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Table Of Contents
Release Notes for Cisco Active Network Abstraction, 3.5.1
Open Caveats - Release Cisco ANA 3.5.1
Resolved Caveats - Release Cisco ANA 3.5
Open Caveats - Release Cisco ANA 3.5
Cisco ANA Administrator's Guide, 3.5.1
Cisco ANA NetworkVision User's Guide, 3.5.1
Cisco ANA Client Installation Guide, 3.5.1
Cisco ANA MPLS User's Guide, 3.5.1
Cisco ANA Fault Management Guide, 3.5.1
Cisco Product Security Overview
Reporting Security Problems in Cisco Products
Product Alerts and Field Notices
Obtaining Technical Assistance
Cisco Technical Support & Documentation Website
Definitions of Service Request Severity
Obtaining Additional Publications and Information
Release Notes for Cisco Active Network Abstraction, 3.5.1
13 November 2006
These release notes support the release of Cisco Active Network Abstraction 3.5.1.
Note See Cisco.com for the most up to date version of the Release Notes for Cisco Acive Network Abstraction, 3.5.1.
Contents
This document includes the following topics:
• Limitations and Restrictions
• Open Caveats - Release Cisco ANA 3.5.1
• Resolved Caveats - Release Cisco ANA 3.5
• Open Caveats - Release Cisco ANA 3.5
• Cisco Product Security Overview
• Product Alerts and Field Notices
• Obtaining Technical Assistance
• Obtaining Additional Publications and Information
Introduction
These Release Notes support the release of Cisco Active Network Abstraction, 3.5.1 (Cisco ANA 3.5.1).
Cisco ANA 3.5.1 is a carrier-class, multi-vendor network and service management platform providing the flexibility for carriers and service providers to efficiently respond to the constant market demand for new, reliable and more sophisticated services.
Cisco ANA 3.5.1 understands network characteristics and builds a real-time virtual model of the network, serving as a live information base for value-added tools and applications capable of seamless integration within a customer's existing OSS environment.
Cisco ANA 3.5.1 provides a unified solution for diverse network environments and applications. Implemented with a highly-scalable distributed architecture, Cisco ANA 3.5.1 offers integrated configurable device management, network and service discovery, network and service fault isolation and a highly flexible service activation engine. These integrated applications enable correlated management of global scale networks supporting millions of subscribers and customers.
Cisco ANA 3.5.1 is a unified, fully-integrated solution offering:
•Multi-vendor device support
•Multi-Technology coverage: IP, L2/L3 VPN, xDSL, ATM, FR, GigE , Ethernet\802.1Q\ISL, PPP and routing protocols (e.g. OSPF, BGP)
•Integrated device, network and service management functionality
•Open interfaces for integration with multiple OSS/BSS applications
Cisco ANA 3.5.1 dynamically discovers and identifies basic network components, while obtaining end-to-end visibility of the network resources, connections and dependencies, enabling Cisco ANA 3.5.1 to manage and analyze network behavior. Cisco ANA 3.5.1 builds its end-to-end understanding of the network structure and interoperability, across vendors, technologies and network layers, into a customer-specific virtual network model for each and every installation.
The virtual network model within Cisco ANA 3.5.1 is an always maintained up-to-date enabling powerful device, network and service management functionality, including:
•Configurable Device Manager: Basic FCAPS features for multi-vendor devices
•Network and Service Discovery: Physical and logical discovery with multi-layer network & service connectivity
•Network and Service Fault Isolation: End-to-end, topology-based fault isolation, monitoring & root cause analysis
•Service Activation
•And a series of product options including Northbound APIs, Path Tracing and Client UIs
Installation Notes
Refer to the Cisco Active Network Abstraction Server's Installation Guide, 3.5.1 and the Cisco Active Network Abstraction Client Installation Guide, 3.5.1.
Limitations and Restrictions
Cisco ANA NetworkVision
Cisco ANA NetworkVision with a configuration 512MB of free-non virtual memory per running instance, supports across all of the maps that are open, a maximum of 10K objects (devices, VPNs, VRFs and sites) 12K links and 10K tickets (if the same tickets are displayed in different maps, each instance will be counted separately).
