Introduction to trace viewer

Network Administration > Network Administration Overview and Operations > TraceViewer Overview
Introduction to TraceViewer
TraceViewer is an application that allows tracing.
This document provides a general introduction to main concepts in tracing and the TraceViewer application. The development and optimization personnel uses the TraceViewer application to monitor network quality
and troubleshoot network problems.
Using TraceViewer you can easily:
activate a completely new trace,
stop a trace,
delete a trace,
view trace reports,
restart a trace,
copy trace from existing trace,
import and export a trace.
To perform any of these procedures, see TraceViewer Help document.
FIGURE 1 TraceViewer main window
Architecture
The TraceViewer shares the common NetAct platform. Software packages are installed on Linux servers. TraceViewer has its own trace database in each cluster.
TraceViewer GUI is started on a client PC using Java WebStart. There can be several GUI clients running in each cluster.
The background tracing processes involve activating traces to the network elements, collecting trace data in the database, forwarding trace data to the GUI clients, some other tracing functions.
The background tracing processes are activated in the network elements through mediators.
FIGURE 2 TraceViewer architecture and communication connections
Introduction to TraceViewer https://na1waslb.netact.personal.corp/Infocenter/topic/tracing_overview/t...
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Introduction to tracing
Operators can use tracing to troubleshoot problems with mobile equipment or subscriber’s connections and to follow up customer complaints. Tracing can be also used to monitor the network and to check the
results of the network optimization.
Tracing is a concept name for an optional NetAct functionality, which is performed by the TraceViewer application, and allows the tracing of mobile equipment and subscribers in mobile networks.
TraceViewer enables global tracing, which means that a user can trace:
Mobile Station International Subscriber Directory Number (MSISDN),
International Mobile Equipment Identity (IMEI) number,
International Mobile Subscriber Identity (IMSI) number,
IMS Public User Identity (IMPU) number,
IMS Private User Identity (IMPI) number,
throughout the network.
TraceViewer can activate traces in several network elements, including Nokia Solutions and Networks RNC, FlexiNS, MSC, eNB, IADA, BSC, HLR, openTAS, IMS. In addition, TraceViewer receives events from
Nokia Solutions and Networks BSC and MGW network elements.
Trace data is collected from the network elements and is sent to TraceViewer, where it can be viewed in the form of reports.
Audit Trail logging
The Trace core subsystem writes log files that are saved to a trace folder, that is, to the debug folder of the process. These files are named as /var/opt/oss/log/audit/oss_change0_0.log and they
include information of each Trace user action:
log file lists the time
user name
name of the operation that has been performed with the TraceViewer
The log files are written daily, and they are saved to a folder in which all process-specific operations are located. The folder is emptied weekly by the platform.
The log file can be used to ascertain that tracing is directed to the correct target. These logs can be viewed with the Audit Trail.
The log file consists of a header and a formal body part. The header contains the time and action information. The table below describes all possible entries in the log file body part.
TABLE 1 Elements in the log entry body part
Identifier Description
User The account name of the user invoking the operation.
Operation Identifies the operation that was performed.
For TraceViewer operations these are:
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Identifier Description
activate_trace
stop_trace
remove_trace
copy_trace
restart_trace
Effect code Identifies whether the operation was create (C) or delete (D).
For TraceViewer operations these are:
copy 'C'
restart 'C'
activate_trace 'C'
deactivate_trace 'D'
remove_trace 'D'
Client address IP address from which the user was connected.
Category code Subscriber-sensitive configuration (SUBC).
Timestamp Timestamp of the operation, which should also include the time zone.
Format for this entry is:
2011-12-05T13:06:55.792+0200
Element Name of the element on which the operation was performed.
Identifier Identifies whether the operation succeeded or not.
T=succeeded
F=failure
Operation identifier Identifiers of the operations:
Activation
Deactivation
Copy
Restart
Deletion
Resource type The resource type for the following resource values that the operation affected.
This depends on the application and the operation (for example access_point, msisdn, imsi).
Resource Resource value, for example, target IMSI/IMEI/MSISDN number.
Cause code The reason for the operation failure. The allowed values are:
‘N/A’
The following is an example of a possible application startup entry in a log file:
trace activation:
2015-04-06T14:07:45.795+0200 | (104,713) | OSS_CHANGE |
com.nsn.nas.trc.trc_core.beans.act.TraceOperationManagerBean.requestActivation | audit[ | Source='Server' | User
identity='omc' | Operation identifier='Activation' | Success code='T' | Cause code='N/A' | Identifier='SUCCESS' | Target
element='TraceViewer' | Client address='10.9.167.172' |
Resource type='NetworkElements' |
Resource='PLMN-123/RNC-124,PLMN-123/RNC-123' | Resource
type='TraceReference' | Resource='952' | Source session
identifier='' | Target session identifier='' | Category code='SUBC' | Effect code='C' | Network Transaction
identifier='' | Source user identity='' | Target user
identity='' | Timestamp='1323083215791']
noticication about trace activation:
2015-04-06T14:07:46.637+0200 | (104,810) | OSS_CHANGE |
com.nsn.nas.trc.trc_core.beans.nh.handlers.ReportOperationStatusHandler.process
| audit[ | Source='Server' | User identity='omc' | Operation
identifier='Activation' | Success code='T' | Cause code='N/A' |
Identifier='SUCCESS' | Target element='PLMN-123/RNC-124' |
Client address='10.9.167.172' | Resource type='TraceReference'
| Resource='952' | Source session identifier='' | Target session
identifier='' | Category code='SUBC' | Effect code='C' | Network
Transaction identifier='' | Source user identity='' | Target
user identity='' | Timestamp='1323083216636']
Tracing concepts
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This chapter provides a list of concepts (terms) related to tracing and the TraceViewer application.
Concept Description
Subscriber trace Subscriber trace refers to the tracing of a subscriber using the IMSI number as the trace target.
