisition CRC errors high Warning Remote
rmttxTDMADataCrc Remotes TDMA traffic CRC errors high Warning Remote
rmttxTDMAAcqMismatch Remotes TDMA Acquisition mismatch high Warning Remote
rmttxTDMADataMismatch Remotes TDMA traffic mismatch high Warning Remote
rmttxTDMADataMissing Remotes TDMA data missing high Warning Remote
rmttxSCPCLostLock SCPC return lost lock Alarm Remote
rmttxSCPCHdlcError SCPC return octet and CRC errors high Warning Remote
rmttxSCPCDataMismatch SCPC return data mismatch high Warning Remote
rmtStatusChange Remote real-time status changed Warning Remote
powerAlarm1 Power supply 1 has failed Warning Chassis
powerAlarm2 Power supply 2 has failed Warning Chassis
powerAlarm3 Power supply 3 has failed Warning Chassis
Note: In a few instances, the SNMP trap configuration has been moved into
/home/nms/snmpsvr/para_cfg.opt. If the instructions above are not accurate,
execute these commands instead:
# cd /home/nms/snmpsvr/
# vi para_cfg.opt
3. Add a line like the following for each machine to which you want to send SNMP Version 1
(v1) traps:
trapsink host [community [port]]
Replace host with the name of the desired recipient. The community and port strings are
optional.
4. Add a line like the following for each machine to which you want to send SNMP Version 2
(v2) traps:
trap2sink host [community [port]]
Replace host with the name of the desired recipient. The community and port strings are
optional.
For more information on any of the commands in this list, log in to the NMS server machine
and type the following command:
# man <command name>
This will display the Linux manual entry or man page for the specified command that
provides usage details, output descriptions, etc. Note that some of the commands above will
not display anything about your iDirect networks, but instead display Linux system
characteristics, such as disk space and network status.
A
E
accepting changes automatically 8
elements
accepting changes, disabling auto-accept changes 8
putting under observation 38
alarms
events 31
see conditions
interpreting 48
archive, see statistics archive
viewing 40
audio notification 19
audio notification for conditions
disabling 19 F
enabling 19
find toolbar 21
B
G
blades
geographic map
cpu usage 64
clearing remote tracks 164
monitoring 57
components of 5
button determining a remotes past locations 165
accept changes 9 enabling remote tracking 164
filtering 168
filtering criteria 168
C filtering using the context menu 169
filtering using the toolbar 169
conditions 31
installing on PC 6
acknowledging 20 installing server license 5
alarms and warnings on elements 34 launching 159
audio notification 19 launching with historical tracking 160
condition log tab 33 license for 5
interpreting 46 monitoring remotes with 159
observation view tab 33 PC requirements 5
viewing 40 selecting remotes to view 160
conditions pane 26, 33 toolbar 161
configuration changes 27 tracking mobile remotes 163
connecting to network elements 124 using the map to select from Network Tree menu
CRC errors 166
viewing the toolbar 161
Identifying Rx errors on line cards caused by remote
transmissions 87 globe
cw carrier hiding elements 13
sorting elements 13
enabling from remote probe 61
tree 13
modifying timeout duration 62
graphs
Group QoS 98
D hub line card 77
IP traffic 143
DVB-S2 SAT traffic 137
monitoring ACM gain 106 SATCOM 89
monitoring carrier MODCOD distribution 109 timeplan 66
monitoring MODCOD distribution over time 111 UCP 93
monitoring remote MODCOD utilization 112 upstream performance 83
H N
HDLC addresses, viewing on remotes 124 network condition snapshot 48
network data snapshot 54
I network tree 16
see also: tree
iBuilder NMS
description 2 applications 2
installing 4 iVantage NMS components xxi
iMonitor main components 1
description 2 multiple users accessing 8
launching 7 servers used 3
using the interface 12 NMS database
installation overview 172
NMS applications 4
IP long term bandwidth usage 151
O
IP routing table, viewing on remotes 124
IP statistics 135 observation
IP traffic graph 143 putting elements under 38
sorting remotes by traffic volume 147 offline state 34
iSite 2
iVantage NMS components xxi
P
L panes
conditions 26
latency, monitoring round-trip 71 configuration changes 27
launching iMonitor 7 legend 26
probe 59
legend 26
See also dialog boxes
line card data snapshot 54 selecting columns for viewing 27
line cards sorting columns in 14
HLC graph display 77 passwords 7
identifying remotes causing Rx CRC errors on 87 pn carrier
statistics on 74
enabling from remote probe 61
viewing statistics 75
modifying timeout duration 62
viewing statistics on multichannel line cards 76
probe 59
logging in
adjusting remote transmit power 60
passwords 7