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LightApps

Enlightened Network Solutions April 2015

General Description

LightApps General Description

April 2015

1st Edition

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Contents 1 LightApps: Enlightened Network Solutions .................................................. 1-1

1.1 Optimize Network Operation ................................................................................................ 1-1

1.2 SmartLight: Unlimited, Efficient, Open, Secure ..................................................................... 1-3

2 LightInsight ................................................................................................. 2-1

2.1 Making the Most of Your Business Intelligence ..................................................................... 2-1

2.2 Intelligent Information Modules ............................................................................................ 2-2

2.2.1 Network Inventory Module ..................................................................................................... 2-2

2.2.2 Network SLA Module .............................................................................................................. 2-4

2.2.3 Network Health Module .......................................................................................................... 2-7

2.2.4 Network Security Module ....................................................................................................... 2-7

2.3 Data Warehouse: Maximizing the Value in Your Network Data Resources .......................... 2-7

2.3.1 Data Objects: Understanding Your Report Building Blocks ..................................................... 2-9

2.4 Agents: Providing Timely Alerts and Warnings .................................................................... 2-10

2.5 Your Challenges + Our Solutions = Your Benefits ................................................................ 2-11

2.6 Software Packages that Meet Your Needs .......................................................................... 2-12

2.7 Use Case Scenario: New Service Launch .............................................................................. 2-13

2.8 Use Case Scenario: Full Network Inventory Auditing .......................................................... 2-13

2.9 Use Case Scenario: SLA Applications ................................................................................... 2-14

3 LightTime .................................................................................................... 3-1

3.1 Efficient Service Scheduling ................................................................................................... 3-1

3.2 Intuitive Services Dashboard ................................................................................................. 3-2

3.3 Filtering Services .................................................................................................................... 3-5

3.4 Managing a Specific Service ................................................................................................... 3-6

3.5 Editing Services ...................................................................................................................... 3-7

3.6 Automating Service Creation with Template Files................................................................. 3-8

3.7 Customizing LightTime ......................................................................................................... 3-10

3.8 Use Case Scenario: Time-Based Bandwidth Allocation ....................................................... 3-11

LightApps General Description Contents

ECI Telecom Ltd. Proprietary iv

4 LightConnect ............................................................................................... 4-1

4.1 Bandwidth on Demand .......................................................................................................... 4-1

4.2 Complexity Made Simple ....................................................................................................... 4-1

4.3 Service Management APIs ..................................................................................................... 4-2

4.4 Use Case Scenario: Data Center Interconnection .................................................................. 4-4

5 LightAction .................................................................................................. 5-1

5.1 Automatic Network Programming at Your Fingertips ........................................................... 5-1

5.2 Use Case Scenarios: Automating Network Optimization ...................................................... 5-2

ECI Telecom Ltd. Proprietary 1-1

1 LightApps: Enlightened Network Solutions

1.1 Optimize Network Operation LightApps offers a suite of valuable Apps that both enhance and simplify network operations. LightApps will also serve as a framework for network operators to add their own Apps, allowing operators to tailor their network functionality and management as they wish. LightApps encompasses the following capabilities:

A set of initial turnkey Software Defined Networking (SDN) applications, including:

Network Analytics: Smart business intelligence views of network utilization and availability

Service Scheduling: Calendar-like application to address bandwidth requests

Bandwidth-on-Demand: Dynamic expansion for bursty network needs

Network Programming: Automated action flows triggered either manually or by a network event

Future applications, including:

Power Optimization: Savings through shutdown of inactive resources

Data Congestion Control: Optimum traffic flows by congestion prediction, detection, and relief

LightApps also provides activity and security logs listing all user actions. Network operators can filter the list to focus on specific activities, as necessary.

Figure 1-1: LightApps dashboard

LightApps General Description LightApps: Enlightened Network Solutions


The LightApps application suite offers powerful advantages when used in combination. For example, you could use the analytics of LightInsight to understand how your applications are consuming bandwidth, and then use LightConnect to allocate the necessary bandwidth as needed. The combination of intelligent analysis and advanced bandwidth allocation enables optimum bandwidth utilization, identifying the golden point of no congestion and no waste.

LightApps is designed to work with OpenNet APIs, based on open interfaces such as REST (REpresentational State Transfer), allowing further customization of these applications, as well as enabling third-parties to create their own SDN applications.

LightApps is essentially the first phase of ECI's SDN vision, designed to integrate smoothly with both NMS applications and SDN controllers. LightApps is currently implemented over LightSoft®, ECI's award-winning multi-layer NMS. LightApps can also be run over other third-party NMS applications. In the future, LightApps will work with LightControl, ECI's SDN controller, as well as any other third-party SDN controller. This dual integration capability makes it possible for you to enjoy the benefits of SDN today, running on your current LightSoft-managed infrastructure, while also leveraging your current investment to support an easy, smooth migration to a complete SDN environment in the future.

Figure 1-2: LightApps suite

LightApps General Description LightApps: Enlightened Network Solutions


1.2 SmartLight: Unlimited, Efficient, Open, Secure ECI's SDN solution is based on the SmartLight framework. SmartLight is a comprehensive framework for deploying SDN and network function virtualization (NFV). Under our SmartLight framework, the world class LightSoft NMS, which already provides comprehensive management services for Apollo, NPT, and third-party NEs, will naturally integrate into LightControl, ECI's SDN controller. LightSoft will continue to provide FCAPS functionality while moving control to LightControl. This efficient convergence of network functionality is OpenNet, the combination of NE open control interfaces, working with LightControl, within the SmartLight framework. LightApps is the SDN applications layer residing on top of OpenNet. Through LightApps, SmartLight provides valuable turnkey SDN applications, which expose OpenNet via northbound interfaces (such as REST) for further customization of these applications and creation of new ones.

