Ribbon SBC

Introduction

This document describes the Ribbon Scripted Vendor Knowledge Module (Ribbon SVKM), a declarative monitoring and alerting solution for Ribbon Session Border Controllers (SBCs).

Ribbon SVKM enables automated discovery, monitoring, and alerting using REST-based data collection and the ScriptedVKM framework. It is designed to scale across multi-cluster environments while maintaining consistency and operational simplicity. 

Architectural Overview

Ribbon SVKM follows a layered architecture that ensures repeatability, scalability, and operational safety.

Architecture Layers

• Collection Layer
  Retrieves operational data from SBC APIs
• Alignment Layer
  Creates folders, agents, and pollers dynamically
• Task Layer
  Executes scheduled jobs to populate poller values
• Threshold Layer
  Evaluates values and generates alarms

Data Flow

Collection (Parent Agent)
        ↓
Alignment (Creates pollers on device agents)
        ↓
Task Execution (Runs on device agents using parent credentials)
        ↓
Poller values updated
        ↓
Threshold evaluation → Alarms generated

Operational Capabilities

Ribbon SVKM provides:

• Automated discovery of SBC components (nodes, zones, interfaces, DSPs, licenses)
• Dynamic poller creation based on discovered inventory
• Scheduled task execution with staggered intervals
• Threshold-based alerting across all monitored components
• Efficient API utilization using bulk data collection

Operational Safety and Maintainability

• Fully declarative architecture
• No code changes required for extensions
• Centralized configuration via ScriptedVKM
• Secure credential storage at the parent agent level
• Built-in logging via scriptedvkm.log

The solution separates:

• Cluster-level configuration (parent agent)
• Node-level monitoring (device agents)

Installation Instructions

Prerequisites

• ScriptedVKM module enabled on RIG
• Ribbon SBC API access (FQDN preferred)
• Valid credentials
• Network connectivity from RIG to SBC

Importing SVKM

1. Navigate to: Configure → Knowledge Scripts
2. Right-click and select Import
3. Select the Ribbon SVKM package
4. Wait for import to complete

Deployment Procedure

Follow the steps below to deploy Ribbon SBC monitoring using ScriptedVKM.

Step 1: Configure Agent

Navigate to your Nectar RIG and create an agent with the following parameters:

Step 2: Edit Agent

Click Edit on the previously created agent, and add the following properties:

• Login
• Password
• URL

Step 3: Associate Knowledge Scripts

Click Associate Knowledge Scripts on the previously created agent:

Associate the Ribbon SVKM script by selecting it and clicking add:

Click done.

Step 4: Verify Data

After association, the script will automatically execute.

After execution, please validate that inventory data is collected successfully.

Folder Structure

RibbonSBC
 └── <SBC_CLUSTER_NAME>
      ├── <SBC_NODE_A>
      ├── <SBC_NODE_B>
      └── <SBC_CLUSTER_NAME>_licenseInfo

Optional zone-based grouping:

RibbonSBC
 └── <ZONE_NAME>
      └── <SBC_CLUSTER_NAME>

Agent Structure

Poller Placement Rules

• Pollers are created only on node agents
• Parent agent is used only for credentials
• Shared pollers (license, interfaces) may exist at cluster level
• Naming must be consistent across alignment and tasks

Poller Naming Conventions

Poller names are dynamically generated and must remain consistent across alignment, tasks, and thresholds.

Naming Format

<ceName> + <Component> + <Attributes> + <Metric>

Examples by Type

Naming must match exactly between alignment and task logic or data will not populate correctly.

Running Script (Onboarding)

1. Right-click the parent agent
2. Select Associate Knowledge Script
3. Add the Ribbon onboarding script
4. Execute collections

Notes

• Large environments may create thousands of pollers
• Execution time depends on SBC size
• Data may take 3–10 minutes to populate

Onboarding Validation

Folder

• RibbonSBC exists
• Cluster folder created

Agents

• Node A and Node B created
• License agent present

Pollers

• Created only on node agents
• Naming format is correct

Tasks

• Running on node agents
• Using parent credentials

Alerts

• Trigger correctly
• Clear when conditions normalize

Core Components

Agent Creation

Creates cluster and node agents dynamically based on discovered data.

Collections

Retrieves inventory and operational data via REST APIs.

Examples:

• Trunk groups
• CPU utilization
• DSP resources
• Power supplies
• Interfaces
• Policy servers
• License usage

Alignment

• Iterates through discovered objects
• Creates pollers
• Applies naming conventions

Task Execution

Severity Mapping Across Modules

The following table defines how metrics are evaluated and mapped to severity levels across Ribbon SBC components.

Monitoring Logic

High Availability (HA)

• If negotiated speed exists AND no out-of-service reason → Normal
• Otherwise → Critical

Policy Server Monitoring

• Active/standby servers take priority
• If negotiated version exists → Normal
• If missing → Major

Trunk Group Monitoring

• Calculates total vs used capacity
• Uses percentage for alerting

Troubleshooting

Logging

• File: scriptedvkm.log
• Created automatically
• Recommended during onboarding

Common Issues

Key Design Rules

• Pollers must be created on node agents
• Parent agent is credential-only
• Naming must match exactly across modules
• Threshold values must align with task outputs
• Folder structure must remain consistent

Summary

Ribbon SVKM provides:

• Scalable monitoring across SBC clusters
• Efficient API-driven data collection
• Automated poller creation and management
• Standardized alerting across infrastructure