The 8.2.56 software release supports the existing Cisco StrataCom switch family (including the Cisco StrataCom IGX and Cisco StrataCom BPX) and introduces the following feature:
Enhancements to the dspchstats command.
to provide support for display of "spotlight" channel statistics for ALM-A connections
The 8.2.56 software release incorporates all the features added by the 8.2.55 software release. The 8.2.55 software release supports the existing Cisco StrataCom switch family (including the Cisco StrataCom IGX and Cisco StrataCom BPX) and introduces the following features:
Provides support for UVM (Universal Voice Module) card.
Provides support for UFM-U, unchannelized Frame Relay over 12 V.35/X.21 or 4 HSSI ports.
Provides UFM-U & UFM-C Service Interworking capability on a per PVC basis.
Provides support for the ALM-A (ATM Line Module Model A) card, allowing ATM UNI port interface for IGX.
Provides support for ELMI, allowing for IGX to share various service parameters such as Committed Information Rate (CIR), Committed Burst Size (Bc), Excess Burst Size (Be) with the devices connected to the IGX. This feature supports the following protocols: StrataLmi, Annex A, and Annex D.
Provides interworking support for C3800 to CVM/CDP, C3800 to FRP/FRM, and C3800 to C3800.
For detailed information about configuring other features on a Cisco StrataCom IGX or Cisco StrataCom BPX switch, refer to the appropriate Installation Guide.
Statistics collection must be temporary disabled prior to the start of an upgrade.
When performing a software upgrade, users should avoid system configuration of using both BCC-3 and BCC-32 in the same node.
StrataView Release 8.4.06 is required.
UFM-U cards are only supported by Switch software release 8.2.55 or later. UFM-U cards should only be installed when the active primary software revision running on the node is 8.2.55 or later.
All BCC-32 processors must have the boot firmware version H.B.J installed prior to upgrading or loading this version of switch software.
All BCC-3 processors must have the boot firmware version H.C.J installed prior to upgrading or loading this version of switch software.
All NPC/NPM processors must be upgraded to 32MB.
All NPC processors must have the boot firmware version B.B.F installed prior to upgrading or loading this version of switch software.
All NPM processors must have the boot firmware version R.B.J installed prior to upgrading or loading this version of switch software.
All AIT/BTM/ALM-B trunk cards must have the latest firmware (as specified in the HW/FW compatibility matrix) installed prior to upgrading or loading this version of switch software.
The SNMP IPX/BPX switch SNMP MIB is being provided with the delivery of Release 8.2.56 system software. The MIB is in standard ANSI format and is located in the ASCII text files switch.m, swtraps.m, and errors.m, which are included in the same directory as the switch software images. These files may be compiled with most standards-based MIB compilers.
The Release 8.2 version of the IPX/BPX switch SNMP MIB is backwards compatible with the Release 8.1 agent. It is NOT backwards compatible with the initial Release 7.2 agent. Changes in the Embedded SNMP MIB are:
1. voiceChanTable (obsoleted)
Replaced by lineChanTable, which will be shared by voice and data end points.
LineChanTable is indexed by {switchIfIndex, lineChanChannelIndex} instead of {voiceChannelSlotIndex, voiceChannelChannelIndex}.
lineChanEchoBgFilter and lineChanEchoBackCard objects are added to support the UVM.
lineChanDataDceDte and lineChanDataUcs objects are added for use with data connections.
2. frLportStatTable (existing)
GetNextRequests of this table has been temporarily disabled due to performance concerns over the expanded number of ports. This operation will be reinstated once a throttling mechanism is implemented.
3. voiceEndptTable (existing)
voiceEndptRateType has some new enumerated values to support the LDCELP connection types available with the UVM cardset.
voiceEndptFaxModem object is added to support the UVM cardset.
4. frEndptTable (existing)
frEndptSubType has more enums for ALMA (cbr, vbr, abr) and for Service Interworking (atft, atfx).
frEndptSubType has been changed from read-only to read-write.
5. atmEndptTable (existing)
atmEndptSubType has more enums for Service Interworking (atft, atftfst, atfx, atfxfst).
6. frEndptStatTable (existing)
frEndptUnknProtIngDscd and frEndptUnknProtEgrDscd have been introduced with Service Interworking.