Figure 1-3: SmartLight framework


2 LightInsight

2.1 Making the Most of Your Business Intelligence LightInsight helps you take control of your network resources and expenses through consolidated analytical views of network use and performance. This business intelligence is essential to determine how to make most efficient use of network resources, how to effectively plan for network growth, and how to evolve the network to deal with traffic surges and possible failures.

LightInsight builds its own data warehouse, gathering all available network data from a wide range of sources, including network management systems, element management systems, and the OpenNet layer, utilizing Oracle Business Intelligence (BI) as the user interface. LightApps uses the open BI environment to allow full customization and integration with other IT environments. This comprehensive data survey is consolidated into a data warehouse, the basis for recognizing network patterns and trends and making evidence-based network predictions. LightInsight offers service providers (SP) clear network visibility, consolidating inventory data, actual use, and trends over time into easily absorbed graphs and reports. Clear intelligence data helps SPs better meet their SLA commitments, and reduces time for new service introduction.

Use LightInsight data to create targeted intelligence reports and strengthen your long-term network strategy. LightInsight improves your ROI by increasing slot, port, and bandwidth utilization. You can spend less on inventory control, increase customer loyalty, and reduce churn, while taking advantage of new business opportunities as they arise.

LightInsight is a fully open working environment that can work with the multiple NMSs typically running within a network environment. With LightInsight, you can create and customize your own reports and dashboards. Proactive reports are sent at regular intervals in addition to email alerts upon threshold crossing. You can work with external information (files or DB records) to complement your reports. You can also export and print reports and dashboards in any industry-standard format (XML, CSV, Excel, HTML, PDF, PPT). Use the intuitive GUI to easily design the reports and dashboards you want, displaying the output in simple, clear formats that tell you exactly what you need to know.

LightApps General Description LightInsight


2.2 Intelligent Information Modules LightInsight provides a full view of the network, making it simple for network operators to drill down to the port and transceiver level of detail, or to track L0-L2 services end to end. LightInsight keeps track of all your network resources, providing a consolidated view of all inventory parameters such as physical module, software version, component attributes, and so on. (A typical inventory list appears in Data Warehouse: Maximizing the Value in Your Network Data Resources.) LightInsight provides web clients for the following content categories. These web clients can reach into the data warehouse and organize the relevant data, each with its own dashboard and list of reports.

Network Inventory module: Consolidated network views, graphically portraying inventory changes over time as well as details of slot, port, and link utilization, for smarter network intelligence

Network SLA module (future): Tracks SLA (service level agreement) and KPI (key performance indicator) compliance, including service and link availability, measurements of throughput, rates, and actual utilization, and highlighting top congested links

Network Health module (future): Monitors network health, including alarmed NEs and cards, equipment temperature, and SFP failure predictors

Network Security module (future): Ensures network security, tracking anomalies in user behavior, flagging suspicious incidents

2.2.1 Network Inventory Module The Network Inventory module provides a complete view of the network, with full visibility of all equipment and links, through to the end-customer packet and optical services. LightInsight opens showing the Inventory Dashboard by default. It shows a summary of slot, port, and link utilization, tracking inventory changes over time and providing capacity analyses at-a-glance, using bar charts, line graphs, and gauges. You can filter the information, or click a report to drill down and see an individual report in more detail. The following reports are included in the Inventory Dashboard by default:

NE Distribution by Product Line

Card Installation Per Week

Ports Utilization Daily Trend

Slot Utilization by Product Line

Ports Utilization by Product Line

Card Mismatch Report

Cards End of Life Report

Power Consumption Report

You can also create your own analyses, or modify a default analysis and save it as a new report. The network inventory section summarizes current inventory and recent changes, including inventory additions and removals, and component assignment and reassignment. This section graphically highlights network trends, including growth, decline, and other changes, providing information that is essential to intelligently plan capital investments. Inventory reports display the availability and occupancy rates of slots, card, ports, and transceivers, showing links, data tunnels, optical tunnels, and provisioned bandwidth.



Figure 2-1: LightInsight Dashboard: Network Inventory

The Inventory module provides a clear view of the full NE inventory, slot and port utilization, and optical transceiver status. Information can be filtered by any inventory attribute, and pre-defined reports provide an end-to-end overview of the network as well as highlighting trends and patterns. LightInsight stores historical change data to track network growth patterns and predict bottlenecks. For example, the following figures illustrate slot utilization for BroadGate platforms in the network. Notice that in this example, slots in some of the platforms are at a medium level of usage, while others are at a high level of usage. Detailed information windows pop up when you click on the relevant section in the chart.

Figure 2-2: Slot utilization with detailed information pop-ups

You can also create your own custom dashboards, to reflect the data needs of your network administrators.



2.2.2 Network SLA Module The Network SLA module will enable you to monitor actual network bandwidth utilization and performance, comparing these values to the SLA and KPI requirements for packet and optical networks. Packet network reports identify service and link availability, indicating total throughput of service endpoints, links, and ports. Average, maximum, and minimum bandwidth utilization rates, error and dropped packet rates, and OAM data for latency and availability are all analyzed to indicate actual service and port utilization performance, highlighting the most congested links. Optical network reports identify trail availability, providing complete PM data, including transceiver performance and optical measurements. With all this data, LightInsight will be able to provide practical recommendation on how to add or change network resources to meet current and future SLA guarantees. You will also be able to predict actual traffic use per time period, geography, and service types, providing information necessary for data/optics multilayer optimization.

