Manage Troubleshooting BAT and TAPS

This chapter provides information about various problems and messages that you might encounter when you are using Cisco Unified Communications Manager Bulk Administration (BAT) or Tool for Auto-Registered Phones Support.

Enable Trace to View Configuration Files

You can enable the writing of trace files feature from the Service Control window in Cisco Unified Communications Manager Serviceability.

Trace files provide a means of tracking problems in the functioning of a tool. The system writes trace files for BAT and TAPS to the server on which BAT and TAPS are installed.

The BAT and TAPs trace files display as follows:

bps<index number>.log

taps<index number>.log

where <index number> ranges from 1- 250.

Procedure

Step 1

In Cisco Unified Communications Manager Serviceability, choose Trace > Trace Configuration.

The Trace Configuration window displays.
Step 2

Choose the Cisco Unified Communications Manager server, from the Server drop-down list box.

Step 3

Choose one of the following services from the Configured Services drop-down list box.

  • For BAT trace file settings, choose Cisco Bulk Provisioning Service
  • For TAPS trace file settings, choose TAPS Service
Step 4

To activate the trace feature, click the Trace On check box.

Step 5

In the Trace Filter Settings, choose the trace level that you want to set from the Debug Trace Level drop-down list box.

Click the desired debug trace level as described in the following table.

Table 1. Debug Trace Levels

Level

Description

Fatal

Traces very severe error events that may cause the application to abort.

Error

Traces alarm conditions and events. Used for all traces that are generated in abnormal path. Uses minimum number of CPU cycles.

Warn

Traces potentially harmful situations.

Info

Traces the majority of servlet problems and has a minimal effect on system performance.

Debug

Traces all State Transition conditions plus media layer events that occur during normal operation.

Trace level that turns on all logging.

Step 6

Check the check boxes for Cisco Bulk Provisioning Service Trace Fields and Device Name Based Trace Monitoring, as needed.

Step 7

In the Trace Output Settings, enter values for the maximum number of files, maximum number of lines per file, and maximum number of minutes per file, and click Update.

The system enables the feature, and the trace files get written to the following locations on the server:
  • BAT trace files: /var/log/active/cm/trace/bps/log4j
  • TAPS trace files: /var/log/active/cm/trace/taps/log4j
Step 8

Click Update.

What to do next

After you have configured the information that you want to include in the trace files, you can collect and view trace files using the trace and log central option in the Real-Time Monitoring Tool (RTMT). For more information, refer to Cisco Unified Communications Manager Serviceability System Guide.

Disable Trace of Configuration Files

You can disable the writing of trace files from the Service Control window in Cisco Unified Communications Manager Serviceability.

Procedure

Step 1

In Cisco Unified Communications Manager Serviceability, choose Trace > Trace Configuration.

The Trace Configuration window displays.
Step 2

Choose the Cisco Unified Communications Manager server from the Server drop-down list box.

Step 3

Choose Cisco Bulk Provisioning Service from the Configured Services drop-down list box.

Step 4

To deactivate the trace feature, uncheck the Trace On check box.

Step 5

Click Update.

This action disables the feature.

BAT Log Files

BAT generates log files for each bulk transaction. The log file shows the key value of a record, so the administrator may reexamine the record. The MAC address of the phone serves as the key value when you are adding, updating, or modifying phones. When users are added, the User ID serves as the key value. To view the log files for each job that is created in BAT, find the appropriate job and click on the link in the Log File Name column. A pop-up window displays the log file details of that job.

The log file names designate the operation that was performed and the time that the operation ended.

  • Log File Names—File name shows the Job ID, which is a unique identifier that the system creates when a job is submitted.

  • TimeStamp—The timestamp format that is included in the log file name specifies mmddyyyyhhmmss.

  • The log file name is of the format jobid#timestamp.txt

Troubleshooting BAT

Problem The following list describes some scenarios that could occur and provides possible resolutions.

Bulk Administration Menu Does Not Display in Administration

Problem Bulk Administration menu does not display in Cisco Unified Communications Manager Administration.

Possible Cause Bulk Administration menu is accessible only from first node of Cisco Unified Communications Manager.

Solution Make sure that you are logged into first node of Cisco Unified Communications Manager.

Cannot Access Complete Bulk Administration Functionality

Problem Cannot access complete Bulk Administration functionality.

Possible Cause After logging into Cisco Unified Communications Manager Administration, all the Bulk Administration windows are not accessible.

Solution This problem may arise due to restricted access to the application given to the User ID. Contact the System Administrator to be granted required permissions.

Export to BAT Format Button Does Not Work in BAT.xlt File

Problem Export to BAT Format button does not work in BAT.xlt file.

Possible Cause Clicking the Export to BAT Format button in the BAT.xlt file does not seem to do anything.

Solution Click a blank cell. The button can seem to be disabled if the cursor is on the text in a cell or in the text box.

BAT Excel Spreadsheet Gives a Compilation Error While Exporting Data to the CSV Format

Problem BAT Excel spreadsheet gives a compilation error while exporting data to the CSV format.

