Table Of Contents
Release Notes for Cisco Service Control Application for Broadband, Release 3.6.x
Cisco Service Control Application for Broadband, Release 3.6.5
Service Configuration Editor Enhancements
Content Filtering Enhancements
Subscriber Manager Enhancements
Dynamic giaddr Learning Enhancements
Protocol Support, Release 3.6.5
Resolved Caveats, Release 3.6.5
Cisco Service Control Application for Broadband, Release 3.6.0
Collection Manager and Reporter Enhancements
Subscriber Manager Enhancements
SCE Integration in Mobile Environment Using Gx or Gy interface
Extended SCE Monitoring Capabilities from SCA BB Console
Protocol Support, Release 3.6.0
Resolved Caveats, Release 3.6.0
Obtaining Documentation and Submitting a Service Request
Release Notes for Cisco Service Control Application for Broadband, Release 3.6.x
Revised: April 13, 2011, OL-21063-07
Note This document supports all 3.6.x releases.
Overview
The release notes for Cisco Service Control Application for Broadband (SCA BB) describe the enhancements provided in Cisco SCA BB Release 3.6.5 and Cisco SCA BB Release 3.6.0. These release notes are updated as needed.
For a list of the caveats that apply to Cisco SCA BB Release 3.6.5, see the "Open Caveats, Release 3.6.5" section.
For a list of the caveats that apply to Cisco SCA BB Release 3.6.0, see the "Open Caveats, Release 3.6.0" section.
For information about the features added and the issues resolved in the 3.5.x train, see:
•Release Notes for Cisco Service Control Application for Broadband (SCA BB), Release 3.5.5
For information about the features added and the issues resolved in the 3.1.x train, see:
•Release Notes for Cisco Service Control Application for Broadband (SCA BB), Release 3.1.7
For information about the new and improved protocol signatures for SCA BB, see:
•Cisco Service Control Application for Broadband Protocol Pack Notes
For further information about related products, see the latest versions of the following release notes:
•Release Notes for Cisco Service Control Operating System (SCOS)
•Release Notes for Cisco Service Control Management Suite Subscriber Manager (SCMS SM)
•Release Notes for Cisco Service Control Management Suite Collection Manager (SCMS CM)
For the compatibility matrix, see Cisco Service Control Application for Broadband Download Guide.
Contents
•Cisco Service Control Application for Broadband, Release 3.6.5
•Cisco Service Control Application for Broadband, Release 3.6.0
•Obtaining Documentation and Submitting a Service Request
Introduction
This document describes the new functionality, enhancements, and known issues in SCA BB Release 3.6.5 and SCA BB Release 3.6.0.
This document assumes that the reader has a good working knowledge of the Cisco Service Control solution. For additional information, see the Cisco SCA BB documentation.
Documentation is available online on Cisco.com. To access the online Cisco Service Control documentation site, follow these instructions:
1. On cisco.com, go to the following page:
http://www.cisco.com/cisco/web/psa/default.html?mode=prod
2. From the Products list, select Service Exchange > Cisco Service Control.
3. For SCA BB, select Cisco Service Control Application Suite > Cisco Service Control Application for Broadband.
Note Operation of the SCA BB GUI Console is not supported on VMWare.
Cisco Service Control Application for Broadband, Release 3.6.5
This section describes the new features, resolved and open issues of SCA BB Release 3.6.5.
•Protocol Support, Release 3.6.5
•Resolved Caveats, Release 3.6.5
New Features, Release 3.6.5
The SCE Release 3.6.5 introduces the following new features:
•Service Configuration Editor Enhancements
•Content Filtering Enhancements
•Raw Data Records Enhancements
•Subscriber Manager Enhancements
•Dynamic giaddr Learning Enhancements
See Cisco Service Control Application for Broadband User Guide for a complete description of these features.
Windows Support Enhancements
SCA BB on Microsoft Windows Vista and Windows 7.
Service Configuration Editor Enhancements
Easy Format support for Zone and Flavors—Service Configuration Zone and Flavor elements can be exported and imported in an Easy CSV format.
Content Filtering Enhancements
•Updated redirection parameters.
•Enhanced SCA BB to apply 500,000 Flavors through SCA BB UI and API.
To apply 500,000 Flavors through SCA BB UI and API, perform the following steps:
Step 1 (UI only) Increase the time-out interval between SCE and SCA BB connection to a minimum of 45 minutes. To set the time-out interval, use the SCA BB Preferences.
Step 2 (UI and API) Increase the memory settings in scabb.ini file from Xms64m and Xmx1024m to Xms512m and Xmx1200m. scabb.ini file is under the folder C:\Program Files\Cisco SCA\SCA BB Console 3.6.5 or C:\Program Files(x86)\Cisco SCA\SCA BB Console 3.6.5 folder depending on your Windows operating system.
Step 3 Close and restart the SCA BB, if any instance of SCA BB is running.
Loading 500,000 in to a PQB, applying the PQB, and saving the same PQB are slow tasks.
Avoid applying 500,000 Flavors simultaneously.
DOCSIS 3.0 Enhancements
Support for PCMM (Flow start RDR) for RTP calls that are not going through the SCE.
ClickStream Enhancements
•Support for ClickStream as service.
•Introduced two new ClickStream services:
–ClickStream-New Page
–ClickStream-New Site
With the introduction of the ClickStream-New Page and ClickStream-New Site, wherever there is reference to the HTTP Browsing Protocol ID, you need to these services.
Example: Creating a Content Filtering PQB in SCA BB 3.6.5 for a Block Policy for Web Based E-mail
To create a content filtering PQB in SCA BB 3.6.5, perform the following steps:
Step 1 Open SCA BB Signature Editor with the default content filtering file (PQB).
Step 2 From Default Service in Services tab, select HTTP Browsing with Categories. See Figure 7-54 in Cisco Service Control Application for Broadband User Guide, Release 3.6.5.
Step 3 Save and close the service configuration and then reopen it.
Step 4 From the Classification tab in the left pane, choose Configuration > Classification > Content Filtering.
The HTTP Content Filtering Settings dialog box appears. See Figure 7-59 in Cisco Service Control Application for Broadband User Guide, Release 3.6.5.
