Agilent Technologies 37907A Installation guide

Agilent Technologies

Signaling Advisor --- 37907A

Technical Overview

The Complete Wireless and

Advanced Intelligent Network

Test Solution

The Agilent Technologies Signaling Advisor is a comprehensive and powerful

test and troubleshooting instrument. It enables the user to find problems in

today’s complex wireless and wire- line telephone networks faster. Businesses

and consumers are increasingly sensitive to even a minor deterioration in

service quality. To maintain customer satisfaction and loyalty, your

technology teams need tools that help identify potential problems and resolve

faults quickly and effectively… They need an Agilent Technologies Signaling

Advisor

The Signaling Advisor provides detailed test and analysis capabilities for

signaling on modern wireless and wire- line telephone networks such as SS7,

Cellular, PCS, GSM and GPRS networks. It provides robust and reliable

measurements and analysis that go beyond decoding and filtering data.

The Signaling Advisor mainframe is a robust dispatched trouble- shooting tool.

Add any appropriate optional decodes and link interface modules, and you

are ready to test across multiple links involving different protocol standards

for example, at access network interfaces. At the core of each Signaling

Advisor, the intuitive graphical user interface makes measuring and

understanding results easier for signaling engineers, enabling them to check

performance and troubleshoot problems in signaling systems quickly and

accurately.

Page 2 of 16

A range of link interface modules (LIMs) provide the physical interface to

network equipment. Each LIM connects to one type of physical interface (e.g.,

E1 or T1), providing access to all signaling links on up to four bidirectional

bearers. The mainframe supports two LIMs (eight bidirectional bearers). An

optional undercradle expands capacity to four LIMs (16 bidirectional bearers).

The architecture of the software and mainframe makes it easy for you to

keep up with changing technologies and data rates, minimizing the need to

replace equipment. Simply add a LIM or decode to bring your instrument in

line with new needs. High performance and flexibility are built into the

Signaling Advisor mainframe enabling it to cater for today’s and tomorrow’s

applications. Separate processors (with independent memory) handle data

acquisition and user interface, allowing optimum performance to be achieved.

EmuLite is a software option which allows the Signaling Advisor to be

upgraded to a fully integrated monitor and emulation solution.

EmuLite creates and executes tests faster through use of its graphical

message and sequence editors. This allows engineers more time to diagnose

signaling problems without the need for programming.

Signaling Advisor Key Benefits

Have new equipment and services installed faster and have them operate

correctly the first time.

• Install new services more efficiently

Quickly, easily, and thoroughly test new services before installation by using

the Signaling Advisor’s graphical emulation environment.

• Maximize revenue per subscriber

Optimize networks by monitoring performance and utilization quicker and

easier. Trends in network performance and subscriber behavior can easily be

examined using the Signaling Advisor’s statistical functions.

• Attract and retain customers

For the highest quality of service and reliability, monitor all parts of the

network and rapidly highlight any problems using the Signaling Advisor.

• Maintain a more profitable network

Be sure that the engineering staff is as productive as possible and customers

have as few problems as possible. Find problems and solve them faster with

the Signaling Advisor.

Page 3 of 16

Signaling Advisor

Features and Functionality

General Feature summary

• Dedicated software for Cellular, PCS/GSM, GPRS, UMTS, cdma2000 and

SS7 signaling networks

• Windows 98® based operation

• Multitasking applications (protocol analysis, statistics, call trace)

• Real- time or post- capture analysis

• Connect to up to 16 duplex physical bearers (E1 or T1, DS0, V.35, RS- 232,

RS- 449)

• Analyze up to 32 duplex signaling links (8, 16, 32, 48, 56, and 64 kb/s)

• Analyze full duplex Ethernet/Fast Ethernet GSM sub- rate signaling

• (8, 16, 32 Kb/s) and TRAU decode support

• Analyze ATM signaling links, including Iu, Iub and Iur for W- CDMA

• Analyze Frame Relay and ISDN connections for WAN

• UMTS (E1/T1 ATM and STM- 1/OC- 3 ATM)

