Working with Operational Analysis

17 Working with Operational Analysis

In Oracle Communications Unified Inventory Management (UIM), you use the options in the Operational Analysis group to:

Search paths between the source and target entities and analyze the path results in a topological view
Generate outage reports that provide details about system outages that occurred because of simulation failures

See UIM Concepts for more information on path analysis and outage reports.

For more information on the tasks that you can perform in Operational Analysis, see the following topics:

Evaluating Outage Impacts

Outages may occur because of simulation failures such as:

Field failure
Interrupted lines
Protection failure
Single point failure

To understand and evaluate all connectivity services or outages that are impacted, you can generate an outage impacts report. The outage impacts report provides a list of all system outages that occurred because of any impacted connectivity services or simulation failures and their associated contacts. The report is generated in the form of a spreadsheet that shows the list of circuits or services impacted using which you can analyze the outages.

See "Generating Outage Impacts Report" for more information on generating the outage impacts report.

Note:

You can generate outage reports using the REST API. See UIM REST API Guide for more information about REST APIs.

The following table lists the entities and the input types that you can specify to generate the corresponding outage reports.

Input Entity	Failure Type
Equipment	Card burn
Logical Device	Device/node failure
Logical Device Account	Information/registry of any existing failure
Physical Device	Device/node failure
Connectivity	Connectivity identifier
Pipe	Fiber, cable name, or ID
Device Interface	Physical ports with logical entities
Physical Port	Physical port

Note:

Outage report does not include the Trail and Facility pipes that are not terminated.

Generating Outage Impacts Report

To generate the outage impacts report:

In the Operational Analysis group, click Outage Reports.

The Outage Impacts page appears.
From the Entity list, select the entity for which you want to generate an outage report.

Note:

See Evaluating Outage Impacts for a list of entity and input types that you can select.
(Optional) If you know the name of the entity, enter the name in the text field.
(Optional) Enter % in the text field to select an entity from the most recent 10 entities that you searched for.
(Optional) Add qualifications to the search:
1. Click the magnifying glass icon next to the text field to search.
  
  The search page for the corresponding entity appears.
2. Enter search criteria in the desired fields. Some fields require that you enter text while other fields allow you to select from lists.
3. Click Search.
  
  A table of search results appears in the Search Results section.
4. Select the entity and click OK.
  
  The selected entity name appears in the text box.
Click Retrieve Outage Report.

The system generates the outage impacts report in a Microsoft Excel file.
Click Open to view the report.

See Understanding Outage Impacts Report for information about the data and worksheets in the outage impacts report.
(Optional) Click Save to save the report on your local system.

Note:

You can customize the outage data to be refreshed periodically. Contact your system administrator to customize the intervals at which you want the data refreshed.

If you cannot view the latest changes in the report, contact your system administrator to refresh the data by using the Reload option, which is available only to the administrator.

Understanding Outage Impacts Report

The following table describes the data and worksheets in the outage impacts report.

Sheet	Description
Report Details	Provides the name and other details of the generated Outage Impacts report
ServiceImpacts	Provides the list of outage impacts that occurred according to the given inputs
Data Dictionary	Helps in understanding the report by providing the descriptions for columns in ServiceImpacts sheets

About Running Path Analysis in the Search Page

You can run path analysis in a Path Analysis Search page. The Path Analysis Search page provides you with advanced search criteria, using which you can refine the path analysis search. You can view the path results in the Path Analysis Results table or in the form of a schematic diagram in the Topological View tab, which enables you to view and understand all the related paths, nodes, connections, and pipes.

See "Running Path Analysis in the Path Analysis Search Page" for instructions on running path analysis.

You can access the Path Analysis Search page using either of the following options:

From the UIM landing page, hover your mouse over the Operational Analysis icon and select Path Analysis.
From the left navigation pane, under the Operational Analysis section, select Path Analysis.

See Path Analysis Search Page for more information.

Running Path Analysis in the Path Analysis Search Page

To perform path analysis from the Path Analysis Search page:

Open UIM.
In the navigation section, under Operational Analysis, click Path Analysis.

