Cisco ONS 15454 SDH Installation and Operations Guide, Release 3.4
Chapter 10, Alarm Monitoring and Management
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Table of Contents

Alarm Monitoring and Management
 10.1 Overview
 10.2 Viewing ONS 15454 SDH Alarms
 10.3 Using Alarm Profiles
 10.4 Suppressing Alarms

Alarm Monitoring and Management

This chapter explains how to manage alarms with Cisco Transport Controller (CTC), which includes:

  • Viewing alarms
  • Viewing history
  • Viewing conditions
  • Viewing alarm counts on the front-panel LCD
  • Creating and managing alarm profiles
  • Suppressing alarms

To troubleshoot specific alarms, refer to the Alarm Troubleshooting chapter of the Cisco ONS 15454 SDH Troubleshooting and Maintenance Guide.

Table 10-1   Alarm Monitoring and Management Topics

Alarm Monitoring and Management Topics 

10.1 Overview

10.2 Viewing ONS 15454 SDH Alarms

10.3 Using Alarm Profiles

10.4 Suppressing Alarms

10.1 Overview

CTC detects and reports SDH alarms generated by the Cisco ONS 15454 SDH and the larger SDH network. You can use CTC to monitor and manage alarms at card, node, or network levels and view alarm counts on the LCD front panel. Default alarm severities conform to the ITU-T G.783 standard, but you can reset severities to customized alarm profiles or suppress CTC alarm reporting. For a detailed description of the standard ITU categories employed by ONS nodes, see the Cisco ONS 15454 SDH Maintenance and Troubleshooting Guide.

Note   ONS 15454 SDH alarms can also be monitored and managed through a network management system (NMS).

10.2 Viewing ONS 15454 SDH Alarms

At the card, node, or network CTC view, click the Alarms tab to display the alarms for that card, node, or network. Table 10-3 lists the tab's column headings and the information recorded in each column. Figure 10-1 shows how to view ONS 15454 SDH alarms in CTC.

Table 10-3   Alarms Column Descriptions

Column  Description 

Num

A count of incrementing alarm messages. (This column is hidden by default.)

Ref

The reference number assigned to a cleared alarm. (This column is hidden by default.)

New

Indicates a new alarm. To change this status, check either the Synchronize Alarms or the Delete Cleared Alarms check box, or reset the active TCC-I card.

Date

Date and time of the alarm.

Node

Node where the alarm occurred (displays in network view only).

Object

TL1 access identifier (AID) for the alarmed object.

Eqpt Type

Card type in this slot.

Slot

Slot where the alarm occurred (displays in network and node view only).

Port

Port where the alarm occurred.

Sev

Severity level: CR (critical), MJ (major), MN (minor), NA (not alarmed), or NR (not reported).

ST

Status: R (raised), C (clear), or T (transient).

SA

When checked, indicates a service-affecting alarm.

Cond

The alarm name. These are defined alphabetically in the Alarm Troubleshooting chapter of the Cisco ONS 15454 SDH Troubleshooting and Maintenance Guide.

Description

Description of the alarm.

Figure 10-1   Viewing alarms in the CTC node view


Alarms display in one of five background colors, listed in Table 10-4, to quickly communicate the alarm severity. Events, conditions, and cleared alarms are also color-coded. Conditions and events display in the History or Conditions tab.

Table 10-4   Color Codes for Alarms, Conditions, and Events

Color  Description 

Red

Critical Alarm (CR)

Orange

Major Alarm (MJ)

Yellow

Minor Alarm (MN)

Magenta

Condition (NA)

Blue

Condition (NR)

White

Cleared alarm or event (CL)

10.2.1 Controlling Alarm Display

You can control the display of the alarms on the Alarms tab. Table 10-5 shows the actions you can perform from the Alarms tab.

