OmniVista Cirrus Production Notes 1.0.1

OmniVista® Cirrus is a cloud-based Network Management System (NMS). This cloud-based approach eliminates the need for purchasing and maintaining a physical server and installing the NMS on premise, since everything resides in the cloud. Network Operators can access OmniVista Cirrus from anywhere, using any approved browser and device (e.g., workstation, tablet).

Access to OmniVista Cirrus is supported on the following browsers: Internet Explorer 10+ (on Windows client PCs), Firefox 26+ (on Windows and Redhat/SuSE Linux client PCs), Chrome 26+ (on Windows and Redhat/SuSE Linux client PCs).

These Production Notes detail new features and functions, network/device configuration prerequisites, supported devices, and known issues/workarounds in OmniVista Cirrus. Please read the Production Notes in their entirety as they contain important operational information that may impact successful use of the application.

• New Features and Functions
• Network and Device Prerequisites
• Supported Devices
• Issues/Workarounds
• Additional Documentation

New Features and Functions

An overview of new features and functions is provided below. Details are provided in the Production Notes.

Devices

APs - APs can now connect to OmniVista Cirrus without configuring the OmniVista Cirrus Server option in the DHCP Server. The AP only requires a unique IP address to automatically locate and connect to the OmniVista Cirrus Server.

Applications

Application Visibility

The new Application Visibility application (Network - Application Visibility) supports monitoring and QoS configuration of application traffic flows, and performs statistics profiling on the collected data. OmniVista Cirrus simplifies Application Visibility configuration for the network by enabling you to quickly configure Application Visibility on devices throughout the network. Application Visibility is supported on OS6900 Switches, OS6860E Switches, including a virtual chassis of OS6860/OS6860E Switches where at least one OS6860E is present, and APs.

Analytics

With the introduction of the Application Visibility application, the following new Analytics Reports are available:

• Top N Applications - Provides information about the top applications being accessed on the network. The Top N Applications are determined using sFlow. OmniVista Cirrus identifies the applications using the TCP/UDP port obtained from sFlow packets. In other words, traffic on a specific port is identified as coming from a specific application.
• Top N Applications - Advanced - Provides information about the top applications being accessed on the network based on Signature Profiles configured in the Application Visibility Application. Signature Profiles include the specific application groups/applications being monitored as well as the specific switches being monitored, so the information displayed is determined by the applications and switches included in the profile. The report is only supported on OS6900 Switches, OS6860/6860E Switches, and APs.
• Top N Clients - Provides information for the top network clients including the number of traffic flows for each client. OmniVista Cirrus uses the sFlow packet to determine the IP address of the client.

Dashboard

If no data has been generated for a Dashboard widget, or the widget is not properly configured to display data, a sample widget is now displayed. This may be because the application has not yet been configured (e.g., you have not created Analytics Profiles to generate Analytics Reports), or the widget may need to be configured to display data (e.g., there is no data available for the time period configured for the widget). Hover over the bottom of the widget, then click on the "Config" link to configure the widget display (if applicable), or click on the "Go to application" link to go to the application and configure the application to generate data. Note that some widgets (e.g., Inventory, Network Availability) are not configurable, so the "Config" link is not available for these widgets.

Inventory

The following enhancements have been made to the Device Catalog Page in the Inventory application.

• Device Catalog Refresh - The Device Catalog Page automatically refreshes every minute to display the most recent device status information.
• Device Status Display - Device Status in the Device Catalog is now color-coded to more easily view device status (e.g., Green, Yellow, Red).
• New Device Status - Unsupported devices that are added to the Device Catalog will display an "Unsupported Device" status.

License

The following enhancements have been made to the License application:

• Additional Licenses Availability - When additional licenses are purchased, they will be displayed in the Device Catalog Wizard to apply to network devices.
• Expiration Display - The License Expiration Time/Date is displayed in the user's timezone.

Topology

The following enhancements have been made to the Topology application:

• Deleting Maps - You can now delete a Topology map containing devices. If you delete a Logical Map, the map and all devices (and child maps, if applicable) will be deleted. If you delete a Child Map created from the Physical Map, the map will be deleted and all devices will be moved back to the Physical Map.

