Page 385 - Handbook of Modern Telecommunications

3-176 CRC Handbook of Modern Telecommunications, Second Edition

3.7.2.2.6 Network Modeling Services
Network modeling is an artificial intelligence capability that can assist in automated fault isolation and
diagnosis as well as performance and configuration management. Modeling allows a management sys-
tem to infer the status of one object from the status of other objects.
Network modeling is facilitated by object-oriented programming techniques and languages such as
C++. The goal of modeling is to simplify the representation of complex networks, creating a layer of
abstraction that shields management applications from underlying details.
The building block of this technology is the model, which describes a network element such as a router.
A model consists of data (attributes) describing the element as well as its relationships with other ele-
ments. Abstract elements, such as organizations and protocols, can also be modeled, as can nonintelligent
devices such as cables. A model may use information from other models to determine its own state; mod-
eling can reduce the complexity of management data and highlight the most important information. In
this way, fault isolation and diagnosis can be automated. In addition, models can be used to depict traffic
patterns, trends, topologies, or distributions to assist in performance and configuration management.

3.7.2.3 APIs and Development Toolkits
API and developer toolkit platform vendors encourage third-party applications by providing published
APIs, toolkits that include libraries of software routines, and documentation to assist applications devel-
opers. Another aspect of this effort is the partner program—the marketing angle of encouraging third-
party applications development.
An API shields applications developers from the details of the management platform’s underlying
data implementation and functional architecture. Management platform vendors generally include in
their developer’s kits several coded examples of how APIs can be used, as well as the APIs themselves.
Most modern platforms offer an API conforming to the Soap/Web Services (WS) technology. This
offers some kind of neutrality regarding integration platform and implementation language. However,
most WS APIs of today are strikingly slow, which often makes developers request and use further mode
low-level APIs as well.
In most cases, if an application takes advantage of platform APIs, it must be recompiled with the plat-
form code, resulting in a tightly integrated end product. Many independent software vendors (ISVs) and
other third-party developers lack the resources necessary to pursue this level of integration. Or, perhaps
a more accurate way of stating this is that ISVs are not convinced that expending the extra effort to fully
integrate their applications with all leading management platforms will result in a proportionally larger
revenue stream. ISVs and other third-party developers face a choice: tightly integrate their products
with one management platform vendor or loosely integrate them with all leading platform providers.
Most third parties have chosen the latter route, as they are unwilling to turn off prospective customers
who may have chosen a different platform vendor as their strategic management provider.
As a result, at least 80% of the third-party applications available today are only loosely integrated
with the underlying management platform—at the menu bar—and completely ignore APIs and other
environment libraries. This is expected to change as the market matures and as platform vendors begin
to offer high-level APIs that make porting applications from one management platform to another an
almost trivial exercise.
In summary, published APIs and libraries make it possible for ISVs and other third parties to write
applications that take advantage of other basic services provided by the management platform. To date,
few third parties have taken full advantage of platform APIs, although this is expected to change over
the next several years.
3.7.2.4 Management Operations Support Services
All management frameworks consist of framework services and management applications. Services are
implemented as a set of related processes, databases, and file sets. The basic thrust of management implies