Cisco Prime Optical User Guide, 9.3

Managing Performance

This chapter includes the following information:

•What Is Performance Management?

•What Performance Data Is Available?

•How Is Performance Data Collected?

•How Do I Query, View, Filter, and Graph PM Data?

Note Appendix E, "Performance Data" contains field descriptions for each PM table.

10.1  What Is Performance Management?

Performance management (PM) in a network is the configuration and measurement of network traffic for the purpose of providing a consistent and predictable level of service. PM involves monitoring the network activity and adjusting the design or the configuration of the network to improve its performance and traffic handling. PM provides network and system performance reporting for determining acute and chronic problems, service level reporting, and performance optimization.

Measuring performance can identify:

•Normal baseline network performance, which can then be compared to abnormal network behavior

•Current or potential utilization problems

•Slow response time

•Application, server, and network availability

•Optimum data transfer times

Performance data is useful for capacity reporting when drafting budgets or considering network redesigns. It can be used to identify congestion and trouble areas in the network that need to be relieved, either through additional equipment or through network reconfiguration. It can also be used to identify devices that are being underutilized or have available chassis slots.

Performance measurement includes:

•Performance monitoring—The collection of performance-related data from network devices. This data is useful for fine-tuning the performance of the device and for monitoring potentially service-affecting problems.

•Performance reporting—The presentation of the collected data, which can then be used to analyze faults, growth, and capacity of the network.

You can set thresholds on the reported performance data. These thresholds generate events that can be used in performance and fault management.

The PM process is as follows:

1. Gather network data and statistics

2. Analyze network performance and identify critical issues

3. Optimize network performance

4. Plan customer capacity

5. Plan network capacity

10.2  What Performance Data Is Available?

The following areas of performance are useful for measurement:

•Availability—The amount of time for which a network system or application is available to the user. From a network perspective, availability is the reliability of the individual components in the network. Accurately measuring availability of a distributed network is difficult and not very practical.

•Response time—The time required for traffic to travel between two points, typically measured for a round trip; the time it takes a packet to reach its destination and for a response to return to the sender. Response time is the best measure of how users perceive the network's performance.

•Accuracy—The amount of interface traffic that does not result in error. Accuracy can be expressed in terms of a percentage that compares the success rate to the total packet rate over a period of time. A decreased accuracy rate should be used to trigger a closer investigation of the network.

•Utilization—Measures the use of a particular resource over time. Utilization is usually expressed as a percentage of a resource's maximum operational capacity. It can be used to identify congestion or potential congestion throughout the network, as well as underutilized resources. Sudden jumps in resource utilization can indicate a fault condition.

Cisco Prime Optical provides the following wizards to query PM data:

•PM Query by NE Model (for non-CTC-based NE models only)

•PM Query by Category

Note PM data collection is not available for the ONS 15216.

Note Make sure that the NE and the Prime Optical server are synchronized. The NE generates PM statistics at 15-minute or 1-day intervals. The server collects 1-day PM data at 00:00 Greenwich Mean Time (GMT), regardless of the NE time or its time zone.

Note When configuring PM data collection, enable it for an NE on only one Prime Optical server. CTC-based NEs do not support simultaneous sessions on HTTP for bulk PM data collection. If you enable PM data collection on multiple Prime Optical servers, one of the servers might time out with the following error messages:
Server Error: 503 Service Unavailable
Operating System Error Nr:3997698: S_objLib_OBJ_UNAVAILABLE
Too many concurrent PM downloads

Note An alarm is generated for every piece of lost PM data for CTC-based NEs. A PM lost alarm (15 minutes or 1 day) is generated when Prime Optical cannot collect PM data for 15 minutes or for 1 day when the NE's PM data collection is set to either 15 Min Robust or 1 Day Robust. If there are outstanding PM Retrieval Fail alarms, these alarms are cleared and the PM lost alarm is generated.

10.3  How Is Performance Data Collected?

Performance data collection is the process of collecting performance-related data from network devices and storing them in a database or data file. This information can then be used for locating, diagnosing, and correcting network problems to increase network reliability and effectiveness, and to ensure that fault management can be more than just handling emergencies. The data can also be used to increase the productivity of network users. There are two methods of collecting performance data:

•Active polling—Involves actively obtaining specific management data from network devices. The collected data is then stored in a database and used later for reporting. The advantage of active polling is that as long as a managed device is accessible, data is collected and stored at regular intervals. A disadvantage is that collecting large amounts of data can impact the performance of the managed device or the network. Also, reports might take a long time to generate.