One map in Cisco ANA NetworkVision, supports a maximum of 5K objects, 6K links and 5K tickets.
The maximum number of maps that can be opened for Cisco ANA NetworkVision is five (default), regardless of the number of devices, links and tickets, but this number is configurable assuming that the overall number of links and devices per application do not exceed the maximum limits. For information about customizing the maximum number of maps, contact Cisco Professional Services.
Cisco ANA Fault Management
The maximum number of open tickets (other tickets can be correlated to them) for the system is 5K. For a defintion of an open ticket, refer to the Cisco ANA Fault Management Guide, 3.5.1. The operator should ensure that tickets are closed on time.
Cisco ANA Workflow Editor
The following restriction applies to the names of Workflow templates.
The user should not include the "_" and "%" characters (wildcard characters) in Workflow template names when executing a workflow or referencing a subflow as this can lead to ambiguity. The execution will fail and the following message will be displayed in the AVM66 log:
"WARN [13 21:00:08,248] - dralasoft.workflow - Task aborted. Task: 245886, Workflow: 245885 java.lang.IllegalArgumentException: Template AA_BB.template is ambiguous, templates ids are: 245874 , 245873"
"_" denotes any single character
"%" denotes a zero or many characters
The following examples depict workflow template names that can lead to ambiguity if they are deployed together:
In this example the WFTLM_MUESTRA.template leads to ambiguity with the WFTLM#MUESTRA.template when they are deployed together.
In this example the WFTLM%MUESTRA.template leads to ambiguity with the WFTLM####MUESTRA.template when they are deployed together.
The ambiguity only occurs if the template containing the wild characters is executed.
HSRP
Note in order for correlation to work, the path through which the HSRP signaling passes must be modeled (exist) in the system.
Important Notes
The following table lists the Solaris services and components that are being used by the Cisco ANA system and must not be removed:
The following table lists the product services that are installed with the Cisco ANA system:
Online Help
Note that the online help for Cisco ANA 3.5.1 has been tested using the following browsers:
•Microsoft Internet Explorer version 6
•Firefox version 2.0
•Avant Browser version 11 build 25
Open Caveats - Release Cisco ANA 3.5.1
Resolved Caveats - Release Cisco ANA 3.5
The table below lists the open caveats from Cisco ANA 3.5 that have now been resolved.
Open Caveats - Release Cisco ANA 3.5
Documentation Updates
This section of the Release Notes includes updates to the Cisco Active Network Abstraction 3.5.1 documentation set.
Cisco ANA Administrator's Guide, 3.5.1
The option to search for a ANA Unit according to specifically defined search criteria is no longer available.
The option to search for an AVM/VNE is still available. When searching for an AVM the following search criteria are displayed:
•ID
•Status
•Key
•Loaded patches
When searching for a VNE the following search criteria are displayed:
•Key
•IP address
•Status
•Element type
•Maintenance
•Polling group
System Configuration
Two new parameters were added to the system configuration. These parameters control the behavior of the polling of the sysoid command and the software version command.
Previously when the VNE could not poll the sysoid or the software version, it did not attempt to retry to poll the sysoid or the software version, and the status became "Device Unsupported" or "Initializing".
Now two separate parameters have been added for the sysoid command and the software version command in order to add the option to attempt to retry to poll this information. The following two parameters were added:
•interval—This parameter states the time in milliseconds required to wait before each poll. The default value is 30000 (30 seconds).
•retries—This parameter states how many retries are required to be performed before discontinuing the poll. The default is -1 which means that the retry is unlimited (always). If a positive value is defined, for example, 10 then this is the number of retries that will occur before the VNE discontinues retrying.
Note There is an option to override the default settings, if the customer so requires. Changing these settings must be done with the support of Cisco Professional Services.
VNE Persistency Mechanism in Cisco ANA
This section describes the VNE Persistency mechanism in Cisco ANA.
Configuring Instrumentation Persistency
Configuring Topology Persistency
Note Changes to the Registry should only be carried out with the support of Cisco Professional Services.
Introducing Persistency
This section includes a description of:
•Alarm persistency
•Instrumentation persistency
•Topology persistency
Persistency is the ability to store information in the Unit for later use. This information persists (is stored) across Unit/AVM/VNE restarts.
