4.2 BMZ_CallQuality

Run this Knowledge Script to monitor blocked calls, peak bandwidth, and call quality metrics for Bandwidth Management Zones (BMZs) for intrazone and interzone traffic. AppManager retrieves call quality statistics from the Zone Traffic MIB on the Signaling Server. For CS1000 version 6.0 and later, AppManager retrieves statistics from the Zone Traffic MIB on the Call Server.

You can use BMZs to prioritize or restrict the amount of bandwidth that can be consumed by voice traffic.

This script raises an event if zone statistics are unavailable, if the percentage of calls blocked and the percentage of peak bandwidth exceed the thresholds you set, and if call quality metrics exceed the thresholds you set in Element Manager more than n times in one hour. In addition, this script generates data streams for the call quality metrics you choose to monitor.

AppManager supports BMZ monitoring for CS1000 versions 4.50 and later.

4.2.1 Prerequisites

For Signaling Server version 4.50, install Avaya patch MPLR21714. The patch requires configuration of the Call Server. Obtain the patch and its Readme from your Avaya support and maintenance provider.
Configure BMZ QoS threshold levels in CS1000 Element Manager. For more information, see Section 4.2.6, Setting Bandwidth Management Zone Thresholds.
For CS1000 versions 4.50 and 5.x, create user account snmpqosq. For more information, see Section 4.2.7, Enabling Access to the Signaling Server QoS MIB for CS1000 version 5.x.
For CS1000 versions 4.50 and 5.x, ensure no user or application is logged into the Call Server when the Signaling Server attempts to retrieve zone statistics from the Call Server. The Signaling Server uses a special login to issue Overlay commands that allow it to retrieve zone statistics. The Signaling Server cannot retrieve statistics from a Call Server that is in use at the time of retrieval.

4.2.2 Understanding BMZ Call Data

The BMZ_CallQuality script monitors QoS and other IP statistics.

The Terminal Proxy Server in the Signaling Server extracts QoS statistics from the IP phones in an active call by periodically polling the phones during the length of the call. A Quality Detail Record (QDR) is created at the end of a call. A QDR is created for each segment of a call that is modified, perhaps by being transferred, conferenced, put on hold, or muted.

The QDR summarizes the overall call quality as good, warning, or unacceptable. Once created, the QDR is forwarded to the Call Server to be aggregated into interzone and intrazone statistics.

In addition to a summary of overall call quality, the QDR also contains QoS statistics that are collected for the duration of the call with respect to the incoming media stream: latency, jitter, packet loss, and Listening R-factor.

Peak bandwidth is the highest bandwidth reported in a call. Peak bandwidth and average bandwidth are expressed as percentages of the bandwidths configured for the zone.

The QDR contains QoS statistics only for Phase 2 phones.

The QDR categorizes each QoS statistic as good, warning, or unacceptable. The thresholds for these categories are user-configurable. The BMZ_CallQuality script raises events if a QoS statistic exceeds or falls below a threshold you set.

4.2.3 Resource Objects

Bandwidth Management Zone objects

For CS1000 versions 4.50 and 5.x, BMZ objects are children of the Signaling Server object. Run this script on only one Signaling Server per Call Server. All zones for your CS1000 deployment are displayed under every Signaling Server object. Limit your monitoring to one Signaling Server per Call Server to prevent this script from gathering duplicate data and generating duplicate data streams.

For CS1000 version 6.0 and later, BMZ objects are children of the Call Server.

You can run this script on a top-level object, and then use the Objects tab to select the specific BMZ objects you want to monitor.

4.2.4 Default Schedule

By default, this script runs at ten minutes past the hour. Do not change this schedule. The Zone Traffic MIB is updated on the hour. By retrieving call quality metrics at ten minutes past the hour, you receive most recent data. Because the MIB is updated only once each hour, you do not need to run this script more than once an hour.