• Monitor up to 4 full rate GPRS Gb duplex bearers

• Monitor up to 3 full rate high speed SS7 bearers

• Chinese language GUI option

• Voice monitoring

• Link Status view

• Alarm View

• Auto- configuration identifies signaling links and protocol stacks

• Graphical configuration and measurement setup

• Triggers and filters (logging and display)

• On- line and context sensitive help

• Protocol help

Monitoring Features

• Graphical call trace with filters and alarms

• User- configurable columnized traffic overview and columnized color coded,

protocol decodes

• Graphical (or tabular) time- based statistics with thresholds

• Automatic message and sequence validation

• Point code interpretation

• Storage of captured data and configurations to disk

• Stand- alone PC software for post- capture analysis

• Timestamping up to 12 microsecond resolution

• Remote Control

• Compatible with capture file formats of Agilent Advisor and Network

• Analyzer protocol analyzers, acceSS7 monitoring system and Agilent

37900D signaling test set

• Export data to CSV file for further ‘off- site’ analysis

EmuLite Features

• Automatic test creation - copy messages and their sequence from call

trace

• Graphical editor - quickly create messages - no more programming!

• Intelligent protocol field- based editor - correctly build complex signaling

messages - not just in hex!

• Intelligent built in test manager - easily manage the execution of tests

• Graphical analysis tools - instantly identify failed tests and why they

failed

• Easily verified network element responses

• Test all non- IP based GPRS interfaces

• Test SS7, GSM, GPRS, IS- 41, CDMA, ISDN plus many more

Page 4 of 16

SS7 Monitoring

The Signaling Advisor makes it easy for you to start monitoring, even if you

don’t know what timeslots or protocols are being used for signaling. The auto

configure tool configures the instrument’s receiver to match the bearer and

then searches the bearer for signaling links (timeslots that are carrying

signaling information). The correct protocol stack will be built based on

signaling messages.

If the default protocol stacks do not match the signaling being tested, or a

special variant is required, you can quickly change the assigned protocol

stack graphically. Figure 1 shows a typical protocol stack.

Figure 1: Protocol Stack configuration

Real-time Analysis

The SS7 Signaling Advisor monitors up to 16 bidirectional bearers and up to

32 duplex signaling links simultaneously (spread across one or more bearers).

Each signaling link can carry a different protocol. Monitored data is

processed then automatically stored to hard disk.

Post-capture Analysis

All of the capabilities available for real- time analysis are also available for

use on previously logged data. The user may perform the same operations as

in real time.

Applications

In addition to the default protocol analysis application, it is possible to setup

multiple applications for statistical analysis or call traces.

Figure 2 shows a typical real- time measurement setup.

A wide variety of measurement triggers and filters can be set based on

almost any interesting variable or event.

Page 5 of 16

Figure 2: Measurement setup display.

Ethernet Monitoring

GPRS and cdma2000

The Fast Ethernet interface and software provides real- time and post

capture analysis of Ethernet protocols. Use the powerful Agilent

Advisor 10/100 LAN software to analyze your IP links with the

Signaling Advisor. The software also offers eight built- in analysis

tools:

1. Expert analyzer

2. Node statistics

3. Node and connection statistics

4. Protocol stack statistics

5. Protocol commentators

6. Node discovery

7. Protocol vitals

8. Decodes

This software can also set filters on a wide variety of variables,

protocols or events. Automatic Ethernet link negotiation for physical

interface line rate and a range of stimulus and response tests are

important and powerful features of the 10/100 Ethernet software.

The software also supports cdma2000 protocols over 10/100 Ethernet.

Figure 3: cdma2000 decode.

