xSIGHT™

Session Trace
Application
Protocol Transaction Tracing and Decoding
for Mobile Network Calls and Data Sessions

xSIGHT Session Trace uses data from xSIGHT Traffic Storage Agents (TSAs) to assure mobile Key Benefits
performance, enabling: yy Provides detailed insight into the
yy 10x less time to diagnose complex mobile network performance faults processes delivering the accessibility,
retainability, and mobility aspects of
yy 60% less cost than competing protocol tracing tools
customer experience

xSIGHT Customer Experience Assurance (CEA) Portfolio yy Significantly lower cost than
traditional transaction-tracing tools
The xSIGHT CEA portfolio consists of three layers: without reducing diagnostic insight
yy Agents that collect data from a variety of sources including traffic, network elements (NEs), and probes yy Delivers results significantly faster
yy A real-time intelligence platform that adapts, enriches, and correlates data than traditional transaction-tracing
tools enhancing user productivity
yy A cloud-based portal that gives operators access to xSIGHT analytical applications
xSIGHT Session Trace is a powerful yet easy-to-use mobile network troubleshooting tool. xSIGHT Key Features
Session Trace provides a graphic protocol-sequence diagram of a subscriber’s calls/sessions and lets yy On-demand call/session tracing
a user perform detailed analyses of signaling procedures, including full decoding of messages. It analysis when used with TSAs
provides near-real-time and historical analyses of each subscriber’s interaction with a 2G, 3G, LTE, or yy Automatic correlation of call/session
data across all supported interfaces
heterogeneous network. The scope of network interfaces covered is determined by the coverage of
the associated xSIGHT TSAs. yy Fast identification of required call/
session via powerful filtering using
key field values
yy Complete protocol transactional
tracing and decoding of signaling/
user data
yy Automatically launches from xSIGHT
Customer Experience Assurance
(CEA) and Performance Explorer (PE)
applications along with key search
information

Use Cases
yy Fault troubleshooting of mobile
network, service, and customer
performance

xSIGHT CEA platform and applications Data Sheet

On-Demand Call/Session Analysis
The traditional methodology for protocol transaction tracing
involves pre-building records for all monitored calls and sessions.
However, fewer than 0.01% of stored records are actually analyzed
and more than 99.99% of the expensive pre-build processing is of
no value. To reduce processing and storage costs, xSIGHT Session
Trace and TSAs build tracing analysis on demand for just those calls
or sessions that require troubleshooting. Proprietary Viavi database
technology identifies, correlates, and retrieves required data in
seconds, significantly reducing tracing response times.
Complete Protocol Transactional Tracing
and Decoding
The xSIGHT transactional tracing display provides an insightful
graphic representation of protocol transactions involved in a selected
subscriber call or session. Color coding highlights any potential
abnormal or errored transactions within the sequence.

Automatic Data Correlation Across

Monitored Interfaces
Where call/session data is collected by TSAs from multiple network
interfaces, Session Trace automatically correlates data into individual
subscriber calls and sessions. It does this across different network
technologies, such as when a subscriber session crosses GPRS and LTE
networks.
Transactional tracing display

For more detailed analysis of protocol transactions, users can view

Fast Call/Session Identification via
Powerful Filters
Session Trace users set up search criteria for subscriber calls/sessions
using an intuitive filter and time-entry menu.
full decodes of the individual messages by selecting any message
on the tracing display. Alternatively, they can view the values of key
field data associated with the individual call/session.

A search based on simple filtering

criteria such as IMSI or MSISDN
automatically identifies all calls
and sessions for a subscriber. More
complex search filtering, containing
multiple criteria, can narrow the
range of query responses and reduce
Example filtering criteria
troubleshooting time.

Session Trace query results appear in a tabular form with each

call or data session represented by a single row. Color coding
highlights those calls or sessions where abnormal activity has been
Message decode display
detected. Selecting one of the calls or sessions displays its protocol
transactional-sequence diagram.