Table 10-5   Alarm Display

Button or Check Box  Action 

Synchronize button

Causes CTC to retrieve a current alarm summary for the node. This is optional, since CTC updates the Alarms tab automatically as raise/clear messages arrive from the node. It is useful in the case when messages may have been lost.

Delete Cleared Alarms button

Deletes cleared alarms and transient messages from the CTC display when they are not needed for long-term information or later troubleshooting.

Filter button

Filters alarm parameters chosen in the Filter dialog box when alarm filtering is enabled Not enforced when alarm filtering is disabled.

AutoDelete Cleared Alarms check box

If checked, CTC automatically deletes cleared alarms from the display.

10.2.2 Viewing Alarm-Affected Circuits

You can view which ONS 15454 SDH circuits are affected by a specific alarm. Figure 10-2 illustrates the Select Affected Circuits option.


Figure 10-2   Selecting the Affected Circuits option


Procedure: View Affected Circuits for a Specific Alarm

Purpose

This procedure allows you to view affected circuits for a specific alarm

Prerequisite Procedures

ONS 15454 SDH installed and provisioned

Onsite/Remote

Onsite or remote
Step 1   Under the Alarms tab, right-click the row of an active alarm.

The Select Affected Circuit option appears.

Step 2   Click Select Affected Circuits.

The Circuits window appears with affected circuits highlighted (Figure 10-3).


Figure 10-3   Highlighted (selected) circuit





10.2.3 Using the Conditions Tab

The Conditions tab displays retrieved fault conditions. A fault is a problem detected by ONS 15454 SDH hardware or software. When a fault occurs and continues for a minimum time period, it raises a fault condition, which is a flag showing whether or not this particular fault currently exists on the ONS 15454 SDH. Fault conditions include all existing conditions, whether the severity is that of an alarm (Critical, Major or Minor) or a condition (Not Reported or Not Alarmed). See the trouble notifications information in the Cisco ONS 15454 SDH Troubleshooting and Maintenance Guide for more information about the classifications for alarms and conditions.

Displaying all existing fault conditions is helpful while troubleshooting the ONS 15454 SDH. The Conditions tab does not adhere to ITU guidelines for reporting alarms, events, and conditions. Alarm reporting under the Alarms tab is ITU-compliant.

10.2.3.1 Retrieving and Displaying Conditions

At the node view, click the Conditions tab and the Retrieve Conditions button to retrieve the current set of all existing fault conditions from the ONS 15454 SDH, as maintained by the alarm manager. Figure 10-4 illustrates the fault conditions retrieved under the Conditions tab. Users can perform the same operation at the card view for the card level and at the network view for the network level.


Figure 10-4   Viewing fault conditions retrieved under the Conditions tab


10.2.3.2 Conditions Column Descriptions

Table 10-6 lists the tab's column headings and the information recorded in each column.

Table 10-6   Conditions Column Descriptions

Column  Information Recorded 

Date

Date and time of the alarm

Node

Node where the condition occurred (displays in network view only)

Object

TL1 access identifier (AID) for the alarmed object

Eqpt Type

Card type in this slot

Slot

Slot where the condition occurred (displays in network and node view only)

Port

Port where the condition occurred

Sev

Severity level: CR (critical), MJ (major), MN (minor), NA (not alarmed), or NR (not reported)

SA

When checked, indicates a service-affecting alarm

Cond

The condition name

Description

Description of the condition

10.2.4 Controlling Conditions Display

You can control the display of the conditions on the Conditions tab. Table 10-7 shows the actions you can perform from the Conditions tab.

Table 10-7   Conditions Display

Button or Check Box  Action 

Retrieve button

Retrieves all conditions as maintained by the alarm manager.

Filter button

Filters alarm parameters chosen in the Filter dialog box when alarm filtering is enabled. Not enforced when alarm filtering is disabled.

Exclude Same Root Cause check box

If checked, allows conditions that are caused by the same event (such as AIS, which accompanies many alarms such as LOS) to be excluded from display.