The Network SLA module has a rich dashboard for Layer2/packet network data, with convenient drill down to detailed reports. For example, the following figure illustrates a typical dashboard layout, including sections displaying the actual port bandwidth utilization (in %), the number of ports with dropped or error packets, and the top service with the highest % of utilization and throughput. Click on any section to drill down to a more detailed report. The dashboard and reports are fully customizable, and you can create new reports and dashboards as needed.

Figure 2-3: LightInsight: SLA dashboard (illustration)



The SLA module provides the following information about bandwidth throughput, utilization, and availability of MPLS-TP/PB services and L2 packet ports and links.

Service level:

Cumulative bandwidth throughput per endpoint, organized per CoS

Bandwidth throughput (Rx/Tx rates, packets and octets, average, max, min)

Utilization percentages (compared to CIR/EIR)

Port level:

Network and user/client ports

Bandwidth throughput (Rx/Tx rates, packets and octets, average, max, min)

Unicast, broadcast, multicast (packets)

Utilization percentages (compared to port speed)

Information is collected from the participating NMSs and EMSs, in daily (24h) intervals, for periods of up to 12 months, organized in daily, weekly, and monthly reports. The following pre-defined reports are provided by LightInsight. You can customize these reports or create different reports to meet your network requirements.

Summary Reports

List of all ports with their full cumulative throughput and utilization

List of all services, their throughput and utilization

Visual graph with selected services/ports and utilization/rate over time

Customize time duration (from one day to 12 months)

Filter per specific NE, customer, port speed, service type

Details Reports

Detailed report per port with its counters and services

Detailed report per service, per endpoint, per CoS

Visual graph with selected endpoints and CoS over time

Service Statistical information per CoS, per endpoint

Filter for specific service and port



For example, the following figure illustrates the layout of a typical monthly customer report, highlighting actual service performance and QoS compared to SLA commitments. Relevant data points include total throughput, with average, minimum, and maximum rates.

Figure 2-4: LightInsight: Monthly SLA report (illustration)

OAM information is available for a more in-depth view of service quality with useful KPIs. This would include service latency between two endpoints, service availability over time, service delay variation (round trip delay), and packet loss ratio between endpoints. Detailed reports would include an in-depth analysis of the top services by their worst latency, their minimum availability, their delay variation, and their LOSS ratio.

The dashboard also provides information about errors and drops, highlighting the ports and services associated with dropped and error packets. This includes a list of ports with packet drop, points of traffic congestion, and the total number of problematic ports per port rate. Note that "problematic" is a pre-defined term that is a customizable KPI. Detailed reports would include an in-depth analysis of the top ports by highest ratio of dropped packets, by port or service congestion (WRED ratio vs. Tx packets), and by detailed errors and drops per port and per service.

LightInsight's SLA module for optical networks covers both service availability and optical measurements. This would include:

Availability over time of LightPath, Trail, and OCH channels

Comparison with committed SLA per customer, for a single service or a group of services

Optical performance measurements tracking transceiver quality and optical component degradation

Pre-defined reports with a full list of counters and filters, per NE, per type, and per customer

Fully opened structure enables creation and customization of new reports and dashboards



2.2.3 Network Health Module The Network Health module will monitor resource status, providing summaries of alarm and failure data, as per the inventory. Top alarmed NEs and cards will be identified and temperature status monitored. LightInsight will also provide proactive detection of potential failures, thereby avoiding service interruptions.

2.2.4 Network Security Module The Network Security module will monitor and detect instances of user behavior anomalies. For example, system logins and user actions are tracked, providing summary security reports for user management and alerts for abnormal cases, providing proactive detection of security weaknesses and intrusion threats.

2.3 Data Warehouse: Maximizing the Value in Your Network Data Resources

LightInsight doesn't just provide a pre-defined set of reports. The power of LightInsight is in your ability to dynamically define your own analysis reports, drawing on the data most useful for your network. LightInsight pulls the information you need from the LightApps Data Warehouse.

The Data Warehouse is a single comprehensive database that collects all the data available from the NMS and EMSs, including all the PM and History data currently provided through BI and PMH reports, and stores it all in an intuitively-organized data warehouse. The data is easily accessible through the LightInsight GUI.



LightInsight offers you a hierarchically-arranged list of all network resources. You select the objects of interest and what attribute information is relevant to your report. For example, you could pick NEs, choosing the NE attributes to include in the report, such as NE-name, Product-Line, NE-type, SW-version, list of cards in each NE, etc. You could filter and focus your analysis and report on a specific product line. You could search for information about power utilization, or about recent inventory changes. The output report can be exported for further use in a range of formats (PDF, HTML, CSV, etc.) You can configure the report format to integrate, for example, into an OSS to be included in a larger-scope PM analysis. Some of these options are illustrated here.

The Data Warehouse initially includes all network "objects" - the network inventory. As the network continues to operate, the Data Warehouse accumulates additional information - the data contents. This includes performance data, ongoing, constantly-updating information about how the network is running, what alarms were triggered, security data, the BI data sets. All information about anything happening in the network is collected into the Data Warehouse. As this information is added to the Data Warehouse, it is also added to the Data listing in the GUI. You are offered an ever-increasing range of options from which to choose data for analysis and reports.

