Cisco ONS 15327 User manual

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Release Notes for Cisco ONS 15327
Release 3.3
December, 2003
Release notes address closed (maintenance) issues, caveats, and new features for the Cisco ONS 15327
SONET multiplexer. For detailed information regarding features, capabilities, hardware, and software
introduced with this release, refer to Release 3.3 of the Cisco ONS 15327 Installation and Operations Guide,
Cisco ONS 15327 Troubleshooting and Reference Guide, and Cisco ONS 15454 and Cisco ONS 15327 TL1
Command Guide, Release 3.3. For the most current version of the Release Notes for Cisco ONS 15327
Release 3.3, visit the following URL:
http://www.cisco.com/univercd/cc/td/doc/product/ong/15327/rnotes/index.htm
Cisco also provides Bug Toolkit, a web resource for tracking defects. To access Bug Toolkit, visit the
following URL:
http://www.cisco.com/cgi-bin/Support/Bugtool/launch_bugtool.pl
Contents
Changes to the Release Notes, page 2
Caveats, page 2
Resolved Software Caveats for Release 3.3, page 7
New Features and Functionality, page 10
Related Documentation, page 38
Obtaining Documentation, page 38
Obtaining Technical Assistance, page 39

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Release Notes for Cisco ONS 15327 Release 3.3 OL-2671-01
Changes to the Release Notes
Changes to the Release Notes
This section documents supplemental changes that have been added to the Release Notes for Cisco ONS
15327 Release 3.3 since the production of the Cisco ONS 15327 System Software CD for Release 3.3.
The following changes have been added to the release notes for Release 3.3.
Changes to Caveats
The following caveats have been added to the release notes.
JRE Updates, page 2
JRE Updates, page 2
DDTS # CSCdx78825, page 3
Caveats
Review the notes listed below before deploying the ONS 15327. Caveats with DDTS tracking numbers
are knownsystem limitations that are scheduled to be addressed in a subsequent release. Caveats without
DDTS tracking numbers are provided to point out procedural or situational considerations when
deploying the product.
Maintenance and Administration
Caution VxWorks is intended for qualified Cisco personnel only. Customer use of VxWorks is not
recommended, nor is it supported by Cisco's Technical Assistance Center. Inappropriate use of
VxWorks commands can have a negative and service affecting impact on your network. Please
consult the troubleshooting guide for your release and platform for appropriate troubleshooting
procedures. To exit without logging in, enter a Control-D (hold down the Control and D keys at the
same time) at the Username prompt. To exit after logging in, type “logout” at the VxWorks shell
prompt.
JRE Updates
Cisco ONS platforms ship with a Java Runtime Environment (JRE) from Sun Microsystems.
Occasionally Sun releases maintenance releases to the JRE. The Sun Microsystems website lists JRE
maintenance releases and the issues resolved for each. Cisco recommends that you review these listings
to determine if the issues resolved in any given JRE maintenance release warrant a JRE upgrade for your
particular network. Cisco tests only with the specific JRE actually shipped with the ONS software CD.
DDTS # CSCeb05404
PWR-A/B alarms can become stuck for an ONS 15327 node in the event of a transient power failure.
The alarms will clear after resetting both XTCs. This issue is resolved in Release 4.6.

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Release Notes for Cisco ONS 15327 Release 3.3
OL-2671-01
Caveats
DDTS # CSCdx78825
The ONS 15327 XTC reboots after the XTC has received 64 or more ARP requests on a subnet different
from that of the XTC. This situation can occur when the network settings (IP address and netmask) are
incorrect for the craft Ethernet environment. The node may respond to Ethernet ARP requests via its
automatic host detection feature. If this feature is triggered more than 64 times, the node's XTC will
reboot. Removing the craft Ethernet connection resets the count, so this situation is unlikely to occur
with an End Network Element (ENE). To avoid this issue, ensure that the node is properly provisioned
for its craft Ethernet environment. In particular, ensure that the netmask is correct. For ENEs that depend
on automatic host detection, avoid leaving the craft Ethernet connected for more than one day at a time.
This issue is resolved in Release 3.4.
Upgrades from Release 1.0
If you wish to upgrade from Release 1.0 to Release 3.3, you must first upgrade to maintenance Release
1.0.2. If you are already running maintenance Release 1.0.1, you do not have to perform the intermediate
upgrade.
DDTS # CSCdx02680
If you create a VT circuit, set the DS1 port in service, generate any alarm, then set the port out of service,
you may see VT alarms that will not clear. To clear the alarms, delete the VT circuit. This issue will be
resolved in Release 3.4.
DDTS # CSCds23552
You cannot delete the standby XTC once it is removed. If you have two XTC cards and then decide to
operate with only one, you will get a standing minor alarm. The alarm cannot be removed by CTC. The
XTC is a combo card, combining the functionality of the ONS 15454 TCC+, cross connect, DS1 and
DS3 cards, with a protection group automatically provisioned. On the ONS 15454, similar behavior
occurs for the TCC+ card. The cross connect card for the ONS 15454 can only be deleted if there are no
circuits provisioned. DS1 and DS3 cards can only be deleted if they are not in a protection group. It is
not known at this time when or if this issue will be resolved.
DDTS # CSCdw71844
If a manual switch request is made when a higher priority request is present (in other words, SD/SF or
lockout), the user request will not be denied. This issue will be resolved in Release 3.4. As of Release
3.4, if a user initiated switch should not cause an actual switch (because of a higher priority request), the
switch will be denied.
If a switch is accepted but overridden at a later time because a higher priority request is initiated, the
current switch will be cleared. This applies to 1+1, UPSR/SNCP and BLSR/MS-SPRing.
DDTS # CSCdw95301
When there are large numbers of VT circuits (greater than 100) and when there is a lot of circuit activity
(for example, when there are a lot of updates), the circuits pane can be extremely slow to repaint, and
the user interface can fail to respond for several minutes. This issue will be resolved in a future release.

