CHAPTER 6: REMOTE DEVICE ALERTS
MDU Solutions
®
– UCrypt
®
Monitoring Server - Operation Manual
6-7
5. Hardware tuner in the UCrypt equipment is failing.
6 .9 .7 Next Steps
1. Check if the program has corrected itself by checking ‘status’ of the program on ‘Channel View’ page and checking
for indication of persisting PCR lock error message on ‘CableCARD View’ page.
2. Check if there was an ‘apply’ or ‘reboot’ performed just prior to the error message in the logs. If so, this is normal
operation.
3. Consider if there was plant maintenance happening during the subject time period. Plant outages will cause this
problem. Were there other alerts that occurred at the same time or were there many or all tuners affected at the same
time indicating plant as the source.
4. Analyze if only one tuner board was affected or if all tuners were affected. If all were affected, the likelihood is that
there was an external influence such as an outage or an internal operation such as a UCrypt system ‘apply’ or ‘reboot’
which causes this message to appear while the tuners are unlocked in the midst of the operation (which is normal
and as per design).
5. Analyze if the signal levels at the UCrypt are in spec and if all QAM channels are flat in response.
6. If a single tuner is always affected in a similar way, and recurring alerts are reported over several days, this may
indicate an external problem, so measure signal levels and MER to determine system performance ahead of the
UCrypt on the affected channel.
7. If plant distortions and signal level problems have been eliminated, the UCrypt hardware tuner is likely failing.
6 .10 UCrypt Lost OOB Lock Error
6 .10 .1 Refers to
The UCrypt has lost reception on the specified OOB carrier.
There is an OOB carrier tuner on each CableCARD module /
host slot port installed in the UCrypt. Your UCrypt may have between 1 and 10 OOB tuners installed depending on the ordered
configuration.
6 .10 .2 Repetition of Alert
This alert is sent only once each time a specific OOB carrier loses lock. No further alert will be sent until the OOB carrier locks
again in the tuner and then again loses lock.
6 .10 .3 Customer Symptoms
No symptom directly as a result of this error. Extended duration of this error could result in customer experiencing loss of all
programs on the associated CableCARD module as the module eventually looses its entitlement.
6 .10 .4 Urgency
Medium.
6 .10 .5 Cases Where Alert is Likely a Result of:
Outside influence or normal operation
If all tuners lose lock simultaneously this is almost certainly an indication of OOB impairment on the plant as it’s extremely
improbable that all individual OOB tuners would experience hardware failures at the exact same time. This is usually caused
by plant maintenance activities.
An Internal Issue
If just a single tuner board is losing OOB lock repeatedly, this is an indication of a potential hardware issue with that board
since any impairment to the OOB on the plant side should affect all tuners equally.
6 .10 .6 Probable Causes
1. The subject OOB carrier was not available on the cable system at the time of the error.
2. Plant distortions make it difficult for the UCrypt tuner to maintain lock on the subject OOB Carrier.
3. Plant maintenance had been occurring at the time of the error.
4. Hardware tuner internal to the UCrypt equipment is failing.
6 .10 .7 Next Steps
1. Determine if multiple OOB carriers lose lock at the same time. Multiple carriers losing lock at one time may indicate
external causes such as maintenance activities.
