Application of the ETOM framework for defining processes in the telecommunication systems management network of the Serbian Army

Abstract

This paper deals with management system requirements in telecommunications. A TMN (Telecommunication Management Network) is necessary to be well designed and constantly upgraded. The  ETOM (Enhanced Telecommunication Operation Map) framework, defined by the ITU-T Recommendation M.3050, is used to describe various processes that occur in the network for monitoring and control of military telecommunications systems. Their definition is an essential precondition for introducing management applications that would manage all of the processes in their end-to-end structure. Telecommunication networks are categorized in  accordance withg their functions. A set of relevant network processes important for supervision and management is explained for each described subsystem. This defining represents a prerequisite for the management application configuration which aims to automate management functions and services.

eTOM frame and its implementation in telecommunication management networks

ETOM is defined as a telecommunication conceptual frame which includes all the processes that exist in a telecommunication network. It does not represent a telecommunication model, but gives a basic frame for all the processes to be included within. It ranges throughout three basic areas: operation processes, planning and development processes and production management. ETOM supports two different process grouping perspectives: horizontal and vertical. The aim of this kind of grouping is to provide the complete overview in all the processes a telecommunication management network should include. Horizontal grouping includes functional processes within the same managed system. Vertical grouping includes all the processes within a TMN. Overlapped horizontal and vertical group constellations enable a connected matrix structure of the eTOM frame. Operational processes within a TMN can be divided into a few categories: user-network interaction, services management and resources management. Planning and development of a TMN includes development and services management processes, as well as development and resources management processes (applications and network elements).

Managed telecommunication networks in the Serbian Army

The managed telecommunication  system which is currently in use in the Serbian Army can be divided, considering the purpose of each element, into the following: commutation subsystem, WAN and access subsystem, radio subsystem, infrastructural subsystem (power supply, etc.) and TMN subsystem. These elements represent independent managed subsystems which are controlled and overviewed by various applications. Within the Serbian Army structural organization, there has been a need for centralized management which would optimize heterogeneous TMN and administrator management functions. To achieve this, necessary TMN functions and services have to be defined. This process starts with the TMN functions and services defined for each of the subsystems.

TMN end-to-end processes defining

Considering TMN functions and services (ITU-T M.3050), several factors with a considerable influence on TMN functioning can be mentioned. These are the variety of installed telecommunication devices, the diversity of TMN applications, the amount of customer demands for configuration modification (new customers, new connections, new services, etc.) and the quantity of system errors which demand the administrator reaction (different weight alarms  coming from the system). Each subsystem produced by a different manufacturer requires the interconnection access points between the TMN and the network equipment as well as a special group of administrators that manage that entity. Therefore, the division of the TMN functions has to depend on the characteristics of equipment to be managed. The nature of military telecommunication networks is to have a vast amount of demands for system configuration changing. The mobile component of the network is quite a good representative for the mentioned feature. Every location change leads to a new affiliation of the nodes and users as well as to the establishment of new LOS links.

Conclusion

The purpose of this paper is to categorize military telecommunication networks in accordance with the type of the equipment and the functions of subsystems. A frame for overall specification and defining processes within the heterogeneous network management is proposed. The definition of processes is a very important precondition for upgrading the already existing TMN and for making the base presumptions for introducing a new management application. Operative tasks would thus be more automated in a wide area of different functional tasks within telecommunication network management.