Timing, Communications, and Control Cards
The Timing, Communications, and Control (TCC) cards are required for operation of the ONS 15454 MSPP system and are installed in a redundant pair in shelf Slots 7 and 11. Two current versions are available from Cisco: the Advanced Timing, Communications, and Control card (TCC2), and the Enhanced Advanced Timing, Communications, and Control card (TCC2P). Both perform the same basic functions, but the TCC2P is an updated version of the TCC2 and includes some security enhancements and additional synchronization options that are not available in the TCC2. Both cards have a purple square symbol on their faceplates, which corresponds to matching symbols on the front of the ONS 15454 shelf assembly. This serves as an aid in easily identifying the correct location to install the card. TCC cards are the only card type allowed in Slots 7 and 11, and both slots should always be equipped. Cisco does not support the operation of the ONS 15454 MSPP system with only a single TCC card installed. Although the system technically can function with only a single card, the second card is necessary for redundancy and to allow for continuity of system traffic in case of a failure or reset of the primary card. The system raises the "Protection Unit Not Available" (PROTNA) alarm if the secondary TCC card is not installed.
Two earlier versions of the TCC2 and TCC2P cards exist, called simply the Timing, Communications, and Control (TCC) card and the TCC Plus (TCC+). These older-version TCC cards provide similar functionality to the current cards, but they are much more limited in processing power. Although they may be installed in some existing systems, Cisco no longer produces the TCC or TCC+ versions.
The TCC2 and TCC2P cards perform a variety of critical system functions, which are as follows:
- System initialization— The TCC2s/TCC2Ps are the first cards initially installed in the system and are required to initialize system operation.
- Data communications channels (DCCs) termination and processing— The DCCs, which allow for communications and remote management between different MSPP network elements, are processed by the TCC2/TCC2P card. The TCC card automatically detects DCC-connected nodes.
- Software, database, and Internet Protocol (IP) address storage— The node database, system software, and assigned system IP address (or addresses) are stored in nonvolatile memory on the TCC2/TCC2P card, which allows for quick restoration of service in case of a complete power outage.
- Alarm reporting— The TCC2/TCC2P monitors all system elements for alarm conditions and reports their status using the faceplate and fan tray light-emitting diodes (LEDs). It also reports to the management software systems.
- System timing— The TCC card monitors timing from all sources (both optical and BITS inputs) for accuracy. The TCC selects the timing source, which is recovered clocking from an optical port, a BITS source, or the internal Stratum level 3 clock.
- Cell bus origination/termination— The TCC cards originate and terminate a cell bus, which allows for communication between any two cards in the node and facilitates peer-to-peer communication. These links are important to ensure fast protection switching from a failed card to a redundant-protection card.
- Diagnostics— System performance testing is enabled by the TCC cards. This includes the system LED test, which can be run from the faceplate test button on the active TCC or using Cisco Transport Controller (CTC).
- Power supply voltage monitoring— An alarm is generated if one or both of the power-supply connections is operating at a voltage outside the specified range. Allowable power supply voltage thresholds are provisionable in CTC.
Figure 6-3 shows a diagram of the faceplate of the TCC2/TCC2P card.
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Figure 6-3 TCC2/TCC2P Faceplate Diagram
The two card types are identical in appearance, with the exception of the card name labeling. The cards have 10 LEDs on the faceplate, including the following:
- FAIL— This red LED that is illuminated during the initialization process. This LED flashes as the card boots up. If the LED does not extinguish, a card failure is indicated.
- ACT/STBY— Because the TCC cards are always installed as a redundant pair, one card is always active while the other is in standby state. The active TCC2/TCC2P has a green illuminated ACT/STBY LED; the standby card is amber/yellow.
- PWR A and B— These indicate the current state of the A- and B-side power-supply connections. A voltage that is out of range causes the corresponding LED to illuminate red; an acceptable level is indicated with green.
- CRIT, MAJ, and MIN— These indicate the presence of a critical (red), major (red), or minor (amber) alarm (respectively) in the local ONS 15454 node.
- REM— This LED turns red if an alarm is present in one or more remote DCC-connected systems.
- SYNC— This green SYNC lamp indicates that the node is synchronized to an external reference.
- ACO— The Alarm Cutoff lamp is illuminated in green if the ACO button on the faceplate is depressed. The ACO button deactivates the audible alarm closure on the shelf backplane. ACO stops if a new alarm occurs. If the alarm that originated the ACO is cleared, the ACO LED and audible alarm control are reset.
The faceplate also has two push-button controls. The LAMP TEST button initiates a brief system LED test, which lights every LED on each installed card and the fan tray LEDs (with the exception of the FAN FAIL LED, which does not participate in the test).
The RS-232 and Transmission Control Protocol/Internet Protocol (TCP/IP) connectors allow for management connection to the front of the ONS 15454 shelf. TCP/IP is an RJ-45 that allows for a 10Base-T connection to a PC or workstation that uses the CTC management system. A redundant local-area network (LAN) connection is provided via the backplane LAN pins on the rear of the shelf. The RS-232 is an EIA/TIA-232 DB9-type connector used for TL1 management access to the system. The CRAFT wire-wrap pins on the shelf backplane duplicate the functionality of this port.