Cell trace Cell trace refers to trace data from eNodeB in LTE system. Trace can be cell based that allows to collect all signaling messages for calls within the cell, moreover it can be
subscriber traced or can be set to interface tracing that allows to collect data from whole interface.
Offline Tracing Trace data can be viewed as an offline trace.
Offline: All data is stored in the trace database, from where it can be retrieved later for offline viewing.
Trace data Trace data is gathered from the network elements and stored in the trace database, from where it can be accessed for offline viewing or sent directly to TraceViewer for online
viewing and stored in the database. Data is collected in counters, which are grouped together in observation reports.
Trace event A trace event is a measurement or a notification of a change in the state of the traced mobile equipment or a subscriber. The event may cause an observation report to be
generated. For example, the connection with the network is set, the cell is added to the active set, then a report is generated including information about observation
(RAN_ActSetCell).
Trace database The TraceViewer owns a database.
Trace observation A trace observation report is a set of counters related to particular events collected by a network element. For example, the TBF observation for GPRS trace is an observation
report (GSMBSC25) that contains counters related to temporary block flow (TBF). These counters include information about the cause of the TBF release and the TBF
reallocation time.
Note:
Trace observations (observation reports) differ from TraceViewer reports.
Trace reference value A trace reference is an integer between 1 and 65534 used to identify traces. The trace reference is automatically assigned by TraceViewer when a trace is created in
TraceViewer. For more information, see Setting trace reference value section.
TraceViewer reports TraceViewer allows you to view the trace data in the form of reports. There are four report sets:
GSM reports,
GPRS reports,
WCDMA reports,
LTE reports,
IMS reports.
Note:
There is a difference between an observation report (Trace observation), which is a collection of counters related to specific events gathered from the network element, and
a report in TraceViewer, which is a graphical or textual representation of the data in the observation report.
Using TraceViewer
TraceViewer can be used in the network maintenance and restoration process as well as in solving end-user problems. This chapter presents some examples of the TraceViewer functionality.
Activating traces
Note:
You should not activate, deactivate and delete traces manually. You can only perform these using TraceViewer. Deleting traces directly in NEs is forbidden and causes unstability of the system.
If you activate trace manually in the network element, trace data coming into TraceViewer is shown as an unknown trace.
You can activate a trace in more than one network element, but the network elements have to be of the same type.
In TraceViewer, it is possible to create, activate, stop, and delete traces. Trace data can be exported to a XML file. For a description of the user interface and instructions on how to use TraceViewer, see the
TraceViewer Help document. For example procedures, see the Tracing Subscribers and Equipment document.
Certain network elements define an expiration time for their traces, which cannot be modified with TraceViewer. After the defined time has expired, the NE deactivates the trace, even if you prolong it with
TraceViewer.
To know how to activate new trace, see Creating a new trace in TraceVeiwer Help document.
When a trace is in Active state, data is coming to TraceViewer application. It may occur that amount of data is too huge and it may overload NetAct database. To protect application from that scenario a
protection mechanism is introduced. In that case, trace which you have activated is going to be de-activated automatically and data is no longer saved into TraceViewer database. You can see in User Actions tab
an information that overload mechanism was performed and trace reference numbers of traces which has been deactivated.
Note:
TraceViewer can show currently active traces on Network Element after executing LTE trace synchronization (from Tools menu select Synchronize Traces/LTE Traces). After that operation, there will be
active LTE traces for trcuser user and activation profile described as Externaly created and they can be deactivated by user via TraceViewer GUI.
Attention:
It is scritly recommended to use TraceViewer as one and only tool for managing traces in the network. It allows to avoid many possible problems with wrong configuration, not coming data or other not
predictable issues.
If external traces (e.g. activated via CM Editor) have to be used, be advised that MTRACEs and LTRACEs must be unically defined. E-UTRAN trace identifier - Trace ID must be unique on NetAct level.
Analysing trace data
The data presented in the TraceViewer reports is taken from observation reports sent by the network elements. For more information on how to analyse TraceViewer reports, see Viewing a trace in TraceViewer
Help document.
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Detecting problems by performing tracing
Tracing can be used to obtain information about any problems concerning network element or a region. Tracing can be also used for troubleshooting customer complaints. TraceViewer provides up-to-date
information on user equipment and the related area.
Tracing can be used to monitor subscriber’s activity, for example, to determine the quality of GSM, GPRS, WCDMA and LTE calls or to solve end-user problems such as:
WCDMA calls are dropped,
varying or no coverage in a particular geographical location,
SMS messages do not reach their target destination.
For more information about using Tracing to investigate quality of service or locate problems, see the Tracing Subscribers and Equipment document.
Minimization of Drive Tests (MDT)
Drive testing is a process of manual collection of radio interface performance information in the geographical area of interest. Gathered data can include levels of signal strength, interference, amount of throughput
available for users, experienced delays, number of dropped and blocked calls, etc. This is done in order to create a QoS network map. Most commonly,you can initiate drive tests due to deployment of new base
stations, construction of major object, e.g. highway, customers’ complaints, or on a periodical basis. Among the main drawbacks of drive tests are their high cost and the fact that they are limited to outdoor areas.
This defines the necessity for minimization of drive tests using automatic monitoring algorithms.
The main means for achievement of this goal are User Equipment (UE) reporting, extended with new types of measurements, and advanced analysis methods of the existing data. Selection or creation of new
metrics or algorithms is heavily dependent on the target of the network state monitoring. Thus, to reduce the operational expenses and increase the network robustness and maintainability, general MDT use cases
have been classified to several groups: coverage, capacity, mobility, quality of service and quality of common channels’ operation.
There are two modes concerning Minimization of drive test:
Immediate MDT - functionality that involves measurements performed by the User Equipment in CONNECTED state and reporting of the measurements to eNodeB or RNC available at the time of reporting
conditions as well as measurement by the network for MDT purposes.
Logged MDT - functionality that involves measurement logging by User Equipment in IDLE mode, CELL_PCH and URA_PCH states (when User Equipment is in UTRA) for reporting to eNodeB or RNC at a later
point of time.
