3G Alarm Handling

ANTENNA/ASC/RET
 AuxPlugInUnit_CommunicationLostWithAsc:
This alarm will generally require an RE to go to site. Communication with the

ASC/RET is lost. The consequence of this alarm is that planning/optimisation
will be unable to make a tilt change to the affected sector. Connection with
the ASC will need to be restored on site or a replacement ASC will be needed.
If the alarm is inter-failing or re-occurring, the best solution is to swap out the
ASC.
RBS:
moshell Uxxxx *log onto the node
lt all *load all Managed Objects
alt *show current alarms
lga | grep AuxPlugInUnit_CommunicationLostWithAsc *show history of current alarm
get radio no *confirm if node is carrying trafficst plug *print state of all plug in units
get xxx *do a get on the disabled proxy number
acl xxx *check what action you can perform on the proxy number
acc xxx restartAuxUnit *try restart the ASC/RET using the proxy number
RNC:
moshell XXRNCX *log onto the RNC
lst .xxxx *show status of channels
 AuxPlugInUnit_CommunicationLostWithRet:
This alarm will generally require an RE to go to site. Communication with the

ASC/RET is lost. The consequence of this alarm is that planning/optimisation
will be unable to make a tilt change to the affected sector. Connection with
the RET will need to be restored on site or a replacement ASC will be needed.
If the alarm is inter-failing or re-occurring, the best solution is to swap out the
RET.
RBS:
lga | grep AuxPlugInUnit_CommunicationLostWithRet *show history of current alarm
get radio no *confirm if node is carrying traffic
st plug *print state of all plug in units
get xxx *do a get on the disabled proxy number
RNC:
 TmaDevice_LnaDegraded:
This alarm is issued by the TMA Device Managed Object (MO) when one of
the two transistors amplifying the RF signals in the Antenna System
Controller (ASC) or the AISG/3GPP Tower Mounted Amplifier (ATMA) fails. It
indicates that the LNA gain in one of the branches on the ASC has degraded.
The UL signal will pass, but with decreased level.
RBS:

alt *show current alarms and confirm what sector is affected
lpr SectorAntenna=x,AuxPlugInUnit=x *shows associated equipment with the ASC
acl xxx *check what action you can perform on the ASCacc xxx restartAuxUnit *try
restart the ASC/RET using the proxy number
If the alarm does not clear after restarting the ASC an RE will be required to
visit the site and replace the ASC.
 TmaDevice_LnaFailure:
The fault is located in the Low Noise Amplifier (LNA), which amplifies the RF
signals in the receiver (RX) chain. When the transistors in one branch have
failed, the cell is able to carry traffic as long as the other branch works, but
the RX chain performance is degraded. The LNA gain in one of the branches
in the ASC is lost.
RBS:
lpr SectorAntenna=x,AuxPlugInUnit=x *shows associated equipment with the ASC
get xxx *use this to show more information about the plug in unit
acl xxx *check what action you can perform on the ASC
If the alarm does not clear after restarting the ASC an RE will be required to visit the
site and replace the ASC.
 RetDeviceSet_RetFailure:
This alarm is issued by the RetDevice or RetDeviceSet Managed Objects (MO)

when the RemoteElectrical Tilt Unit (RETU) malfunctions. The RETU is used to
tilt the antenna according to the specified antenna tilt configuration
parameters in the RET profile. The causes of the alarm are:
I. A faulty RETU
II. The RETU arm is unable to move for environmental reasons, for example,
antenna icing
III. Antenna and RETU not installed
RBS:
lpr SectorAntenna=x,AuxPlugInUnit=2get xxx *using the proxy number from the

above command will show the state of the RetDeviceSet
acc xxx restartAuxUnit *try restart the RET using the proxy number
If a restart does not clear the alarm an RE will need to go to site and check/replace
the RET unit
 RetDevice_RetFailure:
This alarm is issued by the RetDevice or RetDeviceSet Managed Objects (MO)

when the Remote Electrical Tilt Unit (RETU) malfunctions. The RETU is used
to tilt the antenna according to the specified antenna tilt configuration
parameters in the RET profile. The causes of the alarm are:
I. A faulty RETU
II. The RETU arm is unable to move for environmental reasons, for example,
antenna icing
III. Antenna and RETU not installed
RBS:

If a restart does not clear the alarm an RE will need to go to site and
check/replace the RET unit.
 RetDevice_ElectricalAntennaTiltOutOfRange:
This alarm is issued by the RetDevice Managed Object when the electrical
antenna tilt is out of range. The electrical tilt on the site is set to a value that
the RET and antenna does not support.
RBS:
get ret elec *shows the current electrical tilt settings on the sectors
get retdevice tilt *shows the max and min tilt supported by the ret device

If restarting the RET does not clear the alarm confirm with
Planning/Optimisation that the Antenna Type is correct:
get sector antennatype *shows the antenna type for each sector
If the alarm still persists an RE will need to go to site and check/replace the
RET Unit.
 AscDeviceGroup_GeneralHWError:
This alarm is issued by the ASC. It indicates that the ASC is faulty and needs to be
restarted or replaced.
RBS:
lpr SectorAntenna=x,AuxPlugInUnit=1
acc xxx restartAuxUnit *try restart the ASC using the proxy number
If the alarm does not clear after restarting the ASC an RE will need to go to site and
investigate/replace the ASC.
 AntennaBranch_AntennaProblemInBranchA:
This alarm is issued by the Antenna Branch Managed Object (MO) when one of the
following units is faulty or a cable is faulty or disconnected:
–ASC
–Antenna Jumper Cable
RBS:
lga | grep AntennaBranch_AntennaProblemInBranchA *shows history of alarm
st plug *check the current status of the ASC/RET
lst ret *check the current status of the ASC/RET
lst asc *check the current status of the ASC/RET
acl xxx *check what action you can perform on the ASC using the proxy number
acc xxx restartAuxUnit *try restart the ASC/RET

