Release Notes for Cisco Videoscape Distribution
Suite Transparent Caching Release 5.6.1
First Published: August 2015
OL-28014-11
These release notes describe the new features and caveats of the Cisco Videoscape Distribution Suite
Transparent Caching Release 5.6.1.
For a list of open caveats that are pertinent to this release, see the “Caveats” section.
Contents
•
Introduction
•
New Features and Enhancements
•
Configuration Changes
•
Product Overview
•
System Requirements
•
VDS TC Analytics 2.0.56 Installation Notes
•
Caveats
•
Related Documentation
Introduction
The Cisco Videoscape Distribution Suite Transparent Caching (VDS TC) solution is focused on reducing
costs and improving quality of user experience in delivering unmanaged Internet-based content,
including Internet video, file sharing, software distribution, mobile application downloads, and web
browsing. VDS TC integrates highly scalable caching software with high-performance Cisco Unified
Computing System™ (UCS) servers and blades, Cisco® switches, and SAN storage. The VDS TC
Cisco Systems, Inc.
www.cisco.com
New Features and Enhancements
solution, combined with other Videoscape products like Cisco Videoscape Distribution Suite for Internet
Streaming (VDS IS), provides a complete platform for optimizing managed and unmanaged content
delivery.
For unmanaged content, Cisco VDS TC empowers service providers to alleviate network congestion due
to Internet video and other high-bandwidth applications in their networks, while meeting subscribers'
demand for the content and improved quality of experience. VDS TC is typically deployed in
conjunction with a network element, such as a router, which is responsible for classification and
redirection of traffic to the cache, based on Layer 4 and Layer 7 criteria.
New Features and Enhancements
The following new features and enhancements are available in Release 5.6.1 of Cisco Video Videoscape
Distribution Suite Transparent Caching (VDS TC):
•
Performance Enhancements:
VDS-TC 5.6.1 introduced performance enhancements. For specific performance details for each
hardware variant and deployment, please contact your Cisco representative.
•
CMDB enhancements:
CMDB is enlarged to support up to 11 million files/hashes includes an additional deletion
mechanism called OPF (Object Popularity Filter) to help more efficiently maintain the CMDB. OPF
deletes empty files from CMDB during runtime and starts running after the following conditions
have been met:
– After there are 2 million zero files
– The minimum interval for zero file cleaning, which is 1 hour, has been met
– The CMDB reaches the percentage that is configured with the
<zero_files_minimum_cmdb_occupancy_percentage> setting, which is 40% by default.
Note
•
These CDMB enhancements require 64GB RAM per cache engine. If there is less than 64GB of
RAM on the cache engine, the CDMB will include a maximum of 6 million files/hashes.
Netflix caching and performance enhancements:
– Support for HTTP 1.1 pipelining was added for the Netflix protocol. With the support of HTTP
1.1 pipelining, all Netflix playback devices are supported.
Note
•
Netflix support requires a specific memory allocation by specifying additional memory pools
when the application is started. If the VDS-TC system is not supporting Netflix, reallocate the
memory pools. See the Configuration Changes section in the Release Notes.
VDS TC Manager user interface enhancements:
– When hovering the mouse over the graph, the values of the current position display in the table
below the graph
– The ability to click and drag the graph left and right to change the time line of the graph
– The ability to zoom the graph view
– The ability to filter graph output by choosing options in the Legend section of the graph
Release Notes for Cisco Videoscape Distribution Suite Transparent Caching Release 5.6.1
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Configuration Changes
– The ability to export a specific graph
•
Active-Active Fabric Interconnect support: Support for an Active-Active Fabric Interconnect
configuration for Blade Server cluster installations.
Configuration Changes
Netflix support requires a specific memory allocation by specifying additional memory pools when the
application is started. If the VDS-TC system is not supporting Netflix, reallocate the memory pools. To
reallocate the memory pools, enter the following text in the <service> section in the configuration file:
Note
Only place this configuration in the cluster_conf.xml when Netflix is not being processed.
