Telco Cloud Service Assurance: What is TASC? How can I submit and track a certification request?
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Telco Cloud Service Assurance: What is TASC? How can I submit and track a certification request?

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Article ID: 323815

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Updated On:

Products

VMware Smart Assurance VMware Telco Cloud Service Assurance

Issue/Introduction

The purpose of this article is to provide instructions for getting a device certified in the currently supported version of the Telco Cloud Service Assurance or NCM software.
TASC stands for Tracking Application for Smarts certification.

***Effective as of 6th May-2024***

Environment

Telco Cloud Service Assurance IP
VMware SmartAssurance NCM

Cause

Symptoms:

Telco Cloud Service Assurance IP:
As device is discovering as a Node in the Telco Cloud Service Assurance IP topology or is not being properly represented in the Telco Cloud Service Assurance IP topology.

NCM:
A device is not being discovered properly (shown as a Generic Device) in the Smarts NCM software.

How do I field certify a device in Telco Cloud Service Assurance IP Manager or NCM?

Resolution

There are multiple types of TASC requests and this article is only concerned with the Telco Cloud Service Assurance IP TASC request and the NCM TASC request. 

This article is broken into two sections. The first section is the Telco Cloud Service Assurance IP TASC request and the second section in the NCM TASC request.

Telco Cloud Service Assurance IP:

One would submit a TASC request for a device in the Telco Cloud Service Assurance IP software when a device is discovering as a Node or when a devices features are not being properly represented on newer versions of the devices software.

Requirements:
The following requirements need to be met in order to complete a Telco Cloud Service Assurance IP TASC request.

1.) User must have login credentials for Broadcom Support Portal
2.) Administrative access to a host running the Telco Cloud Service Assurance IP software.
3.) SNMP access available from the host running the Telco Cloud Service Assurance IP software to the device that needs to be certified and the device IP address.
4.) SNMP access available from the host running the Telco Cloud Service Assurance IP software to a neighboring device that is connected to the device to be certified and the neighbor devices IP address.
5.) A file transfer mechanism available on the host running the Telco Cloud Service Assurance IP software if the host does not have internet access.
 

For TASC access issues/any further queries after opening a TASC request, email Certification team [email protected] with your TASC request number reference.

Steps to open a TASC request:
Once all the requirements are confirmed the data for the TASC request can be gathered and submitted to the TASC system. The following three tasks will be performed:

1.) Gather walks of the device to be certified and of the neighbor device. 
A walk of the device's virtual router will also be necessary if a virtual router is implemented on the device.
2.) Confirm the files generated for both devices are complete.
3.) Submitting all the necessary information and data to process the TASC request.

TASK 1: Gathering the necessary walks

1.) Log into a host that meets the SNMP requirements above and has the Telco Cloud Service Assurance IP software installed on it.
2.) Navigate to the bin of the Telco Cloud Service Assurance IP install
(Typically /opt/InCharge/IP/smarts/bin in Linux).
3.) Generate a walk of each device (The device to be certified, the devices virtual router, the neighboring device).

A walk is a set of files that completely describes a device. The walk command for each will generate four file, a snap file, a mimic file, a walk file, and a timeout log file. The timeout file describes any part of the device description that did not respond in a timely manner and is of no concern in the certification process. 
The snap file, mimic file, and walk file all contain the same information in different formats.  Only the Snap file needs to be supplied in the TASC request form.

Use the sm_snmpwalk utility as below to collect the device MIB walk:
sm_snmpwalk <hostname>
    OR
sm_snmpwalk -c <community string name> <hostname>

for SNMPv3 devices
sm_snmpwalk --snmp=<version> --user=<userName>  --auth=<auth protocol>  --priv=<priv protocol>  --authPass=<password>  --privPass=<password>  <hostname>  
     OR
sm_snmpwalk --snmp=<version> --auth=<auth protocol> --priv=<priv protocol> --authPass=<password> --privPass=<password> --user=<userName> hostname --noBulk  

This will generate 3 output files (.snap, .mimic, and .walk). Please ensure that the .walk files end with "End of Mibwalk". Attach all 3 files for each device to the SR.

A walk will need to be run against the IP address of the device being certified, the IP address of the virtual router on the device being certified, and the neighboring device.