•Event reporting—A managed device or agent generates a trap or event that is received and logged. This method requires that events be generated based only on thresholds, and the EMS assumes that the lack of an event indicates that the item being measured is performing within acceptable ranges. The advantage here is that the potential impact to the network is lessened. The disadvantages of event reporting are that traps are unreliable and you might not be able to determine the start or stop of an event. It can also be difficult to determine the duration and frequency of an event.

This section includes the following information:

•Viewing Performance Monitoring for an NE

•Enabling Performance Monitoring

•Understanding the PM Service Pane

•Understanding the Individual PM Service Panes

•Activating or Deactivating Performance Monitoring

•Enabling or Disabling PM Data Collection on an Individual NE

•Enabling or Disabling PM Data Collection by PM Category for CTC-Based NEs

•Enabling PM Data Collection for the ONS 15530 and ONS 15540

•Enabling or Disabling PM Retrieval Fail Alarms for CTC-Based NEs

•Specifying the PM Data Display

•Viewing the Robust PM Collection Queue

•Using the Self Monitor Table

•Filtering the Self Monitor Table

10.3.1  Viewing Performance Monitoring for an NE

To view PM data for an NE, you must first collect the data. To collect the PM data, you need to activate the PM service for your NE and then enable PM collection on that NE. The PM service can be activated either before or after the PM collection is enabled on the NE(s). The PM data is not available until both operations are completed and the first PM collection occurs.

10.3.2  Enabling Performance Monitoring

Performance monitoring is optional, but you must enable it if you want to monitor threshold alarms and performance parameters.

Performance monitoring can be enabled on NEs by using the device CLI. For information about using the CLI, see the relevant hardware documentation.

Note PM data collection is resource intensive in terms of CPU, disk space, and DCN utilization, so you should exercise proper planning and resource monitoring for PM data collection.

10.3.3  Understanding the PM Service Pane

Use the PM Service pane (Administration > Control Panel) to activate or deactivate global PM data collection and change NE PM data collection parameters. When you click Save to save your change, the change takes effect immediately.

10.3.4  Understanding the Individual PM Service Panes

The PM Service properties pane (Administration > Control Panel > PM Service) displays information about the status of performance monitoring for the selected NE. You can also stop or start an individual PM service instance. The individual PM service panes are broken down by NE:

•ONS 15305

•ONS 15310 CL/ONS 15310 MA/ONS 15327/ONS 15454

•ONS 15310 MA SDH/ONS 15454 SDH

•ONS 155xx

•ONS 15600

•ONS 15600 SDH

10.3.4.1  ONS 15305

The ONS 15305 PM Service pane displays ONS 15305 NE PM service information. Table 10-2 provides the descriptions.

10.3.4.2  ONS 15310 CL/ONS 15310 MA/ONS 15327/ONS 15454

The ONS 15310 CL/ONS 15310 MA/ONS 15327/ONS 15454 PM Service pane displays PM service information for the ONS 15310 CL, ONS 15310 MA SONET, ONS 15327, and ONS 15454 SONET NEs. The following table provides descriptions.

10.3.4.3  ONS 15310 MA SDH/ONS 15454 SDH

The ONS 15310 MA SDH/ONS 15454 SDH PM Service pane displays PM service information for the ONS 15310 MA SDH and ONS 15454 SDH NEs. The following table provides descriptions.

10.3.4.4  ONS 155xx

The ONS 155xx PM Service pane displays PM service information for the ONS 155xx NE. The following table provides descriptions.

10.3.4.5  ONS 15600

The ONS 15600 PM Service pane displays PM service information for the ONS 15600 SONET NEs. The following table provides descriptions.

10.3.4.6  ONS 15600 SDH

The ONS 15600 SDH PM Service pane displays PM service information for the ONS 15600 SDH NEs. The following table provides descriptions.

10.3.5  Activating or Deactivating Performance Monitoring

Step 1 In the Domain Explorer window, choose Administration > Control Panel.

Step 2 In the Control Panel window, expand PM Service.

