Question 3/4 - Transport network and service operations procedures for performance and fault management
(Continuation of Question 3/4 (2001-2004)
This Question will study aspects of network and service operations (BIS and maintenance procedures) and performance (objectives, limits and allocations) under a number of specialist areas organized in terms of network and service layers. These include physical, circuit based (e.g.
PDH, SDH, OTN) and packet based (e.g. ATM, FR, IP, MPLS and Ethernet) transport layers.
- Motivation
Customer expectations relating to the Quality of Service (QoS) provided by telecom networks are changing with the advent of new technology, new services and new Service Providers. Transmission performance characteristics, objectives, allocations and limits for services and supporting transport networks need continuous review to take account of technology changes and improvements. Network operations procedures and processes are shifting towards increased emphasis on automated network and
service management, driven by market and economic pressures, and enabled
by technology development.
International agreement is therefore required on performance and
procedures for services and supporting transport networks, including
harmonization between different networks and technologies.
This Question is responsible for the maintenance of the M.13xx series and
the M.2xxx series Recommendations.
- Question
Study items to be considered include, but are not limited to:
- Physical and circuit based (e.g. PDH, SDH, OTN) layer networks and services.
What new recommendations or changes to existing recommendations should be defined for operations and
maintenance of digital transport networks? How should the current M-series recommendations relating to the
physical layer be extended and developed to cover both networks and services offered at the physical layer?
How does ASON technology affect the bringing into Service and Maintenance procedures for the OTN and how should
M-series Recommendations be extended and developed to cover this?
- Packet based (e.g. ATM, FR, IP, MPLS and Ethernet) layer networks and services.
What new recommendations are required for operations and maintenance of digital transport networks employing
packet based technologies? How should the current M-Series Recommendations relating to packet based layer networks
be extended and developed to cover both networks and services offered at the packet layer? What processes and
procedures need to be standardized for services offered using these technologies?
- Applications
Are any specific recommendations needed for applications using the digital transport network? Potential examples
of applications are end-to-end managed services for ATM, FR and IP.
- Aspects to consider
For all three areas defined above, the following aspects should be considered:
- Error, timing (jitter/wander/synchronization), availability and reliability performance
- QoS and Service Level Agreements (SLAs)
- Implications of interconnection of private networks with public/leased networks
- Impact of in-service monitoring techniques (primitives, parameters, objectives)
- Preventative and corrective maintenance (proactive and reactive approaches)
- Recovery mechanisms (protection and restoration procedures)
- Mixed technology transport networks (hybrid networks)
- Telecom management requirements
- Provision of test points and testing procedures
- Tasks
Tasks include, but are not limited to:
- Review existing network and service models and develop extensions/new ones.
- Consider performance objectives and allocations based on Study Group 13 work and other study groups e.g.
Study Group 2, Study Group 12, Study Group 16.
- Maintain the relationships between performance limits and objectives and consider their impact on
QoS and SLAs.
- Consider interworking of PDH, SDH, FR, ATM, IP MPLS and Ethernet networks and support of each other.
- Identify specific Telecom Management requirements especially those relating to exchange of information.
- Review and refine existing recommendations and develop required new recommendations.
- Update and harmonize vocabulary, terms and definitions.
- Relationships
The work of this Question is related to work being done in:
- ITU-T Study Groups 4, 12, 13, 15, and 16
- Telemanagement Forum
- IETF |
