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Tl1 Tutorial PDF
Tl1 Tutorial PDF
In telecommunication industry, TL1 is the most popular Command Line Interface (CLI) and the de facto
standard management protocol. This tutorial covers the history and evolution of TL1, message
structure and syntax of TL1 commands, and the TL1 features.
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Table of Contents
TL1 Tutorial ......................................................................................................... 1
1.0 History and Evolution of TL1.......................................................................... 4
2.0 TL1 The Telecom Management Protocol...................................................... 5
2.1 TL1 and SNMP: A comparison.......................................................................... 5
3.0 TL1 Language ................................................................................................ 8
3.1 TL1 Message Types ........................................................................................ 9
3.2 TL1 Input Message ...................................................................................... 10
3.2.1 Command Code .........................................................................................10
3.2.2 Staging Block ............................................................................................10
3.2.3 Payload Block ............................................................................................12
3.2.4 Examples for TL1 input commands: .............................................................12
3.3 TL1 Acknowledgment .................................................................................. 13
3.3.1 Acknowledgment code ................................................................................13
3.3.2 CTAG .......................................................................................................13
3.3.3 Terminator................................................................................................13
3.4 TL1 Response Message ................................................................................ 14
3.4.1 Response Header .......................................................................................14
3.4.2 Response ID..............................................................................................14
3.4.3 Response Block .........................................................................................15
3.4.4 Terminators ..............................................................................................15
3.4.5 Examples for TL1 response messages: .........................................................16
3.5 TL1 Autonomous Message ........................................................................... 17
3.5.1 Header .....................................................................................................17
3.5.2 Auto ID ...................................................................................................17
3.5.3 Text Block.................................................................................................18
3.5.4 Terminators ..............................................................................................18
3.5.5 Examples for TL1 input commands: .............................................................19
3.6 Verb List ..................................................................................................... 20
3.7 TL1 Parameters ........................................................................................... 21
3.7.1 Position-Defined Parameters .......................................................................21
3.7.2 Name-Defined Parameters ..........................................................................21
4.0 TL1 Provisioning Messages .......................................................................... 22
4.1 Equipment Provisioning Messages...................................................................22
4.2 Facilities Provisioning Messages ......................................................................22
4.3 Cross-connect Provisioning ............................................................................22
4.4 Facility Protection Group (FFP) Provisioning .....................................................23
4.5 Gateway NE Map Provisioning ........................................................................23
5.0 TL1 Protection Switching Messages............................................................. 24
5.1 Switching Messages ......................................................................................24
5.2 SONET Protection Switching Messages ...........................................................24
5.3 Non-SONET Line Protection Switching Messages ...............................................24
6.0 Telcordia GRs .............................................................................................. 27
7.0 Gateway NE ................................................................................................. 28
7.1 TL1 Deployment Scenario ..............................................................................28
7.2 Need for Gateway NE ....................................................................................28
7.3 How GNE Works ...........................................................................................30
7.4 Building TL1 Agent for GNE ............................................................................30
8.0 Delayed Activation....................................................................................... 31
8.1 Need for Delayed Activation ...........................................................................31
8.2 How delayed activation works ........................................................................31
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SL
Functions & Features
No
TL1
Input Messages. It
GET, SET, GET-NEXT, and
may operate on
GET-BULK
some data or it may
Here, all requests will
initiate some action
operate on data.
in NE.
1.
Operations:
Operations are the actions
initiated by manager to manage
the managed objects.
2.
Notification:
A notification is one generated by
Autonomous
the NE to report some unusual
Message
occurrence. It can be either
periodic or spontaneous.
3.
Management Information
Model:
Abstract representation of
managed object.
SNMP
There is no such
information
model used in TL1.
Here every thing is
action to be taken
at NE.
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Information Model).
4.
5.
6.
7.
8.
9.
Encoding:
Transforming the messages that
are sent over communication
channel.
There is no
encoding here. TL1
ASN.1 encoding is used here.
messages are in
plain ASCII text.
