Level 3 SM Enhanced Management Thresholds and Alerts Customer FAQs

Transcription

1 Level 3 SM Enhanced Management Thresholds and Alerts Customer FAQs These Frequently Asked Questions relate to the Enhanced Management Thresholds and Alert feature 2015 Level 3 Communications, LLC. All Rights Reserved. Level 3, Level 3 Communications, the Level 3 Communications Logo, the Level 3 logo and Connecting and Protecting the Networked World are either registered service marks or service marks of Level 3 Communications, LLC and/or one of its Affiliates in the United States and/or other countries. Level 3 services are provided by wholly owned subsidiaries of Level 3 Communications, Inc. Any other service names, product names, company names or logos included herein are the trademarks or service marks of their respective owners. Level 3 Communications, LLC. All rights reserved. 1

2 Thresholds and Alerts for Level 3 IP VPN & Level 3 SM Converged Services, SNLAN Premium & Level 3 SM E-Line Services What are the metrics for which I am able to set a threshold and receive an alert? The metrics available under the Threshold and Alert functionality tab in MyServices correlate directly to the Level 3 SM Enhanced Management metrics; latency, packet delivery, jitter and utilization for each location. Additionally, the latency, packet delivery and jitter can be further delineated and set for each of the classes of service. Thresholds and alerts are available for the CPE to POP segment on the network and are available when the Enhanced Management feature has been purchased for the following Level 3 products: Managed IPVPN Converged IPVPN E-Line NLAN Premium Thresholds can be set for both a Threshold Watch and a Threshold Warning, allowing you to establish up to 32 thresholds per location: Aggregate utilization per location Latency by Class of Service per location (or Best Effort Latency, if no CoS is enabled) Jitter by Class of Service per location (or Best Effort Jitter, if no CoS is enabled) Packet delivery by Class of Service per location (or Best Effort Packet Deliver, if no CoS is enabled) How can I access the thresholds and alert feature? The threshold and alert feature is part of the Level 3 SM Enhanced Management functionality for the eligible products. Customers who subscribe to Level 3 SM Enhanced Management will also have access to the Threshold and Alert feature. Thresholds and alerts are provided in a separate tab in the MyServices section of the portal. Does meeting a set threshold mean that I missed my SLA? No. The threshold and alerts represent a customer s set metric and does not mean that an SLA has been missed. Thresholds can be set at values below SLA values and the thresholds are viewed on a 60 minute sliding window, where SLA s are evaluated over a calendar month. Will a trouble ticket be opened for each alert? No. Thresholds represent a customer s set network criteria that the user wants to be notified on for specific segments of their network. So when thresholds are crossed and an alert is sent, that notification will only go to the customer and no ticket is opened for this event with the NOC. Level 3 Communications, LLC. All rights reserved. 2

3 What are the criteria for meeting the threshold and sending an alert? An alert will be sent when the statistics being monitored are passed through an exponential moving average algorithm and exceed the threshold the first time. Use of the exponential moving average algorithm assigns more weight to the most recent measurements, and triggers threshold alerts that are meaningful. For Level 3 SM Dynamic Capacity thresholds, a rapid increase in data usage will trigger a Level 3 Dynamic Capacity event when most needed. When data usage is approaching the threshold, but not exceeding it, the exponential moving average algorithm will not trigger a DC event. This methodology allows for a quicker response to bandwidth needs when they are needed the most based on a higher deviation metric and allow for a longer evaluation time prior to kicking off a Level 3 Dynamic Capacity event in the event of a minor deviation metric. Additionally, when a network event occurs where the data points stay above the threshold for an extended period of time, a new alert will be sent every hour. The alert status will be completely cleared from all events once there are no threshold crossings during a 60 minute window. Threshold Met Can I set a threshold across all my network locations at once? No. Currently you are able to set multiple thresholds for one location at a time, but not across multiple locations. The multiple locations activation is being evaluated as a future functionality. How many times must a threshold be met before an alert is sent? An alert will be sent when a threshold is met once. For complete description of threshold and alert rules, please see the answer above. Level 3 Communications, LLC. All rights reserved. 3