<memory>
<io_blocks>4812</io_blocks>
</memory>
Product Overview
Cisco VDS TC is multi-protocol, supporting HTTP for download, progressive download, and adaptive
bit rate (ABR) streaming, as well as multiple peer-to-peer (P2P) protocols. The solution automatically
adapts to content popularity once installed, and is access-network-agnostic. The system automatically
adjusts to traffic mix changes during the day and week.
One of the benefits of Cisco VDS TC is that it can enable service providers to offload a significant
amount of content traffic by serving the popular content from a locally cached copy, within the access
network. As a result, service providers can experience a rapid return on investment (ROI) by reducing
their operational network costs, and defer capital investments into their network infrastructures.
The other main benefit of Cisco VDS TC is the improvement of the quality of experience (QoE) for the
subscribers of the service providers. By serving popular content from locally deployed cache, the content
is better positioned to provide a better user experience than if the content were served from the original
content server.
The Cisco VDS TC solution can enable service providers to:
•
Lower core and edge network bandwidth
•
Manage infrastructure costs for over-the-top (OTT) content in a cost-efficient manner
•
Improve subscriber QoE for popular content
•
Deploy OTT caching without impacting the client or origin CDN, or application behavior
System Requirements
Cisco VDS TC is optimized for use on the Cisco Unified Computing Systems (Cisco UCS), such as the
Cisco UCS C220 Rack Server or the Cisco UCS B200 Blade Server.
Release Notes for Cisco Videoscape Distribution Suite Transparent Caching Release 5.6.1
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VDS TC Analytics 2.0.56 Installation Notes
Product
Hardware
VDS TC Cache Server
Cisco UCS B200 Blade Server or Cisco UCS C220 Rack
Mount Server with the following:
•
For Cisco UCS C220 Rack Mount Server, firmware
version 1.5.4.3
•
For Cisco UCS B200 Blade Server, firmware 2.2.3.c
VDS TC Cache Manager
Cisco C220 Rack Mount Server or the Cisco C240 Rack
Mount Server with firmware version 1.5.4.3
VDS TC SAN Storage:
NetApp E2724:
•
•
NetApp E2724
•
Controller BIOS version: 08.20.05.00
or
•
Storage Manager 11.20.0A
(SMIA-LINUXX64-11.20.0A00.0002.bin)
IBM DS3524
IBM DS3524:
VDS TC Integrated Cache Server,
Manager, and storage for a VDS-TC-1S
installation
•
Controller BIOS version: 07.86.46.00
•
Controller Image file:
ibm_fw_ds3k_07864600_anyos_anycpu.zip
•
HDD BIOS version: 4.18
•
HDD Image file:
ibm_fw_ds3khdd_4.18_anyos_anycpu.zip
•
Storage Manager 10.86
(SM10.86_Linux_64bit_x86-64_SMIA-10.86.x5.43
.tgz)
Cisco UCS C240 Rack Mount Server with firmware
version 1.5.4.3
VDS TC Analytics 2.0.56 Installation Notes
Note
If you are using Cisco VDS TC Analytics in your environment, VDS TC Release 5.6.1 requires VDS TC
Analytics Release 2.0.56 and the SnmpQuery.py patch. Please refer to the following steps to download
and install this patch.
Step 1
Download the SnmpQuery.py file from Cisco.com. You can download this file from the same location
as the VDS TC 5.6.1 image file.
Step 2
Using SFTP software, such as WinSCP, connect to the VDS TC Analytics Server using the username
padmin and the password that was provided by Cisco. Copy the SnmpQuery.py that you downloaded in
Step 1 to the /tmp folder.
Step 3
Establish an SSH connection to the VDS TC Analytics server using the username padmin and the
password that was provided by Cisco.
Step 4
Enter the command su root, and when prompted, enter the password that was provided by Cisco.
Release Notes for Cisco Videoscape Distribution Suite Transparent Caching Release 5.6.1
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Caveats
Step 5
Enter the command cd /opt/peerapp/ubinsight/ReportServer/src/ETL.
Step 6
To back up the original SnmpQuery.pyc file, enter the command cp SnmpQuery.pyc
SnmpQuery.pyc.save.
