Configuration Guide for Cisco Optical Site Manager, IOS XR Release 26.x.x

Optical cross-connect circuits

Updated: October 14, 2026

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This section explains optical cross-connect circuits in Cisco Optical Site Manager. It describes key behavior, requirements, and operational context so you can understand when to use the feature.

An Optical Cross-Connect (OXC) circuit is a bidirectional optical connection that links two optical nodes over a specified C-band wavelength within a DWDM system.

Defined and instantiated using data models.
Operates on C-band wavelengths.
Provides bidirectional connectivity between optical nodes through DWDM elements.

OXC Circuit and administrative states

An OXC circuit establishes an optical path through DWDM network elements and provides a wavelength-based bidirectional connection between two interface ports.

The connection is formed through these optical components:

Wavelength selective switches (WSS)
Multiplexers and demultiplexers
Add/drop cards

Typical signal flow for an OXC circuit:

Enters the DWDM system from the source interface port.
Traverses DWDM network elements (WSS, mux/demux, add/drop).
Exits the DWDM system toward the destination interface port.

This table describes the administrative states of an OXC circuit.

Table 1. OXC Administrative States
State	Operational Status	Description
IS/Unlocked	In Service	The circuit is active and unlocked.
IS, AINS/Unlocked	Automatic In Service	The circuit automatically transitions to an in-service state.
OOS, DSBLD/Locked	Out of Service	The circuit is disabled and locked.

Note

Cisco Optical Site Manager operates with native IOS XR NETCONF (CLI) data models. Configurations performed using OpenConfig (OC) models are incompatible with IOS XR native models. Do not use OpenConfig models to configure devices that are intended to be managed by Cisco Optical Site Manager.

Note

Administrative state changes affect circuit availability but do not change the physical optical path.

Optical cross-connections management in Cisco Optical Site Manager

If a device already has optical cross-connections configured, they are imported into Cisco Optical Site Manager (COSM) the first time the device is synchronized or when a degree is created on the device, whichever occurs later.
After a device is managed by Cisco Optical Site Manager, you must create, edit, or delete OXCs only through Cisco Optical Network Controller or Cisco Optical Site Manager using NETCONF.
Do not perform any cross-connection-related changes through the IOS XR CLI once the device is managed by Cisco Optical Site Manager.

View Optical Cross-Connect Circuits

Use this task to view the configuration and operational details of Optical Cross-Connect (OXC) circuits that are modeled on a node. The task explains how to access OXC information, export OXC data, and synchronize OXC information with the managed device.

Inspect OXC parameters such as central frequency, allocation width, and path endpoints.
Export OXC details for reporting or offline review.
Synchronize OXC data with the associated NCS device to refresh the displayed information.

OXC circuits are created using data models and provide bidirectional wavelength-based connectivity between two optical nodes in a DWDM network. This task describes how to view those OXC records in the Web UI.

The information shown on the Optical Cross Connections tab is primarily read-only. Some actions (for example, deletion or device synchronization) depend on your deployment and device capabilities.

OXC entries represent modeled, bidirectional circuits mapped to C-band wavelengths.
To refresh OXC data from the device, use the Sync from device action (if available for your device model).

Before you begin

Log into Cisco Optical Site Manager
Ensure network connectivity to the associated NCS device if you plan to use the Sync from device action.

Follow these steps to view the configuration and operational details of Optical Cross-Connect circuits that are modeled on a node.

Procedure

Click Optical Setup in the left panel.
Click the Optical Cross Connections tab.
Expand the cross-connect entry to view Path 1 and Path 2 details by clicking the + icon.

