3 Management Functional Areas
Last update PvD

3.3 CM
Configuration Management

Overview

  1. Standard
  2. Provisioning
  3. Equipment management
  4. Service management

Standard

[M.3400]:  Configuration Management (CM) provides functions to exercise control over, identify, collect data from and provide data to NEs.

So Configuration Management includes all day-to-day functions to operate the network, and that requires to keep inventory:

We return to above points later.


Provisioning

The term 'Provisioning' has a particular and rather restrictive meaning in the standard:
[M.3400]  Provisioning consists of procedures which are necessary to bring an equipment into service not including installation.
So, provisioning is only configuring the hardware and software.

Note:

In this document the term 'provisioning' is applied in the more commonly used sense:

Note that 'service creation' is not 'provisioning';  service creation is introducing a new service, and service provisioning is enabling an existing service for a new user.


Equipment management

This is directed to the equipment in the network, and includes inventory control (not spares and stock but more what is in the field), equipment ordering & provisioning, installation support, (software & data) loading, activation, modification of operation, shut-down for maintenance, replacing, de-installation, and finally scrapping.
Note that inventory control includes several layers of abstraction, i.e. not only boards, but also the racks, nodes, trunk groups, etc.

This is the area for Work Orders:  Orders for field engineers to install/­modify/­de-install equipment or to perform (preventive/­corrective) maintenance on equipment.


Service management

This is directed towards users, and includes service inventory control, service provisioning, service activation, attribute modification, cessation of service.
Here also there are several levels (e.g. a special switched service may require a leased line for access).

This is the area for Service Orders:  Orders to activate/­modify/­de-activate a service for a user (hopefully only data manipulation, so it can be automated).
If suitable equipment is not available for service provisioning, it will lead to Work Orders.

Obviously there is a relationship between service and equipment;  the service is provided through the equipment.  However, this relationship is not straightforward at all;  it depends on the type of service and the vendor's implementation in equipment.

This relationship is required for various reasons;  some examples:


Further references:

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