Q. When will Cisco® Transport Manager 7.2 be available?
A. The planned release date for Cisco Transport Manager 7.2 is September 18, 2006.
Q. Are printed manuals shipped with Cisco Transport Manager 7.2?
A. No, the Cisco Transport Manager 7.2 kit includes PDF documents on a CD that can also be ordered online. Printed documents in
ring-binder format can be ordered separately:
• For the Cisco Transport Manager 7.2 User Guide, order DOC-7817630=.
• For the Cisco Transport Manager 7.2 Installation Guide, order DOC-7817629=.
• For the Cisco Transport Manager 7.2 GateWay/CORBA User Guide and Programmer Manual, order DOC-7817631=.
• For the Cisco Transport Manager 7.2 High Availability Installation Guide, order DOC-7817625=.
Q. What are the new features in Cisco Transport Manager 7.2?
A. New features in Cisco Transport Manager 7.2 include support for the following:
• Cisco 7609 Router-Cisco Transport Manager 7.2 expands its scope to include operations, administration, maintenance, and provisioning (OAM&P) for the Cisco 7609 Router with Cisco IOS® Software Release 12.2.18.SXF.
• Cisco ONS 15600 Series Small Form-Factor Pluggables (SFPs)-Cisco Transport Manager 7.2 supports inventory, fault, provisioning, and performance management of SFPs introduced on the Cisco ONS 15600 7.2 SONET Multiservice Switching Platform (MSSP).
• Cisco ONS 15454 Radio Access Networks Optimization (RAN-O) module-Cisco Transport Manager 7.2 supports inventory, fault, and circuit provisioning management of the Cisco RAN-O module on the Cisco ONS 15454 7.2 SONET and SDH Multiservice Provisioning Platforms (MSPP).
• Dense wavelength-division multiplexing (DWDM) physical layer interface module (PLIM)-Cisco Transport Manager 7.2 supports inventory, fault, provisioning, and performance management on the DWDM PLIM cards of the Cisco CRS-1 Carrier Routing System (Cisco IOS XR Software Release 3.3). Cisco Transport Manager 7.2 supports end-to-end optical channel client connection (OCHCC) provisioning through PLIM cards connected using dark fiber or the Cisco ONS 15454 Multiservice Transport
Platform (MSTP).
Q. Does the Cisco Transport Manager 7.2 Transaction Language 1 (TL1) gateway support all the network elements?
A. No, it supports only those with a native TL1 protocol for communication with Cisco Transport Manager. The following network elements have a native TL1 protocol:
• Cisco ONS 15454 SDH MSPP (Release 5.0 and later)
• Cisco ONS 15530 DWDM Multiservice Aggregation Platform
• Cisco ONS 15540 DWDM Extended Services Platform (ESP) and ESPx
• Cisco ONS 15600 SONET Multiservice Switching Platform (MSSP)
• Cisco ONS 15800 DWDM ANSI Platform
• Cisco ONS 15801 DWDM European Telecommunications Standards Institute (ETSI) Platform
• Cisco ONS 15808 DWDM Platform
Q. Is the Cisco Transport Manager GateWay/Common Object Request Broker Architecture (CORBA) northbound interface available for all network element types?
A. Cisco Transport Manager 7.2 supports fault and inventory management through the CORBA interface for all network element types except the Cisco 7609 Router. In addition, the CORBA interface can be used for equipment and circuit provisioning on the Cisco ONS 15305, ONS 15327, ONS 15310-CL, ONS 15310-MA, ONS 15454 SONET, ONS 15454 SDH, ONS 15600, and ONS 15600 SDH. OCHCC provisioning through CORBA is also supported between Cisco ONS 15454 MSTP and Cisco CRS-1 DWDM PLIM cards. The CORBA interface can be used for performance monitoring for the Cisco ONS 15302, ONS 15305, ONS 15327, ONS 15454 SONET, ONS 15454 SDH, ONS 15600, and ONS 15600 SDH.
