Principles of Network Management

Telecommunications networks have become essential to the day-to-day activities of the enterprise and individuals. Many corporations, agencies, universities, and other institutions now rely on voice, data (e.g., facsimile transmission, electronic funds transfer), and video (e.g., video teleconferencing) services to ensure their growth and survival. This trend will accelerate as personal communications services (PCS), LAN-to-LAN interconnectivity, image file transfer, and other innovative services are developed and are standardized throughout the operation of the enterprise. In parallel with rapid advances and increased reliance on telecommunications services, network technologies continue to evolve. For example, transport technologies, such as the synchronous optical network (SONET), will support asynchronous transfer mode (ATM) and frame relay to deliver broadband services at both constant and variable bitrates. Innovative access technologies are emerging to accommodate customerpremises equipment access to higher bandwidth services and an expanding range of mobility services (e.g., PCS), and to provide seamless access to fiber optic and satellite networks. In addition, the advanced switching technologies required for ATM technology and switched multimegabit digital service (SMDS) are now being deployed. 1