NOTE:
Equipment=1,SectorAntenna=x,AuxPlugInUnit=1
*ASCEquipment=1,SectorAntenna=x,AuxPlugInUnit=2 *RET
cabx *get the port number of the ASC for the affected sector
asc vswr *prints the VSWR value for the Antenna Branchlh asc
asc vswr *command to show VSWR for all sectors
If the above commands don’t work try:
lh asc dbg vswr 0 get -k
This command gives you the return loss value which can be converted to the
desired VSWR. Acceptable value for VSWR should be < 1.5. If the value is higher
than this an RE will need to go to site and investigate/sweep the affected Antenna
Branch.
 AntennaBranch_AntennaProblemInBranchB:
–ASC
RBS:
lga | grep AntennaBranch_AntennaProblemInBranchA *shows history of alarm
st plug *check the current status of the ASC/RET
lst ret *check the current status of the ASC/RETlst asc *check the current status of
the ASC/RET
acc xxx restartAuxUnit *try restart the ASC/RET

NOTE:
Equipment=1,SectorAntenna=x,AuxPlugInUnit=1
*ASCEquipment=1,SectorAntenna=x,AuxPlugInUnit=2 *RET
cabx *get the port number of the ASC for the affected sector
lhsh 001200/port_1_dev_10 asc vswr *prints the VSWR value for the Antenna
Branchlh asc asc vswr *command to show VSWR for all sectors
If the above commands don’t work try:
lh asc dbg vswr 0 get -k
This command gives you the return loss value which can be converted to the
desired VSWR value. Acceptable value for VSWR should be < 1.5. If the value is
higher than this an RE will need to go to site and investigate/sweep the affected
Antenna Branch.
 AntennaBranch_FeederCurrentTooLowInBranchA
–ASC
–RET
RBS:
lga | grep AntennaBranch_FeederCurrentTooLowInBranchA *shows history of alarm
st plug *check the current status of the ASC
lst asc *check the current status of the ASC/RET – if disabled RE will need to attend
acc xxx restartAuxUnit *try restart the ASC

If no issues are seen with the ASC and the alarm still persists an RE will need to go
to site and investigate any loose feeder connections.
NOTE:
Some other parameters to check:
get antennabranch supervision *Value of 0 implies no Antenna Supervision.
mom . antennaSupervisionThreshold *description of parameter
 AntennaBranch_FeederCurrentTooLowInBranchB
–ASC
–RET
RBS:
lt all *load all Managed Objectsalt *show current alarms and confirm what sector is
affected
NOTE:
Some other parameters to check:

 AntennaBranch_FeederCurrentTooHighInBranchA
–ASC
–RET
RBS:
lt all *load all Managed Objectsalt *show current alarms and confirm what sector is
affected
st plug *check the current status of the ASClst ret *check the current status of the
ASC/RET
NOTE:
Some other parameters to check
 AntennaBranch_FeederCurrentTooHighInBranchB
–ASC
–RET
RBS:
NOTE:
Some other parameters to check
get antennabranch supervision = Value of 0 implies no Antenna Supervision
mom . antennaSupervisionThreshold = description of parameter
PLUG IN UNIT
 FcuDeviceGroup_NumberOfHwEntitiesMismatch:
This alarm is issued by the FcuDeciceGroup MO when there are too few fans in
operation. It could be the cause of a faulty or disconnected fan unit cable or too few
fans installed on site.
RBS:
lt all *load all Managed Objectsalt *show current alarms

lpr AuxPlugInUnit=2,FcuDeviceGroup=1get xxx *using proxy number from above
command will show the number of Fans defined on the site
get . numberoffangroups
An RE will need to go to site and confirm that the number of Fans installed on site
matches what is configured. Fan unit cables will also need to be checked.
 FcuDeviceGroup_FanFailure:
This alarm is issued by the FcuDevice Managed Object when there is a problem with
one or more of the fans controlled by the Fan Control Unit
RBS:moshell Uxxxx *log onto the node
alt *show current alarmspr AuxPlugInUnit=2acl xxx *shows what action you can
perform on the Fan Control Unit (FCU)
acc xxx restartAuxUnit *restarts the FCU
alt *confirm the alarm has cleared
If the alarm does not clear after restarting the FCU and RE will need to attend on
site.
 FanDeviceGroup_LeftFanSpeedTooLow:
The LeftFanSpeedTooLow alarm indicates that there are faults in one or more of
following units:
•Base Band (BB) Subrack Fan Unit
•Radio Frequency (RF) Subrack Fan Unit
•Multi-Carrier Power Assembly (MCPA) Subrack Fan Unit
•Power Subrack (PS) Fan Unit
RBS:

lga | grep FanDeviceGroup_LeftFanSpeedTooLow *show history of current alarm
lpr Subrack=2,AuxPlugInUnit=1st plug *print state of all plug in units
get xxx *using proxy number from above command will show the status of the FAN
cabx *shows the led status of the fan unit
mom AuxPlugInUnit led *description of LED status
acc xxx restartAuxUnit *try restart the plug in unit
A red LED showing a steady light indicates a faulty FAN. If the alarm does not clear
after restarting the unit an RE is required to attend the site and replace the Fan Unit
 AuxPlugInUnit_PiuConnectionLost:
This alarm is issued by the AuxPlugInUnit Managed Object (MO) when

communication between one of the Auxiliary Units (AU) and its device is lost. Use
ALEX to check what actions to perform on the various types of Plug-In Units.
RBS:
lga | grep AuxPlugInUnit_PiuConnectionLost *show the history of the current alarm
lpr AuxPlugInUnit=x *shows associated equipment with plug in unit
get xxx *use this to show more information about the plug in unit
acc xxx restartAuxUnit *try restart the plug in unit
If the alarm does not clear an RE will be required to visit the site.
 TpaDevice_AmplificationError
This alarm is issued by the TpaDevice Managed Object (MO) when there is a fault
affecting the Transmit Power Amplifier (TPA) in a Multicarrier Power Amplifier (MCPA)
or a Radio Unit (RU).
RBS:
cabx *will show you what MCPA is faulty if you check the LED status
get cell maxDlPowerCapability *the sector with the faulty MCPA will have a lower
value
st plug *get the proxy number of the MCPA to be restarted
lpr McpaSubrack=x,RbsSlot=x,AuxPlugInUnit=1 *also used to get the proxy number

or the MCPA
acc xxx restartAuxUnit *try restart the MCPA
get cell maxDlPowerCapability *confirm the value has changed – this value is
calculated by the
RBSRNC:
get cell=xxxx maximumTransmissionPower *this is a set value on the RNC
This alarm is also associated with the following alarm on the RNC:
UtranCell_NbapReconfigurationFailure
If the alarm does not clear the RE will need to go to site and change the faulty
MCPA.
 RuDeviceGroup_GammaUplinkFailure:
This alarm is issued by the Managed Object RuDeviceGroup. The alarm indicates a
failure in one or more of the units in the gamma uplink path. Cables carry the
gamma link between the following: the Baseband Interface (BBIF) and Radio
Frequency Interface (RFIF) boards; the Optical Baseband Interface (OBIF) board and
the RRU; the Radio Unit Interface (RUIF) and the Radio Unit (RU). Between all other
boards, the physical connections are made through the backplane of the boards.
RBS:
lga | grep RbsSubrack=RU1,RbsSlot=x *see if the RU has been inter-failing
cabx *LED status will indicate what board is faultymom AuxPlugInUnit led
*description of LED status
st plug *get the proxy number of the faulty unit
acc xxx restartAuxUnit *try restart the RU
If the alarm is still present after restarting the unit lock the sector on the RNC until
the RE can attend and replace the RU.
NOTE:
Identifying the affected sector:RbsSubrack=RU1/FU1,RbsSlot=2 – A

sectorRbsSubrack=RU1/FU1,RbsSlot=4 – B
sectorRbsSubrack=RU1/FU1,RbsSlot=6 – C sector
If the Radio Unit is faulty the following alarm will be present on the RNC for the
disabled sectorUtranCell_NbapMessageFailure call_establishment_error
UtranCell=xxxx
RNC:
alt *show current alarmslst .xxxx *show status of channels
lbl cell=xxxxA1 *lock the sector affected by the faulty RU

ldeb cell=xxxxA1 *once the RU has been replaced unlock the sector
 Plug-In Unit General Problem
The alarm is issued when all defined recovery attempts are performed for the PIU or
contact with the PIU is lost for at least five minutes.
RBS:
lga | grep Subrack=1,Slot=8,PlugInUnit=1 *check the history of the alarm
cab *confirm if there is contact or not with the PIU
st plug *check the state of PIU
acl xxx *check what action you can perform on the PIU using the proxy number
acc xxx manualRestart *try restart the PIU
If there’s no contact with the board and the alarm does not clear an RE will be
required to go to site and do a hard reset or replace the board.
 RaxDeviceGroup_GeneralSwError:
This alarm can be sent from all Device Groups, all Device Sets, and all Devices. The
RBS EM identifies which Managed Object (MO) is issuing the alarm. The likely causes
of this alarm are the following:
•A software fault
•An incorrect version of the software
•A faulty configuration, depending on a software error (only when RruDeviceGroup

issues the alarm). In this case it is the RAX board that has the problem.
RBS:moshell Uxxxx *log onto the node
lt all *load all Managed Objects alt *show current alarms cab *confirm the RAX
boards on the site
st plug *check the state of the RAX boards

acl xxx *check what action you can perform on the board using the proxy number
acc xxx manualRestart *try restart the board
Check that the alarm has cleared. If the alarm is still present an RE will need to go
to site and do a hard reset or change the RAX board. Confirm the site is carrying
traffic.
 TxDeviceGroup_GeneralSwError:
RBS EM identifies which Managed Object (MO) is issuing the alarm. The likely causes
of this alarm are the following:
•A software fault
•An incorrect version of the software
•A faulty configuration, depending on a software error (only when RruDeviceGroup