4 Can I set the alerts so it notifies different people within my organization for different thresholds? Yes. You can set a threshold and alert for yourself as well as others within your organization by adding their address in the notification line. Additionally, the functionality for thresholds and alerts allows you to set two levels of thresholds per metric: Threshold Watch: First warning for a lower metrics when a set threshold is met Threshold Warning: Second level warning for meeting an even higher set threshold These two options of thresholds and alerts for the same metric at different levels allow you to notify one group and alert them at Threshold Watch level and notify this or another group when the next Threshold Warning is reached. This allows the user to differentiate between two separate levels of threshold on the same network connection. Where can I find what alerts triggered for a specific location? Under the threshold and alerts tab in the MyServices section of the portal, there are a couple of reports available to set and view current thresholds and alert results. The Alert History report provides you with the ability to select a location and view if any alerts were triggered for the location across a specific timeframe. How are the latency threshold values in the dropdown menu defined? The threshold metrics for jitter, packet delivery and aggregate utilization all have preset values you can select for each of your circuits. The latency threshold values are determined by the average latency of your circuit over the last 30 days. Once the average latency is determined, you are provided a range of pre-determined values. There are seven latency categories and between six and nine pre-determined values for all the other metrics: - Standard Fixed Thresholds Threshold Metrics Packet Delivery 95.00% 96.00% 97.00% 98.00% 99.00% 99.50% 99.75% 99.90% 99.95% Jitter 3.00 ms 4.00 ms 5.00 ms 6.00 ms 7.00 ms 8.00 ms 9.00 ms ms Utilization (Aggregate) 50.00% 60.00% 70.00% 80.00% 90.00% 95.00% Latency - Based on the customer's actual latency RANGE( ) 1.00 ms 2.50 ms 5.00 ms 7.50 ms ms ms RANGE( ) 2.50 ms 5.00 ms 7.50 ms ms ms ms RANGE( ) 5.00 ms 7.50 ms ms ms ms ms RANGE( ) ms ms ms ms ms ms RANGE( ) ms ms ms ms ms ms RANGE( ) ms ms ms ms ms ms RANGE( ) ms ms ms ms ms ms RANGE(50.0 and above) ms ms ms ms ms ms Level 3 Communications, LLC. All rights reserved. 4

5 What are the types of alerts I can receive? Threshold Watch: Intended to be set at a moderate level that still supports production use, but indicates service may need to be watched Threshold Warning: Intended to be a higher level where production use may start to be impaired and some action may need to be taken for this level These are guidelines only. Both the Watch and Warning levels are set by the customer and the customer may define how each is used by them. If I set thresholds on a location, can someone else also set their own thresholds that are different from mine and go to them instead of me? Yes. You can see and update other user s thresholds as well as your own. Can I receive an alert for just my operating hours? Yes, you can set your thresholds for your desired location and then choose one of the following options on when you would like to receive alert notifications. You will only receive alerts during one of the following options: Peak Hours Defined as business hours during weekdays between 7 a.m. and 7 p.m. Off-Peak Hours Defined as non-business hours during weekdays between 7 p.m. and 7 a.m. and Saturday and Sunday all day 24x7 Alert me any time, day or night every day of the week For alerts that are generated during the time that you do not want to receive alerts, they will not be ed to you, however you are still able to see them in your alerts report. What does the new alerts-driven Level 3 Dynamic Capacity feature provide? Level 3 now allows you to kick off a Dynamic Capacity event based on a pre-set utilization threshold. This functionality allows you to activate Level 3 SM Dynamic Capacity automatically when a utilization threshold has been met for your EVC. If you subscribe to both Level 3 SM Enhanced Management and Level 3 SM Dynamic Capacity, you will automatically have access to this new functionality in MyPortal. As you configure you utilization threshold in the wizard, the tool will provide you with the option to choose to enable Level 3 Dynamic Capacity in the event the threshold is met. The new functionality has been integrated into the thresholds and alerts wizard and can be configured in a couple of ways: Preset the bandwidth to 2x or 3x of the subscribed bandwidth, so when the threshold is met only the requested bandwidth is made available OR Let the system decide on the appropriate amount of bandwidth o It will activate a Level 3 Dynamic Capacity session based on the required bandwidth o The Level 3 Dynamic Capacity session will start when the alert is activated. This can be at 2x for the set threshold or 3x on the set threshold + 100% o Example: Level 3 Communications, LLC. All rights reserved. 5