The Path Analysis Search page appears.
Expand the Source and Target criteria.
In the Source Type list, select the type of entity that represents the source.
In the Source ID field, enter the ID of the source entity.

To locate a source ID:
1. Click the Browse icon.
  
  The Search page appears for the source entity.
2. Enter the search criteria.
3. Click Search.
  
  The search results appear.
4. Select an entity.
5. Click OK.
  
  The ID appears in the Source ID field.
6. (Optional) To reset the Source ID, click the Clear icon.
(Optional) Specify information about an intermediate node in the Intermediate Type and Intermediate ID fields.
In the Target Type list, select the type of entity that represents the target.
In the Target ID field, enter the ID of the target entity.

To locate a target ID:
1. Click the Browse icon.
  
  The Search page appears for the source entity.
2. Enter the search criteria.
3. Click Search.
  
  The search results appear.
4. Select an entity.
5. Click OK.
  
  The ID appears in the Target ID field.
6. (Optional) To reset the Target ID, click the Clear icon.
(Optional) Enter General Criteria and Advanced Criteria. See General Information Tab for the list of fields and their descriptions.
Click Search.

The paths appear in the Path Analysis Results pane.
To view path analysis in a topology view, click Topological View tab.

See "Topological View of Path Analysis" for more information about the topological view.
(Optional) To reset the path analysis search criteria and the toplogical view, click Reset.
To download the path analysis results to a spreadsheet, click Export from the Path Analysis Results pane.

The system generates the PathResults spreadsheet.
To download the list of network nodes that are included in the path analysis, click Export Analysis Data from the Path Analysis Results pane.

The system generates the ExportAnalysisData spreadsheet.

Selecting Networks for Path Analysis

To select the required networks for path analysis:

In the Path Analysis Search page, expand Advanced Criteria and then expand Network.

The Network criteria panel appears.
Click Filter By Network.

The Network Search page appears.
Enter the required details of search criteria.
Click Search.

The Search Results pane appears with a list of networks.
Select the required network(s).

Note:

You can select one or more networks from the search results.
Click OK.

The list of selected network(s) appears in the Network criteria of the Path Analysis Search page.
(Optional) If you do not need any of the networks that are displayed, select them and click Delete.

The selected networks are removed from the list in Network criteria.

Selecting Pipe/Connectivity Specification for Path Analysis

To select pipe or connectivity specifications for path analysis:

In the Path Analysis Search page, expand Advanced Criteria and then expand Pipe/Connectivity Specifications.

The Pipe/Connectivity Specification criteria panel appears.
Click Filter By Specification.

The Specification Search page appears.
Enter the required details of search criteria.

Note:

The Entity Type is non-editable and the default value is Pipe Specification. This is because, in UIM, every connectivity specification is modelled as a pipe specification.
Click Search.

A list of specifications appears in Search Results.
Select the required specification(s).
Click OK.

The list of selected specification(s) appears in the Pipe/Connectivity Specifications criteria of the Path Analysis Search page.
(Optional) If you do not need any of the displayed specifications, select them and click Delete.

The selected specifications are removed from the list in Pipe/Connectivity Specifications criteria.

Topological View of Path Analysis

You can view and analyze the operational paths in a topological diagram. To do so, you must you must search for a path by specifying a source entity and a target entity. In the topological view of path analysis, you can isolate any entity and view all the nodes connected to it.

The topology diagram changes based on the algorithm that you select, even for the same set of source and target entities. If you select Simple Linear and Mesh algorithms, the topology diagram displays all the paths between the source and target. If you select Full Mesh algorithm, the topology diagram displays all the paths you have searched so far and highlights the source and target from your latest search.

The topology diagram shows the following:

All possible paths between source and target entities according to the search criteria
Nodes or entities that are used to determine the paths
Partial paths that are determined for feasibility analysis
Pipes and connectivities connecting the entities in each path
Locations of source and target entities
Overview of the topology diagram, which is useful if the diagram has a large number of entities. The overview helps to find the exact location of your current entity or path.

Viewing and Analyzing Path Analysis in a Topological View

To view and analyze path analysis in topological view:

Perform path analysis by searching for paths between source and target entities.

The Path Analysis Results pane appears.
Click the Topological View tab.