Figure 2-5: LightInsight data selection options

The rich range of data in the Data Warehouse - including network inventory objects as well as network activity and performance - provides an invaluable resource, both for customers and also for network operators. The Data Warehouse provides critical information for internal network analysis, essential for:

More accurate future planning based on current patterns and trends

Better network resource utilization

Intelligent decision making



2.3.1 Data Objects: Understanding Your Report Building Blocks

LightInsight provides a list of data, count, and time related objects. These objects are the 'building blocks' on which your reports are based. When you create a new report, the objects you select are correlated with each other to provide meaningful information. For example, if you select NEs and Card elements, LightInsight builds a report based on the list of NEs, with the cards organized by NE. Objects are grouped into the following categories:

Data collecting objects: Objects from which data can be collected and presented in a report. These are grouped hierarchically in the database and include EMSs, Network Elements (NEs), cards, ports, modules, and transceivers. Typical object attributes may include Name, SW Version, Product Line, IP Address, Card Expected Type, or Occupied Slots, depending on what attributes are relevant for a specific object.

Count objects: These objects measure object properties and provide information about object quantities. Count objects include:

Inventory measures: Counts the number of objects, such as NEs, cards, or ports; percentage slot or port utilization, and measuring power consumption values.

Inventory changes: Data is collected from the EMS and NMS databases once in every 24 hour period. These objects measure the differences between two time periods and track the incremental changes over a specific time period. Typical changes would include, for example, the number of NEs created or deleted during a specific time period, the date an NE was changed (NE change date), or the date an IP address was changed.

Hierarchy objects: These objects provide structure and context, making it easier to understand large amounts of data. This object organizes countable information (such as inventory measures) into a hierarchical tree format. This structure enables you to expand the information you want to see and collapse information that is not relevant. Use the hierarchy object to build navigation into your reports, enable hierarchical filtering of data, and facilitate logical drill-downs within the tree. For example, you could drill down from the NE level to the Card level and then continue down to the Port level, expanding and collapsing levels as relevant at that moment.

Figure 2-6: Object hierarchy: NE to slot to port

Time-related objects: These objects provide a time context for your analysis. You could focus on a

specific date, or day of the week, or review changes during a specific month, quarter, or year.

You can design and then modify your reports as necessary to meet your changing needs. You can add, remove, or change the position of the object(s) you want to include in the analysis. You can also represent data in graphical form, using one or more of the many options provided by Oracle BI by default, such as pie chart, bar chart, or line graph.



LightInsight offers a range of options for viewing reports. You can see an overview from the dashboard, or double-click a report to view more details. You can also apply filters, for example, to focus on a single product line. If you export a report, the view that you choose is the one that is exported. What you see on the screen is what you export or print. You can export a report in a variety of formats, including PDF, Excel, PowerPoint, CSV, and XML. Reports can be printed in HTML or PDF formats.

2.4 Agents: Providing Timely Alerts and Warnings LightInsight data collection and analysis capabilities can also be used to trigger Alerts. The system doesn't only collect data and create reports. LightInsight can go one step further, creating Agents that will keep track of the data as it arrives at the Data Warehouse and setting thresholds for Alerts or Warnings when the data reaches a certain level. Agents create an alert when a certain condition is met, sending the relevant information to the designated email destination(s). For example, you might want the system to warn you if the NE slot population goes over a certain occupancy rate threshold. If this condition is met then the system alerts the designated person by email.

Figure 2-7: User Agent configuration



2.5 Your Challenges + Our Solutions = Your Benefits

The current telecom environment creates a variety of challenges for today's network operators. LightInsight provides solutions for these challenges, offering you immediate and direct benefits.

Improving network utilization: Network operators often struggle with low resource utilization and capacity. Up to 45% of a network's capacity may be unused at any given time! With LightInsight, a single click offers operators a consolidated view of network inventory and usage, with easy detection of unused bandwidth, links, and ports, as well as providing proactive alerts upon changes in bandwidth usage. These capabilities lead to better capacity control, improving network utilization up to 60%.

Quicker time to market: Launching new services can be challenging. Implementation is time consuming, services can take months to launch, and new offerings take too long to get up and running and turn a profit. LightInsight makes it easy to locate resources to support new services and simplifies service management and schedule activation. By reducing planning time and response to days or weeks instead of months, LightInsight speeds up the time to service launch and profitability.

Tighter CAPEX control: Complex network environments and configuration can be complicated to manage, often leading to weakened control of network CAPEX. Lack of control can cause up to 10% profit loss per year! LightInsight tracks network growth and activity trends over time, enabling tighter control over network expansion and optimizing CAPEX, thereby reducing loss by 25%.

Improved network management communication: Networks are often conglomerations of many different types of equipment, from a variety of vendors, and running under multiple network management systems. Lack of communication between these NMSs can disrupt efficient management, and therefore the efficient functioning, of the network. Typically, up to 30% of manpower hours are wasted on time-consuming tasks. LightInsight offers network operators an open environment within which data is shared between management groups and common configuration changes are automated. Even complex activities such as full network inventory audits can be performed within hours. This reduces the time spent on routine tasks by 20%, enhancing work force efficiency and optimizing operator activity.



2.6 Software Packages that Meet Your Needs LightInsight functionality can be tailored to meet your needs. For example, each of the LightInsight modules operates independently and can be purchased separately from the others. Product lines and service types are also licensed separately per module. So you can choose the level of service that matches your network requirements. Reports and dashboards can be generated and customized across modules, creating a single comprehensive interface tailored to fit your needs.

Basic Software Package Consolidated global network view: Gain a clear and 360 degree visibility of your network inventory.

View current and historical summaries and detailed lists of network elements, service cards, transceivers, links, and services. Use this information to improve your stock control.

