MOTOROLA SB5101 Cable Modem Overview November 2004 This document, which contains proprietary product information, has been prepared for the express purpose of allowing prospective customers to evaluate the product and service offerings of Motorola. Except as otherwise required by law, it may not be reproduced, used by or disclosed to persons not employed by or retained by Motorola for the evaluation and implementation of this document without the prior written consent of Motorola.
SB5101 Cable Modem Overview Version Number 0.0.1 0.0.2 0.0.3 0.0.4 Date 1/11/2004 8/11/2004 Release Status Draft for Comment Added Beachcomber info 1.0.0 1.0.1 1.1.0 1.1.
SB5101 Cable Modem Overview Table of Contents. 1 2 3 Introduction.................................................................................................................. 4 SB5101 Key Features .................................................................................................. 5 SB5101 Benefits for the MSO and End User ............................................................ 6 3.1 3.2 3.3 3.4 3.5 4 Connectivity ..................................................................
SB5101 Cable Modem Overview 1 Introduction The SB5101 Cable Modem is a stand-alone unit with an external power supply, it is the latest product in the Motorola Surfboard range, the SB5101 will be produced alongside the existing SB5100 modem and will eventually replace it. Figure 1: SB5101 Cable Modem The SB5101 offers both Ethernet and USB interface connectivity to ensure compatibility with almost any PC or Macintosh network-ready computer system. The SB5101 Cable Modem received DOCSIS 2.
SB5101 Cable Modem Overview 2 SB5101 Key Features ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● Optimised to fully utilize 6 MHz DOCSIS Cable Channels DOCSIS 1.1 and 2.0 certified, backwards compatible with DOCSIS 1.0 USB and Ethernet network connectivity allows simple installation. Standby switch enhances security. Up to 100 times faster than a 56k analog phone modem. No telephone lines needed — always on, always connected. Compatible with Windows®, Macintosh® and UNIX® computers.
SB5101 Cable Modem Overview 3 SB5101 Benefits for the MSO and End User 3.1 Connectivity The USB port is an important interface for MSOs because it can dramatically reduce their installation time and installation cost. The USB interface was introduced in most PCs starting in 1997. Practically all PCs from 1998 onward were sold with a USB interface. The USB interface allows a user to connect up to 127 devices simultaneously without ever having to open their PC.
SB5101 Cable Modem Overview 4 SB5101 Architecture. The key physical component portion of the SB5101 system is the BCM3349 chip (Broadcom). The BCM3349 is a single-chip that supports the two advanced communication technologies required by the DOCSIS 2.0 specification – advanced time division multiple access (A-TDMA) and synchronous code division multiple access (S-CDMA).
SB5101 Cable Modem Overview SB5101 Symbol Rates Operating Level Range Output Impedance Total Input Power Frequency Range 6.
SB5101 Cable Modem Overview 5 DOCSIS - Overview The DOCSIS system was developed to enable hardware and systems interoperability and automated configuration and management. Cable Modems (CM’s) and Cable Modem Termination Systems (CMTS’s) from various vendors will operate on the same network, using the common DOCSIS standards and protocols. In this model, a CM is authorized by the CMTS for use on the network, and configures itself according to parameters that are passed to it from the head-end.
SB5101 Cable Modem Overview 6 SB5101 Indicators and their use for diagnostic purposes. The indicators on the surfboard modem are designed to be helpful to both the end user and the network operator. The indicators allow an initial diagnosis to be made as to the likely cause of reported problem.
SB5101 Cable Modem Overview 7 WEB Page Diagnostic Tool. The Cable Modem has three active interfaces, the HFC, the Ethernet and the USB and each interface has both a MAC and an IP address associated with it. When operating normally it is the IP address of the HFC interface that is used for diagnostic access to the modem. However the IP address associated with the Ethernet interface is always available to the client side network, unless it has been disabled by management command.
SB5101 Cable Modem Overview 7.1 The Status Page This Page shows the main steps in the registration process, in this case a successful registration a failed step would be marked in red. The “skipped” entry for baseline privacy is because this facility has not been activated via the configuration file.
SB5101 Cable Modem Overview 7.2 The Signal Page This page shows the downstream and upstream RF signal characteristics, in this case for an operational modem. One important feature of this page is that shows the signal to noise ratio on the down stream and the power level on the upstream, both good indicators of the condition of the HFC network link.
SB5101 Cable Modem Overview 7.3 The Addresses Page This page is concerned with the link level and network level addressing in use by the modem. It serves to confirm that the correct DHCP information is being used and it also identifies the client CPE in use, in this case limited to one device.
SB5101 Cable Modem Overview 7.4 The Configuration Page This page allows the option (if made available) of configuring locally some of the parameters that govern the behaviour of the modem. One possibility is to disable the built in DHCP server perhaps because a client is already using the same address band.
SB5101 Cable Modem Overview 7.5 The Logs Page. This page can be very useful as it shows what has happened to the modem since power on. The log space is used in a cyclic manner and the most recent entry is at the top. In this case the modem has gone into normal operating mode and the timestamps start when the modem has contacted the time of day server.
SB5101 Cable Modem Overview 7.6 The Help Page This final page serves to explain the function of the previous pages as well as containing information on the software versions in use.