The Package Settings tab displays a list of all packages defined for the current service configuration. See Figure 7-58 in Cisco Service Control Application for Broadband User Guide, Release 3.6.5.
Step 5 Check the Enable the HTTP content filtering and check the check boxes for the necessary packages.
Step 6 Click OK to save and close the HTTP Content Filtering Settings dialog box.
Step 7 Import the surfcontrol.xml file with new Service :HTTP Browsing with Categories. surfcontrol.xml is the file name for the Content Portal Authority (CPA) of SurfControl. See Figure 7-56 in Cisco Service Control Application for Broadband User Guide, Release 3.6.5.
Step 8 Create a new service Service1.
Step 9 Move the service element Category.Web-based E-mail from HTTP Browsing with Categories to the new service Service1. This is to avoid duplicate service elements. SCA BB does not allow duplicate service elements.
Step 10 In Service1, add a service element using protocol ClickStream-New site and Flavor Category.Web-based E-mail.
Step 11 Repeat Step 10 for ClickStream-New Page protocol for the same flavor.
For more information on content filtering, see Cisco Service Control Application for Broadband User Guide, Release 3.6.5
Raw Data Records Enhancements
Introduced Zone Usage RDR.
Zone Usage RDR contain data about the total usage of all services included in a service usage counter for the entire zone. Zone Usage RDRs are generated at fixed intervals.
For more information on Zone Usage RDRs, see Cisco Service Control Application for Broadband User Guide, Release 3.6.5
MGCP Enhancements
Support for Media Gateway Control Protocol (MGCP) real-time reporting.
Reporter Enhancements
•Support for separate reports for high-definition (HD) and Normal Flash video based services.
•Support for zone-based reporting.
Subscriber Manager Enhancements
Updated Subscriber Manager (SM) GUI.
Dynamic giaddr Learning Enhancements
Support for disabling learning new giaddrs during login for static device configuration.
Protocol Support, Release 3.6.5
See the Protocol Pack Notes for information regarding protocol support for Protocol Pack #18, Pack #19 and Pack #20 (included in SCA BB 3.6.0) and Protocol Pack #21, Pack #22 (included in SCA BB 3.6.5).
Note When you upgrade old PQB files, new signature-based protocols are not assigned to any service. Signature-based protocols that are not assigned to a service are classified as Default Service. To fix this issue, manually assign these protocols to a service.
Resolved Caveats, Release 3.6.5
This section describes caveats that are resolved in SCA BB Release 3.6.5:
SCA BB Console
This subsection describes resolved caveats in SCA BB Release 3.6.5 that relate to the general issues concerning the SCA BB console.
CSCtc54332
Timeframe rate limit per link may need to be entered in reverse order.
This issue has been resolved.
CSCtf11009
On SCE8000 with SCE Release 3.5.5, CPA Client fails to resolve lack of response from CPA Server and displays the error: socket error: Socket closed.
This issue has been resolved.
CSCtg78375
Failed to apply policy on SCE with Release 3.6.0 Protocol Pack #21 after SCE was restarted (either by user request or due to failure) at least once after the Protocol Pack #21 was installed.
This issue has been resolved.
CSCth21140
No support for SNMP Real-Time Monitoring for SCE8000 is not documented.
This issue has been resolved.
SNMP Real-Time Monitoring is not supported in SCE8000 Release 3.6.5 or earlier releases.
CSCth44897
Package names are not updated in the SCA BB SM GUI.
After changing a package name in the SCA BB console and applying the new policy to an SCE, the package names in the SM GUI do not get updated.
This issue has been resolved.
CSCth81755
The SCA BB snmp-server community public is added unexpectedly when Online Status is selected and executed on the SCA BB console.
This issue has been resolved.
CSCth91925
TimeFrame-based quota management fails in SCA BB Release 3.6.0.
On SCA BB Release 3.6.0, when using external quota of type SCE Subscriber API and TimeFrame-based configuration, external quota management fails if different bucket IDs are used for different Time Frames.
This issue has been resolved.
CSCta13544
On SCE2000, CPA gets stuck and the rdr-formater fails.
This issue has been resolved.
CSCta18423
Require simple CSV format for Zones and Flavors import and export.
This issue has been resolved.
CSCta18434
Make Zones and Flavors import and export GUI actions more accessible.
This issue has been resolved.
CSCtb29227
Require MS Windows Vista and MS Windows 7 support for the SCA BB console.
This issue has been resolved.
CSCte01749
Need enhanced GUI for managing CDS-IS.
This issue has been resolved.
CSCte33359
Name of the DemoKit 3.6.0 SCE Software Installation wizard is inconsistent.
This issue has been resolved.
CSCtf30664
Require helpful text in the SCA BB dialog boxes for Flavors and Zones.
This issue has been resolved.
Subscriber Manager GUI
This subsection describes the resolved caveats in SCA BB Release 3.6.5 that relate to the Subscriber Manager GUI.
CSCsw79014 and CSCtd16202
The following issues with the SM client GUI make it practically unusable:
•CSCsi03280—SM GUI can be connected to an SCE.
•CSCsw18320 SCE Release 3.5.0 SM GUI—Subscriber details are not refreshed automatically.
•CSCsr09226 Release 3.5.0 GUI—When using a VLAN SM GUI, changing a subscriber name fails and the subscriber is removed (SM).
•CSCsj45511 Release 3.1.5LA-GUI—Window freezes and you cannot work with the Subscriber Manager.
•CSCsh57287 GUI—SM GUI is not up-to-date with the SM database.
•CSCso30235—Exporting subscribers fails with SM GUI Release 3.1.5 and Release 3.1.0.
•CSCsh96714 SM GUI—When you change the subscriber domain, a logic problem occurs.
•CSCsh57286 GUI—Searching for a subscriber displays SM GUI error if the database is empty.
•CSCsl48003 SCABB-SM GUI—A faulty radio button operation adds VLAN and IP per subscriber.
•CSCsl16383 GUI—When you add a subscriber to the SM GUI, length limitation exists.
•CSCsl47880 SCABB-SM GUI—Adding a subscriber with more than 40 characters fails.
These issues are resolved.