Instrumentation persistency is used mainly to:
•Shorten the starting time of VNEs for devices (using the information from the local file system, the device's response time and network latency is eliminated, thus the VNE finishes modeling its first state very quickly).
•Provide information about the old state of the VNE in order to initiate alarms if the status has changed (if the VNE was unloaded for any reason). For example, a port-down alarm is initiated only if the port status was "up" and was changed to "down" to make sure that an alarm is not issued on ports which should be "down". By maintaining information about the old state of the port, the system understands whether the current state is valid or not.
•Help lower the CPU load on the device when starting and there are lots of get commands that are generated. In addition, when persistence data is loaded from the Unit the traffic bandwidth between the Unit and device is much lower than when the system is loaded ordinarily (using "ordinary" device discovery/modulation).
Topology persistency is used mainly to:
•Create topology between devices on startup when the VNE is loaded, instead of performing the entire discovery process. Afterwards verification of the links is performed.
Alarm persistency is used mainly to:
•Save information about the VNE components that send alarms, namely, when a VNE sends an alarm it can be configured to save this information (that it has sent an alarm of type X). This information can then be used by the VNE components after restarts to verify whether it needs to send clearing alarms in a case where changes have occurred in the device when the VNE was down.
How is VNE data persisted:
•During runtime when a VNE polls data from a device, it updates the files in the file system for changes in the device's response (according to the persistency variables)
•The reading from these files is done only once, when the VNE starts. Every polling that takes place (normal or due to refresh) after this first time, will read the data from the device itself and not from the files.
Alarm Persistency
Alarm persistency enables the system to clear alarms which relate to events which have occurred while the system was down. For example, a "link down" alarm is generated and then the system goes down. While the system is down a "link up" event occurs in the network, but the system is down and does not monitor the network. When the system goes up, the alarm will be cleared because the system "remembers" that a "link down" alarm exists and needs to be cleared by sending a corresponding alarm.
Persisting events are held in the AlarmPersistencyManager. Each VNE contains an AlarmPersistencyManager object. Alarms are added and removed from the AlarmPersistencyManager object, in order to maintain the status of an event (whether existing in the repository or not), namely, whether an "up" alarm has been generated, or whether a "clearing" alarm has been generated. Two copies of alarm persistency information are maintained, one in the memory and the other on disk.
At startup, the AlarmPersistencyManager retrieves the events persisting for the containing VNE.
Event data in the files is updated:
•At shutdown or
•After a change (a new event is added or removed) or
•After a specific interval of time has passed. This prevents data from being rewritten to the persistency file when a stream of events is added or removed during a short period of time because the data is saved only after the specified period of time has elapsed.
Initialization
The AlarmPersistencyManager reads the following configurable items:
•Enabled—is the mechanism enabled for this VNE.
•Writing delay—the interval between the arrival of a new event (or a removal of an existing event) and the writing activity of the persistency file.
•Maximum age—how long an event remains in the persistency files before it becomes obsolete.
Note This only applies when trying to retrieve data from the persistency files.
Retrieving Events
At startup, each VNE calls its AlarmPersistencyManager to load the persisting events.
If the file does not exist or is corrupt no events are loaded. Faulty event objects are not be loaded. Events which have been in the file for longer then the configured amount of maximum age are not loaded (no age tests are held during ordinary runtime).
Storing Events
At shutdown, events are saved to the VNE's event persistency file as a safety precaution in case the events have not been saved.
Removing an Event
An event will be searched for and removed using the same information which was used to add it. The event is removed from the memory because an "up alarm" (for example, a "link up" alarm) has been generated and the persistency information is no longer required. After the removal, the AlarmPersistencyManager stores the events after a writing delay as specified in the Registry.
Removing an Event and Clearing an Alarm
The AlarmPersistencyManager is able to search for and remove an event and send a clearing alarm for this event if it is found because this information is no longer required as the alarm has been cleared.
After an event has been added or removed from the AlarmPersistencyManager, a delayed message is sent to the AlarmPersistencyManager which triggers, upon its arrival, a storing of the events to the file.
Configuring Alarm Persistency
The user can define for each sub-event whether to have a persisting or unpersisting alarm (define both or none). An example of the "card out" alarm is displayed.
