Operations of Cisco Cloud Native Broadband Router

Cisco cnBR supports day-to-day operations of the Data-over-Cable Service Interface Specifications (DOCSIS) system from the deployment to the monitoring for optimal operations. This chapter describes utilities to facilitate typical workflows during such operations.

RPD Cutover

Cisco cnBR Manager supports the Remote PHY Device (RPD) Cutover process through a GUI-based step-by-step wizard to move the RPDs from an existing cBR-8 system to a Cisco cnBR. RPD cutover assumes the Cisco cnBR is operational and the related service group (SG) configuration is ready before running this wizard. The wizard focuses on step-by-step instructions, preparation, and post verification including cable modem, CPE, and RF signal.

Prerequisites for RPD Cutover

  • Target RPD is online and connected to cBR-8 system.

  • Cisco cnBR is operational and healthy.

  • Target SG is configured and verified on Cisco cnBR.

  • SG configuration has the correct Secure Software Download (SSD) configuration.

  • The SSD Image is in the TFTP or HTTP server.

  • Network connectivity between Cisco cnBR and target cutover RPD is available.

Perform RPD Cutover from cBR-8 to Cisco cnBR

Choose cnBR Manager > Remote PHY Devices from the Cisco Operations Hub main menu and click Cutover RPD to start RPD Cutover. The wizard presents fields for entry in sets on a progressive series of interface pages.

Procedure

Step 1

Set target details at the Connection page.

  1. Select or input original cBR-8 Access Protocol, IP Address, Username, Password, and Enable Password.

  2. Click Connect to cBR-8 to see all RPDs on the cBR-8 available for selection.

  3. Select the target RPD to cutover and target Cisco cnBR.

  4. Fill in expected values for the CM online ratio threshold after cutover: (for example: 95) and Max wait-time after cutover init: (for example: 40) fields.

  5. Click Next Step.

Step 2

Get prechecks done at the Pre-Check page.

  1. This step automatically performs prechecks. If a check fails, correct the failure, and click the rerun icon to rerun the precheck.

  2. After all prechecks are complete, manually update the RPD CCAP-CORE-List from cBR-8 to Cisco cnBR at the DHCP server.

  3. If the same CM/CPE IP scopes must move from the original cBR-8 to Cisco cnBR on DHCP server, move it.

  4. Check the confirm check box when it is complete.

  5. Click Start Cutover to start the RPD cutover process.

Step 3

View progress and summary information at the Cutover page.

  1. Click Next Step when the RPD successfully comes online on Cisco cnBR and the target Cable Modem comes online within the time that is specified in the MAX wait-time field.

Step 4

Get postchecks done at the Post-Check page.

  1. After these checks are complete, click Next Step.

Step 5

View the Summary Report at the Report page. If there is any issue during this task, click View Details to get more information. Rollback tips are available in case you want to rollback when the cutover is not successful.

RPD Operations

cnBR Manager allows you to add, edit, delete, and replace RPDs serviced by a Cisco cnBR using the Configurator interface. This section provides step-by-step instructions to add, edit, delete, and replace RPDs.

Add RPDs

This table lists the features and the releases in which the feature was introduced and gives a small description of the feature.

Table 1. Feature History
Feature Name

Release Information

 Feature Description

Out-of-band Services Configuration

Cisco cnBR 21.2

You can create and update OOB configuration templates, and save them to each RPD when you add or edit an RPD.

Before you begin

  • Use an existing template or create new SG and L3 templates. For information on how to create new SG templates and L3 templates, see Configure cnBR using cnBR Manager.

  • Note the MAC address of the target RPD.

Procedure

Step 1

Log into Cisco Operations Hub.

Step 2

Click Cisco Operations Hub > cnBR Manager > Remote PHY Devices > Add RPD.

Step 3

Select the Cisco cnBR and enter the required RPD details.

cnBR Cluster, RPD MAC, RPD Name, Service Group Name, Service Group Template, and L3 Template are mandatory fields.

Add RPD Target-Setting screen
Step 4

To create a configuration template for video services, check the Configure Video and Out-of-band Services check box.

You can create multiple video QAM templates and OOB services templates.

You can also add multiple video QAM templates per downstream port.
Step 5

Enter the following details for the template that you are creating:

This table explains the fields you have to populate in the Configure Video and Out-of-band Services screen to configure Video QAM and Out-of-band Services.

Field

Video QAM Template

OOB Services

Port

Choose only a downstream port.

Choose an upstream or a downstream port.

Template

Choose a video template.

Choose an OOB template.

Start Session ID

Default value is auto-populated. You can edit the value.

Default value is auto-populated. You can edit the value.

This field is grayed out for upstream ports as it is not applicable.

Group ID

Default value is auto-populated. You can edit the value.

Default value is auto-populated. You can edit the value.

This field is grayed out for upstream ports as it is not applicable.

Source ID

Default value is auto-populated. You can edit the value.

Default value is auto-populated. You can edit the value.

This field is grayed out for upstream ports as it is not applicable.

Channel ID Range

Default value is auto-populated. You can edit the value.

Default value is auto-populated. You can edit the value.

This field is grayed out for upstream ports as it is not applicable.

Action

Click the Save icon.