Smarter slot/card/port utilization: Attain network asset transparency, easily tracking the network service slot and port occupation by various parameters including technology, SW version, Port Usage. Optimize the network by discovery of available slots and ports, and plan procurement for network expansion, in order to leverage the installed base.

Easy maintenance: Find and filter equipment by a wide spectrum of parameters including serial number, part number, and HW/SW versions; plan card replacement; plan and track SW versions before and after SW upgrades; measure power consumption.

Network growth and trend monitoring: Add the in-depth, historic view to better control the alignment of your work plans; keep track of changes in the network with incremental and histogram graphs of up to one year prior; track SW version changes, card insertions, port occupation and states, and much more.

Enhanced Professional Package Track changes via text alerts/emails: LightInsight lets you actively track changes in network

inventory. You can create agents that send you emails or SMSs when a defined threshold is exceeded, or when any other change occurs in the network. Agents can be used to automatically send weekly or daily reports to one or more designated people.

Customize your reports and get answers on key business questions: Gain full flexibility by creating and editing countless new intelligent analyses and reports for varied inventory data and in conjunction with other modules of LightInsight; customize views for OSSs, or Executive Summaries for managers and various departments of your organization.

NOTE: Currently released basic and enhanced software packages include the complete set of Inventory module components, with the pre-defined reports in the basic package, and the customization options in the enhanced package. SLA module components will be included in the relevant basic and advanced software packages as they are released.

Maintenance and subscription packages include full support, with software updates and fixes as released. ECI offers professional consultation services to help you build your own environment with advanced reports, manager dashboards, real-time email alerts, and monthly reports via email. We can help you with implementation and training, as well as integration of third party network equipment into LightInsight.



NOTE: LightInsight installation includes the following hardware requirements: 3 Solaris Zones: Oracle DB, OBIEE, Data Warehouse 16G RAM (total required to support all 3 zones) 300G hard disk

2.7 Use Case Scenario: New Service Launch Network operators are struggling to add new sources of revenue and profitability while keeping costs down. Getting new service offerings to market quickly and efficiently is key to turning a profit. But launching a new service is complex. Network operators need so much information:

What resources are available?

What are the actual network utilization levels?

What about equipment compatibility?

Will they need a technician in the field?

Putting all this information together can take days or even weeks of research.

With LightInsight, you can get accurate answers to these questions and more in a matter of hours, improving time to market and adding new revenues to your business model.

2.8 Use Case Scenario: Full Network Inventory Auditing

Annual network inventory audits are one of the greatest challenges facing network operators. Days and weeks spent every year just collecting, verifying, and organizing the information into the necessary reports.

With LightInsight, full network inventory audits are quick and easy. The full inventory is completed within a matter of hours. Information is presented in clear reports, charts, and tables, organized and structured into the categories you need.

For example, the following figure illustrates the LightInsight dashboard regions displaying network inventory per technology type. In this example, NE equipment is composed of Apollo, BroadGate, NPT, and XDM platforms. The dashboard graphically informs the network operator how each type of platform is being used, showing NE distribution, slot utilization, and port utilization per product line.

Figure 2-8: LightInsight: Utilization by product line



2.9 Use Case Scenario: SLA Applications SLA Reports to End Customers SLA commitments include a regular set of reports. Automating SLA report generation is the most efficient way to ensure that accurate, meaningful reports are provided on a regular schedule. A typical example would be automatic monthly reports indicating the bandwidth utilization. Reports could include total bandwidth throughput of all service endpoints, with average, maximum, and minimum rates of service per day, as well as service availability and idle time. Reports can be generated per service, or for a group of services, by the end customer.

Analyzing Actual Network Bandwidth Utilization One of the most important data points for SPs and their end customers is the actual network usage, including absolute numbers as well as relative usage patterns and trends. This information is essential for resource planning. By anticipating future needs, SPs can spot business opportunities such as offering package increases for customers with highly utilized services.

Future plans can also be derived from current utilization trends. This advance planning capability provides an opportunity to increase network capacity (for example, by adding equipment), so that the resources are in place and ready for use when they are needed to accommodate the growth reflected in the utilization trends.


3 LightTime

3.1 Efficient Service Scheduling To keep their customers happy, network operators must provide enough bandwidth to meet user demands and uphold service level agreements (SLAs). Rather than risk network service failures, network operators often calculate how much bandwidth they need by assessing the peak service requirements in any given part of the network. However, while this approach does avoid congestion during heaviest traffic demands, it does not provide the most efficient use of available bandwidth. Many services are required only at certain times and for predictable durations. For example, during daylight hours, most network traffic is generated by business users, while there is far less traffic in residential areas. In the evening, this pattern is reversed. LightTime solves this scheduling challenge for network operators by providing a calendar-based GUI that makes it easy to schedule the services you need, when and where you need them.

LightTime provides simple, time-based solutions for scheduling network services in advance, so you only pay for additional services when you need them. The benefits are better network utilization, congestion avoidance, and potential incremental service revenues due to higher traffic throughput. You can schedule:

One time services: Need extra bandwidth for a specific one-time event? Schedule additional services for the date and time you require. Services are added for the duration of the event, and dismantled when the event is finished.

Repeat services: Require services at the same date and time on a regular basis? Create a service requirement that is actioned on one or more specific days each week or each month. You pay only for the services that you use when you are using them.

Constant connection: Create a new service for constant and continuous use. LightTime's service templates make provisioning simple. You need only define the protection level, bandwidth required, and the location and the service is created instantly. You can also schedule new connections to start at a future date and time, if required.

Figure 3-1: LightTime: Scheduled Services

LightTime scheduling is also a natural complement to LightConnect BoD. For instance, you can schedule connectivity between two data centers to occur every night at 2:00 AM for one hour, with the services and the necessary bandwidth allocated accordingly.

