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Using the Cable Monitor Tool

Using the Cable Monitor Tool

This appendix describes the Cisco uBR924 cable access router's Cable Monitor tool. The Cable Monitor is part of the router's onboard software that provides a web-based diagnostic tool for easy access to configuration and status information about the router, without requiring access to the router's command line interface (CLI).


Note The Cable Monitor is available in Cisco IOS Release 12.1(1)T and later releases.

Technicians and subscribers can access the tool in the following ways:

The Cable Monitor operates in two modes:


Note The Cable Monitor is a read-only tool---it cannot be used to modify or reconfigure the Cisco uBR924 router. However, some of the information displayed in the advanced mode could be used to defeat the router's security. This information is available only to users who enter the enable password. Cisco recommends that an encrypted enable password be set on all Cisco uBR924 routers deployed at subscriber sites. Passwords (along with SNMP community strings) should be different for each router, using a non-trivial pattern. If an enable password is not being used at a subscriber's site, the Cable Monitor should be run only in the basic mode.

The following sections describe the Cisco uBR924 router's Cable Monitor:

Enabling the Cable Monitor

By default, the Cable Monitor is disabled. To allow technicians and subscribers to access the Cable Monitor, it must be enabled using the ip http global configuration command as follows:

Command Purpose

Step 1

ubr924(config)# ip http cable-monitor {basic | advance} [URL-IP-address URL-mask]

Immediately enable the Cable Monitor in either basic or advanced mode. Optionally specify the IP address and subnet mask for the Cable Monitor; these parameters also define the IP address pool used by the temporary DHCP server when the cable interface goes down.

Step 2

ubr924(config)# ip http port http-port

(Optional) Specify the TCP port number to use for web server (HTTP) requests. The default is the well-known web server port of 80.

When the Cable Monitor is enabled, it also automatically enables the Cisco web server (giving the equivalent of the ip http server command). However, while the Cable Monitor is active, it disables all other access to the Cisco web server, preventing the user from accessing the CLI commands that are normally available when the Cisco web server is active. When the Cable Monitor is active, the Cisco web server can be used only for displaying the Cable Monitor pages.


Note If the Cable Monitor is not enabled on the Cisco uBR924 router, Cisco recommends that the Cisco web server be disabled, using the no ip http server configuration command.

Configuration Modes

The ip http cable-monitor basic command enables the Cable Monitor and puts it in basic mode. In this mode, the Cable Monitor displays information only about the router's current status, whether it has successfully completed all of its initialization routines, and cable performance statistics.

The ip http cable-monitor advance command enables the Cable Monitor and puts it in advanced mode. In this mode, the Cable Monitor displays the router's current status, the status of its initialization routines, the status of the voice ports, the router's basic configuration, and performance statistics. If an enable password is set, users who can supply the enable password can also view detailed debugging and troubleshooting configuration information; if an enable password is not set, all users can view this information.


Caution To ensure a secure system, the advanced mode should not be used unless a secure encrypted enabled password is configured on the Cisco uBR924 router.

By default, the Cable Monitor is configured with the IP address 192.168.100.1, which is a Class C address in the private IP address space reserved for private networks. If a device on the subscriber's private network is already using this IP address, use the URL-IP-address and URL-mask optional parameters to specify another IP address.

For example, to enable the Cable Monitor for advanced mode with the private IP address of 10.0.1.2 and the default HTTP port of 80, use the following command:

ip http cable-monitor advance 10.0.1.2 255.0.0.0


Note This command can be included in the Cisco IOS configuration file that is downloaded to the router at power-on during the DOCSIS provisioning.

Security Considerations

The Cable Monitor is a read-only tool that cannot be used to change the configuration of the Cisco uBR924 router. The debug page in advanced mode, however, does display information that could be used to defeat the router's security. This page is password-protected, requiring users to enter the enable password before displaying it; however, if an enable password has not been set, any user can display the debug page, which could reveal SNMP community strings and other configuration information.

For this reason, the following guidelines should be used when developing a security policy for the router:


Note Since downloading a Cisco IOS configuration file during the provisioning process automatically disables the console port, all remote configuration of the Cisco uBR924 router using the CLI is disabled when an enable password is not set. In this situation, the only way to change the router's configuration is through SNMP or by resetting the router and uploading a new configuration file. The Cable Monitor, however, must not be run in advanced mode when no enable password has been set because this would allow unauthorized users to view SNMP community strings and use SNMP to change the router's configuration.

