Billing Introduction

The Call Accounting Manager (CAM) generates Call Detail Records (CDRs) and supports accounting event logging on the SBC Core. As calls traverse the SBC, the CAM generates and stores CDRs in the /var/log/sonus/sbx/evlog directory. You can view these CDRs by looking at files with the “.ACT” extension. It is useful to view the ACT logs during call debugging (to get the originating trunk group, calling and called numbers, codec used, and more). You can also view billing records (and other logs) while in EMA Platform Mode. Refer to Administration - Accounting and Logs for more information. 

You can send SBC accounting records to three different types of locations:

1. Local hard disk: If accounting is enabled, then ASCII records are always written to the local disk.
2. An external server, for example: 
   1. To a DSI-L0 server: If configured, the ASCII records can be transferred to an external Ribbon DSI server using SFTP.
   2. To an external billing server in an IMS network via the Rf Interface.
3. RADIUS server: RADIUS accounting records can be generated and sent to an external RADIUS server.

Call Detail Record Format

This section describes the ASCII and streaming Call Detail Record (CDR) format.

Various Ribbon elements such as GSX 9000, PSX, and SBC use many of the same CDR fields. Because of this, some fields in the “Accounting Records” table below do not apply to SBC call details, but instead simply indicate pass-though type messages (for example, ISUP and PSTN fields).

For GW-GW calls on the SBC SWe and SBC SWe Cloud, a CDR is only generated for the ingress leg. If the generation mode is configured as origination and the populateRemoteGsxInfoState flag is enabled, the SBC logs billing information from the termination node.

For more information on known limitations, refer to the applicable release notes at SBC Release Information page.

Accounting File Version

The CAM version of the SBC release V11.00.00 is 101.00.00 (major CAM version is 101, minor CAM version is 0, special CAM version is 0). The associated hex format of CAM file version is  00650000, displayed as 00650000 in the ASCII CAM file header as follows:

Sonus Networks, Inc.00000000FF600000650000000000000128V11.00.00R000 0000000000000000000000000000ACT2022042504253100000000000000

File Header

Every event log file, including accounting logs, contains a file header. This header consists of a 128-character string terminated by a (line feed). Each field in the event log file header is defined in the following table:

Table 1: File Header Details

File Footer

The one line footer, below, is appended to each log file (including accounting logs) when the file is closed under controlled conditions.

MMDDYYYY HHMMSS: File administratively closed.

Controlled conditions include CLI commands (for example, set oam eventLog typeAdmin acct rolloverAction...) and automatic roll-overs when maximum file size is reached.

When an uncontrolled file closure occurs, such as an SBC switch-over or system failure, this footer may not be present.

Renaming Open Accounting Files

The SBC includes the ability to rename a currently-open accounting file using a known suffix to make it easily identifiable by external applications. To activate this feature, simply enable the flag “Rename Open Files” using EMA GUI or CLI. 

CLI syntax example:

% set oam eventLog typeAdmin acct renameOpenFiles enable

Once this flag is enabled, on the next accounting file open activity, the suffix .OPEN is appended to the filename using the format <shelf><sequence number>.ACT.OPEN (currently open files are not affected).

For example, as accounting file 1000099 is created with this feature already enabled, the file is named “1000099.ACT.OPEN”.

For configuration details, refer to:

• CLI: Event Log - CLI
• EMA: Event Log - Type Admin

Accounting File Roll-Over

The SBC application maintains a configurable maximum of up to 2048 accounting files. Once the configured limit of files is reached, the application deletes the oldest files first to accommodate the new files.

When accounting file names reach the maximum value of 1FFFFFF.ACT, the next file name rolls over to 1000001.ACT. Use the “Rename Open Files” flag to rename the most recent accounting file with the ”ACT.OPEN” extension. This flag is accessible from the EMA at “System Configuration” > “CDR and Servers” tab.

Global Charge Reference

The Global Charge Reference (GCR) feature allows correlation of calls across networks where the calls are originated from and terminated at different third-party devices. The GCR field is populated in the CDRs of the SBC if the GCR is received in a gateway protocol message from a GSX9000.

The GSX9000 receives or generates the GCR parameter through an ISUP parameter. The GCR is used in conjunction with SIP call-id’s to associate calls that interwork between SIP and ISUP protocols across multiple network devices.