Possible Cause Check the version of Microsoft Excel that you are using. Customers have reported problems with BAT.xlt when they were using Excel 97.

Solution Use Microsoft Excel 2000 version or higher.

BAT Excel Spreadsheet Does Not Respond to Actions

Problem BAT Excel spreadsheet does not respond to actions.

Possible Cause .BAT Excel spreadsheet does not respond to actions like Add More Lines and so on.

Solution .Ensure that Enable Macros option is selected while opening BAT Excel spreadsheet.To enable macros in BAT.xlt use the following steps:

  1. Open BAT.xlt.
  2. Go to Menu > Tools > Macro > Security.
  3. Set the Security Level to Medium.
  4. Close BAT.xlt and open it again. When prompted, choose Enable Macros.

Data Files (CSV) Format Do Not Match Phone Template/Sample File

Problem Data files (CSV) format do not match Phone Template/Sample File.

Possible Cause The number of lines in the data file should be less than or equal to the number of lines that are configured in the BAT phone template, but is not. For example, the phone template has three lines, and, of these, Lines 1, 2, and 3 are configured. You should use a phone data file with up to three configured lines. 1111, 2222, 4444 results in Line1-1111, Line2-2222, Line3-none, Line4-4444.

Solution Check the BAT phone template that you intend to use. The number of lines that are specified on the CSV data file should not exceed the number of lines that are configured in the BAT phone template. Also, the number of speed dials that the CSV data file specifies should not exceed the maximum possible number of speed dials for the BAT phone template that you plan to use.

Uploaded CSV File Does Not Display in the File Name Drop-down List Box

Problem Uploaded CSV file does not display in the File Name drop-down list box.

Possible Cause The CSV file that you uploaded to Cisco Unified Communications Manager Server using File Upload Configuration widow, does not display in the File Name drop-down list box field for various operations. For example, if you uploaded a CSV file for inserting phones using Uploading/Downloading menu option in Bulk Administration menu, but the file does not appear as one of the options in the Insert Phone Configuration window File Name drop-down list box.

Solution Check and make sure that the file is uploaded for the right function. In the preceding example, the you might have uploaded the file for Phones - Insert All details, where as the CSV file actually belongs to Phones -Insert Specific details.

Delete the file through Upload/Download Files menu option and upload it for the right function.

Jobs Remain in Pending State Even After the Scheduled Time Expires

Problem Jobs remain in Pending state even after the scheduled time expires.

Possible Cause You schedule jobs with a specific scheduled time for execution. But, the jobs remain in Pending state, even after the scheduled time.

Solution Check for the following details:

  1. Check that Cisco Bulk Provisioning Service (BPS) is started.
  2. Check that there is no other job in Processing state. BPS can process only one job at a time.
  3. Check if Stop Processing is requested for BPS transactions. If so, go to Job Scheduler window and click Activate Job.

Jobs Remain in Hold State

Problem Jobs remain in Hold state.

Possible Cause After you submit jobs with all the required data, the jobs show in Hold state on the job scheduler window. These jobs do not get executed.

Solution You need to activate jobs that are in Hold state, before they can be executed by BPS. Go to Job Scheduler window and follow the process to activate the job.

Job Does Not Display in the Find and List Jobs Window

Problem Job does not display in the Find and List Jobs window.

Possible Cause After you submit a job with all the required data, choose Bulk Administration > Job Scheduler. Enter the appropriate search criteria for the job you scheduled and click Find. The job does not display in the search results. Check if Hide is chosen in the third drop-down list box in the Search Options area of the Find and List Jobs window. This option hides all the completed jobs. If the job you submitted is already complete then it will not be displayed in the Search Results area.

Solution In the Find and List jobs window, choose Show from the third drop-down window and click Find again. The search results now display completed jobs also.

Port Number Not Configured in the Template

Problem Port number not configured in the template.

Possible Cause The CSV file specified the port number, but no corresponding ports are configured in the BAT template.

Solution In the BAT template, configure the ports that you have specified in the CSV file.

MAC Address Values Are Not Allowed in the File If Dummy MAC Address Values Are Desired

Problem MAC address values are not allowed in the file if dummy MAC address values are desired.

Possible Cause The CSV file contains MAC addresses. You cannot provide dummy MAC addresses when MAC addresses are present in any row in the CSV file.

Solution If you want to use dummy MAC addresses, create a new CSV file that contains only those records for which you have not specified MAC addresses. Alternatively, you can specify MAC addresses in the CSV file and not check the Create Dummy MAC Address check box.

The BAT.xlt Spreadsheet Does Not Work with Microsoft Excel XP (Office XP)

Problem The BAT.xlt spreadsheet does not work with Microsoft Excel XP (Office XP)

Possible Cause In Microsoft Excel packaged with Office XP, macro security is set to high by default. Due to this setting, macros in BAT.xlt cannot run which renders BAT.xlt unusable.