Step 3 Select an NE type.

Step 4 All the NEs monitored by the server stop collecting PM data if you click the Deactivate button in the PM Configuration tab or Status tab > Service Action field. (Notice that the service status toggles to Not Active.) Click Activate to resume PM data collection.

Note If you need to activate or deactivate the PM Service again, go to the Service Monitor table (Administration > Service Monitor in the Domain Explorer) to verify that the service has stopped or started before clicking the Activate or Deactivate button again.

Step 5 Ensure that the PM Service has started. In the Domain Explorer, choose Administration > Service Monitor. The Service Monitor table should include an entry for the relevant PM Service.

Note If the PM Service is active and the NE time is changed so that the difference between the Prime Optical server time and the NE time is 30 minutes, the existing PM buckets (for the time stamps corresponding to the next collection interval on the NE, after the time change) collected by Prime Optical are marked as In Maintenance. Prime Optical collects PM buckets again for the same time stamps.

10.3.6  Enabling or Disabling PM Data Collection on an Individual NE

Note See 2.6.1  Selectable Collection of PM Data Parameters, page 2-12 for information on setting PM data collection.

Step 1 In the Domain Explorer or Subnetwork Explorer tree, select the NE node for which to stop or start PM data collection. The Network Element Properties pane opens.

Step 2 In the Status tab > PM Collection area, set the PM data collection state. Options vary by NE type:

•15 Min—Check this box to enable collection of PM data every 15 minutes. Uncheck to disable PM data collection.

•1 Day—Check this box to enable collection of PM data every 24 hours. Uncheck to disable PM data collection.

•15 Min Robust—Check this box to enable collection of PM data every 15 minutes and attempt to fill in gaps in PM data collection should they occur.

•1 Day Robust—Check this box to enable collection of PM data every 24 hours and attempt to fill in gaps in PM data collection should they occur.

Caution If robust PM data collection is enabled, do not set PM data storage to Optimized.

Note•You cannot collect robust PM data until at least one 15-minute or one 1-day interval has been collected in normal operation.

•Robust PM data collection applies only to CTC-based NEs and to the ONS 15305, ONS 15530, and ONS 15540. Robust PM data collection is not supported for the ONS 15216.

Step 3 Click Save to save changes to the database.

Step 4 In the confirmation dialog box, click Yes. The changes take effect immediately.

Note The maximum number of ONS 15305 NEs that can have PM data collection enabled is 10 for a small network, 30 for a medium network, and 50 for a large or high-end network.

10.3.7  Enabling or Disabling PM Data Collection by PM Category for CTC-Based NEs

Note See 2.6.1  Selectable Collection of PM Data Parameters, page 2-12 for information on setting PM data collection.

Step 1 In the Domain Explorer window, choose Administration > Control Panel.

Step 2 In the Control Panel window, expand PM Service.

Step 3 Complete one of the following options:

•For the ONS 15305 R3.0, choose ONS 15305.

•For the ONS 15310 CL, ONS 15310 MA SONET, ONS 15327, or ONS 15454 SONET, choose ONS 15310 CL/ONS 15310 MA/ONS 15327/ONS 15454.

•For the ONS 15310 MA SDH or ONS 15454 SDH, choose ONS 15310 MA SDH/ONS 15454 SDH.

•For the ONS 15600 SONET, choose ONS 15600.

•For the ONS 15600 SDH, choose ONS 15600 SDH.

Step 4 Click the PM Collection Parameters tab, and enable or disable the various PM parameters. The following tables describe each parameter in detail:

•For the ONS 15305 R3.0, see Table 10-2.

•For the ONS 15310 CL, ONS 15310 MA SONET, ONS 15327, and ONS 15454 SONET, see Table 10-3.

•For the ONS 15310 MA SDH and ONS 15454 SDH, see Table 10-4.

•For the ONS 15600 SONET, see Table 10-6.

•For the ONS 15600 SDH, see Table 10-7.

Step 5 After making your selections, click Save.

10.3.8  Enabling PM Data Collection for the ONS 15530 and ONS 15540

Before viewing performance data for an ONS 15530 or ONS 15540, enable performance monitoring on the NE in the Domain Explorer or by using the CLI.

Caution If robust PM data collection is enabled, do not set PM data storage to Optimized.

