Q. What is Cisco® ANA Carrier Ethernet Activation?
A. Cisco ANA Carrier Ethernet Activation is a set of modules that integrate into Cisco® Active Network Abstraction (ANA) for activating Carrier Ethernet services. These modules have been developed and tested by Cisco to support a range of services. They can be extended or modified as required.
Q. Is Cisco ANA Carrier Ethernet Activation a service provisioning solution?
A. No. Cisco ANA Carrier Ethernet Activation provides a set of tested device-activation modules that in turn support the creation of end-to-end services. End-to-end services are defined in the service management system in a device-agnostic manner. Then, when required during the fulfillment process, the activation modules can be referred to by name and the relevant parameters passed. The activation modules then configure the devices.
Q. What are the advantages of using Cisco ANA Carrier Ethernet Activation in my service fulfillment framework?
A. Cisco ANA Carrier Ethernet Activation frees up the service designer and service management system from the details of implementation of network elements. Regardless of network element types, an activation module can be used that shields the service manager from these details. These modules can be reused between different services and can be extended as required.
Q. How do I access the Cisco ANA Carrier Ethernet Activation modules?
A. The modules may be obtained through Cisco Advanced Services or your local Cisco account representative.
Q. Can the ANA Activation modules be used through the ANA GUI?
A. Yes. By clicking on a node, the appropriate activation module can be chosen. The operator is then presented with a form in which the service parameters are entered and then deployed to the device. This process is repeated for each device in the service. There is no need for the operator to know device CLI.
Q. Do the activation modules provide any error checking or rollback capabilities?
A. The ANA Activation modules have several methods for ensuring services are activation in an error free manner. These include checking that correct types of values are entered for each parameter, that the values are the appropriate range, and that the entered value does not already exist on the device. When the commands are configured on the device, any errors are captured and the existing configuration is rolled back and removed from the network element.
Platform and Service Support
Q. What Cisco platforms does Cisco ANA Carrier Ethernet Activation support?
A. The activation modules have been developed to support services on the Cisco primary Carrier Ethernet platforms. These are the Cisco 7600 Series Router and the Catalyst 4500, ME3400/ME3750 Series Switches. These activation modules can be extended to support other devices as required. This may be done by Cisco Advanced Services or your system integrator.
Q. What services does Cisco ANA Carrier Ethernet Activation support?
A. Cisco ANA Carrier Ethernet Activation supports service components that can be linked together to form an end-to-end service. The service components supported include hierarchical virtual private LAN service (HVPLS), point-to-point Multipoint Label Switching (MPLS) Pseudowires, TDM and ATM using Mobile Transport over MPLS, and Catalyst 4500/ME3400/ME3750-based Ethernet access (ETTx) services.
These components can be used to create business services such as multiple and point-to-point Ethernet connectivity and residential triple-play services.
Customization and Support
Q. I need to modify the modules or add new ones; how do I do this?
A. Along with the modules themselves, a "cookbook" or developers' reference is available that provides a set of best practices and writing activation modules. Additionally, Cisco Advanced Services has a wealth of experience in implementing Cisco ANA and activation modules and can be engaged for development and integration work.
Q. Who supports the activation modules?
A. The modules from Cisco are provided "as is". If any modifications have been made to these modules, then support is provided by whoever made the changes.
Q. How do I integrate Cisco ANA Carrier Ethernet Activation into my existing provisioning framework?
A. Cisco ANA comes with a set of web services northbound interfaces that allow the activation modules to be called by name. Any parameters required by the modules are passed through the northbound interface. Once the module has configured the device, a success code (or failure message) is returned to the calling application.
For More Information
Visit http://www.cisco.com/go/ceactivation to learn more about the complete Cisco Carrier Ethernet solution architecture including the Cisco Active Network Abstraction element management system, contact your local Cisco account representative, or send an email to ask-cems@cisco.com.