Page 6 of 16

ATM Monitoring

The ATM interfaces and software provides real time and post capture

analysis ATM and encapsulated LAN protocols, including high speed SS7 and

W- CDMA UMTS as well as cdma2000. Monitor and troubleshoot all aspects of

the UMTS Radio Access Network (Iu, Iub and Iur interfaces). Use the

powerful Agilent Advisor ATM software

with the Signaling Advisor to analyze your ATM links. Agilent Advisor has

the most comprehensive and extensive layer 1 and 2 test capabilities for ATM

available today. The software also offers (14) built in analysis tools:

1. Line Vital Statistics

2.Filters/Counters Statistics

3. Optical Power and Pulse Amplitude Meter

4. Line Status View with Statistics

5. VP.VC Autodiscovery and Statistics

6. Traffic Generation

7. Quality of Service Application

8. Policing and Traffic Contract Measurements

9. UNI 3.0, 3.1 and 4.0 Signaling and Call Placement

10. Real time IP over ATM filtering

11. Expert Analysis of LAN traffic within ATM Cells

12. LAN over ATM Commentators

13. Health Monitor

14. Decodes

The ATM software has powerful post processing capabilities.

Post processing display filters let you quickly zoom in on selected criteria.

You’ll spend less time searching through frames and more time focusing on

problems. See related literature for more information.

Figure 4: 3G UMTS decodes.

Page 7 of 16

Monitor Tool

Viewing Messages

The main traffic overview display shows (chronologically) every message

captured for each signaling link. This overview display shows one line of

essential information for each message. The type and format of information is

displayed in columns and is controlled by the user. Each message can be

decoded further to show a one line description per octet/field. Figure 4

shows a typical traffic overview.

Time Stamping

Each captured message is given a timestamp. The timestamp reference is the

instrument’s internal clock.

Alarm View

If a physical layer alarm occurs (e.g., AIS), a pop- up alarm view window

appears showing software LEDs for all bearers. This view can be expanded to

show individual alarm conditions.

Link Status and Message Validation

Link status view and link loading information is available for each link under

test. The software can highlight message- encoding errors found in received

messages. In the traffic overview display, a message with an error is

highlighted in red. The ‘‘message sequence validation’’ function advises the

user of errors in message sequences (e.g., messages which do not fit into a

normal call pattern). The erroneous messages are highlighted in red.

Data Import

It is possible to import data from the Agilent acceSS7 monitoring system or

from the Agilent 37900D signaling test set or from a text file into the

Signaling Advisor.

Figure 5: Traffic overview display.

Page 8 of 16

Call Trace Tool

Call Trace Overview

The graphical call trace application traces calls (or message sequences) across

all links and groups the messages together. It is

therefore a very powerful facility for troubleshooting, particularly since it

operates in both real- time and post- capture modes.

The application produces a user- configurable window which contains one line

for each call. For example in the case of ISUP, this window would typically

show:

• Call identifier

• Call status

• Call duration

• Call setup time

• Call cleardown time

• Called party number

• Calling party number

• OPC/DPC/CIC

• Release cause

• Graphical representation of call phases

Call Trace Tool

Figure 6: Call trace display.

Page 9 of 16

Statistics Tool

Graphical Statistics

User-definable graphical statistics are available in real-time or postcapture modes. There are

several SS7 message transfer part (MTP) statistics, as well as user part specific statistics (e.g.,

message types or release causes). Statistics are typically counts or ratios. The statistics may be

displayed graphically as:

• 2D Bar charts

• Radar diagram

Figure 7: Shows a typical statistics graph.

Tabular Statistics

Tabular statistics are drawn by call traces. This provides a more detailed and

dynamic view of network performance, incorporating several programmed

measures (handovers, errors, call success rates etc).

Time-based Statistics

It is possible to produce the graphical statistics as a tabular time series,

where the intervals can be set from one minute to 24 hours.

Statistics Thresholds

The user can set lower and upper thresholds which, when exceeded, will

result in color changes to the statistical graphs to highlight ‘‘alarm’’

conditions.

Page 10 of 16

Call-based Statistics

The most advanced statistics features involve using the call trace application

to evaluate call based statistics such as call completion ratio, min/mean/max

call setup times, and min/mean/max call durations.

Data Export

Statistics can be exported to a CSV (Comma Separated Value) file for further

analysis in another application (e.g., spreadsheet or database).

Figure 8: Graphical statistics display.

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