• Cisco CatOS Release 7.1(1) or later for the Cisco Catalyst 6509 Switch
Q. Does the Cisco Transport Manager include the required hardware?
A. No. The Cisco Transport Manager is a software-only application that is based on industry-standard, ready-to-deploy Sun and PC hardware platforms.
Q. Are there different configurations for the Cisco Transport Manager server?
A. Yes, the Cisco Transport Manager server can be installed in different configurations depending on the number of nodes managed and the hardware configuration available. The Cisco Transport Manager server can be installed in small, medium, large, and high-end configurations. For more information, refer to the Cisco Transport Manager 7.2 Installation Guide available at http://www.cisco.com/univercd/cc/td/doc/product/rtrmgmt/optnet/ctm/ctminst/index.htm.
Also, during the upgrade, users can change the configuration size to the next available (that is, from medium to large and from large to high end; upgrade of a small configuration to a medium configuration is not supported).
Q. Does Cisco Transport Manager 7.2 support a high-availability configuration?
A. Yes, Cisco Transport Manager 7.2 can be installed on redundant servers in a failover configuration. The redundant servers can either be co-located or geographically separated. Information on the high-availability solution can be found later in the document and at http://www.cisco.com/en/US/products/sw/opticsw/ps2204/prod_white_papers_list.html.
Q. Can I download Cisco Transport Manager 7.2 from Cisco.com?
A. No, you must order the software, which is delivered on a CD. Documentation is available for download through Cisco.com.
Q. Is Cisco Transport Manager 7.2 demonstration software available?
A. Yes, you can obtain Cisco Transport Manager 7.2 for evaluation from your Cisco sales representative.
Q. Is Cisco Transport Manager 7.2 compatible with earlier versions of the Cisco Transport Manager client, such as Cisco Transport Manager 4.7, 5.0, or 6.0?
A. No, all Cisco Transport Manager clients must be upgraded to the new Cisco Transport Manager 7.2 client.
Q. With Cisco Transport Manager 7.2, can I use the same Cisco Transport Manager client and network element right-to-use (RTU) licenses that I obtained with earlier versions of Cisco Transport Manager, including Cisco Transport Manager 2.0?
A. Yes, all network element and client RTU licenses that have been purchased in the past are still valid for Cisco Transport Manager 7.2 with no upgrade charge. Application (server and client), CORBA, and high-availability licenses must be upgraded.
Q. What warranty is included with Cisco Transport Manager 7.2?
A. Cisco Transport Manager 7.2 includes a standard software warranty from Cisco Systems® that warrants for 90 days from the date of delivery to you that the media on which the software is furnished will be free of defects in materials and workmanship under normal use, and that the software substantially conforms to its published specifications.
Q. Is a service contract available for Cisco Transport Manager 7.2?
A. Yes. You must purchase a Cisco Software Application Support (SAS) contract to receive access to technical assistance through the Cisco Technical Assistance Center (TAC) or Cisco.com. Cisco SAS also provides you with the Cisco Transport Manager software updates (maintenance and minor) as they are made available for the duration of your contract. Current Cisco Software Application Support plus Upgrades (SASU) service contracts, which are no longer available for Cisco Transport Manager 7.2, will be valid until their expiration.
Q. Does Cisco Transport Manager 7.2 support all the configuration and provisioning features provided in the Cisco Transport Controller for the Cisco ONS Family?
A. No, there are some feature differences between Cisco Transport Manager 7.2 and the Cisco Transport Controller for the Cisco ONS 15305, ONS 15310-CL, ONS 15310-MA, ONS 15327, ONS 15454 SONET, ONS 15454 SDH, ONS 15600 SONET, and ONS 15600 SDH. These differences are identified in the Cisco Transport Manager 7.2 User Guide.
Q. What TCP ports does Cisco Transport Manager use?
A. This information is documented in the Cisco Transport Manager 7.2 User Guide.
Q. Is the Cisco Transport Manager database schema published?
Q. Is there a high-availability version of Cisco Transport Manager 7.2?
A. No, the Cisco Transport Manager 7.2 software used in the standalone and high-availability configurations is the same. For the Cisco Transport Manager High Availability Agent 2.2, both VERITAS high-availability clustering software and third-party hardware are needed to set up a high-availability environment.
