CUBE Analytics Setup & Configuration

Processing data from CUBE supplies a more holistic view of an organization’s PSTN calling. CUBE does not have to route calls to a CUCM cluster; it can route calls to a third-party application like a fax server or an interactive voice response system. Doing so can give you visibility into calls that CUCM doesn’t natively offer. 

The only calls CUCM sees involving CUBE are PSTN calls sourced or destined to a registered endpoint (phone, CCX port, Unity). CUBE, on the other hand, will only see PSTN-facing call activity. It will not include CUCM intra-cluster call records.

CUBE Analytics Requirements

• Variphy 12.3+ with a license allowing CUBE data processing
• Cisco IOS Release 12.4(20)T or a later release
• Cisco IOS XE Release 16.3.1 or a later release

https://www.cisco.com/c/en/us/td/docs/ios/voice/cdr/developer/manual/cdrdev/cdrcsv.html#77056

Variphy Server Requirements for CUBE

Multiple event records are logged for each call routing via a CUBE device. For instance, each normal two-way call will have at least two events uniquely identified by the h323 call origin (Answer, Originate, or Call Back).

The benchmark stats pulled from a sample data set are below. It represents the general specifications based on 650,000 events stored in the Variphy database.

Description	Sample Amount	Requirement
Database Storage	650,000 Events	1GB
DB Memory (Separate)	1:1 of Database Storage Requirement	1 GB
Variphy Memory (Co-Res)	1:1 of Database Storage Requirement + 8GB	9GB
CPU		2 vCPU

General Specifications

Description	Sample Amount	Requirement
Database Storage	8,000,000 Events (8M / 650,000)	12.3 GB
DB Memory (Separate)	1:1 of Database Storage Requirement	12.3 GB
Variphy Memory (Co-Res)	1:1 of Database Storage Requirement + 8GB	20.3 GB
CPU		2 vCPU

Example Data Sizing

Enable FTP on Variphy OVA

Requirements

The following high-level items are required to enable FTP access for CUBE:

• Variphy application running as variphyapp with directory permissions into the CDR directories.
• FTP server installed, configured, and enabled. (vsftpd). 
• FTP user accounts created. New OVAs will have a default variphyftp user account, but upgraded installations will need to create this account. 
• FTP user account information will need to be configured in each CUBE device.
• The customer’s network will need to allow FTP access from their CUBE devices to the Variphy server.

New 12.3 OVA Setup

The OVA comes with FTP preinstalled but disabled by default.

• Build your CUBE device in Variphy UI.
• To enable FTP on Variphy server CLI, run this command:
  enable-ftp
• Once FTP is enabled, it can be accessed by authorized users only. By default, there is a Variphy FTP account that can be used:
  • User: variphyftp 
  • Password: V@riphy!! 
• The command line alias add-ftp-user can be used to create additional FTP-only users. The script can be called without providing any options and will prompt you for the username and password. These can also be provided as command line options, as shown below. The CDR Data directory option can be used to provide a non-standard location to store CDR data. The FTP user will have access to upload files, but the variphyapp account must have access to these non-standard directories for processing.

Example:

add-ftp-user -n USERNAME -p PASSWORD -d CDR_DATA_DIRECTORY

If you are using a Variphy version prior to v12.3, click here to learn how to update.

Variphy CUBE/IOS Setup

If your license is coded to allow CUBE devices, the user will see a new CUBE/IOS cluster type.

Here’s how to set up Variphy CUBE. 

1. Click the Add New button.
2. Update the name and description of CUBE.
3. Select the default or named enterprise you’d like to associate to this CUBE device.
4. Add a host name, which must match the output of sh version on the CUBE device.

Note the field for the IP address of CUBE. We will use this for informational purposes only at this time.

5. Select the time zone that this CUBE device resides in.

Variphy CUBE Configuration and Options

Data Processor Status: Current Status of data processing. The status will remain disabled until the CUBE cluster type is activated and the database created.

CDR File Delivery: The subfolder name within the root directory to which you are delivering data. For Linux this will likely read /opt/variphy/data/CUBE/.

Process Files Every: Use System Default refers to global setting defined in Settings > System > Application Settings.

Preserve Files After Processing: Use System Default refers to global setting defined in Settings > System > Application Settings.

Database Server: Select the predefined Database Server defined on Settings > System > Database Servers.

NOTE — Using the Variphy OVA will default this setting to the local database engine.

Database Name: Indicate a unique database name that will be created to hold your CUBE data. The initial setup will create the database and write the schema to the selected database server with this supplied name.

Purge All CDR Data: The amount of CUBE data to retain in the database before a nightly purge.

Purge Connected Zero Duration Call CDR Data: Ability to delete CUBE data that is connected but has a zero duration at a different pace.Purge Non-Connected Call CDR Data: Ability to delete CUBE data that is Non-Connected at a different pace than Connected / 0 duration events.

Purge CDR Daily At: Time at which you’d like to run the purge cycle.

Purge Batch Count: Default 1000. Number of records handled by each deletes statement.

Purge Max Duration: The allowed time to run the purge process. In this example, it will run threads (LIMITS) of 1000 records for a duration of 2 hours daily until all necessary records are deleted.

Useful troubleshooting commands

Variphy OVA (linux) Commands

To show all vsftpd users:

cat /etc/vsftpd.userlist

To validate that the firewall is disabled:

sudo ufw status

To check the FTP user home directory. In the below example, we are validating the variphyftp user home directory:

cat /etc/passwd | grep variphyftp

To change the FTP user’s home directory. In the below example, we are changing the home directory for the variphyftp user to /opt/variphy/data/CUBEdata:

sudo usermod –home /opt/variphy/data/CUBEdata variphyftp

To reset the vsftpd users password. In the below example, we will change the FTP password of the variphyftp user:

sudo passwd variphyftp

To show the VSFTPD log file:

cat /var/log/vsftpd.log

CUBE commands

To show the files contained in flash:

show flash:

To show the file accounting configurations on the CUBE:

sh run | begin gw-accounting file

To manually FTP copy a file from flash:

copy flash:filename ftp://userid:password@FTPServer

Force the file accounting configurations to run now:

file-acct flush with-close

Rest the file accounting routine. Used when file accounting stops pushing data and needs to be restarted:

file-acct reset

Show active CUBE calls. Useful to see calls before forcing a push:

show isdn active

Check out our Workshops for more tips and tricks on CUBE analytics!