•To enable PM in the Domain Explorer, select an ONS 155xx NE in the Domain Explorer tree; then, set the PM data collection in the Network Element Properties pane to 15 Min, 1 Day, 15 Min Robust, or 1 Day Robust.

•To enable PM through the CLI, log into the NE and enter the monitor enable command. For more information, refer to the relevant hardware documentation.

10.3.9  Enabling or Disabling PM Retrieval Fail Alarms for CTC-Based NEs

Enabling the PM retrieval fail alarm allows Prime Optical to monitor failed collection of PM data when PM collection is set to either 15 Min Robust or 1 Day Robust. It lets you set the number of times for Prime Optical to collect PM data before declaring PM data retrieval failure.

Step 1 In the Domain Explorer window, choose Administration > Control Panel.

Step 2 Click PM Service. The PM Service pane opens.

Step 3 To enable 15-minute PM retrieval fail alarms, click Enable in the PM 15-min Retrieval Fail Alarm area; then, specify the following:

•Seconds between Retries—Wait time between attempts to retrieve PM data. The range is from 5 to 15 seconds; the Cisco default is 5 seconds.

•Number of Retries—Number of times to retrieve PM data. The range is from 1 to 6 retries; the Cisco default is 6 retries.

Step 4 To enable 1-day PM retrieval fail alarms, click Enable in the PM 1-day Retrieval Fail Alarm area; then, specify the following:

•Minutes between Retries—Wait time between attempts to retrieve PM data. The range is from 15 to 60 minutes; the Cisco default is 15 minutes.

•Number of Retries—Number of times to retrieve PM data. The range is from 1 to 6 retries; the Cisco default is 6 retries.

Step 5 Click Save.

10.3.10  Specifying the PM Data Display

For CTC-based and ONS 155xx NEs, the display of PM data is affected by the PM Data Storage setting in the Control Panel. To specify whether to display PM data in normal or optimized mode for CTC-based and ONS 155xx NEs:

Step 1 In the Domain Explorer window, choose Administration > Control Panel.

Step 2 Click PM Service. The PM Service pane opens.

Step 3 In the PM Data Storage area, specify the PM data storage from the drop-down list:

•Normal—All performance data is collected and displayed in the PM data tables.

•Optimized—Performance data with all zero values and performance data with all invalid flags are not displayed and are not stored in the database.

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Caution If robust PM data collection is enabled, do not set PM data storage to Optimized.

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Step 4 Click Save.

10.3.11  Viewing the Robust PM Collection Queue

Step 1 In the Domain Explorer window, choose Administration > Control Panel.

Step 2 Click PM Service. The PM Service pane opens.

Step 3 In the Robust PM Collection Queue area are the following display-only fields:

•Number of 15-Min Registers Outstanding—Number of performance data collections carried out every 15 minutes that are not yet scheduled for collection.

•Number of 1-Day Registers Outstanding—Number of performance data collections carried out every 24 hours that are not yet scheduled for collection.

Step 4 (Optional) Click Clear Robust PM Queue to clear the queue. Then, click Save.

10.3.12  Using the Self Monitor Table

When Prime Optical comes close to or exceeds the limits of its performance, it might result in a reduction in the response time of the system. In this case, error messages are displayed to tell you to restore normal operation. The Self Monitor table allows you to monitor parameters that help in determining when Prime Optical is close to the limit of its performance.

The Self Monitor table displays information about Prime Optical threshold parameters. These parameters are collected and evaluated based on the NE model types. Self-monitoring can be used for CPU usage, memory usage, and disk usage. You can filter the Self Monitor table on the collection time, the model type, and the parameter name.

To view the Self Monitor table, choose Administration > Self Monitor in the Domain Explorer. The following table provides descriptions.

10.3.13  Filtering the Self Monitor Table

Step 1 In the Domain Explorer window, choose Administration > Self Monitor.

Step 2 In the Self Monitor table, choose File > Filter (or click the Filter Data tool). The Filter dialog box opens.

Step 3 Specify the filter parameters described in the following table.

Step 4 After making your selections, click OK.

10.4  How Do I Query, View, Filter, and Graph PM Data?

This section describes the tools you use to query, view, filter, and graph the data displayed in PM tables.