Open Caveats, Release 3.6.5
This section describes the open caveats in SCA BB release 3.6.5:
Traffic Processing
This section describes open caveats in SCA BB Release 3.6.5 that relate to traffic processing:
•Traffic Accounting and Reporting
General
This subsection describes the open caveats in SCA BB Release 3.6.5 that relate to general issues concerning traffic processing.
CSCsx75003
The PQI install process should reserve more disk space on SCE2000.
The PQI install process fails due to insufficient disk space on SCE2000. The SCE file system that contains a lot of files consumes the disk space.
Workaround:
Remove the unnecessary files from the SCE file system manually.
CSCsz59158
SCE8000 MGBE might crash when applying PQB with 1000 GCs.
If a policy with 1000 GCs is not applied right after a reload, SCE might run out of memory and the box might crash.
Traffic Classification
This subsection describes the open caveats in SCA BB Release 3.6.5 that relate to traffic classification.
CSCsd81077
The same flow can be classified to different services, depending on a zone configuration that seems unrelated. This occurs after you define a new port-based protocol and then create a new service, adding a service element with the new protocol and a non-default zone to the service. Flows that match the new protocol but do not match the zone of the service element are now mapped to the default service.
The following steps illustrate this. The unexpected flow classification occurs at Step 6.
1. Add a new port-based protocol. For example, doom2 on TCP port 6666. Do not add the protocol to any service.
2. The SCE now classifies the flows that match the doom2 protocol (On TCP port 6666) as Generic TCP, as expected.
3. Add a zone named gaming servers.
4. Create a new service doom2 gaming servers. Add a service-element, where protocol = doom2 and zone = gaming servers.
5. The SCE now classifies the flows that match the doom2 protocol and the gaming servers zone to the new doom2 gaming servers service, as expected.
6. However, flows that match the doom2 protocols, but do not match the gaming servers zone, are classified as Default Service instead of Generic TCP.
7. If you delete the doom2 gaming servers service, the same flows that were classified as Default Service, are again classified (correctly) as Generic TCP.
Workaround:
Add the service element <New port-based protocol, Initiated by either side, *, *> to an existing service. (You can also define a new service for this purpose.) After you do that, transactions using the specific protocol but with network IP addresses that do not match the specific zone, go to the less specific service.
For the example, add the service element <doom2, Initiated by either side, *, *> to the Generic TCP service.
CSCsi46655
When SCA BB is deployed in an environment where it is required to analyze traffic in VLANs or VPNs with overlapping IP addresses, some of its capabilities, which rely on uniqueness of IP addresses in the network, do not function:
•Classification—No support for zones.
•Reporting—Reports based on IP addresses in Transaction RDRs are not accurate.
Many reports in the following categories rely on IP uniqueness:
•Mail and News
•Traffic Discovery—Statistics
•Web and Streaming
•Protocol Library—Mechanism based on IP addresses. This feature can be disabled using the GUI (advanced options).
•Protocol Library—BitTorrent aggressive aging classification based on Tuple.
•Ignore filter—Filtering by VPN or VLAN is not supported.
N/A
In Release 3.0.0, the limit for the number of items in the HTTP URL list was increased from 10,000 to 100,000. Adding more than 10,000 items to the list affects flow capacity. Using 100 K list items can degrade system capacity by up to 50,000 flows compared to the capacity numbers presented in SCA BB Release 3.1.5.
Traffic Accounting and Reporting
This subsection describes the open caveats in SCA BB Release 3.6.5 that relate to traffic accounting and reporting.
CSCsb60539
When you enable TUR RDRs for Real Time Streaming Protocol (RTSP), the session ID field in RTSP TUR contains incorrect values due to extraction of the session ID from the wrong fields in the RTSP packets.
CSCsd74145
Skype call detection is done using a heuristic analysis of Skype traffic, which makes call detection in Skype less accurate than in other VoIP protocols, and introduces the following limitations:
•Call start event-detection and call stop event-detection can be delayed by between 30 and 60 seconds, and a single call duration measurement may involve inaccuracy of +/- 30 seconds or 20% (the larger of the two)
•A Skype call that is carried over two connections (rather than a single connection) might not be detected.
When looking at aggregated information and reports, these limitations are insignificant due to averaging and aggregation of large number of calls.
N/A
The number of concurrent sessions reported by the SCE application can sometimes be lower than the number of open flows in the SCE platform counters. In certain services, such as VoIP and FTP, a single session is made of more than one flow. The SCE platform counters track flows, rather than sessions, and therefore, may show higher values. In addition, flows with no payload are tracked by the SCE platform counters, but not by the SCE application counters.
N/A
The following MIB counters and fields in the Link Usage RDR and the Package Usage RDR require clarification:
•Seconds Counter—This counter is dedicated to VoIP accounting. Tracks the aggregated call duration in seconds. It is also included in Subscriber Usage RDRs.
•Seconds Counter for VoIP Services—Counts the duration of voice calls and not the duration of VoIP control flows. This makes it appropriate for voice usage reports; the VoIP Reports in the Reporter are based on this counter.
•Seconds Counter for Non-VoIP Services—Counts the aggregated duration of sessions.
•Concurrent Sessions Counter—Tracks the number of concurrent sessions. For voice sessions this counter tracks the number of control sessions, not the number of calls. Inactive sessions are counted until they are terminated due to aging. Unlike the Sessions Counter, this counter shows the value at the time that the RDR is generated and not an aggregated value.
•Concurrent Active Subscribers Counter—Tracks the number of subscribers that have an open session for the reported service. For voice sessions, this counter tracks the number of subscribers that have open control sessions, rather than subscribers that have active voice calls; the number of concurrent talking subscribers cannot be deduced from this counter. Like the Concurrent Sessions Counter, this counter shows the value at the time that the RDR is generated; it is not an aggregate metric.
Traffic Control
This subsection describes the open caveats in SCA BB Release 3.6.5 that relate to traffic control.
CSCsg08507
When working in the quota management with a Number of Sessions bucket and with dosage less than the quota, when the dosage given to the SCE is fully used, a new session is blocked even if the quota is available in the QM. This issue occurs because there are no Quota Threshold RDRs. The (blocked) session triggers a Threshold RDR (and threshold notification to the QM) and the next session succeeds.
For example, if the dosage size is five sessions, every sixth session is blocked and fails.
Workaround:
Always set the dosage size equal to the quota size when working with a Number of Sessions bucket.