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Release Notes for Cisco ONS 15327 Release 3.3 OL-2671-01
Caveats
DDTS # CSCdt30119
VT1.5 circuits might require new VT tunnels despite sufficient bandwidth on existing VT tunnels. In
complex configurations of the Cisco ONS 15327 that use both 1+1 and UPSR protection, automatic
circuit routing may fail to use existing VT tunnels. When you create new VT1.5 circuits with automatic
circuit routing, the ONS 15327 might prompt you to create new VT tunnels even though sufficient
bandwidth is available in existing VT tunnels. Use manual routing to specify a path for the VT1.5 circuit
through the existing VT tunnels. This issue will be resolved in a future release.
Line Cards
DDTS # CSCdt50628
B3 errors might appear on an OC-12 span after an XTC side switch. A one-time burst of B3 errors might
occur after an XTC side switch when the ONS 15327 is configured with an OC-12 line card. This is a
rare condition which has been seen in approximately 1% of such XTC side switches. The result is less
than 1 errored second. No traffic outage is associated with this burst of B3 errors. The issue only arises
with OC-12 configurations. OC-48 configurations are not affected. This issue will be resolved in a future
release.
BLSR Functionality
DDTS # CSCdw64086
For a given BLSR node equipped with two XTCs or two TCCs, say Node 1, if you back up the database,
change the node ID of any of the other nodes in the ring, and then restore the database for Node 1,
following completion of the database restoral, a node ID mismatch condition will exist. However, the
node ID mismatch alarm may not be raised to warn you that BLSR will not function properly. If this
occurs, after the database restoral has completed, you can change the local node's Node ID (you can then
change it back to the previous ID if you prefer) to restore functionality of the BLSR (and clear the alarm,
if it is raised). If you perform a database restoral on a BLSR node, always verify afterwards that all nodes
in the ring have the correct ring map. This will ensure that any such issue for which an alarm is not raised
can be found and corrected. This issue will be resolved in Release 3.4.
DDTS # CSCdw66416
Traffic along a running ring segment cannot be restored while a participating node is rebooting. To see
this problem, in a two fiber BLSR with circuits created along a given ring segment, you must isolate that
ring segment by powering down two or more nodes where one of the nodes powered down is at the edge
of the segment and the others are outside of the segment. Then power up and reboot the node at the edge
of the segment. The circuits along this segment will not be restored even though the nodes on the
segment are both up and running. You must restore power to all nodes before the traffic is restored.

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Release Notes for Cisco ONS 15327 Release 3.3
OL-2671-01
Caveats
BLSR Support for Mixed Node Networks
The ONS 15327 is supported for BLSR in combination with ONS 15454 nodes only if Release 3.3 is
installed and running on all BLSR nodes. If you wish to provision a BLSR on a combination of ONS
15327 and ONS 15454 nodes, you should upgrade to Release 3.3 on all ONS 15454 and ONS 15327
nodes first.
UPSR Functionality
DDTS # CSCdx40081
If, in an OC-48 UPSR network, there is an STS-3C circuit, using STS 4-6, that terminates on OC-12 IR
cards, and 28 VT circuits are bulk provisioned between two nodes on the ring, the STS-3C circuit can
take at least one traffic hit during the VT circuit provisioning process. This only occurs if an OC-12 IR
card has been reset after the STS-3C circuit was created.
Deleting one or more VT circuits in the same situation may also cause an STS3C traffic hit. It is not
known when or if this issue will be resolved.
TL1
Note To be compatible with TL1 and DNS, all nodes must have valid names. Node names should contain
alphanumeric characters or hyphens, but no special characters or spaces.
TL1 Gateway Network Elements
The ONS 15327 cannot act as a TL1 Gateway Network Element in Release 3.3.
Changes in TL1
In Release 3.3, TL1 output has changed to conform to Telcordia standards as follows:
•The time period parameter has changed from 15MIN to 15-MIN, and its position in the output has
shifted.
•The direction parameter, BTH, is no longer included in the output. Only TRMT, or RCV is valid.
•The mondat and montm parameters have been added to the end of output.
For example:
In Releases 1.0.x, you would see:
> rtrv-pm-oc12::fac-2-1:1::,,,,15min;
IP 1
<
va327-22 1970-01-01 16:09:07
M 1 COMPLD
“FAC-2-1:SEFS,0,COMPL,NEND,15MIN,BTH,,"
"FAC-2-1:CVL,0,COMPL,NEND,15MIN,BTH,,"
"FAC-2-1:ESL,0,COMPL,NEND,15MIN,BTH,,"
"FAC-2-1:SESL,0,COMPL,NEND,15MIN,BTH,,"
"FAC-2-1:UASL,0,COMPL,NEND,15MIN,BTH,,"

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Release Notes for Cisco ONS 15327 Release 3.3 OL-2671-01
Caveats
"FAC-2-1:FCL,0,COMPL,NEND,15MIN,BTH,,"
"FAC-2-1:NPJC-PDET,0,COMPL,NEND,15MIN,RCV,,"
"FAC-2-1:PPJC-PDET,0,COMPL,NEND,15MIN,RCV,,"
"FAC-2-1:NPJC-PGEN,0,COMPL,NEND,15MIN,TRMT,,"
"FAC-2-1:PPJC-PGEN,0,COMPL,NEND,15MIN,TRMT,,"
"FAC-2-1:CVL,0,COMPL,FEND,15MIN,BTH,,"
"FAC-2-1:ESL,0,COMPL,FEND,15MIN,BTH,,"
"FAC-2-1:SESL,0,COMPL,FEND,15MIN,BTH,,"
"FAC-2-1:UASL,0,COMPL,FEND,15MIN,BTH,,"
"FAC-2-1:FCL,0,COMPL,FEND,15MIN,BTH,,"
;
>
While the Release 3.3 output differs as follows:
> rtrv-pm-oc12::fac-2-1:1::,0-up;
rtrv-pm-oc12::fac-2-1:1::,0-up;
va327-22 1970-01-01 16:03:04
M 1 COMPLD
“FAC-2-1,OC12:CVS,0,PRTL,NEND,RCV,15-MIN,01-01,16-00”
“FAC-2-1,OC12:ESS,0,PRTL,NEND,RCV,15-MIN,01-01,16-00"
"FAC-2-1,OC12:SESS,0,PRTL,NEND,RCV,15-MIN,01-01,16-00"
"FAC-2-1,OC12:SEFS,0,PRTL,NEND,RCV,15-MIN,01-01,16-00"
"FAC-2-1,OC12:CVL,0,PRTL,NEND,RCV,15-MIN,01-01,16-00"
"FAC-2-1,OC12:ESL,0,PRTL,NEND,RCV,15-MIN,01-01,16-00"
"FAC-2-1,OC12:SESL,0,PRTL,NEND,RCV,15-MIN,01-01,16-00"
"FAC-2-1,OC12:UASL,0,PRTL,NEND,RCV,15-MIN,01-01,16-00"
"FAC-2-1,OC12:FCL,0,PRTL,NEND,RCV,15-MIN,01-01,16-00"
;
>
Commands not Supported in Release 3.3
The following commands are not supported:
•ED-CRS-<STS_PATH>
•ED-CRS-VT1
•OPR-UPGRADE
•DLT-<MOD2>, ENT-<MOD2>, RMV-<MOD2>, and RST-<MOD2> do not apply to DS1, STS1,
STS3C, STS12C, STS48C, VT1
•ED-EQPT
•RTRV-USER-SECU
•ED-VT1
•RTRV-VT1
These commands will be supported in a future release.
Performance Monitoring
DDTS # CSCdt10886
The far-end STS PM counts do not accumulate on an OC-48 linear 1+1 circuit even though the near-end
STS PM counts on the other end are increasing. To see this issue, connect two nodes with an OC-12 or
OC-48 linear 1+1 protected span. Place a piece of test equipment in the middle of the span and inject B3

