Oracle SBC Configuration and Administration 5 - 2

Oracle SBC Configuration and Administration 5 - 3

Oracle SBC Configuration and Administration 5 - 4
The interface labeled wancom0, eth0, or mgmt0 is used to carry management traffic such as
SNMP, Telnet, SSH, FTP, logs sent from the SBC, remote boot, and so on. The diagram
shows the 4500 platform’s rear panel but all other platforms, namely 3800, 1100, 4600, 6100
and 6300 will have similar management and serial (console) ports.
In the case of the 3810/3820 platform, the serial console interface (labeled “Console”) is
available at either the rear or the front physical connector, but not at both. The initial factory
setting is that the front serial connector is the active one. This can be changed in the
interactive program that shows up when one intervenes in the boot process.
The other two interfaces, wancom1 and wancom2 (or eth1/2, mgmt1,2), are only used for
state replication in high availability pair configuration (2 SBCs as active/standby pair).

Oracle SBC Configuration and Administration 5 - 5

The Acme Command-Line Interface (ACLI) is the primary user interface for configuring,
monitoring, and troubleshooting the SBC. The look and feel is modeled after the industry
standard CLI. There are two password-protected modes of operation within the ACLI—User
mode and Superuser mode. User mode consists of a restricted set of basic monitoring
commands and is identified by the “>” in the system prompt following the “target name” string.
The default password is acme. For security reasons, changing the default passwords is
enforced by the SBC upon the first access.
The target name is specified by one of the boot parameters (discussed later).
Superuser mode allows for access to all system commands for operation, maintenance, and
administration. This mode is identified by the pound sign “#” in the prompt following the target
name.
In Superuser mode, you can perform monitoring and administrative tasks; for configuration
operations, you must enter Configuration mode, where you further enter one of six “branches.”
The exit command always takes you to the previous mode (or previous “level” while still in
Configuration mode).

Oracle SBC Configuration and Administration 5 - 6

Oracle SBC Configuration and Administration 5 - 7
Oracle SBC Configuration and Administration 5 - 8
In addition to the arrow keys, the following key combinations allow you to recall and edit
previous commands:
• Ctrl + p recalls commands from the history buffer.
• Ctrl + n cycles forward through previously entered commands.
• Ctrl + f, Ctrl + b moves one character forward/backward.
• Ctrl + a, Ctrl + e moves to the beginning/end of the command line.
• Ctrl + w deletes the last word before the cursor prompt when editing an element.
The ACLI provides context-sensitive help for available commands at any point in the
hierarchy. Pressing ? displays all available commands with descriptions. Pressing ? after a
command lists the available arguments for that command. Similarly, pressing the Tab key at a
given prompt displays all available commands without descriptions.
Pressing the Tab key after a command displays all available arguments for that command
without description.
The ACLI accepts the shortest recognizable form of a command (for example, configure
terminal can be entered as co t). The Tab key can be used for auto-completing a partially
typed command, but doing that is not necessary.

Oracle SBC Configuration and Administration 5 - 9

Oracle SBC Configuration and Administration 5 - 10
Oracle SBC Configuration and Administration 5 - 11
All SBC platforms have a Flash disk device that is partitioned such that one partition is
permanently mounted as the /boot directory and another partition is mounted as the /code
directory. If the platform does not have a hard disk drive installed (as in the 3820 and the
4500 that have no such option), the /opt directory (and all it subdirectories) is implemented on
a RAM disk. Therefore, data such as logs are volatile. The newer platforms have a hard drive
either as part of the base product or as an option. When a hard drive is present, no data is lost
when the platform is rebooted or repowered. The diagram shows the partitioning in the case
where the HDD is 40 GB. When a larger drive is used, additional partitions can be created.
Refer to the relevant platform documentation.