Click the down arrow on the right of a path to show internal path parameters.
Review the cross-connect summary fields displayed in the table.
The table includes the following fields for each cross-connect:
- Connection Label—Name of the cross-connect.
- Type—Type of cross-connect (bidirectional).
- Admin Status—Administrative state of the circuit.
- Service Status—Operational status of the service.
- Central Frequency (THz)—Spectral position of the circuit.
- Allocation Width (GHz)—Bandwidth occupied by the service (range: 25–300 GHz).
- Signal Width (GHz)—Carrier bandwidth.
- Path 1 End-points—Source and destination interfaces for Path 1.
- Path 2 End-points—Source and destination interfaces for Path 2.
To view per-path internal details, expand Path 1 or Path 2 and review these items:
- Interface Name—Interface identifier.
- Optical Power—Measured optical power.
- Power Failure Low—Threshold for power-failure detection.
- Optical PSD Setpoint (dBm/GHz)—Configured optical power spectral density setpoint (independent of circuit width).
- Current PSD Setpoint—Current PSD setpoint.
- Optical Power Setpoint—Power setpoint scaled to the circuit width.
(Optional) Click the Export to Excel button to export the displayed OXC information to an Excel file.
(Optional) Click the Download OXC as XML button to download the cross-connect details as an XML file.

(Optional) Click the Sync button to synchronize the OXC information with the associated device.


When	Use Sync to
A path shows IS-NR or another nonconverged status.	Click Sync to refresh the OXC data.
Changes made directly to these IOS XR configurations are not reflected in the Cisco Optical Site Manager database. `hw-module`: Channel entities. `controller ots-och`: Optical cross-connect configuration.	Review the OXC configuration on the IOS XR device and confirm that it contains the values you want to import. Click Sync to update the Cisco Optical Site Manager database.

After synchronization completes, verify the affected OXC attributes in the Optical Cross Connections tab.

(Conditional) To remove a cross-connect, select the check box for the cross-connect and click the - button.

Note: The Optical Cross Connections entries are typically read-only in many deployments. Deletion is only possible when your COSM deployment and device model allow direct modification of modeled OXC records. If deletion is not available, use device-side management or a supported provisioning workflow.

The Optical Cross Connections tab displays a list of OXC circuits with the fields described above. Expanding an entry reveals per-path details and measured values.

What to do next

After viewing or exporting OXC information, confirm any required follow-up actions such as device-side configuration or synchronization.

If you synchronized from the device, verify that the displayed Service Status reflects the expected operational state.
If you exported data, store the export in your documentation system as required.

Troubleshooting incorrect OXC path endpoints

Identify when OXC discovery can map a circuit to incorrect path endpoints and select the correction method.

OXC discovery can map a circuit to incorrect path endpoints when a cross-connect is already present in IOS XR before the device is onboarded in Cisco Optical Site Manager. These colorless devices do not provide a deterministic 1:1 port mapping between the COM port and the channel ports. As a result, the discovered OXC can be associated with an incorrect channel port. This behavior applies when the OXC is extended to a colorless device such as:

NCS1K-BRK-24 or
NCS1K14-CCMD-16-C

After onboarding the device, verify the discovered circuit endpoints against the physical topology. If the discovered endpoints are incorrect, update the endpoints by using one of these tasks:

Note

After correcting the endpoints, do not click the Sync button in the Optical Cross Connections tab.

Update OXC endpoints by importing a configuration XML file

Update OXC endpoints when Cisco Optical Site Manager discovers an OXC through a colorless passive device and maps the endpoint to an incorrect passive port.

OXC discovery can map a circuit to an incorrect endpoint when the OXC is connected through a colorless passive device, such as BRK-24 or CCMD. This can occur when the passive device does not provide a 1:1 mapping between the COM port and channel ports.

After device onboarding, verify the discovered OXC endpoints against the physical topology. If the discovered endpoints are incorrect, update the endpoints in a configuration XML file and import the corrected file into Cisco Optical Site Manager.

Before you begin

You are logged in to Cisco Optical Site Manager.
You have verified the physical topology and identified the correct channel endpoints for the OXC.
You have the Connection Label of the OXC that must be corrected.

Follow these steps to update OXC endpoints by importing a configuration XML file.

Procedure

Click Optical Setup in the left panel, and then click the Optical Cross Connections tab.
Identify the OXC with the incorrect endpoint and note the value in the Connection Label column.

Use the physical topology to identify the correct channel endpoint that must replace the discovered COM endpoint.
Click the Node Setup tab, and then click Download Node Configuration as XML.

The current node configuration XML file is downloaded.
Open the downloaded XML file in an XML editor and search for the OXC by using the connection label.