Step 7
Enter the command ls /tmp and confirm that you see the SnmpQuery.py file that you copied to the tmp
directory in Step 2. If you do not, repeat Step 2.
Step 8
Enter the command cp /tmp/SnmpQuery.py SnmpQuery.py.
Step 9
Enter the command ls - l and confirm that you see the SnmpQuery.py file.
Caveats
Open Caveats in Cisco Videoscape Distribution Suite Transparent Caching
Release 5.6.1
•
CSCup76843: Servers restarts because it suffered multiple spread network disconnections
– Symptom: The grid suffered multiple spread network disconnections. As a result, the internal
reconnect mechanism was activated, recovering most of the servers. The reconnect mechanism
supports a single, sporadic spread network disconnection, and not a multiple disconnection
scenario. As a result, not all servers recovered from the disconnections, and restarted, either by
the SW watch dog, or by the application itself.
– Workaround: None at this time
•
CSCus06947: Some storage devices cannot be mounted automatically after a N7K reload
– Symptom: After N7K reload, one or several storages had all their volumes unmounted.
– Workaround: Execute an oper service stop and oper service start.
•
CSCut34038: VDSTC Manager showing error message "license forwarding exceeded"
– Symptom: In extremely rare occasions the VDSTC Manager may present error message as
shown below even when the total traffic is lower than the licensed traffic:
Feb 12 10:31:29
Feb 12 10:31:28
ce-2
ce-1
license forwarding exceeded
license forwarding exceeded
– Workaround: Stop and start the service from the VDS-TC console on the management server
– Execute an 'oper service stop' and 'oper service start'
•
CSCuu95981: Soft lockup - CPU#9 stuck for 6s!
– Symptom: Soft lockup - CPU#9 stuck for 6s! generated by OS Kernel and presented in
VDS-TC logs due to false detection of management disconnection detection. The application is
not effected and not restarted.
– Workaround: There is no workaround for this caveat.
•
CSCuv61067: BitTorrent cache-out issue
– Symptom: BitTorrent cache-out issue : BT traffic reduced after upgrade
– Workaround: In order to revert to the original MSS value, please add the following statement
to the cluster_conf:
<tcp>
<tcp_mss>1400</tcp_mss>
Release Notes for Cisco Videoscape Distribution Suite Transparent Caching Release 5.6.1
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Caveats
</tcp>
•
CSCut30764: Memory leak - the memory usage in TME 16S test bed keep raising
– Symptom: Memory leak - the memory usage in TME 16S test bed keep raising
– Workaround: Ensure that the following is in the cluster_conf file:
</policy>
<memory>
<io_blocks>4812</io_blocks>
</memory>
<web_cache>
<web_cache_verify_hash_length>500000</web_cache_verify_hash_length>
</web_cache>
</service>
</common>
•
CSCut71156: Cache list display/Cache list short/Cache summary cannot show anything
– Symptom: Cache list display/Cache list short/Cache summary cannot show anything
– Workaround: There is no workaround for this caveat.
•
CSCuu90212: Ports on bond0/1 are grey with s.by status when this is an A/A mode
– Symptom: Hardware Review shows that some ports on bond0 and bond1 have a gray
background and standby status when they should all be in green with Active status as this is an
A/A configuration.
– Workaround: There is no workaround for this caveat.
•
CSCuv03203: Cisco apply conf causes memory to increase by 3%
– Symptom: Cisco apply conf causes memory to increase by 3%
– Workaround: There is no workaround for this caveat.
•
CSCuv16510: 5.6.1b54:Inactive volumes on CE-14 after adding storages
– Symptom: 5.6.1b54:Inactive volumes on CE-14 after adding storages
– Workaround: There is no workaround for this caveat.
•
CSCuv19750: 5.6.1b54:Data interfaces are up in VDS-TC Manager while pang stopped
– Symptom: 5.6.1b54:Data interfaces are up in VDS-TC Manager while pang stopped
– Workaround: There is no workaround for this caveat.
•
CSCuv56330: 5.6.1.CE-9 volumes are inactive in VDS-TC Manager
– Symptom: 5.6.1.CE-9 volumes are inactive in VDS-TC Manager
– Workaround: There is no workaround for this caveat.
