The documentation set for this product strives to use bias-free language. For the purposes of this documentation set, bias-free is defined as language that does not imply discrimination based on age, disability, gender, racial identity, ethnic identity, sexual orientation, socioeconomic status, and intersectionality. Exceptions may be present in the documentation due to language that is hardcoded in the user interfaces of the product software, language used based on RFP documentation, or language that is used by a referenced third-party product. Learn more about how Cisco is using Inclusive Language.
The Ultra Web Services (UWS) – AutoVNF dashboard is the initial view displayed upon login. The current version of the AutoVNF software is displayed on the title bar of the AutoVNF UI.
The top of the display provides information on the following:
Number of Hosts
Number of VNFs
Number of VMs
Number of Service Chains
Below the VNF status indicators, are a number of key performance indicator (KPI) graphs for any given VNF. This view is customizable but available indicators include:
Card types
VM state by type
CPU usage (per second)
Memory usage (per second)
Flow-related statistics:
Flow terminated (per second)
Flow aged (per second)
Flow hits (per second)
Flow miss (per second)
Subscriber rate (per second)
Policy Charging Control Rules rate (per second)
Receive/Transmit statistics
Use the Gear button on the top right of the display to select which graphs to display.
Use the Navigation button on the top left of the display to access functions within UWS – AutoVNF.
Click the Navigation button again to close the Navigation pane.
Use the Navigation button on the top right of the display to open a pane for viewing details regarding deployed VNFs. Click the button again to close the Deploy pane.
Click the Home button on the top left of the screen to return to the UWS Dashboard.
The UWS communicates with the Ultra Element Manager (UEM) and provides aggregated views of KPIs pertaining to the VNFs deployed within the Ultra Service Platform (USP).
At the top of each graph is a VNF label. Click on this label to enable/disable the graph for that VNF.
Click the Gear button at the top of each graph to change the display to a Line graph or Area graph.
Click one of the Zoom choices to view:
The last minute of data
The last 5 minutes of data
All data since the VNF was deployed
Select an area in the bottom graph to limit the top graph to a particular timeframe. Do this by moving the scroll bars on either side of the bottom graph sideways to change the display. You can also use the arrow bars at the bottom of the graph to futher specify a particular timeframe.
Move your cursor inside a graph to see the exact point in time that is displayed.
The high-level steps below summarize the workflow using the Ultra Web Services (UWS) – AutoVNF interface.
Step 1 | Create the components for a VNF:
|
Step 2 | Upload a VNF configuration by following the instructions in Upload VNF Configuration. |
Step 3 | (Optional) Modify the USF configuration by enabling redundancy and number of instances by following the instructions in Modify the USF Configuration. |
Step 4 | (Optional) Add additional service chains or modify existing service chains within an element group by following the instructions in Add or Modify Service Chains. |
Step 5 | (Optional) Customize the logo in the topology screen by following the instructions in Customize the Logo in the Topology Screen. |
Step 6 | Deploy the VNF configuration by following the instructions in Deploy VNF Configuration. |
Step 7 | Once the VNF configuration is deployed, you can monitor the various parameters by following the instructions in Monitor VNF Deployments. |
Step 8 | (Optional) View the operational status of AutoVNF, VNF Element Manager and VNF Manager by following the instructions in View System Status. |
Step 9 | (Optional) Trace subscriber packets by following the instructions in USF Subscriber Tracing. |
Step 10 | (Optional) Monitor various KPIs for the element group and service chains by following the instructions in Monitor GiLAN. |
Step 11 | (Optional) You can deactivate or stop an active VNF record by following the instructions in Deactivate or Stop a VNF Record. |
Use the following task to upload and deploy secure tokens:
Step 1 | Click the Left navigation icon in the UWS – AutoVNF user interface.
The left Navigation pane slides out. |
Step 2 | Click Automation to expand the menu. |
Step 3 | Click Resource Catalog.