6 1:00 PM 1:05 PM 1:10 PM 1:15 PM 1:20 PM 1:25 PM 1:30 PM 1:35 PM 1:40 PM 1:45 PM 1:50 PM 1:55 PM 2:00 PM 2:05 PM 2:10 PM 2:15 PM 2:20 PM 2:25 PM 2:30 PM 2:35 PM 2:40 PM 2:45 PM 2:50 PM 2:55 PM 3:00 PM 3:05 PM 3:10 PM 3:15 PM 3:20 PM 3:25 PM 3:30 PM Activate DC Below Threshold Deactivate DC Mb Threshold Met Alert Re-Notify Threshold for utilization is set at 95%. When the alert is triggered at 95%, the Level 3 Dynamic Capacity bandwidth will be set at 2x of the subscribed bandwidth or 3x at 195% of the subscribed bandwidth. The scenario s below describe how alerts-driven Level 3 Dynamic Capacity feature works: Scenario 1: Subscribed bandwidth of 20 Mb with a threshold set for utilization at 95% Level 3 Dynamic Capacity will activate on the alert at 1:20 p.m., and will stay active until the bandwidth drops below the set threshold at 3:15 p.m. Level 3 Dynamic Capacity events are hourly, so the bandwidth will remain active until 3:20 p.m. 30 Utilization Utilization Threshold Set at 95% Hr 1 Hr 2 Hr $10 Per Hour 3x $5 Per Hour 2x Dynamic Capacity is Active 1:20 PM 2:20 PM 3:20 PM DC Event Billing BW Hrs $ /Hr Event 3x 0 Hrs $ 10 $ - 2x 2 Hrs $ 5 $ 10 Total 2 Hrs $ 10 Level 3 Communications, LLC. All rights reserved. 6

7 1:00 PM 1:05 PM 1:10 PM 1:15 PM 1:20 PM 1:25 PM 1:30 PM 1:35 PM 1:40 PM 1:45 PM 1:50 PM 1:55 PM 2:00 PM 2:05 PM 2:10 PM 2:15 PM 2:20 PM 2:25 PM 2:30 PM 2:35 PM 2:40 PM 2:45 PM 2:50 PM 2:55 PM 3:00 PM 3:05 PM 3:10 PM 3:15 PM 3:20 PM 3:25 PM 3:30 PM 3:35 PM 3:40 PM 3:45 PM 3:50 PM 3:55 PM 2x 3x Mb Alert Re-Notify Below Threshold DC Ends Threshold Met To activate this new feature each customer MUST click through a portal acknowledgement. One acknowledgement per account is sufficient to activate this feature for all the users under the same account. The acknowledgement essentially lets the user know that they may incur Level 3 Dynamic Capacity charges by activating this feature. Scenario 2: Subscribed bandwidth of 20 Mb with a threshold set for utilization at 95% Level 3 Dynamic Capacity will activate on the Alert at 1:20 p.m. and goes to 2x of subscribed bandwidth. At 1:50 p.m., based on bandwidth needed, Level 3 Dynamic Capacity moves up to 3x and stay active until the bandwidth drops below the set threshold at 3:15 p.m. Level 3 Dynamic Capacity events are hourly, so the bandwidth will remain active until 3:50 p.m. 60 Utilization Utilization Threshold Set at 95% 0 0 Hr 0 Hr 1 Hr 2 Hr $10 Per Hour 3x $5 Per Hour 2x Active DC Active 1:20 PM 2:50 PM 3:50 PM DC Event Billing BW Hrs $ /Hr Event 3x 2 Hrs $ 10 $ 20 2x 1 Hrs $ 5 $ 5 Total 3 Hrs $ 25 Level 3 Communications, LLC. All rights reserved. 7