7
Release Notes for Cisco ONS 15327 Release 3.3
OL-2671-01
Resolved Software Caveats for Release 3.3
errors. The near-end STS PM counts accumulate, but the far-end STS PM counts do not accumulate. To
work around this issue, Use the near-end STS PM count from the adjacent node to see the far-end STS
PM count for the current node. This issue will be resolved in a future release.
Resolved Software Caveats for Release 3.3
The following items are resolved in Release 3.3.
Line Cards
DDTS # CSCds78402
Exporting the Ethernet PM window does not save the data field. Click on an E10/100-4 card to display
the CTC card view. Click the Performance tab. Export the History, Utilization, and Statistics windows
as .html, .csv, .tsv files. When these files are opened, the data field does not show any details. This issue
is resolved in Release 3.3.
Performance Monitoring
DDTS # CSCdu06778
The UAS, ES, and SES PM counters on the ONS 15327 do not meet the Telcordia GR-253 requirements
in Section 6.2.2; specifically, an interpretation of the block diagrams in fig. 6.19 of the specification
(which see). Provision a circuit on an ONS 15327 and inject a high rate of bit errors. Go to the
performance monitoring screen and look at the ES, SES, and UAS counters. According to the Telcordia
GR-253 block diagrams, when 10 consecutive SES are declared, UAS should be declared and should
start counting from 10. When UAS starts counting, SES and ES should also be decremented by 10. This
issue is resolved in Release 3.3.
DDTS # CSCdu37695
The far-end line layer PM data on an ONS 15327 node are not inhibited by near-end LOS, LOF, or
AIS-L. Provision an STS circuit between two ONS 15327 nodes connected through OC-12 or OC-48
cards and inject AIS-L on one end. From the CTC Performance Monitoring screen on the node where
the AIS-L is injected, observe the far-end line layer registers and notice that they are not inhibited by the
near-end AIS-L, nor are they set to be invalid. This is true for AIS-L, LOF, or LOS. This issue is resolved
in Release 3.3.
DDTS # CSCdt08920
No far-end PM counts are reported for CV-VFE, ES-VFE, SES-VFE and UAS-VFE. Set up an OC-48
UPSR between Cisco ONS 15327s and Cisco ONS 15454s as shown in Figure 1.

8
Release Notes for Cisco ONS 15327 Release 3.3 OL-2671-01
Resolved Software Caveats for Release 3.3
Figure 1 OC-48 UPSR
Provision a circuit over the UPSR with a DS-1 drop at each end. Clear all fifteen-minute counts on
near-end and far-end bins. From the variable optical attenuator, increase the attenuation ~20 db. The
OC-48 trunk card starts to see signal degrade (SD) on its line. The near-end DS-1 port on the ONS 15327
starts to accumulate CV-V and ES-V. The far-end DS-1 should also show PM counts (i.e. CV-V, ES-V,
SES-V, UAS-V), but does not. This issue is resolved in Release 3.3.
DDTS # CSCds66639
When the PM counters are zeroed, the entries for CV-V, ES-V, SES, and UAS-V are not colored yellow
to mark them as “invalid.” Provision VT circuits. In CTC, browse to the Performance Monitoring tab for
one of the DS-1 facilities involved in the VT circuits. Attempt to zero the PM counters. The entries for
the zeroed counters should turn yellow to indicate that they are invalid assessments of the current time
period, but they do not change color. After zeroing the performance counters, all counters become valid
at the same time. To determine if an affected counter is valid, note whether all other counters in the same
time block are valid. This issue is resolved in Release 3.3.
DDTS # CSCds77660
The ONS 15327 might report TCAs for VT-level unavailable seconds (UAS-V), errored seconds (ES-V),
and coding violations (CV-V) when the PM counts are not changing. These TCAs have been seen on
DS-1 Ports 3 and 5. From the CTC Circuits tab, use the Create button to build VT circuits from several
DS-1 ports. Monitor the Alarms tab for TCAs. This issue is resolved in Release 3.3.
37511
ONS 15454
ONS 15327
ONS 15454
ONS 15327
In-line
attenuator