The feature of CIR=0 for Frame Relay connections is not supported for connections terminating between FRP /FRM cards in IPX/IGX nodes and FRSM cards in an AXIS shelf.
Statistics collection must be temporary disabled prior to the start of an upgrade.
When performing a software upgrade, users should avoid system configuration of using both BCC-3 and BCC-32 in the same node.
Voice I/W connections from CDP to FTC must be added from CDP side as master. CDP circuit line must be configured to use option `CAS' for CDP to FTC connections.
Switch Software supports up to a combined total of 64 C3800 units or FastPADmm units per IGX/IPX node.
The maximum number of FastPADmm cards allowed per IPX/IGX node has been reduced from 576 to 288.
The maximum number of FastPAD ports allowed per IPX/IGX node has been reduced from 1024 to 512.
Only one C3800 unit can be assigned per FTC port (30 maximum per FTC card for E1 backcard); the total number of C3800 connections allowed per FTC is 252.
Switch Software does not support remote connections between C3800 and FastPADmm, C3800 and UFM, C3800 and AXIS FRSM, or C3800 and UVM.
Switch software supports up to 16 LDCELP channels per UVM card.
A UVM connection (e.g. L16 or a24) can be configured to be upgraded to 32 kbps ("a32") or 64 kbps ("p") for fax/modem traffic. If the connection is upgraded to 32 kbps, it will pass data modem traffic reliably at 9.6 kbps (or higher). But fax traffic at 9.6 kbps may fail under sub-optimal network conditions (line noise, gain, the specific fax machine etc.). Configuring a 0 dB gain through the network may help the situation. If the problem persists, configure the connection to be upgraded to 64 kbps ("p") for fax/modem traffic.
Users may not use the command addcon slot.1-24 v to add 24 voice connections to a CDP at once. Instead, they must separate this activity into two or more commands, so that no more than 16 connections are added at once. This is only an issue for voice connections. Data connections can be added using the "1-24" syntax. This also applies when the CDP circuit line is an E1, in which case "1-32" would apply instead.
Momentary data discontinuity is expected when switchcc is performed. The controller card switchover is likely to produce a traffic break due to reprogramming of the trunks. During switchcc, the routing tables and translation tables on trunks are cleared before they are reprogrammed after a switchover and therefore until they are reprogrammed traffic will not flow. The clearing and reprogramming is necessary to insure consistency between the card configuration and the software database. The expected time before traffic is resumed for all connections is dependent on the number of connections and is in the order of a few seconds/minutes. (CSCdj28246)
The maximum PVCs per logical port supported for Annex A. Annex D, and StrataLMI is 899, 899, and 562 respectively. These limits are applicable to any supported cards, including UFM-C and UFM-U with maximum frame length of 4510. Switch software DOES NOT prevent user from configuring more # of PVCs on a port than above. If more than supported PVCs are configured, the LMI will not work on a port. The full status message resulting out of such a configuration will be discarded and the LMI timeout will occur on a port. This will cause port failure, and potentially lead to the A-BIT failures in different segments of the connection path. (CSCdj33507)
ATM connections from ASI to ALM-A must be added from IGX side as master, and must have VCC header type.
Tstdelay and tstcon commands are not supported on ALM-A end-points for connections made from UFM-U to ALM-A.
ForeSight/ABR VS/VD are not supported for ALM-A cards.
Asymmetric connections not supported for ALM-A card.
ALM-A VC statistics are not kept, but spotlight statistics are planned for a maintenance release in the near future. Spotlight statistics will display connection statistics on a single connection.
NNI headers are not supported for ALM-A cards.
ILMI and LMI are not supported for ALM-A cards.
SVC signalling and multicast are not supported for ALM-A cards.
Segment OAM cells are not processed for ALM-A cards.
ALM-A cards are not supported on feeder nodes within a tiered network architecture.
For VPC connections on ALM-A cards, the value 3 for VCI is reserved and should not be used. Refer to ALM-A Release Notes for details on ALM-A card/connection configuration.
The maximum value for VPC and VCC is 255 for ALM-A cards.
The percent utilization for ALM-A connections is always 100%.
Frame Relay endpoints must be capable of supporting the ALM-A supported Frame Relay connection type: atfr, aftx, and atft.
