Network element

A network element is usually defined as a manageable logical entity uniting one or more
physical devices. This allows distributed devices to be managed in a unified way using one
management system. According to Telecommunications Act of 1996, the term `network
element' means a facility or equipment used in the provision of a telecommunications service.
Such term also includes features, functions, and capabilities that are provided by means of such
facility or equipment, including subscriber numbers, databases, signaling systems, and
information sufficient for billing and collection or used in the transmission, routing, or other
provision of a telecommunications service[1].

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Background
With development of distributed networks, network management had become a pain in the neck
for administration staff. It was hard to manage each device separately even if they were of the
same vendor. Configuration overhead as well as misconfiguration possibility were quite high.
A provisioning process for a basic service required complex configurations of numerous
devices. It was also hard to store all network devices and connections in a plain list. Network
structuring approach was a natural solution.

[edit]Examples of Network Elements

With structuring and grouping, it is very well seen that in any distributed network there are
devices performing one complex function. At that, those devices can be placed in different
locations. AtelephoneHYPERLINK "http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Telephone_exchange"
exchange is the most typical example of such a distributed group of devices. It typically contains
subscriber line units, line trunk units, switching matrix, CPU and remote hubs. A
basictelephoneHYPERLINK "http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Telephone_service" service leans on
all those units, so it is convenient for an engineer to manage a telephone exchange as one
complex entity encompassing all those units inside.

Another good example of a network element is a computer cluster. A cluster can occupy a lot of
space and may not fit one datacenter. For enterprise solutions, it is common to locate cluster
nodes in different locations, even in different regions (settlements).
[edit]State Models for Network Elements (NEs)
A Network Element state model facilitates cross domain network management and promotes a
multi-vendor environment. The standard definitions and mappings allow Operations Systems to
gather state information from NEs and integrate it into a consistent representation of the status
of the entire managed network and each of the services that it supports.

Telcordia GR-1093,HYPERLINK "http://telecom-info.telcordia.com/site-cgi/ido/docs.cgi?

ID=SEARCH&DOCUMENT=GR-1093&" HYPERLINK "http://telecom-info.telcordia.com/site-
cgi/ido/docs.cgi?ID=SEARCH&DOCUMENT=GR-1093&"Generic State Requirements for
Network Elements (NEs), discusses the two primary state models in industry. One is the
Telcordia State Model, which consolidates the state models previously described in several
Telcordia documents. By consolidating the models, changes and expansions to the models can
be presented and can evolve in a coordinated fashion. Also, inconsistencies and redundancy
may be averted. The other model is the International Standards Organization (ISO) State Model,
which is defined in International Telecommunications Union - Telecommunication (ITU-T) Rec.
X.731.

The state of an entity represents the current condition of availability of the underlying resource
or service in the NE from the point of view of management. In the context of the Telcordia State
Model, the term “entity” represents an entry in a TL1 administrative view (i.e., represents the
resource or service generally identified by the Access Identifier [AID] parameter). In the context
of the ISO State Model, the term “entity” means “managed object.”

Different types of entities (such as hardware, transport facilities, and subscriber service) have a
variety of state characteristics that express the availability of their underlying resources that are
specific to each entity type. However, a state model is expected to be common to a large
number of types of entities. It expresses key aspects of their availability at any given time. The
purpose of the state model is to indicate the availability of an entity in providing its functions
and, if an entity is not available, to indicate the cause of the unavailability and what kind of
activity may be taken by the manager (e.g., the OS or the craft) to make the entity available.

In a specific application, only a subset of the state model may be needed. The rationale of such
restrictions is not described in GR-1093. The technology or application-specific requirements
document should be consulted for this information.
The standard definitions and mappings allow Operations Systems to gather state information
from NEs and integrate it into a consistent representation of the status of the entire managed
network and each of the services that it supports.

To help ensure interoperability, particularly for an OS that interfaces with multiple NEs using one
of the two state models, a mapping between the models may be needed. GR-1093 provides a
mapping for the two models and also defines the extension to the OSI state/status attributes
that is necessary to meet the telecommunications needs of the service providers.

[edit]Telecommunications Management Network

Main article: Telecommunications Management Network

A concept of the network element as a distributed entity is widely used in TMN model which in
turn is used as a standard for developing Element Management Systems.