It is possible to configure MDT measurements for the User Equipment logging purpose independently from the network configurations for normal RRM purposes. However, in most cases, the availability of
measurement results is conditionally dependent on the User Equipment RRM configuration.
User Equipment MDT measurement logs consist of multiple events and measurements taken over time. The time interval for measurement collection and reporting is decoupled in order to limit the impact on the
User Equipment battery consumption and network signalling load.
It is possible to configure the geographical area where the defined set of measurements shall be collected.
The measurements shall be linked to available location information and/or other information or measurements that can be used to derive location information. The measurements in measurement logs shall be linked
to a time stamp. The network may use User Equipment capabilities to select terminals for MDT measurements.
The subscriber/cell trace functionality is reused and extended to support MDT. If the MDT is initiated toward to a specific User Equipment (e.g. based on IMSI, IMEI-SV, etc.), the signalling based trace procedure
is used, otherwise the management based trace procedure (or cell traffic trace procedure) is used.
The User Equipment measurement logging mechanism is an optional feature. In order to limit the impact on User Equipment power consumption and processing, the User Equipment measurement logging should as
much as possible rely on the measurements that are available in the User Equipment according to radio resource management enforced by the access network.
The availability of location information is subject to User Equipment capability and/or User Equipment implementation. Solutions requiring location information shall take into account power consumption of the User
Equipment due to the need to run its positioning components.
In TraceViewer you can use MDT in a LTE profiles (there you can define type of measurements you want to take) and assigned it to a LTE trace. For more information on how to create such a profile, see Creating
a LTE profile in TraceViewer Help document.
Since RU50EP1, it is also possible to use MDT in WCDMA. It is possible to define proper periodical measurement parameter on RNC side to get RRC:MeasruementReport in requested time interval. Based on an
operator configuration, the RNC activates measurements like CPICH EcNo, CPICH RSCP, UE TX-power in the UE. These are the classic measured items used also for RRM purposes, so coordination between
RRM and MDT is needed and it sets some restrictions. The UE reports data to RNC in RRC Measurement Reports. Also, GPS and Rx-Tx time difference Type 1 are used also for other purposes, so coordination
between RRM and MDT is needed and it sets some restrictions.
Periodical Measurement management in TraceViewer application
Periodic measurement feature allows you to set proper parameter on eNodeB network element to gather periodical intra-frequency UE measurement for post-processing in O&M. User Equipments that are
connected to the network are requested to periodically report the measurement of serving cell signal as well as to report intra-frequency neighbour cells. If parameters are correctly set on network element, then
eNodeB stores temporarily the UE measurement and forwards them to O&M server when is requested to do that.
You can use this reports to investigate issues related to coverage and quality of a radio network without involving field drive tests. You can also use this data for better resolving the subscriber's complaints or to
ease drive tests when the traced equipment is actually used for testing.
In TraceViewer application periodical measurement can be set during LTE trace activation. In New Trace window you can enable Periodical Measurement option and set proper interval and amount of
measurement. For more information on how to set periodical measurement see Creating a Cell Trace chapter in TraceViewer Help document.
In TraceViewer application you can also disable periodical measurement on particular cell(s). In Periodical Measurement Settings window you can find all cells on which periodical measurement is enabled. To see
how deactivate periodical measurement on desired cell, see Disabling Periodical Measurement settings chapter in TraceViewer Help document.
State synchronization
This functionality allows synchronizing states between trace state and NE state. State synchronization queries every day every active LTE trace and checks whether their states are the same. If such a trace is not
in operational state than such a trace changes into Inactive . Every state synchronization procedure can be observed in Trace History tab.
Synchronization after activation checks states on network element and on trace. State synchronization performed on a GSM and WCDMA network elements is conducted by GET operation. This functionality
allows you to ask network element about it real state. Then network element returns feedback about all active traces on it. Furthermore, TraceViewer compares states on network elements and states of a trace
and sets proper state.
If you activating traces on LTE network elements it looks completely different. While activating a trace on an eNodeB, a mtrace manage object is reserved (you can see this MO in CM Editor application). When
trace is properly allocated, previously reserved mtrace manage object changes from non-operational state into operational state. You can recognize it by checking if mtrace changed into MTRACE.
If MTRACE with proper FQDN is in operational state in CM application, the trace state in TraceViewer should be change to Active . If such a trace is not in operational state, then such a state should be changed
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into Activation error state.
What is more, synchronization also checks state of a trace after deactivation procedure. If proper MTRACE is not in operational state, then state of a trace is changed into Inactive . If proper MTRACE is in
operational state in CM application, then state of such a trace is changed into Active . If deactivation of a trace on a network element ends with Deactivation timeout or Deactivation error states,
then CM application via WebService is asked to return a state of a trace with proper FQDN.
State synchronization related to LTE concerns state synchronization only between TraceVeiwer and CM Editor application. In that case state synchronization does not check what is state of a trace on network
element. In other network elements (BSC, SGSN, HLR, MSC, RNC, mcRNC, etc) state synchronization is directly checked on it. Application sets request about trace's state and should receive feedback about it
actual state.
You cannot change state of a trace manually, you are only allowed to run state synchronization manually and then TraceViewer changes state of a trace if it is necessary. You can observed that state
synchronization can be run in three scenarios:
you can run it manually using State synchronization option. For more information on how to use state synchronization, see note in point 5 in Creating new trace in TraceViewer Help document,
State synchronization is run automatically every 24h, by default it is set to 5:00 AM local time,
when activation of a trace take too long and trace state changes into Activation time-out then trace synchronization is automatically run.
Using TraceViewer you can check status of each trace. TraceViewer gathers information about which trace is activated and on which network element and it returns proper value. It sends information to network
element and returns information about which trace is activated and in which network elements. This specified information you can see in trace logs. For more information on how to activate state synchronization,
see note in Creating LTE trace chapter in TraceViewer Help document.
