ViewlinX is an Element Management System (EMS) with a multi-tier architecture offering the service providers a built-in Node Manager and an Equipment Management System incorporated in the software.

  ViewlinX is composed of a Network Node Manager and an Equipment Management System for managing, monitoring and configuring of all Corecess¡E￠c? network elements in an active network. The main functions of ViewlinX is to support easy manageability of active network elements and to support it¡E￠c?s adaptability to the service provider¡E￠c?s existing Network Management System (NMS). ViewlinX is ideally suited to work cohesively in three different levels of operations: Service Level, Network Level and the Element Level. Working at the top is the Service Level at which the subscriber, installer, operator or service administrator is able to perform the functions of subscriber management, service activation, accounting, billing and subscriber support. The Network level is the platform which offers management intelligence and ease of use, to synchronize and automate network operations and service delivery, while providing full FCAPS functionality along with node management, fault management, performance monitoring Topology overview and carrier class reliability. Handling the software becomes very convenient with a graphical user interface support. At the Element level the individual subprograms which form a part of the complete ViewlinX package software for the various Corecess products communicate with the various Network Elements in the active network to enable configuration of various NEs (Network Elements). The enhanced GUI support enables all Corecess products to bemonitored, configured and managed on the network with ease. The platform independent feature lends an edge to the product and is supported by commonly used O/Ss such as Windows, Linux, UNIX, HP-UX. The software is also vendor independent and is useful for management of network devices other than those of Corecess.

  The NMS needs to be able to understand the data communicated from EMSs. While the NMS may use different OSS applications and clients, its processes are of course based on the information provided by the EMSs. The EMS and NMS interoperation in the ViewlinX software leverages a commonly accepted format so that the NMS can view a unified network. EMS programs are built on a server framework with core services enabling them to add XML interfaces atop their core framework and XML interfaces can co-reside with other already deployed interfaces. The NBI (North Bound Interface) developed by Corecess is able to perform the above functions effectively and is flexible enough to be customized, to fit well into the carrier¡E￠c?s network environment.

  The following enlists the components that are an integral part of the ViewlinX software:

  The functions of ViewlinX are enhanced through the deployment of Power Pack, which is offered separately.

  The Power Pack has powerful features that provide convenient management of devices and is a very handy tool for the network administrator. The Power pack supports the following distinct features:-

  An enhanced web based management feature makes it convenient for operators to provision the Network Management Software on the inter-network and be able to manage the network elements on the World Wide Web and thus be able to view web based results from anywhere across the globe.

  The Reporter feature has been programmed to furnish detailed results of the network element faults and the resultant alarms generated which can be obtained on a periodic basis, as per the configuration settings of the network administrator. (Ex. VPN information for VPN service users, rate limit, accounts information of all registered users, device information.) The software enables monitoring of alarms with any other SNMP-based Network Management product by providing alarm notifications via SNMP traps. Performance data is collected and stored in the Oracle database for other management applications to retrieve and utilize.

  Customer provisioning operations are required when defining and changing a customer service or when performing performance optimization which includes customer details along with the mass Network Element port description which can be configured and retrieved with the Power Pack feature. Configuration changes are performed through a straight forward user interface that simplifies all configuration operations. The software also provides the ability to store a network element configuration in the database for back up purposes. It is also possible to upload a configuration, which is stored in the database to a network element.

  The end user Service Level Agreement, enables detailing of the kind of service that the user has subscribed to, and the other end user management information, which can be configured dynamically and retrieved by the network administrator. Various network statistics can be collected from the network devices to measure performance levels. These statistics can be included as metrics in the SLA. Statistics such as Latency, Throughput, Jitter, Bad packet in, Bad packet out are useful for diagnosing performance related problems.

  The data collected by different systems is stored in separate databases, creating administration overheads for users. Open distributed object standards such as CORBA (Common Object Request Broker Architecture) facilitates the exchange of management data between management platforms and element management systems. CORBA specifies a system that provides interoperability between objects in a heterogeneous and distributed environment.

  Following is a Block Schematic representing the ViewlinX software with the Power Pack feature that is provided as an optional package with the ViewlinX software.

Block Schematic of ViewlinX 4.2(Power Pack feature)

Multi-Platform support