10.2.5 Viewing History

The History tab displays historical alarm message data. It also displays event messages, which are non-alarmed activities such as timing changes and threshold crossings. For example, protection-switching events or performance monitoring threshold crossings appear here. The History tab presents two alarm history views:

  • The History > Session tab presents alarm messages and event messages that have occurred during the current CTC session.
  • The History > Node tab shows the alarm messages that have occurred on the node since CTC installation (Figure 10-5 ) and alarm messages that have occurred for the current login session (Figure 10-6). A summary of alarm messages and event messages can also be shown. The ONS 15454 SDH can store up to 640 critical alarm raise/clear messages, 640 major alarm raise/clear messages, 640 minor alarm raise/clear messages, and 640 event-level raise/clear/transient messages. When any of these limits is reached, the ONS 15454 SDH discards the oldest alarms and events in that category.
Tip Double-click an alarm in the alarm table or an event message in the history table to display the corresponding view. For example, double-clicking a card alarm takes you to card view. In the network view, double-clicking a node alarm takes you to the node view.

Figure 10-5   Viewing node alarms reported since CTC software installation



Figure 10-6   Viewing alarms for the CTC session


10.2.6 Viewing Alarms on the LCD

The Critical, Major, and Minor alarm LEDs on the fan-tray assembly front panel indicate whether a critical, major, or minor alarm exists on the ONS 15454 SDH. These LEDs are viewable through the front door so that you can quickly determine whether any alarms are present on the node. These LEDs are independent of the Card, Port, and Status indicators on the LCD.

When you press the Slot, Status, or Port buttons on the LCD to toggle to a certain slot or port, the LCD displays the Critical, Major, or Minor alarm count for the selected slot and port. Figure 10-7 illustrates the LCD panel.


Figure 10-7   Front LCD panel


Procedure: View Alarm Counts on a Specific Slot and Port

Purpose

View alarm counts on a specific slot and port

Tools/Equipment

Computer, configured for CTC

Prerequisite Procedures

ONS 15454 SDH operational; CTC running

Onsite/Remote

Onsite or remote
Step 1   Use the Slot button to toggle to the desired slot number.

Set the slot number to Node to see a summary of alarms for the node.

Step 2   Use the Port button to toggle to the port.

Step 3   Press the Status button to display the slot and port.

Figure 10-7 shows the LCD panel.




10.3 Using Alarm Profiles

The alarm profiles feature allows you to change default alarm severities by creating unique alarm profiles for individual ONS 15454 SDH nodes. A profile you create can be applied to any node on the network. Alarm profiles must be stored on a node before they can be applied to a node, card, or port. CTC can store up to ten alarm profiles; Eight are available for custom use, and two are reserved. CTC can load an unlimited number of alarm profiles that have been stored on a node, server, or CTC workstation.

The two reserved profiles include the default profile, which sets severities to standard ITU-T G.783 settings, and the Inherited profile, which sets all alarm severities to transient (TR). If an alarm has an Inherited profile, it inherits (copies) its severity from the same alarm's severity at the next level. For example, a card with an Inherited alarm profile copies the severities used by the node that contains the card. The Inherited profile is not available at the node level.

10.3.1 Creating and Modifying Alarm Profiles

Alarm profiles are created at the network view using the Provisioning > Alarm Profiles tabs (Figure 10-8). A default alarm profile (in the Default column) is preprovisioned for every alarm. Default alarm profiles are loaded clicking Node/Profile Ops > Load > From Node > Default > OK. After loading the Default profile on the node, you can use the Clone feature to create new profiles based on the default alarm profile. After the new profile is created, the Alarm Profiles tab shows the default profile and the new profile.


Figure 10-8   Alarm profiles window showing the alarm type conditions of the listed alarms


Procedure: Create an Alarm Profile

Purpose

Create alarm profile

Tools/Equipment

Computer, configured for CTC

Prerequisite Procedures

ONS 15454 SDH operational; CTC running

Onsite/Remote

Onsite or remote
Step 1   Display the CTC network view.