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Release Notes for Cisco ONS 15327 Release 3.3
OL-2671-01
Resolved Software Caveats for Release 3.3
Maintenance and Administration
DDTS # CSCdv62990
Telcordia GR-815 requires that a new password must have at least 1 numeric character (0 to 9) and at
least one special character from the character set {plus-sign (+), pound-sign (#), percent-sign (%)}. CTC
normally issues a warning if the password is non-compliant, but allows you to create the password.
However, CTC does not issue a warning when a new password is requested that has two special
characters, but no numeric component. Thus, for example, there is no warning in CTC for the password
“aaaa++,” which lacks the numeric character and is non-compliant. This issue is resolved in CTC
Release 3.3.
DDTS # CSCdu03513
A node can become permanently gray in the network view of a CTC session, and therefore inaccessible
for that session. Under some conditions, CTC will stop trying to establish connection to a node and the
node will turn gray in the network view, thus remaining inaccessible throughout the CTC session (at
present you are not notified when this occurs). The conditions include:
•CTC encounters something unexpected in the CTC Cache—either a missing file, or a file that does
not have the expected contents. This occurs most frequently when there are multiple topology hosts
with overlapping topologies specified in the preferences file and you access the nodes during their
reboot process (active card booted, standby card rebooting).
•The issue cannot be positively identified until after you are sure the node has had a reasonable length
of time to be discovered. Wait at least fifteen minutes for a node to be discovered and represented
as accessible.
•Also, some nodes may be validly represented as inaccessible during a CTC session when software
versions are incompatible. The incompatible software version alarm might not always be raised in
these circumstances.
If the inaccessible node is running a software version that differs from that of other nodes in the network,
start CTC from the highest-versioned node in the network. If, however, the node ought to be accessible
but is still grayed out, eliminate multiple nodes from a single topology from the group list. in other
words, set up your group list such that one node can discover another node, rather than putting them into
a topology host group. (Define the group list from the Edit > Preferences menu, and select it in the login
dialog box when you launch CTC.) This issue is resolved in Release 3.3.
DDTS # CSCds92475
The ACT/STBY LED of the active XTC is permanently amber after the Lamp Test button in CTC is
clicked. (Display the CTC node view and click the Maintenance > Diagnostic tabs to view the Lamp
Test.)
Under normal conditions, the ACT/STBY LED of the active XTC should be green. The ACT/STBY LED
of the standby XTC should be amber. Browse to the Maintenance > Diagnostic tabs in CTC and click
the Lamp Test button. The ACT/STBY LED of the active XTC turns amber and remains that way.
It is possible to return the node to a state where the active XTC has a green ACT/STBY LED by resetting
the active XTC from the CTC. Note that in a node with redundant XTCs, this reset will force an XTC
protection switch and cause an in-service traffic disruption of less than 60 ms. In a node with only one
XTC, the traffic disruption will be longer and may be unacceptable. Determine which XTC is active by

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Release Notes for Cisco ONS 15327 Release 3.3 OL-2671-01
New Features and Functionality
selecting the XTC Protection Group (XTCPROTGRP) in the Maintenance > Protection tabs at the node
view. Right-click the active XTC in the shelf graphic, and select “Reset” to reset the XTC. The standby
XTC will come on line and its ACT/STBY LED will turn green.
This issue is resolved in Release 3.3.
DDTS # CSCdt22538
Nodes that are connected to the LAN only by the DCC do not have their time set by an SNTP server on
the LAN. The time and date do not synchronize with that of the SNTP server.
This occurs with the following configuration: Node 2---(DCC)---Node 1---LAN
Node 2 does not have a LAN connection. Provision Node 2 to use an SNTP server to obtain the correct
date and time. The remote node will not be able to connect to the SNTP server. The default date and
time will be displayed.
There are two workarounds.
1. Set up a static route to the SNTP server. The static route must be provisioned on the node with the
LAN connection. Here is an example:
Static route:
Destination: (IP address of SNTP server goes here)
Mask: 255.255.255.255
Next Hop: (IP address of LAN connected node goes here)
Cost: 2
2. Disable use of an SNTP server and set the date and time manually in CTC. An XTC protection switch
will not cause the date and time to be reset, but if both XTCs are powered down simultaneously (or a
simplex XTC is reset) the date and time will return to the default values.
This issue is resolved in Release 3.3.
New Features and Functionality
This section highlights new features and functionality for Release 3.3. For detailed documentation of
each of these features, consult the user documentation.
Hardware
Industrial Temperature
With Release 3.3., the ONS 15327 and its line cards are certified for Industrial Temperature (I-temp)
operation. I-temp certification specifies that equipment operate in temperatures between -40 to +65
degrees C. The ONS 15327 Ethernet (E100-4) and OC48-1-IR 1310nm cards are not certified for I-temp.
Each I-temp certified product indicates its certification by a “-T” in the part number.

11
Release Notes for Cisco ONS 15327 Release 3.3
OL-2671-01
New Features and Functionality
Fan Tray Assembly
Releases 1.0.x of the ONS 15327 included a fan tray with two fans. Release 3.3 introduces a fan tray
unit that uses six fans, and is I-temp certified. The new fan tray is backward compatible will any existing
ONS 15327 chassis. The fan tray assembly consists of six fans, a status LED on the faceplate, and a fan
control PCB.
Wall Mounted Enclosure
The Release 3.3 ONS 15327 hardware can be mounted in a wall mount enclosure. The enclosure contains
the ONS 15327 chassis, a rectifier, and battery backup. The rectifier can be plugged into a 110 VAC wall
socket to power everything in the enclosure.
OC3/STM1-IR-4 (1310)
The OC3/STM1-IR-4 provides four Telcordia GR-253 SONET/SDH compliant interfaces per card. Each
interface operates at 155.52 Mbps over a single mode fiber span and may be provisioned for both
concatenated and non-concatenated payloads on an STS-1 basis.
The OC3/STM1-IR-4 has 4 standard GR-253/G.957 compliant OC3/STM-1 interfaces running TCP/IP
over the Section DCCs enabling it to interoperate with a Cisco ONS 15327 OC3/STM-1 interface or a
Cisco ONS 15303/15304 OC3/STM-1 interface for all transport applications. The OC3/STM1-IR-4 card
may be installed in any high-speed slot in the shelf assembly.
Each interface features a 1310 nm laser to support spans without repeaters at distances up to
approximately 15 kilometers depending on the condition of facilities. Each interface contains a
transmitter and receiver. The OC3/STM1-IR-4 is only available with LC connectors.
Each OC3/STM-1 port on the OC3/STM1-IR-4 can participate in a 1+1 Line Switched protection
scheme, STS-1/VT1.5 Path Switched protection scheme (UPSR), or Cisco’s Path Protected Mesh
Networks (PP-MN). BLSR protection is not supported on the OC3/STM1-IR-4 card.
OC12/STM4-LR-1 (1550)
The OC12/STM4-LR-1550 Long Reach optical transceiver module provides one Telcordia
GR-253/G.957 SONET/SDH OC12/STM-4 compliant interface per card. Each interface provides 622.08
Mbps over a single mode fiber span and may be provisioned for both concatenated and non-concatenated
services on an STS-1 basis.
The OC12/STM4-LR-1550 card can be installed in any of the high-speed slots in the Cisco ONS 15327
shelf assembly. Each interface features a 1550nm laser to support spans with no repeaters at distances
of approximately 80 kilometers, depending on the condition of the facilities. Each interface contains a
transmitter and receiver using SC optical connections.
The OC12/STM4-LR-1550 supports 1+1 Line Switched, BLSR, Path Switched protection scheme
(UPSR), or Cisco’s Path Protected Mesh Network (PPMN). The OC12/STM4-LR-1550 has a standard
GR-253/G.957 compliant OC12/STM-4 interface running TCP/IP protocol over the section DCCs,
enabling it to interoperate with a Cisco ONS 15454 OC12/STM-4 interface for all transport applications.

