Cisco Prime Network 3.8

Transcription

1 Data Sheet Cisco Prime Network 3.8 Product Overview Cisco Prime Network 3.8 provides service providers and other network operators with a comprehensive assurance and device management solution for IP next-generation networks (NGNs). The volume of services and the pace of innovation are accelerating. Carriers simultaneously evolve and consolidate their networks so they can deliver the exploding variety of services and massive amounts of information that consumers demand at home, on their mobile devices, and in their businesses. This dynamic of accelerating growth, innovation, and consolidation make it virtually impossible to maintain operational readiness manually. This dynamic also makes it increasingly difficult and costly to sustain network operation support through custom integration of disjointed management systems. The intricacies of disparate management systems and data coming from multiple sources require a solid command of the network that only highly experienced, and highly paid, network engineers have. While nextgeneration, consolidated networks can simplify sunny day operation, degradations, outages, or service provisioning errors can overwhelm manual operations processes that rely on these numerous, incongruent management systems. Cisco Prime Network empowers service providers to monitor, validate, troubleshoot, and administer their networks quickly and easily. Cisco Prime Network increases network management efficiency by allowing operators easily to discover new network elements (NEs), administer them, diagnose problems, and restore changed configurations quickly to help ensure a stable and predictable network and network experience for their customers. Cisco Prime Network is offered standalone and as a fully integrated component of the Cisco Prime for IP NGN suite, which offers end-to-end network management lifecycle capabilities spanning design, fulfillment, assurance (fault and performance), and analysis operations tasks. See Figure 1. Figure 1. Cisco Prime Network s Service-Aware Design 2011 Cisco and/or its affiliates. All rights reserved. This document is Cisco Public Information. Page 1 of 10

2 Service providers can use their network to its full capacity by taking advantage of Cisco Prime Network s features and benefits. Cisco Prime Network offers two key benefits: (1) direct support for network operation and (2) facilitating external OSS infrastructures. Directly supporting network operation, Cisco Prime Network contributes to: Protecting the investment in Cisco network solutions through timely updates that keep Cisco Prime Network support current with upgrades to Cisco network solutions and Cisco innovation Helping to ensure a stable and predictable network through network element administration and change and configuration management Improving efficiency in network and service assurance operation through reducing the mean time to repair for network problems and thus limiting the effects of outages as well as decreasing the average operations expense spent on resolving trouble tickets Facilitating external OSS infrastructures, Cisco Prime Network offers cost effective integration and fast time to service by: Reducing the need for replication of mediation and abstraction layers through a common source of network-derived network element, network, and service inventory details plus network status and fault information Simplifying programmatic access to all Cisco Prime Network inventory details and status and fault information through an XML-based Broadband Query Language (BQL) API, as well as through Ciscostandard Simple Network Management Protocol (SNMP) notifications Offering access to software development kits (SDKs), extensive documentation, and programming examples and reusable reference applications through the Cisco Developer Network Even greater assurance operation efficiencies can be gained by pairing Cisco Prime Network with Cisco Prime Performance Manager, which adds extensive performance data collection and reporting features. Cisco Prime Performance Manager integrates with Cisco Prime Network to offer an operator a seamless representation of fault and performance information and facilitate contiguous task flows that utilize inventory, fault, and performance information for troubleshooting and network verification. See Figure Cisco and/or its affiliates. All rights reserved. This document is Cisco Public Information. Page 2 of 10

3 Figure 2. Cisco Prime Network Vision Window Features and Benefits Table 1 outlines the features and benefits of Cisco Prime Network. Table 1. Cisco Prime Network Features and Benefits Feature Benefit What It Does Cisco Prime suite integration Together, the Cisco Prime suite applications offer operators the means for carrying out end-to-end assurance and provisioning tasks with greater effectiveness and efficiency than custom-integrated network management systems (NMSs) allow. Provides interoperability and integration across the Cisco Prime applications. Log in once and the operator can have access to point-and-click provisioning. Seamless management of Carrier Packet Transport (CPT) networks across packet and optical domains and performance information. Common installation and administration methods. Single sign-on through Cisco Prime to all Cisco Prime suite applications. Cross-launch to or from other Cisco Prime suite applications, for example, access Cisco Prime Performance Manager reports through a left-click menu option from Cisco Prime Network s user interface. Threshold-crossing alarms from Cisco Prime Performance Manager. Built on a service-centered foundation, the Cisco Prime portfolio of products supports integrated lifecycle management through an intuitive workfloworiented user experience. The suite of Cisco Prime for Service Providers solutions provides A-to-Z management for IP NGNs, mobility, video, and managed services Cisco and/or its affiliates. All rights reserved. This document is Cisco Public Information. Page 3 of 10

