Configuring and Using the Sample User Interface
Broadband Access Center (BAC) supports a sample user interface (SUI) that you can use for self-provisioning and preprovisioning. The SUI demonstrates the basic functionality of BAC in lab scenarios. In full BAC deployments, the SUI functionality is expected to be provided by billing, OSS, workflow applications, or a combination of all three.
Caution
The SUI is not intended to be used as a deployment vehicle. It is for demonstration only.
What is the Sample User Interface?
BAC provides a sample workflow application that manages the automated provisioning of devices on the network, and an administrator interface that provides administrators with the basic functions to manage the accounts that are maintained in BAC.
In the SUI, data is managed in two distinct ways: registration of devices on the network and the accounting of results from those registrations. For example, pages that permit the complete self-provisioning of new cable modems by using credit card information must be capable of handling the automated billing for services together with device tracking. While the SUI does not track accounting information, it allows each device to be associated with an owner identifier (Owner ID). For example, the association with an Owner ID allows objects stored in BAC to be related to external objects, such as billing account systems. In this sample workflow, the Owner ID is used as the account number, but it is not actually related to any external data. The Owner ID associated on device objects in BAC can be any external string used to group devices.
The SUI uses shortcuts to provide an interface that can support functions such as accounting, without actually needing an external accounting entity. Accounting information is stored on the modem object as custom properties. When viewing an account, the modem is found using the Owner ID and then the account data is retrieved from the modem.
BAC supports two distinct methods of managing devices: the Standard mode and the Promiscuous mode.
•In the Standard mode, modems and computers are tracked individually.
•In the Promiscuous mode, only the modems are tracked regardless of how many computers exist on the other side of the modem. When the Promiscuous mode is enabled, computers receive access only if they are behind a provisioned modem.
Accessing the Sample User Interface
The SUI includes subscriber and administrator interfaces. You can change the subscriber interface flow to support preprovisioning or self-provisioning, tracking of customers, and tracking of devices being given access.
To access the SUI, enter:
http://machine_name:port_number/sampleui
•machine_name—Identifies the computer on which the RDU is running.
Note To access the SUI via HTTP over SSL, also known as HTTPS, enter: https://machine_name:port_number/
•port number—Identifies the computer port on which the server side of the administrator application runs. The default port number is:
–8100 for HTTP over TCP
–8443 for HTTP over SSL
Before you use the SUI, examine the sampleui.properties file. This file contains a variety of controls that specify the behavior of the interface. To view the default sampleui.properties file, refer to Sample sampleui.properties File. You can open this file, and change its content to perform different functions, using any text editor. After you save the changes, restart the SUI so that all changes take effect.
Sample User Interface Configuration Options
You can configure the SUI using the options described in this section. Modifying these options forces the SUI to behave in different flows. The intention of these options is to represent the majority of your requirements. These options are controlled by settings that exist in BAC or are defined in the sampleui.properties file. For additional information, see Sample sampleui.properties File.
Class of Service
A Class of Service is defined in the interface configuration file and also in the normal service definition within BAC. The Class of Service within the SUI also references the intended DHCP criteria to be used for the devices and has a description for presentation in the interface. For example, if you chose a Class of Service called Blue, the SUI could translate that into a BAC Class of Service called Gold and a DHCP criteria called residential-provisioned. When you launch the SUI, it attempts to verify if the referenced Class of Service is already defined.
Promiscuous Mode
The Promiscuous mode is the behavior involving the tracking of computers. When the Promiscuous mode is enabled, a computer automatically receives a provisioned configuration when it is plugged in behind a provisioned cable modem. Further, in the Promiscuous mode, computers are not asked for registration information. However, when this mode is disabled (a situation known as the Standard mode), the SUI lets users register their computers. This mode includes the optional selection of an Internet service provider (ISP) for each computer. This information is maintained within BAC; you can access it from the RDU Defaults page in the administrator user interface.
Note You must restart the SUI after you change the Promiscuous mode.
Selecting an Internet Service Provider
You can select an ISP individually, for each computer registered with an account, whenever the Standard mode PC registration (non-Promiscuous) mode is used. Selecting an ISP has the same effect as choosing the DHCP criteria assigned to the computer. This setting is configured within the interface's configuration file. If there is a single ISP, the ISP-selection controls are bypassed when moving through the subscription interface.