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Release Notes for Cisco ONS 15327 Release 3.3 OL-2671-01
New Features and Functionality
OC48/STM-16-LR-1 (1550)
The OC48/STM16-LR-1550 Long Reach optical transceiver module provides one Telcordia
GR-253/G.957 SONET/SDH OC48/STM-16 compliant interface per card. Each interface provides
2488.32 Mbps over a single mode fiber span and may be provisioned for both concatenated and
non-concatenated services on an STS-1 basis.
The OC48/STM16-LR-1550 card may be installed in any of the high-speed slots in the Cisco ONS 15327
shelf assembly. Each interface features a 1550nm laser to support spans with no repeaters at distances
of approximately 80 kilometers, depending on the condition of the facilities. Each interface contains a
transmitter and receiver using SC optical connections.
The OC48/STM16-LR-1550 supports 1+1 Line Switched, BLSR, Path Switched protection scheme
(UPSR), or Cisco’s Path Protected Mesh Network (PPMN). The OC48/STM16-LR-1550 has a standard
GR-253/G.957 compliant OC12/STM-4 interface running TCP/IP protocol over the Section DCCs,
enabling it to interoperate with a Cisco ONS 15454 OC12/STM-4 interface for all transport applications.
Software
Note The CTC and network element software of the ONS 15327 have, in the past, retained separate version
numbers. Release 1.0.x of the ONS 15327 software contains network element software 1.0.x and
CTC software 2.3.x. Release 3.3 introduces the alignment of the ONS 15327, ONS 15454, and ONS
15454 SDH platform network element software. CTC enhancements and some other features
introduced in ONS 15454 Releases 2.2.1-3.1 have also been added to the ONS 15327 for Release 3.3.
Therefore, much of the content in the following sections is derived from those releases.
Automatic Host Detection
Automatic host detection, commonly referred to as “ARP sniffing,” has been added for the ONS 15327
XTC Ethernet port for Release 3.3. Automatic host detection allows a CTC workstation on a different
subnet from the ONS 15327 node to directly connect to the node and launch CTC. Once automatic host
detection is enabled it remains active at all times.
To enable automatic host detection, enter the IP address of the workstation as a default gateway for LAN
connection. (In Microsoft Windows NT or 2000, choose Start > Settings > Control Panel > Network and
Dial-up Connections > Local Area Connection > Properties. Select Internet Protocol, click the Properties
button, click Advanced, click Add, and enter the IP address.) Once you have set up your workstation you
must launch CTC before automatic host detection begins.
Note If you ping a node on a different subnet from the workstation before automatic host detection has
started for that workstation, the ping will fail to reach the node.
Proxy Server Feature Set
The Proxy Server feature set allows a CTC session to access ONS 15327s while at the same time
restricting unauthorized IP connectivity. Proxy server features can also reduce the amount of network
setup required for external routers and CTC workstations. For a complete description of Proxy Server
feature combinations and their use, and for important SNTP and DHCP configuration notes, consult the
Cisco ONS 15327 User Documentation.

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Release Notes for Cisco ONS 15327 Release 3.3
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New Features and Functionality
Proxy Server is a set of three options (checkboxes) in the Provisioning > Network tabs listed under
Gateway Settings: Craft Access Only, Enable Proxy and Enable Firewall. These new features can be used
individually or in combination. Each is described briefly in the following sections.
Enable Proxy Server
When you select Enable Proxy, a proxy server task is activated on the ONS 15327 causing the ONS
15327 to behave in a similar manner to a SOCKS proxy for any other ONS 15327s that it has a DCC
connection to. A CTC workstation connected to an ONS 15327 proxy server has CTC visibility to
DCC-connected ONS 15327s and ONS 15454s even if there is no direct IP connectivity. All that is
required is that the CTC workstation has connectivity to the ONS 15327 that has proxy server enabled.
Firewall
The Firewall feature can prevent CTC workstations from using an ONS 15327's DCC communications
path to access other workstations on the DCN. When Firewall is enabled, unnecessary IP
communications are restricted between the ONS 15327's DCC channels and the XTC Ethernet port. The
node accomplishes this by discarding craft Ethernet packets not addressed to itself and DCC packets not
addressed to itself or to a DCC peer.
Craft Access Only
In previous releases, when an ONS 15327 XTC card detected an active link on its LAN port it would
advertise a route to other DCC connected ONS 15327s indicating that all packets with a destination
matching its own subnet should be routed to its LAN port. If two or more ONS 15327s were on the same
subnet and had active links, multiple routes would result for packets on this subnet. This would cause
some packets to be sent to one of the ONS 15327s and others to be sent to another resulting in loss of
connectivity to some of the nodes in CTC. In previous releases, this behavior could be prevented by
entering a static host route in the ONS 15327 with the connected CTC workstation as its destination.
The Craft Access Only feature allows multiple CTC sessions to ONS 15327 which are all on the same
subnet, without the need to enter static host routes. When the feature is enabled, the ONS 15327 will not
advertise routes to other 15327s it has DCC connectivity to. The ONS 15327 will only send packets for
the connected CTC workstation through its LAN port. Other packets arriving from or being sent to other
DCC connected nodes will be routed as though the CTC workstation is not connected.
Hitless Software Upgrades
Software upgrades from a previous release to Release 3.3 can be accomplished with no bit errors on
traffic traversing or terminating in the ONS 15327 outside of the standard thresholds for hitless
provisioning (60ms). The exception to this capability is the E-series Ethernet cards. Due to the necessary
topology change observed by the software during a XTC reset, and subsequent spanning tree
re-convergence, E-series cards do not pass traffic from the time of the active XTC reset (during
activation) until the E-series cards reboot, plus approximately 30 to 45 seconds for spanning tree
re-convergence. The total down time for E-series Ethernet traffic is approximately five minutes.
Note G-series Ethernet cards operate at layer one and do not lose traffic during an upgrade.

