The demand for new services compels network operators to devise new strategies for the management and protection of digital transmission networks in order to meet the flexibility, quality and availability standards required by its customers.
Network availability depends not only on the transmission media used, but also on continuous network monitoring activities, so as to be able to intervene as fast as possible whenever the quality level declines.
To minimize the effects of failures on customer service, Italtel offers the Long Distance Network Protection System (SGF), a system for management of the E4/STM1 network layer.
The SGF consists of:
The key to maintaining a high standard of network quality and availability is to minimize recovery time. This necessitates quick fault identification and fast alternative route selection. The SCX-A detects the fault and is able to crossconnect the failed service channels to an alternative route, identified either automatically in the CGRT-NM by a bestpath search algorithm, or manually by an operator whose decision is assisted by the system.
The system manages and controls routing in a centralized way in order to optimize use of network resources.
The SCX-A can also execute 1+1 protection switches autonomously; it then updates the CGRT-EM and the CGRT-NM databases.
SGF deployment in the transmission network allows Italtel's customers to comply with the ITU-T availability standard (99.95%) by reaching a level of 99.986%. Without the SGF, by using current manual rerouting techniques and advanced network infrastructures (greater use of fiber optics, network meshing and greater spare network resources) the best availability expectation couldn't reach this level.
Italtel Societa' Italiana Telecomunicazioni Spa
Luigi Frassani, BUCT UOSS
Comments to author:Luigi.Frassani@settimo.italtel.it
Contact for Information: Luigi Frassani - BUCT UOSS
All contents copyright (C) 1995.Italtel S.p.a. All rights reserved. Revised: August 30, 1995