Managing History Files

24 Jan 2024
7 Minutes to read
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Managing History Files

Updated on 24 Jan 2024
7 Minutes to read
Contributors

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You can manage the creation and transfer of history files, which are logs that contain statistics related to the services (for example, PAA, Regulator, Policy, CFM DMM, CFM PL, CFM SLM, Service Availability, Service Availability Metrics, TWAMP Generator, Shaper, Port, SFP, System Health) for which the history feature has been enabled.

You can also configure the unit to transfer its history files to a server.

Notes:
The exported history CSV files may not all contain the identical range of period numbers, depending on when the given history metrics were collected. Enabling multiple categories of history metrics with many instances requires more time for processing than the length of the reporting period. Since the history files are processed sequentially, some exported files may consequently present different period numbers compared to others.

For example, the CFM DMM file may show periods 16–30, whereas the CFM SLM file may show 17–31, since it was processed afterward. The reason for this variation is that new periods are included in the CSV file as soon as they become available.

Notes:
This is the expected behavior. There is no period number synchronization between history categories. Note that all periods are exported in the CSV files and no data is lost.

Creating History Files

To enable the creation of history files

Access the page System ▶Agent ▶History.
In the Local Configuration frame, select the Enable History check box for each feature whose history you want to retain.

Note: Disabling the history disables the filling; enabling the filing enables the history.

In the Local Configuration frame, select the Enable Filing check box for each feature for which you want to create history files, then enter the Period after which you want the data files to be collected for storage.
Click Apply.

For more information on specific parameters, refer to the following table.

History Files, Local Configuration (System ▶Agent ▶History)
Local Configuration

Parameter	Description
Enable History	Check box to allow the creation of history files that are stored in RAM. You can access these files via the SNMP get command.
Enable Filing	Check box to allow the history files to be stored locally in non-volatile memory (NVM). Storing these files protects against losing history statistics in the event of a power failure or system restart. If this box is not selected, the local history files for this feature are removed. Use the Scheduling and File Transfer Configuration frame on this page to have the history files pushed to a server. History files can be stored locally for the following features: PAA Regulator Policy CFM DMM CFM PL CFM SLM Service Availability Service Availability Metrics TWAMP Generator Shaper Port SFP System Health
Period (mins)	Indicate the frequency at which the history statistics will be collected, expressed in minutes. Acceptable values range from 1–60.

Transferring History Files

To enable the transfer of history files

Access the page System ▶Agent ▶History.
Customize when the history files will be scheduled by completing the fields in the Scheduling section of the Scheduling and File Transfer Configuration frame.
Provide the URL where the file transfer server is located and the SCP password in the File Transfer section of the Scheduling and File Transfer Configuration frame.
Choose a Period Mode and any optional fields in the File Options section, then click Apply in the Scheduling and File Transfer Configuration frame.

For more information on specific parameters, refer to the following table.

History Files, Scheduling and Files Transfers (System ▶Agent ▶History)
Scheduling and File Transfer Configuration

Parameter	Description
Enable Scheduler	Check this box to enable automatic transfer of history buckets report files from the unit to a server. The details of the scheduler and server are configured in this page.
Scheduled Hours	Indicate when to transfer the history buckets by making a selection from the list. Press the CTRL key to select more than one time. Note: Finer granularity is possible using the Hourly Minutes or Periodic Minutes field in combination with the Schedule Offset field.
Scheduling Mode	Select a value from the drop-down list to set the type of interval that will be used for history bucket file transfers: Hourly: Allows you to select file transfers on the quarter-hours. If you select Hourly, use the Hourly Minutes check boxes (described below) to determine when the file will be transferred each hour. Periodic: Allows you to choose from a wider range of interval values for file transfers. If you select Periodic, use the Periodic Minutes drop-down list (described below) to determine how often you want to transfer the files.
Hourly Minutes	Use this feature to set the scheduling to trigger every 15 minutes, either right on the hour or at the 00:15, 00:30 and 00:45 marks. Any value combination is valid provided at least one box is selected and Hourly is selected in the drop-down list above the boxes.
Periodic Minutes	Select a value from the drop-down list to set the scheduling trigger interval. Example: If a unit has 3:00 and 15:00 selected in the Scheduled Hours list, plus 20 selected in the Periodic Minutes drop-down list, reports are generated at 3:00, 3:20, 3:40, 15:00, 15:20 and 15:40. Any value is valid, provided that Periodic is selected in the drop-down list above the boxes.
Schedule Offset	Enter a value in this to set the number of minutes by which to offset file transfers. Hourly: Acceptable values range from 0– 14 Periodic: Acceptable values range from 0–(Periodic Minutes - 1) This field allows you to generate reports as often as four times per hour, at any minute thereof. When a large number of units are set to generate report files, the offset feature can be used to spread the load on the network and servers. Examples: If a unit has 3:00 and 15:00 selected in the Scheduled Hours list, plus 00:00 and 00:30 selected in the Hourly Minutes with a Schedule Offset of 0 minutes, reports are generated at 3:00, 3:30, 15:00 and 15:30 If a unit has all hours selected in the Scheduled Hours, plus 00:15 and 00:45 in the Hourly Minutes with a Schedule Offset of 4 minutes, reports are generated at the 19th and 49th minute of every hour. If a unit has 3:00 selected in the Scheduled Hours list, plus 10 selected in the Periodic Minutes with a Schedule Offset of 2 minutes, reports are generated at 3:02, 3:12, 3:22, 3:32, 3:42 and 3:52.
Random Offset	Enter a value in this field add a random number of seconds to the number of minutes entered in the Schedule Offset field. Adding a random offset allows multiple units to send reports to the same server at slightly different times. This relieves the load that would be created by several concurrent transfers. The combined value of the schedule offset and random offset cannot exceed 15 minutes (900 seconds) in Hourly mode or the value of Periodic Minutes in Periodic mode. If the sum of the schedule offset and the random offset exceeds the specified limit, the random offset value is automatically adjusted to the highest possible value.