issues the alarm). In this case it is the TX board that has the problem. As a
consequence the capacity of the site is decreased.
RBS:
cab *confirm the TX boards on the site
st plug *check the state of the TX boards
to site and do a hard reset or change the TX board. Confirm the site is carrying
traffic.
 RaxDeviceGroup_GeneralHwError:
RBS EM identifies which Managed Object (MO) is issuing the alarm. This alarm
indicates that the component is faulty andmy need to be replaced. The following
alarm ‘UplinkBaseBandPool_UlHwLessThanUlCapacity’ will also be present on the
RBS. This indicates that there is less hardware on the site than is licensed for as a
result of the faulty RAX board. In this case it is the RAX board that has the problem.
RBS:
cab *confirm the RAX boards on the site
to site and do a hard reset or change the RAX board. Confirm the site is carrying
traffic.
LICENSE ISSUES
 License Key File Fault:
This alarm is triggered when no valid License Key file (LKF) is found on the node.
The LKF may be corrupt or have been deleted. When investigating this alarm please
ensure that there are no open refs (with BSS) for the site. The site could be in
integration and the license may not be loaded yet.
CASE 1: BSS are working on the site and license has not been loaded yet.
CASE 2: No contact with the Node. Check for alarms on transmission. If alarms are
present escalate to either Transmission department or Telkom as necessary.
CASE 3: Escalate to BSS to install License Key File.
NOTE:
For extra notes on installing a LKF see document License Issues on Node B.
 NodeBFunction_16QamLicenseNotValid:
This alarm is triggered either when the 16QAM modulation license has expired or
the 16QAM modulation license has been removed.
RBS:
get . license *confirm the license installed on the node
get . 16qam *shows the feature and license state on the node
mom . featureState16Qam *gives an explanation of the feature
st pp *checks the number of E1s on the site
NOTE:
Check the Configuration document to confirm what license should be installed on

the site based on the number of E1s/Hardware. Also confirm with Optimisation what
license should be installed on the Node. If the featurestate16Qam is ACTIVATED and
the license state is DISABLED it will result in the alarm.
To clear the alarm
I. set the featurestate16Qam to DEACTIVATED.

II. set NodeBFunction featureState16Qam 0 *Sets the feature to DISABLED since
no license is installed on the site
 Password File Fault:
The alarm indicates that the password required at Security Level 1 and 2, for user
access via Telnet, SSH, FTP, SFTP or a serial port was never set or that the locally
stored password file has been found to be corrupt.
RBS:

passwd; rbs ; rbs *resets the password on the Node B
alt *confirm the alarm has cleared
 UpLinkBaseBandPool_ULHWLessThanULCapacity:
This alarm is triggered when the installed license key file defines a capacity that is
greater than the available capacity for DCH given by the installed Random Access
and Receiver (RAX) boards. It can also be triggered due to a HW failure on one of
the RAX boards which decreases the available capacity below the capacity defined
by the license key.
A faulty RAX board (see alarm: RaxDeviceGroup_GeneralSwError/

RaxDeviceGroup_GeneralHwError) is the general cause of this alarm; however if all
RAX boards are operational and showing no errors this alarm will need to be
escalated to Planning/Optimisation to consider increasing the UL capacity on the
site.
RBS:
get . license *shows the licensed capacity for Channel Elements in the Uplink
get nodebfunction ava *shows the available Channel Elements in the Uplink based
on the available RAX boards
cab *confirm the RAX boards on the site
NOTE:
Use the Product Number (from the ‘cab’ printout) to search the ALEX document
(Product Overview ->Compatibilities for Hardware and Software) to confirm the
number of Channel Elements supported by the RAX board.
If the RAX board restarts without any more alarms confirm that the
ULHWLessThanULCapacity alarm has also cleared.
alt *confirm alarm has cleared
get nodebfunction ava *the available Channel Elements should now match the
licensed capacity
If the fault on the RAX board does not clear after a restart an RE will need to go to
site and do a hardreset or replace the RAX board.
 DownLinkBaseBandPool_DLHWLessThanDLCapacity:
This alarm is triggered when the installed license key file defines a capacity that is
greater than the available capacity for DCH given by the installed Transmitter (TX)
boards. It can also be triggered due to a HW failure on one of the TX boards which
decreases the available capacity below the capacity defined by the license key. If all
TX boards are operational and showing no errors this will need to be escalated to
Planning/Optimisation to consider increasing the DL capacity on the site.
RBS:
get . license *shows the licensed capacity for Channel Elements in the Downlink
get nodebfunction ava *shows the available Channel Elements in the downlink
based on the available TX boards
cab *confirm the TX boards on the site
st plug *check the state of the TX boards
NOTE:
Use the Product Number (from the ‘cab’ printout) to search the ALEX document
(Product Overview ->Compatibilities for Hardware and Software) to confirm the
number of Channel Elements supported by the TX board.
 NodeBFunction_DlHwUsageExceedsDlLicenseLevel:
This alarm is issued by the NodeBFunction Managed Object (MO) when the licensed
limit has been reached in the RBS. The cause of the alarm is that the licensed
Channel Element (CE) level is reached in the RBS.
NOTE:
When a site uses more Channel Element capacity than is licensed a grace period
will be triggered along with this alarm. Once this grace period expires the site will
be limited to the licensed capacity and the alarm will be cleared
RBS:
get . license *shows the licensed capacity for Channel Elements
get nodeb ava *shows the available Channel Elements in the uplink/downlink based
on the installed HWget . grace *shows the grace period left for UL and DL
get . limited *shows if the site is limited to the licensed capacity
I. Example 1: In the example below there are 4 days grace period left. Once
dlGraceTimeLeft reaches 0 the parameter
dlLimitedByLicenseLevel will be set to True. A value of -1 for
ulGraceTimeLeft indicates that the grace period has not yet been triggered for the
UL.
U2575-Ooseinde_VC> get . grace
II. Example 2: In this example the UL and DL grace time has expired (showing a
value of 0) and the parameter ulLimitedByLicenseLevel and
dlLimitedByLicenseLevel are set to True.
U0595-Umgeni_Heights> get . grace
In order for this alarm to clear you must wait for the grace period to expire. One
other way of clearing the alarm is to upgrade the license file to match the available
Channel Elements. However this will be up to the planner/optimisation engineer to
decide. In most cases this alarm can be as a result of a spike in CE usage after a site
is brought on air. All users will attempt to do a location update and use up all
resources causing this spike.
 NodeBFunction_UlHwUsageExceedsUlLicenseLevel:
This alarm is issued by the NodeBFunction Managed Object (MO) when the licensed
limit has been reached in the RBS. The cause of the alarm is that the licensed
Channel Element (CE) level is reached in the RBS.
NOTE:
When a site uses more Channel Element capacity than is licensed a grace period
will be triggered along with this alarm. Once this grace period expires the site will
be limited to the licensed capacity and the alarm will be cleared
RBS:
get . license *shows the licensed capacity for Channel Elements
get nodeb ava *shows the available Channel Elements in the

