Line operations network growth issues (panel session, abstract only)

ABSTRACT

The task of keeping customer impact to a minimum while attempting to grow, modernize and improve the network in todays packet switching environment is becoming increasingly more difficult. As the network evolves and the customer demand for higher network availability increases, the need for line operations personnel to reduce customer impact has presented a unique challenge for innovative ideas to accomplish this objective. Although the equipment supplier may provide excellent technical documentation for the provisioning, testing and maintenance of their products, they cannot provide the means to administer, manage and control a large network. This is the sole area where the network provider is responsible for deciding how his network will impact the customer. This presentation will deal with some of the operational problems encountered in growing a network from 5 nodes to 55 nodes over a period of 9 years. Some of the subject areas that will be covered are: the maintenance window - is it required?; administrative documentation; utilization of network statistics; hardware retrofits; and software updates - major and minor. These are but a few of the problem areas challenging packet switching network providers today. Their resolution are limited only by the imagination of the personnel charged with the responsibility of resolving them.

INDEX TERMS

Primary Classification:
  A. General Literature

General Terms:
Documentation