10.4.1  Using the PM Table Query

The PM table query opens when you select an NE, group, or domain node in the Domain Explorer and choose Performance > PM Query by Category or PM Query by NE Model.

•Use the PM Query by Category wizard to filter PM data based on the PM category.

•Use the PM Query by NE Model wizard to filter PM data by NE model.

10.4.1.1  Using the PM Query by Category Wizard

Use the PM Query by Category wizard to view PM data by PM category.

Note The PM Query by Category wizard is not supported for the ONS 155xx.

Step 1 In the Domain Explorer tree, select the management domain, group, or NE node for which to view historical performance data, and choose Performance > PM Query by Category. Table 10-10 provides descriptions. Fields shown depend on the PM category selected.

Step 2 In the Category area, select the category and type from the drop-down lists.

Step 3 Select the PM data collection interval (15 Minute, 1 Day, or Real-Time).

Note The Real-Time option is disabled if you select a management domain or group node. The Real-Time option is enabled only if you select a single NE in the Domain Explorer tree.

Step 4 (Optional) Click Next.

Note Depending on the NE type selected, some of the following screens might not appear. If a screen does not appear, skip the step and move on to the next one.

Step 5 In the Near End/Far End Selection screen, select whether to filter for near- or far-end PM data; then, click Next.

Step 6 In the Module Category screen, select the module category from the list; then, click Next.

Step 7 In the RPR Type Selection screen, select the type of RPR 802.17 data to display; then, click Next.

Step 8 In the Physical Location screen, depending on the NE type, select the rack, subrack (shelf), slot, subslot, and port from the list; then, click Next.

Step 9 In the Module Type Selection screen, add or remove module types from the lists; then, click Next.

Note For real-time PM data collection, the Module Type Selection screen lists only the module that corresponds to the slot selected in the Physical Location screen.

Historical data might have been collected on a module that is no longer present at the selected physical location. Therefore, for historical PM data collection, the modules are not filtered by physical location.

Step 10 Click Finish. The PM table opens. See Appendix E, "Performance Data" for field descriptions for each PM table.

The following table shows which PM tables are available for each category.

10.4.1.2  PM Query by NE Model Wizard

Use the PM Query by NE Model wizard to view PM data by non-CTC-based NE model.

Step 1 Make sure that performance monitoring is enabled on the NE. See Activating or Deactivating Performance Monitoring.

Step 2 In the Domain Explorer tree, select the management domain, group, or NE node for which to view historical performance data and choose Performance > PM Query by NE Model. Table 10-12 provides descriptions. Fields depend on the type of NE and PM selected.

Step 3 In the NE Model area, select the NE model and NE type from the drop-down lists.

Note You can only select non-CTC-based NEs.

Step 4 Select the PM data collection interval (15 Minute, 1 Day, or Real-Time).

Note The Real-Time option is disabled if you select a management domain or group node. The Real-Time option is enabled only if you select a single NE in the Domain Explorer tree.

Step 5 (Optional) Click Next.

Note Depending on the NE type selected, some of the following screens might not appear. If a screen does not appear, skip the step and move on to the next one.

Step 6 In the Near End/Far End Selection screen, select whether to filter for near- or far-end PM data; then, click Next.

Step 7 In the Module Category screen, select the module category from the list; then, click Next.

Step 8 In the RPR Type Selection screen, select the type of RPR 802.17 data to display; then, click Next.

Step 9 In the Physical Location screen, depending on the NE type, select the rack, subrack (shelf), slot, subslot, and port from the list; then, click Next.

Step 10 In the Module Type Selection screen, add or remove module types from the lists; then, click Next.

Note For real-time PM data collection, the Module Type Selection screen lists only the module that corresponds to the slot selected in the Physical Location screen.

Historical data might have been collected on a module that is no longer present at the selected physical location. Therefore, for historical PM data collection, the modules are not filtered by physical location.

Step 11 Click Finish. The PM table opens. See Appendix E, "Performance Data" for field descriptions for each PM table.

The following table shows which PM tables are available for each NE.

10.4.2  Configuring PM Collection Settings

Use the PM Collection Settings wizard to configure PM collection settings by NE type.

Step 1 Make sure that performance monitoring is enabled on the NE. See Activating or Deactivating Performance Monitoring.