The ALM-A drops cells with CLP=1 when the VC queue associated with the connection exceed 80% of the user-specified depth or the system-specified depth. Therefore, if a high level of bursty traffic is expected or if cell discards appear when dsplnerrs command is issued, specify a larger queue size.
Only 1 channel per ALM-A card may be spotlighted at a time.
Statistics for the channel are only counted while it is being spotlighted(i.e. while the dspchstats command is running for the channel). The time is counted from the first time spotlighted since the last dspclrstats command is issued. This means that if the user starts and stops spotlighting a channel, the throughput and utilization values will be lower than they should be. To get accurate throughput and utilization values, the user must first do a clrchstats on the channel before using dspchstats.
All connection statistics are reported in terms of cells, even for atfr connections
There are no interval statistics for ALM/A connections.
The following rare occurrence has been observed: User receives `connection failed' status when trying to add LDCELP connections after deleting some non-LDCELP connections on a fully utilized UVM. The problem can be cleared by resetting UVM card.
User may receive an error message `Local device code allocation problem' when adding FR connection on IGX. No DAX connections can be added. The root cause is still under investigation (CSCdj15929). To clear the problem, re-route any one of the existing non-DAX connections using `rrtcon' command; or add a single non-DAX connection if no non-DAX connection exists.
The following are known conditions as of this version of the software release.
Bug ID Descriptions
CSCdj34548 Asymmetric connections not supported for ALM-A card.
CSCdj13389 User may receive software error 17 message when deleting a LCON after the connection has been grouped.
CSCdj14151 Self test timeout may occur on NPM card while collecting statistics on a node with too many connections. Workaround: This problem can be cleared using the clrcderrs command.
CSCdj29692 NPM selftest timeout observed while deleting connections
CSCdj30991 Software error 586 observed on a node running a version of switch software release 8.2.5.
CSCdj33647 On a BPX node, BNI-T3 card is shown as EMPTY when the dspcds command is issued, but the actual status indicates that the card is ACTIVE.
CSCdj34545 CBR/VBR traffic statistics are not accounted for on IGX trunks.
CSCdj34542 When setting ALM/A with only receive connected on one end (IGX1) and transmit connected on the other end (IGX2), traffic was sent in one direction even though the line on IGX2 had MAJOR loss of signal and the connection had failed status.
The following conditions have been corrected with the 8.2.56 version of the software release. In addition, all corrections applied to previous 8.2.5x releases are included in this release.
Bug ID Descriptions
CSCdj37124 Invoking dspchstats command displays all zeroes for data passing through the ALM-A connections.
CSCdj37020 When attempting to issue the dsputl command before the statistics areas have not been created for the IPX/IGX node, an error message \QLine currently being monitored' is displayed even though there is only one user on the system.
CSCdj37363 An error message, "Cannot configure Spotlight statistics for card 9", occurred when the dspchstats command is issued while the ALM-A card is being reset.
CSCdj21105 Code modified to support dspchstats command for ALM-A connections.
CSCdj37782 cnfpref command does not work properly.
CSCdj38448 Incorrect TFTP function code return may cause 1000003 abort.
CSCdj36727 Software error 548 occurred during a non-graceful upgrade while loading the latest software image.
CSCdj38552 Due to a race condition, the incorrect device/channel address may be programmed into an UFM card and subsequently cause traffic discontinuity.
The following conditions have been corrected with the 8.2.55 version of the software release. In addition, all corrections applied to previous 8.2.5x releases are included in this release.
Bug ID Descriptions
CSCdj24525 While doing a dspcons or addcon, the response to the commands are slow.
CSCdj29792 When invoking the cnftrk command, the Payload scrambling option for the ALM-A card is currently default to NO and cannot be configured.
CSCdj30506 Software error 52 (watchdog timeout) occurred when performing running a switchcc and resetting a Y-redundant card.
CSCdj31008 It was observed that some network status message sent by IGX to StrataView Plus contains junk information.
CSCdj31654 Invoking a switchcc command caused the tstcon command to fail.
CSCdj15496 An incorrect A-bit status caused connection C3800 to fail.
CSCdj17640 Software error 369 occurred on a IPX node.
