Management Functions and Reference Models

1. Management Functions and Reference Models W.lilakiatsakun

2. TMN Layer • Telecommunication Management Network • A set of standards by ITU (International Telecommunication Union) • It is a part of ITU Recommendation series M.3000 series • It is defined by ITU Recommendation M.3010

3. Management Layer (1) TMN-layer: a management hierarchy reference model

4. Management layer (2) • TMN (Telecommunication Management Network) • Network Element • Element Management • Network Management • Service Management • Business Management

5. Management layer (3) • Network element • It means “the management agent “ • It provides agent services, mapping the physical aspects of the equipment into the TMN framework.

6. Management layer (4) • Element management • This layer deals with vendor specific management functions and hides these functions from the layer above, the Network Management layer. • Examples of functions performed at the Element Management layer are: • detection of equipment errors, • measuring power consumption, • measuring the temperature of equipment, • measuring the resources that are being used, like CPU-time, buffer space, queue length etc., • logging of statistical data, • updating firmware.

7. Management layer (5) • Network Management • To manage the functions related to the interaction between multiple pieces of equipment. • Involves with keeping the network running as a whole (end-to-end) • Examples of functions performed at this layer are: • creation of the complete network view, • creation of dedicated paths through the network to support the QoS demands of end users, • modification of routing tables, • monitoring of link utilization, • optimizing network performance, and • detection of faults.

8. Management layer (6) • Service management • The Service Management layer is concerned with management of those aspects that may directly be observed by the users of the telecommunication network. • These users may be end users (customers) but also other service providers (administrations).Managing the services that the network provides and ensuring those services are running smoothly

9. Management layer (8) • The notion of Service Management can be regarded as the most valuable contribution of TMN and other management frameworks • Examples of functions performed at the Service Management layer are: • Quality of Service management (delay, loss, etc.), • Accounting, • Addition and removal of users, • Address assignment, • Maintenance of group addresses • Ex. A customer orders a phone service , a number of operations required • Number allocation • Company directory updating • Testing and troubleshooting

10. Management layer (7) • Business management • It is responsible for the management of the whole enterprise. • It can better be related to strategical and tactical management, instead of operational management, like the other management layers of TMN. • Examples • Billing and invoicing • Help desk management • Business forecasting • Etc ?

11. Reference Model(1) • It can be used for guidance and helps • To check a management system or operations support infrastructure for completeness (most important aspect) • Categorize and group different functions • To identify scenarios and use cases that need to be collected and to recognize interdependencies and interfaces between different tasks

12. Reference Model(2) • FCAPS – Fault, Configuration, Account, Performance, Security • OAM&P – Operation, Administration, Maintenance and Provision • eTOM (extended Telecom Operation Maps) – FAB :Fulfillment – Assurance - Billing

13. FCAPS(1) • FCAPS is part of TMN model • F : Fault management • C : Configuration management • A : Accounting management • P : Performance management • S : Security management

14. FCAPS(2)

15. Fault management (1) • Deal with faults that occur in the network • Equipment or software failure • Communication services fails to work properly • Functionality (not limited to) • Network monitoring + alarm management + advanced alarm processing function • Fault diagnostic/ root cause analysis/ troubleshooting • Maintaining historical alarm logs • Trouble ticketing • Proactive fault management

16. Fault management (2) - Network monitoring • Allow a network provider organization: • To see whether the network is operating as expected • To keep track of its current state • To visualize the current state • The most important aspect of network monitoring is alarm management • Alarm is an unsolicited messages from the network indicate that some unexpected event has occurred • Link down • Intrusion detected

17. Fault management (3) - Basic Alarm Management Function (1) • Alarm management with basic function Ex. • Collecting alarms • maintaining accurate and current lists of alarms (historical alarm data) • Visualizing alarms and network state • The most important task consists of collecting alarms and making sure that nothing important is missed

18. Fault management (4) - Basic Alarm Management Function(2) Visualizing Alarm (a) Table list (b) Topology Map

19. Fault management (4) - Basic Alarm Management Function (3) • Historical alarm data can be useful • To resolve future problems faster by recognizing patterns and recalling their past resolution • To establish trends, to see how alarm rates and types of alarms reported have evolved over time

20. Fault management (5) - Advanced Alarm Management Function(1) • Alarm forwarding function – email, SMS • Acknowledging function – allow network operators to acknowledge alarms • Trouble ticket • The clearing of alarm – a second alarm to indicate that the alarm condition no longer exists

21. Fault management (6) - Advanced Alarm Management Function(2)

22. Fault management (7) - Alarm and Event filtering (1) • Filtering - To block out as many irrelevant or less important event as possible or redundant alarm • Subscribe only needed alarms as specified by some criteria • Deduplication : discard the redundant alarms within a time • Correlation – To preprocess and aggregate data from events and alarms distill it into more concise and meaningful information

23. Fault management (8) - Alarm and Event filtering (2)

24. Fault management (9) -Fault diagnostic and Troubleshooting (1) • The analysis process that leads to a diagnosis is often referred to as a root cause analysis • For example: Device Overheating

