POSTECH DP&NM Lab

Telecommunications
Management Network
(TMN)

From Lecture Notes by J. Won-Ki Hong

Dept. of Computer Science and Engineering
And
Lecture Notes by

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Overview
• TMN can be used in the management of ISDN, B-ISDN,
ATM, and GSM networks.
• It is not as commonly used for purely packet-switched
data networks.
• Modern telecom networks are automated, and are run
by OSS software or operational support systems.
• These manage modern telecom networks and provide t
he data that is needed in the day-to-day running of a t
elecom network.
• OSS software is also responsible for issuing commands
to the network infrastructure to activate new service
offerings, commence services for new customers,
and detect and correct network faults. 2
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Table of Contents

• Introduction
• TMN Principles
• TMN Architectures
• TMN Management Functions
• Summary

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Introduction

• What is TMN?
• The Role of the Management Platform
• Trends in Telecommunications
• Surviving the Evolving Telecom World
• Designing a Management Platform
• Why TMN?

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What is TMN?
• Telecommunications Management Network (TMN)
• TMN project started fall 1985
• Initial recommendation CCITT M.30 (published in
1988) included work of several Study Groups
• Renamed to recommendation M.3010 in 1992
which defines basic principles for TMN
• The objective for the TMN specifications is to
provide a framework for telecommunications
network and service management

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The Role of the Management Platform

• Investment in telecommunication networks
normally cover at least 5 years, the same Platform
applies to the management platform (ROI)
• Investment in platforms for Equipment
telecommunication network management
forms a small part of the total investment
Operations
• For many operations, operational costs for
network and service management are
higher than equipment costs
• Changing service and equipment needs within operational
platforms are common practice (competition).
=> Management platforms must be flexible to cope with
changing environments. The platform plays a crucial
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Designing a Management Platform

• What functions are Service
automated and what is
implemented by processes?
Processes
• What information must be
maintained in the
management platform? Management
Platform
• How are functions and
information mapped on the
physical building blocks in Network
the management platform?
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Why TMN?
To survive in a highly innovative and
competitive telecommunications market, use of
a robust architecture for network and service
management is a must.

The TMN Framework:

• ensures interoperability
• ensures scalability
• is mature (large amount of telecom standards in
GDMO)
• provides security
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TMN Principles

• TMN Recommendations from ITU-T

• Objectives
• Relationship of a TMN to a Telecom Network
• TMN Functional Architecture
• TMN Information Architecture
• CMIP/CMIS
• TMN Physical Architecture
• Logical Layered Architecture

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TMN Recommendations from ITU-T

M.3010 Principles for a telecommunications

management network

M.3100 Generic network information model

M.3200 TMN management services
M.3300 TMN management capabilities at the
F interface

M.3400 TMN management functions

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Objectives
• The M.3010 recommendation defines “general
architectural requirements for a TMN to support the
management requirements of administration to plan,
provision, install, maintain, operate and administer
telecommunication networks and services”

• The basic concept behind a TMN is to provide a

organized architecture to achieve the interconnection
between various types of OS’s and/or telecommunications
equipment for the exchange of management
information using an agreed architecture with
standardized interfaces including protocols and
messages
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Relationships between
Telecommunication Network and TMN
TMN

OS OS OS

To other
DCN WS
TMN

EX TR EX TR EX

Telecommunications Network

EX: Exchange
TR: Transmission OS: Operations System
DCN: Data Communication Network WS: Work Station
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TMN Functional Architecture

• The TMN functional architecture explains the
distribution of functionality within a TMN
• Distinction must be made between:
– Role that a function performs (controlling,
mediator role, management user oriented,
information transport)
– Actual function that is performed (configuration
management, fault management, etc.)
• Recommendation M.3010 concentrates on roles
whereas M.3400 deals with functions
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TMN Functional Architecture (2)

The TMN functional architecture is defined by:

• TMN function blocks, being the roles in which

functions operate (coordinate, mediate, etc.)

• TMN function points, being the service

boundary between two communication
management function blocks.

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TMN Functional Architecture (3)

• Function blocks defined within M.3010:

– OSF Operation Systems Function

– MF Mediation Function
– WSF Work Station Function
– NEF Network Element Function
– QAF Q Adaptor Function

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TMN Functional Architecture (4)

• Reference points defined within M.3010 (g and m
are located outside the TMN):
–q class between OSF, QAF, MF and NEF
–f class for attachment of a WSF
–x class between OSFs of two TMNs or
between TMN OSF and OSF-like
function in other network
–g class between WSF and users
–m class between QAF and non-TMN
managed entities
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TMN Functional Architecture (5)

g g

WSF WSF
TMN TMN
f
f
q3 f
f q3 x
OSF OSF
q3 q3
qx
qx
MF MF
q3
q3
q3
q3 qx
qx qx qx

QAF NEF NEF QAF

m m
reference points
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TMN Information Architecture

• In order to allow effective definition of managed
resources, TMN makes use of OSI Systems
Management principles and is based on an
object-oriented paradigm.