4 Feature Benefit What It Does Manage and control network elements as they evolve Monitor, diagnose, and repair - fast Cisco Prime Performance Manager attachment Change and configuration management Discover and detect network element configurations Service providers want their complex networks to be agile, so they can help ensure premium service levels to their customers in a constantly changing environment. Cisco Prime Network will rapidly support new and updated devices in order for network operations to support ever-evolving networks continuously and without delay to network upgrades. With Cisco Prime Network s unique combination of fault analysis, root-cause event identification, and topologyguided troubleshooting, carriers can expect shorter interruptions for customers, greater efficiency for staff, and overall cost savings for the business. In addition, service providers can analyze the history of events for process updates toward outage prevention or reduction in resolution times. With the ability to forward event information, Cisco Prime Network can be incorporated into existing assurance management infrastructures to continued work center operation while offering Cisco Prime Network problem identification and isolation capabilities to network operators. To extend Cisco Prime Network fault management features, service providers can easily extend Cisco Prime Network s assistance to network operations by embedding additional, work-center-specific troubleshooting and device configuration methods and sequences. Further effectiveness and accuracy for network assurance and verification can be gained by attaching the Cisco Prime Performance Manager to Cisco Prime Network. The combination of Cisco Prime Network and Cisco Prime Performance Manager gives operations: A combined view of fault and corresponding performance information. Continuous task flows that utilize inventory, fault, and performance information for troubleshooting and network verification. Sometimes it s easier or drastically faster simply to roll back changes to the network and restore service instead of wasting valuable time trying to fix the problem. Cisco Prime Network offers the functionality to quickly restore archived configuration files in such cases. With the Change and Configuration Module of Cisco Prime Network, operators can also help ensure that the network is running on the intended and up-to-date network operating systems across all network elements. With a detailed, up-to-date, and graphical view of every network element, operators can help better ensure a more stable and efficient network and, in turn, protect the service provider s revenue source. The detailed physical and logical inventory for every device is also readily available to external OSSs, such as inventory systems, saving service providers the cost of building and maintaining direct interfaces to a wide range of network elements. Cisco Prime Network virtual network element (VNE) technology recognizes and communicates with devices as they move through the service operation lifecycle, so carriers can maximize their investment in the network. This technology keeps both Cisco and third-party devices compatible with Cisco Prime Network by swiftly upgrading virtual network element drivers independently, without requiring Cisco Prime Network software upgrades. Cisco Prime Network can distill massive amounts of event information and automatically find the root cause of the problem. Augmenting network element, network topology, and virtual network connection representations, Cisco Prime Network illustrates the location of significant events and status information. Various troubleshooting methods are available for verification or troubleshooting of status, configuration, or connectivity. For instance, an operator can trace alerts back through the network to see the specific root cause of a problem. Cisco Prime Network also archives the history of events and their resolutions. Of course, Cisco Prime Network can forward events and network conditions to an external fault management or work center trouble ticketing application. A range of customization tools allows the rapid creation of command sequences that are automatically integrated into Cisco Prime Network s user interface (and API structure). Easy-to-use, GUI-driven integration with Cisco Prime Network. Cisco Prime Performance Manager automatically synchronizes device list and device credentials with Cisco Prime Network. Performance reports generated in Cisco Prime Performance Manager are accessible from the Cisco Prime Network user interface within the context of selected inventory objects, for example, a selected interface. Performance data and reports showing network and traffic behavior at various granularities leading to actionable results toward network optimization and service assurance. Cisco Prime Network is one of the few network management systems that captures configuration baselines and last-known-good-configuration so operators can quickly return elements to a stable state. Users can quickly identify any changes through a colorcoded representation of differences among configuration file versions. Along with configuration file management, Cisco Prime Network offers device image management and distribution capabilities. Users can schedule the distribution and reliable activation of network operating system images to one or more devices. Users can quickly determine and verify what network operating systems are loaded and executing on what network elements. Cisco Prime Network autonomously discovers physical and logical configurations of network elements, offering a detailed level of visibility into Cisco devices. Cisco Prime Network supports virtually all Cisco network element types that are typically deployed in service provider networks. Cisco Prime Network can support third-party devices, as well. As device configurations change, Cisco Prime Network reflects the updated device configuration. Should Cisco Prime Network, as delivered, not represent a particular network element configuration, Cisco Prime Network offers a rich set of customization tools that allow the scope of discovered device configurations to be quickly extended Cisco and/or its affiliates. All rights reserved. This document is Cisco Public Information. Page 4 of 10

