Network Management

Fujitsu's FENS AN access network element management system offers a modular, flexible design, and a powerful user interface - in line with the demand for state-of-the-art systems that provide seamless, resilient performance across the rapidly expanding choice of network technologies.

FENS AN, the access network element management system for GeoStream Access Gateway, offers a modular, flexible design with a powerful user interface. It is designed for rapid integration with an operator’s OSS environment, whatever the integration requirements.

The demand for sophisticated network management solutions is constantly growing, as operators recognise the value of implementing state-of-the-art systems that provide seamless, resilient performance across the rapidly expanding choice of network technologies. Flexibility is a prerequisite, enabling operators to deploy new technologies rapidly, integrating them quickly and efficiently into the existing infrastructure.

The FENS access management system meets this challenge. It provides the intrinsic versatility and performance demanded in today's telecommunications environment, and combines powerful management features with highly cost-effective administration, delivering the tools to attain and maintain competitive edge in this fast-moving sector.

FENS Centralised Element Manager (FENS CEM) provides a single log-on point for user access to a number of FENS AN platforms. Large-scale network deployments necessitate multiple element manager platform installations. However, from an operational perspective some roles demand a seamless view across a network managed by multiple platforms. FENS CEM delivers this capability.

FENS - Access Network Performance

• Multi-technology Access Network Management system
• Conforms to industry standards - ITU-T, ETSI, TMF
• Process-driven
• Common work practices across different technologies
• Modular and flexible design
• Scalable architecture
• Web-based user interface
• Designed for rapid deployment

Operational Efficiency

FENS is designed to be process-driven, to enable efficient network operation. Modular generic functional groups permit common working practices to be used across different technologies and delivery media, such as fibre, copper or radio. This minimises the training requirement, and allows the re-use of operational processes for network equipment provisioning and service provision, as well as for fault management and restoration functions. The modular flexibility enables operators to introduce new technologies and services with the maximum speed and efficiency.

While the web-based user interface provides efficient interactive access to all functions, FENS also provides an integration capability through the use of Q3, CORBA, XML or RPC interfaces, to link to operators' Operational Support Systems and other applications. This enhances the level of process automation that can be achieved, enabling flow-through provisioning and pro-active fault management, for increased operational efficiency and improved customer service levels.

Equipment Provisioning

FENS supports the equipment provisioning process that can be operated in auto-discovery or pre-provision modes. With auto-discovery, the information model learns from the equipment in the network. However, with the pre-provisioning concept, a virtual network is built in the database. A bill of materials is generated and, from the resulting shopping list, it can be linked to an electronic interface for equipment ordering.

Service Provisioning

FENS supports technology-independent service management, and provides comprehensive facilities for monitoring and delivering services across the access network. Auto-discovery or pre-provision methods can be selected, to provide the equipment associated with service provision. Flow-through provisioning can easily be achieved using industry-standard northbound interfaces, enabling FENS to link with operators' service-provisioning Operational Support Systems.

Inventory Management

Keeping accurate inventory information is a challenge faced by many operators. FENS automatically maintains a record of the equipment in the access network, allowing the user to determine the precise inventory present at each location.

Fault Management

Alarms and events are collected from the network by FENS and stored in a central log, which can also be archived as an historical record for off-line analysis. FENS can be configured to suppress and correlate alarms, before reporting to either the user interface or to one or more upper-management systems. Affected services can be reported as part of the alarm message, and users can set up display filters to restrict the reports to the alarms of interest. Hyperlinks to related displays enable rapid location of faults.

Test Management

The FENS testing capability complements the functionality embedded in the Access NEs, and accepts the receipt of requests to test a particular connection reference. FENS can apply loopbacks at a number of test points, to aid fault location simply by pointing and clicking. Non-intrusive testing may also be instigated, if appropriate.

Performance Monitoring

FENS is able to obtain performance data from the managed equipment and log the information for future analysis. Performance thresholds can be set, so that an alarm is generated if a parameter of interest exceeds the threshold.

System Administration and Security Management

System Administration and Security Management functions are provided by FENS to ensure systems can be run and monitored securely, including:

• Backup and restore facilities
• Access to the operating system
• Monitoring system resource usage (eg: disk space, number of users logged in, etc.)
• Broadcast of messages to all logged-in users
• User Profile/Privilege Management
• Log-in Control
• Security Logs
• Security Audits