LightApps General Description LightTime


3.2 Intuitive Services Dashboard The LightTime services dashboard provides a breakdown of the number of services per status or per type, with clear links to other LightTime activities. Through the LightTime services dashboard you can perform actions on scheduled services, view details of a scheduled service, or schedule a new service to start at a particular date and time.

Simply select the appropriate template and fill in the relevant details. Template prototypes are defined for Provider Bridge (PB), MPLS-TP, and LightPath optical services. You can schedule the service as a one-time event, to reoccur at a specific time interval, or as a permanent connection.

When you create a service, LightTime automatically checks whether the resources you request are available in the relevant NMS. If resources available you receive a confirmation message. If the resources are not available, an error message displays the reason for the error. You can then edit the service parameters and select alternative resources.

LightTime currently supports scheduling the activation and release of new services utilizing ECI resources, as well as (re)scheduling bandwidth allocation for existing services. Future releases will support seamless integration with third-party equipment resources.

Figure 3-2: LightTime: Dashboard layout



LightApps QuickAccess menu: Click one of the menu options here to navigate to the LightApps dashboard or to other Apps directly.

LightTime toolbar: Click one of these options to navigate to the services summary dashboard, archive, and templates areas.

Services Summary area: Click to see a general summary as well as a detailed listing of the currently configured services. The Services Summary area provides a convenient workspace within which you can see a clear summary of all the services as well as select, view, and edit specific services. Options include filtering the display list, adding comments, and copying, editing, deleting, or modifying the schedule bandwidth for a selected service.

Archive area: Click to see a summary list of services that have ended. These may include deleted services, or services that have been created, activated, and have no future occurrences scheduled. You cannot reactivate an archived service, but you can duplicate it.

Figure 3-3: LightTime: Service archive



Templates area: Click to see a list of all available LightTime service scheduling templates. Within this list, you can drill down to the service configuration details, in either raw or parsed format.

Figure 3-4: LightTime: Service Template - detailed view

Services Calendar bar: Click the arrow at the right side of the Services Summary area to see a time-based perspective of the services, displayed as the number of services scheduled per month over the past 12 months. Roll the mouse over a column to show the number of existing services and the number of recurring services scheduled in that month. Click the column to display the services list for a specific month. To return to the Services Summary area, click the arrow at the left side of the Services Distribution area.

Figure 3-5: LightTime: Scheduled Service - calendar view



NOTE: LightTime installation includes the following hardware requirements: 1 Solaris Zone for LightApps installation 4G RAM 1 vCPU (minimum, 2 vCPU recommended)

3.3 Filtering Services The Services Summary area provides a convenient workspace within which you can see a clear summary of all the services as well as select, view, and edit specific services. The services list appears below the services summary, and can be filtered in one of the following ways:

By keyword to show only entries matching the selected keyword string. [Helpful when searching for a specific service, especially if you only have a partial name.]

By service status (scheduled, activated, waiting, failed, etc.) or type (permanent, one-time, or recurrent) to show only services of that category.

By time to show services scheduled in the next 24 hours, next 7 days, next 30 days, or all.

Figure 3-6: LightTime: Filtering services list by time



3.4 Managing a Specific Service Select a specific service in the services list to focus on that service's details, such as the type of template used by that service, and the service schedule, status, bandwidth used, and trail ID. You can also see details of the service endpoints.

Figure 3-7: LightTime: Focusing on a specific service

Convenient toolbar buttons make it simple to edit, pause, or delete the selected service. You can run a real-time check of the service status, or duplicate the service to simplify creation of a new service, similar to this one. Services can also be copied, edited, deleted, or rescheduled directly from the services list in the services summary workspace, without opening the detailed service information window.

Figure 3-8: LightTime: Managing a service from the list of services



Add comments and notes to a service by clicking the comment icon next to a specific service in the services list. For example, if more than one person is working on that service, add notes to keep everyone up-to-date on the latest changes. Each note is stamped with the user name and the date and time that it was added.

3.5 Editing Services LightTime provides an Edit Service wizard to simplify editing the parameters and configuration settings of existing services. For example, you can pause a service, or change the activation time of a scheduled service if the service has not yet been activated. Note that editing an activated service can be traffic affecting.

LightTime also includes a convenient shortcut button to simplify making changes to a service's bandwidth allocation. In addition to scheduling the activation and release of a new service, you can also reschedule the bandwidth allocation of an existing service. A service's bandwidth allocation can be edited 'on the fly', enabling dynamic responsiveness to changing network demands. This can be extremely useful if you want, for example, to increase the bandwidth allocation during specific hours of the day only. You can schedule:

One time bandwidth changes: Need extra bandwidth for a specific one-time event? Schedule the change to bandwidth at the start and end at the date and time you require. Bandwidth is changed for the duration of the event, and reverts back to the original allocation when the event is finished.

Recurring bandwidth changes: Require additional bandwidth at the same date and time on a regular basis? Schedule a change to the bandwidth that is actioned for a limited time on one or more specific days each week or each month. You pay only for the bandwidth that you use when you are using them.

TIP: When you create a service, LightTime automatically checks whether the resources you request are available in the relevant NMS. Validation is performed at the end of the Create Service process. If resources are available you receive a confirmation message. If the resources are not available, an error message displays the reason for the error. You can then edit the service parameters and select alternative resources. Validation checks are based on the resources available in the NMS at the time the service creation request is submitted. If you are scheduling a service to start in the future, once the initial validation is passed successfully, LightTime continues to monitor the availability of the requested resources at regular intervals. If the necessary resources are requisitioned by a different service and become unavailable, an error is generated. You can edit the service parameters and select alternative resources.

