Cisco Unified Intelligent Contact Management Enterprise

Document ID: 24290

Contents

Introduction
Before You Begin
      Conventions
      Prerequisites
      Components Used
Background Theory
What Causes the Phone Home Alarm?
Troubleshooting a Phone Home Failure
      Check the DTP Log
      Check the Modem
      Check RAS
      Check CSFS Heartbeat Interval
      Check the Phone Home Configuration
Related Information

Introduction

This document explains why the AlarmTracker issues an alarm for the Listener when it does not receive the heartbeat within a configured timeframe.

Before You Begin

Conventions

For more information on document conventions, see the Cisco Technical Tips Conventions.

Prerequisites

Readers of this document should be knowledgeable of the following:

• Cisco Intelligent Contact Management (ICM) alarm monitoring capabilities

• Cisco ICM Phone Home configuration

• Remote Access Server (RAS)

• Modem configuration

• Microsoft Windows NT Registry Editor

Components Used

The information in this document is based on the software and hardware versions below.

• Cisco ICM version 4.5 and later

• Remote Monitoring Suite version 2.0

• Microsoft Windows NT version 4.0

The information presented in this document was created from devices in a specific lab environment. All of the devices used in this document started with a cleared (default) configuration. If you are working in a live network, ensure that you understand the potential impact of any command before using it.

Background Theory

The Cisco ICM Phone Home feature is comprised of the Data Transfer Process (DTP) and Customer Support Forwarding Service (CSFS) processes on the customer side ICM Loggers, and the Listener and AlarmTracker processes on the support side. The feature is used to send ICM alarm messages from a customer site to a configured Listener, usually a support center. However, even when no alarms occur, the CSFS process is configured to submit a heartbeat to the Listener at regular intervals, which indicates to the Listener that the Customer Logger is in operation. When the Listener does not receive the heartbeat within a configured timeframe, the following alarm is issued by the Listener in AlarmTracker:

ideA Logger has not phoned home to Listener GEOCUST1LNRA 
  within configured timeout value.

In a fully duplexed ICM, this error message may occur for either Logger A or Logger B, and may be reported by either Listener A or Listener B. This particular example of the message indicates Logger A failed to send any events to the Listener, whose hostname is GEOCUST1LNRA, within the defined timeframe on the specified Listener. When this alarm occurs, alarms are not sent to the Listener to report to AlarmTracker on the Support side. Therefore, failures in the ICM go unreported until the Phone Home feature is working.

What Causes the Phone Home Alarm?

Phone Home alarms may occur for a variety of reasons. The most common reasons include:

• The modem on the Customer Logger is hung or misconfigured.

• RAS is failing or is not configured properly on the Customer Logger.

• The Phone Home properties on the Customer Logger are not configured properly.

• A phone or network connection cannot be made to the Listener.

• The port on the Customer Logger configured for RAS is hung.

• The CSFS heartbeat interval is greater than the Listener Event Timeout value.

There are other possibilities for Phone Home failures, but this document concentrates on these common issues.

Troubleshooting a Phone Home Failure

Troubleshooting Phone Home failures requires several different steps and technologies. This section discusses the most common tools used in troubleshooting these failures in a Microsoft Windows NT version 4.0 environment.

Check the DTP Log

The first step in diagnosing a phone failure is to use the dumplog utility to view the past few hours of the Data Transfer Process (DTP) log. A basic three-hour log dump from Logger A is initiated at a command prompt, as follows:

c:\icr\<cust_inst>\la\logfiles>dumplog dtp /hr 3

If the Phone Home process is successfully connecting to the Listener, the following message occurs successively:

Removed Remote Resource '\\geocsclnra\ipc$'

Errors or warnings may occur before or after successive occurrences of this message, but this is normal, from time to time (for example, busy signals or no answers). If this message occurs frequently, but the Phone Home alarms do not clear, the CSFS process is not generating a heartbeat as needed. Skip to the Check the CSFS Heartbeat Interval section, if this situation exists.

If the Removed Remote Resource message does not occur during the time of the Listener Event Timeout value, there may be one or more common error message in the DTP log dump, many of which are described in Why Can't the Cisco ICM Logger Make a Connection to the Listener?

If errors occur during the DTP log dump that are not addressed in Why Can't the Cisco ICM Logger Make a Connection to the Listener?, or if the steps outlined in the document do not correct the Phone Home problem, check the following:

• Check the Modem

• Check RAS

• Check CSFS Heartbeat Interval

• Check the Phone Home Configuration

Check the Modem

Verify the external modem is turned on and is not hung. If you cannot determine whether or not the modem is hung, reset the modem. This clears any hung connections.

Check RAS

If resetting the modem does not clear the errors in the DTP log, check the RAS service. This may be done using the Services applet in Control Panel, or the ICM Service Control utility:

If the RAS service is stopped and the Phone Home feature is configured for a modem connection, not a network connection, the modem cannot make an outbound connection. Correct the problem by starting the RAS service. If Microsoft Windows NT returns an error attempting to start the RAS service, you must reboot the Logger to correct the problem. If the RAS service does not start after the machine is rebooted, the Microsoft Knowledge Base can be helpful in resolving the problem.

Check CSFS Heartbeat Interval

If the modem and RAS service appear to be working properly, and the DTP log is reporting successful Phone Home attempts, the CSFS Heartbeat Interval should be compared to the Listener Event Timeout value. The CSFS Hearbeat Interval is found through the Registry Editor using the following key:

hkey_local_machine\software\GeoTel\ICR\<cust_inst>\LoggerA/B\CSFS\
  CurrentVersion\heartbeatIntervalMinutes

Note: The above value is displayed over two lines due to space limitations.

For information on adjusting the CSFS Heartbeat Interval or identifying the Listener Event Timeout on a non-Cisco Listener, read How To Configure Heartbeat Send Interval on the ICM Logger.

Check the Phone Home Configuration

If the information provided above does not correct your Phone Home problem, check the Phone Home configuration. You may do this through the Cisco ICM Phone Home Setup Utility or the Registry Editor. If using the ICM Setup utility, you must first stop the ICM Logger service. The Phone Home configuration is found in the setup utility by selecting Configure from the Logger Component Properties dialog box:

• The 9,19191234567 phone number must always be matched with the GEOCSCLNRA Listener. For example, if GEOCSCLNRA is configured for CSCImportSystemName, then the 9,19191234567 phone number must be configured for CSCPhoneNumber. Likewise, if GEOCSCLNRA is configured for CSCBackupImportSystemName, then the 9,19191234567 phone number must be configured for CSCBackupPhoneNumber.

• The 9,14081234567 phone number must always be matched with the GEOCSCLNRB Listener.

• Phone Home attempts to the Cisco Listeners with any other phone number fails.

• The Domain for both Listeners is always GEOCSC.

• The ImportDirectory settings must match the Cisco Listeners; this may be verified through the Cisco Technical Assistance Center (TAC).

• If the DTP process indicates a login failure during the Phone Home attempt, the CSCPassword and CSCUserID should be verified with the Cisco TAC.

Note: The phone numbers in this document are for example purposes only. Please contact your partner or provider for actual phone numbers.

Additional information regarding the Phone Home configuration can be found in Cisco ICM Phone Home Setup.

If the Phone Home failure persists, a case may be opened with the Cisco TAC.

Related Information

• Cisco ICM Phone Home Setup
• How To Configure Heartbeat Send Interval on the ICM Logger
• Why Can't the Cisco ICM Logger Make a Connection to the Listener?
• How to Use the Dumplog Utility
• Technical Support - Cisco Systems