Configuring I-SBC

This page describes how to create the initial, basic configuration on a integrated SBC (I-SBC) SWe Cloud cluster using the EMS and the SBC Configuration Manager. The active SBC node within the cluster, referred to as the "Headend" node, is used for creating the configuration, and the EMS is used for distributing the configuration across the cluster. For more information on how an SBC cluster interacts with the EMS for configuration, refer to Configuring an SBC SWe Cluster using the EMS.

Prior to following these procedures you must have created an SBC SWe cluster in the EMS for the I-SBC cluster. Refer to Creating an SBC SWe Cluster in EMS documentation. You must then instantiate the I-SBC cluster. After instantiation, the SBC nodes register with the EMS, but since there is no configuration yet for the cluster, its nodes start with a blank configuration. 

Accessing the SBC Configuration Manager

Begin the process to initially configure a new I-SBC cluster by accessing the SBC Configuration Manager on behalf of the cluster.

1. Log on to the EMS.

2. Click Network > Cluster Management. The Cluster Management / Manage VNFs window opens listing the SBC clusters registered with the EMS.

   Cluster Management / Manage VNFs window

   

3. Click the radio button adjacent to the name of the SBC cluster you want to configure. The Details tab for the selected cluster opens. 

4. Click the Configurations tab. 

   Cluster Configurations Tab

   

5. Ensure the option selected for Create Candidate Configuration From is Headend. This is the default. A Headend node must be active, online, and registered with the EMS.

6. Click Create. The SBC Configuration Manager opens against the Headend node.  

   SBC Configuration Manager Window

   

Configure the SBC using the SBC Configuration Manager

Use the following procedures and examples to configure basic I-SBC parameters using the SBC Configuration Manager.

1. To validate the meta variable table, see Validating the Meta Variable Table.
2. To create an address context, see Create an Address Context.

3. To create IP interface groupa and IP interfaces, see Creating IP Interface Groups and IP Interfaces.

4. To create a static route, see Create a Static Route.
5. To create a DNS group and a DNS server, see Create a DNS Group and a DNS Server.
6. To create a NTP server, see Create an NTP Server.
7. To create zones, see Create Zones.
8. To create SIP signaling ports, see Create SIP Signaling Ports.
9. To create SIP trunk groups, see Create SIP Trunk Groups.
10. To create a remote policy server, see Configuring a Remote Policy Server.
11. To create a load balancing service, see Create a Load Balancing Service.

Validating the Meta Variable Table

To validate the values assigned during instantiation, review the meta variable table, click All > System > Meta Variables. The Meta Variable window opens showing the Meta Variable list.

Meta Variable

Create an Address Context

Some of the following procedures require that you specify an address context in which to create configuration objects. The following procedures use an example address context named AC2 as a placeholder. In actual practice you can specify your own address context name or use the default address context. The following steps create an address context named AC2. 

1. Click Configuration > System Provisioning > Category: Base Provisioning > Address Context. The Address Context window opens.
2. Click New Address Context. The Create New Address Context window opens.
3. Enter AC2 as the name of the address context (the name must be between 1-23 characters in length). 
4. Click Save.

Create IP Interface Groups and IP Interfaces

Create IP Interface Groups

1. Select All > Address Context > IP Interface Group. The IP Interface Group List window opens.

2. Select AC2 from the Address Context drop-down list.

3. Click New IP Interface Group. The Create New IP Interface Group window opens.

4. Enter an IP interface group name. For example, LIG1.

5. Click Save.

   IP Interface Group

   

Repeat the previous steps to create another interface group. For example: LIG2. 

Create IP Interfaces

1. On the navigation pane, click  All > Address Context > IP Interface Group > IP Interface. The IP Interface window opens.

