VIAVI XPERTrak Service Assurance and Network Maintenance System for HFC and DAA Networks

XPERTrak is a VIAVI service assurance and network maintenance system for HFC cable networks. It combines data from deployed network elements, PathTrak hardware, VIAVI field meters and optional VIAVI signal leakage systems into a quality-of-experience (QoE) view of plant performance. The system is virtualized, so it works with distributed access architectures (DAA) such as Remote PHY. It does not depend on a particular plant architecture or equipment vendor.

Service dashboard and prioritization

The XPERTrak Service Dashboard shows the worst-performing nodes based on adjustable QoE metrics. Users can drill down from node-level roll-ups to per-subscriber metrics. Trending displays separate chronic problems from one-time events, and alarm status flags nodes that need immediate action. XPERTrak matches affected subscribers to detected plant impairments, so operators can see which issues to fix first and send the right technician. Field technicians can see QoE metrics on their test tools to confirm that a repair actually helped the customer.

Proactive Network Maintenance and field find-and-fix

XPERTrak includes Proactive Network Maintenance (PNM) displays that locate impedance mismatches in cable networks. It overlays per-modem QoE impact on PNM-identified groups to separate urgent repairs from ones that can wait. With PathTrak hardware, XPERTrak provides live spectrum analysis for upstream ingress troubleshooting. Field View lets technicians see local and combined spectrum on VIAVI field meters. Integration with the VIAVI leakage system helps pinpoint the location of PNM-identified issues.

DAA and DOCSIS 3.1

During the move to DAA, virtual spectrum and QAMTrak analyzers keep upstream testing available for both legacy and DAA nodes. This covers live spectrum and QAM analysis, monitoring and alarming, performance history and sweep. XPERTrak offers live heatmap spectrum analysis from PathTrak hardware and virtual sources, and its QoE monitoring algorithms use DOCSIS 3.1 metrics. Summary views are based on OFDM profile distributions. An optional DOCSIS 3.1 Analyzer is available for troubleshooting individual modems on demand.

NITRO Business Intelligence extension

The optional NITRO Business Intelligence (NBI) extension combines XPERTrak data with internal MSO and third-party data sources, using analytics built for HFC and PON operators. VIAVI customizes its dashboards and reports, so the operator's IT staff does not need to be involved. It is used to track KPIs, check whether an area is ready for new service launches, and plan CAPEX. APIs are also available to feed XPERTrak data into MSO internal systems.