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Release Notes for Cisco ONS 15327 Release 3.3 OL-2671-01
New Features and Functionality
Network Time Protocol
The Network Time Protocol (NTP) feature enhances the SNTP (Simple Network Time Protocol)
functionality of the ONS 15327 for Release 3.3. Now NTP servers are supported. Previously, the ONS
15327 supported only an SNTP server.
Routing Improvements
Release 3.3 supports the ability to add a default route for connection to external systems. When the
default route is added to one node, it is then advertised to all other DCC connected ONS 15454s and
ONS 15327s.
Spanning Tree Control
Release 3.3 adds the ability to Turn Spanning Tree off for Ethernet circuits. You can disable or enable
spanning tree on a circuit-by-circuit basis on unstitched Ethernet cards in a point-to-point configuration.
This feature allows you to mix spanning tree protected circuits with unprotected circuits on the same
card, to reuse VLANS, and to set up two single-card E-series Ethernet cards on the same node to form
an intranode circuit.
AIS Off Mode for J1 Path Trace
In previous releases, when a J1 trace mismatch is detected the ONS 15327 inserts AIS path in the
timeslot. The AIS off mode feature will allow customers to choose between sending or not sending
AIS-P downstream from the TIM-P defect. When AIS-P is inserted downstream the likelihood of a traffic
outage increases. The AIS off mode feature does not require any special configurations other than J1
compatible modules. See the Cisco ONS 15327 User Documentation for details on J1 compatibility.
Orderwire Passthrough
Orderwire passthrough allows you to use Local/Express Orderwire between two ONS 15454 nodes that
each have the AIC card, but have intermediate nodes between them that have no AIC card installed. As
of Release 3.3 the ONS 15327 is supported for acting as an intermediate node in Orderwire passthrough.
Line Buildout
Release 3.3 allows setting the Line Buildout (LBO) distance for the ONS 15327 BITS out signal. This
setting is located in the Provisioning > Timing tabs. The setting is only applicable to the BITS Out signal
and has no effect on the BITS in signal.
Add Node Button
The Add Node button in CTC Release 3.3 allows you to easily add nodes to your CTC session view. The
Add Node button appears in the upper left corner of the CTC window in any view. For more information
on this feature, see Cisco ONS 15327 User Documentation, Release 3.3.
Span Upgrades
In Release 3.3, in-service span upgrades are supported.

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Release Notes for Cisco ONS 15327 Release 3.3
OL-2671-01
New Features and Functionality
A span is the optical fiber connection between two ONS 15327 nodes. In a span upgrade, the
transmission rate of a span is upgraded from a lower to a higher OC-N signal but all other span
configuration attributes remain unchanged. With multiple nodes, a span upgrade is a coordinated series
of upgrades on all nodes in the ring or protection group in which traffic carried at a lower OC-N rate is
transferred to a higher OC-N.
You can perform in-service span upgrades for the OC-12 to OC-48 ONS 15327 cards.
The supported configurations for a span upgrade are:
1+1 Unprotected PPMN
1+1 Linear ADM
2-Fiber BLSR
UPSR
To perform a successful span upgrade, the higher-rate optical card must replace the lower-rate card in
the same slot. If the upgrade is conducted on spans residing in a BLSR, all spans in the ring must be
upgraded. The protection configuration of the original lower-rate optical card (two-fiber BLSR, UPSR,
and 1+1) is retained for the higher-rate optical card.
When performing span upgrades on a large number of nodes, Cisco recommends that you upgrade all
spans in a ring consecutively and in the same maintenance window. Until all spans are upgraded,
mismatched card types will be present. No other maintenance operations should be performed or circuits
added during a span upgrade.
Cisco recommends using the Span Upgrade Wizard to perform span upgrades. Although you can also
use the manual span upgrade procedures, the manual procedures are mainly provided as error recovery
for the wizard.
The Span Upgrade Wizard and the manual span upgrade procedures require at least two technicians (one
at each end of the span) who can communicate with each other during the upgrade. Upgrading a span is
non-service affecting and will cause no more than three switches, each of which is less than 50 ms in
duration. For more information on span upgrades, see the Cisco ONS 15327 User Documentation,
Release 3.3.
Span upgrades do not upgrade SONET topologies, for example, a 1+1 group to a two-fiber BLSR. See
Cisco ONS 15327 User Documentation, Release 3.3 for topology upgrade procedures.
Span Upgrade Wizard
In Release 3.3, the Span Upgrade Wizard automates all steps in the manual span upgrade procedure
(BLSR, UPSR, and 1+1). The wizard can upgrade both lines of a 1+1 group; the wizard upgrades UPSRs
and two-fiber BLSRs one line at a time. The Span Upgrade Wizard requires that spans have DCC
enabled.
The Span Upgrade Wizard provides no way to back out of an upgrade. In the case of an abnormal error,
you must exit the wizard and initiate the manual procedure to either continue with the upgrade or back
out of it. To continue with the manual procedure, examine the standing conditions and alarms to identify
the stage in which the wizard failure occurred. For more information on the Span Upgrade Wizard, see
the Cisco ONS 15327 User Documentation, Release 3.3.
Alarm Suppression
At the card level, you can suppress alarms on specific ports. At the node level, you can suppress alarms
on specific cards or the entire node.

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Release Notes for Cisco ONS 15327 Release 3.3 OL-2671-01
New Features and Functionality
If alarms are suppressed, they do not appear on the CTC Alarm screen. On the History and Conditions
screens a message states that the alarm or alarms are suppressed. The node sends out autonomous
messages to clear any raised alarms. When alarm suppression is turned off, the node sends out
autonomous messages to raise any suppressed alarms.
Alarm Profiles
The ONS 15327 includes an alarm profile feature. This allows you to change the default alarm severities
(for example, change an alarm severity from minor to major) and apply the new severities at the card,
port, node, or network level.
Default Reporting of AIS and RFI
To improve compliance with Telcordia GR-253, Release 3.0.x reports AIS and RFI failures as not
alarmed (NA). These will appear on the conditions pane only. Users can change this default with the
Alarm Profile feature described in the “Alarm Profiles” section on page 16.
Figure 2 Creating alarm profiles with the Alarming tab
Every alarm has a default profile. To create a new profile, clone the default profile in CTC, rename it, and
choose the severity settings for the new profile. Activating and changing profiles are simple procedures in
CTC.