ATAG in
autonomous
Notification Tracking:
Inform can be used by agent.
message allows an
Provision in notification
Inform is nothing but
OS to determine if
that allows an OS to determine if
Confirmed Notification. After
it has failed to
it has failed to receive any
an Inform message is sent
receive any
spontaneous outputs by checking
out, the agent will get back
spontaneous
for omissions in
with a response message for
outputs by checking
the sequence of messages
the transmitted Inform
for omissions in
received
message.
the sequence of
messages received.
Acknowledgment:
An acknowledgment is a short
reply from the NE indicating that
Yes
No
an input command message is
being acted upon or has
been immediately rejected.
Delay Activation:
Delay Activation is a function
whereby an input message
(request) may be stored in a
Yes
No
Message Pending buffer at the
NE for final execution later,
either automatically or by a
subsequent message from the
OS.
Yes.
TL1 is man machine and
Man-Machine Language:
Machine-Machine Language.
machine Operators can compose request
machine language. It requires manager
message and directly interpret
Therefore, it can be application.
responses and events.
managed from both
the craft terminal
and OSS.
It can be
implemented by
SNMPv3 uses USM (User
using system
Security Model) and VACM
and resource access
(View based Access
Security:
control mechanism.
Control Mechanism) security
Security is concerned
System access
model. Here, authentication
with protecting managed
control needs
is done per message.
resources from
persistent
So connection between OSS
unauthorized access.
connection between
and NE may be
OSS and NE for
persistent or not.
authentication
(System access
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control).
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command_code:staging_block:payload_blocks;
verb-modifier1-modifier2
Verb: Refers to the type of action to be taken on the NE (in case of input message)
or the type of event that has occurred in the NE (in case of autonomous message).
Refer to the table of verbs to know the list of verbs that are used in messaging.
Modifiers: These are optional qualifiers for the input message. Depending on the
complexity of the message, one can use modifiers. Modifier 1 and modifier 2 are
used to identify and describe the object in the NE, which has to be acted upon by
the message, respectively.
:TID:AID:CTAG:generalblock:
Target Identifier (TID)
Every TL1 network element is assigned with a Target Identifier (TID), which uniquely
identifies the NE. TID is used for identifying the end NE when commands from OSSs are
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payload_block::=data_block_list;data_block_list::=data_block |
data_block_list:data_block
Example command
ACT-USER::root:4::public;
ENT-USERSECU::user1:13::user1,TCP,2:56,8,4,10,87,file;
ENTTCPRE:GNE1::4::NE3,192.168.1.1,9090;
ALW-EX: : : 2 : 1,01-03-17 , 11-22-40, : ;
ENT-CRS-STS1:GATE:STS-4-2,STS-7-3:43::;
EDPID:POUND:private:123::public,hareens12;
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acknowledgment_code
ctag terminator
3.3.2 CTAG
Refers to the correlation tag of the input message to which this acknowledgment is made.
3.3.3 Terminator
TL1 acknowledgments always end with greater than symbol > terminator.
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header
response_id
[response_block]
terminator
3.4.2 Response ID
Response ID identifies the type of output message - whether it is a response or an
autonomous message. Response Id takes the following format
M^^ctag^completion_code
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Completion
code Type
Parameters
Error Categories
Whenever a TL1 command fails, the response message contains the failure code.
Following are the failure codes
EXXX - Equipage errors
FXXX - Fault errors
IXXX - Input errors
PXXX - Privilege errors
RXXX - Resource errors
SXXX - Status errors
3.4.4 Terminators
Syntax of terminators : <cr><lf>( ; | > )
The semicolon (;)indicates the termination of output messages and greater than (>)
character indicates more output associated with this response will follow under another
header. The size of the output message should not exceed 4096 bytes. If it exceeds the
specified size, then the output response is split into multiple responses with the same
CTAG.
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ENT-TCPRE:GNE1::4::NE3,
192.168.1.1,9090;
ACT-USER::root:4::public;
ENT-CRS-STS1::STS-4-3, STS2-1:43:;
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3.5.1 Header
Autonomous messages header block take the following form:
^^^sid^year-month-day^hour:min:sec
Here, SID is the source identifier, year-month-day and hour:min:sec represent the date
and time of the message.
