This document provides information about Oracle Communications Network Integrity Release 8.0.1.

This document consists of the following sections:

See Network Integrity Compatibility Matrix for more information about software requirements and compatibility.

See Oracle Communications Service Catalog and Design Release Notes for the release notes for the Design Studio for Network Integrity feature.

See Network Integrity Licensing Information User Manual for license and dependency information for Network Integrity components and cartridges.

New Features

This release of Network Integrity includes the following new features and enhancements:

Introducing Layer 2 VPN Service Discovery and Reconciliation

Network Integrity 8.0.1 includes a cartridge set for discovering and reconciling Layer 2 VPN services in MPLS Ethernet networks. The cartridges use SNMP to discover VPLS and VLL services. Discovery data includes service topology, endpoints, signaling, MAC table data, virtual switch information, pseudowires, VLANs, and neighbor details. The cartridge set supports single, multiple, and bulk service discovery and displays results in the Network Integrity user interface. It also supports discrepancy detection, reconciliation, import, and record and playback for supported services.

Introducing Layer 3 VPN Service Discovery and Reconciliation

Network Integrity 8.0.1 includes a cartridge set for discovering and reconciling IP/MPLS Layer 3 VPN services. For supported devices, the cartridges discover service endpoints, IPv4 and IPv6 addressing, virtual routing and forwarding (VRF) configuration, routing protocol information, and service policy details. Supported routing protocols include BGP, OSPF, IS-IS, and EIGRP. The cartridge set supports single, multiple, and bulk service discovery and displays results in the Network Integrity user interface. It also supports discrepancy detection, reconciliation, import, and record and playback of supported service data.

Specification Mapping

Network Integrity 8.0.1 includes a framework for defining and overriding cartridge specifications at run time. You can map vendor-specific device, equipment, chassis or shelf, slot, card, port, interface, and IP address models to the required specifications. The framework supports different equipment hierarchies, including multilevel equipment and device interface hierarchies. It also supports default or empty shelf visualizations. Extension APIs support custom mapping logic without requiring you to unseal existing cartridge specifications.

Support for Record and Playback

Network Integrity 8.0.1 includes record and playback capabilities to supported discovery cartridges. Discovery scans can record network data and later run against the recorded data without contacting the live network. Record and playback covers RESTCONF, NETCONF, CORBA, and supported SNMP discovery scenarios. This capability supports repeatable testing, troubleshooting, demonstrations, and validation of discovery behavior when access to the target network is limited.

Support for Automatic Recording File Deletion

Network Integrity 8.0.1 automatically deletes SNMP recording files associated with IP addresses removed from a scan or scan scope. File deletion occurs during the next scan execution. The scan no longer discovers the devices at the removed IP addresses. This cleanup prevents obsolete files from accumulating in the recording location and keeps recorded data aligned with the configured scan scope.

Variable-Rate Port Discovery and Reconciliation

Network Integrity 8.0.1 supports discovery and reconciliation of flexible or variable-rate ports. The same physical port can use different rate codes, such as 100 Mbps, 1 Gbps, or 10 Gbps. Network Integrity supports the corresponding changes to specifications and characteristics at run time. This enhancement applies to device, topology, trail, tunnel, and service contexts. Integration with Oracle Communications Unified Inventory Management (UIM) APIs supports port and interface updates.

Support for Delta Discrepancy Report

Network Integrity 8.0.1 includes Delta Discrepancy reports that show changes between the current and previous scan cycles. The application retains scan cycle data and displays historical delta reports in the user interface. You can download reports in XLS or CSV format. Reports can consolidate data by domain and vendor across IP/MPLS, SDH, DWDM, RAN, MW, and CORE discovery. The reports cover device, topology, trail, tunnel, link, and service discovery results.

Support for CDP Neighbor Discovery in IP Assimilation

The IP assimilation cartridge in Network Integrity 8.0.1 discovers Cisco Discovery Protocol (CDP) neighbor information for supported devices. This information provides additional topology context during IP assimilation. You can use the neighbor data to help validate device-to-device connectivity. The data also supports correlation and discrepancy analysis for service, topology, and reconciliation use cases.

Support for Configurable Device Location

Network Integrity 8.0.1 supports resolving device locations from configuration data. You can map device names to inventory locations and apply the mapped PropertyLocation to discovered devices. These mappings support discovery and reconciliation of device and service information to the intended inventory location. You should validate device-name-to-location mappings before running production scans.

Fixed Issues in This Release

There are no fixed issues in this release.

Known Issues in This Release

There are no known issues in this release.

Deprecated and Removed Features

Oracle recommends that you review the following information about deprecated features and functions before using this release of Network Integrity:

Table 1-1 New Deprecations

Component Description Release
SNMP v1 and SNMP v2c SNMP v1 and SNMP v2c are no longer supplied as out-of-box protocol options. Migrate affected scan configurations and credentials to SNMP v3 alternatives before upgrading. 8.0.1
FTP FTP is no longer supplied as an out-of-box protocol option. Replace FTP-based import or transfer jobs with SFTP transport before production deployment. 8.0.1