To delete a template, you can click the delete icon.

Click the Save icon.

To delete a template, you can click the delete icon.
Step 6

Click Next Step.

Wait for the cnBR Manager to complete the automated prechecks.

Step 7

Check the Please confirm RPD has been connected physically and start RPD config adding. check box at the bottom of the checklist to confirm that the RPD is physically connected. Click Next Step.

The cnBR Manager starts to add the RPD. Progress is displayed on this page.
Step 8

If the operation is successful, click Next Step.

If the operation fails, the cnBR Manager displays a failure message.

Wait for the cnBR Manager to perform the automated postchecks.

Step 9

Click Next Step.

The cnBR Manager displays a summary report showing the results of the operation.

What to do next

If adding the RPD fails during Steps 6 or 7, the cnBR Manager displays an error message. Use this information to diagnose and correct the problem. After you fix the problem, redo the Add RPD operation from Step 1. If the problem resolution requires a change in configuration, delete and add the RPD again with the updated configuration.

Edit RPDs

This table lists the features and the releases in which the feature was introduced and gives a small description of the feature.

Table 2. Feature History
Feature Name

Release Information

 Feature Description
Simplified RPD Parameter Editing Cisco cnBR 21.1

You can edit SG/L3 template and other parameters of online RPDs instead of deleting and readding the RPD with new parameters.

Before you begin

Note the MAC address of the target RPD.

Procedure

Step 1

Log in to the Cisco Operations Hub.

Step 2

Choose cnBR Manager > Remote PHY Devices from the Cisco Operations Hub main menu and click Edit RPD.

Step 3

Choose the Cisco cnBR Cluster and the RPD MAC address.

For the chosen RPD, you can edit the RPD Name, SG Template, SG Name, L3 Template, and RPD Location attributes. If video, OOB, NDF, or NDR services are also configured for the RPD, you can update the parameters in the template table or add a new template. For more details, see Add RPDs.

Step 4

After updating, click Next Step.

If you updated the parameters of an existing template or added a new template, the new parameters are applied after the RPD edit operation is successful.

Wait for the cnBR Manager to complete the RPD edit operation. This may take a few minutes.
Step 5

Click Next Step.

Wait for the cnBR Manager to perform the automated post checks.
Step 6

Click Next Step.

If an error appears in the previous step, this step is skipped.
The cnBR Manager displays a detailed summary report at the end of the RPD edit operation.

Delete RPDs

Before you begin

  • Have the MAC address of the target RPD at hand.

Procedure

Step 1

Log in to the Cisco Operations Hub.

Step 2

Click Cisco Operations Hub > cnBR Manager > Remote PHY Devices > Delete RPD.

Step 3

Select the cnBR Cluster and the target RPD and click Next Step.

Step 4

Wait for the cnBR Manager to check if the target cnBR is ready. Check the box to confirm you want to delete the RPD and click Start Delete.

The cnBR Manager starts to delete RPD. The progress is displayed in this page.
Step 5

If the operation is successful, click Next Step. If it fails, the cnBR Manager displays a message to inform you that this step has failed; skip to Step 8.

Step 6

Wait for the cnBR Manager to perform the automated postchecks. Click Next Step. (If Step 6 fails, the cnBR Manager skips this step.)

Step 7

The cnBR Manager displays a summary report that has the results of the operation.

What to do next

If deleting the RPD fails at Steps 6 or 7, the cnBR Manager displays the error information. Use this information to diagnose and correct the problem. After you fix the problem, restart the Delete RPD operation from Step 1.

Replace RPDs

Before you begin

  • Have the MAC addresses of the target RPD and the new RPD at hand.

Procedure

Step 1

Log in to the Cisco Operations Hub.

Step 2

Click Cisco Operations Hub > cnBR Manager > Remote PHY Devices > Replace RPD.

Step 3

Select the Cisco cnBR and the existing RPD you want to replace. Enter the MAC address of the new RPD and the maximum wait time for the new RPD to be online. Click Next Step.

Note 

New RPDs need at least 12 minutes to come online.
Step 4

Wait for the cnBR Manager to complete automated prechecks. Check the box at the bottom of the checklist to confirm that the RPD is physically connected. Click Start Replace.

The cnBR Manager starts to replace RPD. The progress is displayed in this page.
Step 5

If the operation is successful, click Next Step. If it fails, the cnBR Manager displays a message to inform you that this step has failed; skip to Step 8.

Step 6

Wait for the cnBR Manager to perform the automated postchecks. Click Next Step. (If Step 6 fails, the cnBR Manager skips this step.)

Step 7

The cnBR Manager displays a summary report that has the results of the operation.

What to do next

If replacing the RPD failed at Steps 6 or 7, the cnBR Manager displays the error information. Use this information to diagnose and correct the problem. After you fix the problem, restart the Replace RPD operation from Step 1.

Monitor RPDs

After you add or replace an RPD serviced by Cisco cnBR, you can use the Inventory to monitor the status of the RPD.

To view the RPD inventory, click Cisco Operations Hub > cnBR Manager > Remote PHY Devices > Inventory.

The RPD List Summary dashboard also has the same information.

Figure 1. RPD List Summary Dashboard
RPD List Summary Dashboard screen