The topological diagram appears with all path results between the source and the target entities.

Note:

The source and target entities are highlighted in the diagram.
Navigate to the Display Path or Find Entity pane by clicking the Restore Pane button on the top-right corner.
Select the required path in Available Paths.

The selected path is highlighted in the topology diagram.
Select an entity in the Entity Name field.

The selected entity is highlighted in the topology diagram.

Note:

You can view the information about the selected entity in the Editor pane on the right side.
Select an entity or pipe in the topology diagram and navigate to the Editor pane by clicking the Restore Pane button on the right side, to view details.

The details of the selected entity or pipe appear in the Editor pane.
1. Click the ID value to open the corresponding entity page.
2. Click the Network/Entity Location value to open the corresponding network or entity location page.
To view the summary, right-click the entity and then click View Summary.

The summary page of the selected entity appears.
To adjust zoom options, use the following options in the top-left corner:
- Zoom to Fit
- Zoom In
- Zoom Out
In the Overview panel (in the bottom-right corner), check the overview of the topology diagram.
To isolate an entity, select the entity and then click the Isolate icon.

The selected entity gets isolated from the topology diagram.
To find all the nodes connected to the isolated entity:
1. Select the entity in the isolated pane.
2. Hover the mouse over the round buttons.
3. Click the Additional Links icon to find all the nodes connected to the entity.

Path Analysis Search Page

You use the Path Analysis Search page to refine the path analysis search using the advanced search criteria. The Path Analysis Search page has the following tabs:

General Information Tab

Use the General Information tab to enter the search criteria for path analysis.

This tab provides the following search criteria:

Source and Target
General Criteria
Advanced Criteria

The advanced search criteria has the following criteria panes along with other options:
- Network
- Pipe/Connectivity Specifications

Table 17-1 General Information tab of Path Analysis Search Page

Field	Description
Source Type	Select the source entity type. Valid values: Equipment Logical Device Network/Entity Location Physical Device Place
Source ID	Enter the ID of the source entity. Click Search to search for the entity. If the source entity is part of a logical device, physical device, or equipment hierarchy, specify the highest-level entity in the hierarchy as the source.
Target Type	Select the target entity type. Valid values: Equipment Logical Device Network/Entity Location Physical Device Place
Target ID	Enter the ID of the target entity if you know it or click Browse icon to search for the entity. If the target entity is part of a logical device, physical device, or equipment hierarchy, specify the highest-level entity in the hierarchy as the target.
Intermediate Type	Select the entity type of the intermediate node that you want to include in the path found by path analysis. If the pipe has a pipe configuration that includes specification relationships for the Intermediate Node configuration item, you can select only from the types of those specifications. Valid values: Equipment Logical Device Network/Entity Location Physical Device Place
Intermediate ID	Enter the ID of the entity to use as an intermediate node if you know it or click Browse icon to search for the entity. The search is limited to entities of the type specified in the Intermediate Type field. If the pipe has a pipe configuration that defines specification relationships for the Intermediate Node configuration item, the search is further limited to entities based on those specifications. After you enter or select an ID, the Intermediate Name field is populated.
Rate Code	Enter the rate code associated with the connectivity. You can enter a wildcard value % to see all possible auto suggestions. When you enter a rate code, the system populates the corresponding Bit Rate.
Bit Rate	Enter a required bit rate to ensure that path analysis finds paths with sufficient capacity. For example, enter 64 for a 64 Kbps connection. This value is populated automatically after you enter the Rate Code. If a rate code is not provided, you can enter the value. If path analysis fails to find a path using the automatically entered bit rate, you can remove it and run path analysis again. If a path is returned, you can make design changes to accommodate it.
UOM	Select the unit of measure that applies to the bit rate. For example, choose Kbps if the bit rate was specified for that unit of measure.
Quantity	Enter the number of connections required. This field is used for fractional TDM services such as Fractional T1. For example, if you need 256 Kbps of capacity, this translates into four 64 Kbps channels. The default value is 1.
Custom Tuning	Use custom tuning to control the number of paths returned. If you want path analysis to find the simplest paths in the shortest time, select Fastest. If you want path analysis to find the paths in more time, select Most Paths. See Table 17-2 for the list of custom tuning types and their corresponding tuning percentage ranges. The default value is Fastest.
Algorithm	Select the algorithm to control the topological view of the path analysis. See for algorithm types and descriptions.
Filter By Hops	Enter the number of hops to search for the paths that have less than or equal to the required number of hops. The default value is 10. You can also set the number of hops by setting the value for simpleLinearModeMaxCycles in the topologyProcess.properties file. If you enter 0 in the Filter By Hops field in the Path Analysis Search page, the value that you entered in the TopologyProcess.properties file takes precedence.
Same Wavelength or Frequency Channel	(Optional) Select Same Wavelength or Frequency Channel to find the paths with same wavelength or frequency. If the paths with same wavelength or frequency are not available, the application throws an error as follows: Same wavelength or frequency fiber not found. Refine criteria and rerun Path Analysis. Note: This filter is applicable only for connectivity enablement.
Network	Search and select the required networks for searching the paths. You can select one or more networks. The path analysis result displays all the paths with any of the selected networks. See "Selecting Networks for Path Analysis" for more information on selecting the network criteria.
Pipe/Connectivity Specifications	Search and select the required pipe/connectivity specifications for searching the paths. You can select one or more specifications. The path analysis result displays all the paths with any of the selected specifications. See "Selecting Pipe/Connectivity Specification for Path Analysis" for more information on selecting the pipe/connectivity specification criteria.

