CHAPTER 6: REMOTE DEVICE ALERTS
MDU Solutions
®
– UCrypt
®
Monitoring Server - Operation Manual
6-9
6. If a single tuner persistently reports errors or tuners on a single CableCARD module or tuners on a single tuner board
are persistently in error and the RF signal level and MER on the QAM in question have been confirmed to be within
spec at the UCrypt input, this could indicate a failing tuner board internal to the UCrypt equipment.
6 .12 UCrypt Program Lost Bitrate Error
6 .12 .1 Refers to
Lack of presence of MPEG video packets for the program in question .
This error is reporting on a single program in a
QAM and is not indicating the failure of the QAM as a whole.
6 .12 .2 Repetition of Alert
This alert is sent at every occurrence of the detection of a bitrate that is lost. If the stream is reacquired, then the alert is sent
again upon the next bit rate loss detection.
6 .12 .3 Customer Symptoms
Customer experiences loss of program reported by the error for the duration that the error condition exists.
6 .12 .4 Urgency
Medium - High.
6 .12 .5 Cases Where Alert is Likely a Result of:
Outside influence or normal operation
To have an occasional but rare alert of lost bitrate could be considered normal as there are many possible causes, many
of them cable system related, or it may happen as a result of a UCrypt operation such as an ‘apply’ or reboot and does not
require any attention if the UCrypt is able to recover from the problem by itself. It may be that a program was taken out of
service momentarily at the headend. A repeated alert of this nature should be cause to investigate why a single program is
consistently losing bitrate.
An Internal Issue
If a program is consistently losing bitrate and/or fails to re-acquire bit rate when it can be verified the same program is in fact
operating properly on the plant, this may be an indication of either a UCrypt software or hardware based issue.
6 .12 .6 Probable Causes
1. If the error is seen immediately following an ‘apply’ or ‘reboot’ this is considered normal and is not an issue.
2. The UCrypt software failed to re-acquire the program video stream after an outage condition.
3. The program was unavailable (or is still not available) on the cable system plant at the time of the error.
4. There is a hardware failure of the tuner or demodulator in question.
6 .12 .7 Next Steps
1. Investigate if bitrate on the program in question has been re-acquired by the UCrypt typically indicated by the program
status returning to ‘green’ on the ‘Channel View’ page. Also check the video bitrate on the program specific details
page. If it has not been re-acquired, an ‘Apply’ or a ‘reboot’ may be necessary in order to re-acquire.
2. Investigate why the subject program was not available and/or is still not available on the cable system plant at the
time of the error.
6 .13 UCrypt Multiplex Dropping Error
6 .13 .1 Refers to
The aggregate bit rate of the specific QAM is exceeding 38.8 Mb/s or the internal multiplexer is failing to properly
process all packets as it should .
Each program that is assigned to a multiplex is variable bit rate and the sum total of all the
assigned programs is likely exceeding, from time to time, the bit rate limit of the affected QAM. This may happen when several
programs are taken from various QAMs and multiplexed together on another QAM and there has not been sufficient headroom
left to accommodate the variable bit rate nature of the programs. The UCrypt does not rate shape programs so the operator
must ensure that too many programs are not placed in any single output QAM.
6 .13 .2 Repetition of Alert
This alert is sent each time that it is detected that the bit rate for the specific QAM has exceeded the 38.8 Mb/s limit. If the bit