TASK 2: Confirming the walk files are complete for both devices  

In order to confirm that the walk of each device (including the virtual router) completed correctly the *.walk file for each walk ran will need to be reviewed.
1.) Using a text editor, such as Vi in Linux or Notepad in Windows, open each walk file for viewing.
2.) Scroll to the bottom of each walk file and confirm the last line of the file reads: "End of MIB walk"

If any of the walk files do not have this line the device that failed its MIB walk will need to be repeated.  When repeating the walk using  -s 1 instead of -s 2c will usually correct the problem by forcing the to use an older version of the SNMP but the process will take longer to walk the device.

TASK 3: Submitting the data to the TASC request system

In the last task the walk files from the host with the Telco Cloud Service Assurance IP software are transferred to a host with internet access.  Once the files are open to internet access navigate to the TASC website, complete the device certification forms, upload the walk files, and submit the TASC request.

1.) Transfer the complete walk files from the host with the Telco Cloud Service Assurance IP software to a host with access to the internet.
2.) Navigate to the Broadcom Support Portal and create a new case using the +Create Case option

NOTE: Please ensure that the Component field is updated to "TASC (TASC Enhancement Request)" to ensure the requests are routed correctly to the responsible team.



3.) Fill out the fields on the page below. (Details to be entered are highlighted in blue below)


4. Click the Submit button (in the Bottom Right corner of the form) the TASC request will be submitted and a TASC ticket number will be presented for tracking the case which is opened as a Service Request to the TASC team.

5. Once the case has been opened, attach the required walk files to the case for further review by the TASC team.

 

NCM:

One would create a certification request when a new uncertified and unsupported device is added to a Smarts NCM deployment and the NCM software does not discover or interface with the device correctly.
One would also create a certification request for a device if a software upgrade to the device breaks the NCM software's ability to discover or interface with the device.

Requirements:
The following requirements need to be met in order to complete a NCM certification request:

1.) Navigate to the Broadcom Support Portal and login to the site.
For TASC access issues/any further queries after opening a TASC request, email Certification team [email protected] with your TASC request number reference.

2) Below details:
Example commands of authentication for access to the device and authentication for configuration
of the device.
Example prompts of output from the device.
Example prompts of error messages displayed by the device.
Completed NCM checklist with working example commands for each item in the checklist (a copy of the checklist is attached to this KB).

Steps to open a TASC request:
Once all the requirements are confirmed the data for the TASC request can be gathered and submitted to the TASC request system.  The following three tasks will be performed:

TASK 1:  Starting the TASC request

1. Start the TASC request by providing the details to Open the Support Case using the +Create Case option

2. Click the Submit button (in the Bottom Right corner of the form) the TASC request will be submitted and a TASC ticket number will be presented for tracking the case which is opened as a Service Request to the TASC team.

TASK 2: Completing the Smarts NCM checklist and Adding the same as Attachments.

1. Refer the download link for the SmartsNCM Checklist document attached directly to this KB article.
This document contains 11 items that need to be completed in order for a Smarts NCM certification
to be processed.

  • Provide the exact commands that access the device via the CLI and the SNMP agent and collect the hardware, software, and configuration settings.
  • Provide the exact commands that can be used to back up the devices configuration.
  • Provide the exact commands that can be used to restore the entire device configuration Provide the exact commands that can be used to make incremental changes to the devices configuration (using the various protocols utilized by the device OS: telnet, ssh, tftp, ftp, etc).
  • Provide the exact commands that can be used to revert the changes made in item number 4 (using the various protocols utilized by the device OS: telnet, ssh, tftp, ftp, etc).
  • Provide real examples of known syslog entries and traps sent by the device that indicate a configuration change has occurred or been pushed on the device. 
  • Be sure to include the varbinds and the description of the varbinds in the trap as well as a description of the configuration changes made that produced the syslog entries and traps.
  • Provide the exact commands that are used to create a user account on the device.
  • Provide the exact commands that are used to change the password and user ID for the account created in step 7.
  • Provide the exact commands that are used for creating  a privileged account or elevating an account to a privileged state and the commands to change the new privileged accounts pass word.
  • Provide the exact commands for creating community strings in SNMP version 1, version 2c, and version 3 and change those community strings or passwords.
  • Provide the exact commands/instructions for upgrading the operating system and then for downgrading the operating system.

2. Please fill out this SmartsNCM Checklist document and attach the same as an Attachment to this Case along with the SNMPWalk and other required files (if necessary)

 

Additional Information

Note that there is no need to supply a device walk as this may not be a mandatory requirement. However, the Engineering may request you these in future, in-case they specifically need the information.

The completion of the certification for the Smarts NCM software may require that the device be made accessible to VMware engineers via a VPN connection to the device.

 

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