Step 2 In the Domain Explorer tree, select the management domain, group, or NE node for which to configure PM collection settings and choose Performance > PM Collection Settings. The following table provides descriptions. Fields depend on the type of NE selected.

Step 3 In the NE Selection screen, complete the following substeps:

a. In the NE Model area, select the NE model for PM collection settings from the drop-down list.

b. In the Network Elements area, click the Add and Remove buttons to move NEs of the selected type to the Selected NEs list. (Use the Remove button to remove NEs from the list.) By default, the Selected NEs list contains all of the NEs of the selected type in the Domain Explorer or Subnetwork Explorer when the wizard was launched.

c. Click Next.

Step 4 Depending on the NEs selected in the previous step, select the PM data collection intervals in one of the following screens:

•PM Collection Selection (15 Min, 1 Day)—NEs that support 15-minute, 15-minute robust, 1-day, and 1-day robust PM collection (CTC-based NEs, ONS 15310, and ONS 15305).

•PM Collection Selection (15 Min Only)—NEs that support only 15-minute PM collection (ONS 155xx).

Step 5 Click Finish.

The PM data collection settings are applied to all of the NEs in the Selected NEs list.

10.4.3  Launching the PM Table for Layer 3 Links from the Network Map

Step 1 In the Domain Explorer or Subnetwork Explorer tree, click a node and choose File > Network Map (or click the Open Network Map tool).

Step 2 Right-click a Layer 3 link in the Network Map and choose Link PM Data from the right-click menu.

10.4.4  Managing Real-Time PM Data

Prime Optical supports the ability to launch a real-time PM report from the PM Query wizard or from a single row in a PM table. This feature allows you to examine the current value of a PM parameter in granularities finer than the standard 15-minute or 1-day interval. You can view and modify the polling interval for the real-time PM reporting session.

Note Real-time PM reporting applies only to CTC-based NEs.

The following real-time PM selection options are available:

•Polling—When selected, Prime Optical periodically polls the selected PM parameter(s) on the selected NE. The polling intervals are 10 to 900 seconds—For CTC-based NEs

Note You can specify the real-time polling interval in the Real-Time Polling dialog box. See Changing the Real-Time Polling Interval.

•Refresh—Allows you to start polling of real-time attributes if real-time polling is disabled in the Real-Time Polling dialog box.

•Baseline—When selected, the most recently collected data set is saved into a buffer. All new values are recalculated as they arrive based on the saved baseline values.

Note Not all values can be saved as a baseline. For example, null and string values cannot be saved as baseline values.

•Clear Baseline—Sets the baseline values to zero.

•Clear—Clears the current real-time PM buffer of all values.

Each 15-minute or 1-day PM table has a corresponding real-time PM table. However, not all of the fields in the historical PM tables are shown in the real-time PM tables. The first fields in real-time PM tables are:

•Alias ID—Alias name of the selected NE.

•Module Name—Module for which PM data is displayed.

•Physical Location—Slot and port number for which PM data is displayed.

•Interface—Interface name of the selected NE.

•Time Stamp—Time when the performance statistics were collected.

•Maintenance—Whether the NE was under maintenance when the performance data was collected.

The remaining fields are the actual real-time attributes being polled.

When a real-time PM session is running, it polls CTC-based NEs for x number of attributes every 10 to 900 seconds. The data it returns is stored entirely in transient memory. You can use the PM Service properties pane in the Control Panel window to limit the scope of the real-time PM session. See Understanding the PM Service Pane.

•To launch a real-time PM report from the PM Query wizard, see Using the PM Query by Category Wizard or PM Query by NE Model Wizard. In the NE Model Selection screen, click the Real-Time radio button.

•To launch a real-time PM report from a single row in a PM table, select a row and choose View > Launch Real-Time Performance Session (or click the Launch Real-Time Performance Session tool).

•To clear the real-time PM counters on the NE, choose View > Clear PM Counters on NE (or click the Clear PM Counters on NE tool).

Note Use the toolbar icons to manage the real-time display. See Appendix A, "Icons and Menus Displayed in Prime Optical" for an explanation of the icons.

10.4.4.1  Changing the Real-Time Polling Interval

By default, the real-time PM session polls the attributes every 10 seconds for CTC-based NEs. You can configure the polling interval from 10 to 900 seconds.