For example, search for a connection label such as 1001_Ch1.

Update the OXC endpoint values to match the correct channel ports for your topology.


Replace	with
5/2/COM-TX	6/CH-1-TX
5/2/COM-RX	6/CH-1-RX
5/2/COM-TX	6/CH-3-TX
5/2/COM-RX	6/CH-3-RX

Example:

<config xmlns="http://tail-f.com/ns/config/1.0">
  <nodes xmlns="http://cisco.com/yang/opt-node">
  <node>
    <id>0</id>    
    <oxc xmlns="http://cisco.com/yang/optical/xconnect">
      <connection-name>1001_Ch1</connection-name>
      <oxc-type>bidirectional</oxc-type>
      <central-frequency>195.95</central-frequency>
      <allocation-width>150.0</allocation-width>
      <signal-width>150.0</signal-width>
      <path1>
        <endpoints>
          <src-if>5/3/LINE-RX</src-if>
          <dst-if>6/CH-1-TX</dst-if>
        </endpoints>
      </path1>
      <path2>
        <endpoints>
          <src-if>6/CH-1-RX</src-if>
          <dst-if>5/3/LINE-TX</dst-if>
        </endpoints>
      </path2>
    </oxc> 
    <oxc xmlns="http://cisco.com/yang/optical/xconnect">
      <connection-name>1001_Ch3</connection-name>
      <oxc-type>bidirectional</oxc-type>
      <admin-state>In-Service</admin-state>
      <central-frequency>195.65</central-frequency>
      <allocation-width>150.0</allocation-width>
      <signal-width>150.0</signal-width>
      <path1>
        <endpoints>
          <src-if>5/3/LINE-RX</src-if>
          <dst-if>6/CH-3-TX</dst-if>
        </endpoints>
      </path1>
      <path2>
        <endpoints>
          <src-if>6/CH-3-RX</src-if>
          <dst-if>5/3/LINE-TX</dst-if>
        </endpoints>
      </path2>
    </oxc> 
  </node>
  </nodes>
</config>

In the configuration XML file, keep only the updated OXC entries under the <nodes> element.

Remove unrelated OXC entries and other node configuration content before saving the file.
Click Optical Setup in the left panel, then click the Node Setup tab.
Click Select Files, select the corrected configuration XML file, and click Yes when the confirmation message appears.
Click Upload.

The upload completes with a Done status and the XML file upload completed message.
Click the Optical Cross Connections tab and verify that the corrected OXC endpoints are displayed.

Expand the OXC and review the Path 1 End-points and Path 2 End-points values.

The selected OXC entries use the corrected channel endpoints in Cisco Optical Site Manager.

Edit OXC endpoints from the COSM CLI

Edit the OXC endpoint configuration directly from the Cisco Optical Site Manager CLI when a discovered OXC is associated with an incorrect passive endpoint.

OXC discovery can map a circuit to an incorrect endpoint when a colorless passive device does not provide a 1:1 mapping between the COM port and channel ports. Before you edit the OXC configuration, verify the discovered endpoints against the physical topology.

Before you begin

You have identified the OXC Connection Label and the correct channel endpoints.
You can lock and unlock the device from Cisco Optical Site Manager.
You have IOS XR CLI access to the Cisco Optical Site Manager host device. If the Cisco Optical Site Manager host device uses different credentials than Cisco Optical Site Manager, you also have the Cisco Optical Site Manager username.

Follow these steps to edit OXC endpoints from the COSM CLI.

Procedure

Lock the device in Cisco Optical Site Manager web-UI:
1. Click Devices in the left panel.
2. Select the device and click Edit
3. Set Admin state to Locked
4. Click Apply.