8 To activate this new feature each customer MUST click through a portal acknowledgement. One acknowledgement per account is sufficient to activate this feature for all the users under the same account. The acknowledgement essentially lets the user know that they may incur Level 3 Dynamic Capacity charges by activating this feature. Why don t I see this feature in my view of MyPortal? Level 3 will provide you with this new feature if you subscribe to both Level 3 SM Enhanced Management and Level 3 SM Dynamic Capacity. If you as a user has access to both components, please check with your MyPortal administrator to validate your access to this feature. Can I choose what bandwidth is activated when the threshold is met? Yes. You are able to pre-set the amount of bandwidth that will be activated by Level 3 Dynamic Capacity when the utilization threshold is met. Additionally, you are also able to let the system determine the amount of bandwidth required. Minimum charge for Level 3 Dynamic Capacity remains one hour. Will the Level 3 Dynamic Capacity event automatically deactivate if the metrics drop below the threshold? Yes, once the utilization metrics drops below your set threshold, Level 3 Dynamic Capacity will automatically deactivate and close the Level 3 Dynamic Capacity event after completing the hour of bandwidth at that level. Minimum charge for Level 3 Dynamic Capacity remains one hour. Will I have to click Accept every time I set up a threshold with Level 3 Dynamic Capacity? No. The Accept button only needs to be click once per account. Once you have accepted the language, any subsequent Threshold setting with Level 3 Dynamic Capacity will be set. If you clicked Decline, your threshold will be set, however Level 3 Dynamic Capacity will not be activated. The next time you set a threshold with Level 3 Dynamic Capacity, you will be asked to click Accept before setting a threshold with a Level 3 Dynamic Capacity. Do you have a few hours to try out Level 3 Dynamic Capacity before I get charged? Yes. At initial activation of Level 3 Dynamic Capacity for your account, you will receive 10 complementary hours to try out the Level 3 Dynamic Capacity features and functionality, including the alert-driven Level 3 Dynamic Capacity feature that automates your bandwidth augmentation based on the Utilization Threshold you set for your network. The 10 hours can be used at 2x or 3x of your subscribed bandwidth across any EVC under your account. The 10 hours will expire 30 days after activation. Is there a pricing cap per month on Level 3 Dynamic Capacity? Yes. The Level 3 Dynamic Capacity monthly cap will be reached after 72 Hours at 3x of the dialed bandwidth for that EVC during a billing month. The EVC will be capped at an amount equal to the applicable rate for 72 hours usage at 3x the committed bandwidth associated with the applicable service. Any charges for Level 3 Dynamic Capacity usage in excess of the applicable cap will be waived. Level 3 Communications, LLC. All rights reserved. 8

9 How are Site Performance metrics measured? For IP VPN, performance metrics are derived from continuous active tests between Level 3 s POP and the customer's location measure every five seconds for each network traffic class. The results of these tests are averaged every 60 seconds. For E-Line, performance metrics are derived from continuous active tests between Level 3 s POP and the customer's location measured every five seconds for each network traffic class. Ethernet site to POP metrics are measured across the Level 3 Communications ring. The results of these tests are averaged every 60 seconds Site performance metrics are broken down into CPE to POP, POP to POP, and POP to CPE segments. Level 3 Communications, LLC. All rights reserved. 9