Using the Technician Login
You can use the technician login to demonstrate a provisioning flow whereby a technician brings a cable modem to a customer's home and plugs it in. The Technician Login page appears, using which you authenticate the technician in the system before proceeding with the provisioning of the cable modem on the network.
If authentication is disabled, but technician provisioning is enabled, the demonstration is for a self-provisioning flow.
Administrative Access Levels
Administrators that can access the SUI administrator interface are configured in the interface configuration file. You can use four types of administrators within the SUI:
•full—Has complete access to create and delete accounts and manage devices in the interface.
•createonly—Has access only to create new accounts using the interface.
•readonly—Has access only to view accounts that have been created in the system.
•tech—Has access only to log in through the technician interface. This is for autoprovisioning devices from the customer premises.
Subscriber Provisioning Examples
This section describes various workflows that are presented while using the SUI. Having the Promiscuous mode enabled or disabled has a significant effect on the behavior of the SUI. Consequently, the flows in this section are identified separately.
Standard Customer Premise Equipment Registration
This section describes provisioning activities when the system is in the standard and non-Promiscuous modes of operation. These provisioning activities are discussed in:
•Provisioning a New Cable Modem and a New Computer
•Provisioning a New Computer with an Existing Cable Modem
•Altering an Existing Computer ISP
Provisioning a New Cable Modem and a New Computer
When a new modem and new computer are connected to a network, and you bring a web browser online, you are redirected to the provisioning interface.
Step 1 The SUI checks the sampleui.properties file to determine if technician provisioning is enabled:
•If this feature is enabled, the SUI continues with the next step.
•If it is disabled, an error page appears, stating that the modem is not registered and the customer should contact the MSO to register their cable modem with the system.
Step 2 The SUI checks the sampleui.properties file to determine if technician authentication is required:
•If this feature is not required, the modem registration screen appears, and you can enter account details to be registered with the system.
•If the feature is required, the modem registration page appears, and you can enter your technician username and password, and the account details to be registered with the system.
Step 3 A computer registration page appears. You can use this page to register the computer at the same time the modem is registered. This page also identifies that the modem registration has been successful.
Step 4 The SUI checks the sampleui.properties file to determine if the optional ISP selection is enabled.
•If it is enabled, a drop-down list with available ISPs appears for you to select the appropriate ISP.
•If it is disabled, no ISP is available for selection.
Step 5 Click Register This Computer and a message appears, stating that the computer is successfully registered with the network.
Provisioning a New Computer with an Existing Cable Modem
When an existing modem and new computer are connected to the network and you bring a web browser online, you are redirected to the provisioning interface.
Step 1 The SUI displays the computer registration page. From here, you can register the computer on the network.
Step 2 The SUI checks the sampleui.properties file to determine if the optional ISP selection is enabled.
•If it is enabled, a drop-down list with available ISPs appears for you to select the appropriate ISP option
•If it is disabled, no ISP is available for selection.
Step 3 Click Register This Computer and a message appears, stating that the computer is successfully registered with the network.
Altering an Existing Computer ISP
When an existing modem and existing computer are connected to the network and you bring a web browser online, you can browse the network. They then direct the browser to the provisioning interface.
Step 1 The SUI determines whether or not the optional ISP selection feature is enabled.
•If it is enabled, a drop-down list with available ISPs appears for you to select the appropriate ISP option.
•If it is disabled, no ISP is available for selection and a message appears, stating this computer is already registered on the system.
Step 2 Click Register This Computer and a message appears, stating that the computer is successfully registered with the network.
Promiscuous Customer Premises Equipment Registration
This section describes equipment registration using the SUI. These provisioning activities are discussed in these sections:
•Provisioning a New Cable Modem and a New Computer
•Provisioning an Existing Cable Modem and a New Computer
Provisioning a New Cable Modem and a New Computer
When a new modem and new computer are connected to the network and then you bring a web browser online, you are redirected to the provisioning interface.
Step 1 The SUI checks the sampleui.properties file to determine if technician provisioning is enabled:
•If this feature is enabled, the SUI continues with the next step.
•If it is disabled, an error page appears, stating that the modem is not registered and that the customer should contact their MSO to register their cable modem with the system.
Step 2 The SUI checks the sampleui.properties file to determine if technician authentication is required:
•If this feature is not required, the modem registration screen appears for you to enter account details to be registered with the system.
•If the feature is needed, the modem registration page appears for you to enter your technician username and password, and the account details to be registered with the system.
