| ==Phrack Inc.== |
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| Volume Two, Issue 21, File 6 of 11 |
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| <><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><> |
| <> <> |
| <> Organizations Supporting The Telecommunications Network Operations <> |
| <> <> |
| <> NETWORK MANAGEMENT CENTER <> |
| <> _____________________________________________________ <> |
| <> | | <> |
| <> | A description of the Network Management Center/NMC | <> |
| <> | and its role in providing the best possible service | <> |
| <> | to the customers of the telecommunications network. | <> |
| <> |_____________________________________________________| <> |
| <> <> |
| <> Brought to you by <> |
| <> Knight Lightning & Taran King <> |
| <> <> |
| <> August 9, 1988 <> |
| <> <> |
| <><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><> |
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| =-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-= |
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| Introduction To Network Management - Southwestern Bell Telephone Company |
| ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ |
| Modern Telecommunications Networks, relying on direct customer input and common |
| and stored program controlled switching, are generally very reliable and have |
| provided the means to supply low cost telecommunication service to all who |
| desire it. Because these networks are designed on the probability that all |
| customers do not require service simultaneously, they are engineered and |
| equipped to provide acceptable levels of service during normal traffic load |
| periods. When customer demands or equipment malfunctions cause a deviation |
| from the engineered requirements or heavier than normal calling occurs, modern |
| networks can become congested and network throughput can be affected. |
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| Network Management provides a means to improve the |
| performance of the network during these contingencies. |
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| Purpose And Objectives |
| ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ |
| The Network Management Centers purpose is to provide the constant surveillance |
| and control activities necessary to maintain the network at its optimum level |
| of performance. This includes the Bell Operating Company (BOC) Intra-Lata |
| Networks and Inter-Exchange Facilities and Circuits. |
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| NMC's objective is to meet customer and market needs and expectations, and at |
| the same time, maximize revenues derived from the provision of network service. |
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| While the NMC cannot guarantee a certain level of service to the customer, it |
| can ensure the most effective use of existing network capacity in all |
| situations. This will result in: |
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| - More completed calls |
| - Higher return on network capital investment |
| - Better customer service |
| - Protection of essential services such as 911, during abnormal network |
| situations |
| - Ensuring equal access |
| - Assisting in national security and emergency preparedness |
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| The NMC has the capability to alter or change the switching network on a near |
| real-time basis. This is accomplished thru Network Control Actions in the |
| switching machines. Control messages from the NMC are acted upon by the |
| switching machines to either expand capacity by utilizing idle equipment and |
| trunks or to restrict the network by denying access to traffic that has a poor |
| chance of completion, thereby freeing equipment and trunks for traffic that has |
| a good chance of completion. |
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| Principles And Responsibilities Of Operations |
| ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ |
| In accomplishing the purpose and objective of the NMC, decision on network |
| control actions are guided by standard principle applicable to switching |
| technology or network architecture. All network management control actions are |
| generally based upon at least one of the standard principles. |
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| Inhibit Switching Congestion |
| ---------------------------- |
| Large numbers of ineffective attempts in a switching machine due to traffic |
| overload or equipment malfunctions can exceed the engineered capacity of the |
| system. If not controlled, this congestion can spread to other connected |
| switching systems. Network management controls are available that remove |
| ineffective attempts to a congested machine, inhibiting switching congestion |
| and preventing its spread to adjacent switching systems. |
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| Use All Available Trunks |
| ------------------------ |
| The switching network is sized and equipped to accommodate the average business |
| day calling requirements. Focused overloads (storms, holidays, floods, and |
| civil disturbances) can often result in greatly increased calling patterns for |
| which the network is not designed. This aberration can also be caused by |
| facility failures and switching system outages. In these cases some trunk |
| groups are greatly overloaded while others may be virtually idle. Network |
| management reroutes can be activated in many of these cases to use temporary |
| idle capacity in the network, thereby completing calls that would otherwise be |
| blocked. |
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| Keep All Trunks Filled With Messages |
| ------------------------------------ |
| A message is a completed call. Since the network is normally trunk limited, it |
| is important to optimize the ratio of messages (revenue) to non-messages (non |