SCA BB Console
This section describes open caveats in SCA BB Release 3.6.5 that relate to the SCA BB console:
General
This subsection describes the open caveats in SCA BB Release 3.6.5 that relate to general issues concerning the SCA BB console.
CSCsa91254
Selecting Save from any tool in the SCA BB console saves the current open PQB configuration file, even if it is not the appropriate file type for the tool.
CSCsv62305
Upgrading a device using the GUI or API also upgrades the console. If you upgrade a Protocol Pack using an SPQI file, the console is upgraded as well with the new signatures. Applying a Protocol Pack to a device that was not upgraded might fail.
CSCsy81384
The Apply function fails with an error, when updating the HTTPS redirection URL as part of redirection set in the GUI.
N/A
SCA BB allows users to navigate from a report to the corresponding service configuration entity. For example, right-clicking a service name in the legend of the report can take you to the service definition in the Service Configuration Editor. However, the system can navigate only to the PQB file that is currently open in the SCA BB console.
N/A
Service and package names are not refreshed automatically in the Reporter after applying changes in the SCA BB Console.
Workaround:
Refresh the templates manually.
Installation
This subsection describes the open caveats in SCA BB Release 3.6.5 that relate to installation of the SCA BB console.
CSCsa94964
Running the uninstaller while the SCA BB Console is open, can fail; however, no warning is displayed when the uninstallation starts. Close the SCA BB Console before you run the uninstaller.
CSCsa94964
SCA BB fails to install on top of an existing installation.
Workaround:
Uninstall the SCA before reinstalling it.
CSCsc32003
When the application is uninstalled, the Network Navigator configuration (sites and devices) is not deleted, but instead is kept for future SCA BB Console installations.
Workaround: To clear these settings, manually delete the following folder:
C:\Documents and Settings\<username>\.scasbb300
Network Navigator
This subsection describes the open caveats in SCA BB Release 3.6.5 that relate to the Network Navigator.
CSCsa95657
The console permits the creation of two (or more) identical devices with the same name or the same IP address.
Workaround:
Remove all identical devices.
CSCsc49774
If you mistakenly provide the IP address of a device of a different type (for example, adding an SCE but with the IP address of an SM), connecting to this device fails; the error message that is issued does not correctly identify the problem.
CSCsv55906
When upgrading from Release 3.1.7 to Release 3.5.0, the Network configuration is not automatically imported. If the configuration is exported and then imported again, after the import is complete, two default sites appear in the window.
N/A
Concurrent operations, such as applying a configuration and extracting a support file simultaneously, on the same SCE platform are not supported. Wait for one operation to finish before beginning a second operation.
N/A
When applying a service configuration to the SCE, the Network Navigator also updates the relevant CM with service configuration values, such as service and package names, that are later shown by the Reporter.
The Network Navigator takes the CM IP address from the SCE platform RDR-formatter definitions. With certain topologies (such as in a NAT environment), this IP address might not be accessible by the Network Navigator, and a different CM IP address should be used. The engage.ini preferences file can be used to remap CM IP addresses from the SCE platform RDR-formatter definitions to IP addresses to which the Network Navigator can connect.
The "dc.ip.remap.<n>=<address1>,<address2>" property in the engage.ini file defines a mapping between IP addresses. For example, the entry "dc.ip.remap.1=10.1.12.224,212.194.11.27" means that if the SCE RDR formater destination is 10.1.12.224, the Network Navigator should update the CM at 212.194.11.27.
The engage.ini file can be found and edited at the following location:
<scas-bb-console-installation>/plugins/policy.contribution/config
which usually maps to:
C:\Program Files\Cisco SCAS\SCAS BB Console 3.0.0\plugins\policy.contribution_1.0.0\config\engage.ini
Service Configuration Editor
This subsection describes the open caveats in SCA BB Release 3.6.5 that relate to the Service Configuration Editor.
CSCsx17491
PQB files that were created using SCA BB releases earlier than Release 3.0.0 might not open in SCA BB Release 3.5.0 and later.
Workaround:
Install SCA-BB 3.1.7, open the PQB and save it to the disk. You can then open it in SCA-BB 3.5.5.
Reporter
This subsection describes the open caveats in SCA BB Release 3.6.5 that relate to the Reporter.
CSCsy26498
The Reporter filters the data for HTTP-related reports based on the services that belong to the HTTP protocol family. Services that are defined by Flavors without a specific protocol are not included in the reports. The HTTP service based on the URL list is not displayed in the HTTP-related reports.
Workaround:
Add a service element for the service that includes Flavor and HTTP protocol.
CSCta54572
All the reports that show the average bandwidth per subscriber are not accurate.
The three reports that show the average bandwidth per subscriber are:
•Average subscriber bandwidth
•Average subscriber bandwidth per service
•Tunneled IPv6 average subscriber bandwidth
The preceding reports sum up the number of subscribers from all RDRs per hour instead of providing average subscribers per hour and dividing the total bandwidth with this number.
For example:
If RDR is per minute and there are 1000 active subscribers, the report divides the total bandwidth by 60,000 (1000 x 60 minutes).
CSCtc31584
Average or global subscriber bandwidth reports should not allow filter by service.
The reports for Average subscriber bandwidth and Tunneled IPv6 average subscriber bandwidth with filter by services using the right pane generate inaccurate results.
Workaround:
When generating reports for average subscriber bandwidth and Tunneled IPv6 average subscriber bandwidth, do not filter by services using the right pane.
CSCtc31659
The IPv6 versus IPv4 bandwidth comparison report is incorrect when you use aggregation.
This report is the result of the union between two queries operated on RPT_LUR and RPT_GUR simultaneously.
Data must be merged but only the RPT_LUR table supports aggregations, so the results of the report are inaccurate.
Workaround:
Disable aggregation for the RPT_LUR table.
Subscriber Manager GUI
This subsection describes the open caveats in SCA BB Release 3.6.5 that relate to the Subscriber Manager GUI.
CSCtk05725
The SM GUI fails to display the number of concurrent sessions when the Online Subscriber Status window is opened for a specific subscriber.
Workaround:
No workaround available.
Configuration Management
This section describes the open caveats in SCA BB Release 3.6.5 that relate to configuration management.