The Resource Catalog screen appears. |
Step 4 | Click the Secure Tokens tab in the Resource Catalog screen.
The Secure Tokens screen appears with a list of all the configured secure tokens. |
Step 5 | Click Add.
The USP Catalog Deployment screen pops up. |
Step 6 | Click Drop File Here in the USP Catalog Deployment screen. |
Step 7 | Navigate and select the configuration XML file with the secure token from the local directory.
The XML file will be validated and listed in the USP Catalog Deployment screen on successful validation. |
Step 8 | Click Deploy. |
Step 9 | (Optional) To add more secure tokens, follow Steps 5 through 8. |
Step 10 | (Optional) To remove secure tokens, use the checkbox for the secure token you want to remove, and click Delete. |
Use the following task to upload and deploy a VNF Manager (VNFM):
Step 1 | Click the Left navigation icon in the UWS – AutoVNF user interface.
The left Navigation pane slides out. |
Step 2 | Click Automation to expand the menu. |
Step 3 | Click VNFM.
The VNFM screen appears with a list of all the currently configured VNFMs. |
Step 4 | To add a new VNFM, click Add.
The VNFM Deployment screen pops up. |
Step 5 | Click Drop File Here in the VNFM Deployment screen. |
Step 6 | Navigate and select the configuration XML file with the VNFM from the local directory.
The XML file will be validated and listed in the VNFM Deployment screen on successful validation. |
Step 7 | Click Deploy.
The VNFM will be deployed on the OpenStack. A Logs screen pops up with a real-time status on the deployment. |
Step 8 | Click Close in the Logs screen. |
Step 9 | (Optional) To remove VNFMs, use the checkbox for the VNFM you want to remove and click Delete. |
Step 10 | (Optional) Click the VNFM on the list to view more information on the configured VFM. |
Use the following task to upload and deploy a VNFM instance:
Step 1 | Click the Left navigation icon in the UWS – AutoVNF user interface.
The left Navigation pane slides out. |
Step 2 | Click Automation to expand the menu. |
Step 3 | Click Resource Catalog.
The Resource Catalog screen appears. |
Step 4 | Click the VNFM Instance tab in the Resource Catalog screen.
The VNFM Instance screen appears with a list of all the configured VNFM instance. |
Step 5 | To add a new VNFM instance, click Add.
The USP Catalog Deployment screen pops up. |
Step 6 | Click Drop File Here in the USP Catalog Deployment screen. |
Step 7 | Navigate and select the configuration XML file with the VNFM instance from the local directory.
The XML file will be validated and listed in the USP Catalog Deployment screen on successful validation. |
Step 8 | Click Deploy. |
Step 9 | (Optional) To add more VNFM instances, follow Steps 5 through 8. |
Step 10 | (Optional) To remove a VNFM instance, use the checkbox against the VNFM instance you want to remove and click Delete. |
Use the following task to upload and deploy a volume:
Step 1 | Click the Left navigation icon in the UWS – AutoVNF user interface.
The left Navigation pane slides out. |
Step 2 | Click Automation to expand the menu. |
Step 3 | Click Resource Catalog.
The Resource Catalog screen appears. |
Step 4 | Click the Volume Catalog tab in the Resource Catalog screen.
The Volume Catalog screen appears with a list of all the configured volumes. |
Step 5 | To add a new volume catalog, click Add.
The USP Catalog Deployment screen pops up. |
Step 6 | Click Drop File Here in the USP Catalog Deployment screen. |
Step 7 | Navigate and select the configuration XML file with the volume catalog from the local directory.
The XML file will be validated and listed in the USP Catalog Deployment screen on successful validation. |
Step 8 | Click Deploy. |
Step 9 | (Optional) To add more volumes, follow Steps 5 through 8. |
Step 10 | (Optional) To remove a volume, use the checkbox against the volume you want to remove and click Delete. |
Use the following task to upload and deploy a VDU:
Step 1 | Click the Left navigation icon in the UWS – AutoVNF user interface.