Q. Where can I obtain the Cisco Transport Manager High Availability Agent 2.2?
A. The Cisco Transport Manager High Availability Agent 2.2 is included on the installation CD with Cisco Transport Manager 7.2 and is also available for evaluation from your Cisco sales representative. The part numbers are CTM-7.2-HA and CTM-7.2-HA-UPG.
Q. Is a migration mechanism available for standalone Cisco Transport Manager 6.0 customers to migrate to Cisco Transport Manager 7.2 in a high-availability configuration?
A. You can migrate your current standalone Cisco Transport Manager to the standalone Cisco Transport Manager 7.2, provided you follow the correct migration steps outlined in the installation guide. There is no documented mechanism to migrate from a standalone to a high-availability configuration; however, this migration can be performed manually.
Q. What is the virtual IP address?
A. The virtual IP address is created by the VERITAS software during installation. This virtual address hides or masks the physical IP addresses normally assigned to the Sun server Ethernet ports. With the physical IP address masked, all network elements, clients, and operations support systems (OSSs) target the virtual IP address. In the event of a hardware failover, the standby UNIX server assumes this virtual IP address. Only the active UNIX server has the virtual IP address, so all entities communicate with the same IP address.
Q. Does a high-availability design affect the function of the Cisco Transport Manager clients, network-element access, or OSS?
A. All services and features are designed to operate identically to a standalone configuration.
Q. Can I connect redundant routers to the data communication network (DCN)?
A. Yes. You may want to set up redundant routers from your UNIX servers to the DCN.
Q. Can the high-availability solution be installed on an existing standalone server?
A. No. There is no migration path from a standalone Cisco Transport Manager configuration to a high-availability configuration. The VERITAS File System and Volume Manager software technologies (included in VERITAS Database Edition High Availability for Oracle) need to be installed immediately after the Solaris 8 operating system is installed.
Q. What licenses do I need with Cisco Transport Manager in a high-availability environment?
A. You will need to purchase the Cisco Transport Manager High Availability Agent 2.2 RTU license. When the license is purchased, all high-availability documentation will be shipped to you. Please refer to Cisco.com to download the latest electronic copy of the Cisco Transport Manager release notes.
Q. Is any other Cisco software necessary, other than Cisco Transport Manager 7.2 and the Cisco Transport Manager High Availability Agent 2.2?
A. No.
Q. Is any customization needed in the high-availability environment?
A. You may want to modify specific aspects of the high-availability configuration to fit your environment-for instance, you may want to add more Ethernet modules, not mirror internal disks, or modify steps that are documented in the Cisco Transport Manager High Availability Installation Guide.
Q. What does the Cisco Transport Manager High Availability Agent do?
A. It is a sophisticated software module that monitors processes and assesses the status of the primary server to help ensure that the Cisco Transport Manager, the Oracle database, and the hardware are operating correctly.
Q. Will Cisco provide information on how to back up the Cisco Transport Manager in a high-availability environment?
A. Cisco provides an application note similar to the one provided for the Cisco Transport Manager standalone servers.
Q. What options do I have for backing up data?
A. For more information, please see the Cisco Transport Manager 7.2 User Guide, where all the options for backing up data are reported.
Q. What information is included in the Cisco Transport Manager High Availability Installation Guide?
A. The document discusses all the reference hardware, lists part numbers, presents diagrams, and provides complete installation instructions for all the software (Solaris, all hardware and software patches, VERITAS, Oracle, Cisco Transport Manager 7.2, and Cisco Transport Manager High Availability Agent 2.2).
Q. Where can I find other documentation about the Cisco Transport Manager and High Availability Agent?
A. The complete high-availability package-all documentation for the Cisco Transport Manager High Availability Agent-is available on Cisco.com at a password-protected location. After you have purchased a license to operate the Cisco Transport Manager High Availability Agent, you will receive a complete printed copy of all high-availability documents and a password to access Cisco.com. This Website also contains the most up-to-date Cisco Transport Manager release notes.
