Interpreting Report Files

Configuring Log Files

Requesting Reports

Retrieving Log Files

Interpreting Log Files

Call Detail Records

Alarm Records

Measurement Records

Interpreting Report Files

This appendix describes the procedures for setting up and retrieving the log files generated by the Cisco Media Gateway Controller (MGC) software. The media gateway controller software contains a program called the data dumper that automatically creates logs of various operational measurements and alarm records and spools them to a directory where they can be collected by an external system, such as an SNMP manager. You can use these log records to obtain statistical information about the calls processed by the system and network events, such as delays or service-affecting conditions.

Note The log files described in this chapter differ from the system log files generated by the Cisco MGC software that are used for debugging and troubleshooting. See the "Retrieving Log Files" section for information on retrieving system logs and the "Interpreting Log Files" section for information on interpreting system logs.

Configuring Log Files

The data dumper runs automatically and functions correctly with a default configuration. However, you can customize the dumper settings by editing the dmprSink.dat file. See the "Dumper Sink" section in the Cisco Media Gateway Controller Software Release 7 Reference Guide for more information on this and other .dat files. Table A-1 lists the fields that can be modified depending on your needs.

Table A-1: Dumper Sink Log File Parameters

Field Name Default Value Description

maxRecs

1000

The maximum number of records a file can contain before it is flushed or moved to the spool area. If this value is set to 0, the number of records is unlimited.

maxSize

0

The maximum size of the file in bytes before it is moved to the spool area. If this value is set to 0, the size of the file is limited only by the disk space available.

maxTime

15

The maximum time, in minutes, the file is allowed to remain open, before it is flushed or moved to the spool area. If there is no data in the file, it will not be flushed when the time limit expires. If this value is set to 0, there is no time limit.

Note One or more of the above fields MUST be set to a value other than zero (0) for each record in the dmprSink.dat file.

Caution:

Do not modify or change any of the following log file configuration values.

recordFormat

csv

The translation of the records being placed in the capture file. Valid values are csv (comma-separated values) or bin (binary).

logDirectory

/var/log

The directory where the current dumper logs reside.

logSpoolDir

/var/spool

The directory to which historic logs are copied after being closed.

To configure the dmprSink.dat file fields, use this procedure:

Step 1 Log in to the active Cisco MGC, change to any subdirectory under /opt/CiscoMGC (for example, /opt/CiscoMGC/bin), and start an MML session.

Step 2 Enter the following MML command to stop the Cisco MGC software:

/etc/init.d/CiscoMGC stop

Step 3 Change to the /opt/CiscoMGC/etc directory.

Step 4 Use a text editor to open and edit the dmprSink.dat file fields you want to change. Save your changes.

Step 5 Enter the following MML command:

/etc/init.d/CiscoMGC start

Requesting Reports

System information, such as alarms, logs, operational measurements, provisioning data, and billing information, resides on the Cisco MGC. The following section describes how a Cisco MGC handles operational measurements.

The Cisco MGC provides the management interface used to control various solution components. It also provides the ability to access data generated by the solution components, and it is the data repository for the call detail records (CDRs), operational measurements (OMs), and routing tables.

The Cisco MGC performs functions related to reporting of call-processing information to external management systems. The following are the essential functions performed by the Cisco MGC:

Maintaining current, historical, and future views of call-processing tables
Maintaining product data linked to call-processing tables to allow for proper billing of calls
Creating call detail records (CDRs) for billing purposes
Performing reporting of operational measurements (OMs) of the solution
Performing alarm reporting of all solution elements
Providing end users near real-time access to Cisco MGC data
Providing a security firewall to all enterprise systems requiring distribution of data
Providing network management data to the support systems
Providing a near real-time data link to all solution elements for collection of mission-critical data

Retrieving Log Files

The data dumper collects measurements for log files based on the parameters in Table A-1. While file measurements are being collected, they are located in the current directory. After files are closed, they are renamed and moved to the spool directory for retrieval or offline inspection.

To view files in the current directory, complete the following steps:

Step 1 Log in to the active Cisco MGC and change to the /opt/CiscoMGC/var/log directory.

Step 2 You can view these log files:

alm.csv
meas.csv
cdr.csv

To view files in the spool directory, complete the following steps:

Step 1 Log in to the active Cisco MGC and change to the /opt/CiscoMGC/var/spool directory.

Step 2 You can view the closed log files.

See the next section, "Interpreting Log Files" for more information on interpreting log file formats.

Interpreting Log Files

Each log file contains a set of records particular to the type of log (for example, CDR logs vary from measurement logs). After logs are closed, they are renamed and moved to the spool area. Log records are named according to the following format:

Record Type_Date.Record Format

Table A-2 lists the log file identifiers and descriptions.

Table A-2: Log File Identifiers

Log File Identifier Description

Record Type

Type of records placed in the file. There are three types of records:

cdr—call detail records
alm—alarm records
meas—measurement counters

Date

Date and time when the capture file was created using Time of Epoch, January 1, 1970. Date format is yymmddHHMMSS.

The subsections are defined as follows:

yy = Two-digit year
mm = Two-digit month
dd = Two-digit day
HH = Two-digit hour (24-hour clock GMT)
MM = Two-digit minutes
SS = Two-digit seconds

For Release 4.2.12 (and later), a Y2K-compliant four-digit year is created. Time stamps are always in the number of seconds starting on January 1, 1970 at 00:00:00 GMT. Using a single reference makes it easier to correlate records from different time zones.