Oracle SBC Configuration and Administration 5 - 12

The format command is available in the ACLI, and it is not the native Linux format command.
The ACLI provided format command is relatively safer.
If disk size is 40GB or less – two partitions are created:
An 8GB partition – later mounted at /opt
A 2*(RAM_size) GB partition – later mounted at /opt/crash
If the disk size is larger than 40GB – more partitions can be created:
Same two partitions as above plus one to four user partitions (volumes) – later mounted at
/mnt/… (see documentation)

Oracle SBC Configuration and Administration 5 - 13

Oracle SBC Configuration and Administration 5 - 14
Oracle SBC Configuration and Administration 5 - 15
Oracle SBC Configuration and Administration 5 - 16
Configurations range from very simple to very complex. Start from the simplest possible
configuration to get the basic functionality. Add more functionality in an incremental fashion.

Oracle SBC Configuration and Administration 5 - 17

Oracle SBC Configuration and Administration 5 - 18
Example: a1 is a parent element. b1 is a subelement of a1 but also a parent element of c1. c1
is a subelement of b1.
Note that A, B, and C are element types or “levels.”
B is obviously a multi-instance type of an element. What about A and C? The ACLI reference
tells you whether they are multi- or single-instance elements.
Different instances of a type will have unique “keys” such as a name parameter.

Oracle SBC Configuration and Administration 5 - 19

When a parameter has been changed in c1, the whole element c1 is said to have been
changed. Because c1 is nested in b1, b1 is said to have been changed. However, because b1
is nested in a1, a1 is said to have been changed as well.
This logic explains why, for example, after changing the value of “beta,” you will have to type:
done, exit, done, exit, done, exit to end up outside the scope of A.

Oracle SBC Configuration and Administration 5 - 20

Oracle SBC Configuration and Administration 5 - 21
Oracle SBC Configuration and Administration 5 - 22
Oracle SBC Configuration and Administration 5 - 24
Oracle SBC Configuration and Administration 5 - 25
Oracle SBC Configuration and Administration 5 - 26
At any given time (unless immediately after deleting all configurations) there are two
configuration loaded in the SBC’s RAM: The “running” configuration that determines how the
SBC provides its services and the “editing” configuration which is initially identical to the
running configuration and can be changed at any time without affecting the service.
Case a: Assume that changes where made in the editing configuration and have been saved
(using proper commands) in the dataDoc.gz file. Now the two configurations in the RAM are
different, but kept in non-volatile files. When the SBC is rebooted the editing configuration
RAM area will be loaded from the dataDoc.gz file and the running configuration RAM area will
be loaded from the dataDoc_nn.gz file (nn is a number).
Case b: Assume that the last saved configuration is now made to be (using proper
commands) the running configuration. The running configuration RAM area will now be
overwritten with data from the dataDoc.gz file. Upon the next reboot both editing and running
configuration RAM areas will be loaded from the dataDoc.gz file.

Oracle SBC Configuration and Administration 5 - 27

Viewing the entire configuration is easy but long configurations will take time to scroll up
(Many seconds could be annoying…).
Use the more specific form in order to display a single element of interest, or all elements of a
certain type of interest.

Oracle SBC Configuration and Administration 5 - 28

Steps 4 and 5 can be repeated for more parameters. If a value is a list, use double-quoted
form: “value value value…”
Typing done in step 6 (which indicates that you are done working with the current element)
will commit the changes into the RAM, the element will be redisplayed (for you to inspect) and
deselected.

Oracle SBC Configuration and Administration 5 - 29

A common beginners’ mistake is failing to make sure that nothing is selected. If this happens,
then while you think you are creating a new element, you really are changing an existing
element.

Oracle SBC Configuration and Administration 5 - 30

There is no “delete” command for removing configuration elements. It is the “no” command
that does that. If invoked properly, this command combines the selecting, deletion, and done
functions.

Oracle SBC Configuration and Administration 5 - 31

Oracle SBC Configuration and Administration 5 - 32
Pasting a configuration element is simple:
1. Copy (into your host operating system GUI clip-board) the configuration element’s “text.”
This is usually done from an open file that contains this text.
2. Go into the configuration mode and type paste-config <CR>.
3. Paste the text copied before (if you use putty as your SBC’s terminal, right-clicking the
mouse will do that).
4. If pasting looks successful, press <CTRL-D>
5. Select ‘y’ to accept.
6. To verify that the pasted configuration object has been entered into the editing buffer,
navigate the correct level
7. Type select <CR><CR> and you should see the element added (number 3 in the example
shown)

