This chapter describes the minimum setting required to align the antennas and establish connection to the opposite end and establish connection with PNMSj.
Note: if suitable basic configuration files are first copied to each IDU, following the Quick Installation Guide (Appendix D) is sufficient. The basic configuration files should contain all the default settings for the operator. Then only those settings that vary from each NE to NE need to be changed during installation.
PROVISIONING CLEAR
If the IDU is not at the factory settings, it may be useful to return all Provisioning Settings to factory settings using Equipment Utility -> Shipment -> Shipment.
This operation disables all modems and other cards and removes all settings under Provisioning. Note: e.g Network Management Configuration and Security Management settings (such as NMS port adresses and SNMP, NMS and NTP server addresses etc.) remain unchanged.
Before the Provisioning Clear it is necessary to set the MAINT status on. Select ”Provisioning Clear”. The IDU will be reset, and it is necessary to wait a few minutes for the reset to complete. The operation is finished when the MAINT led stops blinking and LCT port is again operable.
Note. Possible only locally using the LCT port. Not possible remotely using the NMS port.
MODULE SETUP
It is normally not useful to use the ”Easy Setup Wizard” because the detailed settings need to be changed anyway.
Equipment Setup -> Equipment Configuration -> Setup
Changes are made using the Setup button. The setting window shows the Current Setting and on the right the New Setting is used to input new values. Continue by clicking Next > and OK.
Figure 27. Equipment Configuration. Use Setup button to modify.
NE Name – Give IDU name (e.g. Site Name – IDU – IDU#). Maximum 32 characters, no special characters!
Element setting.
Equipment Configuration – Select the cards (press Auto Detect), if necessary disable by selecting ”Not
used” for cards that should not be used. Note that cards should not be removed physically due to EMC and IDU cooling reasons unless a blank cover is installed. Element setting.
Figure 28. Enabling and disabling modules.
RADIO CONFIGURATION
Equipment Setup -> Radio Configuration -> Setup
Figure 29. Radio Configuration Setup
The thin green frame in the left upper corner indicates which modem is being set up. Unfortunately the modem port name is not shown in this window (shown in the Ethernet settings only). ”ODU Information” shows the available settings of the ODU connected currently. New setting is used to input new values.
Reference modulation: This selection determines the maximum available power. In order to get maximum
power at QPSK, select Reference Modulation = QPSK. Element setting.
Note. The transmitter power depends on a) MTPC setting and b) current modulation. When the reference modulation is QPSK, the MTPC setting allows selecting the maximum power. But even with MTPC selected, the power is automatically adjusted slightly lower according to the current modulation automatically selected by AMR.
In other words, MTPC includes an automatic TX power fine adjustment part. EXAMPLE
License allows -6dBW or +24dBm. If the reference modulation is selected as 256QAM and adaptive modulation is used, the maximum MTPC setting is +19 dBm. When the hop fades, the modulation is changed all the way down to QPSK, but nevertheless the power is limited to +19 dBm.
If QSPK is selected as the reference, the maximum MTPC setting is +24 dBm. The hop will then tolerate 5 dB more fading at QPSK (will use +24 dBm), but will normally (no fading) use 256QAM at +19 dBm.
Radio Mode – Select High Capacity, unless otherwise instructed. This setting selects the error correction code settings. High System Gain will give about 1 dB more fade margin, but will reduce the capacity by several Mbit/s (shown in ETH Bandwidth). This setting has to be the same at both ends of the hop. Hop setting.
E1 and STM-1 Mapping (CH) – Capacity reserved for E1- and STM-1 -channels. Change under AMR / Radio Mapping Configuration. Hop setting.
ETH Bandwidth (Mbps) – Indicates the remaining available Ethernet capacity (Mbit/s) for the reference modulation. Radio Mode and E1/STM-1 mapping setting will change this value.
TX and RX Frequency (MHz) – Set the frequencies given in the license exactly. Element setting.
If the setting fails, check that the ODU sub band is correct and that the HIGH/LOW version is correct. Check the ODU information or Inventory. Verify that the correct modem is selected for configuration.
Note. Setting of the frequency is not possible without a proper ODU connected to the modem. Frame ID – default 1.
