UNIFIED NETWORK MANAGEMENT FROM AT-AND-T

This article describes AT&T's Unified Network Management Architecture (UNMA), a blueprint for common end-to-end network management of complex data, voice, and combined networks using AT&T and other vendor's equipment and services. In this article, we introduce the target network management functional areas and present details of the overall architecture, including the network management protocol that serves as the standard interface among the interconnected management systems. We present examples of element management system functions, including configuration and fault management for modems and multiplexers, and we show how, by coordinating a net-work-wide configuration database with data from each element management system, a network management integrator can provide superior, end-to-end network management capabilities.