Supporting network planning and optimisation by performing tracing
Tracing can also be used to analyse and test the behaviour and performance of the network for network planning and optimisation purposes. It can be used, for example, to measure the network performance as a
basis for planning configuration changes or network expansion. After configuration changes or the network expansion, tracing can be used to check how the changes have affected the quality of the network
performance.
TraceViewer can be used for different network maintenance and restoration tasks, such as:
network planning and optimisation: the need to re-plan according to call statistics;
network troubleshooting: identification of problematic network elements;
network configuration: comparison of call statistics before and after configuration changes, access point tests;
performance analysis: troubleshooting BTS sites, handover verification tests, checking adjacent cells, and so on;
system acceptance testing or field testing;
network element integration: the comparison of call statistics before and after element integration.
Cell Trace with IMSI
The feature is standardized in 3GPP as Subscriber and Equipment Trace and affects circuit and packet switched network, radio network and IMS. Cell Traffic trace is part of System Level Trace which allows
collecting and reporting the activities of subscriber or mobile equipment.
When Subscriber and Equipment Trace is activated through Management in the eNB, a functionality called Cell Traffic Trace is needed. The eNB does not have IMSI or IMEI information because this information is
not sent through S1AP protocol for security reasons. S1AP, as opposite to NAS protocol, is not protected. Cell Traffic Trace allows the eNB to ask the MME to send IMSI and IMEI to NetAct so reports coming
from the eNB can be correlated with IMSI and IMEI in NetAct.
In E-UTRAN the Management Based Trace Activation is done to one or a list of E-UTRAN cells within one eNB. After the Cell Traffic Trace has been activated in the monitored cell(s), the eNB starts a Trace
Recording Session for each new session and for each already existing session and for each S1 connection the eNB sends a S1AP Cell Traffic Trace message to the MME containing Trace Reference, Trace
Recording Session Reference, NetAct address and CGI. MME sends this information together with IMSI and IMEI(SV) to NetAct through NE3S interface.
Note:
If you want to activate a cell trace with IMSI, following conditions should be fulfilled:
In CM Editor, Activate cell trace with IMSI parameter under LNBTS manged object should be set to true ,1.
In MME, Cell traffic trace feature should be enabled via MML command: ZWOC:2,2314,1;2.
Adding support for new NE release (INES)
This chapter describes how to add new release of supported network element via INES (Instant Network Element Support) feature.
To add new release of supported NE to TraceViewer you need to obtain adaptation file which contains zipped files with appropriate entries for specific NE type and NE version.
Adaptation deployment procedure:
To deploy new release adaptation file you need to:
1. Login NetAct startpage.
2. Go to 'Administration' directory.
3. Launch 'Adaptation Manager'.
4. Push 'Deploy Adaptation'.
5. Push 'Browse' button and find adaptation file location.
6. Choose adaptation file and push 'Open' button.
7. Push 'Deploy' button below.
After deploying new NE release adaptation please wait 5 minutes until changes are being applied. After integrating of new network element to NetAct please run CM Upload and update TraceViewer topology by
pushing F12 button while any trace is being selected in main TraceViewer window. After mentioned procedures new network element release might be used in TraceViewer.
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Tracing capacity
This chapter describes maximum possible values of active trace sessions in TraceViewer application.
In TraceViewer applicaton it is recommended not to exceed following number of active trace sessions:
Only 1 active All calls trace session from Geo Server in TraceViewer,
Up to 10 abnormal call trace sessions from GeoServer,
30 active LTE cell trace sessions which collects data to TraceViewer
Note:
You can activate up to 5000 cell trace sessions when 3rd party tracing flag and TCE IP in CTRLTS points to 3rd party tool.
300 active subscriber trace sessions which collects data to TraceViewer application
Tracing management
This section presents information required for tracing management. Tracing management covers such information as licensing, assigning TraceViewer roles to user groups, setting trace activation permissions for
user groups, dividing trace reference values among clusters and enabling or restricting communication connections between clusters.
Licensing
There are following licenses for TraceViewer application:
Cell Trace for GSM - allows to activate trace on GSM network elements and see GSM reports.
Cell Trace for LTE - allows to activate a cell trace for LTE functionality and see LTE reports
Cell Tracing for WCDMA CTA - allows to activate a trace on GeoServer and see traces in NE Trace tab,
CLA and MDT trace support for LTE - allows you to use CLA request manager and change settings related to position calculation,
Subscriber Trace for EPC - allows you to activate a subscriber trace and see reports from IMS, FlexiNS,
Subscriber Trace for LTE - allows you to activate a subscriber trace,
Subscriber Tracing for GPRS Radio - allows to see GPRS reports,
Subscriber Tracing for GSM Radio - allows to see GSM reports,
Subscriber Tracing for FlexiDirect - allows to activate subscriber trace on IADA,
Subscriber Tracing for Mobile Voice - allows to see reports gathered from Core NE,
Subscriber Tracing for WCDMA - allows to activate a trace on RNC and GeoServer,
Trace based monitoring for WCDMA - allows you to see reports from GeoServer,
Tracing System - allows to launch TraceViewer application,
Unlimited number of Traces - allows you to activate unlimited number of traces within one tab.
Managing MTRACE managed object in TraceViewer and CM Editor applications
To perform tracing on a eNodeB network element you need to configure proper manged object. This operation is performed not in TraceViewer application but in CM Editor.
Before you activate LTE trace you need to create and configure CTRLTS (The Trace Control) object by using CM Editor and then provision changes to the network by using CM Operation Manager. It is important
to specify proper NetAct IP addresses and ports number in CM Editor. For more information how to create CTRLTS object see Creating new managed object in the plan in CM Editor Help document. For more
information how to provision changes to the network see Provisioning Plans in CM Operation Manager Help document. For more information on how to set up correct NetAct IP Address, see Configuring default IP
Addresses in TraceViewer chapters in Configuring Trace Data Flow document.