Table 17-2 Custom Tuning for Path Analysis

Custom Tuning Type	Tuning Percentage Range
Fastest	0-20
Fast	20-40
Balanced	40-60
More Paths	60-80
Most Paths	80-100

Table 17-3 Algorithm Types

Algorithm	Definition
Full Mesh	This mode considers all the inputs mentioned in General and Advanced Criteria. Note: This algorithm uses the most memory because it searches all data for analysis.
Mesh Hybrid	(Default) This algorithm uses less heap memory than a Full Mesh algorithm. It runs a series of queries from source to target for a maximum number of iterations depending on the number of hops. It uses the hops to continue searching even after the first path is found.
Simple Linear	This algorithm uses least memory and is the fastest. It considers how the nodes are connected while simultaneously analyzing the data. It runs a series of queries from source to target for a maximum number of iterations (Max Cycles) and stops once the paths overlap. The purpose of this algorithm is to find one path and it will not find as many paths as the other algorithms find.

Algorithm

Definition

Full Mesh

This mode considers all the inputs mentioned in General and Advanced Criteria.

Note: This algorithm uses the most memory because it searches all data for analysis.

Mesh Hybrid

(Default) This algorithm uses less heap memory than a Full Mesh algorithm. It runs a series of queries from source to target for a maximum number of iterations depending on the number of hops. It uses the hops to continue searching even after the first path is found.

Simple Linear

This algorithm uses least memory and is the fastest. It considers how the nodes are connected while simultaneously analyzing the data. It runs a series of queries from source to target for a maximum number of iterations (Max Cycles) and stops once the paths overlap. The purpose of this algorithm is to find one path and it will not find as many paths as the other algorithms find.

Topological View Tab of Path Analysis Search Page

This tab provides you with the topological view of path analysis. See "Topological View of Path Analysis" for information about topological view of path analysis.

Table 17-4 Topological View Tab of Path Analysis Search Page

Field	Description
Available Paths	Select a path from the list of available paths to highlight it in the topology diagram.
Entity Name	Select an entity from the list of entities available to highlight it in the topology diagram.
Force Directed Layout	Select to display all one-to-one connections between the nodes. This is the default layout.
Circular Layout	Select to display the nodes of the canvas diagram in a circle.
Grid Layout	Select to display the nodes of the canvas diagram in a grid. This layout has the pipe or connection crossings.
Control Panel icon	Clicking this icon displays the following icons: Zoom to Fit: Click to automatically zoom the display to fit the canvas. Zoom In: Click to zoom into the canvas. Zoom Out: Click to zoom out from the canvas.
Overview section	Displays a rectangle around the portion of the diagram that you have zoomed in on. If you zoom out, the rectangle becomes larger until it disappears when the entire diagram is displayed in the main view.