NTP NTP 297-1001-107 PAGE 1 PREL., ISSUE 01D01 June 22, 1978 1. INTRODUCTION 1.01 The DMS 100 Family of Digital Switching Systems provide a number of administrative and maintenance facilities with which Telco personnel can maintain the hardware, software and external facilities of the DMS office, measure system performance, and manage the network with the objective of optimizing it's efficiency. 1.02 This practice lists and describes the administrative and maintenance facilities available and provides a reference to supporting documentation. 2. DESCRIPTION OF ADMINISTRATION AND MAINTENANCE FACILITIES 2.01 DMS administration and maintenance facilities are realized through a combination of software, hardware, and documentation. 2.02 For descriptive purposes they are classified into four functional groups as follows: (a) ADMINISTRATIVE: These facilities provide for the interrogation, collection and modification of data and for establishing schedules and thresholds. (b) INTERNAL MAINTENANCE: These include all DMS hardware (to the MDF) and software. (c) EXTERNAL MAINTENANCE: These include circuits on the transmission facility. (d) REPORTING: These include I/O facilities and the alarm system. 3. ADMINISTRATIVE FACILITIES DATA MODIFICATION ORDERS 3.01 A Data Modification Order (DMO) is a request to Telco personnel to change system information. DM0's are divided into DMS 100 FAMILY MAINTENANCE AND ADMINISTRATION TOOLS DESCRIPTION (c) NORTHERN TELECOM LIMITED, 1978 NTP 297-1001-107 PAGE 2 PREL., ISSUE 01D01 June 22, 1978 two order classes, namely: a) Customer Data Modification (CDM) - used to modify such items as directory number, hardware terminal identification, class of service and other features associated with a customer line. b) Office Data Modification (ODM) - used to modify such items as trunk group number, trunk type, service circuit type, digit and route translators, message routes, thresholds, test tables and Network Management control variables. 3.02 Changes are initiated by a need to add new lines, change or delete existing lines and line features, adjust routing patterns and trunk translations due to changing traffic patterns, and to adjust Network Management controls. 3.03 The user view of customer and office data in DMS takes the form of flat tables organized into rows and columns. Tables make the user aware of the relationships existing between the items comprising the data without having to know anything about the way the data are stored. DMO's are carried out at the table level by the use of a Table Editor. By using the Table Editor, Telco personnel can access customer or office data tables and then proceed to interrogate, update, or alter them. Once entered into the system a DMO can be activated immediately or it can be entered into a Pending Order file for activation at a later date. 3.04 The Table Editor can be accessed from a VDU or a teleprinter. DMO's are entered one by one from a designated MAP or dedicated DMO I/O terminal. Bulk or multiple changes are entered via magnetic tape. For a description of the DMO system, refer to NTP 297-1001-115 DMS 100 Family Data Modification System. The Table Editor is described in NTP 297-1001-310 DMS Table Editor Description. Individual orders are covered in the Order Procedures POP, NTP 297-1001-300. DMS 100 FAMILY MAINTENANCE AND ADMINISTRATION TOOLS DESCRIPTION (c) NORTHERN TELECOM LIMITED, 1978 NTP 297-1001-107 PAGE 3 PREL., ISSUE 01D01 June 22, 1978 DATA INTERROGATION 3.05 A comprehensive database interrogation facility is provided which spans a broad range of requests for information contained in data store. Accessible data includes: - Translation tables, eg. lines, line features, trunks, trunk groups, etc. - Equipment status lists, eg. busy/idle, line plug-up, etc. - Call status and connection information - Traffic and plant measurements, eg. peg count, usage, overflow. - Assignment tables, eg. CMC Port assignment. 3.06 The mechanisms by which these data are accessed include: - Table Editor commands - Translate and status request commands implemented in the various maintenance subsystems. - Operational Measurements dumps 3.07 Data interrogations are done on a manual request basis by Telco personnel via the Visual Display Unit (VDU) contained in the Maintenance and Administration Position (MAP) or by teleprinter, or on a periodic basis by the system. Outputs are directed to the designated VDU (MAP), teleprinter, magnetic tape unit, or a data link. OPERATIONAL MEASUREMENTS 3.08 The Operational Measurement (OM) system collects information relating to the call handling capability of the network node at which it is located, i.e. switcher plus incoming and outgoing trunks. Equipment usage, network occupancy, dial tone delay, quantity of calls handled and other useful measurements are made available to maintenance personnel and traffic and engineering departments. The measurements are used DMS 100 FAMILY MAINTENANCE AND ADMINISTRATION TOOLS DESCRIPTION (c) NORTHERN TELECOM LIMITED, 1978 NTP 297-1001-107 PAGE 4 PREL., ISSUE 01D01 June 22, 1978 as the basis for: (a) plant maintenance action (b) automatic and manual network management controls (c) trend analysis on marginal conditions and equipment components (d) division of revenue (e) equipment traffic spread (f) provisioning equipment and trunk quantities (g) service indicators (h) traffic capacity determination. 3.09 The types of measurements made include peg count, overflow counts and usage. They are scheduled on a half-hourly, hourly, daily, or monthly basis depending on the item and according to a collection schedule. Collection schedules can be modified by Telco personnel via the Table Editor. 3.10 The collected data is output to a designated MAP, teleprinter, data link, or to a magnetic tape unit, at the end of the collection period or when an associated threshold level is exceeded. An unscheduled printout can be requested by Telco personnel via the MAP or teleprinter. For more details refer to NTP 297-1001-114, DMS 100 Family Operational Measurements Description, and NTP 297-1001-117 DMS 100 Family Operational Measurement Guide. NETWORK MANAGEMENT 3.11 Network Management is a set of facilities designed to control network operation with the objective of making optimum use of available facilities in overload conditions or facility failure. These controls fall into two categories: expansive and protective. 3.12 Expansive controls allow the manipulation of routing to direct traffic from it's normal route to other facilities that have spare capacity. 3.13 Protective controls restrict or block certain categories of traffic to prevent regenerative delays and degradation of network carried load. DMS 100 FAMILY MAINTENANCE AND ADMINISTRATION TOOLS DESCRIPTION (c) NORTHERN TELECOM LIMITED, 1978 NTP 297-1001-107 PAGE 5 PREL., ISSUE 01D01 June 22, 1978 3.14 The two categories of controls are applied to outgoing trunk groups, incoming trunk groups, code points and the routing tables. Activation of the controls is by: (a) traffic exceeding a threshold value (b) ODM (c) manual control by Telco personnel via a designated MAP or other I/O device. 3.15 Output messages include peg count reports, overflow reports, and exception reports, and are made according to a timetable modifiable by DMO. 3.16 The I/O interface for Network Management is based on the MAP. A dedicated Network Management Position (NMP) may be provided if requested by the Telco. Output is also available via a dedicated teleprinter or via a remote monitoring printer through a data link. All displays and printouts feature a 'plain language' format. For more information refer to NTP 297-2201-452, Network Management Description. SERVICE ANALYSIS 3.17 Service analysis is a facility which can be used by Telco personnel to measure the overall quality of service taking into consideration the various factors that contribute to the performance of completing a call. 3.20 Subjective and non-subjective observations on calls may be made on both transmission and signalling paths. Subjective data includes all the observations made by personnel such as line noises and signal distortions. Non-subjective data includes connect time, transmission voice levels, and signalling accuracy. 3.21 A full range of service analysis features is provided in DMS. For more information refer to NTP 297-2201-490, Service Analysis Description. DMS 100 FAMILY MAINTENANCE AND ADMINISTRATION TOOLS DESCRIPTION (c) NORTHERN TELECOM LIMITED, 1978