Solution To enable macros in BAT.xlt use the following steps:

  1. Open BAT.xlt.
  2. Go to Menu >Tools >Macro > Security.
  3. Set the Security Level to Medium.
  4. Close BAT.xlt and open it again. When prompted, choose Enable Macros.

After the Request to Migrate an SCCP Phone to SIP Through the Migrate Phones - SCCP TO SIP Window Is Submitted, Model 7940 and 7960 Continue to Show Up as SCCP Phones

Problem After the request to migrate an SCCP phone to SIP through the Migrate Phones - SCCP TO SIP window is submitted, Cisco Unified IP Phones model 7940 and 7960 continue to show up as SCCP phones.

Solution To solve this problem, power cycle (power off and on) individual phones after migration.


Note

For Cisco Unified IP phones (models 7911, 7941, 7961), the migration activity works correctly, and the phones register as SIP after migration.

Record Does Not Match the File Format Selected

Problem Record does not match the file format selected.

Possible Cause When you create a CSV file using MS Excel with the last column blank, MS Excel fails to add a comma for the last column after row 15. This error occurs when such a CSV file is used for any of the BAT operations.

Solution If you want the last column of CSV file to be blank, use the following steps:

  1. Enter some dummy value for the last column while creating the CSV file.
  2. Save the CSV file and close it.
  3. Open the saved CSV file using Text Editor/Notepad.
  4. Replace the dummy values with a blank value and save it.

BAT.xlt Is Working in Compatibility Mode with Microsoft Excel 2007

Problem BAT.xlt is working in compatibility mode with Microsoft Excel 2007.

Possible Cause The excel template bat.xlt is a Microsoft Excel 2003 file. When the file is opened in Microsoft Excel 2007, the file opens in compatibility mode. In compatibility mode, the excel template acts like a Microsoft Excel 2003 file, and the features of Microsoft Excel 2007 are not available.

Solution Make sure that BAT.xlt is in normal mode. Open Bat.xltl; then choose File > Save As and click Excel Macro Enabled Workbook. Provide a name, and click Save. Close the bat.xlt and open the file that you saved (the Saved As file).

Troubleshooting BAT Performance

Keep in mind that it is best to send bulk transactions during low-traffic periods. When you insert BAT files to the first node database during the time when Cisco Unified Communications Manager is processing a high volume of calls, the BAT transactions can be slow. In fact, you can adversely affect how Cisco Unified Communications Manager processes calls.

You can improve BAT performance by restricting the file size of the file to less than 12000 records per file.

You can also improve BAT performance by stopping the TFTP service on the Cisco Unified Communications Manager first node server before you insert the BAT files to the first node database. You must restart the TFTP service when the insert transaction complete.

Procedure

Step 1

In Cisco Unified Communications Manager Serviceability window, choose Tools > Control Center - Feature Services.

Step 2

Choose Cisco TFTP from the Unified CMService list by clicking the corresponding radio button.

Step 3

Click Stop and click OK.

Note 

You must restart the TFTP service when the insert transaction is complete. Use the same procedure and click Start to restart the service.

Troubleshooting BAT and TAPS

As a general rule, Cisco recommends that you stop TAPS service when TAPS is not in use. You can prevent undesired TAPS usage by stopping the service, and you can save some CPU time.

Viewing Tool for Auto-Registered Phones Support Log Files

TAPS generates a row of information for each TAPS log file.

To view TAPS log file, choose Bulk Administration > TAPS > View TAPS Log File.

Tool for Auto-Registered Phones Support Error Messages

You may receive the following messages while running TAPS on the Cisco UCCX server.

When Dialing the TAPS Route Point Number, the Caller Receives a Busy Tone

Problem When dialing the TAPS route point number, the caller receives a busy tone.

Possible Cause The busy tone indicates that the maximum number of simultaneous sessions for TAPS has been reached. The maximum number of sessions for TAPS equals the number of ports that are assigned to the TAPS application in UCCX configuration.

Solution You must increase the number of ports that are assigned to TAPS in Cisco UCCX to prevent this situation.

When the Cisco UCCX Server Starts, the JTAPI Subsystem Shows Partial Service or Out of Service

Problem When the Cisco UCCX server starts, the JTAPI subsystem shows partial service or out of service.

Possible Cause Message occurs because of configuration problems in the Cisco Unified Communications Manager or the Cisco UCCX server.

Solution Perform one or all of the following steps until the problem has been corrected:

  • Verify that Cisco Unified Communications Manager is started.

  • Make sure that JTAPI is available on the Cisco UCCX server.

  • Make sure that the JTAPI version on the UCCX server is the same as the JTAPI version that is installed on Cisco Unified Communications Manager.

  • Make sure that the Route Points and CTI ports are properly configured on the Cisco Unified Communications Manager.

  • Verify that the Allow control of device from CTI check box is checked for the JTAPI user; you can verify that this in the user window in Cisco Unified Communications Manager Administration.

  • Verify that the CTI Manager service is started.

  • Verify that the ports and the route point are associated to the user in the Cisco Unified Communications Manager user configuration.

    For further troubleshooting, collect and review MIVR log files for Cisco UCCX server.