Alarm Persistency Default Configuration
The following alarms are configured to be persistent:
•Card Out
•Device unreachable
•CPU over utilized
•Dropped packets
•Discarded packets
•Duplicate route entries (alarm is disabled OOB)
•Link down
•Route entry removed entries (alarm is disabled OOB)
•Memory over utilized
•Port down
•Port flapping
•Rx over utilized
•Tx over utilized
Instrumentation Persistency
The instrumentation layer persists the information that was collected from the device to the file system. When the VNE restarts, it uses this information to emulate the device's response and thus the VNE can be modeled according to its last persistent state. The next polling instance is performed against the real device.
Configuring Instrumentation Persistency
The following instrumentation parameters can be configured:
•persistencydir
•persistencylevel
•persistencystorageenabled
•persistencystorageinterval
•persistencytimeout
persistencydir
This is the directory in which the persistency information is saved on the local file system. This is a relative path.
Allowed Values—A string representing the relative directory in the file system
Default Value—instrumentor-persistency
persistencylevel
This is the level of persistency to be used. Off means it will not persist. Full means it will persist. Do not use "partial".
These values may be on certain commands to make sure some are persistent by some not.
Note This is a "command" level parameter, meaning you can decide that one command is persisted using "full" and another is not (using "off").
Allowed Values—Full or OFF or partial
Default Value—Full
persistencystorageenabled
This defines whether to enable the whole mechanism or not.
Allowed Values—True / false
Default Value—True
persistencystorageinterval
This is the interval, in milliseconds, for which the data to be persisted is accumulated and then written to the persistent storage in bulk, in order to use less IO operations.
Allowed Values—Within the user's discretion.
Note Small intervals cause more IO operations on the local file system. Very long intervals means that the information that is stored is less up to date.
Default Value—600000 (10 minutes)
persistencytimeout
If the persistency mechanism is enabled, when the instrumention layer starts, it loads all the data from the files and this data can be used as data for the commands only the first time they are executed. Some commands can be used for the first time, long after all the other commands have finished multiple cycles (for example, commands which run only when the status on the device has changed), this initial data is marked as obsolete after the "persistency timeout" has passed, and commands after this time, even if they are run for the first time, will be executed directly on the device. The time is defined in milliseconds.
Allowed Values—Within the user's discretion, should however usually be at least one minute.
Note A small value causes the instrumention layer to ignore the persistent data. A large value causes old data to be retrieved long after the VNE has finished loading.
Default Value—60000 (1 minute)
Topology Persistency
Cisco ANA supports persistency for topology, namely, Layer 1 topological connections. Layer 1 topology supports one connection per DC, namely, the physical topology reflects a single port connected via a single link.
The following topologies are persisted:
•Layer 1 counter-based topologies
•Static topologies
•Path-based topologies for B-STDX, GX and CBX
Static topology, which identifies physical links configured by the user is persisted once a user configures the static link between the two entities. This link is then stored in the Registry in the AVM key that contains the specific VNE registrations.
For other topology, every time a link is created the persistency mechanism writes the link to this file. When a link is disconnected the file representing the link is removed.
Configuring Topology Persistency
Physical topology persistency can be enabled or disabled via the Registry. Topology has a Registry entry entitled "Persistency":
•The entry can be defined as true or false value
•In order to enable topology persistency the value should be defined as true
•The default value is true
Note Topology persistency assumes that the XID (unique device component ID) will be persistable. For example, the port XID should remain the same (will not be dependent on whether the ifIndex is changed from time to time) XID after the device reboots or after the VNE reboots.
Cisco ANA NetworkVision User's Guide, 3.5.1
When adding a new device to a map, all the devices that are managed by the system are displayed.
When viewing the Device View in the Cisco ANA NetworkVision window only the devices displayed in the map are listed.
The following columns have been removed from the Device View:
•System Description
•Location
•Contact
Warning There is an option to add the System Description, Location and Contact columns to the Device View, however, this will increase memory consumption. Changing these settings must be done with the support of Cisco Professional Services.