How to Set Up SFTP from the SBC to a CDR Server

If a CDR server is configured, the SBC transfers the files through SFTP to the configured destination.

1. To create a CDR server, use the following command syntax:

   % set oam accounting cdrServer admin [primary | secondary] connectionTimeout <numeric: 15 to 600 seconds> filePrefix <name of SBC> ipAddress <ip address> password <password for ftp user> path <directory to ftp to> transferTimeout <numeric: 15 to 600 seconds> username <username of ftp user>

   
   
   

   An example to show the CDR server configuration and check the configuration is as follows:

   
   

   admin@SBC01> config
   admin@SBC01% set oam accounting cdrServer admin primary connectionTimeout 15 filePrefix SBC01 ipAddress 10.10.211.10 password sonus path /export/home/SBC01ACTrecs/ transferTimeout 15 username root
   admin@SBC01% commit
   admin@SBC01% quit
   
   admin@SBC01> show table oam accounting cdrServer admin
                                                                                   FILE    CONNECTION  TRANSFER
   TYPE     IP ADDRESS    USERNAME  PASSWORD         PATH                          PREFIX  TIMEOUT     TIMEOUT
   --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
   primary  10.10.211.10  root      $3$qaO71mBy8l8=  /export/home/SBC01ACTrecs/  SBC01   15          15
   [ok][2013-10-02 06:14:49]
   admin@SBC01>

   
   

2. Initially, the accounting field is not set to ftp or automatically roll over. Use the following command to view Rollover settings for accounting (See "acct" row in the example):

   > show table oam eventLog typeAdmin
                                   MESSAGE                ROLLOVER                                     FILE               RENAME    DISK                           SYSLOG
                      FILE   FILE  QUEUE    SAVE  FILTER  START     ROLLOVER                 ROLLOVER  WRITE    SYSLOG    OPEN      THROTTLE  EVENT LOG   SERVER   REMOTE
   TYPE      STATE    COUNT  SIZE  SIZE     TO    LEVEL   TIME      INTERVAL  ROLLOVER TYPE  ACTION    MODE     STATE     FILES     LIMIT     VALIDATION  NO       HOST
   ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
   system    enabled  32     2048  10       disk  major   -         0         nonrepetitive  stop      default  disabled  disabled  5000      disabled    server1  0.0.0.
   debug     enabled  32     2048  10       disk  major   -         0         nonrepetitive  stop      default  disabled  disabled  -         disabled    server1  0.0.0.
   trace     enabled  32     2048  10       disk  info    -         0         nonrepetitive  stop      default  disabled  disabled  -         disabled    server1  0.0.0.
   acct      enabled  32     2048  10       disk  major   -         0         nonrepetitive  stop      default  disabled  disabled  -         disabled    server1  0.0.0.
   security  enabled  32     2048  10       disk  major   -         0         nonrepetitive  stop      default  disabled  disabled  -         disabled    server1  0.0.0.
   audit     enabled  32     2048  10       disk  info    -         0         nonrepetitive  stop      default  disabled  disabled  -         disabled    server1  0.0.0.
   packet    enabled  32     2048  10       disk  major   -         0         nonrepetitive  stop      default  disabled  disabled  -         disabled    server1  0.0.0.
   memusage  enabled  32     2048  10       disk  major   -         0         nonrepetitive  stop      default  disabled  disabled  -         disabled    server1  0.0.0.
   [ok]

   
   
   

3. To create the accounting file rollover and ftp, use the following command syntax:

   % set oam eventLog typeAdmin acct rolloverStartTime <CCYY-MM-DDTHH:MM:SS> rolloverInterval <number of seconds between each file rollover> rolloverType repetitive rolloverAction start
   where 'T' in 'DDTHH' is a constant used to indicate the Time follows.