Disabling the Cable Monitor

To disable the Cable Monitor, use the ip http global configuration command as follows:

Command Purpose

Step 1

ubr924(config)# no ip http cable-monitor

Immediately disable the Cable Monitor, preventing any web server access to its web pages. This also automatically disables access to the Cisco web server (which is equivalent to giving the no ip http server command).


Note The Cable Monitor is disabled by default, so the no ip http cable-monitor command does not need to be included in the Cisco IOS configuration file that is downloaded to the router at power-on during the DOCSIS provisioning. However, the Cisco web server is enabled by default; if this is not desirable, you should include the no ip http server command in the Cisco IOS configuration file that is downloaded to the Cisco uBR924 router.

When disabling the Cable Monitor, the console might display warning messages similar to the following:

    % monitor-209.165.202.131 is not in the database.
    % monitor-192.168.100.1 is not in the database.
    % Range [209.165.202.131, 209.165.202.131] is not in the database.
    % Range [192.168.100.1, 192.168.100.1] is not in the database. 
     
    

These messages can be ignored because they are simply confirming that the IP addresses used for the Cable Monitor are no longer being used for that purpose.


Note The Cable Monitor can also be disabled by giving the no ip http server command, which disables all web server access. However, this is not recommended because it does not release the system resources that are specifically allocated to the Cable Monitor.

Accessing the Cable Monitor

The Cable Monitor can be accessed either through the cable interface (typically by technicians at the headend or the service provider's network operations center) or through the Ethernet interface (typically by subscribers when the cable interface has gone down). See the following sections for more information.


Note You must be using a web browser that supports frames to access the Cable Monitor pages.

Through the Cable Interface when the Cable Interface is Operational

During normal operations---when the Cisco uBR924 router is online and has connectivity with the CMTS through the cable interface---service technicians at the headend can access the Cable Monitor by doing the following:


Step 1 Start a web browser on a PC or workstation at the headend that has TCP/IP connectivity with the Cisco uBR924 router.

Step 2 Type in a URL with the IP address assigned to the cable interface on the Cisco uBR924 router. This is typically an address in the service provider's IP address space.


For example, if the Cisco uBR924 router has been assigned the IP address of 209.165.202.131 by the service provider, a technician at the headend would use the following URL to access the Cable Monitor:

http://209.165.202.131

If a port number other than the default of 80 has been assigned to the Cable Monitor, that port number must be included as part of the URL. For example, if the Cisco uBR924 router has been assigned the IP address of 209.165.202.131 and a port number of 8080 by the service provider, a technician at the headend would use the following URL to access the Cable Monitor:

http://209.165.202.131:8080

Through the Ethernet Interface when the Cable Interface is Not Operational

When the Cisco uBR924 router loses connectivity with the CMTS at the headend and detects that its cable interface is not operational, the router automatically switches into a diagnostic mode and does the following:


Note The PC or workstation can be rebooted to force it to make a DHCP request. If using a Windows 95 or Windows 98 system, you can also use the winipcfg utility to send a DHCP release and renew request.

When the cable interface is down, users at the subscriber site can use the following procedure to access the Cable Monitor to aid in troubleshooting the problem with the cable network:


Step 1 If necessary, connect a PC to one of the Ethernet ports on the Cisco uBR924 router.

Step 2 If necessary, configure the PC so it obtains its IP address from a DHCP server---on Windows 95 computers, display the Network Control Panel, click the TCP/IP component for the computer's Ethernet adapter, click the IP Address tab under Properties, and click Obtain an IP address automatically.


Note Since most PCs are configured to use a DHCP server, this step is not usually necessary. However, if the PC is normally assigned a static IP address, you should copy down its IP address and default gateway address before reconfiguring it to use a DHCP server.

Step 3 Reboot the PC so that it obtains an IP address from the Cisco uBR924 router.

Step 4 Start a web browser on the PC and enter any arbitrary URL, such as http://anything. The Cisco uBR924 router redirects the request to the Cable Monitor, which displays its home page.


Note In the default configuration, the static IP address 192.168.100.1 is reserved for the Cable Monitor while in diagnostic mode. If desired, subscribers (or technicians who visit the subscriber's site) can enter the URL http://192.168.100.1 as a bookmark for the Cable Monitor. If a different IP address has been assigned to the Cable Monitor, users should enter that value as the bookmarked address.