CSCdj27582 When accessing an IGX node from a PC via Telnet, the IGX interprets the return key as double carriage returns instead of one carriage return.
The 8.2.56 software release includes firmware version C.A.B on the ALM-A module. The ALM-A module with firmware version C.A.B introduces the following features:
Provides support for 1000 connections.
Provides ingress/egress cell policing at the PCR rate.
Provides support for VC cell queueing using 32K buffers.
Provides support for CBR and VBR ATM type connection classes.
Provides support for ATFR, ATFT, and ATFX FR connection classes.
Provides support for VPC and VCC type connections (see below).
Provides support for ALM-A to ALM-A connection end points.
Provides support for ALM-A to FRP, FRM, or UFM connection endpoints.
Provides support for ALM-A to ASI connection endpoints (see below).
The ALM-A can support 90% utilization (86K TX cps) with 100 ATFR connections. Exceeding this limit can result in cell loss.
The ALM-A can support 60% utilization (60K TX cps) with 1000 ATFR connections. Exceeding this limit can result in cell loss.
The ALM-A can support 80% utilization (230 RX fps) with 1000 CFG (Cell Forwarding Gateway) connections. Exceeding this limit can result in cell loss.
ALM-A to ASI connections can be added from the IGX side only (not from the BPX side).
ALM-A to ASI connections support VCC type connections only.
ALM-A to ALM-A VPC connections use the SGW gateway at every T3/E3 IGX via trunk.
The ALM-A VC Queue Controller does not give priority to CBR type connections.
The ALM-A does not support LMI.
The ALM-A does not pass OAM cells within a VPC with a VCI of 3.
The ALM-A ATM addressing is restricted to 8 bit VPI/VCI.
The ALM-A does not support ForeSight.
The StrataView Plus Connection Manager does not support the ALM-A
Dspchstats only "spotlights" the statistics on ALM-A PVCs. The channel statistics must be cleared (clrchstats <slot.port.VPI.VCI>) prior to issuing the dspchstats command.
The ALM-A supports up to 1000 connections per card.
The 8.2.56 software release includes firmware version Z.A.D on the UFM-C module. The UFM-C module with firmware version Z.A.D introduces the following features:
Supports Service Interworking as follows:
Transparent (atft) and Translation (atfx) mode connectivity between the following:
All BTM/AIT/ALM-B trunk cards must have the firmware versions that support service interworking for service interworking type of connections (atft and atfx).
Frame fragmentation according to RFC 1490 is not supported. This feature is a recommended feature for Frame Relay networks that support the maximum frame size as small as 262 octets. For IGX networks which can support up to 4500 byte frames, this feature is not required.
Overall card throughput degrades to about 50% if all 1000 connections are configured as SIW connection type, due to the overhead involved in the service interworking processing. If the frame size is more than 240 bytes, the performance improves significantly, yielding nearly 100% of the maximum throughput (15.3 Mbps for UFM-8E1 and 11.9 Mbps for UFM-8T1 card).
Data discards occur due to service quantization error that results from the conversion of frames to fastpackets and from fastpackets to cells. (Bug CSCdj01509). When a frame is converted into fastpackets, some bytes of the last fastpacket of that frame are left unfilled, depending on the arriving Frame size. A similar wastage of bandwidth can occur when the fastpackets are converted into cells on the trunk side. However, the system software does not take this factor into consideration for setting the connection bandwidth parameters. As a result, when the input traffic rate is near the CIR on a UFM-ASI connection, the data discard occurs on the ASI side of the connection. The UFM Ingress service engine does not discard data since it services at a rate 25% than CIR, to compensate for this error. The workaround for this problem is to use a frame size of 136 bytes for UFM-ASI connections or configure the PCR (Peak Cell Rate) of the connection on the ASI side to a higher value (about 20 %) than what is configured by the system software. A similar problem has been observed in Network Interworking connections in release 8.2.3 for UFM card and in earlier releases for FRM cards.
The 8.2.56 software release includes firmware version Z.A.E on the UFM-C module. The UFM-C module with firmware version Z.A.D introduces the following features:
Supports ELMI
Supports Service Interworking as follows:
Transparent (atft) and Translation (atfx) mode connectivity between the following:
All BTM/AIT/ALM-B trunk cards must have the firmware versions that support service interworking for service interworking type of connections (atft and atfx).