• Management systems exchange information

modeled in terms of managed objects (MO)

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TMN Information Architecture (2)

A managed object (MO) is defined by:

• the attributes visible at its boundary

• the management operations which may be
applied to it
• The behavior exhibited by it in response to
management operations or in reaction to other
types of stimuli (e.g., threshold crossing)
• The notifications emitted by it

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TMN Information Architecture (3)

• Because the environment being managed is
distributed, network management is a distributed
application which requires exchange of
information.
• For a specific management association, the
management processes will take one of two
possible roles:
– Manager, which issues operation directives
and receives notifications
– Agent, responds to directives and emits
notifications (deals with the MO’s)
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TMN Information Architecture (4)

Manager Agent
management
operations
M M R R
application C C
functions
F Q I/F F R
notifications

TMN

MCF: Message Communication Function

R: Network Resource to be managed

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TMN Information Architecture (5)

Information Information
system A Model B system B Model c system C

sees MIB sees MIB

M A M A
CMIS CMIS CMIS
CMIS

CMIP Resource CMIP Resource

Resource

OSI OSI
protocol protocol
stack stack

* CMIP: Common Management Information Protocol * MIB: Management Information Base

* CMIS: Common Management Information System
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CMIP/CMIS
• CMIS (Common Management
Information Services, X.710) is a
Management Processes service based on simple
request/response approach
CMIS – Operation services
(M_CREATE, M_GET, M_SET,
M_DELETE,
M_CANCEL_GETM,
CMIP M_ACTION)
– Notification service
ACSE ROSE (M_EVENT_REPORT)
• CMIP (Common Management
Information Protocol, X.711)
defined the protocol to provide
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CMIP/CMIS (2)
• Scoping & Filtering
– allows selection of multiple object instances to be
operate upon by a single CMISE primitive
– scoping identifies object instances to which a filter may
be applied
– filtering allows scoped object instances to be selected
according to specific criteria
• Synchronization
– applies to operations on multiple instances
– atomic (all or nothing)
– best effort (anything goes)
• Linked replies
– permits multiple responses to a single operator request
– applicable when scoping/filtering is used 31
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TMN Physical Architecture

TMN OS
Q3/X/F
X F G
DCN WS
Q3/F
Q3 MD
Q3 Qx
DCN

Qx Qx
OS: Operations Systems QA NE QA NE Interface
MD: Mediation Device
QA: Q-Adapter M
NE: Network Elements
DCN: Data Communications Network
WS: Work Station 32
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Logical Layered Architecture

• Business Management Layer BML

• Service Management Layer SML

• Network Management Layer NML

• Element Management Layer EML

• Network Element Layer NEL

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Logical Layered Architecture (2)

• The element management layer (EML) manages each
network element on an individual basis and supports an
abstraction of the functions provided by the NE layer.
• Each element manager has the following principle roles:
– control and coordination of a subset of network
elements
– provide a gateway function to permit the network
management layer to interact with network elements
– maintaining statistical, log and other data about
elements
• OSFs in the element layer always interface with OSFs in
the network management layer through the q3 reference
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Logical Layered Architecture (3)

• The network management layer (NML) has the
responsibility for the management of all the NE’s, as
presented by the EML, both individually and as a set.
• The NML has the following principle roles:
– control and coordination of the network view of network
elements within its scope or domain
– the provision, cessation or modification of network
capabilities for the support of service to customers
– interact with the service management layer on
performance, usage, availability, etc.
• OSFs in the NML always interface with OSFs in the
service management layer through the q3 reference point
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Logical Layered Architecture (4)

• Service management layer (SML) is concerned with,
and responsible for, the contractual aspects of services
that are being provided to customers or available to
potential new customers.
• Principle roles for the SML:
– customers facing and interfacing with other
administrations
– interaction with service providers
– interaction with the SML
– maintaining statistical data (e.g., QoS)
– interaction with the business management layer
– interaction between services
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Logical Layered Architecture (5)

• The business management layer (BML)
includes all the functions necessary for the
implementation of policies and strategies within
the organization which owns and operates the
services (and possibly the network)
• The BML:
– interacts with the service management layer
– Is influenced by high levels of control such as
legislation or macro-economic factors (e.g.,
tariffing policies, quality maintenance
strategies)
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TMN Management Functions

• Fault management
• Configuration management
• Accounting management
• Performance management
• Security management

FCAPS !

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Summary
• TMN strengths
• TMN weaknesses

Read www.simpleweb.org/tutorials/tmn/tmn.pdf

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TMN Strengths
• TMN is a very suitable framework for
telecommunications management purpose since:
– It identifies different abstraction levels
– It forces a structure approach when faces with
the problem of network and service
management
– It is a widely adopted standard, which ensures
that everyone speaks the same language
• TMN is particularly strong at the bottom layers of
the TMN pyramid, using the power of OSI
systems management and the associated object
approach
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TMN Strengths (2)

• High interoperability by standardizing
– protocol
– information model
– services
– MIBs
• scalability by well-developed reliable “event
channel” (notifications with EFD discriminators)
• complex types (structures)
• scoping and filtering (OSI modeling)
• TMN offers security, which is essential at EML
and X interface
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TMN weaknesses
• Implementation of TMN isn’t so easy
• TMN Q3 interface is based on a full OSI stack
(solutions for stacks with reduced functionality
are developed, e.g., CMIP on TCP/IP)
• GDMO and ASN.1 are very complex (solution is
the use of tools that hide GDMO and ASN.1).
ASN.1 is designed for completeness, not
simplicity.
• TMN functional architecture does not map very
well to service management. It originates from
the bottom layers of the pyramid
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Assignments
• Make Presentation about

–E-TOM

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