Type of Question

Combination of Q7/4 and Q8/4 (2000 – 2004)

Reasons for the Question

The TMN Principles and Architecture, as an overall framework for the management of telecommunications, have been of significant importance to the Telecommunication industry’s support of Public Telecommunication Operators (PTOs) requirements for network and service management solutions.

The current revision of the TMN principle and architecture has also undergone major changes in order to make it paradigm and technology independent and able to support a broad spectrum of Telecommunication technologies and requirements. It also includes TMN conformance and compliance concepts.

New requirements from the PTOs for interoperable TMN interfaces, functions and management services for new telecommunication technologies will need to be validated against the TMN principles and architecture, and may lead to further simplification and enhancements.

ITU-T Study group 4 has the responsibilities to co-ordinate all ITU-T activities to promote uniform TMN concept, architectures, functionality and interfaces. Close liaison is required to ensure that TMN develops in a timely manner without duplication effort.

Continued support and expansion of relevant Recommendations to support new services as well as mixed IP and circuit switched telecommunications networks. The management functions to be supported by the different components of the Next Generation Networks (NGN) may require new Recommendations as well as changes to existing Recommendations.

The TMN architecture specifies an F interface between the workstation and the operations system. The G interface lies between the human user and the workstation. The user can manage the TMN and be informed by the TMN by communications across these interfaces. 

The user interfaces to TMN, supplied by a variety of providers, are often inconsistent, and therefore difficult to learn, remember and use. A common agreement about the characteristics and content of the information that needs to cross the F and G interfaces will allow different providers’ software to interoperate and to be managed by the human users in a consistent way. It should be recognized that in carrying out the studies for this question close interaction and collaboration close interactions with organizations outside the ITU-T should be encouraged to support common industry solutions.

Text of the Question

1. What way can the TMN principles and architecture be extended in order to support new requirements from the PTOs ? 

2. What type of the enhancement and clarification is needed for the TMN conformance and compliance specification ? 

3. What further considerations and guidelines are needed to support the use of the TMN recommendations ? 

4. What are the relevant business processes and how do they lead to new requirements for the TMN and what is the impact of the service life cycle ?

5. What mechanisms should be employed to fulfil the TMN co-ordination role assigned to SG4 ? What is necessary to carry out the lead Study group for TMN role be carried out.

6. What maintenance and enhancements of existing Recommendations are required ? What Recommendations are required to provide requirements for design of human-machine interfaces (G Interface) for TMN systems, in order to achieve the following goals: Reduce training time and errors, and increase efficiency, for TMN users, Enable TMN users to manage multiple technologies via a consistent interface, Increase the productivity of developers of TMN systems, by enabling them to efficiently provide consistent G interfaces that support the users' task needs ? 

7. What Recommendations are required to identify requirements placed on TMN systems via the F Interface in order to meet the goals listed above.

8. What terminology is required in each new and revised Recommendation ?

Specific task objectives

• Verification and validation and enhancement of the TMN Principles and Architecture.
• Maintenance of TMN compliance and conformance.
• Identify what Business Processes are required to be supported by the TMN and identify and collaborate with appropriate organizations outside the ITU-T in fulfilling this task.
• Develop strategies for TMN principles and the use of TMN recommendation in the telecommunication industry to support the service life cycle and the automation of service and network operations and Business Processes. 
• Consider the impact on TMN of new and emerging Telecommunication technologies that support NGN.
• Provide overall guidance for use of TMN recommendations.
• Consider the role of the G interface in the TMN architecture.
• Modify and extend M.3200 and M.3400 to support identified Business Processes.
• Identify existing international, regional and industry user interface standards as well as other standardization efforts in progress, supporting this topic (both general computing human factors and telecommunications-specific). If appropriate, provide an "umbrella" Recommendation that summarizes and provides pointers to other human-computer interaction standards that can be used by TMN developers.
• Identify what additional user interface standardization would be appropriate and what steps may be taken to produce additional standardization. In particular identify what outside organizations are appropriate to this work and initiate appropriate collaboration.