In this section:
Use the Configure Trace and Media Packet Capture window to both configure Call Trace Filters and to initiate call traces to use in debugging policy and call routing issues.
On the SBC main screen, go to Troubleshooting > Call Trace/Logs/Monitors > Call Trace and Packet Capture > Call Trace. The Configure Trace and Media Packet Capture window opens.
There are two panels in this window: the Call Trace Status and Setting panel and the Call Trace Filters panel. The Call Trace Filters panel lists any existing Call Trace Filters.
Call Trace Filters define conditions that determine which call events trigger logging PES call trace messages to the system trace data event log. When a call meets the criteria, the trace information is written to a tracing file (.TRC
). The following default information is collected during a call trace:
Do not configure a Call Trace Filter to trace all calls. Use of the Call Trace feature can have significant impact on the network performance of the SBC system. Ribbon strongly recommends configuring Call Filters which result in a small number of calls being traced to avoid heavy loads. Also, be sure to delete Call Trace Filters once you have obtained the necessary information.
Only Administrators, Field Service, Guests and Operators have the ability to access the Call Trace configuration screen.
You must create Call Trace Filters before you can start a call trace.
The Call Trace Filter object allows you to create and configure Call Trace Filters that specify criteria that the SBC uses to determine which call events to trace.
To create a new Call Trace Filter, click New Call Filter on the Call Trace Filters panel. The Create New Call Trace Filter window opens.
Enter values for the Call Trace Filter object using the following table and click Save.
Parameter | Description |
---|---|
Name | Specifies the name of the Call Trace Filter of up to 23 characters. |
State | Specifies the state of this filter. The options are:
|
Capture type | Specifies the type of logs to capture while running a Call Trace. The options are:
|
Detail level to log | Specifies the level of details that need to be capture in the log file when the trace is complete. The options are:
Note:
The Level 4 log is implemented to capture SIP Ladder diagrams for the interpretation of calls. Level 4 Call Trace Filter conditions/behavior:
|
Capture calls that match these filters | Specifies the criteria to use determine which calls to capture in the logs in a Call Trace (these are optional). The options are: Called number: Specifies the called party number to trace. Field length is up to 30 characters. Calling number: Specifies the calling party number to trace. Field length is up to 30 characters. Contractor number: Specifies the contractor number to trace. Field length is up to 30 characters. Redirecting number: Specifies the redirecting number to trace. Field length is up to 30 characters. CDDN number: Specifies the Called Directory Number to trace. Field length is up to 30 characters. NOTE: For the preceding options, the following characters are accepted by the SBC when specifying Call Trace Filter criteria:
Wildcard matching is also supported. Use "X" or "x" wildcard character to match any single digit, and "%" symbol to match any digits from that point forward. For example, using "978xxx1212" returns all calls between 9780001212 and 9789991212, and using "978%" returns all calls with a 978 prefix. Transfer capability: Specifies the transfer capability of the call trace filter. Options are:
Trunk Group: The name of a trunk group to filter the calls to trace. This string must match the trunk group name exactly. You cannot use wildcard characters for this argument. Field length is up to 23 characters. Peer IP address: Specifies the peer IpV4 or IpV6 address for call tracing. |
Stop Match | Specifies the condition to stop matching filters. The options are:
|
As a general rule, set the Call Trace Filter for the ingress side except for the Called number.
Select an existing Call Trace Filter object by clicking the radio button adjacent to it in the Call Trace Filters window. The Edit Call Trace Filter window is displayed.
Confirm the deletion when prompted.
Once you have one or more Call Trace Filters created, call traces can be started and stopped from the top panel of the Configure Trace and Media Packet Capture window. See the earlier figure of the Configure Trace and Media Packet Capture window. There you can start, save and stop traces using the enabled filters. The trace continues running until a specified duration elapses or the specified number of call filter matches is reached.
When you start a trace, by default, the first three enabled filters in the table are used for the trace.
In the Call Trace Status and Settings panel, choose the required conditions for the trace using the following table.
Parameter | Description |
---|---|
Call Trace Duration | Specifies the duration for the Call Trace to run. The options are:
|
Number of Matches (optional) | Specifies the maximum number of calls to match before stopping the trace. The value ranges from 1 to 64 times. |
Trace Calls with errors of the type | Check this object to enable specifying a system-wide call trace error filter trigger criteria. By default the option is unchecked which means there is no SIP PDU logging for this error filter. After checking the option the following options are available:
Note
The system-wide error filter triggers a call trace based on the selected type of error. If you select to trace calls with errors as well as define call filters to trace, the error filter runs in parallel with the call filters. Both may trigger producing a double-PDU output, one for the conditions matched in the call filter, and one for the detected error. For further details on error logs, see the section Call Trace Log Messages. |
Call Trace Status | Displays the current status of the Call Trace.
|
Click Save & Start Trace to start the trace. The trace status is displayed in the same panel.
The trace stops automatically if a time limit is specified, otherwise you must stop the trace manually by clicking Stop Trace.
Once the trace is complete, the logs are generated and stored at Log Management. Look for TRC and PKT log files (.trc and .pkt log files). For more details on log messages, see the section Call Trace Log Messages.
A sample log entry with memory footprint of more than 1800 bytes is illustrated below (observe the comments within /* */):
Messages like INVITE
, in combination with SIP Headers like P-Asserted-Identity
, P-Location
, etc. often tends to produce log entries with memory footprint of more than 1800 bytes per entry.
Additional information about a call is indicated by the EXTRA INFO
delimiter (see the example above). Currently, it comprises of the following:
Ingress
/Egress
indication in textCallId
Global Call ID (gcid)
from IP/Port
, to indicate the source IP and port of the messageLOCAL IP/Port
, to indicate the recipient IP and port of the messageRAW PDU
, which is the raw PDU in ascii text but not encrypted. The RAW PDU
section is the largest in a log entry, and often wraps between log entries. Sometimes, it even spans over multiple files.The TRC files can be analyzed offline using the LX tool, which generates a SIP ladder diagram from the TRC or DBG files. The LX tool is a Windows PC application available free of charge to all customers and partners with a license agreement, and can be downloaded as part of your software download request. For details, refer to LXDOC.