Oracle SBC Configuration and Administration 5 - 33

Oracle SBC Configuration and Administration 5 - 34
Oracle SBC Configuration and Administration 5 - 35
You have just created, modified, or deleted a configuration element and not yet issued the
“done” command. At this point, C1 is the running configuration. Let’s assume that the
“configuration version number” (a number the SBC uses) is 15. C1 exists also in the editing
configuration RAM area as well as in the dataDoc.gz file. C2 is the changed configuration.
a. Issuing the “done” command commits the configuration changes to the editing
configuration RAM area that will now hold C2.
b. Issuing the “save-config” command will cause two things: (i) a file called dataDoc_15.gz
will be created and will hold the C1 configuration, and (ii) the editing configuration in the
RAM will be copied over dataDoc.gz and thus saved. The configuration version of C2 is
16 (it is implied and it does not show in the filename).
At this point, if the SBC is rebooted, the editing configuration and the running
configuration will be loaded from dataDoc.gz and dataDoc_15.gz, respectively.
c. Issuing the “activate-config” command will overwrite the running configuration in the RAM
with data from the dataDoc.gz file.

Oracle SBC Configuration and Administration 5 - 36

Oracle SBC Configuration and Administration 5 - 38
Oracle SBC Configuration and Administration 5 - 39
Oracle SBC Configuration and Administration 5 - 40
Oracle SBC Configuration and Administration 5 - 41
Oracle SBC Configuration and Administration 5 - 43
Oracle SBC Configuration and Administration 5 - 44
Oracle SBC Configuration and Administration 5 - 45
Oracle SBC Configuration and Administration 5 - 46
The file system, which is flash memory based, may look somewhat different on different
platforms (that is 4250, 3800, 4500, and 6100/6300).
Specific commands (like the two shown in the slide) may show information originating in the
file system.
To see actual directories and files, use the show dir <directory> command.

Oracle SBC Configuration and Administration 5 - 47

Oracle SBC Configuration and Administration 5 - 48
Backup operations on the SBC save backup copies of configurations, which are relatively
small XML files. Therefore, a large number of backup files can reside in the SBC. This leads
to the good practice of: “If you are in doubt whether a backup is needed before a certain
operation, do a backup!”

Oracle SBC Configuration and Administration 5 - 49

Use backup-config <filename> when all configurations are in sync.
Use backup-config <filename> running when a different configuration has already
been saved and is about to be activated.
Use backup-config <filename> editing when a configuration is edited, needs to be
saved, and you do not want to change any “dataDoc” file.

Oracle SBC Configuration and Administration 5 - 50

Restoring any backup file is as if you manually created a new configuration in the Editing
Configuration RAM area!
All restore-… variants overwrite the Editing configuration RAM area.
After restoring a backup, save/activate normally follow.

Oracle SBC Configuration and Administration 5 - 51

Oracle SBC Configuration and Administration 5 - 52
Oracle SBC Configuration and Administration 5 - 54
Oracle SBC Configuration and Administration 5 - 55
Oracle SBC Configuration and Administration 5 - 56
Oracle SBC Configuration and Administration 5 - 57
Oracle SBC Configuration and Administration 5 - 58
Configuring boot parameters differs slightly from configuring any other configuration element.
The “element” is the bootparam branch itself. When typing bootparam, the parameters are
shown line after line upon pressing Enter. For the currently displayed line, carefully type the
new value (no editing and no backspaces!!!) or just press Enter to get to the next parameter.
Keep pressing Enter until you exit. No need to explicitly save!

Oracle SBC Configuration and Administration 5 - 59

Oracle SBC Configuration and Administration 5 - 60
Oracle SBC Configuration and Administration 5 - 61
Oracle SBC Configuration and Administration 5 - 62
This slide is more about stressing the bottom-up approach rather than discussing any specific
configuration. The rationale behind this is that configuration elements refer to ones created
before, and the whole work sequence is simpler and more intuitive.

Oracle SBC Configuration and Administration 5 - 63

Oracle SBC Configuration and Administration 5 - 64
Oracle SBC Configuration and Administration 5 - 65
Oracle SBC Configuration and Administration 5 - 66