Resolved Caveats in Cisco Videoscape Distribution Suite Transparent Caching
Release 5.6.1
This section contains the resolved caveats in Cisco VDS TC Release 5.6.1. Not all resolved issues are
mentioned here. The following list highlights resolved caveats associated with customer deployment
scenarios:
•
CSCuq67364: Cache application restart due to detection of software endless loop
Cache application restart due to detection of SW endless loop by software watchdog process
Release Notes for Cisco Videoscape Distribution Suite Transparent Caching Release 5.6.1
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Caveats
•
CSCur41283: Google Play Store cannot play files over 4GB
Movie play in Google Play Store kept buffering
•
CSCus65450: Netflix streaming from Apple devices issues
Cannot watch video from Netflix streaming from Apple devices smoothly
•
CSCus56133: Apple store download failures
Apple store downloads fail
•
CSCur41268: Long content cannot be cached
YouTube video with play time longer than 1 hour is not cached
•
CSCuo80182: QoE monitor didn’t start with service
– QoE monitor didn't start with service
•
CSCut52152: Cahce-out port disconnect
– Cahce-out port disconnect shows in the log
•
CSCuu61596: Upgrade from 5.2.1b1 to 5.6.1b51 reboots the system twice
– When upgrading from 5.2.1b1 to 5.6.1b51 costumer needed to reboot the system twice
•
CSCut22489: Netflix 1_0 asks for full file instead of piece of 9MB
– Netflix bug with 1.0 version where the progressive download did not cache content
•
CSCuu61632: VDS-TC Upgrade to 5.6.1 UCS C220 gif presented instead of UCS C240
– VDS-TC Upgrade to 5.6.1 UCS C220 gif presented instead of UCS C240
•
CSCur16624: Last open log file was not collected
– When collecting the log files, the last open log file was not collected.
•
CSCur18670: warn&message log collection from GUI failed
– warn&message log collection from GUI failed
•
CSCur98400: GUI display wrong information on traffic pattern
– GUI display wrong information on traffic pattern
•
CSCut26925: Cache-out bitrate limited to 32Mbps
– Cache-out bitrate limited to 32Mbps
•
CSCuq39750: iSCSI disconnects when using IBM 1G Controller with high IO
– iSCSI disconnects when using IBM 1G controller with high IO. From the log, there are many
I/O errors, which cause the system host interface card (HIC) to reset to protect data loss.
•
CSCus31728: Cache-out port disconnected multiple times on one CE
– Cache-out port disconnected multiple times on one CE
•
CSCus31736: kernel call trace printouts
– System prints log message such as "soft lockup - CPU#4 stuck for 6s"
•
CSCur56478:Issues with CEs not Caching out
– Multiple issues with CEs not caching out, once reset the CE will start caching out but another
CE will stop caching out.
•
CSCum14689: Show volume status from CLI
Release Notes for Cisco Videoscape Distribution Suite Transparent Caching Release 5.6.1
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Related Documentation
– Currently, the only way to monitor the status of the different volumes is through the pang log
files, which is not practical during live troubleshooting sessions.
•
CSCum52201: The incorrect iSCSI initiator connected target's Start-Up setting
– iSCSI initiator connected target's Start-Up setting is manual by default.
•
CSCun77658: During collecting Log from Web-GUI, 403 Error occurred
– At the end of the collecting log process from management Web GUI, it shows 403 error page
and it does not prompt to save the log file. The owner of logs directory is 'root' on the
management server.
•
CSCur37837: rdac-LINUX-09.03.0C05.0652-source.tar.gz is missing when upgrading kernel
– rdac-LINUX-09.03.0C05.0652-source.tar.gz is missing when upgrading kernel from an original
version older than 5.0.2
•
CSCus38205: The default disk hold off time is too long(24h)
– The default disk hold off time is too long (24h).