SB5101 Cable Modem Overview 8 Stormwatch Stormwatch is a diagnostic tool to monitor and troubleshoot Cable Modems from the CPE or HeadEnd. Stormwatch provides a real-time visual status of SURFboard Cable Modems it also provides the status of the standard SNMP objects on any DOCSIS Modem Stormwatch monitors Cable Modem via SNMP objects Stormwatch can be CPE or Head-end based The Stormwatch application allows for one time load, or a permanent installation.
SB5101 Cable Modem Overview 8.1 Operational Data This page shows general information about the modem, in particular what version of software is in use.
SB5101 Cable Modem Overview 8.2 The Operational Status Page. This page shows the operational status of the modem, in this case fully operational. As this is a dynamic page variations in signal to noise or power levels can be viewed in (almost) real time. In this case the screen shows that the modem has loaded a configuration file called generic.cm again this is useful confirmation that the required file is actually in use.
SB5101 Cable Modem Overview 8.3 The Operational Statistics Page.
SB5101 Cable Modem Overview 8.4 The Downstream Modulation Characteristics Page This page shows the physical characteristics of the downstream link and in particular the signal to noise ration and whether any FEC errors have been detected.
SB5101 Cable Modem Overview 8.5 The Downstream Connection Page This page displays IP specific information about the downstream connection it shows which client CPE addresses have been learned and also any packet errors that have occurred.
SB5101 Cable Modem Overview 8.6 The Upstream Modulation Characteristics Page. This page contains important physical information about the performance of the upstream link. In particular it shows the Power Level and whether or not the modem has retuned, both good indicators of link integrity.
SB5101 Cable Modem Overview 8.7 The Channel Parameters Page This page allows certain parameters to be set on the modem if that facility has been allowed. One possibility may be to lock the modem to different frequency plan when moving between networks for diagnostic purposes.
SB5101 Cable Modem Overview 8.8 The Log Page This page is dynamic and new logs are added at the bottom of the screen in the style of a standard scrolling window. This log shows the final stages of a successful connection sequence. In addition to the screens themselves there is also the option of using drop down menus to set particular parameters should than facility have been enabled.
SB5101 Cable Modem Overview 9 Modem Profiler - Beachcomber Beachcomber is a DOCSIS 1.0/1/1/2.0 Cable Modem Configuration file editor which runs on Windows, Linux and Unix based systems. It features a simple Java based user interface which includes checking of data fields as they are entered. It is a tool designed to make life easier for both the experienced operator by automating the configuration process and for the less experienced operator by providing extensive help facilities.
SB5101 Cable Modem Overview One aspect of configuration management which needs to be managed carefully is the use of Filters and Access lists. These tables are used by the operator to determine what services their customers and use and more importantly to block activities which the operator does not want to allow.
SB5101 Cable Modem Overview DOCSIS 1.1 introduced the idea of Service Flows with individual QoS levels so that an operator can distinguish between the QoS requirements of different types of end user service and allocate the resources required to ensure the customer actually receives the service they are paying for.
SB5101 Cable Modem Overview 10 Diagnostic Modem The diagnostic modem is physically the same as a customer modem except that it is orange in colour, it has a small jack socket on the rear and it has a special “shelled” version of the microcode. This is a simplified Korn shell system, which allows the user to log onto the device and set diagnostic switches to trace and log what is happening on the network. This is a very powerful tool for tracing intermittent and otherwise difficult faults. 10.
SB5101 Cable Modem Overview 10.1.1 Connecting to the Cable Modem via Diagnostic Console Cable: The CLI can be accessed via the Diagnostic Console Cable and the DIAG port on the back of the modem. This is typically done via “Windows HyperTerminal” with the following settings: • • • • • Bits per second: Data bits: Parity: Stop bits: Flow Control: 38400 8 None 1 None Diagnostic cables are supplied with the modems. 10.1.
SB5101 Cable Modem Overview Displays VxWorks host name table Displays a summary of each task and associated TCB (Task Control Block) Display information about all attached network interfaces Displays information about specific interface Displays IP filter cache information Displays IP filter cache statistics Displays state of IP filters Displays Engineering symbols whose values are near a specified value Displays LLC filter information Displays MAC packet counts and statistics Displays system memory partit
SB5101 Cable Modem Overview Reg Debug On Scan Debug On MMT Cmd Debug On Range Debug On UCD Debug On UU Debug On CLI Off BLP Off QAM16 Preamble Frequency step size Scan lower limit Scan upper limit MOTOROLA BCS IF 1, Registration Req/Res values are displayed IF 1, Then each frequency tested will be printed scan IF 1, MMT Debug statements are displayed IF 1, Ranging Debug statements are displayed IF 1, UCD Debug statements are displayed IF 1, Unit Update debug statements are displayed IF 1, Turns off CLI s
SB5101 Cable Modem Overview 11 Reference Material Motorola has shipped over 20 million modems since 1996 and has monitored the actual in service failure rate over that time. The results are summarised below: • • • • • SB2100 – After 12 months and more than 93k units shipped, the SB2100 has an AFFR of <.97%, and an actual MTBF of 95 years SB3100 – After 24 months and more than 1.6M units shipped, the SB3100 has an AFFR of <.5%, and an actual MTBF of 225 years SB4100 – After 20 months and more than 3.