Cisco ANA Client Installation Guide, 3.5.1
In Chapter 2, System Requirements, the minimum Cisco ANA Client hardware requirements were updated as follows:
•The Cisco ANA Client requires 512 MB of free non-virtual memory
Note The minimum client configuration, remains a 1GB. When several memory intensive applications are running at the same time, the user may experience sluggish in the user interface response time and a slow fresh rate. If the user encounters latency problems, the user must close the other applications running on the desktop.
When planning available memory space the user should consider that the application does not work well with paging. When paging is used, this leads to degradation in the application's performance.
In Chapter 2, System Requirements on page 2-1 should read as follows:
The minimum hardware requirements for an IBM or PC compatible work station is a Pentium IV, 2.66 GHz Processor or better, and not a Pentium IV, 2.66 MHz Processor or better.
Cisco ANA NetworkVision with a configuration 512MB of free-non virtual memory per running instance, supports across all of the maps that are open, a maximum of 10K objects (devices, VPNs, VRFs and sites) 12K links and 10K tickets (if the same tickets are displayed in different maps, each ticket will be counted separately).
One map in Cisco ANA NetworkVision, supports a maximum of 5K objects, 6K links and 5K tickets.
The other Cisco ANA applications require 256MB of free non-virtual memory.
Note It is possible to reconfigure Cisco ANA NetworkVision to use only 256 MB, however this may result in reduced functionality. To modify the memory parameters, right click on the Cisco ANA Network Vision short cut properties. In the "Target" text box, remove the texts -vmargs -Xmx512m, and re-launch the application.
Note The maximum number of maps that can be opened for Cisco ANA NetworkVision is five (default), regardless of the number of devices, links and tickets, but this number is configurable assuming that the overall number of links and devices per application do not exceed the maximum limits. For information about customizing the maximum number of maps, contact Cisco Professional Services.
Note The maximum number of open tickets (other tickets can be correlated to them) for the system is 5K. For a defintion of an open ticket, refer to the Cisco ANA Fault Management Guide, 3.5.1. The operator should ensure that tickets are closed on time.
In Chapter 3, Before Installing, the following warning was added:
Warning Before installing the Cisco ANA Client 3.5.1 the user must uninstall the previous version.
In Chapter 4, Installing the Cisco ANA Client, the default installation location on page 4-1 has been updated as follows:
•The default installation location is:
C:/Program Files/Cisco Systems/ANAIn Chapter 4, Installing the Cisco ANA Client, the default Program Manager Group on page 4-2 has been updated as follows:
•The default Program Manager Group is: Cisco ANA.
Cisco ANA MPLS User's Guide, 3.5.1
In Chapter 6, Fault Management In MPLS Networks, the following note was added:
Note The MPLS black hole feature is only supported when the PEs are managed by the system.
Cisco ANA Fault Management Guide, 3.5.1
The "VC removed" alarm is not supported in this version.
Related Documentation
User Guides
Cisco Active Network Abstraction NetworkVision User's Guide, 3.5.1
Cisco Active Network Abstraction EventVision User's Guide, 3.5.1
Cisco Active Network Abstraction MPLS User's Guide, 3.5.1
Cisco Active Network Abstraction Fault Management User's Guide, 3.5.1
Administrator Guides
Cisco Active Network Abstraction Servers Installation Guide, 3.5.1
Cisco Active Network Abstraction Client Installation Guide, 3.5.1
Cisco Active Network Abstraction Administrator's Guide, 3.5.1
Cisco Active Network Abstraction Error Messages, 3.5.1
Cisco Active Network Abstraction Shell User's Guide, 3.5.1
Cisco Active Network Abstraction High Availability User's Guide, 3.5.1
Developer Guides
Cisco Active Network Abstraction Customization User's Guide, 3.5.1
Cisco Active Network Abstraction Command Builder User's Guide, 3.5.1
Cisco Active Network Abstraction Workflow User's Guide, 3.5.1
Cisco Active Network Abstraction BQL User's Guide, 3.5.1
Cisco Active Network Abstraction Registry Editor User's Guide, 3.5.1
Obtaining Documentation
Cisco documentation and additional literature are available on Cisco.com. This section explains the product documentation resources that Cisco offers.
