Cisco Optical Network Planner Configuration Guide, Releases 26.x.x

Import optical sources

Updated: March 10, 2026

Want to summarize with AI?

On this page

Overview

Create an optical source from an Excel template
Optical Parameters Available in the Excel Sheet for Optical Sources Creation
Find optical sources faster
Download optical sources
Delete optical sources

Overview

Teaches you how to import aliensoptical sources. Instructs you on the necessary steps to perform this task effectively and ensure proper network configuration.

Use this procedure to import an optical source

An Optical source wavelength is a way to connect a DWDM interface from any external element to a third-party optical network.

Before you begin

Create an optical source from an Excel template

Procedure

	1.	Choose Manage > Optical Source. The Manage Optical Source dialog box appears. The default optical sources available in the server include: OpticalSources_NCS2K_400GXP-LC_NCS4K-4H-OPW-QC2 NCS1004_OpticalSources_V3 ONS-CFP2D-400G-C-OpticalSources-V2.mxd QDD-400G-ZRP-S-OpticalSources-V2.mxd Note By default, all existing optical source files are loaded in the server.
	2.	Import the optical source as a .mxd file. Click Add. Choose Optical Source (.mxd) The Import Optical Source (.mxd) dialog box appears. Click Choose File and browse to the .mxd file stored on your local system, and click Import. After the optical source is imported, a list of related interfaces appears.
	3.	Import the optical source from an Excel spreadsheet. Click Add. Choose Optical Source (.xlsx) The Import Optical Source (.xlsx) dialog box appears. Click Choose File and browse to the .xls file (optical source template) saved in your local system, and click Import. Choose the Release Version of the NSC2K network. Note Selected release version is applicable only for NCS2K network. For NCS 1010, NCS 1001, and NCS 1014 networks, the imported optical source is available for all supported release versions, regardless of the selected NCS 2000 release version. Select the interface. If you want all the interfaces, then click Select All. Click Create. After the optical source is imported, a list of related interfaces appears.
	4.	Select the check box next to each interface you want to import.

After you import the optical sources and their interfaces, they appear in the Type drop-down list in the properties window of the network tree. Use these interfaces when you create waves in your network design.

What to do next

Go to Download optical sources to download the optical source for Cisco ONC.

Create an optical source from an Excel template

Use this procedure to create an optical source with an optical source template downloaded from Cisco ONP.

Table 1. Feature History
Feature Name	Release Information	Feature Description
Create Optical Source using Excel Sheet	Cisco ONP Release 5.0	You can create an optical source by defining the details of interfaces and the corresponding optical classes in an Excel template. This feature provides you with the flexibility to create any required optical source based on existing or new traffic resources.

Procedure

	1.	Choose Export > Optical Source Template. The downloaded Excel template includes two sheets: Interface: Contains details specific to each interface. Class: Contains information that can be mapped to multiple interfaces. For the list of the required Optical Parameters, refer to Optical Parameters Available in the Excel Sheet for Optical Sources Creation. The downloaded sheet contains data for one existing interface as a reference. You can edit or delete this data from the sheet.
	2.	Enter all required parameters from the specification sheet. There are some hidden columns that are not mandatory for Optical Source Creation. However, you can expand those columns and enter the details.
	3.	Fill in all information, then save the Excel file using the optical source name.

The optical source Excel file is ready for import.

What to do next

Go to Import Optical Sources to import the optical source from an Excel file.

Optical Parameters Available in the Excel Sheet for Optical Sources Creation

The following parameters are available in the Excel sheet template for creating optical sources.

Table 2. Optical Parameters for Creating Optical Sources
Parameters	Description
Interface Name	The name of the interface. It should be unique for all the interfaces that are added in the file.
Vendor Name	The name of the vendor.
Vendor IDs	The vendor IDs.
Platform	The name of the platform.
Pluggable PID	The PID of the pluggable.
Name	It is the combination of the Data Rate and Open Config Code. For example: R400G#5000.
FEC	The forward error correction type for the given interface.
Data Rate	The line rate for the given interface.
Mod Format	The modulation format to be used for the interface.
Baud rate	The baud rate for the given interface.
BPS	The speed of data transfer (bits per symbol) for the given interface.
Open Config Code	The unique code assigned to the interface as specified by the Open Industry Standard for optical networks. For example: 5000.
Sub Mode	Enter the sub-mode if there are any associated with the interface. If not, leave it blank.
Trunk Rate	The trunk rate of the transponder.
Nominal Bit Rate	The bit Rate for the interface
BER Target	The post FEC BER Target for the interface
Power Min and Power Max	The minimum and maximum Tx Power for the interface.
Ovl	The overload power limit for the interface
OL Power	The Rx power sensitivity for the interface.
OL OSNR	The Rx OSNR sensitivity for the interface.
PL Power	The extended Rx power sensitivity.
PL OSNR	The Rx OSNR sensitivity at the extended Rx power sensitivity.
Variance	The variance in power in the Txp.
Opt Class	The optical class to which the interface will be mapped.
InBand OSNR	The Tx OSNR contribution due to laser instability inside the Txp.
Out of Band OSNR	The Tx OSNR contribution due to Add/Drop at 80% and 100% channel spectral density.
ONC Release	The Software release of Cisco ONC from which this interface will be supported.
Interface Type	It is the same as the name of the interface.
Min and Max Frequency	The operating frequency range of the interface.