Record Format

The format of records placed in the file. There are two record formats:

csv—comma separate variable (default)
bin—binary

Log File Identifier	Description
Record Type	Type of records placed in the file. There are three types of records: cdr—call detail records alm—alarm records meas—measurement counters
Date	Date and time when the capture file was created using Time of Epoch, January 1, 1970. Date format is yymmddHHMMSS. The subsections are defined as follows: yy = Two-digit year mm = Two-digit month dd = Two-digit day HH = Two-digit hour (24-hour clock GMT) MM = Two-digit minutes SS = Two-digit seconds For Release 4.2.12 (and later), a Y2K-compliant four-digit year is created. Time stamps are always in the number of seconds starting on January 1, 1970 at 00:00:00 GMT. Using a single reference makes it easier to correlate records from different time zones.
Record Format	The format of records placed in the file. There are two record formats: csv—comma separate variable (default) bin—binary

The following sections list the format of each type of log records. Use these tables to interpret log records after you have retrieved and printed them:

Call Detail Records

CDRs are fixed-length, binary data fields that the contain call information gathered by the Cisco MGC. The CDR is used to provide the billing information for your system. One CDR is written per call.

The CDR structure includes fields for calling party category and charge number. Their respective data members, m_callPartyCat and m_chargeNumber, are included in the XECdr structure.

Table A-3 shows the entry fields contained in the CDR type file.

Table A-3: Call Detail Record Entry Fields

Field Name User Configurable¹ Explanation

Record number

No

The dumprSink.dat record number.

Record type

No

The type of information.

Format

No

csv = comma-separated values.

bin = binary.

File prefix

No

The filename prefix value.

Open location

No

The location of the currently opened file.

Close location

No

The location for closed files.

maxRecs

Yes

The maximum number of records. Default is 1000. If this value is set to 0, there is no maximum record count enforced.

All three max values cannot be 0.

maxSize

Yes

The maximum size of the file. Default is 0 (infinite). If this value is set to 0, then there is no maximum record size enforced.

All three max values cannot be 0.

maxTime

Yes

The maximum time (in minutes) that the file is allowed to remain open. Default is 15 minutes. If this is set to 0, there is no time limit. (Empty files will not be written, even if the time limit is reached.)

All three max values cannot be 0.

¹User Configurable—We recommend that you modify only those fields that have Yes in this column.

Field Name	User Configurable¹	Explanation
Record number	No	The dumprSink.dat record number.
Record type	No	The type of information.
Format	No	csv = comma-separated values. bin = binary.
File prefix	No	The filename prefix value.
Open location	No	The location of the currently opened file.
Close location	No	The location for closed files.
maxRecs	Yes	The maximum number of records. Default is 1000. If this value is set to 0, there is no maximum record count enforced. All three max values cannot be 0.
maxSize	Yes	The maximum size of the file. Default is 0 (infinite). If this value is set to 0, then there is no maximum record size enforced. All three max values cannot be 0.
maxTime	Yes	The maximum time (in minutes) that the file is allowed to remain open. Default is 15 minutes. If this is set to 0, there is no time limit. (Empty files will not be written, even if the time limit is reached.) All three max values cannot be 0.

For a complete list of CDR information fields, refer to the Cisco Media Gateway Controller Software Release 7 Reference Guide.

Alarm Records

Table A-4 lists the alarm record fields and descriptions.

Table A-4: Alarm Record Fields

Field Description

releaseLevel

Record release level (version).

timeStamp

Time when record was written to log.

state

Set to 1 if the alarm is active, 0 if the alarm is clear. (For informational alarms, this value is always set to 1.)

severity

The severity of the alarm.

alarmCat

The name of the alarm category. See the "Alarm Categories" section in the "System Messages" chapter in the Cisco Media Gateway Controller Software Release 7 Reference Guide for more information.

componentId

The component on which the alarm occurred. See the "Component Types" section in the "System Component Descriptions" chapter in the Cisco Media Gateway Controller Software Release 7 Reference Guide for more information.

originator

The process that originated the alarm.

Field	Description
releaseLevel	Record release level (version).
timeStamp	Time when record was written to log.
state	Set to 1 if the alarm is active, 0 if the alarm is clear. (For informational alarms, this value is always set to 1.)
severity	The severity of the alarm.
alarmCat	The name of the alarm category. See the "Alarm Categories" section in the "System Messages" chapter in the Cisco Media Gateway Controller Software Release 7 Reference Guide for more information.
componentId	The component on which the alarm occurred. See the "Component Types" section in the "System Component Descriptions" chapter in the Cisco Media Gateway Controller Software Release 7 Reference Guide for more information.
originator	The process that originated the alarm.

Measurement Records

The MML command to retrieve measurements from a component is

rtrv-ctr:comp:"meas cat"

Where:

comp is a component ID listed in the components.dat file
"meas cat" is the measurement category listed in the measCats.dat file.

The measCats.dat table defines measurement categories for the system. A measurement (or counter) is uniquely defined by its measurement category and component identification number. The measCats.dat table includes the measurement category name, units of measure, and associated measurement profile.

The measProfs.dat table defines the profile associated with a particular measurement category. A profile contains information concerning time intervals for reporting measurements. A profile can have many measurement intervals associated with it, but it must have at least one to enable reporting for that profile. The convention is to collect each measurement on 15-minute, 60-minute, and 24-hour boundaries. Thus, each measurement defined in measCats.dat has three entries in the measProfs.dat table.

Operational measurements (OMs) are continuously updated on the Cisco MGC, and reported at 5-minute, 15-minute, 30-minute, and 60-minute intervals to log files. These files are spooled to a directory where they can be collected by an external system, such as a customer Operations Support System (OSS). You can use these files to create performance reports or track your network statistics.

In addition, copies of the measurement values for each of the last 5-minute, 15-minute, 30-minute, and 60-minute intervals will be available in the SNMP Management Information Base (MIB), and can be accessed by an external application using the SNMP GET command.

Table of Contents

Interpreting Report Files