Step 5 When the cable interface resumes normal operations, reconfigure the PC (if necessary) to restore its previous TCP/IP configuration. Then wait from 30 to 60 seconds or reboot the PC to restore normal operations.


Sample Pages

Table B-1 lists each of the web pages displayed by the Cable Monitor, the modes in which the pages are displayed, and a short description of each page's information.


Table B-1: Cable Monitor Pages
Cable Monitor Page Modes Available Description

Home Page

Basic and Advanced

Displays current status and initialization information.

Initialization Information

Advanced Only

Displays more detailed initialization information.

Voice Ports Information

Advanced Only

Displays status and configuration information for the router's voice ports.

CPE State Information

Advanced Only

Displays the basic configuration for the router.

Cable Interface Information

Advanced Only

Displays the current status and configuration of the cable interface.

Performance Information

Basic and Advanced

Displays performance statistics for the router.

Debug Information Page

Advanced Only (requires enable password)

Displays advanced configuration information.

The following sections describe each page in more detail.

Home Page

The Cable Monitor home page displays the current status of the LEDs on the front panel of the Cisco uBR924 router and summarizes the status of the router's registration process with the CMTS. Figure B-1 shows a typical home page when the Cable Monitor is configured for advanced mode.


Figure B-1: Cable Monitor Home Page



Note Figure B-1 shows the home page when the Cable Monitor is configured for advanced mode; in this mode, the left side displays links for all available pages. When the Cable Monitor is configured for basic mode, the left side displays only the link for the Performance Information page.

The top of the Cable Monitor home page displays the current status of the LEDs on the front panel of the Cisco uBR924 router:

The Quick Status section of the home page summarizes the information that is displayed on the Initialization Information page, described in the next section.

Initialization Information

The Initialization Information page is available to advanced users only and displays the same information shown in the Quick Status section of the Home Page. This information summarizes the router's power-on initialization and registration process using the following color codes:

Figure B-2 shows a display for a Cisco uBR924 router that has successfully registered and come online.


Figure B-2: Initialization Information Page


This page provides detailed information on the state changes when the Cisco uBR924 router tries to establish communication and registration with the CMTS. All stages must show "Passed" before the router can come online.

Clicking on the name of the stage displays more information, if available, in the bottom half of the window. For example, clicking stage 11, "Download Configuration File state," displays the name of the configuration file that was downloaded to the router and the configuration parameters it contained.

The following is the normal progression of states that would be displayed if the Cisco uBR924 router registers successfully with the CMTS:


Note For more information on these parameters, see the "DOCSIS Configuration File" section.

Voice Ports Information

The Voice Ports Information page summarizes the current status of the two voice ports on the Cisco uBR924 router. Figure B-3 shows a typical Voice Ports Information page.


Figure B-3: Voice Ports Page



Note The Voice Ports Information page has valid information only when the Cisco uBR924 router is running a software image with voice support.

The Voice Ports Information page displays the same information that is shown using the show voice port command:

CPE State Information

This page summarizes how the Cisco uBR924 router has been configured at the MAC (physical) layer. Figure B-4 shows a typical CPE State Information page.


Figure B-4: CPE State Information Page


The following information is shown in the CPE State Information page:

Cable Interface Information

The Cable Interface Information page provides information on the Cisco uBR924 router's cable interface and the quality of its signal. When the cable interface is not operational, the information provided is based on the live values last available.

Figure B-5 shows a typical Cable Interface page.


Figure B-5: Cable Interface Information Page


The following information is displayed on the Cable Interface page:

The following are errors encountered by the router at the MAC layer:

Performance Information

This page is available to all users and provides basic performance statistics for the Cisco uBR924 router. Figure B-6 shows a typical Performance Information page.


Figure B-6: Performance Information Page


The following information is displayed on the Performance Information page:

Debug Information Page

This page displays the output of the show tech-support command, which includes the output of the following CLI commands:

If an enable password has been set, the user must enter the level 15 user ID and password to access this page. If no enable password has been set, this page is accessible to all users.


Note Cisco recommends that an encrypted enable password be set on all Cisco uBR924 routers that are deployed at subscriber sites. If an encrypted enable password is not being used at a subscriber's site, the Cable Monitor should not be enabled in advanced mode because the Debug Information page displays information, such as the SNMP community strings, that could be used to defeat the router's security.

Figure B-7 shows a typical Debug Information page.


Figure B-7: Debug Information Page



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Posted: Thu Jul 20 18:40:42 PDT 2000
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