2. Select AC2 from the Address Context drop-down list.
3. Select an interface group created from the IP Interface Group drop-down list. For example, LIG1.
4. Click New IP Interface. The Create New IP Interface section opens.
5. Enter a name for the interface. For example, LIF1.
6. Enter IP Metavariable keys in the IP Var V4, Prefix Var V4, IP Public Var V4, IP Var V6, IP Prefix Var V6, IP Public Var V6, and VLAN Tag Var fields as appropriate.
7. Select the Mode as In Service.
8. Select the State as Enabled.
9. Enter the CE Name.
10. Select the pkt0 port from the Port Name drop-down menu.

11. Click Save.

    Creating an IP Interface

    

Repeat the previous steps to add an interface LIF2 for the pkt1 port in a different Interface Group LIG2. 

Create a Static Route

1. Select Configuration > System Provisioning > Category: Base Provisioning > Static Route. The Static Route window opens.
2. Select the AC2 Address Context from the drop-down list.
3. Click New Static Route. The Create New Static Route window opens.
4. Enter the Destination IP Address (IPv4/IPv6).
5. Enter the Prefix value.
6. Enter the Next Hop IP address (IPv4/IPv6).
7. Select an IP Interface Group Name from the drop-down list.
8. Select an IP Interface Name from the drop-down list.
9. Enter a Preference value.

10. Click Save.
     

    Static Route Window

    
    
    

Create a DNS Group and a DNS Server

Create a DNS Group

1. Select All > Address Context > DNS Group. The DNS Group window opens.
   
2. Select AC2 from the Address Context drop-down list.
   
3. Click New DNS Group. The Create New DNS Group section opens.
   
4. Enter a DNS group name.
   
5. Select IP from the Type drop-down list.
   
6. Select LIG1 from the IP Interface drop-down list.
   
7. Enable Use Configured Dns Server and Edns Support.
   

8. Click Save.
   

   Create New DNS Group

   

Create a DNS Server

1. Select All > Address Context > DNS Group > Server. The Server window opens. 

2. On the Server window, perform the following:

   1. Select AC2 from the Address Context drop-down list.

   2. Select the DNS group you created from the DNS Group drop-down list. 
      

   3. Click New Server. The Create New Server section opens.

   4. In the Create New Server section, perform the following:

      1. Enter a server name.

      2. Set the State to Enabled.
         

      3. Enter the DNS server IP in the IP Address V4 or V6 field.

      4. Click Save.

DNS Server Window

Create an NTP Server

1. Select All > System > NTP > Server Admin. The Server Admin window opens.

2. Click New Server Admin. The Create New Server Admin section opens.
3. Enter a server IP address.
4. Set the State to Enabled.
5. Set the Version to Version4.

6. Click Save.

   NTP Server Admin

   

7. Select All > System > NTP > Time Zone. The Time Zone window opens.

8. Select the instance from the list. The Edit Selected Time Zone section opens.

9. Select an appropriate time zone from the Zone drop-down list.

10. Click Save.

Time Zone Window

Create Zones

1. Select All > Address Context > Zone. The Zone window opens.

2. Select AC2 from the Address Context drop-down list.

3. Click New Zone. The Create New Zone section opens.

4. Enter a Name for the zone, for example, INTERNAL.
5. Enter an ID for the zone.

6. Click Save.

   Create New Zone

   

Repeat the previous steps to create another zone, for example, EXTERNAL. 

Create SIP Signaling Ports

Create SIP signaling ports for the zones you created:

1. Select All > Address Context > Zone > SIP Sig Port. The SIP Sig Port window opens.
2. Select AC2 from the Address Context drop-down list.
3. Select the INTERNAL zone from the Zone drop-down list.
4. Click New SIP Sig Port. The Create New SIP Sig Port section opens.
5. Enter an Index number.
6. Set the State as Enabled.
7. Select LIG1 from the IP Interface Group Name drop-down list.
8. Select the sip-udp option in the Transport Protocols Allowed.

9. Click Save.

   Create New SIP Sig Port

   

Repeat the previous steps to create a SIP signaling port for the EXTERNAL zone. 