Cisco.com
You can access the most current Cisco documentation at this URL:
http://www.cisco.com/techsupport
You can access the Cisco website at this URL:
You can access international Cisco websites at this URL:
http://www.cisco.com/public/countries_languages.shtml
Product Documentation DVD
The Product Documentation DVD is a library of technical product documentation on a portable medium. The DVD enables you to access installation, configuration, and command guides for Cisco hardware and software products. With the DVD, you have access to the HTML documentation and some of the PDF files found on the Cisco website at this URL:
http://www.cisco.com/univercd/home/home.htm
The Product Documentation DVD is created and released regularly. DVDs are available singly or by subscription. Registered Cisco.com users can order a Product Documentation DVD (product number DOC-DOCDVD= or DOC-DOCDVD=SUB) from Cisco Marketplace at the Product Documentation Store at this URL:
http://www.cisco.com/go/marketplace/docstore
Ordering Documentation
You must be a registered Cisco.com user to access Cisco Marketplace. Registered users may order Cisco documentation at the Product Documentation Store at this URL:
http://www.cisco.com/go/marketplace/docstore
If you do not have a user ID or password, you can register at this URL:
http://tools.cisco.com/RPF/register/register.do
Documentation Feedback
You can provide feedback about Cisco technical documentation on the Cisco Technical Support & Documentation site area by entering your comments in the feedback form available in every online document.
Cisco Product Security Overview
Cisco provides a free online Security Vulnerability Policy portal at this URL:
http://www.cisco.com/en/US/products/products_security_vulnerability_policy.html
From this site, you will find information about how to do the following:
•Report security vulnerabilities in Cisco products
•Obtain assistance with security incidents that involve Cisco products
•Register to receive security information from Cisco
A current list of security advisories, security notices, and security responses for Cisco products is available at this URL:
To see security advisories, security notices, and security responses as they are updated in real time, you can subscribe to the Product Security Incident Response Team Really Simple Syndication (PSIRT RSS) feed. Information about how to subscribe to the PSIRT RSS feed is found at this URL:
http://www.cisco.com/en/US/products/products_psirt_rss_feed.html
Reporting Security Problems in Cisco Products
Cisco is committed to delivering secure products. We test our products internally before we release them, and we strive to correct all vulnerabilities quickly. If you think that you have identified a vulnerability in a Cisco product, contact PSIRT:
•For emergencies only — security-alert@cisco.com
An emergency is either a condition in which a system is under active attack or a condition for which a severe and urgent security vulnerability should be reported. All other conditions are considered nonemergencies.
•For nonemergencies — psirt@cisco.com
In an emergency, you can also reach PSIRT by telephone:
•1 877 228-7302
•1 408 525-6532
Tip We encourage you to use Pretty Good Privacy (PGP) or a compatible product (for example, GnuPG) to encrypt any sensitive information that you send to Cisco. PSIRT can work with information that has been encrypted with PGP versions 2.x through 9.x.
Never use a revoked encryption key or an expired encryption key. The correct public key to use in your correspondence with PSIRT is the one linked in the Contact Summary section of the Security Vulnerability Policy page at this URL:
http://www.cisco.com/en/US/products/products_security_vulnerability_policy.html
The link on this page has the current PGP key ID in use.
If you do not have or use PGP, contact PSIRT to find other means of encrypting the data before sending any sensitive material.
Product Alerts and Field Notices
Modifications to or updates about Cisco products are announced in Cisco Product Alerts and Cisco Field Notices. You can receive Cisco Product Alerts and Cisco Field Notices by using the Product Alert Tool on Cisco.com. This tool enables you to create a profile and choose those products for which you want to receive information.
To access the Product Alert Tool, you must be a registered Cisco.com user. (To register as a Cisco.com user, go to this URL: http://tools.cisco.com/RPF/register/register.do) Registered users can access the tool at this URL: http://tools.cisco.com/Support/PAT/do/ViewMyProfiles.do?local=en
Obtaining Technical Assistance
Cisco Technical Support provides 24-hour-a-day award-winning technical assistance. The Cisco Technical Support & Documentation website on Cisco.com features extensive online support resources. In addition, if you have a valid Cisco service contract, Cisco Technical Assistance Center (TAC) engineers provide telephone support. If you do not have a valid Cisco service contract, contact your reseller.