uplink/downlink based on the installed HWget . grace *shows the grace
period left for UL and DL
get . limited *shows if the site is limited to the licensed capacity
I. Example 1: In the example below there are 2 days grace period left. Once
ulGraceTimeLeft reaches 0 the parameter
ulLimitedByLicenseLevel will be set to True. A value of -1 for
dlGraceTimeLeft indicates that the grace period has not yet been triggered for the
DL.
U4574-Elukhanyisweni_High_School> get . grace
U4574-Elukhanyisweni_High_School> get . limited
II. Example 2: In this example the UL and DL grace time has expired (showing a
value of 0) and the parameter ulLimitedByLicenseLevel and
dlLimitedByLicenseLevel are set to True.
U0595-Umgeni_Heights> get . grace

In order for this alarm to clear you must wait for the grace period to expire. One
other way of clearing the alarm is to upgrade the license file to match the available
Channel Elements. However this will be up to the planner/optimisation engineer to
decide. In most cases this alarm can be as a result of a spike in CE usage after a site
is brought on air. All users will attempt to do a location update and use up all
resources causing this spike.
TRANSMISSION
 Loss of Tracking:
The alarm is issued when the system clock enters "loss of tracking" mode. The
value of the attribute, syncRefStatus is changed to LOSS_OF_TRACKING.
RBS:
get 10 *prints the synchronization Managed Object
acl 10 *shows what action you can perform on the MO
acc 10 resetLossOfTracking *resets loss of tracking
When prompted to Enter mo LDN:
Equipment=1,Subrack=1,Slot=2,PlugInUnit=1,ExchangeTerminal=1,E1PhysPathTer
m=pp1
NOTE:
To see the values for syncRefStatus and syncRefActivity use the below commands:
mom refstate
mom refactivity
 Loss of Synch Reference Redundancy:

This alarm can be triggered as a consequence of the primary alarm Loss of Tracking.
As a consequence of the fault, the number of available synchronization references is
reduced and there is only one left. Clearing the Loss of Tracking alarm should clear
this alarm.
RBS:
get 10 *prints the synchronization Managed Object
acl 10 *shows what action you can perform on the MO
acc 10 resetLossOfTracking *resets loss of tracking
When prompted to enter mo LDN:
Equipment=1,Subrack=1,Slot=2,PlugInUnit=1,ExchangeTerminal=1,E1PhysPathTer
m=pp1
NOTE: To see the values for syncRefStatus and syncRefActivity use the below
commands:
mom refstate
mom refactivity
 PDH Loss of Signal:
This alarm is issued by an E1 on the site when the Exchange Terminal (ET) board
cannot detect any signal at the input port.
RBS:
alt *show current alarms – this will indicate what E1/IMA Link the alarm has been
triggered for
st pp *shows the status of the E1s on the site

st ima *shows the status of the IMA links
get ima *shows what IMA Link is associated with a particular E1
E1s that are LOCKED and DISABLED will most likely not be defined in the IMA Group
and are waiting to be integrated. If any E1/IMA Links are UNLOCKED and DISABLED
use the DXX Web Reporter to check for any active alarms.
NOTE: To check for any errors on the E1 links use the following command: pmx e1
pm –m 1
Consult with Transmission department as for the next steps to take.
 PDH Loss of Frame:
This alarm is issued by an E1 on the site when the Exchange Terminal (ET) board
cannot detect anysignal at the input port.
RBS:
triggered for
pm –m 1
 Loss of Cell Delineation on IMA Link:

