A framework for designing ATM management systems by way of abstract information models and distributed object architectures

Abstract

ATM network management has not yet reached the level of versatility and comprehensiveness exhibited by other aspects of this networking technology. Since the currently dominant general standards for broadband network management, primarily targeted towards large carrier networks, are too complex and intricate for smaller environments, e.g. LANs or corporate networks, ATM equipment manufacturers, in their effort to provide systems that exploit the power of ATM and yet remain practical and simple, usually resort to devising ad hoc proprietary extensions of simpler management frameworks, originally developed for other networking technologies. Such incompatible extensions, however, remain useless in the common case where the network is heterogeneous. The notion of abstract information modeling may be employed for improving on this situation.Building on this concept, the paper proposes a framework for developing ATM management systems intended for heterogeneous small- to medium-size networks. The general guidelines are illustrated through discussing a specific compliant management application intended for the remote monitoring of ATM network platforms and developed in the framework of a European research project. The application features a WWW interface and, as such, provides an example of the compatibility of information abstraction with the Web-based management techniques and of the benefits arising from the combination of the two notions.Lastly, and as the concept of abstracting information is inherent to recent frameworks for designing and programming distributed object systems, the paper explores this relation by discussing an alternative design of the monitoring application as a distributed object system.