Cisco Technical Support & Documentation Website
The Cisco Technical Support & Documentation website provides online documents and tools for troubleshooting and resolving technical issues with Cisco products and technologies. The website is available 24 hours a day at this URL:
http://www.cisco.com/techsupport
Access to all tools on the Cisco Technical Support & Documentation website requires a Cisco.com user ID and password. If you have a valid service contract but do not have a user ID or password, you can register at this URL:
http://tools.cisco.com/RPF/register/register.do
Note Use the Cisco Product Identification Tool to locate your product serial number before submitting a request for service online or by phone. You can access this tool from the Cisco Technical Support & Documentation website by clicking the Tools & Resources link, clicking the All Tools (A-Z) tab, and then choosing Cisco Product Identification Tool from the alphabetical list. This tool offers three search options: by product ID or model name; by tree view; or, for certain products, by copying and pasting show command output. Search results show an illustration of your product with the serial number label location highlighted. Locate the serial number label on your product and record the information before placing a service call.
Tip Displaying and Searching on Cisco.com
If you suspect that the browser is not refreshing a web page, force the browser to update the web page by holding down the Ctrl key while pressing F5.
To find technical information, narrow your search to look in technical documentation, not the entire Cisco.com website. On the Cisco.com home page, click the Advanced Search link under the Search box and then click the Technical Support & Documentation radio button.
To provide feedback about the Cisco.com website or a particular technical document, click Contacts & Feedback at the top of any Cisco.com web page.Submitting a Service Request
Using the online TAC Service Request Tool is the fastest way to open S3 and S4 service requests. (S3 and S4 service requests are those in which your network is minimally impaired or for which you require product information.) After you describe your situation, the TAC Service Request Tool provides recommended solutions. If your issue is not resolved using the recommended resources, your service request is assigned to a Cisco engineer. The TAC Service Request Tool is located at this URL:
http://www.cisco.com/techsupport/servicerequest
For S1 or S2 service requests, or if you do not have Internet access, contact the Cisco TAC by telephone. (S1 or S2 service requests are those in which your production network is down or severely degraded.) Cisco engineers are assigned immediately to S1 and S2 service requests to help keep your business operations running smoothly.
To open a service request by telephone, use one of the following numbers:
Asia-Pacific: +61 2 8446 7411
Australia: 1 800 805 227
EMEA: +32 2 704 55 55
USA: 1 800 553 2447For a complete list of Cisco TAC contacts, go to this URL:
http://www.cisco.com/techsupport/contacts
Definitions of Service Request Severity
To ensure that all service requests are reported in a standard format, Cisco has established severity definitions.
Severity 1 (S1)—An existing network is "down" or there is a critical impact to your business operations. You and Cisco will commit all necessary resources around the clock to resolve the situation.
Severity 2 (S2)—Operation of an existing network is severely degraded, or significant aspects of your business operations are negatively affected by inadequate performance of Cisco products. You and Cisco will commit full-time resources during normal business hours to resolve the situation.
Severity 3 (S3)—Operational performance of the network is impaired while most business operations remain functional. You and Cisco will commit resources during normal business hours to restore service to satisfactory levels.
Severity 4 (S4)—You require information or assistance with Cisco product capabilities, installation, or configuration. There is little or no effect on your business operations.
Obtaining Additional Publications and Information
Information about Cisco products, technologies, and network solutions is available from various online and printed sources.
•The Cisco Online Subscription Center is the website where you can sign up for a variety of Cisco e-mail newsletters and other communications. Create a profile and then select the subscriptions that you would like to receive. To visit the Cisco Online Subscription Center, go to this URL:
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•The Cisco Product Quick Reference Guide is a handy, compact reference tool that includes brief product overviews, key features, sample part numbers, and abbreviated technical specifications for many Cisco products that are sold through channel partners. It is updated twice a year and includes the latest Cisco channel product offerings. To order and find out more about the Cisco Product Quick Reference Guide, go to this URL:
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This document is to be used in conjunction with the documents listed in the "Related Documentation" section.
Any Internet Protocol (IP) addresses used in this document are not intended to be actual addresses. Any examples, command display output, and figures included in the document are shown for illustrative purposes only. Any use of actual IP addresses in illustrative content is unintentional and coincidental.
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Posted: Mon Nov 13 01:25:47 PST 2006
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