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Loop maintenance operations system

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The Loop Maintenance Operations System ( LMOS ) is a telephone company trouble ticketing system to coordinate repairs of local loops (telephone lines). When a problem is reported by a subscriber, it is filed and relayed through the Cross Front End, which is a link from the CRSAB (Centralized Repair Service Answering Bureau) to the LMOS network. The trouble report is then sent to the Front End via the Datakit network, where a Basic Output Report is requested (usually by a screening agent or lineman ). The BOR provides line information including past trouble history and MLT (Mechanized Loop Testing) tests. As LMOS is responsible for trouble reports, analysis, and similar related functions, MLT does the actual testing of customer loops. MLT hardware is located in the Repair Service Bureau. Test trunks connect MLT hardware to the telephone exchanges or wire centers, which in turn connect with the subscriber loops.

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43-474: The LMOS database is a proprietary file system, designed with 11 access methods (variable index, index, hash tree, fixed partition file, etc.). This is highly tuned for the various pieces of data used by LMOS. LMOS, which was first brought on line as a mainframe application in the 1970s, was one of the first telephone company operations support systems to be ported to the UNIX operating system. The first port of LMOS

86-467: A calendar issued by the TSB. SGs are augmented by Focus Groups (FGs), an instrument created by ITU-T, providing a way to quickly react to ICT standardization needs and allowing great flexibility in terms of participation and working methods. The key difference between SGs and FGs is that the latter have greater freedom to organize and finance themselves, and to involve non-members in their work, but they do not have

129-416: A profusion of software firms around the world were still furiously competing to shape the future of the electronic office , and was completed in 1999 long after Microsoft Office 's then-secret binary file formats had become established as the global de facto standard. The ITU-T now operates under much more streamlined processes. The time between an initial proposal of a draft document by a member company and

172-611: A set of Web Services providing Multi-Technology Operations System Interfaces MTOSI . Most recently, the OSS through Java initiative (OSS/J) joined the TMF to provide NGOSS-based BSS/OSS APIs . Open Digital Architecture (ODA) offers an industry-agreed blueprint, language and set of key design principles to follow. It will provide pragmatic pathways for the journey from maintaining monolithic, legacy software solutions, towards managing nimble, cloud based capabilities that can be orchestrated using AI . It

215-507: A technician re-keying the details from one screen into another—a process often referred to as "swivel chair integration". This was clearly another source of inefficiency, so the focus for the next few years was on creating automated interfaces between the OSS applications—OSS integration. Cheap and simple OSS integration remains a major goal of most telecom companies. A lot of the work on OSS has been centered on defining its architecture. Put simply, there are four key elements of OSS: During

258-473: A wide array of topics in the field of information and communication technologies (ICT) and attract high-ranking experts as speakers, and attendees from engineers to high-level management from all industry sectors. The technical work, the development of Recommendations, of ITU-T is managed by Study Groups (SGs), such as Study Group 13 for network standards, Study Group 16 for multimedia standards, and Study Group 17 for security standards, which are created by

301-573: Is a fast-track approval procedure that was developed to allow standards to be brought to market in the timeframe that industry now demands. The AAP is defined in ITU-T Recommendation A.8. This dramatic overhaul of standards-making by streamlining approval procedures was implemented in 2001 and is estimated to have cut the time involved in this critical aspect of the standardization process by 80 to 90 percent. This means that an average standard that took around four years to approve and publish until

344-815: Is a reference architecture that maps TM Forum’s Open APIs against technical and business platform functions. ITU Telecommunication Standardization Sector The International Telecommunication Union Telecommunication Standardization Sector ( ITU-T ) is one of the three Sectors (branches) of the International Telecommunication Union (ITU). It is responsible for coordinating standards for telecommunications and Information Communication Technology , such as X.509 for cybersecurity, Y.3172 and Y.3173 for machine learning, and H.264/MPEG-4 AVC for video compression, between its Member States, Private Sector Members, and Academia Members. The World Telecommunication Standardization Assembly (WTSA),

387-587: Is also used in a singular form to refer to all the Operations Support Systems viewed as a whole system . Different subdivisions of OSS have been proposed by the TM Forum , industrial research labs, or OSS vendors. In general, an OSS covers at least the following five functions: Before about 1970, many OSS activities were performed by manual administrative processes. However, it became obvious that much of this activity could be replaced by computers . In

