Security and Administration

Smart PHY is hosted on Operations Hub, which provides comprehensive Role Based Access Control (RBAC) and User Management. Administrator can configure local or LDAP-based user authentication, create custom login banners, import and export Operations Hub configuration, monitor Audit and Debug logs, and create custom Kibana dashboards.

Refer to the Cisco Operations Hub User Guide for additional details.

Database Operations

Table 1. Feature History
Feature Name Release information Description
Clear Smart PHY database without redeploying the cluster Cisco Smart PHY, Release 23.1 You can clear (delete) all the data within the Smart PHY database without having to redeploy the cluster. This operation is similar to a factory reset.

Exporting Smart PHY Database to Local Computer

Cisco Smart PHY, Release 23.2

You can export the Smart PHY database to you local computer. You can also import previously saved Smart PHY databases.

Smart PHY stores all its inventory and provisioning data in an internal database. You can execute database import and export operations and view a history of previous operations from Smart PHY's Database Operations page.

Figure 1. Database Operations

Exporting Smart PHY Database to Local Computer

Smart PHY's Database is compressed and saved to the /var/smartphy/backup directory on the local filesystem. The filename format is <cluster-name>_backup_<YYYYMMDD_HHMMSS>.tar.gz.

Use this task to export the database from local filesystem

Procedure

Step 1

At the main menu, click Smart PHY > Administration > Database Operations.

The Import & Export page appears.

Step 2

Click Export.

The Export Database panel appears at the right side of the page.

Step 3

Under Destination, select the My Computer radio button.

If you wish to password protect the exported database, check the Password Protect Database checkbox, and then enter a password.

Step 4

Click Export.

Use the Import option to import previously saved Smart PHY databases.

Exporting Smart PHY Database to Local Operations Hub Cluster

Smart PHY's Database is compressed and saved to the /var/smartphy/backup directory on the local filesystem. The filename format is <cluster-name>_backup_<YYYYMMDD_HHMMSS>.tar.gz.

Use this task to export the database from local filesystem

Procedure

Step 1

At the main menu, click Smart PHY > Administration > Database Operations.

The Import & Export page appears.

Step 2

Click Export.

The Export Database panel appears at the right side of the page.

Step 3

Under Destination, select the Local Operations Hub Cluster radio button.

If you wish to password protect the exported database, check the Password Protect Database checkbox, and then enter a password.

Step 4

Click Export.

Exporting Database to a Remote Server

Smart PHY's Database is compressed and then copied to the specified file path on the remote server using SCP. The filename format is <cluster-name>_backup_<YYYYMMDD_HHMMSS>.tar.gz.

Procedure

Step 1

At the main menu, click Smart PHY > Administration > Database Operations.

The Import & Export page appears.

Step 2

Click Export.

The Export Database panel appears at the right side of the page.

Step 3

Under Destination, select the Remote Server radio button.

Enter the following details for the remote server:

  • Server IP Address

  • Server File Path

  • Select your desired Server SSH Authentication Method: Username/Password or SSH Key. If you select Username/Password, enter the: Server Username and Server Password. If you select SSH Key, select the appropriate SSH Private Key Profile from the dropdown list.

  • If you wish to password protect the exported database, check the Password Protect Database checkbox, and then enter a password.

Step 4

Click Export.

Importing Database

If you have not yet added inventory or provisioning data to your Smart PHY cluster, then you can import a previously exported Smart PHY Database.

Note: Smart PHY only allows database import operations to occur when its internal database is empty. If inventory or provisioning data is present in its internal database, then Smart PHY blocks database import operations.

This procedure imports a database.

Procedure

Step 1

At the main menu, click Smart PHY > > Adminsitration > Database Operations.

The Import & Export page appears.

Step 2

Click Import under the Import Database area.

The Import Database window appears at the right side of the page.

Step 3

Under Source, select either the Local Operations Hub cluster or Remote Server radio button.

  • For Local Operations Hub Cluster, enter the following details:

    • Database filename (The filename must end with tar.gz)

    • Optionally enter the password, if your password protected the exported database during export.

