Managing Billing and Accounting Data

Introduction

Target Platforms

References

Generating VoIP CDRs

Enabling Timestamps

With a Network Time Server

Without a Network Timeserver

A Sample CDR Configuration

Collecting Billing and Accounting Data Using Cisco BAMS

Setting up Billing Logic

Using Operational Measurements

References

Collecting Accounting Data Using Cisco AR

Collecting Accounting Data Using Cisco RPMS

Managing Billing and Accounting Data

Introduction

Where voice services are provided, special attention must be paid to billing and accounting. This chapter supports both the Cisco ASAP Solution and the PSTN gateway solutions, and discusses how to use a variety of Cisco applications to collect billing and accounting data, as well as various parameters the service provider needs to monitor.

This chapter presents the following major topics:

Target Platforms

This chapter addresses the following components of the Cisco ASAP Solution and the PSTN gateway solutions: Cisco AS5000 series, Cisco BAMS. Cisco Access Registrar (AR) is also addressed. Cisco AR is used only in the Cisco ASAP Solution.

References

For an overview of billing issues, refer to Understanding and Provisioning AAA Billing in Chapter 3, "Provisioning Shared Support Services," in the Cisco Wholesale Voice Solution Design and Implementation Guide at the following URL:

http://www.cisco.com/univercd/cc/td/doc/product/access/sc/rel7/soln/wv_rel1/wvpg/index.htm

Other references are provided as needed throughout this chapter.

Generating VoIP CDRs

Where it is necessary to log VoIP call detail records (CDRs) for accounting or billing purposes, Cisco recommends that this be done with an external AAA (authentication, authorization, and accounting) server (either RADIUS or TACACS+). These AAA systems will commonly provide syslog-based CDR logging, postcall record processing, and a billing report-generation facility.

Enabling Timestamps

Accurate and common timing is essential to accurate billing and accounting.If the router has no NTP synchronization, the start and stop times of each CDR will be a zero (null) value. To ensure that the H.323 start/stop records have the correct time value, Network Time Protocol (NTP) must be running on the Cisco IOS router or gateway. Two methods of enabling NTP, with or without a network time server, are shown below.

With a Network Time Server

Use the following Cisco IOS software global config command to synchronize the Cisco IOS router or gateway to an external NTP server:

router#(config)# ntp server <IP address>
	!!--- where <IP address> is the IP address of the time server providing the clock
 !--- synchronization

Without a Network Timeserver

If there is no external NTP time source, the router (gateway) must be set as an NTP master clock, so it uses its internal clock as the time source. This is done with the Cisco IOS software global configuration command shown below:

router#(config)# ntp master

To ensure that the timestamps are correct, the router's clock should be set to the correct time (in privileged EXEC mode) as in the following example.

router# clock set 15:15:00 8 May 2001

Caution On some Cisco platforms, the router clock is not backed up by a battery source, so the system time will need to be reset following a router reload or power failure.

A Sample CDR Configuration

The following is a sample configuration that enables the router to generate VoIP CDRs and send them to an external syslog server.

     router#(config)# service timestamps log datetime msec localtime

     !--- Ensure that the records are timestamped with an accurate value 
     ! 
     router#(config)# aaa new-model

     !
     router#(config)# aaa authentication login default none

     !--- Enable AAA, prevent telnet authentication via AAA
     router#(config)# aaa accounting connection h323 start-stop radius

     !--- Generates the H.323 call start/stop CDRs 
     router#(config)# gw-accounting syslog     
     !--- Send the H.323 CDRs to the server 
     router#(config)# logging 10.64.6.250  
     !--- IP address of syslog server. Multiple syslog servers can be specified for
     !--- redundancy.

Collecting Billing and Accounting Data Using Cisco BAMS

A Cisco Billing and Measurements Server (BAMS) is used to collect, format, and store billing and measurements data for the Cisco MCG (Cisco SC2200 or Cisco PGW 2200 node).

The Cisco BAMS converts the Cisco MGC proprietary CDR format, known as TLV (tagged length variable), to industry-standard formats. Presently, the Cisco BAMS supports two output formats:

Automatic message accounting billing AMA format (AMA BAF) in accordance with Telcordia specifications GR-1100 and GR-508

An ASCII version of the AMA BAF GR-1100 call record

As the CDRs are converted, the Cisco BAMS can assign a call type to each CDR. Call types can be assigned on the basis of where the call originates and where it terminates. The relationship between origination point and termination point is determined by user-defined billing logic. If you want to use the Cisco BAMS application for accounting and billing purposes, make sure that you have read and understood the information in the Billing and Measurements Server 2 document, at the following URL:

http://www.cisco.com/univercd/cc/td/doc/product/access/sc/bams2/index.htm

Setting up Billing Logic

Cisco BAMS supports a sophisticated billing model that consists of logical zones. Using these zones, Cisco BAMS can augment each CDR with call-type information that can then be used by downstream billing systems to rate the calls.