430-609: Is followed by a period and the Recommendation number, which uniquely identifies the Recommendation within the series. Often, a range of related Recommendations are further grouped within the series and given adjacent numbers, such as "H.200-H.499: Infrastructure of audiovisual services" or "H.260-H.279: Coding of moving video". Many numbers are "skipped" to give room for future Recommendations to be adjacent to related Recommendations. Recommendations can be revised or "superseded" and keep their existing Recommendation number. In addition to

473-456: Is now free of charge online. (About 30 specifications jointly maintained by the ITU-T and ISO/IEC are not available for free to the public. ) ITU-T has moreover tried to facilitate cooperation between the various forums and standard-developing organizations (SDOs). This collaboration is necessary to avoid duplication of work and the consequent risk of conflicting standards in the market place. In

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516-428: Is the ability to manage and control the network elements of the access and core networks. Historically, many efforts have been spent in standardization fora (ITU-T, 3GPP) in order to define standard protocol for network management, but with no success and practical results. On the other hand IETF SNMP protocol (Simple Network Management Protocol) has become the de facto standard for internet and telco management, at

559-432: Is to ensure the efficient and timely production of standards covering all fields of telecommunications and Information Communication Technology (ICTs) on a worldwide basis, as well as defining tariff and accounting principles for international telecommunication services. The international standards that are produced by the ITU-T are referred to as " Recommendations " (with the word capitalized to distinguish its meaning from

602-795: The Plenipotentiary Conference (the top policy-making conference of ITU) saw a reform of ITU, giving the Union greater flexibility to adapt to an increasingly complex, interactive and competitive environment. The CCITT was renamed the Telecommunication Standardization Sector (ITU-T), as one of three Sectors of the Union alongside the Radiocommunication Sector ( ITU-R ) and the Telecommunication Development Sector ( ITU-D ). Historically,

645-613: The World Telecommunication Standardization Assembly (WTSA) which is held every four years. As part of the deliberations, WTSA has instructed ITU to hold the Global Standards Symposium , which unlike WTSA is open to public for participation. The people involved in these SGs are experts in telecommunications from all over the world. There are currently 11 SGs. Study groups meet face to face (or virtually under exceptional circumstances) according to

688-497: The 1990s, new OSS architecture definitions were done by the ITU Telecommunication Standardization Sector (ITU-T) in its Telecommunications Management Network (TMN) model. This established a 4-layer model of TMN applicable within an OSS: A fifth level is mentioned at times being the elements themselves, though the standards speak of only four levels. This was a basis for later work. Network management

731-648: The Bell System include AMATPS , CSOBS, EADAS , Remote Memory Administration System (RMAS), Switching Control Center System (SCCS), Service Evaluation System (SES), Trunks Integrated Record Keeping System (TIRKS), and many more. OSS systems from this era are described in the Bell System Technical Journal , Bell Labs Record , and Telcordia Technologies (now part of Ericsson ) SR-2275. Many OSS systems were initially not linked to each other and often required manual intervention. For example, consider

774-520: The EML-NML communication level. From 2000 and beyond, with the growth of the new broadband and VoIP services, the management of home networks is also entering the scope of OSS and network management. DSL Forum TR-069 specification has defined the CPE WAN Management Protocol (CWMP), suitable for managing home networks devices and terminals at the EML-NML interface. The TM Forum , formerly

817-740: The French government invited international participants to a conference in Paris in 1865 to facilitate and regulate international telegraph services. A result of the conference was the founding of the forerunner of the modern ITU. At the 1925 Paris conference, the ITU created two consultative committees to deal with the complexities of the international telephone services, known as CCIF ( Comité Consultatif International Téléphonique ) and with long-distance telegraphy CCIT ( Comité Consultatif International des Communications Téléphoniques à grande distance ). In view of

860-824: The ITU-T Recommendations, which have non-mandatory status unless they are adopted in national laws, ITU-T is also the custodian of a binding international treaty, the International Telecommunication Regulations. The ITRs go back to the earliest days of the ITU when there were two separate treaties, dealing with telegraph and telephone. The ITRs were adopted, as a single treaty, at the World Administrative Telegraphy and Telephone Conference held in Melbourne, 1988 (WATTC-88). The ITRs comprise ten articles which deal, inter alia , with