Hardware Configuration
Q. Can I deviate from the reference architecture?
A. Absolutely. In fact, Cisco anticipates that you will use your own disk arrays, Fiber Channel adapter cards, or Sun servers. If you deviate from the reference architecture, however, you will need to establish your own high-availability support infrastructure and verify that the hardware you plan to deploy (such as disk arrays and Sun servers) is supported by VERITAS.
Q. If I deploy the high-availability hardware infrastructure exactly as referenced, does this ensure qualification for high-availability support from Cisco?
A. The purpose of the reference architecture is to provide a template from which to build the high-availability infrastructure. You will still be responsible for establishing your own high-availability support from Cisco, as well as from the third-party vendor whose components you deploy.
Q. What is RAID?
A. RAID stands for Redundant Array of Independent Disks. Essentially, it allows customers to use a combination of hardware and software to configure a multitude of disk drives in various configurations (RAID 0, 1, 1+0, 5, and so on). Each numeric value represents mirroring, striping, parity striping, or a combination of both (+).
Q. What RAID configuration can I use?
A. You can select any RAID configuration you want to deploy. The reference configuration in the Cisco Transport Manager High Availability Installation Guide uses RAID 5+0.
Installation and Support
Q. What maintenance contracts are required for a high-availability configuration?
A. The following maintenance contracts are required:
• External high-availability support from third-party vendors (consists of support for Sun servers, VERITAS software, and Oracle databases)
• Annual Cisco Transport Manager maintenance contract from Cisco
• Disk array support (EMC, Hitachi, etc.)
• Tape or system backup support
Q. What are the options for external high-availability support?
A. You can obtain support from the individual third-party vendors mentioned previously, through joint support alliances, or rely on your own in-house expertise.
Q. Does the annual Cisco Transport Manager maintenance contract differ for installation on high-availability servers and for installation on standalone servers?
A. Yes. For installation on high-availability servers, you need to purchase the standard Cisco Transport Manager maintenance support (SAS), along with the high-availability support (SAS). The minimum baseline joint support alliance contract is also required, but you can purchase higher levels of support-such as two-hour hardware replacement, fly-to-site, and priority queuing-from each vendor.
Q. Because the Cisco Transport Manager high-availability solution consists of two Sun servers, does this require the purchase of two copies of Cisco Transport Manager and two maintenance contracts?
A. No. Only the Cisco Transport Manager software and a single maintenance contract are required.
Q. Why has Cisco chosen to recommend outsourced support for my high-availability infrastructure?
A. Because timely resolution of critical problems is best managed by those with the expertise to assist with these third-party products.
Third-Party Hardware and Software
Q. Can I deviate from the specified Sun Solaris and Oracle releases with Cisco Transport Manager in a high-availability environment?
A. No. Cisco Transport Manager 7.2 has been validated on specific Solaris 8 and Oracle 9i releases, as specified in the installation guide. Deviation from the specified Solaris or Oracle release in the standalone or high-availability architecture may cause problems that the Cisco TAC team would be unable to reproduce.
Q. What hardware release of Solaris is used in the high-availability and standalone Cisco Transport Manager configurations?
A. Both configurations have been validated with Solaris 8.
Q. What software is required to run the high-availability configuration?
A. The software requirements for the high-availability configurations are as follows:
• Sun Microsystems Solaris administration
• Cisco Transport Manager 7.2
• Cisco Transport Manager High Availability Agent 2.2
• Oracle 9i Database Release 2 Enterprise Edition for Sun Solaris 8 (64-bit)
• VERITAS Database Edition High Availability 4.0 for Oracle on Solaris
• VERITAS Volume Manager (VxVM) 4.0
• VERITAS File System (VxFS) 4.0
• VERITAS Cluster Server (VCS) 4.0
• VERITAS Cluster Server Oracle Agent 4.0
For geographic redundancy, add the following:
• VERITAS Volume Replicator 4.0
• VERITAS Cluster Server VVR Agent 4.0
• VERITAS Global Cluster Manager 4.0 (with data-replication option)
In addition, all software patches for Solaris, VERITAS, peripheral component interconnect (PCI) adapters, and Oracle are required.