4.2.5 Setting Parameter Values

Set the following parameters as needed:

Parameter	How to Set It
Raise event if zone statistics are inaccessible?	Select Yes to raise an event if BMZ statistics are inaccessible. The default is Yes. BMZ statistics are inaccessible if the Zone Traffic MIB from which they are retrieved does not respond to SNMP queries before the end of the interval specified in the Timeout parameter.
Timeout	Specify the length of time AppManager should attempt to access the Zone Traffic MIB before raising an event indicating zone statistics are inaccessible. The default is 300 seconds, which is equal to 300 attempts. NOTE:For CS1000 versions 4.50 and 5.x, AppManager cannot access the MIB if a user or application is logged into the Call Server, and will retry the attempt once each second during the timeout interval.
Event severity when zone statistics are inaccessible	Set the severity level, from 1 to 40, to indicate the importance of an event in which BMZ statistics cannot be retrieved. The default is 15.
Select traffic type	Select the type of call traffic you want to monitor: Interzone: calls made between zones Intrazone: calls made within a zone Interzone and intrazone: calls made between and within zones. This is the default selection.
Interzone
Event Notification
Raise event if % of calls blocked exceeds threshold?	Select Yes to raise an event if the percentage of blocked interzone calls exceeds the threshold you set. The default is Yes. AppManager calculates the percentage of calls blocked as:
Event severity when % of calls blocked exceed threshold	Set the severity level, between 1 and 40, to indicate the importance of an event in which the percentage of blocked interzone calls exceeds the threshold you set. The default is 15.
Raise event if peak bandwidth exceeds threshold?	Select Yes to raise an event if the percentage of interzone peak bandwidth exceeds the threshold you set. The default is Yes.
Event severity when peak bandwidth exceeds threshold	Set the severity level, between 1 and 40, to indicate the importance of an event in which the percentage of interzone peak bandwidth exceeds the threshold you set. The default is 15.
Raise event if call quality exceeds threshold?	Select Yes to raise an event if interzone call quality exceeds one or more of the thresholds you set in the Call Quality parameters. The default is Yes.
Event severity when call quality exceeds threshold	Set the severity level, between 1 and 40, to indicate the importance of an event in which interzone call quality exceeds one or more of the thresholds you set in the Call Quality parameters. The default is 15.
Monitoring
Threshold - Maximum % of calls blocked	Specify the highest percentage of calls that can be blocked in one hour in interzone traffic before an event is raised. The default is 15%.
Threshold - Maximum peak bandwidth	Specify the highest percentage of peak bandwidth utilization that can occur in one hour in interzone traffic before an event is raised. The default is 90%.
Call Quality
Threshold - Maximum occurrences of listen R-factor warnings	Specify the maximum number of times in one hour the listen R-factor value can fall below the warning threshold in interzone traffic before an event is raised. The default is 0. You set the R-factor threshold in Element Manager.
Threshold - Maximum occurrences of unacceptable lost packets	Specify the maximum number of times in one hour the unacceptable lost packets threshold can be exceeded in interzone traffic before an event is raised. The default is 0. You set the lost packets threshold in Element Manager.
Threshold - Maximum occurrences of unacceptable jitter	Specify the maximum number of times in one hour the unacceptable jitter threshold can be exceeded in interzone traffic before an event is raised. The default is 0. You set the jitter threshold in Element Manager. Jitter is the mean deviation of the difference in RTP data packet spacing at the receiver compared to the sender for a pair of packets.
Threshold - Maximum occurrences of unacceptable latency	Specify the maximum number of times in one hour the unacceptable latency threshold can be exceeded in interzone traffic before an event is raised. The default is 0. You set the latency threshold in Element Manager. Latency is the average value of the difference between the time stamp indicated by the senders of messages and the timestamp of the receivers, measured when the messages are received. The average is obtained by adding all of the estimates, then dividing by the number of received messages.
Intrazone
Event Notification
Raise event if % of calls blocked exceeds threshold?	Select Yes to raise an event if the percentage of intrazone calls blocked exceeds the threshold you set. The default is Yes. AppManager calculates the percentage of calls blocked as:
