This technical report serves as a short introduction to the terminology and concepts behind practical optical network management. It defines terminology like EMS, ME, PTP, CTP, Subnetwork, Subnetwork connection, Topological Link, PGP, Equipment, Equipment Holder, Route, Cross-Connect etc.. This report is written based on practical experience and various articles/documents available on the web.
Information Modeling
Network Management Systems (NMS) depends on a network database, in which the physical network is represented in an operational way. It enables the programs to exchange information about the network and to keep track of changes in configuration and capacity of the network. For this purpose, an appropriate model of the network is necessary.
Fig. A. Information Modeling
Fig. A shows the creation of an abstract representation of the physical network elements. Individual components in the abstract representation are called functional elements, like NE, PTP, CTP, SNC etc. The mapping of network elements to functional elements is called information modeling. For better understanding of optical networks, MTNM information modeling is taken as reference. The terms like EMS, ME, PTP, CTP, Subnetwork, Subnetwork connection, Topological Link, PGP, Equipment, Equipment Holder, Route, Cross-connect are directly taken from well defined MTNM information modeling.