Call/session list display

2 xSIGHT Session Trace Application

Automatic Launch From xSIGHT KPI-Based Complementary Products and Services
Applications Traffic Storage Agent (TSA) — TSA is an xSIGHT data access

The xSIGHT Session Trace application can be automatically launched agent that captures and stores control-plane traffic with a Viavi-

from the xSIGHT KPI-based applications, such as those in the CEA patented indexing method for quick retrieval by transaction-tracing

and PE categories. In this procedure, the IMSI values the KPI-based troubleshooting applications. The TSA also passively monitors both

applications identify as being of interest are automatically transferred control and user-plane IP-based traffic to build network, service,

over to the Session Trace application. Using the KPI drill-down process and customer (KPI) SMARTmetrics that are then fed to the xSIGHT

(offered by the CEA and PE applications) as a first troubleshooting mediation component or to third-party KPI-based apps. The TSA is

step significantly reduces the overall time it takes to resolve issues available in either a physical (server plus Viavi software) or virtualized

requiring detailed transaction tracing. configuration (Viavi software running on a virtual machine).

Use Case — Faster Troubleshooting,

Lower Costs
Protocol transaction tracing and decoding is an industry-recognized
powerful tool for diagnosing mobile network and service faults
affecting customer experience. The most in-depth way to identify
where and why control-plane messaging conversations have broken xSIGHT TSA
down and to trace and decode protocol transactions is critical for any
network operations department. Combining xSIGHT Session Trace
with xSIGHT Traffic Storage Agents delivers feature-rich protocol Customer Experience Assurance (CEA) Applications — These
transaction tracing and decoding much more affordably than xSIGHT applications deliver multidimensional KPI analysis in real time,
competing solutions, and they can do it with a faster (trace building) linking the customer experience to the underlying network and service
response time. Minimizing the overall time it takes to troubleshoot performance. It enables the industry’s most powerful assurance
customer experience issues can be achieved using protocol transaction workflows with customer QoE “impact analysis” of detected issues
tracing in conjunction with a KPI drill-down process, similar to and problem diagnosis via fast metric (KPI) drill-down.
integrating xSIGHT Session Trace with the xSIGHT CEA and PE
applications.

Specifications — Service and Network

Interface Support
The xSIGHT Session Trace application supports troubleshooting for the
following services:

yy 2G/3G voice services

yy 2G/3G data services
yy LTE data services
yy VoLTE voice services

The network interface support for the xSIGHT Session Trace

application is determined by the coverage of the associated xSIGHT xSIGHT CEA application
Traffic Storage Agents, including all major control-plane interfaces
associated with the services listed above.

3 xSIGHT Session Trace Application

Performance Explorer (PE) Applications — These xSIGHT Viavi Professional Services — xSIGHT solutions are deployed,
applications provide fully flexible, in-depth, analysis of any operator- transitioned to production environments, and supported by our
selected aspect of network, service, or customer performance. A single industry-leading professional services team.
screen with charts shows selected KPIs, for example, two associated
yy Rapid turnkey deployment with acceptance testing ensures full
dimensions and a failure code breakdown. This application is ideal
satisfaction before handover
for comparing pre- and post-event performance, such as managing
yy Maximize investment through user-adoption services
network changes and investigating the root causes for problems.
yy Keep systems up to date through software upgrades
Targeted Subscriber Search (TSS) Agent and Application — A
yy Increase productivity with ongoing access to industry-leading experts
member of the xSIGHT Diagnostics category, this application
that get to know your network, services, and your customers
selectively (based on IMSI) captures full user-plane packets at line
The initial solution price includes a competitive support package with
rate, enabling detailed analysis of user-plane content by third-party
first year telephone support and software updates
products, such as Wireshark®.
Our services organization spans the globe and, on average, our service
consultants have over 15 years of experience.

Ordering Information
Please contact your Viavi representative for more information or for
ordering assistance.

TSS application display

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(+1 844 468 4284) Product specifications and descriptions in this
document are subject to change without notice.
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