If	Then
the Cisco Optical Site Manager host device uses the same credentials that you use for Cisco Optical Site Manager.	Log in to the COSM host device using the same credentials that you use for Cisco Optical Site Manager. Run the cosm command from the IOS XR prompt. `RP/0/RP0/CPU0:ios#cosm NODE01:cosm#`
the Cisco Optical Site Manager host device uses different credentials than Cisco Optical Site Manager.	Use the bash command from the IOS XR prompt to reach the Linux prompt. `RP/0/RP0/CPU0:ios#bash [node0_RP0_CPU0:~]$` Access the COSM container. `[node0_RP0_CPU0:~]$ docker exec -it COSM bash [COSM:/]$` Log in to the Cisco Optical Site Manager CLI by using the ncs_cli -C -u command and the Cisco Optical Site Manager username. `[COSM:/]$ ncs_cli -C -u cisco1 User cisco1 last logged in 2026-05-13T07:36:57.343064+00:00, to COSM, from 127.0.0.1 using cli-console cisco1 connected from 127.0.0.1 using console on COSM NODE01:cosm#` If your deployment uses a different Cisco Optical Site Manager username, replace `cisco1` with that username.

Run the show running-config nodes node command to retrieve the OXC details from the running configuration with the OXC connection label.

Example:

NODE01:cosm# show running-config nodes node 0 oxc 1001_Ch1
nodes node 0
 oxc 1001_Ch1
  oxc-type          bidirectional
  central-frequency 195.95
  allocation-width  150.0
  signal-width      150.0
  path1 endpoints src-if 5/3/LINE-RX
  path1 endpoints dst-if 5/2/COM-TX
  path2 endpoints src-if 5/2/COM-RX
  path2 endpoints dst-if 5/3/LINE-TX
 !
!
NODE01:cosm# show running-config nodes node 0 oxc 1001_Ch2
nodes node 0
 oxc 1001_Ch2
  oxc-type          bidirectional
  central-frequency 195.95
  allocation-width  150.0
  signal-width      150.0
  path1 endpoints src-if 5/1/LINE-RX
  path1 endpoints dst-if 6/CH-1-TX
  path2 endpoints src-if 6/CH-1-RX
  path2 endpoints dst-if 5/1/LINE-TX
 !
!

To identify the OXC label from the Cisco Optical Site Manager GUI, click Optical Setup, click the Optical Cross Connections tab, and export the OXC list to Excel.

Enter the configuration terminal and select the OXC that must be corrected.

Example:

NODE01:cosm# conf
Entering configuration mode terminal
NODE01:cosm(config)# nodes node 0 oxc 1001_Ch1
NODE01:cosm(config-oxc-1001_Ch1)#

Update the path endpoints to use the correct MD-32 channel ports and commit the change.

Example:

NODE01:cosm(config-oxc-1001_Ch1)# path1 endpoints dst-if 6/CH-1-TX
NODE01:cosm(config-oxc-1001_Ch1)# path2 endpoints src-if 6/CH-1-RX
NODE01:cosm(config-oxc-1001_Ch1)# commit

Repeat this step for each OXC that has incorrect endpoints.

Verify that the OXC endpoints are updated in the running configuration.

Example:

NODE01:cosm# show running-config nodes node 0 oxc 1001_Ch1
nodes node 0
 oxc 1001_Ch1
  oxc-type          bidirectional
  central-frequency 195.95
  allocation-width  150.0
  signal-width      150.0
  path1 endpoints src-if 5/3/LINE-RX
  path1 endpoints dst-if 6/CH-1-TX
  path2 endpoints src-if 6/CH-1-RX
  path2 endpoints dst-if 5/3/LINE-TX
 !
!
NODE01:cosm# show running-config nodes node 0 oxc 1001_Ch2
nodes node 0
 oxc 1001_Ch2
  oxc-type          bidirectional
  central-frequency 195.95
  allocation-width  150.0
  signal-width      150.0
  path1 endpoints src-if 5/1/LINE-RX
  path1 endpoints dst-if 6/CH-1-TX
  path2 endpoints src-if 6/CH-1-RX
  path2 endpoints dst-if 5/1/LINE-TX
 !
!

Unlock the device in Cisco Optical Site Manager and wait until synchronization is complete.

Verify the OXC endpoints again after the device is unlocked.

Example:

NODE01:cosm# show running-config nodes node 0 oxc 1001_Ch1
NODE01:cosm# show running-config nodes node 0 oxc 1001_Ch2

The selected OXC entries use the corrected channel endpoints in Cisco Optical Site Manager.

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