Network and Device Prerequisites

The following Customer Network and Alcatel-Lucent Enterprise (ALE) Device prerequisites must be verified/configured before using OmniVista Cirrus.

Customer Network Prerequisites

The following DHCP, Firewall, and NTP Server requirements must be verified/configured on your local network before using OmniVista Cirrus.

DHCP Server Requirements

Standard Requirements

• IP Address - DHCP Server IP address.
• Option 1 - Subnet Mask.
• Option 2 - Gateway.
• Option 6 - Domain Name Servers - Required for FQDN resolution of OmniVista Cirrus connection points.
• Option 28 - Broadcast Address.
• Option 42 - NTP Server(s) - Required for Certificate validation (start date and duration), and all related encryption functions.

ALE Specific Requirements

• Option 43 (required only for OS6350, OS6450 Switches)
• Sub-Option 1 - Vendor ID. Required to validate the DHCP response (alenterprise).

The following Sub-Options are only required if you are using a Proxy to connect to the Internet.

• Sub-Option 129 - Proxy URL. It can be either an IP address or a URL (e.g., "IP-address=4.4.4.4", "URL=http://server.name").
• Sub-Option 130 - Proxy Port.
• Sub-Option 131 - Proxy User Name. If the customer proxy access requires authentication, both 131 and 132 can be supplied via these sub-options.
• Sub-Option 132 - Proxy Password.
• Option 138 - Remove any existing configuration (required for all ALE Devices).

Note: If you are accessing https via a proxy, the proxy server must be specified in DHCP Option 43, Sub-option 129 (Server) and Sub-Option 130 (Port). The server may be specified in 1 of 2 formats: 1) “URL=http://server.domain”, or 2) “IP-address=8.8.8.8”. The port is specified as a number (8080).

Note: To enable statistics data transfer, status queries, configuration commands, and other requests/responses between devices and OmniVista Cirrus, a minimum of 1 Mbps end-to-end network throughput is recommended between the customer premise and the OmniVista Cirrus hosting infrastructure.

Firewall Requirements

The following ports must be configured to allow outbound traffic from your local network if you are not using a Proxy to connect to the Internet, or if your DNS or NTP Servers are outside of your network:

• 443 - If you are not using a Proxy to connect to the Internet. Either your firewall must allow outbound access to this port; or if you have one, you may access the port via your local proxy.
• 80 - If you are not using a Proxy to connect to the Internet. Either your firewall must allow outbound access to this port; or if you have one, you may access the port via your local proxy.
• 123 - If you are using an NTP Server that is outside of your network. If External, you must ensure that your firewall allows outbound access to port 123 udp. This access cannot be mediated by a proxy, it must be direct (NAT is allowed).
• 53 - If you are using a DNS Server that is outside of your network. If External, you must ensure that your firewall allows outbound access to both port 53 tcp and port 53 udp. This access cannot be mediated by a proxy, it must be direct (NAT is allowed).

NTP Server Requirements

An NTP Server(s) is required for Certificate validation (start date and duration), and all related encryption functions. ALE Devices must have access to at least one NTP Server, whether local or external.

Device Prerequisites

Devices must be running the specified OS below for management by OmniVista Cirrus.

• LAN Devices - AOS 6.7.2.R03 (Build 112 or higher), AOS 8.4.1.R03 (Build 141 or higher).
• APs - AWOS 3.0.2.40

A link to the latest software images is included in the Verification E-Mail you receive when you create your account. If necessary, click on the link and download the required AOS software. Release Notes, containing detailed upgrade instructions for each device type, are available on the ALE Business Portal.

Supported Devices

A full list of ALE supported devices/AOS releases can be found here.

Issues/Workarounds

Analytics

Analytics Line Chart Does not Display Date in X-Axis (OVC-461)
Summary: The Analytics - Network Health line chart does not display the date in the x-axis when configured to display weekly or monthly data.
Workaround: No workaround at this time.