The left Navigation pane slides out. |
Step 2 | Click Automation to expand the menu. |
Step 3 | Click Resource Catalog.
The Resource Catalog screen appears. |
Step 4 | Click the VDU Catalog tab in the Resource Catalog screen.
The VDU Catalog screen appears with a list of all the configured VDUs. |
Step 5 | To add a new VDU, click Add.
The USP Catalog Deployment screen pops up. |
Step 6 | Click Drop File Here in the USP Catalog Deployment screen. |
Step 7 | Navigate and select the configuration XML file with the VDU catalog from the local directory.
The XML file will be validated and listed in the USP Catalog Deployment screen on successful validation. |
Step 8 | Click Deploy. |
Step 9 | (Optional) To add more VDUs, follow Steps 5 through 8. |
Step 10 | (Optional) To remove a VDU, use the checkbox against the VDU you want to remove and click Delete. |
Use the following task to upload and deploy a network:
Step 1 | Click the Left navigation icon in the UWS – AutoVNF user interface.
The left Navigation pane slides out. |
Step 2 | Click Automation to expand the menu. |
Step 3 | Click Resource Catalog.
The Resource Catalog screen appears. |
Step 4 | Click the Network Catalog tab in the Resource Catalog screen.
The Network Catalog screen appears with a list of all the configured networks. |
Step 5 | To add a new network, click Add.
The USP Catalog Deployment screen pops up. |
Step 6 | Click Drop File Here in the USP Catalog Deployment screen. |
Step 7 | Navigate and select the configuration XML file with the network catalog from the local directory.
The XML file will be validated and listed in the USP Catalog Deployment screen on successful validation. |
Step 8 | Click Deploy. |
Step 9 | (Optional) Click the network on the list to view the configured subnet, IP prefix, gateway, and DHCP information of the network. |
Step 10 | (Optional) To add more networks, follow Steps 5 through 8. |
Step 11 | (Optional) To remove an existing network configuration, use the checkbox against the network you want to remove and click Delete. |
Use the following task to upload a configuration for a VNF Gateway:
Ensure that the YANG compliant VNF configuration XML file is available. Refer the Cisco Ultra Services Platform Deployment Automation Guide for information on creating the configuration file.
Step 1 | Click the Left navigation icon in the UWS – AutoVNF user interface.
The left Navigation pane slides out. |
Step 2 | Click Network Functions.
The VNF Catalog screen appears with a list of all the VNFs currently configured. |
Step 3 | Click Upload.
The Upload VNF screen pops up. |
Step 4 | Specify the name of the VNF you are uploading. |
Step 5 | Specify an appropriate description for the VNF you are uploading. |
Step 6 | Select the type of Gateway.
For USF, select USP-GILAN-TEMPLATE. For UGP, select USP-VPC-TEMPLATE. |
Step 7 | Click Drop File Here in the Upload VNF screen. |
Step 8 | Navigate and select the configuration XML file with the VNF from the local directory.
The XML file will be validated and listed in the Upload VNF screen on successful validation. |
Step 9 | Click Submit.
The uploaded VNF will appear as a configuration (config) type, and the tile border at the bottom of the uploaded VNF will be highlighted in yellow. When activated, the type changes to a record, and the tile border at the bottom of the uploaded VNF will be highlighted in blue. |
Certain USF configurations like redundancy can only be modified before the VNF is deployed. These configurations cannot be modified once the configuration is deployed.
Use the following task to modify the USF configuration:
Step 1 | Click the Left navigation icon in the UWS – AutoVNF user interface.
The left Navigation pane slides out. |
Step 2 | Click Network Functions.
The VNF Catalog screen appears with a list of all the VNFs currently configured. |
Step 3 | Click the VNF for which you want to modify the USF configuration.