5 Feature Benefit What It Does Discover and represent virtual network (service) connectivity By providing a clear and current picture of the network and virtual (service carrying) network connections, Cisco Prime Network helps service providers guarantee service quality across their networks. With virtual connection topologies at their fingertips, operators can verify, assess the impact on, or troubleshoot network services in a fraction of the time it would take to dig for static images of virtual circuit diagrams or manually tracing a complex Ethernet virtual connection from device configuration data. Applying Cisco networking expertise, Cisco Prime Network derives virtual network (service) connectivity purely from network element configurations. Even the most complex Multiprotocol Label Switching virtual private networks (MPLS VPNs), Ethernet virtual connections (EVCs), virtual private LAN service (VPLS), Pseudowire connections, MPLS Transport Profile (MPLS-TP) tunnels and many other data plane and control plane links are discovered by Cisco Prime Network. Users can visualize virtual network (service) connections projected onto physical network topologies. Also available are virtual connection views that allow a user to focus on the specific routing or switching functions and interconnecting links. Users can rely on Cisco Prime Network s network maps to reflect the latest state and configuration of network elements, connections, and virtual circuits. Using standards-based APIs, external applications can access any virtual network (service) connectivity information discovered and maintained by Cisco Prime Network. Standards-compliant information model and northbound interface for integration module Cisco Prime Network is readily integrated with other management applications. Reduces cost and complexity of integration. Solution integration with key partner products such as InfoVista VistaInsight for Networks, Cisco Info Center/IBM Tivoli Netcool, and solutions such as video assurance management solutions. Provides XML-based interface for querying the information model, command execution, and notification. SNMP trap forwarding Web services Supports application cross-launch. Product Specifications Tables 2 through 5 itemize the product specifications for each main function and module in the Cisco Prime Network Release 3.8. Table 2. Cisco Prime Network Foundation and Element Management Product Specification Abstract virtual network element model and mediation layer Fault management Inventory and topology management Device configuration and administration Device change and configuration management Description Common network element communication layer (Telnet, Secure Shell [SSH] Protocol, SNMP, XML through SSH) Integrated data abstraction layer to allow a common information model used across all applications (fault, inventory, configuration, service assurance, and performance) Event detection (active and passive monitoring) Event archiving Event identification, association, and local correlation Event de-duplication and network-level correlation (without the need for creating and maintaining rules) Alarm (referred to as ticket) creation, management, and archiving Event and alarm reporting Specialized viewer application with navigation capability Discovery and ongoing synchronization of physical and software configurations of network elements Discovery of physical topology among network elements Topological views that indentify location and severity of alarms Common launch point for majority of element management operations Support threshold crossing alarms for augmented model variables More than 200 built-in and downloadable configuration scripts and more to be added through monthly device driver pack updates Customizable GUI wizard-driven configuration; orchestration of device configuration activities using workflow engine Model-aware command definition and execution with extensible scripting engine Device change and configuration management Restore to known configuration Device software image distribution, activation, and tracking Full Cisco IOS Software image and granular Cisco IOS XR package operations support 2011 Cisco and/or its affiliates. All rights reserved. This document is Cisco Public Information. Page 5 of 10