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Release Notes for Cisco ONS 15327 Release 3.3
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New Features and Functionality
Intermediate-Path Performance Monitoring
Release 3.3 supports Intermediate-Path Performance Monitoring (IPPM), which is the transparent
monitoring of a constituent channel of an incoming transmission signal by a node that does not terminate
that channel. IPPM allows you to monitor near-end PM data on individual STS payloads and report the
associated threshold crossing alerts (TCAs) for user-selected STS payloads passing through a Cisco
ONS 15327 OC-N card. Far-end PM monitoring is not presently supported.
An ONS 15327 performing IPPM examines the overhead in the monitored path and derives all of the
near-end PM parameters in the incoming transmission direction while allowing the path signal to pass
bidirectionally through the NE completely unaltered.
IPPM parameters are derived as follows: a bidirectional path is cross-connected through the ONS 15327
(non-PTE equipped) and has path terminations at path terminating equipment (PTE) 1 and PTE 2. Four
sets of PM parameters are accumulated when IPPM is activated. For the path signal received on facility
1, these include the near-end parameters monitored on the path from PTE 1 to the SONET Line
Terminating Equipment (LTE). For the path signal received on facility 2, these include the near-end
parameters.
Intermediate J1 and C2 Monitor and Report
Release 3.3 provides intermediate monitoring of the SONET J1 and C2 bytes, which means the LTE NE
can provide on-demand diagnostics to detect and report the contents of the STS Path Trace and Signal
Label in non-terminated STS Paths designated by the user. The J1 Byte contains a repetitive 64-byte
message used to verify continuity between STS PTEs transmitting the byte. The J1 byte reports when an
expected 64-byte message is not received. The C2 Signal Label byte provides a similar functionality. The
C2 byte contains binary values or codes that define a specific type of payload transmitted in the STS
SPE. The C2 byte is provisioned at the PTE. It is used to both identify the SPE payload and support STS
Payload Defect Indication (PDI-P). Release 3.3 allows you to monitor these bytes at intermediate (LTE)
nodes and monitor specific STS Paths. You can provision an expected J1 or C2 value so that the node
reports when an expected value for either byte is not received at the intermediate node.
Section Performance Monitoring
The SONET Section PM feature enables the Cisco ONS 15327 to accumulate and report the section layer
performance monitoring parameters on any OC-N card. The section layer deals with the transport of an
STS-N frame across the physical medium. This layer handles framing, scrambling, and error monitoring.
All types of SONET devices terminate the section layer. A SONET regenerator, however does not
process beyond the physical and section layers. When a non-Cisco regenerator is used on the span
between two ONS 15327s operating as LTEs, the ONS 15327 Section PM isolates the side of the
regenerator that is causing any bit errors.
The ONS 15327 monitors the following section-layer parameters:
•Severely Errored Framing Seconds (SEFS-S): the number of seconds an SEF defect was present
•Errored Seconds (ES-S): the number of seconds during which at least 1 section BIP error was
detected, or an SEF or LOS defect was present.
•Severely Errored Seconds (SES-S): the number of sections during which K or higher section BIP
errors were detected or an SES or LOF was present (K is bit-rate dependent).
•Coding Violations (CV-S): a count of the number of section-layer BIP errors.

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Release Notes for Cisco ONS 15327 Release 3.3 OL-2671-01
New Features and Functionality
Auto-refresh PM Data
You can auto-refresh PM data using a check box and pull-down menu providing valid options on the
Performance Monitoring screen in the card view. When selected, the information auto refreshes the
screen every xseconds (where xis selected from the valid options or manually configured). The
auto-refresh only works while the selected card is in card view. When you are not viewing this card in
card view, PM data is not auto-refreshed. However, when you return to the card, the auto-refresh option
has not changed. This parameter can be specified and remembered for each card individually and for
each node separately.
BLSR Support
Two by Two Fiber BLSR
Prior to Release 3.3, the ONS 15327 only supported 1+1, UPSR and PPMN protection schemes. With
Release 3.3, two fiber BLSR protection is fully supported and fully interoperable with ONS 15454 two
fiber BLSR. The ONS 15327 node can support up to two 2 fiber BLSR configurations on any of the 4
high speed slots (Slots 1-4). The following guidelines should be used when implementing two fiber
BLSR:
•You can have one BLSR operating at OC-12 and the other BLSR operating at OC-48.
•You can have both BLSRs operating at OC-12.
•You can have both BLSRs operating at OC-48.
•BLSRs are not supported with OC-3.
Traffic from one BLSR is cross-connected to the other BLSR at both the VT1.5 and STS-1 payload
mappings.
To provision two 2 fiber BLSRs within the same node, from the node view, click Provisioning > Ring.
BLSR provisioning is the same as in the ONS 15454 platform. Refer to the Cisco ONS 15327 User
Documentation, Release 3.3 for BLSR provisioning. When provisioning two 2 fiber BLSRs within the
same node, the Ring ID must be unique for each BLSR. However, the Node ID for each BLSR can be
identical.
After two 2 fiber BLSRs have been provisioned, the two rings are viewable in the network view of the
CTC.
16 Node BLSR Support
With Release 3.3, a BLSR can support a mix of up to 32 ONS 15454 and ONS 15327 nodes. BLSR
switch times will be within 50 ms (compliant with Telcordia GR-1230-CORE), for BLSRs which are
provisioned with up to 16 nodes. If more than 16 nodes are provisioned on one BLSR (a maximum of
32 is officially supported), Cisco cannot guarantee that switch times will be within the 50 ms range.
Non-Revertive BLSR
With Release 3.3, you can provision a BLSR to be revertive or non-revertive. Non-revertive BLSR
switching only applies to automatically initiated switch requests (for example, signal fail or signal
degrade). When a manual BLSR switch to protect is executed in CTC, traffic will return to the working
channels after a Clear command is issued. In non-revertive mode, when traffic is placed on the protect
channels after an automatic switch, traffic will remain on the protection channels even after the failure
condition has cleared. Traffic is returned to the working channels in the following situations:
•A lockout span is executed from either the working or the protect side of the BLSR