After creating CTRLTS object (under LNBTS object), network elements are visible in TraceViewer and ready to trace but to see and trace eNodeB, you need to check if the following preconditions are being
fulfilled:
In CM Editor, Activate cell trace parameter under LNBTS managed object should be set to true ,
In CM Editor, Activate MDT cell trace parameter under LNBTS managed object should be set to true (only if you want to activate a trace with MDT),
In CM Editor, Activate vendor specific cell trace enhancements parameter under LNBTS managed object should be set to true (only if you want to activate vendor specific cell trace
enhancements) - supported only for RL55, RL70 or newer releases,
In CM Editor, created CTRLTS managed object should be in operational state. You can create this managed object in CM Editor, for more information see To create a new managed object in the plan in CM
Editor Help document. You need to remember to enter correct NetAct IP Address in this object. To check which IP is correct, you need to run smanager.pl status command on any node and find NWI3
service. Node on which mentioned service is available defines NetAct IP Address.
Remember:
All changes you have performed in CM Editor requires provisioning changes to the network.
Note:
You should not modify Activate cell trace parameter under LNBTS and create MTRACE or LTRACE object within the same CM plan. Mentioned parameter should be already set to true before
M(L)TRACE object creation.
WARNING!:
It may occur that activation of a trace may fall due to wrong configured CTRLTS, for example IP Address may be different because OMS has changed or settings were migrated from OSS 5.x release. In that
case, you need to modify IP Address which is set under CTRLTS into correct one that points to correct NWI3 node.
If you want to change NetAct IP address under CTRLTS object, you need to delete it (by creation of a new plan) and then provision changes to the network (you need to be ensured that option: create backup plan
is enabled). Than after provisioning changes you can take backup plan ID and open it in CM Editor, than you can modify NetAct IP under that CTRLTS. After that change you need to provision changes to the
network. If you performing trace activation on other network elements than LTE elements, activation may differ.
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While activating a trace on an eNodeB, a mtrace manage object is reserved (you can see this MO in CM Editor application). When trace is properly allocated, previously reserved mtrace manage object
changes from non-operational state into operational state. You can recognize it by checking if mtrace changed into MTRACE . If MTRACE with proper FQDN is in operational state in CM application, the trace
state in TraceViewer should be change to Active . If such a trace is not in operational state, then such a state should be changed into Activation error state.
In TraceViewer application there is also a possibility to synchronize all LTE cell traces with NetAct Configurator application. It may occur that some information that are coming from NetAct Configurator do not
reach TraceViewer. In that scenario some of trace states may be not updated due to not coming JMS information. To check whether all trace states are created properly, or to check trace states, run Synchronize
LTE Traces with Configurator option in TraceViewer, for more information, see Synchronizing trace states with NetAct Configurator in TraceViewer Help document. This option sends request to Configurator to
check which traces are still active. An information about active and inactive traces is send back by JMS information. The TraceViewer checks whether traces that are in application are active or have been
deactivated. If there are not any traces created in TraceViewer and in JMS message there is an information about such a trace, than proper trace is created in TraceViewer application. It works also in different
way, if trace is active in TraceViewer and JMS message comes with information that in Configurator there is not such a trace, than trace from TraceViewer is deactivated.
Performance and resource usage
This section provides information about Tracing performance and resource usage.
Setting the trace level
When activating a trace, the trace level determines how much trace data is collected from the network elements. Selecting a lower trace level decreases the load on the system.
Trace level
Because of the potentially large amounts of trace data collected for trace, it is worth considering what kind of data is really needed for a particular trace. The trace level determines how much data is collected,
which can be set when activating a new trace.
Depending on the type of network, the following observations are available for traces activated in the following:
SGSN,
HLR,
RNC,
MSC,
Flexi Direct,
OpenTAS.
TABLE 2 Available observations for HLR trace levels in GSM and GPRS networks
detailed calls only location update no BSS
GSM/GPRS networks: GSM/GPRS networks: GSM/GPRS networks: GSM/GPRS networks:
NSSR59H
NSSR5AH
NSSR60H
NSSR61H
NSSR62H
NSSR166H
NSSR167H
GSMBSC16
GSMBSC17
GSMBSC18
GSMBSC19
GSMBSC20
GSMBSC21
GSMBSC25
GSMBSC27
GSMBSC28
GSMSGSN1
MGW_ATM
MGW_TDM
NSSR59H
NSSR60H
NSSR61H
NSSR62H
NSSR166H
NSSR167H
GSMBSC16
GSMBSC17
GSMBSC18
GSMBSC19
GSMBSC20
GSMBSC21
GSMBSC25
GSMBSC27
GSMBSC28
GSMSGSN1
MGW_ATM
MGW_TDM
NSSR59H
NSSR5AH
NSSR166H
NSSR167H
GSMBSC16
GSMBSC17
GSMBSC18
GSMBSC19
GSMBSC20
GSMBSC21
GSMBSC25
GSMBSC27
GSMBSC28
GSMSGSN1
MGW_ATM
MGW_TDM
NSSR59H
NSSR5AH
NSSR60H
NSSR61H
NSSR62H
NSSR166H
NSSR167H
GSMSGSN1
MGW_ATM
MGW_TDM
TABLE 3 Available observations for HLR trace levels in WCDMA networks
NSSR59H
NSSR5AH
NSSR60H
NSSR61H
NSSR62H
NSSR166H
NSSR167H
RAN_SignConnection
RAN_CapTracedUE
RAN_TrafficVol
RAN_RAB
RAN_RadioBearer
RAN_DedTransCh
RAN_ActSetCell
RAN_CellUpdate
RAN_ULPerformance
RAN_BTSTransPwr
RAN_UETransPwr
RAN_UERedirection
RAN_UERxTxTimeDiff
RAN_URAUpdate
RAN_IntraFreqMea
RAN_IntraFreqMeaCtrl
RAN_InterFreqMea
NSSR59H
NSSR60H
NSSR61H
NSSR62H
NSSR166H
NSSR167H
RAN_SignConnection
RAN_CapTracedUE
RAN_TrafficVol
RAN_RAB
RAN_RadioBearer
RAN_DedTransCh
RAN_ActSetCell
RAN_CellUpdate
RAN_URAUpdate
MGW_ATM
MGW_TDM
MGW_IP
NSSR59H
NSSR5AH
NSSR166H
NSSR167H
RAN_SignConnection
RAN_CapTracedUE
RAN_TrafficVol
RAN_RAB
RAN_RadioBearer
RAN_DedTransCh
RAN_ActSetCell
RAN_CellUpdate
RAN_URAUpdate
MGW_ATM
MGW_TDM
MGW_IP
NSSR59H
NSSR5AH
NSSR60H
NSSR61H
NSSR62H
NSSR166H
NSSR167H
MGW_ATM
MGW_TDM
MGW_IP
8 of 14 17/05/2016 04:48 PM

RAN_InterFreqMeaCtrl
RAN_InterSystMea
RAN_InterSystMeaCtrl
RAN_DLAmRLC
RAN_DLPerf
MGW_ATM
MGW_TDM
MGW_IP
Note:
Since NetAct8 EP2 release there are two additional Trace Level types for RNC RU50 EP1:
detailed + MDT (minimization of drive tests without GPS support)
detailed + MDT + GPS (minimization of drive tests with GPS support)
The results of MDT measurements collection will be available in the RNC message monitoring captured by Megamon/TV for the user for which the trace is activated e.g. RRCMeasurementReport,
NBAPDedicateMeasurementReport, NBAPDedicateMeasurementInitiationResponse or GeoServer Ticket.
