AT&T Network Systems and Teknekron Communications Inc have announced a jointly-developed Common Channel Signalling System 7 Network Management System. Claimed to be the first of its kind, it will be deployed by PTT Netherlands over the next three years. The new system enables network operators to configure, manipulate and audit network elements – needed, for example, to add and activate signalling points, activate signalling links and verify or change signalling routes. It provides a centralised database containing all network objects, and a graphical user interface showing network elements. It also gives fault and performance management functions to optimise monitoring and control of the network. It uses the NMS/Core developed by Teknekron, which is an object-oriented distributed application system providing the architecture and technology to design and implement network management systems. It is built on so-called open industry standards – Unix, C++, the X Window System release 11, and OSF/Motif – giving it cross-system compatibility. Common Channel Signalling System 7 is the out-of-band signalling system adopted as a CCITT standard, and it enables telecommunications operators to provide services such as call identification and specialised communications like management and maintenance functions. It codes supervisory instructions as messages, and this coupled with the extra signalling bandwidth, means that more detailed information on network treatment and call origin can be included. Also, the ability to send signals in both directions simultaneously means that more advanced services can be introduced. It supports public switched telephone networks, Integrated Services Digital Network, interaction with network databases and it can be integrated with users’ PABXs to carry these services through to individual extensions.