Q. How many licenses are required?
A. Table 1 lists the required software licenses for the Cisco Transport Manager high-availability configuration.
Table 1. Software Licenses for the Cisco Transport Manager High-Availability Configuration
Software
Number of Required Licenses
Cisco Transport Manager 7.2
One license
Cisco Transport Manager High Availability Agent 2.2
One license
Oracle 9i Database
See vendor for options
VERITAS Database Edition High Availability 4.0 for Oracle on Solaris
One license per server
VERITAS Volume Replicator 4.0
One license per server
VERITAS Cluster Server VVR Agent 4.0
One license per server
VERITAS Global Cluster Manager 4.0
One license (with data-replication option) per site
Please contact your VERITAS sales representative for more information about configurations and pricing of the VERITAS Global Cluster solutions.
Q. What are the options for Oracle licenses?
A. You can pay Oracle based on the number of CPUs installed in your system or based on the number of named users. The Cisco Transport Manager 7.2 Standalone Installation Guide provides detailed information about the number of named users required. Full Oracle licensing is required for the primary Sun server; no additional Oracle licenses are required for the secondary Sun server.
An Oracle sales representative can offer the best information about exact licensing fees for your hardware configuration.
Q. Are additional Oracle named users required in a high-availability environment?
A. As specified earlier, the Cisco Transport Manager 7.2 software used in the high-availability environment is identical to the standalone Cisco Transport Manager 7.2 software. No additional named users or licenses are needed to operate in a high-availability configuration.
Q. What does VERITAS Database Edition High Availability 4.0 for Oracle on Solaris consist of?
A. The product consists of the following:
• VERITAS Volume Manager (VxVM) 4.0
• VERITAS File System (VxFS) 4.0
• VERITAS Cluster Server (VCS) 4.0
• VERITAS Cluster Server Oracle Agent 4.0
Q. Will the Cisco Transport Manager High Availability Agent work with any Sun hardware?
A. Yes, if the Sun hardware is configured with Solaris 8. Customers should verify that the hardware they plan to deploy (servers and disk arrays) has been validated and will be supported by VERITAS. Confirmation can be found at www.veritas.com.
Q. Is Sun Cluster or Oracle Parallel Server part of the high-availability configuration?
A. No. High availability can be deployed in a variety of ways using a multitude of third-party software and hardware. The goal is to provide customers with an architecture that has been tested using Cisco Transport Manager High Availability Agent 2.2. VERITAS was selected because it is a leading software high-availability solution integrator and uses best-in-class Sun hardware and the Oracle relational database management system (RDBMS).
Failover
Q. What causes the secondary server to assume the role of the primary server?
A. The secondary server assumes the load of the primary server in the event of primary server failure. Essentially, a number of criteria must be met for the Cisco Transport Manager High Availability Agent to determine that the primary server has failed. When the agent detects a failure, the primary system is shut down in an orderly sequence (assuming no system failures on the CPU, motherboard, etc.), and the secondary server activates all appropriate daemons, launches Oracle 9i, activates the virtual IP, and restarts the Cisco Transport Manager.
Q. What is the effect on the network if a primary server fails?
A. Any alarms sent to the primary server when the systems are switching to the secondary server (which assumes the virtual IP address identity) will be lost until Cisco Transport Manager resynchronizes with the network element and receives an updated alarm status. When the secondary Cisco Transport Manager server comes online and has assumed the virtual IP address, Cisco Transport Manager can synchronize either manually or automatically with every network element to obtain the latest alarm status.
Q. Will the secondary server toggle back to the primary server if the Cisco Transport Manager High Availability Agent detects a failure in the secondary server?
A. No. Reverting back to the original primacy server requires manual intervention. This is to prevent the systems from toggling back and forth before someone investigates what caused the initial failover situation.