File Transfer

Parameter	Description
Server URL	Enter the full URL of the server to which the history bucket files will be sent once retrieved. Note: The following special characters are not allowed in the URL input: "<", ">", "\n", "\r", "\t". Examples: http://example.com ftp://username:password@example.com ftps://username:password@example.com sftp://username@192.0.2.0/24 tftp://192.0.2.0/24 scp://username@192.0.2.0/24:/target_directory scp://username@[2001:DB8::/32]:/target_directory
SCP Password	Enter the password required for SCP and SFTP transfers.

Parameter

Description

Server URL

Enter the full URL of the server to which the history bucket files will be sent once retrieved. Note: The following special characters are not allowed in the URL input: "<", ">", "\n", "\r", "\t".
Examples:
http://example.com
ftp://username:password@example.com
ftps://username:password@example.com
sftp://username@192.0.2.0/24
tftp://192.0.2.0/24
scp://username@192.0.2.0/24:/target_directory

scp://username@[2001:DB8::/32]:/target_directory

SCP Password

Enter the password required for SCP and SFTP transfers.

File Options

Parameter	Description
Period Mode	Indicate which periods to include in the reports by selecting one of the available options: All Available Periods: All the periods that are available on the unit are used to generate the reports, up to a fixed maximum number of periods. New Periods Since Last File Transfer: All the periods that have been generated since the previous report. If Include Periods From Previous Incomplete Transfers is selected, the periods from a previous report that could not be properly generated or sent to the server are also included. Fixed Number of Periods: All the periods available, up to the maximum number of periods specified in Number of Periods. Number of Periods: Specifies the number of local periods to process in fixed mode. Note: Enabling "All Available Periods" mode when more than 1000 policies or 1000 bandwidth regulators have been activated can lead to\ prolonged, significant CPU usage. The same behavior may be observed when the remote server is unreachable for an extended period of time.
Options	You can exercise greater control over how the reports are generated: Include Periods From Previous Incomplete Transfers: When selected, any periods contained in a report that could not be properly generated or sent to the server are also included in the current report. If not selected, only the periods since the previous report are included in the current report.

Parameter

Description

Period Mode

Indicate which periods to include in the reports by selecting one of the available options:

All Available Periods: All the periods that are available on the unit are used to generate the reports, up to a fixed maximum number of periods.
New Periods Since Last File Transfer: All the periods that have been generated since the previous report. If Include Periods From Previous Incomplete Transfers is selected, the periods from a previous report that could not be properly generated or sent to the server are also included.
Fixed Number of Periods: All the periods available, up to the maximum number of periods specified in Number of Periods.
Number of Periods: Specifies the number of local periods to process in fixed mode.

Note: Enabling "All Available Periods" mode when more than 1000 policies or 1000 bandwidth regulators have been activated can lead to\ prolonged, significant CPU usage. The same behavior may be observed when the remote server is unreachable for an extended period of time.

Options

You can exercise greater control over how the reports are generated:

Include Periods From Previous Incomplete Transfers: When selected, any periods contained in a report that could not be properly generated or sent to the server are also included in the current report. If not selected, only the periods since the previous report are included in the current report.

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