Service Configuration API
This subsection describes the open caveats in SCA BB Release 3.6.5 that relate to the Service Configuration API.
N/A
Backward compatibility with SCA BB 2.5.x Service Configuration API releases.
For example:
Package and class name changes—The Service Configuration Management API has changed in SCA BB Release 3.0.0, to accommodate new product naming conventions. Nevertheless, the older API classes and methods can still be used.
Note However, the Service Configuration Editing API in SCA BB 3.0.0 has been significantly changed, and is generally incompatible with SCA BB Release 2.5.x.
CSV file format changes—SCA BB introduces a new format for CSV files of HTTP URL lists. For backward compatibility, SCA BB 3.0.0 Service Configuration API allows importing CSV files of HTTP URLs in the SCA BB 2.5.x formats.
Cisco Service Control Application for Broadband, Release 3.6.0
This section describes the new features, resolved, and open issues of SCA BB Release 3.6.0.
•Protocol Support, Release 3.6.0
•Resolved Caveats, Release 3.6.0
New Features, Release 3.6.0
The SCE Release 3.6.0 introduces the following new features:
•Collection Manager and Reporter Enhancements
•Subscriber Manager Enhancements
•SCE Integration in Mobile Environment Using Gx or Gy interface
•Extended SCE Monitoring Capabilities from SCA BB Console
See Cisco Service Control Application for Broadband User Guide for a complete description of these features.
CMTS Awareness Enhancements
Enhancements to the cable modem termination systems (CMTS) awareness solutions in Release 3.6.0 include:
•CMTS awareness for DOCSIS 3.0—The CMTS awareness solution is enhanced with new features that are consistent with DOCSIS 3.0 specifications and includes support for downstream bonding of multiple channels into a single virtual interface that provide high rates to the CMs.
•CMTS awareness and fairness between subscribers—Enforces subscriber fairness within the virtual links, and bandwidth is first allocated between the subscribers based on their RP level and followed by the services of each subscriber.
Collection Manager and Reporter Enhancements
•Collection Manager:
–RDRs Aggregation enhancements.
–Red Hat Enterprise Linux (RHEL) 64-bit for the CM.
•Reporter
New Report Template—Vlink Bandwidth per Cable-Modems Group introduced in Release 3.6.0, shows the distribution of bandwidth for the selected Cable-Modems Group.
Subscriber Manager Enhancements
•Clone CM MAC identifications
•Red Hat Enterprise Linux (RHEL) 64-bit for the SM
SCE Integration in Mobile Environment Using Gx or Gy interface
SCA BB 3.6.x supports the Gx reference point for policy provisioning as described in 3GPP TS 29.210 and the Ro reference point (Gy interface) for online charging as described in 3GPP TS 32.299.
The features introduced in 3.6.0 include:
•Gx protocol support
•Gy protocol support
•Failure detection support
•Load balancing and high availability schemes for the Gx or Gy interface
Extended SCE Monitoring Capabilities from SCA BB Console
You can monitor the real-time status of the SCE operation—specifically, Average CPU utilization, Memory usage, Data Interfaces Bandwidth In and Out, and active subscribers.
Quota RDRs
The quota RDRs that are not supported in Release 3.6.0 include:
•Quota Breach RDR (0xf0f0f022)
•Remaining Quota RDR (0xf0f0f030)
•Quota Threshold Breach RDR (0xf0f0f031)
•Quota State Restore RDR (0xf0f0f032)
The new quota RDRs added in Release 3.6.0 include:
•Quota Breach RDR (0xf0f0f072)
•Quota Status RDR (0xf0f0f071)
•Quota Threshold Breach RDR (0xf0f0f073)
•Quota Session Creation RDR (0xf0f0f070)
Protocol Support, Release 3.6.0
See the Protocol Pack Notes for protocol support information for Protocol Pack #18, Pack #19 and Pack #20 (included in SCA BB Release 3.6.0).
Note When you upgrade old PQB files, new signature-based protocols are not assigned to any service. Signature-based protocols that are not assigned to a service are classified as Default Service. To fix this issue, manually assign these protocols to a service.
Resolved Caveats, Release 3.6.0
This section describes caveats that are resolved in SCA BB Release 3.6.0:
SCA BB Console
This subsection describes resolved caveats in SCA BB Release 3.6.0 that relate to the general issues concerning the SCA BB console.
CSCsg35840
Upgrade process to incompatible spqi file.
Upgrade process should be enabled only when upgrading to the same application version.
This issue has been resolved.
CSCsu88253
The Welcome page does not open from some views.
Depending on the open view, the Welcome page does not appear or appears in a different location within the SCA BB console.
This issue has been resolved.
CSCsy20676
SCE templates assigned to anonymous groups greater than 63 fall into Template 0.
The PQI installation process initializes templates 0 to 63 to point on package ID 0 to 63. When subscribers are assigned to package ID by defining different sets of anonymous groups with different template indices, the higher template indices, by default, point to packageId 0.
This issue has been resolved.
CSCsy57726
Policy cannot be applied when the redirection URL contains a port. The following error is generated:
Failed to apply: Input concatenated Key String are not validMore info: in func 'CmdlLut::overwriteManyCfg', lutName='GT_NotificationWhiteListLUT', key[0]='www.my-http-server.com:8080:/redirect.cgi', value[0]='0', numVariables=2.. (directLinkMethods.overwriteManyLookupValues)Input concatenated Key String are not validMore info: in func 'CmdlLut::overwriteManyCfg', lutName='GT_NotificationWhiteListLUT', key[0]='www.my-http-server.com:8080:/redirect.cgi', value[0]='0', numVariables=2.. (directLinkMethods.overwriteManyLookupValues)This issue has been resolved.
CSCsy78259
The blacklist-URI import operation occasionally fails.
Updating the black list-protected data base using the import CLI command fails occasionally with the error, Invalid command was sent Or unexpected string was found.
CLI output is:
Error - Internal error, Writing/Updating the LUT 'GT_LUT_HTTP_PROTECTED_URL_BlackList' that is in the protection domain 'BLACK_LIST_DOMAIN' is disallowed for the current userThis issue has been resolved.
CSCta58832
Import content filtering XML file issue.
When importing content filtering XML file by choosing File > Import > Service Config > Import content filtering, the imported file is not added to the service tree.