Table 3. Optical Class Parameters
Class Parameters	Description
Interface Type	The name of the interface. Enter the same name of the interface, if you are doing one to one mapping with the interface.
Opt Class	You can create the optical classes for different optical sources. Certain optical parameters are added in the optical class. Based on interface properties, multiple interfaces can be mapped to the same class. Enter a unique alphanumeric name for the Optical class. While creating new optical classes, we recommend using the name starting with “X” to avoid overlapping in the existing classes.
Bit Rate	The bit rate for the given interface.
Baud Rate	The baud rate for the given interface.
ModGB Coeff	The modulation guard band coefficient.
Modulation OSNR Penalty	The modulation OSNR penalty.
GBf	The filtering GuardBand at different OSNR penalties.
Mux/Demux Filtering Penalty	Enter the mux/demux filtering penalty value, if there are any.
Chromatic Dispersion	The chromatic dispersion limit at different OSNR penalties.

Find optical sources faster

Use these steps to find the optical sources faster.

Before you begin

Procedure

Choose Manage > Optical Source.

The Manage Optical Source dialog box appears.

Note

By default, all existing optical source files are loaded in the server.

To find the customized optical sources:

Check Show only line rate tuner generated sources.

The dialog box displays only the customized optical sources.

To filter the required optical source:

Enter the optical source name in the Search box.

The dialog box displays the optical sources matching the typed keyword.

In the Search by drop-down, choose the required parameter to narrow down the search results.

Table 4. Search parameters
Parameter options	Description
File Name	Name of the optical source
Card Name	Name of the card
FEC mode	Type of FEC mode
Bit rate	Bit rate of the optical source
Baud rate	Baud rate of the optical source
Sub mode	Operating mode of the card
Modulation Format	Modulation format of the optical source
PID	Product ID of the optical source
Vendor ID	Vendor ID of the optical source
Open Config Code	Open configuration code of the optical source

Download optical sources

Use this procedure to download an optical source.

Procedure

	1.	Choose Manage > Optical Source. The Manage Optical Source dialog box appears.
	2.	Select one or more optical sources to download.
	3.	Click Download and select one of these options to download the optical sources. .mxd: Downloads the selected optical sources as an .mxd file. .xlsx: Downloads only the optical sources that were created and added using the Excel template as an .xlsx file. Optical sources added directly as an .mxd file are not included in the .xlsx file. .xml: Downloads the optical source data as a .xml file. This contains: Application codes for circuit provisioning in Cisco ONC, Optical parameters of the interfaces, and Product IDs (PIDs) and Vendor ID information. You can load the .xml file into Cisco ONC to create circuits with these interfaces. See Alien Import. After the import is successful, the optical source will be present under the Application Code tab in the Service Manager screen of the Cisco ONC application. See Service Manager.

The selected optical source data is downloaded in the chosen format.

Delete optical sources

Use this procedure to permanently remove unwanted optical sources from Cisco ONP.

Before you begin

Procedure

	1.	Choose Manage > Optical Source. The Manage Optical Source dialog box appears.
	2.	Choose one or more optical sources to delete.
	3.	Click Delete.

Cisco ONP permanently removes the selected optical sources or aliens.

Need help?

Open a support case

(Requires a Cisco Service Contract)

The documentation set for this product strives to use bias-free language. For the purposes of this documentation set, bias-free is defined as language that does not imply discrimination based on age, disability, gender, racial identity, ethnic identity, sexual orientation, socioeconomic status, and intersectionality. Exceptions may be present in the documentation due to language that is hardcoded in the user interfaces of the product software, language used based on RFP documentation, or language that is used by a referenced third-party product. Learn more about how Cisco is using Inclusive Language.