Step 1 Launch a real-time PM table.

Step 2 Choose View > Specify Real-Time Polling Interval (or click the Specify the Real-Time Polling Interval tool). The Real-Time Polling dialog box opens.

Step 3 In the Specify Real-Time Polling Interval field, enter a number from 10 to 900 seconds.

Step 4 Complete one of the following options:

•To save the change, click Apply.

•To save the most recently collected data set into a buffer, click Baseline. All new values are recalculated as they arrive based on the saved baseline values.

•To set the baseline values to zero, click Clear Baseline. This disables the baseline set.

•To discard changes and close the dialog box, click Cancel.

10.4.4.2  Enabling or Disabling Real-Time Polling

Step 1 Launch a real-time PM table.

Step 2 Choose View > Specify Real-Time Polling Interval (or click the Specify the Real-Time Polling Interval tool).

Step 3 To disable real-time polling, uncheck the Enable Real-Time Polling check box. To enable real-time polling, leave this check box checked. When automatic polling is enabled, you do not need to manually refresh the real-time PM table.

Step 4 Click Apply.

10.4.5  Filtering PM Data

Use the Filter dialog box (File > Filter) to filter data according to criteria that you select, and then display the results in a table. The following table provides descriptions.

Note The Filter dialog box is not available for real-time PM data.

10.4.6  Using PM Data Graphs

PM tables contain a Plot tab that allows you to plot historical or real-time PM data in a graphical view that is stored in the Prime Optical database. You can plot a maximum of three PM parameters at a time per graph. You can select a line or bar graph type and you can display multiple traces on the same set of axes for comparison. Prime Optical automatically scales the graph's Y-axis to best show the values of the measured parameters. You can launch a graph of PM data for the following data types:

•One PM parameter on one board

•Multiple PM parameters on one board

Note Parameters must have similarly scaled ranges, such as errored seconds and severely errored seconds. For example, you cannot plot bit errored rate and errored seconds on the same graph. Instead, these parameters are plotted on separate graphs.

•One PM parameter on multiple boards

Note Boards must all support the selected PM parameter.

Complete the following steps to use PM data graphs:

Step 1 View PM data by PM category (see Using the PM Query by Category Wizard) or non-CTC-based NE Model (see PM Query by NE Model Wizard).

Step 2 From the PM table, select the row of the NE, port, or slot for which you want to view the PM data on a graph.

Step 3 Choose View > Plot (or click the Plot tool).

Note To plot the graph, you must choose View > Plot or click the Plot tool. If you simply click the Plot tab (without choosing View > Plot or clicking the Plot tool), the graph is not filled out.

In the Plot tab, the graph is displayed. The graph can plot a maximum of three PM parameters. The graph's status bar displays the selection context in the following format:

<NE_ID>:<Module>:<Physical_location>:<Interface>:<Time_stamp [Time_zone]>

Note Physical-location includes shelf, slot, and port information; for example, Shelf: 1, Slot: 14, Port: 0.

Step 4 Use the plot-specific toolbar buttons to manage the graphical display. Choose View > Zoom In, Zoom Out, or Fit in Window to adjust the zoom level. You can also click the Zoom In, Zoom Out, or Fit in Window tools.

Note If Prime Optical cannot complete samples retrieval in a certain time frame (for example, due to a temporary loss of communication), the PM graph interpolation will be traced from the last sample that was retrieved before the malfunction occurred to the first sample that was retrieved after normal behavior was restored.

10.4.6.1  Configuring a Graph

Use the Graph Parameters Selection dialog box to modify the parameters that are plotted in a graph.

Step 1 From the PM table, select the row for which you want to view the PM data on a graph.

Step 2 Choose View > Graph Configure (or click the Configure Graphing Parameters tool). The Graph Parameters Selection dialog box opens.

Step 3 For historical PM graphs, select the start and end times in the Time Panel area. Select the date, hour, and minute from the corresponding drop-down lists.

Note Real-time PM graphs do not have a Time Panel area, because a time range does not apply to real-time data.

Step 4 In the Parameter Selection area, select the parameters from the Available Parameters list that you want to plot in the graph. You can generate a maximum of three graphs and each graph can plot a maximum of three parameters.

Step 5 Click the Add button that corresponds to the graph where the parameter will be plotted. Selected parameters are listed in the Selected Parameters: Graph number list.