You can also duplicate the configuration of a selected service with a single click of the Copy toolbar button. Duplicating a service can be useful if you want to create several services with similar configurations. When you duplicate a service, a new service is created that includes all the details of the original service except the service name, customer name, and description. You then define these parameters before you save the new service.



3.6 Automating Service Creation with Template Files A template is a group of preconfigured settings or parameters that define the conditions available for a particular service. Templates enable you to automatically set policies for a particular service type before the service is provisioned. Parameters included in a template can be defined as either:

Static: A single value that cannot be modified by the user. or

Configurable: The parameter is defined in the template with a range of possible values. When creating a service, the user can select a value from within the available range.

Figure 3-9: LightTime: MP2MP service creation template

Template parameters include:

Service type: The type of service (MPLS-TP, LP, PB).

Service classification: Parameters that aid classification of incoming traffic (VLAN, CoS).

Protection scheme: The protection scheme to use (SRLG, 1+1, etc.).

Bandwidth: The bandwidth range available for this service. The actual value is defined by the user, within the range specified.



Schedule: The scheduling appropriate for this service. LightTime provides simple, time-based solutions for scheduling network services in advance, so you only pay for additional services when you need them. You can schedule: One time services: Need extra bandwidth for a specific one-time event? Schedule additional

services to start and end at the date and time you require. Services are added for the duration of the event, and dismantled when the event is finished.

Recurring services: Require services at the same date and time on a regular basis? Create a service requirement that is actioned for a limited time on one or more specific days each week or each month. You pay only for the services that you use when you are using them.

Permanent services: Create a new service for constant and continuous use. LightTime's service templates make provisioning simple. You need only define the protection level, bandwidth required, and the location and the service is created instantly. You can also schedule new connections to start at a future date and time, if required.

Service endpoints: The service endpoints (NE and ports) of the new service.

LightTime comes with a number of predefined templates. (In future versions you will be able to modify templates to fit your requirements.) Click in the LightTime dashboard to see a list of all available templates. A typical list is illustrated in the following figure.

Figure 3-10: LightTime: Templates list



Within this list of templates, you can drill down to the service configuration details, in either raw or parsed JSON format.

Figure 3-11: LightTime: Service Template - detailed view

3.7 Customizing LightTime LightTime settings are stored in a file. To customize LightTime settings, simply edit the settings file. For example, you can modify the request for approval and the frequency of validation checks. In future versions you will be able to modify other settings, and also to edit the template files to meet specific network requirements.



3.8 Use Case Scenario: Time-Based Bandwidth Allocation

The following figure illustrates a typical service scheduling use case scenario. Using pre-defined templates to hide complexity, network operators schedule services based on time of day, duration, frequency, and the resources required. Efficient bandwidth allocation for business and residential areas, based on time-of-day usage patterns, maximizes bandwidth utilization, and enhances the user experience for everyone on the network.

Figure 3-12: Scheduled services


4 LightConnect

4.1 Bandwidth on Demand LightConnect Bandwidth on Demand (BoD) provides simple, fast, ad-hoc APIs for allocation of transport connections, accessing the necessary bandwidth only when and where you need it, for only as long as you require. LightConnect's agile APIs support dynamic service creation and enable quick emergency link creation. LightConnect leverages network elasticity to allow you to use network resources for burst applications only as needed, rather than relying on over-provisioning.

Figure 4-1: LightConnect: BoD Services

4.2 Complexity Made Simple You can eliminate much of the complexity involved in creating a network connection by using LightConnect templates. Templates provide common connection profiles, so all you need to do is specify the endpoints, bandwidth required, profile (for example, a specific QoS), and the duration of the service. LightConnect communicates with the SDN controller and takes care of the rest. The application uses LightSoft’s PathFinder capabilities to create paths for both point-to-point and mesh topologies, and to eliminate them when no longer needed. The connections that have been created are provisioned automatically across all relevant layers (OTN, Packet, and WDM) to achieve the most optimized configuration.

LightApps enables you to further customize the LightConnect application through REST APIs. Network operators can use APIs to dynamically create, modify, and delete network connections and bandwidth allocations as necessary.

LightApps General Description LightConnect


4.3 Service Management APIs LightConnect offers a set of simple service management APIs, enabling dynamic bandwidth allocation management without a steep learning curve. Use the LightConnect APIs to create a new service, to request information about a specific service, or to request basic details for a list of all available services.

Creating a new service is simplified through the use of standard templates, service prototypes that automate most service creation tasks. You just supply the service name, type, and a few scheduling details such as recurrence patterns, and LightConnect creates the new service automatically.

LightConnect offers network operators a comprehensive set of open interface (REST) APIs. The following APIs are available by default:

Get services list: Return a complete list of all configured Ethernet or OTN services.

URL: GET /LightApp/resources/services

Get specific service: Return a detailed listing of the attributes and parameters for a specific ETH or OTN service. The specific service being requested is identified by service type and ID.

URL: GET /LightApp/resources/services/{serviceRequestId}

Create service: Create an Ethernet or OTN service, using the parameter and attribute values provided. Services can be created on a 1-time basis, permanently, or recurrently, as scheduled.

URL: POST /LightApp/resources/services

UI: New service

Edit service: Edit the parameter settings for a specific Ethernet or OTN service. The specific service being edited is identified by service type and ID.