SID
Source identifier represents the name of the NE used for identifying the NE emitting the
message. SID is similar to the target identifier.
3.5.2 Auto ID
Autonomous identifier block has the following format
alarm_code^atag^verb [-modifier1[-modifier2]]
Alarm Code
Alarm code indicates the severity of the alarm. One of the four severity levels, given
below in the table, is assigned to every event condition.
Alarm Code
(almcde)
*C
**
*^
A^
Description
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If multiple alarms are reported, the alarm code will correspond to the alarm with the
highest severity. Non-alarmed code is used when the NE reports non-alarmed
autonomous messages such as those reporting performance data measurements.
ATAG
Every TL1 autonomous message, that the NE generates autonomously, contains a unique
identifier called the Autonomous TAG (ATAG). It is an integer value (e.g., 198)
incremented by one for each message. These ATAGs can be used for alarm correlation.
The OSS can look for the continuity of the ATAG values and verify that no message is lost.
If the OSS senses an ATAG out of sequence, it can request the missing data to be sent
again from the NE.
Fractional ATAG : Sometimes ATAG may be associated with a second decimal,
component. It helps in correlating multiple events with a single source (e.g.,
198.7).
ATAG character length GR-833 specifies the character length of ATAG to be
maximum of 10 characters including the fractional component.
VMM
VMM represents the verb-modifier1-modifier2 format or the command code. The verb
indicates the action to be taken on the NE, as requested by the TL1 command, or the type
of autonomous event that is fired by the NE. The modifiers further qualify the command
as to which object is acted upon by the command and give additional description about
the object.
3.5.4 Terminators
Syntax of terminators: <cr><lf>( ; | > )
The semicolon (;)indicates the termination of output messages and greater than (>)
character indicates more output associated with this autonomous message will follow
under another header. The size of the autonomous message should not exceed 4096
bytes. If it exceeds the specified size, then the autonomous message is split into multiple
responses with the same CTAG.
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<CR>
<LF><LF> Source 02-01-15 14:28:09
<CR>
<LF>** 1 REPT ALM SECU <CR>
<LF>"SECURITY
LOG:CR,LOGBUFROVFLSECULOG"<CR>
<LF>;
<CR>
<LF><LF> Source 02-05-06
13:23:03<CR>
<LF>A 1 REPT EVT SESSION<CR>
<LF> "root:NO,"<CR>
<LF> /*NOTICE: This is a private
computer system.<LF> Unauthorized
access or use may lead to
prosecution.*/<CR>
<LF>;
Description
This autonomous message will be sent
when the security log file is completely full.
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Verb
ABT
ACPT
ACT
ALW
AUD
CANC
CHG
CMPR
CONN
COPY
CPY
CRPT
CRTE
DGN
DISC
DLT
ED
ENCAP
ENT
EX
EXIT
FLTLOC
INH
INIT
MEAS
MON
OPR
RD
REC
RECNFGR
REPT
RLS
RMV
RST
RTRV
SCHED
SET
SND
STA
STP
TEST
TRACE
WRT
Definition
Abort
Accept
Activate
Allow
Audit
Cancel
Change
Compare
Connect
Copy
Copy
Corrupt
Create
Diagnose
Disconnect
Delete
Edit
Encapsulation
Enter
Exercise
Exit
FaultLocate
Inhibit
Initialize
Measure
Monitor
Operate
Read
Recover
Reconfigure
Report
Release
Remove
Restore
Retrieve
Schedule
Set
Send
Start
Stop
Test
Trace
Write
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Name1=Value1, name2=value2, .
The parameter names are case sensitive, whereas the value are not case-sensitive. You
need not retain delimiters to mention the null value of the values.
Example: name1=value1, name3=value3..(though the parameter 2 is missing here, you
need not have an empty comma)
NOTE : In a TL1 message you can't mix name-defined and position-defined parameters
inside a single block. The type of parameter used inside a single block (separated by
colon) should be of only one type either name-defined or position-defined. However, you
can have multiple blocks inside the payload block each of different type.