Step 6 To remove parameters from the Selected Parameters: Graph number list, select parameters and click Remove.

Step 7 Click OK. The graph is displayed in the Plot tab. The status bar displays the module name, physical location, interface, date range, and time stamp range.

Step 8 You can adjust the zoom level for each graph. Click a graph and choose View > Zoom In, Zoom Out, or Fit in Window. You can also click the Zoom In, Zoom Out, or Fit in Window tools.

Step 9 You can normalize or restore the Y axes values in historical PM graphs. Choose View > Normalize Y Axes or Restore Y Axes (or click the Normalize Y Axes or Restore Y Axes tools). The Normalize option allows you to normalize axes values and compare data of the same type (for example, receive versus transmit packets). The Restore option restores axes values to the previous graph visualization.

Note The Normalize and Restore options do not apply to real-time PM graphs.

10.4.6.2  Printing a Graph

Step 1 After viewing PM data on a graph or configuring a graph, choose File > Print Graph (or click the Print Graph tool). The Print dialog box opens.

Step 2 Select your printer and configure the page setup options, as necessary.

Step 3 Click OK.

Note PM graphs might not print completely on some printers with the default page setup settings. In this case, you need to change the printer setup. To do this, click Properties in the Print dialog box. Click Advanced. Change the scaling to a value that prints the complete graph; for example, 10% or 20%. Click OK.

10.4.7  Understanding How Prime Optical Displays the Interface Field

Prime Optical displays the Interface field in PM tables as follows:

•ONS 15305

Prime Optical representation:

Interface-type#Interface-type-numberAUG4-AUG4-number/AUG1-AUG1-number/TUG3-TUG3-number/TUG2-TUG2-number/TU12-TU12-number

where:

–Interface-type is the affected interface object

–Interface-type-number is the interface number

–AUG4-number is the AUG4 number (applies to VC-4, VC3, and VC12)

–AUG1-number is the AUG1 number (applies to VC-4, VC3, and VC12)

–TUG3-number is the TUG3 number (applies only to VC3 and VC12 interfaces)

–TUG2-number is the TUG2 number (applies only to VC12 interfaces)

–TU12-number is the TU2 number (applies only to VC12 interfaces)

•SDH

Prime Optical representation:

Interface-type#VC4-number/VC3-VC3-number/TUG2-TUG2-number/VC12-VC12-number

where:

–Interface-type is the affected interface object (for example, VC4, VC4-2c, VC3, VC12, and so on)

–VC4-number is the VC4 number in that interface (applies only to VC4, VC3, and VC12 interfaces)

–VC3-number is the VC3 number in that VC4 (applies only to VC3 interfaces)

–TUG2-number is the TUG2 number in that VC3 (applies only to VC12 interfaces)

–VC12-number is the VC12 number in that TUG2 (applies only to VC12 interfaces)

For example, for alarms on a VC12 interface with VC4-number = 1, VC3-number = 2, TUG2-number = 1, and VC12-number = 2, Prime Optical displays VC12 #1/VC3-2/TUG2-1/VC12-2, where the first field is the affected interface and VC4 number (#VC4-number). This example indicates that the alarm is on the VC12 interface with the VC4 number equal to 1 (VC12 #1).

•SONET

Prime Optical representation:

Interface-type#STS-number/VT-group-number-VT-number-in-group

where:

–Interface-type is the affected interface object (for example, STS1, STS3c, VT-1, and so on)

–STS-number is the STS number on that interface (applies only to STS and VT interfaces)

–VT-group-number is the VT group number for that STS number (applies only to VT interfaces)

–VT-number-in-group is the VT number in that VT group (applies only to VT interfaces)

For example:

–For a VT path-level alarm with STS-number = 1, VT-group-number = 2, and VT-number-in-group = 1, Prime Optical displays VT-1 #1/2-1, where the first field is the affected interface and STS number (#STS-number). This example indicates that the alarm is a VT path-level alarm with STS-number = 1 (VT-1 #1).

–For an STS path-level alarm with STS-number = 1, Prime Optical displays STS3c #1, where the first field is the affected interface and STS number (#STS-number). This example indicates that the alarm is an STS path-level alarm with STS-number = 1 (STS3c #1).