TABLE 4 Available observations for MSC trace levels in GSM networks
NSSR5AH
NSSR60H
NSSR61H
NSSR62H
NSSR166H
NSSR167H
GSMBSC16
GSMBSC17
GSMBSC18
GSMBSC19
GSMBSC20
GSMBSC21
MGW_ATM
MGW_TDM
NSSR60H
NSSR61H
NSSR62H
NSSR166H
NSSR167H
GSMBSC16
GSMBSC17
GSMBSC18
GSMBSC19
GSMBSC20
GSMBSC21
MGW_ATM
MGW_TDM
NSSR5AH
NSSR166H
NSSR167H
GSMBSC16
GSMBSC17
GSMBSC18
GSMBSC19
GSMBSC20
GSMBSC21
MGW_ATM
MGW_TDM
NSSR5AH
NSSR60H
NSSR61H
NSSR62H
NSSR166H
NSSR167H
MGW_ATM
MGW_TDM
TABLE 5 Available observations for MSC trace levels in WCDMA networks
NSSR5AH
NSSR60H
NSSR61H
NSSR62H
NSSR166H
NSSR167H
RAN_SignConnection
RAN_CapTracedUE
RAN_RAB
RAN_RadioBearer
RAN_DedTransCh
RAN_ActSetCell
RAN_ULPerformance
RAN_BTSTransPwr
RAN_UETransPwr
RAN_UERxTxTimeDiff
RAN_IntraFreqMea
RAN_InterFreqMea
RAN_InterSystMea
RAN_DLAmRLC
RAN_DLPerf
MGW_ATM
MGW_TDM
MGW_IP
NSSR60H
NSSR61H
NSSR62H
NSSR166H
NSSR167H
RAN_SignConnection
RAN_CapTracedUE
RAN_RAB
RAN_RadioBearer
RAN_DedTransCh
RAN_ActSetCell
MGW_ATM
MGW_TDM
MGW_IP
NSSR5AH
NSSR166H
NSSR167H
RAN_SignConnection
RAN_CapTracedUE
RAN_RAB
RAN_RadioBearer
RAN_DedTransCh
RAN_ActSetCell
MGW_ATM
MGW_TDM
MGW_IP
NSSR5AH
NSSR60H
NSSR61H
NSSR62H
NSSR166H
NSSR167H
MGW_ATM
MGW_TDM
MGW_IP
TABLE 6 Available observations for GSM SGSN trace levels in GPRS
networks
GSMSGSN1
GSMBSC25
GSMBSC27
GSMBSC28
GSMSGSN1
GSMBSC25
GSMBSC27
GSMBSC28
GSMSGSN1
GSMBSC25
GSMBSC27
GSMBSC28
GSMSGSN1
TABLE 7 Available observations for WCDMA SGSN trace levels in WCDMA networks
3GSGSN 3GSGSN 3GSGSN 3GSGSN
9 of 14 17/05/2016 04:48 PM

RAN_SignConnection
RAN_CapTracedUE
RAN_TrafficVol
RAN_RAB
RAN_RadioBearer
RAN_DedTransCh
RAN_ActSetCell
RAN_CellUpdate
RAN_ULPerformance
RAN_BTSTransPwr
RAN_UETransPwr
RAN_UERedirection
RAN_UERxTxTimeDiff
RAN_URAUpdate
RAN_IntraFreqMea
RAN_InterFreqMea
RAN_InterSystMea
RAN_DLAmRLC
RAN_DLPerf
RAN_SignConnection
RAN_CapTracedUE
RAN_TrafficVol
RAN_RAB
RAN_RadioBearer
RAN_DedTransCh
RAN_ActSetCell
RAN_CellUpdate
RAN_ULPerformance
RAN_BTSTransPwr
RAN_UETransPwr
RAN_UERxTxTimeDiff
RAN_URAUpdate
RAN_SignConnection
RAN_CapTracedUE
RAN_TrafficVol
RAN_RAB
RAN_RadioBearer
RAN_DedTransCh
RAN_ActSetCell
RAN_CellUpdate
RAN_URAUpdate
TABLE 8 Available observations for RNC trace levels in WCDMA networks
RAN_SignConnection
RAN_CapTracedUE
RAN_TrafficVol
RAN_RAB
RAN_RadioBearer
RAN_DedTransCh
RAN_ActSetCell
RAN_CellUpdate
RAN_ULPerformance
RAN_BTSTransPwr
RAN_UETransPwr
RAN_UERxTxTimeDiff
RAN_IntraFreqMea
RAN_InterFreqMea
RAN_InterSystMea
RAN_DLAmRLC
RAN_DLPerf
RAN_SignConnection
RAN_CapTracedUE
RAN_TrafficVol
RAN_RAB
RAN_RadioBearer
RAN_DedTransCh
RAN_ActSetCell
RAN_CellUpdate
RAN_ULPerformance
RAN_BTSTransPwr
RAN_UETransPwr
RAN_UERxTxTimeDiff
RAN_SignConnection
RAN_CapTracedUE
RAN_TrafficVol
RAN_RAB
RAN_RadioBearer
RAN_DedTransCh
RAN_ActSetCell
RAN_CellUpdate
-
TABLE 9 Available observations for Flexi Direct trace levels in networks
RAN_SignConnection
RAN_CapTracedUE
RAN_TrafficVol
RAN_RAB
RAN_RadioBearer
RAN_DedTransCh
RAN_ActSetCell
RAN_CellUpdate
RAN_ULPerformance
RAN_UETransPwr
RAN_UERxTxTimeDiff
RAN_IntraFreqMea
RAN_InterFreqMea
RAN_InterSystMea
RAN_DLAmRLC
RAN_URAUpdate
RAN_UERedirection
RAN_SignConnection
RAN_CapTracedUE
RAN_TrafficVol
RAN_RAB
RAN_RadioBearer
RAN_DedTransCh
RAN_ActSetCell
RAN_CellUpdate
RAN_ULPerformance
RAN_UETransPwr
RAN_UERxTxTimeDiff
RAN_URAUpdate
RAN_SignConnection
RAN_CapTracedUE
RAN_TrafficVol
RAN_RAB
RAN_RadioBearer
RAN_DedTransCh
RAN_ActSetCell
RAN_CellUpdate
RAN_URAUpdate
-
Roles and permissions in LTE activation profiles