6 Product Specification VNE support Description Specialized drivers based on device type, version Automatically discovered device type and association of appropriate driver to the device Monthly device driver pack updates to keep up with device hardware and software updates Support for 50+ device families, 300+ NE types Support for non-cisco devices Table 3. Network and Service Monitoring Product Specification Physical, virtual, and service connection topology representation and monitoring Network troubleshooting Description Autodiscovery and topological views for physical (for example, Ethernet links), virtual (for example, Pseudowire), and service (for example, Ethernet virtual connection) connections and multilayer associations among these virtual connections Support for Carrier Ethernet, MPLS/IP, MPLS VPN, MPLS-TP, radio access network (RAN) backhaul topologies and service connections Unmanaged network segment (cloud) support Network-level fault correlation and root-cause analysis Monitoring for and alarming of virtual and service connection events, including Ethernet Connectivity Fault Management (CFM) events Physical, virtual, and service connection representation: Link/connection inventory, topology views, and overlay of virtual and service connections on physical topologies Identification of event and alarm location down to the alarmed device component; hyperlinked event/alarm location for quick navigation from event/alarm message to alarmed device component Event and alarm association with virtual and service connections Detailed topology representations with event/alarm indicator overlay to aid in navigating along an affected path Detailed device configuration representation with event/alarm overlay and hyperlink among related device components for weblike device configuration browsing to greatly speed up any-which-way navigation needed for troubleshooting Cisco Prime Network GUI representation of topology and device configurations to assist GUI-based isolation of fault and configuration errors to the causing device component or, at least, device Path trace, Ethernet Operations, Administration, and Maintenance (E-OAM) troubleshooting tools, and access to device-resident troubleshooting commands Table 4. System Integration and Customization Product Specification OSS integration Solution integration Customization and extension capabilities Cisco Developer Network Description XML-based interface (queries, commands, notifications) SNMP trap notification Web services Application cross launch Part of the Cisco Prime for IP NGN product offering and integration with Cisco Prime suite applications including Cisco Prime Central, Cisco Prime Fulfillment, Cisco Prime Performance Manager, and Cisco Prime Optical Pretested integrated solutions with InfoVista VistaInsight for Networks for performance management and Cisco InfoCenter and IBM/Tivoli Netcool for fault management UI customization: Script execution, application cross-launch, maps layout Model extension: Soft properties to extend internal model Workflow builder: Toolset for workflow orchestration VNE Customization Builder: Customize and extend VNE driver support Business tags (multibyte language support) Rule engine to customize alarm postprocessing Registry Service: Extensive customization of Cisco Prime Network application behavior and option for inserting custom-created applications into the Cisco Prime Network system. These customizations require in-depth training of Cisco Prime Network system architecture and programming. Cisco Advanced Services typically carries out these types of customizations SDK and developer support Forums where Cisco Prime Network subject matter experts interact and post queries or comments to the different forum categories Training catalogue containing various videos on demand (VoDs) plus information about upcoming training events Tips and tools with links for downloading utilities, extensions, scripts, and tools. It also provides access to the Best Practices page, which contains recommendations, tips, and success stories 2011 Cisco and/or its affiliates. All rights reserved. This document is Cisco Public Information. Page 6 of 10

7 Table 5. System Deployment and Administration User security System management and redundancy Two methods of user access and security control: 1. Security access roles determine the actions a user can perform. 2. Scopes determine which devices users can access and the actions they can perform on those devices. Local and external authentication (Lightweight Directory Access Protocol [LDAP]) Cisco Prime Network gateway server redundancy: 1. Local redundancy using Red Hat Cluster Suite for dual-node ( and ) installation with a disk resource ( ) that is mountable from both nodes 2. Geographic redundancy for Linux platforms using Oracle Active Data Guard for installation in a primary location ( ) and installation of a secondary server ( ) and disk resource ( ) in a different location 3. Local and geographic redundancy configurations are also possible for Cisco Prime Network gateway server deployed on Solaris servers through Cisco Advanced Services and customer-supplied Veritas Cluster Server software. Cisco Prime Network unit server redundancy and Agent Virtual Machine (AVM) process protection through watchdog processes within each unit server and gateway server 1. n+m warm standby protection for unit server groups 2. Watchdog protocol monitors and restarts failed AVM processes within each unit server Cisco Prime Network system events and alarms to alert users to Cisco Prime Network conditions Cisco Prime Network administrative user interface for the system and user administration tasks Licensing There are three types of licenses for Cisco Prime Network: Cisco Prime Network Software Base Kit license Network element management licenses for each managed network element in the network. The specific licenses depend on the network element type Optional component licenses for additional user client licenses, unit server hot standby licenses, and lab deployment bundle For licensing details contact your local Cisco account team or visit the Cisco Ordering Homepage Cisco and/or its affiliates. All rights reserved. This document is Cisco Public Information. Page 7 of 10

