Chapter 5

TMN Physical
Architecture
Prof. Dr Abdul Qadir

5.1

Introduction

It is defined in terms of various nodes in

the
network and the communication
interfaces
between nodes
Nodes and links between nodes can be
mapped to some software or hardware
entities
A conceptual level of an isolated TMN is
shown in Fig. 6.1

TMN

Fig.5.1

OS
Q
3

W
S

DCN (Data Comm NW)

Q
3
MD

Q
3

Q
3

QA

Q
x
DCN

NE

Q
x

Q
x
QA

NE

At conceptual level, TMN consists of five

different types of nodes and four types of
links.
Each node is characterized by the
functionality
provided by the node.
Each link is characterized by the interface
between the two nodes

5.2

Types of Nodes and Links

Node:
Node can be a hardware system, software application system or a combination of the two
Operation system (OS):
A system that performs the OSF as described earlier
It processes information related to telecom management for the
purpose of controlling, coordinating and monitoring a telecom NW
OS provides the core capabilities for a management application
One OS can be interconnected with other OSs either in the same
TMN or a different a one and thus form management hierarchies or
other types of structures

OS configuration:

It depends on OSF configuration

Some examples are (i) business OSF (ii) service OSF (iii) network
OSF
See Fig.6.2

Fig.5.2 Functional configurations of OSF

Business OSF

qreference

Service OSF

q-reference
Network/Basi
c OSF

reference

MF&NEF

q-

Cont

Business OSF are concerned with

enterprise
policy issues and carry out overall
business-level
coordination
Service OSF is concerned with the
service
aspects of the network and also
perform the
role of interfacing the customer
Network OSF is the network based

5.3

Physical Configuration of OS

OS physical architecture may be

distributed
or centralized
Centralized complete set of
functions
concentrated in a single system
Distributed function distributed
across a
number of OS

Choice of distributed or centralized

The following are the factor that decide the choice
out of distributed or centralized
1. Real time requirement:
Protocol selection is an important factor in OS
physical architecture. e.g. choice of hardware
depends strongly on whether an OS provides
real-time, near real time or non real time service
2. Management Communication Traffic
Distributed needs to communicate with
multiple OS and management traffic load should
be taken into consideration

3. Fault Tolerance requirement

Distributed is less prone to failure caused by
the failure of a single communication
channel
4. Administration and Organizational considerations:

Generally distributed OS is suitable for

organizations.
Industries prefer to use distributed type of OS

5.4

Mediation Device (MD)

Mediation function is already defined

The mission of mediation function is to
process
the information passing between an OS and a
network element (NE) to ensure the
information conforms to the agree format and
semantics
At the node the information may be stored,
adapted, filtered, or condensed

Process of Mediation
There are five mediation processes
1. Information conversion:
It translates information models.
May translate multiple information models to
a generic information model, augmenting and
enhancing information from local MIB to
compliant with a generic information model
2. Interworking:
This provides higher order protocol interworking
by establishing and negotiating connections and
by maintaining the communication context

3. Data handling:
These provide concentration of data,
collection of data, data formatting, and data
translation
4. Decision making:
This includes workstation access , thresholding, data
communication backup, routing and rerouting of
data, circuit selection and access for tests, and
circuit
test analysis
5. Data storage:
This include data base storage, network
configuration, equipment identification, and memory
backup

MF Implementation

Can be implemented as
independent
mediation device, as a logical entity
distributed between OS and NE, or
as a
combination of the two
Fig. 6.3 (a) shows independent
mediation implementation
Fig. 6.3(b) and (c) show distributed
mediation between NEs

OS

q
3
MF
MD

qx

qx

NEF

NEF

NE

NE

Fig.5.3(a): Independent Mediation

Device

OS

q3

q3

MF

MF

NE
F

NE
F
NE

NE

Fig. 5.3(b)

OS

q
3
MF
MD
q
x
NE
F
NE
Fig.
5.3(c)