During activating LTE profiles you can have different roles and permissions depending on role you have. In the following table you can find all information related to user rights:
TABLE 10 User rights in activating LTE profiles.
User Rights: Trace Admin Trace User Trace User Trace Reader
Privileges: All Owner Not owner Not owner
10 of 14 17/05/2016 04:48 PM

User Rights: Trace Admin Trace User Trace User Trace Reader
View activation profile list: Yes Yes Yes Reader cannot open the
window.
New LTE activation profile: Yes Yes Yes No
Edit LTE activation profile: Yes Yes, you will see Update
button, when Profile name is
filled.
Yes, all changes can be stored
only under new name, Update
button not active.
No
Delete LTE activation profile: Yes Yes (owner) No No
For more information about creating new LTE activation profiles, see Creating LTE activation profiles in TraceViewer Help document.
To get more information about editing LTE profiles, see Editing LTE activation profiles in TraceViewer Help document.
Supported network elements
The following table lists the latest network elements releases supported in TraceViewer:
TABLE 11 Supported network elements by TraceViwer application.
Network element Release
RNC
RN6.0 (RU30),
RN6.0 1.0 (RU30 EP1),
RN6.0 2.0 (RU30 EP2),
RN7.0 (RU40),
RN8.0 (RU50),
RN8.1 (RU50 EP1),
mcRNC
mcRNC2.0 (RU30 EP2),
mcRNC3.0 (RU40),
mcRNC3.1 (RU50),
mcRNC4.1 (RU50 EP1),
BSC
SR20 (RGR20) - unable to activate Cell Trace,
SR40 (RGR40) - Cell Trace support,
S15 (RG20) - unable to activate Cell Trace,
S15 EP1.1 (RG20 EP1) - unable to activate Cell Trace,
S15 EP2.1 (RG20 EP2) - unable to activate Cell Trace,
S16 (RG30) - unable to activate Cell Trace,
S16.11 (RG30 EP1) - unable to activate Cell Trace,
S16.12 (RG30 EP1) - Cell Trace support,
S16.13 (RG30 EP1) - Cell Trace support,
S16_2 (RG40 EP1) - Cell Trace support,
SGSN
SG8.0 DX CD2,
SG8.0DX CD3,
SG8.0 DX CD3.1,
SG9.1 (DX),
SG9.2 (DX),
SG8.0 (ATCA),
SG8.0 ATCA CD2,
SG8.0 ATCA CD3,
SG8.0 ATCA CD4,
MSC/HLR/MSS
M15.0,
M15.1,
Md16.1 (DX200),
Md16.1 EP1 (DX200),
Md16.2 (DX200),
M16.0 M16.0 EP1,
Ma16.1 (ATCA),
11 of 14 17/05/2016 04:48 PM

Ma16.2 (ATCA),
Mr17.0,
Ma17.0,
MGW
Ui5.0,
Ui5.0 EP1,
Ui5.0 EP2,
Ui5.0 EP3,
eNodeB
Flexi LBTS4.0 (RL40) (Flexi Multiradio BTS LN4.0 / LBTS 4.0 FD),
Flexi LBTS5.0 (RL50) (Flexi Multiradio BTS LN5.0 / LBTS 5.0 FD),
Flexi LBTS5.0 (RL50) (Flexi Multiradio BTS LNFZ5.0 / LBTS 5.0 FD),
Flexi LBTS6.0 (RL60),
Flexi TD-LBTS3.0 (RL35TD) (Flexi Multiradio LBTS 3.0TD),
Flexi TD-LBTS3.1 (RL35TD Ir) (Flexi Multiradio LBTS 3.1TD),
Flexi Multiradio LBTS4.0 TD / LNT4.0 (RL45TD),
Flexi Multiradio LBTS5.0 TD / LNT5.0 (RL55TD),
Flexi Multiradio LBTS5.0 TD / LNZ5.0 (RL55TD),
Flexi LBTS7.0 / LN7.0 (RL70 FDD-LTE 15),
Flexi LBTS7.0 / LNF7.0 (RL70 FDD-LTE 15),
Flexi LBTS FL15A / FL15A (FDD-LTE 15.5),
Flexi LBTS TL15A / FL15A (TDD-LTE 15.5),
Flexi LBTS FLF15A / FL15A (FDD-LTE 15.5),
Flexi LBTS TLF15A / FL15A (TDD-LTE 15.5),
Flexi LBTS LC15A / LC15A (Flexi Zone Controller),
Flexi LBTS FLC15A / LC15A (Flexi Zone Controller),
Flexi LBTS TLC15A / LC15A (Flexi Zone Controller)
BCUBTS
BCU3 rel7
BCU3 rel8
BCU3 rel9
BCU3 rel10
FlexiNS MME
NS2.0
NS2.1
NS2.2
FlexiNS: Combined SGSN/MME
NS3.0
NS4.0
NS15
NSA3
NSA4
NSA15
FlexiDirect RNC
ADA5.0 (RU40)
ADA6.0 (RU50 EP1)
OpenTAS
Tv16.2
Tv17.0
T17.0IP
15.5
15.5Cloud
CSCFLCC
11.0
15.5
12 of 14 17/05/2016 04:48 PM

15.5VI
HSSFE
11.0
15.5
15.5VI
TAC list
TAC (Type Allocation Code) list allows to identify a particular model UE’s device. That list is stored in TraceViewer database. TAC list is installed with a system and is updated every two weeks. You can import
your own list which overwrites existing one.