903-512: The Recommendations of the CCITT were presented at plenary assemblies for endorsement, held every four years, and the full set of Recommendations were published after each plenary assembly. However, the delays in producing texts, and translating them into other working languages, did not suit the fast pace of change in the telecommunications industry. The rise of the personal computer industry in

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946-473: The SG chairman, in consultation with TSB, sets up a comment resolution process by the concerned experts. The revised text is then posted on the web for an additional review period of three weeks. Similar to the last call phase, in additional review the Recommendation is considered as approved if no comments are received. If comments are received, it is apparent that there are some issues that still need more work, and

989-548: The TeleManagement Forum, is an international membership organization of communications service providers and suppliers to the communications industry. While OSS is generally dominated by proprietary and custom technologies, TM Forum promotes standards and frameworks in OSS and BSS. By 2005, developments in OSS architecture were the results of the TM Forum's New Generation Operations Systems and Software (NGOSS) program, which

1032-568: The amendment of ITRs through a World Conference on International Telecommunications (WCIT). Accordingly, in 1998 there began a process of review of the ITRs; and in 2009 extensive preparations began for such a conference, WCIT-12. In addition to "regional preparatory meetings", the ITU Secretariat developed 13 "Background Briefs on key issues" that were expected to be discussed at the conference. Convened by former ITU secretary-general Hamadoun Touré,

1075-429: The approval process by providing equal opportunities for both sector members and member states in the approval of technical standards. A panel of SG experts drafts a proposal that is then forwarded at an SG meeting to the appropriate body which decides if it is sufficiently ready to be designated a draft text and thus gives its consent for further review at the next level. After this Consent has been given, TSB announces

1118-586: The authority to approve Recommendations. Focus Groups can be created very quickly, are usually short-lived and can choose their own working methods, leadership, financing, and types of deliverables. Current Focus Groups include the ITU-WHO Focus Group on Artificial Intelligence for Health (FG-AI4H) as well as Machine Learning for 5G (which developed Y.3172 ), Quantum Information Technologies for Networks , and Artificial Intelligence for Assisted and Autonomous Driving . The Alternative Approval Process (AAP)

1161-684: The basic similarity of many of the technical problems faced by the CCIF and CCIT , a decision was taken in 1956 to merge them into a single entity, the International Telegraph and Telephone Consultative Committee ( CCITT , in French : Comité Consultatif International Téléphonique et Télégraphique ). The first Plenary Assembly of the new organization was held in Geneva, Switzerland in December 1956. In 1992,

1204-422: The case where a customer wants to order a new telephone service. The ordering system would take the customer's details and details of their order, but would not be able to configure the telephone exchange directly—this would be done by a switch management system. Details of the new service would need to be transferred from the order handling system to the switch management system—and this would normally be done by

1247-421: The common parlance sense of the word "recommendation"), as they become mandatory only when adopted as part of a national law. Since the ITU-T is part of the ITU, which is a United Nations specialized agency, its standards carry more formal international weight than those of most other standards development organizations that publish technical specifications of a similar form. At the initiative of Napoleon III ,

1290-522: The definition of international telecommunication services, cooperation between countries and national administrations, safety of life and priority of telecommunications and charging and accounting principles. The adoption of the ITRs in 1988 is often taken as the start of the wider liberalization process in international telecommunications, though a few countries, including United States and United Kingdom, had made steps to liberalize their markets before 1988. The Constitution and Convention of ITU provides for

1333-589: The draft text and all comments are sent to the next Study Group meeting for further discussion and possible approval. Those Recommendations considered as having policy or regulatory implications are approved through what is known as the Traditional Approval Process (TAP), which allows a longer period for reflection and commenting by member states. TAP Recommendations are also translated into the six working languages of ITU (Arabic, Chinese, English, French, Russian, and Spanish). ITU-T Recommendations are

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1376-494: The early 1980s created a new common practice among both consumers and businesses of adopting " bleeding edge " communications technology even if it was not yet standardized. Thus, standards organizations had to put forth standards much faster, or find themselves ratifying de facto standards after the fact. One of the most prominent examples of this was the Open Document Architecture project, which began in 1985 when

