2.11.

1 Introduction
Traditionally, systems that take care of control and supervisory functions in a
telecommunications network have been known as operation and maintenance
(O&M) systems. Nowadays we prefer to use the term network management
system because the functions performed by network management systems
include much more than those supported by the conventional O&M
systems.
Operation functions cover subscriber management functions and
enable the network operator, for example, to collect charging data and move
and terminate subscriptions. Operation also includes traffic monitoring and
controlling the network in such a way that the risk of overload is minimized,
for example, by switching traffic from overloaded connections to other
systems.
Maintenance includes monitoring of the network and, when a fault
occurs, corrective actions are performed. Bit error rates and other parameters
are continuously measured for the early detection of faults. When a fault is
detected, the operators staff starts troubleshooting in order to localize the
fault. This used to be quite a difficult task because it was done manually and
many systems may detect a fault even when the actual fault may be in only
one of them or even somewhere else. Maintenance, like other network management
functions, has become more and more computerized, making fault
location easier and quicker with the help of centralized management systems
that provide graphical information about the networks condition.