25. Fault management (10) -Fault diagnostic and Troubleshooting (2)

26. Fault management (11) -Fault diagnostic and Troubleshooting (3) • Troubleshooting can involve simply • retrieving additional monitoring data about a device. • Injecting some tests into a network or a device • Loopback tests • Ping / traceroute

27. Fault management (12) -Proactive Fault management • Most fault management is reactive • Deal with faults after they have occurred • Proactive fault management • Taking a step to avoid failure conditions before they occur • Test network to detect deterioration in the quality of service • Alarm analysis that recognizes pattern of alarms caused by minor faults that point to bigger problems

28. Fault management (13) -Trouble ticket • The trouble ticket system helps keep track of which trouble tickets are still outstanding • Trouble tickets are assigned to operator who are responsible for resolving the trouble ticket • Not every alarm results in trouble ticket, only when alarm conditions having impact to deliver servicesor need human intervention

29. Configuration Management (1) • It includes the initial configuration of a device to bring it up as well as ongoing configuration changes • Configuration management functions: • Configuring Managed Resources • Auditing the network and discovery what’s in it • Synchronization management information in the network • Backing up network configuration and restoring • Managing software images running on network equipment

30. Configuration Management (2)-Configuring Managed Resources • This involves sending commands to network equipment to change its configuration settings • It might involve only one device or many devices.

31. Configuration Management (3)-Auditing and discovery • Auditing - To find out what actually has been configured – read and check • Reason to do (auto) Discovery • Inventory records might not be accurate • Changes might not always be recorded • More efficient than to enter the information into management app. • etc

32. Configuration Management (3)-Synchronization (1) • Reconciliation • The network is considered as the master of information • The information should reflect what is actually in the network

33. Configuration Management (4)-Synchronization (2) • Reprovisioning • The management system is the master of management information

34. Configuration Management (5)-Synchronization (3) • Discrepancy reporting • The decision of how to synchronize is made by the user

35. Configuration Management (6)-backup and restore • In case of some catastrophic event, it helps network operators brings the network back to operation in a short period of time • For example • Save in a file • Setup a TFTp server

36. Configuration Management (7)-Image Management • How to keep track of software images are installed on which network device • How to deliver new images to those devices without disrupting service

37. Accounting management (1) • It is at the core of the economics of providing communication services • Accounting management needs to be highly robust, highest availability and reliability standard apply • Account management is often associated simply with billing

38. Accounting management (2) • Account management can serve as an additional feature of the service itself • Billing information online

39. Performance management (1)-Performance metrics (1) • Throughput– units of communication per unit of time • Network layer – packets/sec • Application layer – requests/sec • Delay – unit of time • Network layer – time that packet take to rach the destination • Quality – might different • Network layer – percentage of packet dropped • Application layer – percentage of request that could not be serviced

40. Performance management (2)-Monitoring and Tuning • At basic level, to retrieve a snapshot of the current performance • For a more sophisticated analysis, to observe over time • Plot a histogram of some performance values with a new sample taken every 5 minutes

41. Performance management (2)-Collecting data • Polling – a manager polls to agents • Not scale • Intelligent agent – agents can be set up to do data collection • Use protocol supported • Netflow or IPFIX

42. Security Management (1) • Security of Management • Management of security

43. Security Management (1)-Security of management • Security of management deals with ensuring that management operations themselves are secured • Tasks to defend against threat: • Assign access privileges • Require secure passwords • Passwords need to be changed at regular interval • Establish audit trail • Set up proper facilities for backup and restore

44. Security Management (1)-Management of Security • Common security threat – hacker attack, denial of service (DoS), malware, spam • Components of security management • Intrusion detection system (IDS) • Applying policy to limit or allow to only gradually increase amount of traffic • Capability to blacklist ports and network addresses at which suspicious traffic patterns • Honey pots to gather information about security vulnerability

45. OAM&P (1) • Operation, Administration, Maintenance and Provisioning • Operation – day-to-day running of the network • Cooridinating activities among administration, maintenance and provisioning • Monitoring the network to ensure it runs properly

46. OAM&P (2) • Administration – cover the support functions that are required to manage the network and do not involve performing change • Designing the network • Tracking network usage • Assigning addresses • Keeping track of network inventory

47. OAM&P (3) • Maintenance – include functionalities ensuring that the network and services operate as they are supposed to • Diagnosing, troubleshooting, repairing • Provisioning – concern with proper setting of configuration parameters on the network

48. TOM (1) • Telecommunication Operation Map • TOM distinguishes among three life cycle stages – FAB (Fulfillment, Assurance, Billing) • Fulfillment ensure that a service order that was received is carried out • Turning up any required equipment • Performing configuration • Reserving resources

49. TOM (2) • Assurance – includes all activities ensuring that a service run smoothly after it has been fulfilled • Monitoring service for QoS purposes • Diagnosing any faults and repairing • Billing – making sure that services provided are accounted properly and can be billed to the user