(continuation of part of Q.2/4 and Q.9/4)

Motivation

The essence of management standardization is in the specification of management functionality and associated management information for communication across management interfaces. Implementable management interfaces require the specification of interface requirements in the form of management functionality, the analysis and identification of the information to be communicated independent of the implementation means (termed an information model), and the transformation of the protocol-neutral information into a protocol-specific format (termed a data model). This process is generally referred to as requirements, analysis, and design (RAD).

The RAD process defines a methodology which provides a unified approach for all work on management interface specifications, including requirements capture, information analysis and design. Central to the methodology is protocol-neutral modelling.

This question is responsible for the definition and maintenance of the management interface methodology (Recommendation M.3020) and the frameworks specifying the use of management technologies, including Unified Modeling Language (UML), CORBA and XML-based web services. Support for Service-Oriented Architecture (SOA) concepts is a new requirement.

As this RAD process is generally recognized in some form throughout the telecom industry, other SDOs and forums also have produced similar methodologies which may be of value. This is recognized in the current contents of M.3020. Thus this question is also responsible for collaborating with other SDOs and forums to harmonize interface methodologies and where possible produce common management interface methodology.

Though M.3020 is focused on machine-machine interfaces (e.g., network element to operations system), it is recognized that other methodologies may be needed as well, such as for human-machine interfaces. Thus this question is broadly responsible for the generation of any methodologies concerning the communication of management information within, between, and outside of management networks.
The question is further responsible for the generic information models (e.g., Recommendation M.3100). The question is responsible for the specification of both the protocol-neutral version and the protocol-specific versions of these generic information models. Again it is recognized that SDOs and forums outside the ITU-T may have such information models that may be of value.

With the advent of Next Generation Network (NGN) based on IP, the management information models may have to be extended to address the required enhancements.

Question

Study items to be considered include, but are not limited to:

• What enhancements, including support for Service-Oriented Architecture concepts, are needed for the Requirements Analysis and Design (RAD) methodology defined in Recommendation M.3020? What additional frameworks are needed for timely support of new management technologies, including methodologies for definition of representations and concepts and the mappings between them?
• What collaboration inside and outside the ITU-T is required to support the generation of management interface methodology?
• What generic requirements and protocol-neutral and protocol-specific generic information models are required to support further development of management interfaces?
• What generic requirements and management information is required for specification of service level information models supporting management activities over management interfaces?
• What modifications and extensions to existing generic requirements and information models are required to support NGN?
• What collaboration inside and outside the ITU-T is required to support the generation of generic requirements and information models?
• What requirements and information models are required to support the security services and mechanisms to secure the management network?
• What maintenance of existing Recommendations is needed?

Tasks

Tasks include, but are not limited to:

• M.3020 enhancements for requirements capture and description;
• M.3020 enhancements for analysis, including support for protocol-neutral information modelling;
• M.3020 enhancements for design, including support for protocol-specific information modelling;
• Development of additional frameworks and guidelines to support new management technologies;
• Development of high level generic telecommunication information model to support model harmonization in collaboration with outside SDOs and forums;
• Development of a protocol-neutral version of M.3100;
• Further harmonization of M.3100 series Recommendations with M.1400 series Recommendations;
• Development of protocol-neutral versions of the X.730, X.740 and X.750 Recommendation series incorporating requirements from Q.821 and Q.822;
• Identification of requirements and enhancements to the generic information models to support NGN transport and service strata and associated services;
• Enhancements to the generic information models to support information exchange across B2B and C2B management interfaces;
• Maintenance of Recommendations M.3020, M.3100, M.3101, M.3120, G.850 Series, X.700, X.701, X.702, X.720 Series, X.780 series, and Q.816 series;
• Maintenance of function-specific information models developed as part of OSI Systems Management, including X.730 Series, X.740 Series, X.750 Series and X.790 Series.

Relationships

Recommendations: G.800, G805 G.809

Study Groups: 15

Standardization bodies: ETSI, IETF, TM Forum, ATIS, 3GPP, 3GPP2, OASIS