   
   
   

   An example of the configuration and display of the accounting file rollover and ftp is as follows:

   
   

   % set oam eventLog typeAdmin acct rolloverStartTime 2018-09-13T06:30:00 rolloverInterval 500 rolloverType repetitive rolloverAction start
   [ok][2018-08-13 12:58:11]
   
   [edit]
   admin@SBXUK11-1% commit
   Commit complete.
   [ok][2018-08-13 12:58:14]
   
   [edit]
   admin@SBXUK11-1% exit
   
   > show table oam eventLog typeAdmin
                                   MESSAGE                                                                              FILE               RENAME    DISK
                      FILE   FILE  QUEUE    SAVE  FILTER                             ROLLOVER                 ROLLOVER  WRITE    SYSLOG    OPEN      THROTTLE  EVENT LOG
   TYPE      STATE    COUNT  SIZE  SIZE     TO    LEVEL   ROLLOVER START TIME        INTERVAL  ROLLOVER TYPE  ACTION    MODE     STATE     FILES     LIMIT     VALIDATION
   ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
   system    enabled  32     2048  10       disk  major   -                          0         nonrepetitive  stop      default  disabled  disabled  5000      disabled
   debug     enabled  32     2048  10       disk  major   -                          0         nonrepetitive  stop      default  disabled  disabled  -         disabled
   trace     enabled  32     2048  10       disk  info    -                          0         nonrepetitive  stop      default  disabled  disabled  -         disabled
   acct      enabled  32     2048  10       disk  major   2018-09-13T06:30:00-00:00  500       repetitive     start     default  disabled  disabled  -         disabled
   security  enabled  32     2048  10       disk  major   -                          0         nonrepetitive  stop      default  disabled  disabled  -         disabled
   audit     enabled  32     2048  10       disk  info    -                          0         nonrepetitive  stop      default  disabled  disabled  -         disabled
   packet    enabled  32     2048  10       disk  major   -                          0         nonrepetitive  stop      default  disabled  disabled  -         disabled
   memusage  enabled  32     2048  10       disk  major   -                          0         nonrepetitive  stop      default  disabled  disabled  -         disabled
   [ok]

   
   
   

4. View CDR Server status using the following command:

   admin@SBC01> show table oam accounting cdrServer status
                              SUCCESSFUL  FAILED     PENDING
   TYPE     STATE   PROGRESS  TRANSFERS   TRANSFERS  TRANSFERS
   -------------------------------------------------------------
   primary  active  done      3           0          0
   [ok][2013-10-02 07:27:19]

   
   
   

5. Verify that the files were transferred to the FTP server by logging in to the CDR server and executing the following command:

   ftp server:
   root@hostname # pwd
   /export/home/SBC01ACTrecs
   root@hostname # ls -l
   total 708
   -rw-r--r--   1 root     other     346730 Oct  2 06:45 SBC01.20131002064500.1000022.ACT
   -rw-r--r--   1 root     other        175 Oct  2 07:00 SBC01.20131002070000.1000023.ACT
   -rw-r--r--   1 root     other        175 Oct  2 07:15 SBC01.20131002071500.1000024.ACT
   root@hostname #

   
   
   

6. Execute the following command to view the successful and failed CDR file transfer:

   % show table oam accounting cdrServer status
                              SUCCESSFUL  FAILED     PENDING
   TYPE      STATE  PROGRESS  TRANSFERS   TRANSFERS  TRANSFERS
   ---------------------------------------------------------
   primary   active  done     2           0          0
   secondary standby idle     0           7          0

CDR Server Remote Port Configuration

The SBC supports transferring call accounting files (.ACT) to a CDR server through a user-configured port. The SBC also supports using Secure Shell (SSH) public keys instead of password to authenticate with the remote CDR server.

Use the following parameters within CDR server configuration to set up remote port and ssh key based authentication:

• cdrPort
• useSshKeyFile 


• generateSshPublicKeys

To generate a new SSH public key, execute the following command:

% request oam accounting cdrServer admin primary generateSshPublicKeys

The generated SSH public key must be installed on CDR server to use ssh key based authentication from SBC. The SSH public key must be copied to the remote CDR server file /home/<user>/.ssh/authorized_keys. If the private key is compromised, the key must be re-generated. Once the key is re-generated, the CDR server must be updated with the new key.

Configuring the CDR Server Remote Port

When downloading billing records (or other logs), you must use port 2024 to SFTP files from the SBC.

