Temporary File Naming for an Open CDR File

As of Release S-C(X)6.0.0M7, the OCSBC uses a temporary naming convention that makes it easier for you to retrieve CDR files you want.

Before this release was introduced, the OCSBC used the same naming format for all CDR files: cdrYYYYMMDDHHMM[a-j]. If this is the naming convention you still want to use, you can do so simply by adding the disable-temp-file option to your accounting configuration. This mode offers no means of differentiating a file to which the OCSBC is writing information from any other closed file(s).

If you decide to use the new default behavior, then you will now see a the temp-prefix added to the file format. So the file format for the temp file is: temp-cdrYYYYMMDDHHMM[a-j]. The prefix helps you differentiate the file that is currently open from the other CDR files you encounter; this is the file to which the OCSBC is currently writing information and is open. As soon as the file is closed during rotation, the temp- disappears and the file bears only name in the cdrYYYYMMDDHHMM[a-j]. In other words, files in the cdrYYYYMMDDHHMM[a-j] are closed files.

Without this differentiation, it is possible for you to retrieve different versions of the same file and to even do so more than once. In addition, without the temp- differentiation, the OCSBC SFTP server is liable to return error messages when move or delete operations occur. These occurrences can trigger false alarms and are not consistent with other vendors’ products.

Operational Details

This section offers details of OCSBC operations that effect temporary CDR file naming.

• Reboot—A system reboot can happen unexpectedly, or might be caused by your intentionally rebooting the system using the ACLI reboot command. When a reboot occurs, OCSBC closes the CDR file that was most recently opened (before the reboot) and names it according to the cdrYYYYMMDDHHMM[a-j] convention. It also opens a new file, which bears the temp- differentiation.
• Activating a configuration—If temporary CDR naming is enabled before and after you use the activate-config command, then the last opened file will be closed and have the cdrYYYYMMDDHHMM[a-j] name format. The OCSBC also opens a new file with the temp- prefix to which it will write data.

  In the case where temporary CDR naming is enabled before you activate a configuration and disabled after it, the last open file is named according to the cdrYYYYMMDDHHMM[a-j] name format. The new file to which the OCSBC will write data is also in the cdrYYYYMMDDHHMM[a-j] name format. In other words, the OCSBC does not use the temp- prefix designation at all.

  In the case where temporary CDR naming is disabled before you activate a configuration and enabled after it, the OCSBC closes the most recently opened file—which must have been in the cdrYYYYMMDDHHMM[a-j] name format. The OCSBC also opens a new file with the temp- prefix to which it will write data.

• Changing the accounting configuration’s administrative state—When you disable the accounting configuration, the OCSBC renames the most recently opened file with the temp- prefix to the cdrYYYYMMDDHHMM[a-j] name format.

HA Considerations

The considerations in this section describes the Oracle Communications Session Border Controller’s behavior when CDR output redundancy is enabled or disabled. You set CDR output redundancy in the accounting configurations cdr-output-redundancy parameter.

• Enabled—When you enable CDR output redundancy, both the Active and Standby systems rotate files. During CDR file rotation, if either the Active or the Standby rotates a file with the temp- prefix, the prefix disappears and the file name appears in the cdrYYYYMMDDHHMM[a-j] name format.

  The Active and the Standby systems always have the same files, including the CDR file with the temp- prefix. So the file exists on both systems.

• Disabled—When you have disables CDR output redundancy and switchover happens for any reason, it is key that there are no residual files with the temp- prefix. For this reason, the OCSBC handles the situation as follows:

  Becoming Active—When it transitions from Standby to Active, a OCSBC checks for any files with the temp- prefix, closes the file if it is open, and renames it according to the cdrYYYYMMDDHHMM[a-j] name format. These actions means that the file is not only renamed, but that it is also rotated. Rotation triggers the creation of a new CDR file with the temp- prefix to use for new CDR data.

  Becoming Standby—When it transitions from Active to Standby, a OCSBC closes the open temp- prefix file and renames it according to the cdrYYYYMMDDHHMM[a-j] name format. Rotation creates a new temp- prefix file on the Standby, which remains empty until it transitions back to the Active state.

