Sencore VB330-SW User manual

VB330-SW 10G Software Probe
Applies to software release v5.5
Form 8160C • February 2019

VB330-SW 10G Software Probe User’s Manual
Revision 924720e (2019-02-27)
Copyright
© 2019 Sencore, Inc. All rights reserved.
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About Sencore
Sencore is an engineering leader in the development of high-quality signal transmission solutions for the
broadcast, cable, satellite, IPTV, and telecommunications markets. The company’s world-class portfolio
includes video delivery products, system monitoring and analysis solutions, and test and measurement
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Contents
Contents 3
Document Revision History 7
1 INTRODUCTION 8
1.1 About the 10G Software Probe ........................... 8
1.1.1 VB330-SW – Overview ........................... 8
1.1.2 10G Software Probe – Functionality .................... 8
1.2 How to Use This Manual ............................... 10
2 PRINCIPLE OF OPERATION 11
3 INSTALLATION AND INITIAL SETUP 13
3.1 System Requirements ................................ 13
3.2 First-time Installation ................................. 14
3.3 Deploying in a Virtualized Environment ....................... 15
3.4 Verifying Correct Initial Setup and Software Activation ............... 16
3.5 Initial Setup Troubleshooting ............................. 18
3.6 Upgrading From a Previous Version ......................... 19
3.6.1 Upgrading by Re-Installing the System ................... 20
3.6.2 Upgrading From Version 5.3.0 or later ................... 20
3.7 Upgrading To a Maintenance Release ....................... 20
3.8 Accessing the User Interface ............................ 20
3.9 Accessing Software Activation interface ...................... 21
3.10 Deactivating ...................................... 21
4 QUICK SETUP GUIDE 22
4.1 Basic Setup ...................................... 22
4.2 Input Signal Definitions ................................ 22
4.2.1 Multicasts ................................... 22
4.2.2 OTT Input (OTT Engine Option Only) .................... 23
4.3 Monitoring ....................................... 23
4.4 Adjusting Alarm Thresholds ............................. 23
VB330-SW 10G Software Probe User’s Manual version 5.5 3

5 THE SOFTWARE PROBE GRAPHICAL USER INTERFACE 25
5.1 Main .......................................... 27
5.1.1 Main — Summary .............................. 27
5.1.2 Main — CPU usage ............................. 30
5.1.3 Main — Thumb overview .......................... 31
5.1.4 Main — Eii graphing ............................. 33
5.2 Alarms ......................................... 36
5.2.1 Alarms — All Alarms ............................. 37
5.2.2 Alarms — Alarm setup ............................ 38
5.3 OTT (Option) ..................................... 45
5.3.1 OTT — Active testing ............................ 45
5.3.2 OTT — Details ................................ 47
5.3.2.1 OTT — Details — Profiles .................... 47
5.3.2.2 OTT — Details — Manifest .................... 50
5.3.2.3 OTT — Details — Alarms ..................... 52
5.3.2.4 OTT — Details — Thumbnails .................. 53
5.3.2.5 OTT — Details — Alignment ................... 54
5.3.3 OTT — Latency ............................... 56
5.3.4 OTT — Channels ............................... 57
5.3.5 OTT — Settings ............................... 60
5.3.6 OTT — Thresholds .............................. 61
5.4 Multicasts ....................................... 63
5.4.1 Multicasts — Parameters .......................... 63
5.4.2 Multicasts — Parameters — Fields ..................... 74
5.4.3 Multicasts — Summary ........................... 74
5.4.4 Multicasts — History ............................. 76
5.4.5 Multicasts — Detect ............................. 77
5.4.6 Multicasts — SAP .............................. 77
5.4.7 Multicasts — Join .............................. 78
5.4.8 Multicasts — Streams ............................ 79
5.4.9 Multicasts — Ethernet thresh. ........................ 84
5.5 MW (Media Window) ................................. 87
5.5.1 Media Window — Selected channel .................... 88
5.5.2 Media Window — Bandwidth graph ..................... 89
5.5.3 Media Window — Inter Arrival Time graph ................. 90
5.6 RDP (Return Data Path) ............................... 90
5.6.1 RDP — Control ................................ 91
5.6.2 RDP — Setup ................................ 92
5.7 Traffic ......................................... 94
5.7.1 Traffic — Protocols .............................. 94
5.7.2 Traffic — Detect ............................... 96
5.7.3 Traffic — Filter statistics ........................... 97
5.7.4 Traffic — Filter setup .............................100
4VB330-SW 10G Software Probe User’s Manual version 5.5