Frame ID has to be identical for both modems at each end of the radio connection. Frame ID is checked in order to prevent communication with a wrong modem in case the remote transmitter fails or fades away. Using different Frame ID settings may be necessary in a hub with several iPasolink ODUs using the same channel. XPIC modems using the same channel must have different ID values. Default = 1.
TX Power Control – Select MTPC (fixed power excluding AMR adjustment), unless otherwise instructed. Default setting = MTPC.
Automatic ATPC mode might be necessary for the remote sites connected to a hub, in order to prevent excessive interference from other hops re-using the same or adjacent channel.
Radio Traffic Aggregation – aggregating the Ethernet capacity of two modems operating on the same hop. Hop setting.
Figure 30. Radio Configuration changes confirmed by OK.
ADAPTIVE MODULATION RADIO (AMR)
Equipment Setup -> AMR/Radio Mapping Configuration, Setup
Figure 31. Adaptive modulation (AMR) settings. Example: license allows 32QAM, 16QAM and QSPK.
If antennas have not been aligned, select AMR Non Operation. Adaptive modulation changes the transmit power slightly which would cause problems during the alignment.
After the alignment is ready remember to select AMR Mode (Used) for the appropriate modulations. Input the number of E1 and STM-1 channels for each modulation level.
NETWORK MANAGEMENT (NMS) SETTINGS
Figure 33. Typical NMS subnet
The root element (Root NE) is the indoor unit where this cluster is connected to the NMS DCN using the NMS port (or in band connection). The rest of the cluster is connected internally or by connecting NMS ports together at the intermediate sites.
The relevant settings are under
Network Management Setting -> General Setting (Detail)
Note. Network Management Configuration -> General Setting. Ignore this. All settings are under General Setting (Detail).
Figure 34. NMS settings.
NE2 Port Setting: NE2 is on the AUX-A card, a serial port used when interfacing some legacy equipment. Default Not Used.
In band Management VLAN Setting - Default “Not Used”. The settings here assume that NMS port is used for management. Default setting.
Ethernet Port Setting NMS
Root Element select Used, Auto Negotiation: Enabled and Discovery Usage: Used. LLDP Mode: Standard. This setting is correct for root elements.
Other elements. Normally NMS port is Not Used unless two IDUs are interconnected. Modify default setting for normal elements. Element setting.
NMS port can be used for testing the connection to NMS server from the remote sites. The PC should be given a suitable IP address from the same subnet as the iPasolink cluster by the network administrator.
Note that the LCT port can also used for pinging the NMS server using the standard PC settings for local management, i.e. using the local IP address given by the DHCP server of the LCT port.
NE Branch Setting – If the network elements are in a different subnet than the NMS port or if the NMS port or NE1 port is used for connecting another subnet then the element is configured as a router. Two or more Bridges (Bridge1, Bridge2 etc) are configured, these are the ports of the internal router, each having an address within a different subnet.
Default Gateway. This is the gateway port of the elements’ subnet that is used to access the NMS server. In the root element where the NMS port is in a different subnet, it is the IP address of the nearest DCN router where the NMS port is connected. In such a subnet the normal element default gateway is the root
element Bridge1 address (it is the nearest router for those elements). Element setting.
Bridge: if the element uses two or more branches (i.e. the element acts as a router), the NMS port is Bridge2 and the modem is Bridge1. Note that the PNMSj server is looking for network elements in the Bridge1 subnet. Element setting.
Bridge No., using the link 01 Bridge 1 i.e. modem IP address is set according to the instructions of the DCN designer who manages the addresses. Using the link 02 Bridge 2 i.e. the NMS port address is set, etc. Element setting.
NE1 or NMS or MODEM: the link is used to select the Bridge number assigned to that port. First set up the IP addresses for the bridges and then select the bridge number for each port.
M-Plane Bandwidth Limitation: use ”Disable”, unless otherwise instructed. This setting limits the
management traffic in the radio, if necessary, to provide more capacity to the user traffic. Default setting. M-Plane Priority: Default: QoS = 7, which means that management traffic has the highest priority. Default setting.
NMS Port Setting : In the root element, select ”Connect NMS port to NMS” = ”Yes”. Default setting for the root element.