Step 3 A message appears, stating that the modem and computer are successfully registered with the network.
Provisioning an Existing Cable Modem and a New Computer
When an existing modem and new computer are connected to the network and then you bring a web browser online, you can browse the network. Once you are able to browse the network, the existing modem and new computer must direct the browser to the provisioning interface. After being directed, a message appears to indicate that the cable modem and computer are registered on the system.
Administrator Provisioning Examples
This section identifies some examples that illustrate the use of the SUI in performing account maintenance and account searches. The components of each SUI page that appear only when certain permissions have been assigned are identified with an if applicable note appended to the end of the component name.
Searching for Accounts
This section explains how to perform account searches using the SUI. These search activities are discussed:
•Searching by Account Number
•Searching by IP Address
•Searching by MAC Address
Searching by Account Number
You can search for an account, using an account number, after logging in. You specify the account number to search for and, if found, the account details appear. If the account is not found, an error message appears, stating that the account number does not exist in the system.
Searching by IP Address
You can search for an account, using an IP address, after logging in. You specify the IP address of a computer or modem currently provisioned by BAC and, if found, the owner is checked for the device to determine what account should appear.
If a valid account is found, full account details for the device appear. If a valid device is found, but not a valid account, the current MAC address and IP address of the device appear at the bottom of the search page.
If the device cannot be found, an error appears, indicating the search did not find a matching device.
Searching by MAC Address
You can search for an account, using a MAC address, after logging in. You specify the MAC address of a computer or modem currently provisioned by BAC and, if found, the owner is checked for the device to see what account should appear.
If a valid account is found, full account details for the device appear. If a valid device is found, but not a valid account, the current MAC address and IP address of the device appear at the bottom of the search page. If the device cannot be found, an error appears, indicating that the search did not find a
matching device.
Maintaining Accounts
This section explains how to maintain accounts using the SUI. These maintenance activities are discussed in these sections:
•Registering a New Account
•Managing Class of Service
•Managing Cable Modems
•Managing Computers
Registering a New Account
You can use this workflow to register a new account, and modem, with the SUI. First, log in to the system and then:
Step 1 The SUI displays a page that shows the search options (if applicable) to choose from. Click Create a New Account.
Step 2 The SUI displays a page that lets you enter the account number, the MAC address of the cable modem, and the Class of Service applicable to the account. Once you enter and submit the information, the account is created.
Step 3 Once the account is created, a new account creation page appears. Using this page, you can enter the details required to register multiple accounts with the system.
Managing Class of Service
You can use this workflow to change the Class of Service on an account and disable the cable modem. Log in to the system and then:
Step 1 The SUI displays a page that shows the search options (if applicable) to choose from. You can search for the account by using the account number, IP address, or MAC address as the search criteria.
Step 2 The SUI displays a page that contains all the information on the account, including the currently selected Class of Service, whether the cable modem is enabled, the account owner information, and the list of registered computers. Select the appropriate Class of Service from the drop-down list.
Step 3 Click Update.
The same page refreshes with the account information; note the change in the Class of Service.
Managing Cable Modems
You can use this workflow to change the modem that is currently associated with an account. You can also update account details, such as username, using this workflow. Log in to the system and then:
Step 1 The SUI displays a page that shows the search options (if applicable) to choose from. You can search for the account by using the account number, IP address, or MAC address as the search criteria.
Step 2 The SUI displays a page that contains all the information on the account, including the currently selected Class of Service, whether the cable modem is enabled, the account owner information, and the list of registered computers. Enter the new MAC address for the account's cable modem.
Step 3 Click Update. The page refreshes with the account information; note the change in the MAC address.
Managing Computers
You can use this workflow to unregister computers that were previously registered using the Subscriber portion of the SUI. This workflow applies only when Standard mode PC registration is used. Log in to the system and then:
Step 1 The SUI displays a page that shows the search options (if applicable) to choose from. You can search for the account by using the account number, IP address, or MAC address as the search criteria.
Step 2 The SUI displays a page that contains all the information on the account, including the currently selected Class of Service, whether the cable modem is enabled, the account owner information, and the list of registered computers. Determine which computer you want to unregister and click the corresponding Delete button.
The page refreshes with the most current account information; note that the selected computer is removed from the list.
Deleting an Account
You can use this workflow to delete an account that was registered using the SUI. Log in to the system and then:
Step 1 The SUI displays a page that shows the search options (if applicable) to choose from. You can search for the account by using the account number, IP address, or MAC address as the search criteria.