• Standby push—provides the user with a mechanism to manage CDRs in a High Availability (HR) environment that prevents CDR loss during HA events.

  When the user configures this setting, the standby can SFTP files to the CDR server. When the decision is made to become standby the system looks for any un-pushed CDRs that are still present and pushes those to the CDR server.

  This process addresses two potential data loss issues:

  • When an active node fails over, there may be temporary CDRs that have not yet been pushed to the CDR server. If the standby cannot send the record to the CDR server itself, the data is lost, resulting in the call not being charged.
  • Temporary CDRs files often contain incomplete data and can be present on both the active and standby OCSBCs. After a failover, and when the original active becomes the active again, it would send this temporary file to the CDR server and overwrite the file that had been sent from the previously active system.

  The user sets this value using the syntax below.

  ORACLE(account-config)# cdr-output-redundancy standby-push
  

  Setting this value can also enhance the clarity of CDR file names. This would also require that the applicable account-config have its file-seq-number parameter enabled. The system then includes information within the filename to distinguish whether the file came from the active or standby node. This prevents the standby from overwriting CDRs already on the server. This naming convention adds two prefixes to the CDR filename.

  XXXX-YYYY-CDR201610171015-000000050

  • XXXX - The filename-prefix defined in your push-reciever setting
  • YYYY - The host name of the OCSBC

  The standby-push value requires that the applicable account-config operate over a management (wancom) interface. Configuration verification fails if the user sets this value to an account-config operating over a media interface.

• The

All parameters are RTC supported.

Note:

Before you upgrade from a release prior to S-CZ7.2.0 to S-CZ7.2.0 or later, you must set the cdr-output-redundancy parameter to enabled for the Standby to upgrade and sync properly. You can then change the parameter to disabled afterwards, if needed.

Caveats

As described above, when the system reboots for any reason or when you issue an activate-config, the OCSBC checks for CDR files with the temp- prefix and renames to the usual cdrYYYYMMDDHHMM[a-j] format.

However, if you change the accounting configuration’s file-path value and subsequently the system either reboots or you activate your configuration, the OCSBC will be unable to check for files with the temp- prefix in the old file path. And so it will also be unable to rename them. The OCSBC checks the new path only.

Temporary Local CDR File Renaming Configuration

To turn off temporary CDR file naming:

1. Access the account-config configuration element.

   ORACLE# configure terminal
   ORACLE(configure)# session-router
   ORACLE(session-router)# account-config
   ORACLE(account-config)#
   

2. Type select to begin configuring this object.
3. options—Follow your entry with this value:
   • +disable-temp-file

     ORACLE(account-config)# options +disable-temp-file

     This value turns off the temporary CDR file naming the OCSBC, so it does not use the temp- prefix for open file. Instead, all files follow the cdrYYYYMMDDHHMM[a-j] name format.

     To enable temporary CDR file naming, you must use a minus sign (-) before the disable-temp-file value.

     ORACLE(account-config)# options -disable-temp-file

4. Type done to save your configuration.

Enhanced Stop CDR Reporting for Exceeded Ingress Session Constraints

This release addresses an inconsistency in the generation of RADIUS Stop records when calls are rejected for exceeding configured session ingress or egress constraints. On the egress path, prior releases rejected such calls with a 503 (Service Unavailable) response and the generation of a RADIUS STOP record. On the ingress path, however, while calls were rejected with a 503 response, RADIUS Stop records were not generated.

A new SIP Configuration option (enhanced-cdr) enables consistent generation of RADIUS Stop records on both ingress and egress paths. With enhanced-cdr enabled, RADIUS Stop records are generated in response to any ingress path rejection of a dialog creating SIP INVITE request. The contents of RADIUS Stop records are also written to Call Detail Records stored on the Oracle Oracle Communications Session Border Controller.

Use the following command syntax to enable more consistent generation of RADIUS Stop records.

This capability is disabled by default.

ORACLE(sip-config)# options +enhanced-cdr
ORACLE(sip-config)#