In non-root elements select ”Connect NMS port to NMS”= ”No”. Element setting. Note: if there is a Pasolink NEO cluster behind the iPasolink cluster connected to the NMS port, select ”Connect NMS port to NMS” = ”Yes” for that element.
LCT Port Setting
Restrict LCT Connection: Select “Any”. LCT port can access the whole network (“Local” would prevent the management of other elements than the local IDU). Default setting.
Equipment Setup -> Network Management Setting -> Routing Setting
There should be no need to change these settings. 0.0.0.0 associated with the Default Gateway IP address should be automatically listed. Default setting.
Equipment Setup -> Network Management Setting -> IP Access Control Setting
Do not change the settings. Empty list means that any PC connected to any IP address can manage the element remotely. Default setting.
Equipment Setup -> Network Management Setting ->Equipment Cascade setting
Do not change the settings. (Explanation to be added later). Default setting.
MODEM SETTINGS
MODEM PORT NAME
Provisioning -> MODEM Function Setting -> MODEM Port Setting
Name the modem port according to the operator rules. E.g. Site name – Opposite site name – Hop ID. MAC Header Compression: default is ”Disable”. As explained in the chapter about the radio capacity, MAC header compression would improve the packet rate and link throughput when the average packet size is very small (less than 500 octets). Note: L1 compression is always used and is not affected by this setting.
Figure 35. Modem port name and MAC header compression.
TRANSMITTER POWER SETTING
Provisioning -> Modem Function Setting -> TX Power Setting
Note. ATPC/MTPC mode selection is under Equipment Setup -> Radio Configuration -> Setup- > TX Power Control. Default selection MTPC.
MTPC TX Power: set the maximum power (in dBm) allowed in the frequency license. Element setting. This setting defines the maximum power used for the reference modulation. When using AMR and MTPC, the actual transmitter power will be lower, if the AMR selects a higher modulation format than the reference.
Figure 36. TX Power Setting.
In Fig. 36 the power setting can be set between -6 dBm and + 24 dBm. Please note that there is a dash ”-” between the values, not a minus sign.
iPasolink power setting is made using real dBm units (decibel relative to 1 mW). For reference, the various units are as follows:
1 W = 1000 mW = +30 dBm = 0 dBW 0,1 W = 100 mW = +20 dBm = -10 dBW 0,01 W = 10 mW = +10 dBm = -20 dBW 0,001 W = 1 mW = 0 dBm = -30 dBW
Note. The previous generation NEC Pasolink NEO used power setting in “dB relative to the maximum available power”.
RX Threshold: use the default setting -50 dBm. This is the target minimum received level, below which the opposite end transmitter power will be increased when ATPC is in use. This setting may need to be changed when this element is using MTPC and the opposite end is using ATPC and both without AMR. Asymmetrical ATPC/MTPC may be required in a hub by using ATPC at the remote sites, and MTPC at the hub site. Default setting.
SYNCHRONIZATION SETTING
Provisioning – Equipment Clock / Synchronization Setting -> Equipment Clock Setting -> Modify/Edit
This setting defines the timing source for the IDU so that there is no timing loop. The general rule is that one end of the hop is Master and the other end is Slave. More complex situations (chain, ring) need to be considered separately.
(It is also possible that all network elements are Slaves, when the Clock Card option is used)
Master is synchronized to the internal free-running clock of its Main Card (Internal tai Freerun). Slave is then synchronized to the Master using the received signal from radio/modem towards the Master.
If both ends are Master-Master or Slave-Slave, the connection will be unstable: errors and/or Unlocked alarms. The element management may report ”Communications Error” when using the web browser. Note. If a chain contains several iPasolink sites and the intermediate site is using a single IDU (two modems per IDU), then the first IDU of the chain on the core network side should be Master and all the other IDUs Slaves synchronized to the modem towards the Master. In this case there are several Slaves connected to each other, but the timing is nevertheless derived indirectly from the Master IDU.
SETTINGS WITHOUT THE CLOCK CARD –OPTION
Without the Clock Card –option the setting is very simple, see Fig. 37-38. Three alternatives are available Internal / MODEM/ Auto. Select Internal (= MASTER) at the other IDU and Modem (=SLAVE). Chain of IDUs; see the note above. Element setting.
Figure 37. Slave setting without the Clock Module
Auto setting is used for the slave e.g. in a ring in order to select the clock automatically from the two directions.