Step 2 The SUI displays a page that contains all the information on the account, including the currently selected Class of Service, whether the cable modem is enabled, the account owner information, and the list of registered computers. Click X, at the Delete account field from the system prompt.
Step 3 The SUI displays the same page containing all the account information. A prompt appears, next to the Delete button, asking for confirmation before proceeding.
Step 4 Click X, at the Delete account field from the system prompt, again to confirm deletion of the account.
Step 5 The SUI displays the original search page, showing that the account is deleted.
Sample sampleui.properties File
This section identifies the contents of a sampleui.properties file. This file resides in the BAC_home/rdu/tomcat/webapps/sampleui/WEB-INF/classes directory.
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(C) Copyright 2001-2007 by Cisco Systems, Inc.
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This program contains proprietary and confidential information.
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All rights reserved. This software shall not be used by an party
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except by prior written consent of Cisco Systems.
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DO NOT CHANGE. This is the version of the properties file which
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is used during execution and for system updates.
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####################################################################
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System connection information.
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####################################################################
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BPR RDU connection information
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####################################################################
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Provisioning configuration parameters
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####################################################################
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Administrator access credentials
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3 levels of access: full, createonly, and readonly
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full -- can create and read accounts
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createonly -- can only create new accounts
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readonly -- can only read accounts
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tech -- technician access for autoprovisioning modems
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(The default access level is 'full')
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The user.number must equal the number of user accounts
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being tracked. If the number is 4, there must exist
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Indicates if promiscuous-mode is enabled
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promiscuous-mode is a special mode of BPR in which computers are not
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tracked by the provisioning system. (true/false)
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This is controled by setting the RDU Defaults option:
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ModemKeys.PROMISCUOUS_MODE_ENABLED
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Indicates if technician autoprovisioning is enabled
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This mode allows a technician to provision a new account in the field
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without requiring the MAC address to be pre-registered.
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techprovisioning.enabled=true
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Indicates if technician username/password is required for modem
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If technician username/password is not required, then this
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demo can be used to simulate modem self-registration
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techprovisioning.authentication=false
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Unprovisioned configuration (for disabled modems)
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The client class should match the unprovisioned client class configured
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in CNR. The service must be unique (i.e. NOT have the same name of
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any of the services specified below).
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These values are controlled by setting the DOCSIS Defaults options, use:
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TechnologyDefaultsKeys.DOCSIS_DEFAULT_CLASS_OF_SERVICE
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TechnologyDefaultsKeys.DOCSIS_DEFAULT_DHCP_CRITERIA
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TechnologyDefaultsKeys.COMPUTER_DEFAULT_DHCP_CRITERIA
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Classes of Service for Modems
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The DHCP criterias specified here must match valid
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DHCP criterias specified in the RDU. If promiscuous
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mode is enabled, you must specify CPE DHCP criterias.
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The service.number must equal the number of services
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being tracked. If the number is 3, there must exist
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entries for services 1-3.
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service.1.title=1.5Mb/s Lightning Fast!
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service.1.dhcpcriteria=ccProvisionedDOCSISModem
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service.1.cpedhcpcriteria=provcpetagProvisionedPromiscuousCpe
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service.2.title=512Kb/s Power User
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service.2.dhcpcriteria=ccProvisionedDOCSISModem
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service.2.cpedhcpcriteria=provcpetagProvisionedPromiscuousCpe
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service.3.title=64kb/s Economy Service
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service.3.dhcpcriteria=ccProvisionedDOCSISModem
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service.3.cpedhcpcriteria=provcpetagProvisionedPromiscuousCpe
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The computerisp.number must equal the number of ISPs
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available. If the number is 1, there must exist
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computerisp.1.name=msonet
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computerisp.1.title=MSO.net Services
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computerisp.1.dhcpcriteria=ccProvisionedComputer
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Default COS, DHCPCriteria and CPE DHCPCriteria
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that modem and computers are placed in when modem's
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access is disabled through administrator UI
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Appropriate DOCSISClassOfService and DHCPCriteria objects have
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to be pre-created in the RDU
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disabled.modem.cpedhcpcriteria=disabled-computer -- defined a
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DHCPCriteria which computer's behind the modem get when modem's
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disabled.modem.cos=disabled
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disabled.modem.dhcpcriteria=disabled-modem
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disabled.modem.cpedhcpcriteria=disabled-computer
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