This alarm is triggered when the node cannot extract the ATM cells from the PDH
frame. If there are many similar alarms it is likely that common hardware is at fault.
However if there is just one alarm, the fault is probably with one IMA link.
RBS:
triggered for
pm –m 1
 Remote Defect Indication on IMA Link:
This alarm is triggered when the remote (far end) node has detected a transmission
fault on the IMA link. This will also trigger the alarm ‘IMA Link Reception Unusable at
Far End’ indicating that the link at the far end has become unusable.
RBS:
triggered for

pm –m 1
Consult with Transmission department as for the next steps to take. However in
most cases this will need to be escalated to Telkom.
 IMA Link Reception Unusable at Far End:
This alarm is triggered when the IMA link at the far end becomes unusable. It is
likely that you will also see the alarm ‘Remote Defect Indication on IMA Link’ for the
same link – indicating that the IMA link is faulty.
RBS:
triggered for
pm –m 1
 IMA Link Reception Misconnected:
This alarm is triggered when there is a configuration mismatch between two nodes.
The IMA link in the receive direction is not connected to the same remote (far end)
IMA unit as the other reception links in the IMA group. It is likely that you will see
one or both of the following alarms: ‘Remote DefectIndication on IMA Link’, ‘IMA Link
Reception Unusable at Far End’.
RBS:
triggered forst pp *shows the status of the E1s on the site
pm –m 1
 IMA Group Insufficient Links:
This alarm is triggered when one or more of the IMA links have failed. This reduces
the number of IMA Links in the IMA group and the “required number of links” is less
than defined.
RBS:
triggered for

get ima required *shows the required number of links needed in the IMA group
CASE 1: In the below example there are two UNLOCKED and ENABLED E1 links.
However there is only 1 E1 link defined in the IMA group.
U4784-Vredenburg_WPK_Silo> st pp
U4784-Vredenburg_WPK_Silo> st ima
In the above example BSS will be required to do an IMA upgrade and add the 2 nd
working link to the IMA group. You might also need to contact Transmission and
confirm what the correct configuration is on the DXX.
 IMA Group Insufficient Links at Far End:
This alarm is triggered when one or more of the IMA links have failed. This reduces
the number of IMA Links in the IMA group and the “required number of links” is less
than defined.
RBS:
triggered for
get ima *shows what IMA Link is associated with a particular E1get ima required
*shows the required number of links needed in the IMA group
CASE 1:In the below example there are two UNLOCKED and ENABLED E1 links.
However there is only 1 E1 link defined in the IMA group.
U4784-Vredenburg_WPK_Silo> st pp
U4784-Vredenburg_WPK_Silo> st ima
In the above example BSS will be required to do an IMA upgrade and add the 2 nd
working link to the IMA group. You might also need to contact Transmission and
confirm what the correct configuration is on the DXX.
 Heartbeat Failure:
This alarm can be triggered when connectivity to the OSS is lost or the site has gone
down due to transmission.
RBS:
If you cannot MOSHELL to the node check for alarms on the RNCriorda_m@uas3g3>
moshell u2652
RNC:moshell XXRNCX *log onto the RNC
pmx cell=xxxx pmTotNoRrcC|pmNoSystemRabRe|pmNoRabEstablish|

pmNoNormalRabRel|pmNoFailedAfterAdm -m 1 *confirmif the site is carrying traffic
I. CASE 1 – Site is operational and carrying traffic but no connection to the

node: If all channels are unlocked and enabled, the site is carrying traffic and
no alarms are present on the RNC escalate this fault to Transmission/IP
Routing. In this case VC32 and VC33 (used for O&M connectivity) will need to
be checked by Transmission.
Transmission will possibly need to recreate these VCs as they are hanging.
Use the command ‘traceroute <nodeipaddress>’ to confirm where the
problem is before escalating to Transmission. The ‘traceroute’ command
shows where the IP packet stops in the network; either at the DXX or IP
router.
riorda_m@uas3g3> traceroute 10.204.78.145
II. CASE 2 – Site is DISABLED and there are alarms present on the RNC: If the
channels on the RNC are UNLOCKED and DISABLED and there are alarms
present on the RNC it is more than likely a problem on the Transmission side
and will need to be escalated to TX or Telkom based on the alarms present on
the DXX.
Possible RNC Alarms:
UtranCell_ServiceUnavailable unavailable UtranCell=2652A1
UtranCell_ServiceUnavailable unavailable UtranCell=2652B1

UtranCell_ServiceUnavailable unavailable UtranCell=2652C1
III. CASE 3 – New Site: Check if this is a new site. Generally a new site that is not
yet fully integrated will display the Heartbeat Failure alarm as it is not yet
connected on the OSS.
MISCELLANEOUS
 Carrier_RejectSignalFromHardware
This alarm is triggered by the Carrier Managed Object. This alarm can be issued for
the AIU/sAIU, FU, MCPA, RFIF board, RRU, RU, TRX board or the TX board. If none of
the boards are faulty it could be related to a frequency configuration issue.
RBS:
cabx *check the equipment on the site (particularly the RU and FU)
get . fqband *check the highedge and lowedge of the Antenna Branch
Contact optimisation/planning to confirm that the UARFCNs and high and low edges
are set correctly. If they are set correctly restart the RU relevant to the affected
sector.
st plug *shows the plug in units
acl xxx *check what action you can perform on the PIU using the proxy number
acc xxx manualRestart *try restart the PIU
NOTE: Identifying the affected sector:RbsSubrack=RU/FU, RbsSlot=2 – A

sectorRbsSubrack=RU/FU, RbsSlot=4 – B sectorRbsSubrack=RU/FU, RbsSlot=6 – C
sector
RNC:

lst .xxxx *show status of channels – some carriers may be disabled
get cell=xxxx uarfcn *displays the DL and UL frequencies set for each carrier
The following alarm may be present on the RNC: UtranCell_NbapMessageFailure
 NbapCommon_Layer3SetupFailure:
This alarm is issued by the NbapCommon Managed Object. It is issued for the
NodeB Application Protocol (NBAP) Common. The likely cause is a communication
failure between the RBS and RNC. The following alarm,
‘UtranCell_ExternalResourceUnavailable’ could also be present on the RNC for the
affected cells.
RBS:
RNC:
lst .xxxx *show status of channels – all cells will be DISABLED and also
NbapCommom on the IubLink
==================================================
======================================14622 1
(UNLOCKED) 1 (ENABLED) RncFunction=1,IubLink=Iub_U2141-Adgam_Place14624 0
(DISABLED) RncFunction=1,IubLink=Iub_U2141-Adgam_Place,NodeSynch=114625 1
(UNLOCKED) 0 (DISABLED) RncFunction=1,IubLink=Iub_U2141-Adgam_Place,
NbapCommon=1
ldeb Iublink_Iub_Uxxxx *deblock the IubLinklst .xxxx confirm the channels are
UNLOCKED and ENABLED
Confirm the alarm has cleared on the RBS. If the alarm is still present escalate to
Transmission.
RNC
 UtranCell_NbapReconfigurationFailure:
RBS does not provide the configured output power due to some internal hardware
problems. Check the RBS for any HW faults, generally with the MCPA units.
RNC:
get cell=xxxx maximumTransmissionPower *this is a set value on the RNC
RNC will internally set a reference value representing the previously configured
maximumTransmissionPower in the cell. An alarm will be issued if the RBS reports a
degradation of its maxPowerCapDl below 2dB. This alarm can be associated with
the following alarm on the RBS: TpaDevice_AmplificationError
RBS:
cabx *will show you what MCPA is faulty if you check the LED status
get cell maxDlPowerCapability *the sector with the faulty MCPA will have a lower
value
st plug *get the proxy number of the MCPA to be restarted
lpr McpaSubrack=x,RbsSlot=x,AuxPlugInUnit=1 *also used to get the proxy number

or the MCPA
acc xxx restartAuxUnit *try restart the MCPA

get cell maxDlPowerCapability *confirm the value has changed – this value is
calculated by the RBS
If the alarm does not clear the RE will need to go to site and change the faulty
MCPA.
 NbapDedicated_RncRbsControlLinkDown:
This alarm is triggered when there is a temporary disturbance or interruption in the

Iub link. It is also generally associated with the alarm UtranCell_ServiceUnavailable
as all Utrancells will be DISABLED.
RNC:
lst .xxxx *show status of channels – cells will be UNLOCKED and DISABLED
This alarm indicates a problem with Transmission. It will need to be either escalated
to the Transmission department or Telkom. When this alarm is present you will be
unable to Moshell onto the RBS. Check the DXX web reporter for any current alarms.
Once the Transmission issue has been cleared, confirm that all cells and channels
are UNLOCKED and ENABLED and the site is carrying traffic.
 UtranCell_ServiceUnavailable:
This is a secondary alarm and is triggered when there is a problem with the NBAP
signalling on the Transmission link. It is associated with the alarm
NbapDedicated_RncRbsControlLinkDown
RNC:
This alarm could indicate a problem with Transmission. It will need to be either
escalated to the Transmission department or Telkom. Check the DXX web reporter
for any current alarms.
 UtranCell_ExternalResourceUnavailable:
This alarm is triggered by the Utrancell Managed Object. It is issued for the NodeB
Application Protocol (NBAP) Common. The likely cause is a communication failure
between the RBS and RNC. The following alarm, ‘NbapCommon_
Layer3SetupFailure’ could also be present on the RBS.
RNC:
lst .xxxx *show status of channels – all cells will be DISABLED
Check the RBS for any alarms.
RBS:
This alarm could point to a problem with Transmission. It will need to be either
escalated to the Transmission department or Telkom. Check the DXX web reporter
for any current alarms.
 UtranCell_RBSLocalCellNotAdded:
This alarm is triggered when the RNC is trying to activate the UTRANCELL but is
unable to as there is a misconfiguration with the RBS Local Cell on the RBS. The
alarm UtranCell_NbapMessageFailure could also be present for the affected sectors.
RNC:

get cell=xxxx cid *check the Cell ID on the RNC
RBS:
get rbslocalcell cellid *check the Cell ID on the RBS and confirm the mismatch
Check the FACTs page to confirm the correct Cell ID to be used – “CI Allocation
Lookup”
If the RBS that has the incorrect values use the following command to correct it:
set rbslocalcell=SXCX localCellId=xxxxx *corrects the Cell ID on the RBS
NOTE: S1C1 – Sector 1,Carrier1S1C2 – Sector1,Carrier2 etc.....If the RNC has the
incorrect value use the following command to correct it: set cell=xxxxA1 cid=xxxxx
*corrects the Cell ID on the RNC
Confirm alarm has cleared and the cells are UNLOCKED and ENABLED. Finally be
sure to save a CV
 UtranCell_NbapMessageFailure:
This alarm can be triggered when the RBS cannot fulfil the request to set up a
UTRAN Cell issued by the RNC. The RBS will need to be checked for any alarms.
RNC:
lst .xxxx *show status of channels – all cells will be DISABLED
Check the RBS for any alarms.

