PDF of this tutorial- understanding the complex relationships between each object, process, and event
- anticipating and diagnosing events based on this understanding
- automating all necessary tests and data gathering (such as transaction language 1 [TL1] messages, signaling network management protocol [SNMP] gets, and Internet protocol [IP] echo pings) automating corrective actions
- measuring the potential business impact of each event (on service-level agreements, for example)
- accepting data from any source
- providing a flexible user interface (including Web and Java-based interfaces)
This functionality in an OSS is achieved by integrating software with capabilities at three levels (see Figure 3):
- support for the required managed object interfaces (event integration)
- powerful reasoning on this collected event data to identify the root cause of problems and service impacts (root-cause analysis and service impact assessment)
- support for complementary best-of-breed applications (application integration)
Figure 3. OSS Event Integration, Processing, and Outputs
The service management system must accept inputs from a diverse set of managed objects. These include raw feeds from ASCII ports, control interfaces to switches, standard management interfaces with SNMP or common management information protocol (CMIP)–manageable devices, as well as newer common object request broker architecture (CORBA)–based interfaces. All of this information must be combined intelligently, in real time, to provide the diagnosis of current service-level impacts, predicted service-level impacts, and necessary actions to ensure that service-level expectations are met. Finally, integration with other applications, such as the billing system, is required to reflect the impacts of the services delivered accurately.
The Result
Successful OSS implementers today must turn their focus from simply managing the equipment and networks in their businesses to managing the services supported by those networks and equipment. The fact that a given piece of equipment is failing may or may not be important. If that piece of equipment is supporting a current videoconference for the CEO of a customer, for example, it is quite important. A well-designed service-level management system will provide the rapid diagnosis and response to each potential problem that supports improved QoS and resource allocation, escalation, and priorities.