To set up the billing logic, do the following:

Step 1 Define the zones.

Step 2 Establish the relationship between the zones.

Step 3 Define the call type for each relationship. Unique call types can be assigned on the basis of the call direction between two zones. Up to 999,999 zones can be defined.

Note The above are only general steps. For the details of setting up the billing logic, refer to Chapter 3, "Configuring BAMS for BAF Billing and Measurements" and Chapter 5, "Producing BAF and ASCII Records" of the Billing and Measurements Server 2, at the following URL:
http://www.cisco.com/univercd/cc/td/doc/product/access/sc/bams2/index.htm

Using Operational Measurements

Operational measurements are generated at a predetermined, periodic interval established at system setup. The interval can be 15, 30, and 60 minutes, or 24 hours.The measurements are reported on a trunk-group basis. The operational measurement reports are written to disk in an ASCII format, and the output file can be retrieved by means of a standard FTP transfer.

References

For a list of Cisco BAMS operational measurements that are generated for each trunk group, refer to Chapter 6, "Obtaining Measurements," of Billing and Measurements Server2 at the following URL:

http://www.cisco.com/univercd/cc/td/doc/product/access/sc/bams2/index.htm

To define or modify the Cisco BAMS operational measurements, refer to Chapter 3, "Configuring BAMS for BAF Billing and Measurements," of Billing and Measurements Server 2 at the above URL.

You can use Cisco VSPT to provision Cisco BAMS. For links to the appropriate documentation see "Provisioning a Cisco MGC Node Using Cisco VSPT."

Note The version of Cisco VSPT will depend on your solution. Release 1.6 supports the Cisco ASAP Solution, and Release 2.1 supports the Cisco SS7 Interconnect for Voice Gateways Solution.

For more information about collecting and viewing CDRs for the Cisco SC2200 and Cisco PGW 2200, refer to the following URLs:

Note The documentation you require will depend on your solution. Release 7 of the Cisco MGC software supports the Cisco ASAP Solution, and Release 9 supports the PSTN gateway solutions.

For viewing Cisco SC2200/Cisco PGW 2200 CDRs (Cisco MGC software Release 7):

: http://www.cisco.com/univercd/cc/td/doc/product/access/sc/rel7/omts/omts_ch3.htm

For viewing Cisco SC2200/Cisco PGW 2200 CDRs (Cisco MGC software Release 9):

: http://www.cisco.com/univercd/cc/td/doc/product/access/sc/rel9/omts/omts_ch3.htm

For information about interfaces for retrieving Cisco SC2200/Cisco PGW 2200 CDRs (Cisco MGC software Release 7):

: http://www.cisco.com/univercd/cc/td/doc/product/access/sc/rel7/r7billgd/r7chap1.htm

If you are using the Cisco BAMS to collect Cisco SC2200/Cisco PGW 2200 CDRs:

: http://www.cisco.com/univercd/cc/td/doc/product/access/sc/bams2/index.htm

Collecting Accounting Data Using Cisco AR

The Cisco Access Registrar (AR) is used as an AAA proxy-server (RADIUS or TACACS+) and collects accounting data from the Cisco AS5000 series platforms.

Note Cisco AR is not used in the PSTN gateway solutions. For the Cisco ASAP Solution, the Cisco AR is the AAA server.

Cisco AR collects and stores the information contained in accounting start /stop messages. When a Cisco AS5000 series platform that uses accounting begins a session, it sends an accounting start packet describing the type of service and the user being connected to the Cisco AR server. When the session ends, the platform sends the AR server an accounting stop packet describing the type of service that was delivered. The accounting stop packet might also contain statistics such as elapsed time, input and output octets, or input and output packets.To set up and manage accounting information using the Cisco AR, see Setting Up and Managing Accounting.

Note For more information about the Cisco AR refer to the Cisco Access Registrar documentation at the following URL:
http://www.cisco.com/univercd/cc/td/doc/product/rtrmgmt/cnsar/1_7/index.htm

Collecting Accounting Data Using Cisco RPMS

Once AAA accounting is enabled on the gateway, AAA accounting start and stop records are created for every call and are forwarded to the Cisco RPMS. You can configure Cisco RPMS to create and manage its own customer-based CDRs, as well as to forward accounting records to other AAA billing or accounting systems.

Note Cisco RPMS is not used in the PSTN gateway solutions.

When configured for creating CDRs, Cisco RPMS provides additional information pertaining to pre-authentication rejection reasons (before accounting), and to policy limit information. Every customer profile has a dedicated CDR, which makes it easy to use the CDR as data for billing or other customer specific purposes.

For detailed information about how to create CDRs for accounting, read the sections Generating Call Detail Records and Defining Call Detail Records in Chapter 6, "Reporting and Accounting," of the Cisco Resource Policy Management Server 2.0 Configuration Guide at the following URL:

http://www.cisco.com/univercd/cc/td/doc/product/access/acs_soft/rpms/rpms_2-0/config/index.htm

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