  • For Remote Server, enter the following details:

    • Server IP Address

    • Server File Path

    • Database filename (The filename must end with tar.gz)

    • Select your desired Server SSH Authentication Method: Username/Password or SSH Key. If you select Username/Password, enter the: Server Username and Server Password. If you select SSH Key, select the appropriate SSH Private Key Profile from the dropdown list.

    • If you wish to password protect the exported database, check the Password Protect Database checkbox, and enter a password.

Step 4

Click Import.

Smart PHY allows database import operations to occur only when its internal database is empty. If the database isn’t empty, you’re prompted to erase the existing database. On confirmation, existing database is erased, GCP communication is disabled internally and the new database is imported.

After importing the database, Smart PHY automatically reenables the GCP communication, verifies, and synchronizes the imported data. Once synchronizing is complete, all data including Smart PHY Inventory, Service Definition and RPD pairing information re-appears.

Configuring SSH Private Key Profiles

Table 2. Feature History

Feature Name

Release information

Description

SSH Private Key Profiles

Cisco Smart PHY, Release 23.2

Smart PHY allows you to upload SSH Private Keys and then use those keys to securely connect to remote systems for Import and Export Database operations.

Smart PHY allows you to manage SSH private key profiles and then securely connect to remote servers. These SSH profiles, which are stored securely in Operations Hub platform, can be used during export and import operations of Smart PHY databases.

Creating SSH Private Key Profiles

  1. Access the SSH profiles page from the main menu, and select Smart PHY > Settings > SSH Private Key Profiles.

  2. Enter SSH Profile Name, SSH User Name and upload the SSH Private Key (PEM file)

  3. If SSH Private Key is encrypted with a passphrase, then enter a passphrase.

  4. Click Create.

Note:

  • Only AES-128 CBC passphrase encryption is supported. If private key is passphrase encrypted with AES-128 CBC, the private key PEM file should have DEK-Info.

  • SSH private key can be of RSA-2048, RSA-4096 or AES-128-CBC encrypted PEM format.

The RSA PEM Key format example is given below:

-----BEGIN RSA PRIVATE KEY-----
<... Your Private Key ... >
-----END RSA PRIVATE KEY-----

When private key is passphrase encrypted:

-----BEGIN RSA PRIVATE KEY-----
Proc-Type: 4,ENCRYPTED
DEK-Info: AES-128-CBC,D6BF782F43A083F8303F55EEC3624D0B
...............................
-----END RSA PRIVATE KEY----

Validating SSH Private Key Profiles

Once an SSH private key profile is created, you can validate the profile. During validation, Operations Hub attempts to open an SSH session with the Remote Server using the SSH Private Key from the selected SSH Profile.

  1. Access the SSH profiles page from the main menu, and select Smart PHY > Settings > SSH Private Key Profiles.

  2. Select an SSH profile and click Validate.

  3. Enter an IPv4 remote server IP Access the SSH profiles page from the main menu, and select address and click Validate.

Note: For the validation to be successful, the public key should be present in the remote server as part of SSH authorization keys. This enables passwordless login to the remote server.

Editing SSH Private Key Profiles

An SSH private key profile can be edited anytime.

  1. Access the SSH profiles page from the main menu, and select Smart PHY > Settings > SSH Private Key Profiles.

  2. Select an existing SSH private key profile and click Edit.

  3. You can edit or correct any of the following parameters: SSH Profile Name, SSH User Name, SSH Private Key and optionally the SSH Private Key passphrase.


    Note

    The private key can't be edited. However, it can be replaced by pasting or uploading a new private key during the edit operation.

Deleting SSH Private Key Profiles

If you are not using an SSH private key profile, you can delete it.

  1. Access the SSH private key profiles page from the main menu, and select Smart PHY > Settings > SSH Private Key Profiles.

  2. Select one or more SSH private key profiles and click Delete.

Viewing History of Database Operations

Smart PHY maintains a history of all database Operations.