 Mediation function can also be implemented

as a hierarchy of cascaded mediation
devices
as shown in Fig.5.4(a),(b),(c).
One advantages of mediation device is
greater flexibility in TMN
There is no clear definition of Mediation
device/function
In practice, mediation device is actually Qadapter

OS
q
3
MD MF
q
x
MD MF

NE

NE
Fig.5.4(a)

NE

OS
q3

MF
NE
q
x

NE

NE
Fig.5.4(b)

NE

OS
q
3
MD MF
q
x
NE

M
F

NE

NE
q
x

NE

NE
Fig.5.4(c)

NE

5.5

Q-Adapter

It can be a hardware device,

software or a
combination of the two.
It performs q-adapter function, i.e.
conversion of a non-TMN interface
to a
standard TMN interface.
It also converts a proprietary
interface to Qclass interface (i.e. q3 or qx)

Difficulty:
There is a problem using Q-adapter. Its
existence reflects concerns about the
interworking of TMN and the preexisting
systems.
It has often proven difficult to build Qadapter due to the difficulties in mapping
between the TMN interfaces and the
proprietary
interfaces.
This is so because each proprietary interface is
unique

Q-adapter configuration

Q adaptation can be performed on

two cases
(i) between a legacy network
element and a
TMN - OS
(ii) between a legacy OS and a
higher order
TMN OS [such as proprietary element
management layer (EML) OS and
TMN
network management layer (NML)

TMN OS

NML OS

Q-adapter

Q-adapter

Legacy NE

Proprietary
EML OS

Fig.5.5(
a)

Fig.5.5(
b)

5.6

Legacy NE

Legacy networks are those which are old, rarely

used recently
They are not a part of TCP/IP protocol
Most of these are not in use now
They are not completely dead, but are still in
use
e.g. SNA used by about 20,000 clients
worldwide
some examples of Legacy NE are computers,
plotters, printers, PABX, servers etc.

5.7

NML

Whereas the responsibility of the Element Management

layer is to manage NEFs implemented within single pieces
of equipment, the responsibility of the Network
Management layer is to manage the functions related to
the interaction between multiple pieces of equipment.
At network management level the internal structure of the
network elements is not visible; this implies that buffer
space within routers, the temperature of switches etc. can
not be directly managed at this level.
Examples of functions performed at this layer are:
creation of the complete network view,
creation of dedicated paths through the network to support
the QoS demands of end users,
modification of routing tables,
monitoring of link utilization,
optimizing network performance, and
detection of faults.

The OSFs at the Network

Management layer use the vendor
independent management
information that is provided by the
OSFs in the Element Management
layer. In this interaction the OSFs at
the Network Management layer act
in a manager role and the OSFs in
the Element Management
Coraid EtherCloud Storage
Manager is an

5.8 Common Management Information Protocol(CMIP)

The Common Management Information

Protocol (CMIP) is the
OSI specified network management protocol. It is
Defined in
ITU-T Recommendations X.711, ISO/ISE
International
Standards 9596-1
CMIP models management information in terms of
managed
objects and allows both modification and
performing actions
on managed objects
It was designed in competition with SNMP

5.9 Common Management Information

Service (CMIS)

The Common Management Information Service (CMIS) is the service

interface specified in ITU-T Recommendations X.710, ISO/ISE
International Standards 9595 that is employed by OSI network elements
for network management
It defines the service interface that is implemented by the CMIP (X.711)
It is a part of OSI (Open System Interconnection) body of international
standards
Services of CMIS are:
(i) M-CREATE Create an instance of a managed object
(ii) M-DELETE Delete an instance of a managed object
(iii) M-GET Request managed object attributes (for one object or a set of
objects)
(iv) M-CANCEL-GET Cancel an outstanding GET request
(v) M-SET Set managed object attributes
(vi) M-ACTION Request an action to be performed on a managed object
NB: It should not be confused/mixed with CMIP

5.10 Simple Network Management Protocol (SNMP)

It is an internet Standard Protocol which manages devices on

IP network
Devices that typically support SNMP include routers,
switches, servers,
workstations, printers, modem racks and more
It is in the TCP/IP protocol suite and may be termed as TCP/IP
based
management client
It is used mostly in Network Management System to monitor
network-attached devices for conditions that warrant
administrative attention.
It consists of a set of standards for network management,
including an
application layer protocol, a database schema, and a set of
data objects.