5.7.5 Traffic — Microbitrate ............................102
5.8 Ethernet ........................................103
5.8.1 Ethernet — FSM ...............................103
5.8.1.1 Ethernet — FSM — Monitor ...................104
5.8.1.2 Ethernet — FSM — Setup ....................105
5.8.1.3 Ethernet — FSM — Syslog ....................107
5.8.2 Ethernet — IGMP ..............................108
5.8.3 Ethernet — PCAP ..............................109
5.9 ETR 290 (Option) ...................................110
5.9.1 ETR 290 — ETR Overview .........................111
5.9.2 ETR 290 — ETR Details ...........................112
5.9.3 ETR 290 — PIDs ...............................114
5.9.4 ETR 290 — Services ............................116
5.9.5 ETR 290 — Bitrates .............................120
5.9.6 ETR 290 — Tables ..............................121
5.9.7 ETR 290 — PCR ...............................125
5.9.8 ETR 290 — T2MI (requires T2MI-OPT) ..................126
5.9.9 ETR 290 — SCTE 35 (requires SCTE35-OPT) ..............131
5.9.10 ETR 290 — Status ..............................133
5.9.11 ETR 290 — Compare ............................133
5.9.12 ETR 290 — ETR threshold .........................138
5.9.13 ETR 290 — PID thresholds .........................149
5.9.14 ETR 290 — Service thresh. .........................151
5.9.15 ETR 290 — Gold TS thresholds .......................155
5.10 Setup .........................................161
5.10.1 Setup — Params ...............................161
5.10.2 Setup — Pages ................................163
5.10.3 Setup — Colors (requires EXTRACT-OPT) .................163
5.10.4 Setup — Ethernet ..............................164
5.10.5 Setup — VBC ................................165
5.10.6 Setup — Login ................................165
5.10.7 Setup — ETR .................................167
5.10.8 Setup — VBC thresh. ............................169
5.10.9 Setup — Scheduling .............................172
5.10.10Setup — Routing ...............................173
5.10.11Setup — Security ..............................174
5.10.11.1Setup — Security — Ports ....................174
5.11 Data ..........................................175
5.11.1 Data — Configuration ............................175
5.11.2 Data — Software ...............................176
5.11.3 Data — Table Descriptors ..........................178
5.11.4 Data — Eii ..................................178
5.12 About .........................................179
VB330-SW 10G Software Probe User’s Manual version 5.5 5

5.12.1 About — Release info ............................179
5.12.2 About — License ...............................179
5.12.3 About — Technologies ............................181
5.12.4 About — Credits ...............................181
5.12.5 About — System ...............................182
A Appendix: VB330-SW Versus VBC Alarms 183
B Appendix: Monitoring Practices 185
B.1 RTP Monitoring ....................................185
B.2 Default Multicast Monitoring .............................185
B.3 Strategy for MediaWindow Analysis .........................186
B.3.1 IAT Before and After Router .........................188
B.3.2 Identifying UDP Packet Loss ........................188
B.4 Multicast Thresholds .................................189
B.5 Dedicated interface for OTT .............................190
B.6 OTT descrambling with Verimatrix ..........................190
B.7 OTT Bandwidth requirements ............................190
C Appendix: OTT Profile Health 191
C.1 OTT Profile Health Bar ................................191
C.2 OTT Profile Health Timeline .............................191
D Appendix: Network configuration 193
D.1 Web-based configuration ...............................193
D.2 Command-line based configuration .........................193
E Appendix: Enabling HTTPS 198
F Appendix: Enabling NTP time synchronization 202
G Appendix: On-line License Verification 203
G.1 Introduction ......................................203
G.2 Requirements .....................................203
H Appendix: Software Maintenance 206
I Appendix: Software Upload 207
I.1 Obtain the software image ..............................207
I.2 Export and save the probe configuration ......................207
I.3 Transfer the image to the probe and save ......................207
I.4 Wait while the software is being saved .......................210
I.5 Verify the new image .................................210
I.6 Software upload troubleshooting ..........................210
6VB330-SW 10G Software Probe User’s Manual version 5.5

Document Revision History
Date Version Description
February 2019 5.5 Updated manual to reflect changes in v5.5 software
February 2018 5.4 Updated manual to reflect changes in v5.4 software
February 2017 5.3 Updated manual to reflect changes in v5.3 software
March 2016 5.2 Updated manual to reflect changes in v5.2 software
February 2015 5.1 Updated manual to reflect changes in v5.1 software
January 2014 5.0 Updated manual to reflect changes in v5.0 software
VB330-SW 10G Software Probe User’s Manual version 5.5 7