Frame fragmentation according to RFC 1490 is not supported. This feature is a recommended feature for Frame Relay networks that support the maximum frame size as small as 262 octets. For IGX networks which can support up to 4500 byte frames, this feature is not required.
Overall card throughput degrades to about 50% if all 1000 connections are configured as SIW connection type, due to the overhead involved in the service interworking processing. If the frame size is more than 240 bytes, the performance improves significantly, yielding nearly 100% of the maximum throughput (15.3 Mbps for UFM-8E1 and 11.9 Mbps for UFM-8T1 card).
Data discards occur due to service quantization error that results from the conversion of frames to FastPackets and from fastpackets to cells. (Bug CSCdj01509). When a frame is converted into fastpackets, some bytes of the last fastpacket of that frame are left unfilled, depending on the arriving Frame size. A similar wastage of bandwidth can occur when the fastpackets are converted into cells on the trunk side. However, the system software does not take this factor into consideration for setting the connection bandwidth parameters. As a result, when the input traffic rate is near the CIR on a UFM-ASI connection, the data discard occurs on the ASI side of the connection. The UFM Ingress service engine does not discard data since it services at a rate 25% than CIR, to compensate for this error. The workaround for this problem is to use a frame size of 136 bytes for UFM-ASI connections or configure the PCR (Peak Cell Rate) of the connection on the ASI side to a higher value (about 20 %) than what is configured by the system software. A similar problem has been observed in Network Interworking connections in release 8.2.3 for UFM card and in earlier releases for FRM cards.
For ELMI, when a cable is moved from a router that supports ELMI to a router that does not support ELMI in less than 15 seconds, dspport display may show ELMI on.
The 8.2.56 software release includes firmware version Y.A.A on the UFM-U module. The UFM-U module with firmware version Y.A.A introduces the following features:
Provides Frame Relay over 12 V.35 or 12 X.21 or 4 HSSI ports.
Supports 16 Mbps throughput per card.
Supports ELMI.
Supports Service Interworking as follows:
Transparent (atft) and Translation (atfx) mode connectivity between the following:
All BTM/AIT/ALM-B trunk cards must have the firmware versions that support service interworking for service interworking type of connections (atft and atfx).
Looped clock mode is required for port speeds exceeding 1 MHz. This requirement comes from the architecture of the V.35 and X.21 interface. For speeds below 1 MHz, looped clock is strongly recommended as it is a more reliable means of communication. The default configuration is normal clock mode, which is not recommended.
The following are known conditions as of the Y.A.A version of the UFM-U firmware release:
Bug ID Descriptions
CSCdj30268: In a V.35 Y cabled setup, removing the standby front card can cause traffic disruption for up to 2 milliseconds on some ports.
Workaround: Disconnect cables from the standby back card before removing the standby front card.
CSCdj23107: Rarely, when a cable is inserted or when port speed is changed on the remote end the port gets locked up and no data transfer occurs.
Workaround: Removing and re-inserting the port cable solves the problem.
CSCdj41003: For frame sizes between 121 and 170 bytes, running traffic in excess of 13 Mbps (which is near maximum card throughput at these frame sizes) may result in corrupted data.
Workaround: For frame sizes between 121 and 170 bytes, keep aggregate traffic below 13Mbps.
CSCdj23405: When a back card is removed, the UFM-U front card may get reset. This is seen infrequently for HSSI back cards (about 1 in 10) and very infrequently for X.21 and V.35 back cards (about 1 in 40).
Workaround: None. Impact is minimal since the user expects loss of connectivity when the back card is removed.
The 8.2.56 software release includes firmware version D.A.A on the UVM module. The UVM module with firmware version D.A.A introduces the following features:
LD-CELP @16 kbps (16 channels per card)
ADPCM @32 kbps and 24 kbps (32 channels per card)
PCM @64 kbps (32 channels per card)
32 ms integral echo canceller for all voice channels (24 channels For T1, 32 for E1)
Transparent data @64 kbps (32 channels per card, mainly used for CCS transport)
VAD (compresses on-hook calls and periods of clear silence; configurable threshold)
T1/E1 with CAS signaling (FastPacket transport)
T1/E1 with CCS signaling (FastPacket transport)
Interworking with existing CDP/CVM cards for ADPCM, PCM, transparent, and VAD
Fax/modem channel upgrade to PCM or 32 kbps ADPCM (user configurable) for ADPCM and LD-CELP connections
The UVM provides most features of the CVM (see Obsolete Features below for some exceptions), plus the new 16 kbps compression type known as LD-CELP. This compression is fully compatible with the ITU defined standard known as G.728. Two new connection types are provided for LD-CELP: `L16' (without VAD) and `L16v' (with VAD).