The Configuration Topology screen for the selected VNF appears. |
Step 4 | Click USF Configuration.
The USF configuration screen appears with a list of all the configured element groups. |
Step 5 | Click the element group you want to modify.
The Service Chain Configuration screen appears with information on the Element group, redundancy toggle button, total number of instances, and the configured Service Chains. |
Step 6 | To change the redundancy of the element group, toggle the Redundancy switch as needed. |
Step 7 | To change the number of instances, use the drop-down to select the necessary instances. |
Step 8 | To configure service chains, see Add or Modify Service Chains. |
Use the following task to add or modify new service chains in an element group:
Operators can modify the logo in the VNF configuration Topology screen for easy identification of the VNF.
Use the following task to add a custom logo:
Step 1 | Click the Left navigation icon in the UWS – AutoVNF user interface.
The left Navigation pane slides out. |
Step 2 | Click Network Functions.
The VNF Catalog screen appears with a list of all the VNFs currently configured. |
Step 3 | Click the VNF for which you want to customize the logo.
The Configuration Topology screen for the selected VNF appears. |
Step 4 | Click on the logo that appears on the top right.
A dialog opens for you to browse to the logo file that you want to upload to the Topology screen. The logo file must be smaller than 1 MB and be of a standard graphic format such as PNG, JPG, SVG, or other common web image formats. |
Step 5 | Select the desired image file and click Open.
The uploaded image is displayed on the VNF Configuration Topology screen. |
Use the following task to deploy a VNF configuration:
Ensure that the VNF you want to deploy is available (as a configuration type).
Step 1 | Click the left Navigation icon in the UWS – AutoVNF user interface.
The left Navigation pane slides out. |
Step 2 | Click Network Functions.
The VNF Catalog screen appears with a list of all the VNFs currently configured. |
Step 3 | Click the VNF you want to deploy.
The Configuration Topology screen for the selected VNF appears. |
Step 4 | Click Deploy.
The VNF Catalog screen appears with the following message “A new deployment has been started. Please use the navigation tab on the top right to monitor the progress.” |
If you have configured and deployed a VNF, you can monitor its deployment and status following the task below:
Step 1 | Click the right Navigation icon in the UWS – AutoVNF user interface.
A window slides out with a list of the most recent used VNF records in the system and their current status. |
Step 2 | Click on the VNF to monitor its status.
The VNF Monitoring screen appears. This screen displays information on the current status of all the VMs in the VNF arranged in a tile. VMs that are currently active are highlighted in green. VMs that are currently being activated are highlighted in gray. You can hover the mouse pointer over each tile for information on the slot id, VM name, card state, and card type. More detailed information on the cards and VMs are displayed below the card status tiles. |
Step 3 | You can suspend a VM by selecting the card, and selecting Suspend Virtual Machine from the drop-down list above it. |
Step 4 | You can resume a suspended VM by selecting the card, and selecting Resume Virtual Machine from the drop-down list above it. |
Use the following task to view the operational status of AutoVNF, VNF Element Manager and VNF Manager.
The current version of the AutoVNF is displayed once the AutoVNF configuration is deployed.
If you know the IP address/VLAN ID or the MSISDN information of the subscriber, and want to trace the packets of the subscriber, perform the following task:
To monitor various Key Performance Indicators (KPIs) for the element group and service chains, use the following task:
Use the following task to deactivate or stop a VNF record:
Step 1 | Click the left navigation icon in the UWS – AutoVNF user interface.
The left navigation pane slides out. | ||
Step 2 | Click Network Functions.
The VNF Catalog screen appears with a list of all the VNFs currently configured. | ||
Step 3 | Click the VNF record you want to deactivate or stop.
The Configuration Topology screen for the selected VNF appears. | ||
Step 4 | To deactivate the VNF record, click Undeploy.
The record is deactivated and displayed in the VNF Catalog screen as a VNF configuration. Or, click Stop VNF to stop the VNF record.
|