The history contains the following information:

  • Operation Status

  • Type of Operation (Import or Export)

  • Start Time

  • End Time

  • Result

This procedure enables you to view the history of database operations.

Procedure

Step 1

At the main menu, click Smart PHY > Database Operations.

Step 2

Click the History of Operations tab to view the history of database operations.

You can also perform the following tasks:

  • Click the Export icon to export history information into CSV format.

  • Enter specific text in the the Search Table field to search and return specific information.

Customizing Smart PHY Settings

Feature History

Feature Name Release Information Description
Aux Core Configuration for RPD Cisco Smart PHY, Release 22.4 You can use this option to configure additional cores on RPD's DOCSIS Principal Core using TLV 88.1.
Decision Pending IRA Cisco Smart PHY, Release 22.4 Decision Pending IRA functionality is introduced to handle GCP redirect delays.

Smart PHY offers several ways to customize its behavior to fit your needs:

  • Global Configuration

  • GCP Redirect Configuration

  • Software Compatibility Rules

To customize Smart PHY's behavior, click the Operations Hub main menu, and then select Smart PHY > Settings.

Global Configuration

To suit your requirements, you can customize the following configurations using Global Configuration options:

  • Configure Static Routes—For more details, see the Static Routes section.

  • Validate Software Compatibility—When enabled, Smart PHY performs a compatibility check based on the configured Software Compatibility Rules.

  • Persist Running Configuration—When enabled, Smart PHY saves the changes that are made to the cBR-8 router's running configuration.

  • Configuration Save Interval—This value determines the interval at which the changes are saved (Defaults to 60 minutes).

Static Routes

To route traffic and for communication between an RPD and a Cisco cBR-8 router, static routes to the Cisco cBR-8 router are created when you create an RPD association. When enabled, Smart PHY automatically creates a static route for the RPD if the cBR-8 router's DPIC interface is configured with a 31 (IPv4 networks) or 127 (IPv6 networks) subnet. The static route is determined by calculating the gateway IP address and routing traffic through the gateway for the RPD.


Note

  • The DPIC must be a /31 or /127 subnet.

  • Wait for the RPD to push the static route configuration.

Sample of a Cisco Smart PHY-Generated Configuration

 
       cable rpd <the name assigned to the RPD>
         identifier a0f8.496f.6506
         type shelf
         rpd-ds 0 base-power 25
         rpd-ds 1 base-power 25
         core-interface Te9/1/6
          principal
          rpd-ds 0 downstream-cable 9/0/16 profile 100
          rpd-us 0 upstream-cable 9/0/1 profile 4
         r-dti 2
         rpd-event profile 0
        rpd-55d1-us-event profile 0

        cable fiber-node <next available fiber-node>
         downstream Downstream-Cable 9/0/16
         upstream Upstream-Cable 9/0/1
         downstream sg-channel 0 23 downstream-Cable 9/0/16 rf-channel 0 23
         upstream sg-channel 0 3 Upstream-Cable 9/0/1 us-channel 0 3
         service-group managed md 0 Cable 9/0/1
         service-group profile SG1

Programming Additional Cores

By default, Smart PHY passes CCAP Core IP addresses to RPDs via GCP Redirect IRA messages. A Redirect IRA message contains a complete list of the CCAP Cores an RPD must connect to. It’s sent as a response to a Startup Notification message received from an initializing RPD. The CCAP Core list, which is generated by examining an RPD’s association record, contains a DOCSIS Principal Core plus any configured Video Cores and any Additional Cores.

Additional Cores can optionally be passed to RPDs by a different method, which leverages a capability in the DOCSIS Principal Core to send TLV 88.1 (ConfiguredCoreTable) updates. When the DOCSIS Principal Core (TLV 88.1) method is selected, Smart PHY excludes Additional Cores from GCP Redirect IRA messages. Instead, Smart PHY dynamically adds or removes Additional Cores to, or from, the appropriate DOCSIS Principal Core. (Smart PHY updates the DOCSIS Principal Core by pushing “external core” CLI configuration commands.) The DOCSIS Principal Core then passes the IP addresses of the Additional Cores to the RPD by sending TLV 88.1 updates.