The UVM also provides an integral echo canceller, whereas the CVM provides echo cancellation with an optional daughter card.
For networks using no CDP or CVM, follow the normal installation procedures. For networks where interworking between the UVM and the CDP/CVM cards is expected, note that only certain connection types will interwork, namely, p, v, t, a24, a32, c24, and c32.
For customers using LD-CELP, the pass-through feature can help utilize PBX trunk channels more efficiently.
The UVM supports 16 LD-CELP connections at a time. Any attempt to add more connections will lead to a "failed" connection. (The dspcon screen will show ConnRJ to indicate a "rejected" connection)
When mixing LD-CELP and ADPCM (or PCM) connection types on a UVM card, the overall capacity of the card will vary between 16 and 32 channels. A UVM can support, e.g., 16 LD-CELP channels, or 32 ADPCM channels, or 8 LD-CELP+16 ADPCM channels. As a rule of thumb, one can add 2 ADPCM (or PCM) connections for every LD-CELP connection that is deleted.
The ADPCM and PCM connection types can be mixed in any combination for a total of 32 channels per UVM.
A UVM connection (e.g. L16 or a24) can be configured to be upgraded to 32 kbps ("a32") or 64 kbps ("p") for fax/modem traffic. If the connection is upgraded to 32 kbps, it will pass data modem traffic reliably at 9.6 kbps (or higher). But fax traffic at 9.6 kbps may fail under sub-optimal network conditions (line noise, gain, the specific fax machine etc.). Configuring a 0 dB gain through the network may help the situation. If the problem persists, configure the connection to be upgraded to 64 kbps ("p") for fax/modem traffic.
For service and support for a product purchased from a reseller, contact the reseller. Resellers offer a wide variety of Cisco service and support programs, which are described in the section "Service and Support" in the information packet that shipped with your chassis.
Note If you purchased your product from a reseller, you can access Cisco Connection On-line (CCO) as a guest. CCO is Cisco Systems' primary, real-time support channel. Your reseller offers programs that include direct access to CCO's services.
For service and support for a product purchased directly from Cisco, use CCO.
CCO is Cisco Systems' primary, real-time support channel. SMARTnet customers and partners can self-register on CCO to obtain additional content and services.
Note If you purchased your product from a reseller, you can access CCO as a guest. Your reseller offers programs that include direct access to CCO's services.
Available 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, CCO provides a wealth of standard and value-added services to Cisco's customers and business partners. CCO services include product information, software updates, release notes, technical tips, the Bug Navigator, configuration notes, brochures, descriptions of service offerings, and download access to public and authorized files.
CCO serves a wide variety of users through two interfaces that are updated and enhanced simultaneously—a character-based version and a multimedia version that resides on the World Wide Web (WWW). The character-based CCO supports Zmodem, Kermit, Xmodem, FTP, and Internet e-mail, and is excellent for quick access to information over lower bandwidths. The WWW version of CCO provides richly formatted documents with photographs, figures, graphics, and video, as well as hyperlinks to related information.
Modem: From North America, 408 526-8070; from Europe, 33 1 64 46 40 82. Use the following terminal settings: VT100 emulation; databits: 8; parity: none; stop bits: 1; and baud rates up to 14.4 kbps.
For a copy of CCO's Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ), contact cco-help@cisco.com. For additional information, contact cco-team@cisco.com.
Note If you need technical assistance with a Cisco product that is under warranty or covered by a Cisco maintenance contract, contact Cisco's Technical Assistance Center (TAC) at 800 553-2447, 408 526-7209, or tac@cisco.com.
Please use CCO to obtain general information about Cisco Systems, Cisco products, or upgrades. If CCO is not accessible, contact 800 553-6387, 408 526-7208, or cs-rep@cisco.com.