1 INTRODUCTION
1.1 About the 10G Software Probe
1.1.1 VB330-SW – Overview
The VB330-SW 10G Software Probe was made specifically for IPTV backbone network monitoring.
With support for 10 Gbit/s Ethernet inputs, the 10G Software Probe provides detailed IP packet
monitoring of a very high number of Ethernet streams, suitable for core networks carrying extreme
amounts of media signals.
SUPER HEADEND CORE NE TWORK REG IONAL METRO NETWORK RG
STB
PHONE PADTV
PC
ACCESS NETWORK
DSLAM OR
FIBRE
AGGREGATION
VB330 PROBE
VB288 CONTENT EXTRACTOR
VB330 PROBE
VB330 PROBE
VB220 PROBE
microVB™
HOME NETWORK
MDC –MicroDEVICE Controller™
VBC –VideoBRIDGE Controller™
Remote Video Wall – Site 1
DIGITAL TERRESTRIAL
REGIONAL MUX AND COFDM MODULATOR
IP
GPS
COFDM
RF
ASI
CABLE DISTRIBUTION
REGIONAL MONITORING OF SATELLITE AND IP
IP ASI QPSK/
DVB-S/S2
DIGITAL SATELLITE
REGIONAL MUX AND QAM MODULATOR
IP ASI QAM
REGIONAL
CABLE
NETWORK
VB120 PROBE & VB252 DVB-T/T2 MODULEVB120 PROBE & VB272 QPSK/DVB-S/S2 MODULE
VB12-RF PROBE
VB120 PROBE & VB262 QAM/VSB DVB-C MODULE
The OTT software option is available on the VB330-SW and enables monitoring of up to 500
adaptive bitrate channels in steps of 5 or 50 (Bulk OTT option) OTT engines depending on licensing.
A built-in web server in the VB330-SW allows remote signal monitoring using a standard web
browser. This can be managed either through a separate Ethernet network, or by using the regular
video/data network – both IPv4 and IPv6 are supported.
The VB330-SW 10G Software Probe can also be managed via the VideoBRIDGE Controller.
The VideoBRIDGE Controller will add management features like alarm aggregation and report
functionality.
The 10G Software Probe is a server appliance, that can be installed onto any server that meets
the minimum requirements specified in chapter 3.
1.1.2 10G Software Probe – Functionality
An IP-based network is fully transparent with respect to signal contents quality, provided that the IP
packets arrive, and provided that they arrive in time. The 10G Software Probe therefore uses the
8VB330-SW 10G Software Probe User’s Manual version 5.5

patented MediaWindow to allow monitoring at-a-glance of packet loss and errors in inter-packet
arrival time. This way the operator can conveniently ensure correct signal quality at IP-level.
The advanced Ethernet protocol analysis tool automatically detects all protocols carried over Ethernet
past the port the 10G Software Probe is connected to, and it displays statistics like percentage
utilization of the interface and percentage of the different transported protocols. This gives the 10G
Software Probe a real-time sniffer capability.
The 10G Software Probe allows the user to define a Return Data Path (RDP), using the regular
video/data network or the management network to return a stream. A faulty signal can then be
further analyzed at the studio premises, when necessary.
The recording functionality allows the user to record a stream, either triggered manually by the user
or triggered by a user defined alarm.
Full Service Monitoring (FSM) checks that vital system components like CA-servers are active.
Optional Ethernet TR 290 monitoring allows the operator to check parameters like transport stream
sync and PSI/SI standards conformity. This option also performs further PSI/SI analysis, making it
possible to view PSI/SI contents. PID and service bitrates are also continuously measured.
Optional OTT monitoring allows the operator to set up active testing of Over-the-top type signals
as found in adaptive bitrate streaming architectures. Formats supported include Apple ™ HLS,
Microsoft ™ Smoothstream, RTMP, MPEG DASH, Adobe ™ HDS and Nullsoft SHOUTcast™.
The 10G Software Probe can be expanded through license options to monitor the T2MI protocol
layer as found in DVB-T2 networks.
VB330-SW 10G Software Probe User’s Manual version 5.5 9

The 10G Software Probe can also be licensed with an SCTE 35 option that allows monitoring and
logging of splice time codes embedded in the transport streams.
1.2 How to Use This Manual
This User’s Manual is valid for software version 5.5 of the VB330-SW 10G Software Probe.
Throughout this manual the term stream is often used rather than unicast or multicast. One stream
may consist of one or more services, and refers to one IP uni- or multicast.
Chapter 2 PRINCIPLE OF OPERATION provides a simplified block-diagram overview of the
probe.
Chapter 3 INSTALLATION AND INITIAL SETUP explains how to install the software on a server.
Chapter 4 QUICK SETUP GUIDE contains a quick setup guide; a step-by-step description of how
to setup the 10G Software Probe once the initial setup has been performed.
Chapter 5 THE SOFTWARE PROBE GRAPHICAL USER INTERFACE describes the graphical
user interface (GUI) as seen when pointing a web browser to the 10G Software Probe’s IP address.
A Appendix: VB330-SW Versus VBC Alarms describes the alarm handling in the 10G Software
Probe versus the VideoBRIDGE Controller.
B Appendix: Monitoring Practices explains some useful monitoring practices.
C Appendix: OTT Profile Health explains the OTT profile health bar and timeline.
D Appendix: Network configuration gives a brief introduction to the server OS network configura-
tion.
F Appendix: Enabling NTP time synchronization provides some basic information about setting up
time synchronization.
G Appendix: On-line License Verification outlines the on-line license verification procedure.
H Appendix: Software Maintenance briefly describes software maintenance licenses and how they
are used.
I Appendix: Software Upload explains how to upgrade the software on the 10G Software Probe.
Note that current version of the User’s Manual can be obtained from Sencore ProCare support by
emailing [email protected].
10 VB330-SW 10G Software Probe User’s Manual version 5.5