Import works fine when importing by choosing Configuration > Classification > Content filtering.
This issue has been resolved.
CSCta68259
The RTMCMD script fails when PQB contains more than 64 service counters.
The RTM engine generates 64 colors for 64 service counters and fails in SCA BB Release 3.5.0 or Release 3.5.5, where more than 64 service counters are used.
The rtmcmd.bat script fails and the following error message is generated:
freemarker.log.JDK14LoggerFactory$JDK14Logger errorSEVERE:Expression colorList[count] is undefined.This issue has been resolved.
CSCta93146
Duplication of notification name does not generate an error message.
When a new redirection action with an existing name is added by using the redirection actions setting window, some elements disappear from the list.
This issue has been resolved.
CSCtb28778
Aggregate GC does not control bandwidth.
Aggregate GC does not control bandwidth when the Per Link GC and the BWC with PIR are set to unlimited for the relevant Subscriber.
This issue has been resolved.
CSCtb94072
Policy apply failure:'</is_periodic_counter_notification_used>' expected, there may be two symptoms:
•Retrieving a policy from a SCE device fails and the following message is generated:
Failed to open service configuration file: 'myengage.pqb':'</is_periodic_counter_notification_used>' expected, found '<e><v>false</v></e><e><v>false</v></e><e'•Applying a policy to the SCE fails and the following message is generated:
Client version 3.5.5 PP18 is different than SCE version 0.0.0 PP0, therefore apply is not allowed.This issue has been resolved.
CSCtd66986
Lookup table GT_LUT_ProtocolID is full.
Policy apply operation fails and the following message is generated:
Failed to apply service configuration "*****[******]":Lookup table is full:GT_LUT_Protocol;ID 10000 entries Lookup table is full : GT_LUT_ProtocolID;10000 entriesThis issue has been resolved.
CSCsz94225
The no virtual-links all command fails with downstream virtual links.
In the virtual-link mode (without the VLM solution integration), the no virtual-links all direction downstream command does not remove all the downstream Virtual Links per direction.
This issue has been resolved.
CSCte94545
Upgrade incompatible protocol pack (install spqi) using servconf throws an exception.
When upgrading (install spqi) you may get an exception due to incompatible protocol pack.
This issue has been resolved.
CSCtf11429
The OK button in the Rule dialog box is not working.
This issue has been resolved.
CSCth91925
TimeFrame-based quota management fails in SCA BB Release 3.6.0.
On SCA BB Release 3.6.0, when using external quota of type SCE Subscriber API and TimeFrame-based configuration, external quota management fails if different bucket IDs are used for different Time Frames.
This issue has been resolved.
Note An updated image of SCA BB Release 3.6.0 (sca-bb-v360-b454.zip) that includes this fix is available for download. It is available on the SCA BB Software Download page under Release 3.6.1.
Reporter
This subsection describes the resolved caveats in SCA BB Release 3.6.0 that relate to the Reporter.
CSCsv69394
Top web hosts: Require updates to the signatures to support ClickStream.
This issue has been resolved.
CSCsy55282
Top Vlink By Usage Volume does not filter the volume correctly.
This issue has been resolved.
Open Caveats, Release 3.6.0
This section describes the open caveats in SCA BB release 3.6.0:
Traffic Processing
This section describes the open caveats in SCA BB Release 3.6.0 that relate to traffic processing:
•Traffic Accounting and Reporting
General
This subsection describes the open caveats in SCA BB Release 3.6.0 that relate to general issues concerning traffic processing.
CSCsx75003
The PQI install process should reserve more disk space on SCE2000.
The PQI install process fails due to insufficient disk space on SCE2000. The SCE file system that contains a lot of files consumes the disk space.
Workaround:
Remove the unnecessary files from the SCE file system manually.
CSCsz59158
SCE8000 MGBE might crash when applying PQB with 1000 GCs.
If a policy with 1000 GCs is not applied right after a reload, SCE might run out of memory and the box might crash.
Traffic Classification
This subsection describes the open caveats in SCA BB Release 3.6.0 that relate to traffic classification.
CSCsd81077
The same flow can be classified to different services, depending on a zone configuration that seems unrelated. This occurs after you define a new port-based protocol and then create a new service, adding a service element with the new protocol and a non-default zone to the service. Flows that match the new protocol but do not match the zone of the service element are now mapped to the default service.
The following steps illustrate this. The unexpected flow classification occurs at Step 6.
1. Add a new port-based protocol. For example, doom2 on TCP port 6666. Do not add the protocol to any service.
2. The SCE now classifies the flows that match the doom2 protocol (On TCP port 6666) as Generic TCP, as expected.
3. Add a zone named gaming servers.
4. Create a new service doom2 gaming servers. Add a service-element, where protocol = doom2 and zone = gaming servers.
5. The SCE now classifies the flows that match the doom2 protocol and the gaming servers zone to the new doom2 gaming servers service, as expected.
6. However, flows that match the doom2 protocols, but do not match the gaming servers zone, are classified as Default Service instead of Generic TCP.
7. If you delete the doom2 gaming servers service, the same flows that were classified as Default Service, are again classified (correctly) as Generic TCP.
Workaround:
Add the service element <New port-based protocol, Initiated by either side, *, *> to an existing service. (You can also define a new service for this purpose.) After you do that, transactions using the specific protocol but with network IP addresses that do not match the specific zone, go to the less specific service.
For the example, add the service element <doom2, Initiated by either side, *, *> to the Generic TCP service.
CSCsi46655
When SCA BB is deployed in an environment where it is required to analyze traffic in VLANs or VPNs with overlapping IP addresses, some of its capabilities, which rely on uniqueness of IP addresses in the network, do not function:
•Classification—No support for zones.
•Reporting—Reports based on IP addresses in Transaction RDRs are not accurate.
Many reports in the following categories rely on IP uniqueness:
•Mail and News
•Traffic Discovery—Statistics
•Web and Streaming
•Protocol Library—Mechanism based on IP addresses. This feature can be disabled using the GUI (advanced options).
•Protocol Library—BitTorrent aggressive aging classification based on Tuple.
•Ignore filter—Filtering by VPN or VLAN is not supported.