Step 2   Click the Provisioning > Alarm Profiles tabs.

Step 3   To load a stored profile from another node:

a. Click Load.

b. Highlight the node name you are logged into under Node Names and highlight Default under Profile Names.

c. Click OK.

Step 4   To create a new profile by cloning the default profile:

a. Right-click anywhere in the Default column to display the Profile Editing shortcut menu.

b. Choose Clone from the shortcut menu. (You can also clone any other profiles that appear under the Available button, except Inherited.)

c. In the Clone Profile Default dialog box, enter a name in the New Profile Name field.

Profile names must be unique. If you import or name a profile that has the same name as another profile, CTC adds a suffix to create a new name.

d. Click OK.

A new alarm profile (named inStep c) is created. This profile duplicates the severities of the default profile and is added as a new column on the far right side.

Step 5   Modify the alarm profile to customize it.

a. In the new alarm profile column, click a row that contains the alarm severity you want to change.

b. From the drop-down list, select the desired severity.

c. Repeat Steps a and b. for each alarm that needs to be changed.

d. After you have assigned the properties to your new alarm profile, click the new alarm profile to highlight it and click Store.

e. In the Store Profile(s) dialog box, select a node or nodes where the profile will be stored and/or specify a file on the workstation.

f. Click OK.




Note   You can also clone alarm profiles shown in the Available dialog box. Click Available to access the dialog box.
Note   The Alarm Profile is not effective on the node until selected in the node view Provisioning > Alarm Behavior tab Node Profile drop-down list, or on a card until it is selected in the slot drop-down list.

10.3.2 Alarm Profile Menus

The Alarm Profiles tab displays six alarm profile buttons. Table 10-8 lists and describes each of the alarm profile buttons.

Table 10-8   Alarm Profile Buttons

Button   Description 

Load

Loads a profile to a node or a file

Store

Saves profiles on a node (or nodes) or in a file

Delete

Deletes profiles from a node

Compare

Displays differences between alarm profiles (i.e., individual alarms that are not configured equivalently between profiles)

Available

Displays all of the profiles available on each node

Usage

Displays all of the entities present in the network and which profile(s) each is using

10.3.3 Alarm Profile Editing

Table 10-9 lists and describes the five profile editing options available when you right-click in an alarm profile column.

Table 10-9   Alarm Profile Editing Options

Button   Description 

Store

Saves a profile in either a node or a file

Rename

Changes a profile name

Clone

Creates a new profile that contains the same alarm severity settings as the highlighted profile (the profile being cloned)

Reset

Restores a profile to the state of that profile before it was last applied or to the state when it was first loaded, if it has not yet been applied

Remove

Removes a profile from the table editor

10.3.4 Alarm Severity Option

You change or assign alarm severity using a menu. To view this menu, click the alarm you want to change in its alarm profile column. Seven severity levels appear in a drop-down list for the alarm:

  • CR: Critical
  • MJ: Major
  • MN: Minor
  • NR: Not reported
  • NA: Not alarmed
  • TR: Transient
  • UNSET: Unset/Unknown (not normally used)

Transient and Unset only appear in alarm profiles. They do not appear when you view alarms, history, or conditions.

10.3.5 Row Display Options

In addition to check boxes displayed in the Alarm Profile tabs, the Alarm Behavior tab displays two check boxes at the bottom of the screen: Hide reference values and Hide identical rows. The Hide reference values check box highlights alarms with nondefault severities by clearing alarm cells with default severities. The Hide identical rows check box hides rows of alarms that contain the same severity for each profile.

10.3.6 Applying Alarm Profiles

In CTC card view, the Alarm Behavior tab displays the alarm profiles of the selected card. In node view, the Alarm Behavior tab displays alarm profiles for the node. A node-level alarm profile applies to all cards in the node except those that have their own profiles. Many card-level alarm profiles apply to all ports on the card, except for those that have their own profiles.