Related Documentation
Software Documents
Refer to the following documents for additional information about VDS TC 5.6.1
Document
URL
Cisco Videoscape Distribution Suite
Transparent Caching Software Integrated
Appliance Installation Guide
http://www.cisco.com/c/dam/en/us/td/docs/video/vid
eoscape/distribution_suite/vds/v5_6_1/VDS-TC_5_6
_1_1s_swInstallGuide.pdf
Cisco Videoscape Distribution Suite
Transparent Caching Software C-Series
Cluster Installation Guide
http://www.cisco.com/c/dam/en/us/td/docs/video/vid
eoscape/distribution_suite/vds/v5_6_1/VDS-TC_5_6
_1_CSeries_swInstallGuide.pdf
Cisco Videoscape Distribution Suite
Transparent Caching Software Blade Server
Cluster Installation Guide
http://www.cisco.com/c/dam/en/us/td/docs/video/vid
eoscape/distribution_suite/vds/v5_6_1/VDS-TC_5_6
_1_BladeSrvr_swInstallGuide.pdf
Cisco Videoscape Distribution Suite
Transparent Caching Software Configuration
Guide
http://www.cisco.com/c/dam/en/us/td/docs/video/vid
eoscape/distribution_suite/vds/v5_6_1/VDS-TC_5_6
_1_software_config_guide.pdf
Cisco Videoscape Distribution Suite
Transparent Caching Application Upgrade
Guide
http://www.cisco.com/c/dam/en/us/td/docs/video/vid
eoscape/distribution_suite/vds/v5_6_1/VDS-TC_5_6
_1_app_upgrade_guide.pdf
Cisco Videoscape Distribution Suite
Transparent Caching Manager User Guide
http://www.cisco.com/c/dam/en/us/td/docs/video/vid
eoscape/distribution_suite/vds/v5_6_1/VDS-TC_5_6
_1_mgr_user_guide.pdf
Cisco UCS C-Series Rack Servers Install and
Upgrade Guides web page
http://www.cisco.com/en/US/products/ps10493/prod
ucts_installation_and_configuration_guides_list.html
Cisco UCS B-Series Blade Servers Install and http://www.cisco.com/c/en/us/support/servers-unifie
Upgrade Guides
d-computing/ucs-b-series-blade-servers/products-ins
tallation-guides-list.html
Release Notes for Cisco Videoscape Distribution Suite Transparent Caching Release 5.6.1
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Related Documentation
Document
URL
Cisco UCS B-Series Blade Servers
Configuration Guides web page
http://www.cisco.com/en/US/products/ps10280/prod
ucts_installation_and_configuration_guides_list.html
Cisco UCS 5108 Server Chassis Installation
Guide
http://www.cisco.com/c/en/us/td/docs/unified_comp
uting/ucs/hw/chassis-install-guide/ucs5108_install.ht
ml
The entire VDS TC software documentation suite is available on Cisco.com at:
http://www.cisco.com/c/en/us/support/video/videoscape-distribution-suite-transparent-caching/tsd-pro
ducts-support-series-home.html
Obtaining Documentation and Submitting a Service Request
For information on obtaining documentation, using the Cisco Bug Search Tool (BST), submitting a
service request, and gathering additional information, see What’s New in Cisco Product Documentation
at: http://www.cisco.com/en/US/docs/general/whatsnew/whatsnew.html.
Subscribe to What’s New in Cisco Product Documentation, which lists all new and revised Cisco technical
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RSS feeds are a free service.
This document is to be used in conjunction with the documents listed in the “Related Documentation” section.
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Cisco trademarks, go to this URL: www.cisco.com/go/trademarks. Third-party trademarks mentioned are the property of their respective owners. The
use of the word partner does not imply a partnership relationship between Cisco and any other company. (1110R)
Any Internet Protocol (IP) addresses and phone numbers used in this document are not intended to be actual addresses and phone numbers. Any
examples, command display output, network topology diagrams, and other figures included in the document are shown for illustrative purposes only.
Any use of actual IP addresses or phone numbers in illustrative content is unintentional and coincidental.
© 2015 Cisco Systems, Inc. All rights reserved.
Release Notes for Cisco Videoscape Distribution Suite Transparent Caching Release 5.6.1
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Related Documentation
Release Notes for Cisco Videoscape Distribution Suite Transparent Caching Release 5.6.1
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