Cisco Active Network Abstraction What’s New in Release 3.7.2

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Active Network Abstraction

What’s New in Release 3.7.2

Cisco ANA Overview

Cisco Active Network Abstraction (ANA) provides service providers and other carrier-grade network operators with a comprehensive solution for network element and service management. Cisco ANA is a comprehensive solution that includes automated service activation, discovery, monitoring, event de-duplication, and root-cause analysis. Cisco ANA supports all major Cisco service provider network elements, as well as a wide variety of network technologies including Multiprotocol Label Switching (MPLS), Carrier Ethernet, and Uniﬁed RAN Backhaul references architectures.

Beneﬁts

“ANA is a unique model-based virtual network abstraction that supports CSPs’ three critical management challenges… it is years ahead of competitors”

— Patrick Kelly Research Director Analysys Mason

Cisco ANA offers comprehensive functions in element, network, and service management with the following key beneﬁts:

• Best-in-class deep multilayer technology support: Activation, discovery, topology

visualization, and monitoring of all aspects of MPLS/IP, Carrier Ethernet, and Uniﬁed RAN Backhaul architectures

• Element management system (EMS) for all major Cisco device and OS families: CRS-1,

7600, ASR 9000, ASR 1000, Cisco IOS® Software, Cisco IOS XE Software, Cisco IOS XR Software, and more

• Integrated network and service wide fault monitoring and fault analysis

• Standards-compliant information model and northbound interface for integration

• Carrier-class scale and performance

• Field customizable and extensible with built-in tools, partner programs, and Cisco

Advanced Services

New in Cisco ANA Release 3.7.2

• Lower total cost of ownership (TCO): Inclusion of an embedded database and support for Linux servers signiﬁcantly reduces

ANA deployment and maintance cost.

• Simpliﬁed deployment and maintenance: New, independent virtual network element (VNE) driver packages provide timely

support of device software and hardware releases independent of ANA releases. The introduction of an integrated Gateway High Availability solution simpliﬁes high availability deployment.

• Improved scale: Triple concurrent user support and an 80 percent increase in the device number in element management

conﬁguration.

• Optimized communication with devices: Event-based VNEs reduce the polling load on the device and provide timely updates

of network conﬁguration.

• Enhanced element management: Improved usability and extended device coverage in conﬁguration and image management;

secured communication of events information with the introduction of secure syslog.

See Table 1 for additional new features and enhancements of Cisco ANA.

Table 1. Enhancements and New Features of Cisco ANA

Enhancements and New Features Description Benefits

Lower Total Cost of Ownership

Linux and Unified Computing System (UCS) support

Embedded Database

Simplified Deployment and Maintenance

Independent VNE Packages

Gateway High Availability

Quick Start Guide

Improved Scale

Scale Improvements

Optimized Communication with Devices

Event-Based Polling VNE

Enhanced Element Management

Configuration and Image Management Enhancements

Fault Management Enhancements

New and Updated Device Drivers

•Support deployment of ANA on Linux servers

•Support for Cisco UCS servers (rack-mount and blade

servers)

•Inclusion of an embedded Oracle database as part of

system install

•Ability to operate with an embedded or an external Oracle

database

•Automated, preconfigured installation, configuration, and

management

•New approach for supporting devices with VNE drivers

•Incremental VNE driver updates released as device

•Support for an integrated solution with Veritas

applications (customer supplied) for Gateway High Availability

•Integrated option in system installation

•Support both local and geographic redundancy

•A simple, step-by-step set of instructions to get Cisco

•Covers planning, installation, and post installation setup tasks

•Triple the number of concurrent GUI users

•80 percent Increase in number of managed devices

•Enhanced VNEs with optimized event-triggered

•Available for 7600, ASR 9000, and CRS Series

•Extended device type coverage

•Device grouping for configuration and image

•Cisco IOS XR package management enhancements

•Receive syslogs in secure manner (syslogs encapsulated

in SNMPv3 with encr yption)

•Improved event-handling reliability with deterministic

burst handling

•Refer to product documentation for VNE details •Continuous updates for current Cisco networking

delivered independently from the ANA platform

packages downloadable from Cisco Software Center

ANA up and running

with single ANA instance when used in element management mode

configuration synchronization

management operations

•Reduced expenditures on hardware and operating

system purchase and maintenance

•Eliminates the license cost for an external database

•Single integrated solution reduces deployment and

management overhead

•Optimized and verified database configuration

•Timely support of device software and hardware

releases independent of ANA releases

•Eliminates the need to perform an ANA upgrade to

get VNE enhancements

•Simplified out-of-the-box Gateway High

Availability solution

•Reduced cost associated with Gateway High

Availability deployment

•Quickly gets you up and running with Cisco ANA to

the point where you can monitor and manage your network elements and services

•Allows more operators to take advantage of ANA

concurrently

•Reduced TCO and simplified administration

•Reduced polling load on device

•Timely updates to device information model

•Expand the benefits of configuration management

automation to more devices in the network

•Simplify operations with better usability

•Higher granularity of Cisco IOS XR device

management

•Secured communication of events information

products

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More Information

Download the latest release of Cisco ANA from http://www.cisco.com/go/ana and discover the beneﬁts of this powerful solution with a no cost, 120-day evaluation license.

For more information about Cisco ANA, visit http://www.cisco.com/go/ana, contact your local Cisco account representative, or send an email to ask_ana_pm@cisco.com.

Integration information can be found at http://developer.cisco.com/web/ana/home.

To place an order, contact your local Cisco account representative or visit the Cisco Ordering Homepage.