RBS:
CASE 1 – Hardware Failure on RBS: A faulty TX board on the RBS can cause the
utrancells on the RNC to be DISABLED. See alarm ‘Plug-In Unit General Problem’.
USEFUL COMMANDS
I. Checking Performance:
RNC:
 pmx cell=xxxx pmtotnoutranrejrrcconnreq|pmNoFailedAfterAdm -m 1 *shows

rejections and failures for the last hour
 pmx cell=xx pmTotNoRrcC|pmNoSystemRabRe|pmNoSysRelSpeech|
pmNoRabEstablish|pmNoNormalRabRel|pmNoFailedAfterAdm-m 1pmx
utrancell=xxxx pmCellDowntime -m 4 *shows downtime for last 4 hours
 pmr *displays all the predefined performance reports on the RNCpmom .
<countername> *gives a description of a specific counter
 pmom . pmCellDowntimeAutomom . <parameter> *gives a description of a
particular parameter
 pmx plug processorload -m 1 *shows processor load on individual boards
RBS:
 pmx e1 pm –m 1 *shows the errored seconds and severely errored seconds

for the E1 links over the last hour
 pgets e1 *shows the current errors on the E1 linkspmx aal2ap pmunsuc -m 2
*show all unsuccessful attempts across the aal2 paths for all classes
 pmx edch pmnoallowedeulpgets *shows all active counters on the RBS
 pmr *displays all the predefined performance reports on the RBS
 get radio no *shows the current number of active radio links
II. Locking and Unlocking site on RNC:
RNC:
 moshell XXRNCX *log onto the RNC

 lt all *load all Managed Objects
 alt *show current alarms
 lst .xxxx *show status of channels – confirm if site has one or two carriers
 bls cell=xxxx *soft blocks the cells – takes 5 minutes
 lbl cell=xxxx *blocks all the channels
 lst .xxxx *confirm the channels are LOCKED and DISABLED
 ldeb cell=xxxx *unlock cells and channels one sector at a time
 lst .xxxx *confirm the channels are UNLOCKED and ENABLED
III. Miscellaneous:
 ala *shows current alarms WITH details
 altk *shows current alarms – UNACKNOWLEDGED and ACKNOWLEDGED
 get 0 *shows equipment type
 license key *shows licenses installed on the node
 cvls *prints configuration version on the node

3G Alarm Handling

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3G Alarm Handling

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ANTENNA/ASC/RET

This alarm will generally require an RE to go to site. Communication with the

moshell Uxxxx *log onto the node

lt all *load all Managed Objects

alt *show current alarms

lga | grep AuxPlugInUnit_CommunicationLostWithAsc *show history of current alarm

get xxx *do a get on the disabled proxy number

moshell XXRNCX *log onto the RNC

lt all *load all Managed Objects

alt *show current alarms

lst .xxxx *show status of channels

This alarm will generally require an RE to go to site. Communication with the

moshell Uxxxx *log onto the node

lt all *load all Managed Objects

alt *show current alarms

lga | grep AuxPlugInUnit_CommunicationLostWithRet *show history of current alarm

get radio no *confirm if node is carrying traffic

st plug *print state of all plug in units

get xxx *do a get on the disabled proxy number

moshell XXRNCX *log onto the RNC

lt all *load all Managed Objects

alt *show current alarms

lst .xxxx *show status of channels

moshell Uxxxx *log onto the node

lt all *load all Managed Objects

st plug *print state of all plug in units

lpr SectorAntenna=x,AuxPlugInUnit=x *shows associated equipment with the ASC

moshell Uxxxx *log onto the node

lt all *load all Managed Objects

alt *show current alarms and confirm what sector is affected

st plug *print state of all plug in units

lpr SectorAntenna=x,AuxPlugInUnit=x *shows associated equipment with the ASC

This alarm is issued by the RetDevice or RetDeviceSet Managed Objects (MO)

moshell Uxxxx *log onto the node

lt all *load all Managed Objects

alt *show current alarms and confirm what sector is affected

lpr SectorAntenna=x,AuxPlugInUnit=2get xxx *using the proxy number from the

This alarm is issued by the RetDevice or RetDeviceSet Managed Objects (MO)

moshell Uxxxx *log onto the node

lt all *load all Managed Objects

alt *show current alarms and confirm what sector is affected

moshell Uxxxx *log onto the node

lt all *load all Managed Objects

alt *show current alarms and confirm what sector is affected

lpr SectorAntenna=x,AuxPlugInUnit=2get xxx *using the proxy number from the

moshell Uxxxx *log onto the node

lt all *load all Managed Objects

alt *show current alarms and confirm what sector is affected

–Antenna Jumper Cable

moshell Uxxxx *log onto the node

lt all *load all Managed Objects

alt *show current alarms and confirm what sector is affected

lga | grep AntennaBranch_AntennaProblemInBranchA *shows history of alarm

st plug *check the current status of the ASC/RET

lst ret *check the current status of the ASC/RET

lst asc *check the current status of the ASC/RET

acc xxx restartAuxUnit *try restart the ASC/RET

asc vswr *command to show VSWR for all sectors

If the above commands don’t work try:

lh asc dbg vswr 0 get -k

–Antenna Jumper Cable

moshell Uxxxx *log onto the node

lt all *load all Managed Objects

lt all load all Managed Objectsalt show current alarms

lt all load all Managed Objectsalt show current alarms