Create SIP Trunk Groups

Create SIP trunk groups in the the zones you created:

1. Select All > Address Context > Zone > SIP Trunk Group. The SIP Trunk Group window opens.
2. Select AC2 from the Address Context drop-down list.
3. Select the INTERNAL zone from the Zone drop-down list.
4. Click New SIP Trunk Group. The Create New SIP Trunk Group section opens.
5. Enter a Name for the trunk group, for example, INGRESS_TG.
6. Set the State to Enabled.
7. Set the Mode to In Service.
8. Enter LIG1 as the Media IP Interface Group Name.

9. Click Save.

   Creating a SIP Trunk Group

   

Repeat the previous steps to create another SIP trunk group for the EXTERNAL zone and using LIG2. 

Configure Ingress IP Prefixes

Create ingress IP prefixes for the SIP trunk groups you created:

1. Select All > Address Context > Zone > SIP Trunk Group > Ingress IP Prefix. The Ingress IP Prefix window opens.
2. Select AC2 from the Address Context drop-down menu.
3. Select the INTERNAL zone from the Zone drop-down menu.
4. Select the INGRESS_TG trunk group from the SIP Trunk Group drop-down list.
5. Click New Ingress IP Prefix.  The Create New Ingress IP Prefix section opens.
6. Enter an IP address in IP Address V4 or V6.
7. Enter the Prefix Length.

8. Click Save.

   Create New Ingress IP Prefix

   

Repeat the previous steps to create an IP Prefix for the EXTERNAL zone and EGRESS_TG trunk group.

Configuring the Remote Policy Server

Configure the settings for the remote PSX server:

Disable the Local Policy Server

1. Select All > System > Policy Server > Local Server. The Local Server window opens.

2. Select the local server listed. The Edit Selected Local Server section opens.

3. Set the State to Disabled.

4. Select Out of Service from the Mode drop-down menu.

5. Click Save. 

Edit Selected Local Server

Create a New Remote Policy Server

1. Select All > System > Policy Server > Remote Server. The Remote Server window opens. 

2. Click New Remote Server. The Create New Remote Server section opens.

3. Enter a server Name. 

4. Enter the server IP Address.

5. Set the State to Enabled. 

6. Select Active from the Mode drop-down list.

7. Click Save.

Create New Remote Server

Create a Load Balancing Service

Specify the Interface for Intra-Cluster Communications

Configure the intra-cluster VNF communication interface for use with the Load Balancing Service by configuring the Cluster Comm object.

1. Select All > System > Cluster Admin > Cluster Comm. The Cluster Comm window opens.
   By default, the interface Type is specified as Mgmt and fields for the Management interface are shown, as in the first figure. However, an IP interface can also be used for intra-cluster communications by selecting the Type as IP and populating fields that specify a packet interface, as shown in the second figure.

   Cluster Comm Windows

   

   

2. Select the Type you want to use and then enter the corresponding interface values. 

3. Click Save.

Specify the Load Balancing Group

1. Select All > System > Load Balancing Service. The Load Balancing Service window opens.

   Note:

   The Management fixed IP address should be added as an A record on the DNS server.

   Load Balancing Service

   

2. Enter a group name. Example: sbc1.lbs.com

3. Click Save.

Saving and Activating the Configuration in the Cluster

Once you have completed making configuration changes:

1. Click Save at the top of the SBC Configuration Manager window. A Save confirmation window opens. 

   SBC Configuration Manager - Save Window

   

2. Click Save and Activate configuration. This copies the configuration from the Headend SBC back to the EMS as the active configuration. This also sets the Headend SBC configuration status as Config-in-sync and all other non-Headend SBCs as Config-out-of-sync. The EMS pushes configuration differences to all of those nodes which are config-out-of-sync unless the nodes are unavailable. 

   Within the Cluster Management / Manage VNFs window, the Cluster Status column for the cluster displays All nodes online and Activation Complete, once the configuration is successfully activated.

   Note:

   The EMS performs the reboot of out-of-sync nodes automatically during initial configuration. However, if the nodes lose synchronization after that point, for example if an activation fails, then you must reboot the nodes to trigger a configuration download to bring the nodes back into sync. To reboot a node, use the Reboot Node option on the Nodes tab.