1419-412: The final approval of a full-status ITU-T Recommendation can now be as short as a few months (or less in some cases). This makes the standardization approval process in the ITU-T much more responsive to the needs of rapid technology development than in the ITU's historical past. New and updated Recommendations are published on an almost daily basis, and nearly all of the library of over 3,270 Recommendations

1462-518: The mid nineties, and two years until 1997, can now be approved in an average of two months, or as little as five weeks. Besides streamlining the underlying procedures involved in the approval process, an important contributory factor to the use of AAP is electronic document handling. Once the approval process has begun the rest of the process can be completed electronically, in the vast majority of cases, with no further physical meetings. The introduction of AAP also formalizes public/private partnership in

1505-421: The names given to telecommunications and computer protocol specification documents published by ITU-T. ITU-T assigns each Recommendation a name based on the series and Recommendation number. The name starts with the letter of the series the Recommendation belongs to. Each series encompasses a broad category of Recommendations, such as "H-Series Recommendations: Audiovisual and multimedia systems". The series letter

1548-491: The next 5 years or so, the telephone companies created a number of computer systems (or software applications ) which automated much of this activity. This was one of the driving factors for the development of the Unix operating system and the C programming language . The Bell System purchased their own product line of PDP-11 computers from Digital Equipment Corporation for a variety of OSS applications. OSS systems used in

1591-594: The sector's governing conference, convenes every four years. ITU-T has a permanent secretariat called the Telecommunication Standardization Bureau (TSB), which is based at the ITU headquarters in Geneva, Switzerland . The current director of the TSB is Seizo Onoe (of Japan), whose 4-year term commenced on 1 January 2023. Seizo Onoe succeeded Chaesub Lee of South Korea, who was director from 1 January 2015 until 31 December 2022. The ITU-T mission

1634-546: The start of the AAP procedure by posting the draft text to the ITU-T website and calling for comments. This gives the opportunity for all members to review the text. This phase, called last call , is a four-week period in which comments can be submitted by member states and sector members. If no comments other than editorial corrections are received, the Recommendation is considered approved since no issues were identified that might need any further work. However, if there are any comments,

1677-506: The use of process management and/or policy management to orchestrate the functionality provided by the services offered by the components. The early focus of the TM Forum's NGOSS work was on building reference models to support a business stakeholder view on process, information and application interaction. Running in parallel were activities that supported an implementation stakeholder view on interface specifications to provide access to OSS capability (primarily MTNM). The MTNM work evolved into

1720-613: The work of standardization, ITU-T cooperates with other SDOs, e.g., the International Organization for Standardization (ISO) and the Internet Engineering Task Force (IETF). Most of the work of ITU-T is carried out by its Sector Members and Associates, while the Telecommunication Standardization Bureau (TSB) is the executive arm of ITU-T and coordinator for a number of workshops and seminars to progress existing work areas and explore new ones. The events cover

1763-442: Was established in 2000. This established a set of principles that OSS integration should adopt, along with a set of models that provide standardized approaches. NGOSS was renamed Frameworx. The TM Forum describes Frameworx as an architecture that is: The components interact through a common communications vehicle (using an information exchange infrastructure; e.g., EAI , Web Services , EJB ). The behavior can be controlled through

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1806-819: Was further defined by the ISO using the FCAPS model—Fault, Configuration, Accounting, Performance and Security. This basis was adopted by the ITU-T TMN standards as the Functional model for the technology base of the TMN standards M.3000 – M.3599 series. Although the FCAPS model was originally conceived and is applicable for an IT enterprise network, it was adopted for use in the public networks run by telecommunication service providers adhering to ITU-T TMN standards. A big issue of network and service management

1849-1070: Was to Digital Equipment Corporation 's PDP 11/70 machines and was completed in 1981. Later versions used VAX-11/780s . Today, LMOS runs on HP-UX 11i systems. This article related to telephony is a stub . You can help Misplaced Pages by expanding it . Operations support system Operations support systems ( OSS ), operational support systems in British usage, or Operation System ( OpS ) in NTT are computer systems used by telecommunications service providers to manage their networks (e.g., telephone networks). They support management functions such as network inventory , service provisioning , network configuration and fault management . Together with business support systems (BSS), operations support systems support various end-to-end telecommunication services. BSS and OSS have their own data and service responsibilities. The two systems together are often abbreviated OSS/BSS, BSS/OSS or simply B/OSS. The acronym OSS

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