Based on extracted IMEI number it’s possible to recognize manufacturer and handset type. To do that a TAC part from IMEI is compared with TAC list provided with a system. Additional information concerning
structure of IMEI and IMEISV numbers:
IMEI consists of 15 digits where:
8 = TAC - Type Allocation Code (6 TAC+2FAC – Final Assembly Code – company name e.g. 10,20= Nokia)
6 = SNR - Serial Number Code
1 = redundant, check digit
IMEISV consists of 16 digits where:
8 = TAC - Type Allocation Code (6 TAC+2FAC – Final Assembly Code – company name e.g. 10,20= Nokia)
6 = SNR - Serial Number Code
2 = SVN - Software Version Number
Manufacturer, Handset type and SW version columns are displayed in Trace Analysis window for WCDMA and LTE calls based on IMEI number and provided TAC list.
User management
In the TraceViewer application there are defined the following roles:
TraceAdmin,
TraceUser,
TraceReader.
User roles are installed with application. In a table below you can find detailed information about exact user role and their permissions:
TABLE 12 Security management of a TraceViewer application.
Functions: Trace Admin Trace User Trace Reader
Activation of a trace Yes Yes No
Deactivation of a trace Yes Yes No
Trace restart Yes Yes No
Deletion of a trace Yes No No
Copy of a trace Yes Yes No
List trace Yes Yes Yes
View a trace Yes Yes Yes
View options Yes Yes Yes
Edit security options Yes No No
Edit general options Yes Only CLA No
Edit network settings Yes No No
Managing templates Yes Yes Yes
In the table you can find whole functions that are available in TraceViewer application. Functions that are marked as Yes, are available for current user. In Editing general options TraceUser has only right to edit
CLA (Call Location Analysis) settings. For more information about CLA Functionality, see Call trace analyzer chapter in Tracing subscribers and Equipment document.
Data deletion in TraceViewer
In TraceViewer application you can manage trace and trace data that has been received. The amount of data can be so huge that it might overload the DB, in that case deletion operation was introduced due to
decrease amount of data in DB. You can specify in TraceViewer options how many days proper data is stored, how to do that see Modifying options for the current user chapter in TraceViewer Help document.
However, there are some limitation, you cannot set number of days to infinity, cause this might disturb functionality of a TraceViewer or NetAct system or overload data base.
You can modify setting in the following way:
in Subscriber trace data you can set deletion to the fallowing values:
Number of days to keep traces: default value is 14 days, range is between 0 - 28,
Number of days to keep events or calls: default value is set to 14 days, range is between 0 - 28,
13 of 14 17/05/2016 04:48 PM

Cell trace data can be set to the following values:
Number of days to keep cell data: default value is set to 2 days, range is between 0 - 28 days,
Monitoring trace data (NE Trace tab) can be set to the following values:
Number of days to keep monitoring data: default value is set to 3 days, range is between 0 - 28 days,
User actions data can be set to the following values:
Number of days to keep user actions data: default value is set to 3 days, range is between 0 - 28 days,
LTE trace data can be removed manually:
In case of large LTE data amount it is possible to delete them manually using Delete button for Remove all LTE trace data option. This operation is executed in backgroud. When finished a confirmation
message will appear.
Note:
Before this option is used, all LTE traces should be deactivated.
Discard all LTE traffic data option allows to switch off LTE data gathering by NetAct TraceViewer. You can disable data receiving by setting combo box to Yes .
Mentioned values are applied for traces that are still in Active state and Inactive state, etc. When you delete trace whole data that is within that trace is also deleted. To get information on how to delete trace from
TraceViewer application, see Deleting trace(s) chapter in TraceViewer Help document.
Setting trace reference values
Note:
If there is more than one cluster in the network, and if inter-cluster communication connections are enabled, then you need to divide the trace reference value range among the clusters before taking TraceViewer
into use.
The available range for trace reference values is between 1 and 65534, and is divided among the clusters in the network. The trace reference number has to be unique in the whole network (or in all the regions
where the roaming of a trace target from one region to another is possible), and there should be no overlapping between clusters. Therefore, the whole network-wide range (1-65534) should be shared between
the clusters existing in the network.
The first reference value given to a trace in a cluster is the same as the minimum value. When all the values up to the maximum value have been used, the trace reference sequence starts again from the minimum
value. If the trace reference value is still being used to refer to earlier trace data in the Trace database, the next free value is used. When a trace is deleted in TraceViewer, the trace reference value is free to be
used for another trace.
TraceViewer Overview • DN09106629 • trccudodocs-15.5.0.1365
© 2015 Nokia Solutions and Networks. All rights reserved.
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