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Release Notes for Cisco ONS 15327 Release 3.3
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New Features and Functionality
•A force ring is executed from the protect side of the BLSR
•A manual ring executed from the protect side of the BLSR
•A facility failure occurs on the protect channels
To provision a BLSR to be non-revertive, from the node view, click Provisioning > Ring. In the Ring
Reversion pull-down menu, select “never,” then click Apply. Perform this step for each node in the
BLSR.
BLSR Exercise Ring
The Exercise Ring feature is used to detect non-alarmed, silent failures present on the ring. When
implemented, ring protection switching will be “exercised” without completing a bridge and switch.
This ensures that traffic is unaffected during the execution of the Exercise Ring command. To execute
the Exercise Ring command for a BLSR, in node view, click Maintenance > Ring. You can execute the
Exercise Ring command for either the West Switch or the East Switch. Click on the pull-down menu
under the West Switch or the East Switch and select Exercise Ring; then click Apply.
Once the Exercise Ring command has been executed, the non-alarmed condition “Exercise Ring” will
be raised against the facility for which the command was implemented. To terminate the Exercise Ring
function, from the Maintenance > Ring tabs, select Clear under the West or East Switch, then click
Apply.
CTC Platforms
The Cisco Transport Controller runs on PC computers and Sun and H-P workstations. CTC can be
launched by Netscape Navigator and Microsoft Internet Explorer on the following platforms: Netscape
Navigator 4.x - Windows 95, Windows NT 4.0, Windows 98, Windows 2000, Solaris 2.6.x, Sun Solaris
2.5.x, Microsoft Internet Explorer 5.x - Windows 95, Windows NT 4.0, Windows 98, Windows 2000,
Solaris 2.6.x, and Sun Solaris 2.5.x.
CTC supports Java 2Runtime Environment (JRE) Release 1.2.2_05 or later on the following operating
systems: Windows 95, Windows NT 4.0, Windows 98, Windows 2000, Solaris 2.6.x, Sun Solaris 2.5.x,
(O) HP UX 11.x, and (O) HP UX 10.x.
CTC is optimized for laptop PC computers with the following specifications: Pentium II 300 MHz with
128 MB of RAM, and a 2 GB hard drive, with Windows NT Workstation 4.x, and Netscape Navigator
4.x.
CTC can manage 25 nodes concurrently. The 25 nodes can be on a single DCC or split across multiple
DCCs. Four concurrent CTC sessions can interact with the same ONS 15327 node at the same time.
CTC Installation
First-time use of the Cisco Transport Controller requires a computer loaded with a CTC-compatible
Internet browser, a CTC-compatible version of the Java Runtime Environment, a target ONS 15327, and
TCP/IP DCN connectivity. The Java policy file required for first-time use of CTC is distributed with the
CTC archive file(s) on the XTC. The file can also be downloaded from the web, or installed
automatically by the CTC Setup Wizard.
The CTC Setup Wizard guides the user through the first CTC download and installation. The setup
wizard supports user input directory paths and custom installation, and guides user action when
necessary to ensure smooth, continuous execution of the download and installation process.

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Release Notes for Cisco ONS 15327 Release 3.3 OL-2671-01
New Features and Functionality
DCC Tunnels
SONET provides four data communications channels (DCCs) for network element operations,
administration, maintenance, and provisioning: one on the SONET Section layer and three on the
SONET Line layer. With Release 3.3 the ONS 15327 uses the Section DCC (SDCC) for ONS 15327
management and provisioning. You can use the Line DCCs (LDCCs) and the SDCC (when the SDCC is
not used for ONS 15327 DCC terminations) to tunnel third-party SONET equipment across ONS 15327
networks.
A DCC tunnel is a series of connection points that map third-party equipment SDCCs to ONS 15327
LDCCs. DCC tunnel end-points are defined by Slot, Port, and DCC type, where DCC can be either the
SDCC, Tunnel 1, Tunnel 2, or Tunnel 3 (LDCCs). You can link an SDCC to an LDCC (Tunnel 1, Tunnel
2, or Tunnel 3), and an LDCC to an SDCC. You can also link LDCCs to LDCCs and link SDCCs to
SDCCs.
The ONS 15327 OC-3 card supports tunnels on all four ports. Each ONS 15327 and 15454 can support
up to 32 DCC tunnels. The maximum number of optical ports available on a 15327 is 16 (four-port OC-3
cards installed in all high-speed slots). Each port can support four different DCC tunnels (one section
and three line). This allows 64 (4 x 16) tunnel terminations. Because each tunnel must have two
terminations, the ONS 15327 can support a maximum of 32 DCC tunnel connections.
For details on DCC tunnels you can create on the ONS 15327 and instructions on how to create them,
consult the Cisco ONS 15327 User Documentation, Release 3.3.
Port Naming
Release 3.3 provides the ability to store a name with each ONS 15327 traffic card port. Right-click the
port to view the name. Other port naming features include:
•Node and network alarm and history panels: when an alarm affects a named port, or a circuit that
traverses a named port, the port name is displayed in the alarm.
•Circuit creation: if a port is named, CTC displays the port name and port number.
•Node and network circuit list: if either or both circuit end points are named, CTC displays the port
name and port number.
•Node provisioning: if any port is named, CTC displays the port name and the port number (panes
affected include line and threshold).
•Node maintenance: if any port is named, CTC displays the port name and the port number
(loopback).
•Node performance data: if any port is named, CTC displays the port name and port number.
Search for Circuit by Name
Release 3.3 allows you to search for circuits by circuit name, or by a substring included in the circuit
name. The substring search allows you to jump down an alphabetically sorted list of circuits to those
beginning with a particular letter. Enter the circuit name (or a substring included in the name) in the
Circuit Name Search dialog box and click “Find Next.” You can search up or down the list of circuits.
The search tool selects the circuit bearing the name you type. Once you have found the circuit, you can
open it by double-clicking the selected row.