Should an RPD’s DOCSIS Principal core be Unmanaged or run an IOS-XE software release without support for TLV 88.1, Smart PHY ignores this selection and programs Additional Cores via GCP Redirect.

Configuring Decision Pending IRA Message

By default, the Send Decision Pending IRA Messages feature is disabled.

When large numbers of RPDs boot-up or initialize at the same time, Smart PHY may not be able to process and reply to every incoming GCP Startup Notify message in a timely manner. RPDs with long waits may send multiple Startup Notify messages or even timeout and reboot before Smart PHY is able to reply with a GCP Redirect IRA message.

To prevent RPDs from sending multiple Startup Notify messages or rebooting unnecessarily, you can enable the Send Decision Pending IRA Messages feature. When enabled, any time Smart PHY is unable to reply to an RPD’s Startup Notify message with a GCP Redirect IRA message before a user configurable wait timer expires, Smart PHY replies with a Decision Pending IRA message.

Per the CableLabs Remote PHY specification, RPDs that receive a Decision Pending IRA message must wait for further messages from their connected CCAP core before proceeding with initialization. After sending a Decision Pending IRA message Smart PHY continues processing the RPD’s initial Startup Notify message. A GCP Redirect REX message is sent to the RPD when the processing of the initial Startup Notify message is complete.

The Send Decision Pending IRA Message wait timer defaults to 90 seconds and can be configured anywhere from a minimum of 15 seconds to a maximum of 600 seconds. You can configure this parameter from the Smart PHY Global Configuration page by accessing Smart PHY > Global Configuration from the main menu.

GCP Redirect Configuration

Smart PHY supports GCP-redirects in compliance with the I15 revision of the CableLabs Remote PHY specification. By default, the pre-I15 GCP-redirect behavior is applied to all RPDs. Ensure that you enable the I15 GCP-redirect behavior.

I15 GCP Redirect Configuration

Smart PHY provides the flexibility to configure I15 compliant GCP redirect behavior. I15 GCP redirect messages are enabled based on the RPD vendor and the RPD software version. If a matching pattern is available, then Smart PHY initiates a GCP redirect message in I15 format, otherwise Smart PHY continues to send pre-I15 GCP-redirect messages. In such an environment, Cisco Smart PHY provides both exact pattern match and regex patterns.

Creating I15 GCP Redirect entry

Procedure

Step 1

At the main menu, click Smart PHY > Settings > GCP Redirect Configuration.

The GCP Redirect Configuration page appears

Step 2

Click Create to open the Add GCP Redirect Configuration window appears at the right side of the page.

Step 3

Enter the RPD Vendor (For example: *Cisco* or *Cisco.*) and RPD Software Version (For example: *v.9.4* or *v.9.*).

Step 4

Click Add

I15 GCP-redirect Result Notification

Smart PHY displays the result of the RPD's `GCP Redirect Notification` message in the RPD 360 panel. When redirect errors occur, Smart PHY displays the RPD status as GcpRedirectError. The GcpRedirected status indicates that the redirect message is processed successfully by the RPD.

Software Compatibility Rules

Smart PHY allows you to add, edit, or delete software compatibility rules. Leveraging these rules, Smart PHY can detect software incompatibility between an RPD and a Cisco cBR-8 route and alert you to this incompatibility.

After an alert message appears, you have to either manually upgrade the RPD software or update the RPD's association with the appropriate SSD Profile.

Creating a Software Conmpatibility Rule

This procedure creates a software compatibility rule.

Procedure

Step 1

At the main menu, click Smart PHY > Settings > Software Compatability Rules.

The Software Compatibility Rules page appears.

Step 2

Click Create.

The Add Rule window appears at the right side of the page.

Step 3

Enter the following information:

Name

Description

RPD Vendor

Name of the RPD vendor.

RPD Software Version

Software version running on the RPD.

Router Product Type

Product type of the router in the Inventory. Example: CBR-8-CCAP-CHASS.

Router Software Version

Software version of the router.

Step 4

Click Add