% set oam accounting cdrServer admin primary cdrPort 2024

1. Enabling SSH Key Based Authentication
2. Generating the SSH Public Key
3. Copying and Installing the SSH Public Key to CDR Servers

Enabling SSH Key Based Authentication

To enable SSH key based authentication, execute the following command:

% set oam accounting cdrServer admin primary useSshKeyFile Enable

Generating the SSH Public Key

To generate a new SSH public key, execute the following command:

% request oam accounting cdrServer admin primary generateSshPublicKeys
result success
reason 
ssh-rsa AAAAB3NzaC1yc2EAAAADAQABAAABAQDclSOlVfVmmhatw5bDQRk7AaYvCRUUfHHbSvkCBb4T8zYdJ8JNw15rMSKk9hEkVdtEEZRJU4Q97C+3LbPknZrIMM+zmSRYmh2/LkGAlydSJ+sPe9i7zWFOLYeA3gitaKJSPgSjdb4WGgDq686Ei4yup9xYDbT8wAcosQsf3tfbqH2GetNJ8tAs3KjRi7FPhH1hHdXVyH0yW1mdGlMYvoFUeFCRjhE81oJhy2jMTJD9T3eQiJo4NZQZYOgALMQPi8fxaAgnuWmvrejNTn/PgRyGpQEs7HFHkX5zHW5M74PU/Z3S3Y2uSZlYrCQRf9Y2mUiK5R40bjsKz4TqIP5LfzhX
[ok]

Copying and Installing the SSH Public Key to CDR Servers

The SSH public key is copied to the remote CDR server file /home/<user>/.ssh/authorized_keys.

For configuration details, refer to Accounting - CLI.

RADIUS Accounting Support

Remote Authentication Dial In User Service (RADIUS) is a standardized protocol for supporting Authentication, Authorization, and Accounting (AAA) management in a distributed client-server architecture. The SBC can map CDR fields and other input parameters to attributes (standard as well as vendor-specific attributes) in RADIUS call-accounting records. The SBC, acting as a RADIUS client, can send the call-accounting records to an external RADIUS server. For a description of Sonus CDR to RADIUS VSA field mapping, refer to CDR to VSA Mapping.

The following accounting message types are supported by RADIUS protocol:

• Accounting Request
• Accounting Response

The process for sending accounting requests and responses is described below.

• The SBC sends an accounting-request with Accounting-Status-Type value "Accounting-on". At a later time, this transaction informs the server about the new accounting client that will send the accounting messages to the NAS/resource usage by user.
• When the SBC connects the call, the accounting starts. The accounting-request contains the Accounting-Status-Type with the value "Start". The "Start" records contains the following:
• User identification
• Network address
• Point of attachment
• Unique session identifier
• Next, the SBC records the status change by NAS to the RADIUS server for this active session. The accounting-request now contains the Accounting-Status-Type with the value "Interim". The interim record usually conveys the current session duration and information on the current data usage.
• When the user network access is closed, the NAS issues a final Accounting Stop record to the RADIUS server, providing the information on the final usage in the terms of the following:
• Time
• Packets transferred
• Data transferred
• Reason for disconnect
• Other information related to the call

The Accounting-Request contains the Accounting-Status-Type with the value "Stop". The primary purpose of this data is to bill the user. The data is also used for statistical purposes and for general network monitoring.

Figure 1: RADIUS Client-Server Diagram

SBC Standard Attributes

The SBC RADIUS application uses standard attributes from the RADIUS when possible. For CDR fields that cannot be mapped to the standard attributes, vendor-specific attributes are defined. The SBC allows instances of the standard attributes in Accounting request message as per following table:

Table 2: Allowed Standard Attributes

Rf Interface Support

The SBC Core acting as a P-CSCF or IBCF supports Rf interface-based offline billing in compliance with standard IMS as well as file-based and stream-based CDRs. The SBC can select either CDR/streaming-based charging or Rf Interface depending on whether the system-wide flag, enableRfApp, is enabled or not. Refer to Signaling - Global - CLI or Signaling - Diam Sig Controls for configuration details.

The SBC Diameter node supports both Rf application along with the existing Rx application. The Diameter node uses "Route Table" to find peer for outbound request based on destination realm and application.

For more details, refer to Rf Interface Support.

Generating CDRs in Q-SBC Format

By default, the SBC Core generates CDRs in the standard SBC Core (former Sonus) format. For deployments that require it, users with admin privileges can configure the SBC Core to generate CDRs in the format of the (former GENBAND) Q-series SBCs. Similar to SBC Core CDRs, the Q-SBC format is an ASCII-format text file with multiple records per file. When you enable the Q-SBC format, the SBC Core populates CDR log files according to the mapping shown in the Q-SBC to SBC Core CDR Mapping table. Refer to Generating CDRs in Q-SBC Format for more information.