N/A
In Release 3.0.0, the limit for the number of items in the HTTP URL list was increased from 10,000 to 100,000. Adding more than 10,000 items to the list affects flow capacity. Using 100 K list items can degrade system capacity by up to 50,000 flows compared to the capacity numbers presented in SCA BB Release 3.1.5.
Traffic Accounting and Reporting
This subsection describes the open caveats in SCA BB Release 3.6.0 that relate to traffic accounting and reporting.
CSCsb60539
When you enable TUR RDRs for Real Time Streaming Protocol (RTSP), the session ID field in RTSP TUR contains incorrect values due to extraction of the session ID from the wrong fields in the RTSP packets.
CSCsd74145
Skype call detection is done using a heuristic analysis of Skype traffic, which makes call detection in Skype less accurate than in other VoIP protocols, and introduces the following limitations:
•Call start event-detection and call stop event-detection can be delayed by between 30 and 60 seconds, and a single call duration measurement may involve inaccuracy of +/- 30 seconds or 20% (the larger of the two)
•A Skype call that is carried over two connections (rather than a single connection) might not be detected.
When looking at aggregated information and reports, these limitations are insignificant due to averaging and aggregation of large number of calls.
N/A
The number of concurrent sessions reported by the SCE application can sometimes be lower than the number of open flows in the SCE platform counters. In certain services, such as VoIP and FTP, a single session is made of more than one flow. The SCE platform counters track flows, rather than sessions, and therefore, may show higher values. In addition, flows with no payload are tracked by the SCE platform counters, but not by the SCE application counters.
N/A
The following MIB counters and fields in the Link Usage RDR and the Package Usage RDR require clarification:
•Seconds Counter—This counter is dedicated to VoIP accounting. Tracks the aggregated call duration in seconds. It is also included in Subscriber Usage RDRs.
•Seconds Counter for VoIP Services—Counts the duration of voice calls and not the duration of VoIP control flows. This makes it appropriate for voice usage reports; the VoIP Reports in the Reporter are based on this counter.
•Seconds Counter for Non-VoIP Services—Counts the aggregated duration of sessions.
•Concurrent Sessions Counter—Tracks the number of concurrent sessions. For voice sessions this counter tracks the number of control sessions, not the number of calls. Inactive sessions are counted until they are terminated due to aging. Unlike the Sessions Counter, this counter shows the value at the time that the RDR is generated and not an aggregated value.
•Concurrent Active Subscribers Counter—Tracks the number of subscribers that have an open session for the reported service. For voice sessions, this counter tracks the number of subscribers that have open control sessions, rather than subscribers that have active voice calls; the number of concurrent talking subscribers cannot be deduced from this counter. Like the Concurrent Sessions Counter, this counter shows the value at the time that the RDR is generated; it is not an aggregate metric.
Traffic Control
This subsection describes the open caveats in SCA BB Release 3.6.0 that relate to traffic control.
CSCsg08507
When working in the quota management with a Number of Sessions bucket and with dosage less than the quota, when the dosage given to the SCE is fully used, a new session is blocked even if the quota is available in the QM. This issue occurs because there are no Quota Threshold RDRs. The (blocked) session triggers a Threshold RDR (and threshold notification to the QM) and the next session succeeds.
For example, if the dosage size is five sessions, every sixth session is blocked and fails.
Workaround:
Always set the dosage size equal to the quota size when working with a Number of Sessions bucket.
SCA BB Console
This section describes the open caveats in SCA BB Release 3.6.0 that relate to the SCA BB console:
General
This subsection describes the open caveats in SCA BB Release 3.6.0 that relate to general issues concerning the SCA BB console.
CSCsa91254
Selecting Save from any tool in the SCA BB console saves the current open PQB configuration file, even if it is not the appropriate file type for the tool.
CSCsv62305
Upgrading a device using the GUI or API also upgrades the console. If you upgrade a Protocol Pack using an SPQI file, the console is upgraded as well with the new signatures. Applying a Protocol Pack to a device that was not upgraded might fail.
CSCsy81384
The Apply function fails with an error, when updating the HTTPS redirection URL as part of redirection set in the GUI.
N/A
SCA BB allows users to navigate from a report to the corresponding service configuration entity. For example, right-clicking a service name in the legend of the report can take you to the service definition in the Service Configuration Editor. However, the system can navigate only to the PQB file that is currently open in the SCA BB console.
N/A
Service and package names are not refreshed automatically in the Reporter after applying changes in the SCA BB Console.
Workaround:
Refresh the templates manually.
Installation
This subsection describes the open caveats in SCA BB Release 3.6.0 that relate to installation of the SCA BB console.
CSCsa94964
Running the uninstaller while the SCA BB Console is open, can fail; however, no warning is displayed when the uninstallation starts. Close the SCA BB Console before you run the uninstaller.
SCA BB fails to install on top of an existing installation.
Workaround:
Uninstall the SCA BB before reinstalling it.
CSCsc32003
When SCA BB is uninstalled, the Network Navigator configuration (sites and devices) is not deleted, but instead is kept for future SCA BB Console installations.
Workaround:
To clear these settings, manually delete the following folder:
C:\Documents and Settings\<username>\.scasbb300
Network Navigator
This subsection describes the open caveats in SCA BB Release 3.6.0 that relate to the Network Navigator.
CSCsa95657
The console permits the creation of two (or more) identical devices with the same name or the same IP address.
Workaround:
Remove all identical devices.
CSCsc49774
If you mistakenly provide the IP address of a device of a different type (for example, adding an SCE but with the IP address of an SM), connecting to this device fails; the error message that is issued does not correctly identify the problem.
CSCsv55906
When upgrading from Release 3.1.7 to Release 3.5.0, the Network configuration is not automatically imported. If the configuration is exported and then imported again, after the import is complete, two default sites appear in the window.
N/A
Concurrent operations, such as applying a configuration and extracting a support file simultaneously, on the same SCE platform are not supported. Wait for one operation to finish before beginning a second operation.
N/A
When applying a service configuration to the SCE, the Network Navigator also updates the relevant CM with service configuration values, such as service and package names, that are later shown by the Reporter.