Inventory

Upgrade Workflow is Different for AOS 6.x Switch Running from Certified Directory (OVCLOUD-2875)
Summary: When an AOS 6.x Switch with "Set to Software Version" set to "Latest Version" contacts the OmniVista Server, the server checks the Working Directory to see if it is running the latest AOS software. If the Working Directory contains the latest software version, an upgrade will not be triggered, even if the Certified Directory is running on an older software version. To upgrade the Certified Directory to the latest software, reboot the switch from the Working Directory.
Workaround: NA - Informational.

Status of All AOS Devices Changed from “OV Managed” to “Pre-Provisioning" in Device Catalog (OVC-145)
Summary: AOS Device Status in the Device Catalog changes from “OV Managed” to “Pre-Provisioning" in the Device Catalog. This also affects applications throughout OmniVista Cirrus (e.g., Discovery - polling problems, Notifications - unable to configure traps, Analytics - unable to collect data, Resource Manager - unable to perform backup/restore).
Workaround: OmniVista Framework Server (ovclient) must be restarted by ALE Customer Support.

Device Added to Data Lake Is Not added to Device Catalog Even Though "Call Home" Was Successful (OVC-146)
Summary: Device was added to the Data Lake database and successfully "called home", but did not appear in the Device Catalog.
Workaround: OmniVista Framework Server (ovclient) must be restarted by ALE Customer Support.

VC of 2 OS6900-X20 Disappeared from the List of Managed Devices (OVC-147)
Summary: A Virtual Chassis consisting of OS6900 Switches disappeared from the List of Managed Devices.
Workaround: OmniVista Framework Server (ovclient) must be restarted by ALE Customer Support.

Unified Access

OS6560 Does Not Support Policy List (OVCLOUD-1384)
Summary: You cannot apply a Policy List to an OS6560 Switch running AOS 8.4.1.R03.
Workaround: No workaround at this time. This will be supported in the AOS 8.5 Release.

Error When Applying Access Role Profile with Policy List to 6x Device (OVC-459)
Summary: A Failure error may occur when applying an Access Role Profile with a Policy List containing a large number of policies to 6x Devices. This may be due to network latency.
Workaround: Reduce the number of Policies in the Policy List and retry (e.g., reduce the number of policies in the list from 10 to 5).

UPAM

BYOD Access Strategy "Go to initial URL" Option Does Not Work on AOS 6x and AOS 8x Switches (OVCLOUD-2411)
Summary: The "Go to Initial URL" option for successful login does not work on AOS 6x and AOS 8x Switches. It does work on APs.
Workaround: There is no workaround at this time.

External LDAP Server Requires Direct Connection (OVCLOUD-2832)
Summary: If you are using an external LDAP Server, you must have a direct connection to the server using a public IP address.
Workaround: NA - Informational.

Cannot Remove a BYOD/Guest Online Device From Device List on AOS 8x Switches (OVCLOUD-2865)
Summary: User is unable to remove a device from the BYOD/Guest Online Device List using the "Kick Off" button.
Workaround:There is no workaround at this time.

Cannot Apply Policy List from RADIUS Attribute "Alcatel-Policy-List" in UPAM on AOS 6.x Switches (OVCLOUD-3147)
Summary: On 6x Switches, if a RADIUS-based user authentication results in an Access Role Profile and a Policy List, the Policy List is not applied to the authenticated user.
Workaround: If you want to apply a Policy List to the authenticated user, you must configure the Policy List as part of the Access Role Profile itself in Unified Access, and rely only on the Access Role Profile in the RADIUS response.

Other

Cannot Find Audit Logs in OmniVista Cirrus (OVCLOUD-2816)
Summary: Access to Audit Logs is not available in the OmniVista Cirrus UI.
Workaround: Contact Customer Support to review Audit Logs.

Additional Documentation

Online help is available in OmniVista Cirrus and can be access by clicking on the Help Link (?) in the upper-right corner of any screen. You can also search through the online help on the OmniVista Cirrus Home Page. An overview of OV Cirrus as well as Getting Started Guides for Freemium, Premium-Trial, and Premium accounts is available here.