5.11

GDMO

Abbreviation of Guideline for Definition of Managed Objects

It provides language for defining managed objects

within TMN based systems
GDMO prescribes how a network product
manufacturer must describe the product normally so that
others can write programs that recognize and deal with
the product.
Using GDMO, you describe the class or classes of the
object, how the object behaves, its attributes, and
classes that it may inherit

5.12

Q-adaptation process

There are two functions which is performed

by it (i) information conversion (ii) protocol
conversion
(i) QAF maps a TMN information model into a
non-TMN model or vice versa. This
requires the QAF to understand the syntax,
semantics, and the MIB structure of both
information models involved (see Fig.5.6)
() This Fig. has been adopted from Network
Management Forum's integrated
framework.

CMIP manager

SNMP Agent

Proxy
Managemen
t
Applications

manag
er

GDM
O MIB

GDM
O
MIB

Intern
et MIB

Managemen
t
Applications

Service
emulation
scopin
g

filterin
g

Internet
Agent

Interne
t MIB

Other
operations

CMIS
Services

CMIS
SNMP

CMIP

MAPPING

CMIP
SNMP

SNMP

CMS
Service
s

CMIP
message
s

Fig. 5.6: Network Management Forums

Integrated
Framework for interworking
between

SNMP
messag
es

5.13

Protocol conversion

This is required when the Q-adaptor is

located in
a separate node, maps non-TMN
protocols into
TMN protocols or vice versa
There are two types of conversions:
(i) deep mapping (ii) application level
mapping

Deep Mapping:
This converts both lower and upper layer
non-TMN protocols into a whole stack of
TMN protocols and vice versa
It has some implementation difficulties and
hence is rarely used
Application level mapping:
This converts one management protocol to
another
e.g. it maps a non-CMIP management
protocol such as the SNMP to the CMIP or
vice versa

In Fig.5.6, proxy is the Q-adapter which is

performing application level protocol
conversion, i.e. converting CMIP and SNMP
based information models and management
protocols
Network Element (NE):
This consists of telecommunication
equipments
and any support equipment that performs
the
network element function (NEF) of TMN
function architecture.

5.14

NEF categories

NEF consists of the following two

categories:
1. Telecom functions such as
switching and transmission
2. telecom support functions such as
fault localization, billing, and alarm
reporting
. NE may contain other functions
such as MF, QAF, OSF, WSF
. If it contains one or more OSFs or
WSFs, it provides F.

5.15

TMN Workstation (WS)

It is considered to be the terminal connected

through a data comm link to an OS or an MD.
It has the capabilities to translate the
information at the f-reference point
represented in TMN information models to a
displayable format for presentation to the
human user at the g-reference point or vice
versa.
See Fig.5.7

TMN
OS

Workstation
function

Presentation
function
MD

Workstatio
n

Fig.5.7: A typical TMN workstation and its

connections

Huma
n
User

 It is to be noted that part of TMN

remains
within TMN boundary and part remains
outside
Functions of WS:
There are two functions (as shown in
Fig.5.7)
(i) Workstation function
(ii) presentation function

The two functions of WS

Workstation function:
This provides the user at a terminal with the
general functions to handle input and output
data to and from the user terminal.
Examples are secure access to the terminal;
parsing and validating input; formatting and
validating output; maintaining the database;
and supporting the menu, screens, windows,
and scrolling
WS must have f interface and shall not include
any OSF
If OSF and WS are combined in one
implementation, it is considered as OS

Presentation function:
It provides the user with physical
input,
output, and editing facilities to
enter, display,
and modify details of the
information inside a
TMN.
It also provides support to the
humanmachine interface, via g-reference