The Network Navigator takes the CM IP address from the SCE platform RDR-formater definitions. With certain topologies (such as in a NAT environment), this IP address might not be accessible by the Network Navigator, and a different CM IP address should be used. The engage.ini preferences file can be used to remap CM IP addresses from the SCE platform RDR-formater definitions to IP addresses to which the Network Navigator can connect.
The "dc.ip.remap.<n>=<address1>,<address2>" property in the engage.ini file defines a mapping between IP addresses. For example, the entry "dc.ip.remap.1=10.1.12.224,212.194.11.27" means that if the SCE RDR formater destination is 10.1.12.224, the Network Navigator should update the CM at 212.194.11.27.
The engage.ini file can be found and edited at the following location:
<scas-bb-console-installation>/plugins/policy.contribution/config
which usually maps to:
C:\Program Files\Cisco SCAS\SCAS BB Console 3.0.0\plugins\policy.contribution_1.0.0\config\engage.ini
Service Configuration Editor
This subsection describes the open caveats in SCA BB Release 3.6.0 that relate to the Service Configuration Editor.
CSCsx17491
PQB files that were created using SCA BB releases earlier than Release 3.0.0 might not open in SCA BB Release 3.5.0 and later.
Workaround:
Install SCA-BB 3.1.7, open the PQB and save it to the disk. You can then open it in SCA-BB 3.5.5.
Subscriber Manager GUI
This subsection describes the open caveats in SCA BB Release 3.6.0 that relate to the Subscriber Manager GUI.
CSCsw79014 and CSCtd16202
The following issues with the SM Client GUI make it practically unusable:
•CSCsr09226 Release 3.5.0 GUI—When using a VLAN SM GUI, changing a subscriber name fails and the subscriber is removed (SM).
•CSCsw18320 SCE Release 3.5.0 SM GUI—Subscriber details are not refreshed automatically.
•CSCsj45511 Release 3.1.5 LA-GUI—Window freezes and you cannot work with the Subscriber Manager.
•CSCsh57287 GUI—SM GUI is not up-to-date with the SM database.
•CSCso30235—Exporting subscribers fails with SM GUI Release 3.1.5 and Release 3.1.0.
•CSCsi03280 SM GUI—SM GUI can be connected to an SCE.
•CSCsh96714 SM GUI—When you change the subscriber domain, a logic problem occurs.
•CSCsh57286 GUI—Searching for a subscriber displays SM GUI error if the database is empty.
•CSCsl48003 SCABB-SM GUI—A faulty radio button operation adds VLAN and IP per subscriber.
•CSCsl16383 GUI—When you add a subscriber to the SM GUI, length limitation exists.
•CSCsl47880 SCABB-SM GUI—Adding a subscriber with more than 40 characters fails.
Reporter
This subsection describes the open caveats in SCA BB Release 3.6.0 that relate to the Reporter.
CSCsy26498
The Reporter filters the data for HTTP-related reports based on the services that belong to the HTTP protocol family. Services that are defined by Flavors without a specific protocol are not included in the reports. The HTTP service based on the URL list is not displayed in the HTTP-related reports.
Workaround:
Add a service element for the service that includes Flavor and HTTP protocol.
CSCta54572
All the reports that show the average bandwidth per subscriber are not accurate.
The three reports that show the average bandwidth per subscriber are:
•Average subscriber bandwidth
•Average subscriber bandwidth per service
•Tunneled IPv6 average subscriber bandwidth
The preceding reports sum up the number of subscribers from all RDRs per hour instead of providing average subscribers per hour and dividing the total bandwidth with this number.
For example:
If RDR is per minute and there are 1000 active subscribers, the report divides the total bandwidth by 60,000 (1000 x 60 minutes).
CSCtc31584
Average or global subscriber bandwidth reports should not allow filter by service.
The reports for Average subscriber bandwidth and Tunneled IPv6 average subscriber bandwidth with filter by services using the right pane generate inaccurate results.
Workaround:
When generating reports for average subscriber bandwidth and Tunneled IPv6 average subscriber bandwidth, do not filter by services using the right pane.
CSCtc31659
The IPv6 versus IPv4 bandwidth comparison report is incorrect when you use aggregation.
This report is the result of the union between two queries operated on RPT_LUR and RPT_GUR simultaneously.
Data must be merged but only the RPT_LUR table supports aggregations, so the results of the report are inaccurate.
Workaround:
Disable aggregation for the RPT_LUR table.
Configuration Management
This section describes the open caveats in SCA BB Release 3.6.0 that relate to configuration management.
Service Configuration API
This subsection describes open caveats in SCA BB Release 3.6.0 that relate to the Service Configuration API.
N/A
Backward compatibility with SCA BB 2.5.x Service Configuration API releases.
For example:
Package and class name changes—The Service Configuration Management API has changed in SCA BB Release 3.0.0, to accommodate new product naming conventions. Nevertheless, the older API classes and methods can still be used.
Note However, the Service Configuration Editing API in SCA BB 3.0.0 has been significantly changed, and is generally incompatible with SCA BB Release 2.5.x.
CSV file format changes—SCA BB introduces a new format for CSV files of HTTP URL lists. For backward compatibility, SCA BB 3.0.0 Service Configuration API allows importing CSV files of HTTP URLs in the SCA BB 2.5.x formats.
Obtaining Documentation and Submitting a Service Request
For information on obtaining documentation, submitting a service request, and gathering additional information, see the monthly What's New in Cisco Product Documentation, which also lists all new and revised Cisco technical documentation, at:
http://www.cisco.com/en/US/docs/general/whatsnew/whatsnew.html
Subscribe to the What's New in Cisco Product Documentation as a Really Simple Syndication (RSS) feed and set content to be delivered directly to your desktop using a reader application. The RSS feeds are a free service and Cisco currently supports RSS Version 2.0.
Cisco and the Cisco logo are trademarks or registered trademarks of Cisco and/or its affiliates in the U.S. and other countries. To view a list of Cisco trademarks, go to this URL: www.cisco.com/go/trademarks. Third-party trademarks mentioned are the property of their respective owners. The use of the word partner does not imply a partnership relationship between Cisco and any other company. (1110R)
Any Internet Protocol (IP) addresses used in this document are not intended to be actual addresses. Any examples, command display output, and figures included in the document are shown for illustrative purposes only. Any use of actual IP addresses in illustrative content is unintentional and coincidental.