8 System Requirements Distributed Architecture Each Cisco Prime Network installation consists of unit servers, which host the VNEs, the gateway server, an embedded database or an external Oracle database, and Windows-based clients. Cisco Prime Network can be deployed with unit and gateway server software on a single server and with unit and gateway server software distributed across multiple servers for a distributed architecture depending on the scale of the network to be managed. Cisco Prime Network supports virtualization using either Oracle VM Server for SPARC (previously called Sun Logical Domains) or VMware for Linux, thus allowing gateway and unit servers to be deployed as virtual servers. Cisco Prime Network can support a wide variety of deployment configurations tailored to each customer environment; the system requirements for Cisco Prime Network differ, depending on the actual type and size of deployment. Tables 6 through 9 list the minimum Cisco Prime Network 3.8 system requirements. The system can be set up in various standby (high availability) modes to help ensure business continuity. Unit Servers The interconnected unit servers (units) can host up to thousands of individual VNEs, each representing a managed network element. As the managed network grows, VNEs can easily be moved from one unit to another, and additional units can be added to host additional VNEs. Table 6. Item Minimum System Requirements, Cisco Prime Network Unit Logical Server Requirement Solaris Server One of the following processors: 8-core, 1.2 GHz UltraSPARC T2 processor 8-core, 1.2 GHz UltraSPARC T3 processor Fujitsu SPARC 64 VI-based processor with at least two CPUs Two 73 GB hard disk drives One DVD drive Minimum of 4 GB RAM Software Solaris 10 Linux Server Intel Xeon x5500 series, with 16 GB Software Red Hat 5.3, 5.4, 5.5, and bit or later Server Edition (with or without VMware ESX version 4, update 1) Note: Cisco Prime Network 3.8 does not support Red Hat 6. Gateway Server The Cisco Prime Network gateway is a server through which all clients and external applications access the system. The gateway enforces role-based user access control and security for all connections and client sessions. Table 7. Item Minimum System Requirements, Cisco Prime Network Gateway Logical Server Requirement Solaris Server Server with one of the following processors: 8-core, 1.2 GHz UltraSPARC T2 processor 8-core, 1.2 GHz UltraSPARC T3 processor Fujitsu SPARC 64 VI-based processor with at least two CPUs Two 146 GB hard disk drives One DVD drive Minimum of 16 GB RAM 2011 Cisco and/or its affiliates. All rights reserved. This document is Cisco Public Information. Page 8 of 10

9 Item Requirement Software Solaris 10 Linux Server Intel Xeon x5500 series, with 16 GB Software Red Hat 5.3, 5.4, 5.5, and 5.6, 64-bit or later Server Edition (with or without VMware ESX version 4, update 1) Note: Cisco Prime Network 3.8 does not support Red Hat 6. Note: Installing the embedded database on VMware is not recommended because Oracle does not support this platform. Note: The Cisco Prime Network gateway local redundancy solution requires as a minimum Red Hat Enterprise Linux 5.5 (RHEL 5.5) with the Red Hat Cluster Suite (RHCS). Database The database functions as a repository for configuration, network, and system events and alarms. Cisco Prime Network provides the option to use the embedded database or to connect to an external database. See Table 8. Table 8. Item Software External Database Specifications Requirement One of the following customer-supplied and installed Oracle versions, with the Oracle JVM and partitioning options: Oracle 10g Enterprise Edition Release or later Oracle 11g Enterprise Edition Release Oracle 11g Enterprise Edition Release or later Optionally collocated with the gateway server or distributed on a separate server Client (User Interface) Details regarding the client user interface are given in Table 9. Table 9. Item Client Minimum System Requirements, Cisco Prime Network Client Requirement IBM PC or PC-compatible workstation with Pentium IV, 2.66 GHz or better processor, 1 GB RAM, 2 GB of free disk space, 512 MB of free nonvirtual memory per running instance Software Windows 2000, Windows XP, Windows Vista, or Windows 7, Citrix XenApp 5 Browsers Microsoft Internet Explorer 7.0 or later Firefox 3.0 or later Data Sheet Scope The information in this data sheet describes the features and specifications for Cisco Prime Network 3.8. For information about previous Cisco Prime Network versions (previously called Cisco Active Network Abstraction or ANA), please contact your local Cisco account representative. Ordering Information and Service and Support To place an order contact your local Cisco account representative or visit the Cisco Ordering Homepage Cisco and/or its affiliates. All rights reserved. This document is Cisco Public Information. Page 9 of 10

10 Advanced Services To get the highest value from Cisco Prime Network, it must be installed and configured with the final operations processes in mind. The Cisco Advanced Services group offers a broad array of services to help ensure that each Cisco Prime Network 3.8 deployment is as fast and smooth as possible, optimizing the benefits of Cisco Prime Network. From initial process evaluations to specifying the most effective system configuration and implementation, Cisco Advanced Services is ready to provide customized assistance. For more information about Cisco Advanced Services for Cisco Prime Network, contact your local Cisco account team or send an to wwsp-oss-bus-dev@cisco.com. Technical Support Cisco offers a wide range of support services programs to accelerate customer success, delivered through a unique combination of people, processes, tools, and partners. Cisco services help you to protect your network investment, optimize network operations, and prepare the network for new applications. For more information about Cisco support services, see Cisco Technical Support Services. For More Information For more information about Cisco Prime Network 3.8, visit for the Prime Network Product Homepage or contact your local account representative or prime-network@cisco.com. Printed in USA C / Cisco and/or its affiliates. All rights reserved. This document is Cisco Public Information. Page 10 of 10