| revenue producing) on any trunk group. When unusual or abnormal conditions |
| occur in the network that cause increased short holding time calls (non-message |
| such as busy tone, reorder tone, recorded announcement, and high-and-dry - dead |
| air), the number of carried messages decreases because non-message traffic is |
| occupying a larger percentage of system capacity. Network management controls |
| are designed to reduce non-message traffic and allow more calls to complete. |
| This results in higher customer satisfaction and increased revenue for the |
| industry. |
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| Give Priority To Single-Link Connections |
| ---------------------------------------- |
| In networks designed to automatically alternate route calls, the most efficient |
| use of available trunking occurs when traffic loads are at (or below) normal |
| engineered values. When the engineered traffic load is exceeded, more calls |
| alternate route and therefore are required to use more than one trunk in order |
| to complete a call. During overload situations, the use of more than one trunk |
| to complete a call occurs more often and the possibility of a multilink call |
| blocking other call attempts is greatly increased. Thus, in some cases, it |
| becomes necessary to use network management controls to limit alternate routing |
| in order to give first routed traffic a reasonable chance to complete more |
| calls on the network than would otherwise be completed. |
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| The responsibility of the Network Management Center is far-reaching, affecting |
| many work groups and organizations both in Southwestern Bell Telephone Company, |
| other telephone companies, and the customers. |
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| The NMC provides: |
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| - Real-time surveillance and control of the switching network |
| - Identifying abnormal network situations |
| - A centralized point for information to higher management, IC's, |
| Independent Companies, and other BOC's. |
| - A focal point for national security and emergency preparedness concerns |
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| The System -- A Picture |
| ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ |
| The Network Management System consists of three major components: The |
| switching network itself, the data gathering support system, and the |
| surveillance and control system (NMC). |
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| The NMC is driven by customer actions in the switching network which are |
| recorded and displayed via the EADAS/NM (Engineering Administration Data |
| Acquisition System for Network Management). Network management control actions |
| are directed from the CRT to the switching network via the same system. |
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| Diagram; |
| Switching Data Gathering NMC Surveillance |
| Network System and Control |
| ____________ __________________ ______________________ |
| / \ / \ / \ |
| ____________ ___ _______________ |
| | |_______________________| | | | |
| | Access | | E | /| Display Board | |
| | Tandem | ___ | A | / |_______________| |
| | | | |__________| D | / |
| | End Office |________| E | Data | A |/ |
| | | | A |__________| S |\ |
| | Equal | | D | Network | / | \ |
| | Access | | A | Controls | N | \ |
| | End Office | | S |__________| M | \ |
| |____________| |___| | | \ __________________ |
| | | | \ | | |
| _|_ | | \| Cathode Ray Tube | |
| / \ | | |__________________| |
| \___/ |___| |
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| Introducing: The Southwestern Bell Telephone Company |
| Network Management Centers |
| ___________________ |
| | | |
| ___| Southwestern Bell |__________________________________________ |
| | | Corporations | | | | |
| | |___________________| ______|_______ ______|_______ ______|_______ |
| | | || || | |
| | | SW Bell || SW Bell || SW Bell | |
| | |Mobile Systems|| Telecom || Publications | |
| | |______________||______________||______________| |
| __|________________ |
| | | |
| | Southwestern Bell | |
| | Telephone | |
| |___________________| |
| | |
| |----> Little Rock NMC Arkansas (Non EADAS/NM) (501)373-5126 |
| |----> St. Louis NMC Missouri & Kansas (314)658-6044 |
| |----> Oklahoma City NMC Oklahoma (405)278-5511 * |
| |----> Dallas NMC North Texas (214)464-2164 |
| |----> Houston NMC South Texas (713)850-5662 * |
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| * - After hours, this number goes to a beeper, |
| at the tone, dial in your telephone number. |
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| Summary |
| ~~~~~~~ |
| Network Management is the term used to describe a variety of activities |
| associated with improving network traffic flow and customer service when |
| abnormal conditions (unusual traffic patterns or equipment failures) may have |
| resulted in a congested inefficient network. These activities include the |
| application of network controls when and where necessary and planning the means |
| by which the impact of network overloads can be minimized. |
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| Network Management is based upon the use of near real-time trunk group and |
| switching system data and the ability to implement appropriate network controls |
| thru the use of EADAS/NM. |
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| Network Management is concerned with completing as many calls as possible |
| within the Intra-Lata network and providing equal treatment for the traffic |
| flow to and from all inter-exchange carriers. |
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| "The Future Is Forever" |
| _______________________________________________________________________________ |
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