Event severity when % of calls blocked exceed threshold	Set the severity level, between 1 and 40, to indicate the importance of an event in which the percentage of intrazone calls blocked exceeds the threshold you set. The default is 15.
Raise event if peak bandwidth exceeds threshold?	Select Yes to raise an event if the percentage of intrazone peak bandwidth exceeds the threshold you set. The default is Yes.
Event severity when peak bandwidth exceeds threshold	Set the severity level, between 1 and 40, to indicate the importance of an event in which the percentage of intrazone peak bandwidth exceeds the threshold you set. The default is 15.
Raise event if call quality exceeds threshold?	Select Yes to raise an event if intrazone call quality exceeds one or more of the thresholds you set in the Call Quality parameters. The default is Yes.
Event severity when call quality exceeds threshold	Set the severity level, between 1 and 40, to indicate the importance of an event in which intrazone call quality exceeds one or more of the thresholds you set in the Call Quality parameters. The default is 15.
Monitoring
Threshold - Maximum % of calls blocked	Specify the highest percentage of calls that can be blocked in one hour in intrazone traffic before an event is raised. The default is 15%.
Threshold - Maximum peak bandwidth	Specify the highest percentage of peak bandwidth utilization that can occur in one hour in intrazone traffic before an event is raised. The default is 90%.
Call Quality
Threshold - Maximum occurrences of listen R-factor warnings	Specify the maximum number of times in one hour the listen R-factor value can fall below the warning threshold in intrazone traffic before an event is raised. The default is 0. You set the R-factor threshold in Element Manager.
Threshold - Maximum occurrences of unacceptable lost packets	Specify the maximum number of times in one hour the unacceptable lost packets threshold can be exceeded in intrazone traffic before an event is raised. The default is 0. You set the lost packets threshold in Element Manager.
Threshold - Maximum occurrences of unacceptable jitter	Specify the maximum number of times in one hour the unacceptable jitter threshold can be exceeded in intrazone traffic before an event is raised. The default is 0. You set the jitter threshold in Element Manager. Jitter is the mean deviation of the difference in RTP data packet spacing at the receiver compared to the sender for a pair of packets.
Threshold - Maximum occurrences of unacceptable latency	Specify the maximum number of times in one hour the unacceptable latency threshold can be exceeded in intrazone traffic before an event is raised. The default is 0. You set the latency threshold in Element Manager. Latency is the average value of the difference between the time stamp indicated by the senders of messages and the timestamp of the receivers, measured when the messages are received. The average is obtained by adding all of the estimates, then dividing by the number of received messages.
Collect data?	Select Yes to collect data for reports and graphs. The default is unselected. This script generates the following data streams, depending on the type of traffic you choose to monitor: Total number of sampling intervals Total intrazone/interzone calls Total intrazone/interzone calls blocked Average bandwidth percentage of intrazone/interzone traffic Peak bandwidth percentage of intrazone/interzone traffic Number of instances of unacceptable latency in intrazone/interzone traffic Number of instances of unacceptable packet loss in intrazone/interzone traffic Number of instances of unacceptable jitter in intrazone/interzone traffic Number of instances of listen R-factor warnings in intrazone/interzone traffic

4.2.6 Setting Bandwidth Management Zone Thresholds

Before gathering Bandwidth Management Zone (BMZ) call quality metrics with the BMZ_CallQuality script, configure QoS zone basis threshold levels in CS1000 Element Manager.

To configure BMZ QoS thresholds:

Navigate to Configuration, click IP Telephony, and then click Quality Of Service Thresholds.

or

In version 5.x, navigate to System, click IP Network, and then click QoS Thresholds.
Set the Warning and Unacceptable thresholds appropriate for your environment. Call quality metrics that fall outside of the thresholds more than n times in an hour will be identified by the BMZ_CallQuality script.
Click Submit.
Use Element Manager or Overlay 43 to perform a Call Server data dump.

4.2.7 Enabling Access to the Signaling Server QoS MIB for CS1000 version 5.x

Enable SNMP access to the QoS MIB (QoS-MIB.mib) on the Signaling Server. A dedicated Limited Access Password (LAPW) user account named snmpqosq provides this access. Create the user account in Overlay 117.

The QoS MIB is also known as the zone traffic report MIB.

For more information about creating the user account, see the “MIBs” chapter of the document titled Communication Server 1000 Fault Management — SNMP (document NN43001-719, version 01.03).