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Application Notes Introduction Performance Management & Cable Application Notes Contents Title Managing Cable Telephony Services Introduction...................................................... 1 Series VoIP Performance Management Performance Management Date June 2004 & Cable Telephony .......................................... 1 The New VoIP Performance Management Architecture ..................................................... 2 Overview Common VoIP Performance Metrics ............... 4 This application note describes the typical performance issues that cable operators encounter Performance Management when deploying cable telephony networks and Reporting Protocols ......................................... 5 introduces a management framework that enables Applying the VoIP Performance Management them to detect, address and resolve these Architecture To Cable Telephony ........................ 6 problems. Problem Resolution, Detection & Diagnosis ....... 7 Summary .......................................................... 8 Introduction Performance Management & Cable Telephony Packet Telephony is an exciting new source of revenue for cable operators, so it is essential to build Cable operators are familiar with many of the fault and performance management systems that problems they will face when deploying cable support quick problem detection and resolution and telephony networks due to their past experiences avoid costly truck rolls. Cable operators are aware introducing cable modem service: that HFC networks can suffer from performance- related problems, but they are less familiar with the Ingress noise on the cable upstream that broader range of call quality issues associated with leads to high packet loss rates. Voice over IP networks and the interaction between traditional cable system and packet telephony Weather problems i.e., the affect of components. temperature extremes and thunderstorms on cable service. This application note describes the typical performance issues that cable operators encounter when In addition, Cable Telephony brings both an increased deploying cable telephony networks and introduces a sensitivity of the service to packet related problems and management framework that enables them to detect, addition problems that are particular to VoIP. address and resolve these problems. VoIP Performance Management Managing Cable Telephony Services June 2004 1 Telchemy Application Notes Wiring problems in subscribers’ homes It uses a distributed software probe architecture that require service calls. Existing cable to provide cost-effective, real-time call quality modem management statistics can help feedback with maximum network coverage. The new determine remote problems, but they framework’s monitoring functions provide real-time may not be sufficient for diagnosing IP visibility of network performance, detection of transient telephony-related problems. problems and comprehensive diagnostic data. Network problems are transient in nature The framework incorporates QoS reporting and can occur at many places along the protocols that send key performance data back to packet path. By the time a user reports a network management and call control systems with problem, the network condition causing minimal network traffic overhead. High performance that problem may have disappeared. network probes are located within the core network and at head-ends to provide in-depth diagnosis they Some problems e.g., echo, result from the detect problems. interaction of the two endpoints (trunking gateway and IP phone) and the network. A key benefit of the new VoIP Performance Management Architecture is that small lightweight MSOs and operators need a performance management monitoring functions can be integrated directly into architecture that supports real-time monitoring of the MTAs, ATAs, IP phones, routers, gateways and similar service quality delivered to subscribers’ home locations and network elements. This “direct integration” provides probe fast, easy problem diagnosis. functionality in equipment where it would normally be cost prohibitive e.g., every customer home. The New VoIP Performance Management Architecture Embedded Monitoring Function A new standards-based framework has emerged VQmon® technology is a major building block within the IP industry for VoIP Performance Management. of the new performance framework (Figure 1); it was the first and is the most widely deployed Call Server and monitoring function for VoIP CDR Database Network Management performance management System today. VQmon’s embedded monitoring technology Signaling-based QoS Reporting enables network managers to SNMP with VoIP RTCP XR MIB see call quality problems in Endpoint RTCP XR (RFC3611) real-time and identify the root Media Path Reporting VoIP Gateway cause of the problem for both Embedded monitoring active and completed calls. with VQmon® G.799.1 Trunking Gateway Network Probe or Analyzer Figure 1: The new VoIP Performance Management Reference Model 2 VoIP Performance Management Managing Cable Telephony Services June 2004 Telchemy Application Notes The technology measures key characteristics of MTA, ATA & Trunking Gateways: VQmon/EP the packet voice stream and calculates real-time performance data that network managers can use Leading equipment manufacturers are to detect, characterize and report service quality integrating VQmon/EP into their IP phones and affecting problems. gateways. VQmon/EP monitors the received packet VQmon provides detailed service quality metrics stream and extracts other vital information from and diagnostic information on transient problems; the VoIP CODEC. VQmon can use this information however, it uses a lower reporting frequency than to calculate accurate call quality estimates and older technologies thus requiring less bandwidth. supporting diagnostic data, and sends QoS reports back to management systems via RTCP XR or VQmon is a high performance standards-based signaling based reports. non-intrusive call quality monitoring and diagnostic agent that can be integrated directly into VoIP CPE, CMTS, Analyzers and Probes: VQmon/SA SLA monitoring systems, probes, routers and generally any system that is on the path taken by voice packets. VQmon/SA is the core VoIP analysis software used VQmon agents are small and highly efficient and can in many probes, routers, SLA monitoring systems and be integrated into existing equipment without requiring analyzers. VQmon/SA monitors the packet stream, additional CPU or memory, scaling from systems that automatically recognizing individual call streams and monitor a single call to those that support “hundreds of the types of CODEC in use. VQmon determines which thousands” of calls. packets were lost or would be discarded due to jitter and uses this data to determine a call quality estimate using VQmon agents produce call quality metrics, the same algorithms as VQmon/EP. including listening and conversational quality scores. They also provide detailed information on the severity and distribution of packet loss and discards due to jitter and detect transient IP problems that affect service quality. VQmon is an advanced VoIP perceptual quality estimation algorithm that incorporates support for key international standards including ITU-T P.564, ITU-T G.107, ITU-T G.1020, ETSI TS 101 329-5 Annex E and IETF RFC 3611. VQmon incorporates support for time varying IP impairments (typically caused by network congestion) and has been independently shown to provide significantly more accurate and stable metrics than other algorithms such as G.107 (E Model). There are two versions of VQmon: VQmon/EP (End Point) and VQmon/SA (Stream Analysis). Both produce a rich set of diagnostic data, and support the common VoIP performance management metrics. VoIP Performance Management Managing Cable Telephony Services June 2004 3 Telchemy Application Notes Common VoIP Performance Metrics Mean Length and Density Of Bursts (where a burst is defined as the interval of The new VoIP Performance Management time during which the packet loss/discard Architecture incorporates a common set of VoIP rate is high enough to cause audio quality performance metrics supported by multiple QoS degradation) reporting protocols i.e., the same information is available regardless of the protocol used for reporting Mean Length and Density Of Gaps (Figure 2). These metrics are: Between Bursts Percentage Of Packets Lost By the Network Both these metrics help to identify the extent to which the call is degraded by Percentage Of Packets Discarded By the loss/discard and provide some insight Jitter Buffer Due To Late Arrival into the user experience. Transient network congestion is a common Both these metrics help to identify problem resulting in a period of high the degree to which a call is being loss/discard lasting for several seconds affected by network packet loss or during which call quality is degraded; jitter. They also eliminate the need these transient call quality problems to “guess” how much effect jitter is are reported as “bursts.” having on packet discard rate. IP Phone SLA Monitor VoIP Gateway Protocol Analyzer Router IP Network CODEC VQmon VQmon RTCP XR VQmon/SA VQmon/EP “Stream Analysis” “End Point” Figure 2: VQmon's embedded monitoring technology 4 VoIP Performance Management Managing Cable Telephony Services June 2004 Telchemy Application Notes Round Trip Delay Between VoIP Endpoints Performance Management Reporting Protocols End System Delay Within a VoIP Endpoint Reporting protocols have been developed for the Both these metrics help to identify media path,
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