Figure 38. Master setting without the Clock Module.
SYNCHRONIZATION SETTINGS WITH THE CLOCK MODULE
The settings are presented in Fig. 39 and 40.
Figure 39. Master setting with the Clock Card -option.
Equipment Clock Setting – MASTER
Equipment CLK Mode: Master
Clock Source Selective Mode: QL Mode (Quality level).
Equipment Clock Setting – SLAVE
Clock Source Selective Mode: PL Mode (Priority Level). (QL Mode could be used as well).
Select No.1 Line CLK (MODEM), and the Slot number where the modem towards Master is installed and select Priority Level = 1.
In case of 1+1, select the two modems for Priority level 1 and 2.
Figure 40. Slave settings with the Clock Card –option
DATE AND TIME SETTING
The system may or may use NTP for the date and time setting. In any case the Date and Time should be set initially, in order to time stamp the event logs correctly.
Equipment Utility -> Date / Time Setting -> Modify
Figure 41. Date and time setting.
Copy the PC time by selecting Display PC Time and press OK. Verify that the Time Zone is the same as is used in the NMS server. Element setting.
NETWORK MANAGEMENT SECURITY SETTINGS
User Account/Security Setting -> Security Management -> Service Status Setting
Figure 42. Status of the management related services
”Service Status” window should look like Figure 42. Other services should be running except for the SFTP and HTTPS stopped.
Figure 44. SNMP Community settings (no access control).
SNMP Community. Default setting: public/Admin/Access Control Disable (0.0.0.0/0.0.0.0).
The first line can be edited using the link 1. The Community name has to be the same as in the PNMSj settings (public). Access Level = Admin. Source IP and mask 0.0.0.0 means that the Access Control is Disabled). Default setting.
If access to the element has to be limited from a single NMS server IP address only: Source IP Address = PNMSj-server IP address and Subnet Mask = 255.255.255.255. (Note! This is not the subnet mask where the NMS server is situated but the mask for checking the address validity. Full mask checks all bits in the
address). It is possible to give Source IP Address = subnet address and the Subnet Mask = subnet mask. In that case the server may have any address within the specified subnet.
Example: Source IP Address = 192.168.180.0 and Subnet Mask 255.255.255.0 => SNMP-message may originate from any address within 192.168.180.1 to 192.168.180.254.
SNMP Trap Entry.
Normally empty, unless SNMP traps (alarms) are to be sent to another destination besides the NMS server. Default setting.
NTP SETTINGS FOR THE ROOT ELEMENT
User Account/Security Setting -> Security Management -> Service Status Setting
Figure 45. NTP settings for the root element when the NTP server is at 192.168.180.36.
Most accurate time stamping of the events and logs etc. requires that an NTP server is available for the root elements.
Figure 45 shows the settings for the root element. It is both a Client of the NTP server and a Server for the normal elements. Unicast mode is used (i.e. using IP addresses to communicate).
NTP Version has to be the same as in the NTP server.
If there is no NTP server available in the management network, set the root element NTP Client Mode = Disabled. In that case the root element clock (date and time) will slowly drift but the whole subnet (root and its normal elements) remains locally synchronized.
NTP SETTINGS FOR NON-ROOT (NORMAL) ELEMENTS
User Account/Security Setting -> Security Management -> Service Status Setting
Figure 46. NTP settings for normal elements. NTP server is the root element modem (Bridge1) IP address.
For other elements than the root element the NTP Server Address is the root element Bridge1 address. The NTP Server Mode is now Disabled.
Note. In a small network it would be possible to define all network elements as NTP Clients only and specify the same NTP server for all elements. But in a large network it is better to use a hierarchical system where only a limited number of root elements communicate with the NTP server and most elements get the time from a lower level server (the root element in this case). The polling interval can then be much shorter (more accurate clock) without overloading the NTP server and the DCN.
OTHER SERVICES
User Account/Security Setting -> Security Management -> Service Status Setting
Figure 47. FTP, SFTP, HTTP and HTTPS service settings
Note that the HTTP service should never be disabled as the web interface will be disabled and restoring this setting would be impossible remotely. The SFTP and HTTPS services should be Stopped (either HTTP or HTTPS should be running, not both). Default settings.