At the node level, you can apply profile changes on a card-by-card basis or set a profile for the entire node. Figure 10-9 shows the profile of an STM-4 card being changed to Inherited at the node view.


Figure 10-9   Node view of an STM-4 alarm profile


At the card level, you can apply profile changes on a port-by-port basis or set all ports on that card at once. Figure 10-10 shows the affected STM-4 card; notice that the CTC shows Parent Card Profile: Inherited.


Figure 10-10   Card view of an STM-4 alarm profile


Procedure: Apply an Alarm Profile at the Card View

Purpose

Apply alarm profile at card view

Tools/Equipment

Computer, configured for CTC

Prerequisite Procedures

ONS 15454 SDH operational; CTC running

Onsite/Remote

Onsite or remote
Step 1   In CTC, display the card view of the desired card.

Step 2   Click the Provisioning > Alarm Behavior tabs.

Step 3   To apply profiles on a port-by-port basis:

a. Click the appropriate row under the Profile column for the port desired.

b. Choose the appropriate profile from the drop-down list.

c. Click Apply. (Multiple port profiles can be selected before clicking Apply.)

Step 4   To set a profile for all the ports on a card:

a. Click the Force all ports to profile menu arrow at the bottom of the screen.

b. Choose the appropriate profile from the drop-down list.

c. Click Force (still need to "Apply").

d. Click Apply.

Tip If you choose the wrong profile, click Reset to return to the previous profile setting.



Procedure: Apply an Alarm Profile at the Node View

Purpose

Apply alarm profile at node view

Tools/Equipment

Computer, configured for CTC

Prerequisite Procedures

ONS 15454 SDH operational; CTC running

Onsite/Remote

Onsite or remote
Step 1   In CTC, display the node view.

Step 2   Click the Provisioning > Alarm Behavior tabs.

Step 3   To apply profiles on a card basis:

a. Click the Profile column for the card desired.

b. Choose the appropriate profile from the drop-down list.

c. Click Apply. (Multiple card profiles can be selected before clicking Apply.)

Step 4   To apply the profile to an entire node:

a. Click the Node Profile menu arrow.

b. Choose the appropriate profile from the drop-down list.

c. Click Apply.

Note    The Port Overrides column at the node view reads true when additional profiles are available and false when only the inherited profile is available.
Tip If you choose the wrong profile, click Reset to return to the previous profile.



10.4 Suppressing Alarms

Suppressing alarms causes alarms to appear under the Conditions tab instead of the Alarms tab. It prevents alarms from appearing on CTC Alarm or History tabs or in any other clients. The suppressed alarms behave like conditions, which have their own not-reported (NR) severities. Under the Conditions tab, the suppressed alarms appear with their alarm severity, color code, and service-affecting status.

Note   Use alarm suppression with caution. If multiple CTC sessions are open, you will suppress the alarms in all other open sessions.

Procedure: Suppress Alarms

Purpose

Suppressing alarms

Tools/Equipment

Computer, configured for CTC

Prerequisite Procedures

ONS 15454 SDH operational; CTC running

Onsite/Remote

Onsite or remote
Step 1   At either the card view or node view, click the Provisioning > Alarm Behavior tabs.

At the card level, you can suppress alarms on a port-by-port basis. At the node level, you can suppress alarms on a card-by-card basis or for the entire node.

Step 2   Check the Suppress Alarms check box in the row of the card or port you want to suppress. Figure 10-11 shows the Suppress Alarms column check box for cards.


Figure 10-11   Suppress Alarms check box


Step 3   Click Apply.

The node sends out autonomous messages to clear any raised alarms.

Note    When you uncheck the Suppress Alarms check box and click Apply, the node sends out autonomous messages to raise any actively suppressed alarms.