i2i ACS
A TR-069 auto-configuration server with zero-touch provisioning and diagnostics
Customer equipmentIllustrative| Serial | Model | Firmware | Signal |
|---|---|---|---|
| ZTEG-C8A1F2 | ONT · F670L | V9.0.11 | −19.8 dBm |
| HWTC-7B20E1 | ONT · HG8245H | V3R017 | −21.4 dBm |
| TPLK-40F3A9 | Router · EX220 | 1.2.3 | Online |
| ZTEG-C8B07D | ONT · F670L | V9.0.10 | −28.6 dBm |
Alarm Low optical power on ZTEG-C8B07D
Overview
i2i ACS is a TR-069 auto-configuration server for customer-premise equipment such as ONT and ONU units and Wi-Fi routers. Devices call in, are discovered, are registered against the subscriber in your billing system and are configured by workflows that your team builds in a web console.
The current edition separates a protocol-only edge node from a multi-tenant control plane. Edge nodes speak CWMP to the devices and pull their configuration from the control plane. The control plane stores devices, workflows, sensor readings and health results, and scopes what each partner may see. Support staff can then reboot, reconfigure, diagnose or upgrade a device from the console, singly or in bulk, without visiting the customer.
At a glance
- Devices discovered and registered on first contact
- Zero-touch templates for WAN and Wi-Fi setup
- Reboot, reset, diagnostics and firmware download
- Optical power and health checks per device
What is a TR-069 ACS?
TR-069 is a Broadband Forum standard, also called CWMP, for managing customer-premise equipment from a central point. The server is the auto-configuration server, or ACS. The device, known as the CPE, opens an HTTP session to the ACS and sends an Inform message with its identity and state. The ACS replies with remote procedure calls that read or change parameters, reboot the device, download a file or run a diagnostic.
Parameters are organised in a data model. TR-098 describes the older InternetGatewayDevice tree and TR-181 the newer Device tree. A management system reads and writes values in these trees, for example the WAN connection, the Wi-Fi name or the optical power of a fibre modem.
Because a router at a customer home sits behind NAT, the ACS cannot normally open a connection to it. TR-069 solves this with a Connection Request, in which the ACS asks the device to start a session, and with STUN support for devices that are harder to reach. Operators use an ACS to provision new devices without a technician, change settings across a fleet, push firmware and see why a customer's connection is failing.
Capabilities
What i2i ACS does
CWMP protocol
- CWMP session engine on port 7547
- Inform, TransferComplete and GetRPCMethods handling
- CPE authentication: none, Basic or Digest
- Connection Request with per-device credentials
Discovery and registration
- Discovery on first Inform
- Device lifecycle states from discovered to registered
- Online and offline presence tracking
- Single and bulk retry of registration
Workflows and provisioning
- Routes select a workflow by device context
- Workflow steps for parameters, reboot and download
- Zero-touch templates by vendor, OUI and model
- Config profiles and model maps
Remote management
- Reboot and factory reset
- Get and set parameters, add and delete objects
- IPPing, TraceRoute, Download and Upload diagnostics
- Bulk operations over a filtered device list
Monitoring and support
- Sensors with warn and critical thresholds
- Service check by fibre, device, WAN, LAN and account
- Connected Wi-Fi clients and history
- Device activity trail with credentials masked
Integration and scope
- Registration against i2i billing by PPPoE username
- Tenants that follow partner accounts
- Data Sources for external systems
- Central sign-in with permission roles
Use cases
Where i2i ACS is used
Zero-touch onboarding of a new ONT
A new ONT powers up at a customer home and sends its first Inform. The ACS discovers it, matches a template by vendor and model, creates the WAN connection, configures dual-band Wi-Fi and registers the device to the subscriber found by its PPPoE username.
Bulk change across a fleet
An operator needs to change a parameter set or trigger a firmware download on one device model. Bulk Ops applies one operation to a filtered list of devices and tracks the result of each, so failures can be retried instead of guessed at.
Support desk diagnosis
A customer calls about a poor connection. The agent runs the service check, which grades fibre, device, WAN, LAN and account layers, then runs a ping or traceroute from the device itself and checks which Wi-Fi clients are connected.
Optical power watch
A network team collects receive and transmit optical power from ONTs of several makes. Warn and critical thresholds classify each reading, and the Alerts list shows the devices that need attention before customers report a fault.
FAQ
i2i ACS: frequently asked questions
Which standards and data models does i2i ACS support?
TR-069 over CWMP, with the CWMP 1.0 to 1.4 namespaces accepted, and the TR-098 and TR-181 data models. The diagnostics use the standard IPPing, TraceRoute, Download and Upload objects. The newer Broadband Forum successor protocol is not implemented, so it is not an option today.
Can it upgrade firmware automatically?
It can send a Download instruction with a file URL to one device or to many through Bulk Ops, and a Firmware Upgrade workflow is seeded. It does not hold a firmware image library, apply version policies or run scheduled campaigns. Upgrades are triggered by an operator.
Does it work with devices behind NAT?
Yes. The ACS uses Connection Request to ask a device to start a session and pushes an inform interval to new devices. An embedded STUN responder with UDP Connection Request is available for harder cases and is off by default.
Does it notify us when a sensor crosses a threshold?
Readings are classified as good, warning or critical, and alerts are stored and listed in the console. Sending them onward by email, SMS or webhook is not built into the ACS, so watch the Alerts list or take the data into your own monitoring.
How does it link to billing?
A Data Source connects the ACS to the i2i billing REST API. At registration it checks whether the serial is already associated, otherwise finds the subscriber by the device's PPPoE username and associates the device. For networks without billing there is a registration step that stamps only the organisation.
Which device brands does it manage?
Any CPE that speaks TR-069 with the TR-098 or TR-181 model can call in. Seeded catalogues and sensor paths exist for several ONT and router vendors, seen on a live fleet, but there is no published list of validated models. Ask us to confirm your model before rollout.
Can I run several ACS nodes together?
Several nodes can be defined for one organisation. Session and pending-transfer state is held in memory on each node, and shared session storage is not built. We therefore do not describe multi-node operation as resilient; ask us about a deployment design for your scale.