URL: PUT /LightApp/resources/services/{serviceRequestId}

UI: Edit service

Pause service: Temporarily suspend activation for a specific service. Services that are scheduled for activation at some future time, (and that are not currently active), can be 'paused' or suspended. Suspended services will not be activated at future scheduled activation times until the Pause status is canceled with a Resume command. This command is relevant for scheduled services only, not for services that are currently active.

URL: PUT /LightApp/resources/services/pause/{serviceRequestId}

UI: Pause

Resume service: Services that have been Paused and are not being activated at their regularly scheduled times will be returned to their regular schedule and activated accordingly.

URL: GET /LightApp/resources/services

UI: Resume



Check status: Checks network resource availability. This command is used to verify that a service will have the necessary resources available when needed. As a general rule, service scheduling is based on network resource availability. However, when services are activated intermittently, the necessary resources may be appropriated by another service during one of the interim inactive periods. Therefore, this command enables the user to check and verify that the necessary resources are still available before the service is automatically (re)activated.

URL: PUT /LightApp/resources/services/check/{serviceRequestId}

UI: Check status

Bandwidth modification: Enables users to modify the bandwidth allocated for an Ethernet service. For example, a specific service might require 3M of bandwidth during the day, but 4M late at night during an automatic backup period.

URL: PUT /LightApp/resources/services/scheduleBW/{serviceRequestId}

UI: Schedule BW modification

Cancel bandwidth modification: Cancels a previous bandwidth modification request.

URL: PUT /LightApp/resources/services/cancelscheduledBW/{serviceRequestId}

UI: Remove BW modification

A typical services list, illustrated in the following figure, includes the service type, the SLA, the current status, and the bandwidth allocation.

Figure 4-2: LightConnect: JSON services list

You can also retrieve a detailed listing of service attributes and parameters for specific services. For more information about working with these APIs, see the LightApps User Assistance.



4.4 Use Case Scenario: Data Center Interconnection The following figure illustrates a typical BoD use case scenario, including the following elements.

A content consumer has a full-time connection to Data Center 2 via the purple path.

This consumer requires a data backup at Data Center 1, and requests a short-term link between the two data centers.

The BoD application establishes a temporary connection between DC1 and DC2, represented by the orange path.

A portion of the primary path is temporarily re-routed, as shown with the thick dotted red path.

After the backup is complete, the paths are restored to their original state; only the purple path remains.

Figure 4-3: Bandwidth on Demand


5 LightAction

5.1 Automatic Network Programming at Your Fingertips

Use LightAction to create macros and automate common network management tasks. With no programming skills required, this GUI-based workflow tool enables network operators to define event-triggered actions implemented through policy-driven automation.

For example, detecting a new NE in the network would automatically trigger creation of the necessary infrastructure (topology, tunnels, services, etc.). Similar to popular plug&play functionality, this is commonly known as Zero-Touch provisioning, where no human "touch" or intervention is needed to work with the new NEs added to the network.

NE mobility is another example. If you are moving an NE from Site A to Site B, you would like to network to automatically recognize the move and re-establish the necessary and appropriate connections to the NE components. This would include re-allocating the relevant tunnels and services from the old location to the new location. You would only have to plug in the equipment and everything would work.

Network automation provides automatic network reconfiguration where the trigger is a network-based event, rather than an external request. The network operator can define a set of actions (rules/macros) that are automatically triggered by a specific network event, producing the desired changes in the network. This capability is known as predefined network reconfiguration.

Predefined network reconfiguration is defined through a sequence of three stages: Event-->Policy-->Action, i.e., a network event triggers selection of the appropriate policy, and based on the terms of that policy the appropriate network actions are completed. Sequences can be chained or even made conditional, enabling LightAction to handle a wide range of situations, both simple and complex. Similar to the other applications, LightAction uses predefined templates to hide complexity. The following figure illustrates a typical LightAction template, simplifying configuration of the three Event, Policy, and Action stages.

Figure 5-1: Network automation template

LightApps General Description LightAction


5.2 Use Case Scenarios: Automating Network Optimization

Automatic Congestion Control

Network operators can use LightAction to avoid traffic congestion in MPLS services by automatically triggering predefined sets of preemptive actions. LightAction continuously monitors network events, tracking incidents of service degradation (packet drop, Y1731 latency status) and acting accordingly to increase allocated bandwidth, switch the service to the protection path, or reroute the service to a better, less loaded path.

Scheduling Maintenance for Minimal Service Impact

Network maintenance operations can be planned in advance, with automatic handling of subsequent operations. For example, use LightAction to preemptively trigger a switchover of services between equipment options within a predefined maintenance window, before any equipment outage might occur. By automating this process, the impact of maintenance operation on services can be better controlled and minimized.

Zero-Touch Provisioning With LightAction, new services can be provisioned automatically, with no expert intervention. Define configuration activities to be performed automatically upon detection of equipment plug-in, system event, or any external notification. Automating service provisioning reduces complexity, avoids human errors, and improves reliability.

Service Resiliency Provisioning a full one-to-one path for service resiliency traditionally demands a heavy cost in network CAPEX and planning. LightAction allows you to provide near real-time service resiliency for non-critical services. With LightAction you can automatically provision an alternative path for services traversing a failed link or equipment. Services will be up and running again immediately upon failure detection, resuming their original path upon recovery. Service functionality is quickly restored and maintained, reducing the failure impact and avoiding long time service interference.

Advanced Equipment Replacement Replacing faulty equipment usually requires specific technical skills to complete configuration of the newly inserted equipment. LightAction lets you automate equipment configuration, turning equipment replacement into a simple task. Use LightAction to automatically download the relevant configuration upon detection of a change in equipment (insertion or connectivity).

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