For example, in the cross connect command given below
ED-CRS-STS1:TID:FROM_AID,
TO_AID:CTAG::common_block:specific_block:state_block; the common
block and the state block are position defined, whereas the specific block is name defined.
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Delete equipment
ED-EQPT
ENT-EQPT
RTRV-EQPT
ED-mod1
ENT-mod1
RMV-mod1
RST-mod1
RTRV-mod1
Delete a crossconnect
ED-CRS-mod2
ENT-CRS-mod2
RTRV-CRS
RTRV-CRS-mod2
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DLT-FFP-mod2
ED-FFP-mod2
ENT-FFP-mod2
RTRV-FFP-mod2
DLT-OSACMAP
ED-OSACMAP
ED-OSACMAP
RTRV-OSACMAP
DLT-TADRMAP
ED-TADRMAP
ENT-TADRMAP
RTRV-TADRMAP
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REPT-SW
SONET
Non-SONET
Instructs a SONET NE to initiate a SONET line or path protection switch request. User
switch requests initiated with this command (i.e., forced switch, lockout, and manual
switch) remain active until they are released via the RLS PROTNSW command or
overridden by a higher priority protection switch request. To initiate protection switch
exercise, use EX SW.
RLSPROTNSW
Thi
di
t th NE t
ll
ti
it hi
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For a working unit, this command allows the unit to access any
protection unit, and the state of the working unit changes from IS-NRACT-LOCK to IS-NR-ACT.
For a protection unit, this command allows the protection unit to be
accessed by any working unit, and its state changes from IS-NR-STBYLOCK to IS-NR-STBY.
INH-SWDX-xx
INHSWTOPROTN-xx
INH-SWTOWKGxx
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SW-DX-xx
SW-TOPROTN-xx
SW-TOWKG-xx
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7.0 Gateway NE
Gateway NE has the capability to route input messages from the EMS to the NEs.
And it also routes the autonomous messages from the NEs to the EMS. This article
speaks more about this GNE in detail.
Figure 1.0
In SONET systems, apart from the normal operations channel, there is another
channel called Data Communication Channel (DCC). Used only for administrative
and management operations. A command, sent through DCC travels through all
NEs in the path before reaching the target NE. NEs present in between the GNE
and the ENDNE (target NE) are called Intermediate NEs (INEs).
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Figure 2.0
IDLC systems require a dedicated TCP/IP connections between NEs and the
manager. Holding a dedicated TCP/IP connection for every NE is not a scalable
solution. Hence, at least one of the NEs should be gateway element to enable
routing of messages between OSS and the NEs.
Figure 3.0
For security reasons, some NEs have restrictions on the number of "simultaneous
user sessions". While managing such elements, the management applications and
the craft operators face a "resource constraint problem" accentuated by the user
session restrictions. Installing a GNE and routing the messages from multiple
operators via the GNE solve this problem. Refer to figure 3.0.
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Note :You can correlate GNE with the proxy feature of other management
protocols. Without GNE, the management of TL1 networked devices will become
difficult.
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Delayed Activation
Command
at
23:00 hrs
ENT-CRS-STS1:TID:STS-3-2,STS-4-3:44:210198, , 23-00-00, :
same day
;
ENT-CRS-STS1:TID:STS-3-2,STS-4-3:44:210198,02-12-06 , , :
on dec 06, 2002
;
23:00 hrs
ENT-CRS-STS1:TID:STS-3-2,STS-4-3:44:210198,02-12-06,23on dec06th2002
00-00, : ;
where, 210198 indicates ORDER NUMBER, 23:00:00 indicates time, 02-12-06 indicates
date.
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9.0 Security
In networked environments, the chances for security breaches are always high.
Successful security breaches can affect the networks performance and degrade the
quality of service. In high quality telecommunication networks, poor performance would
result in a dissatisfied user. This is not acceptable in todays competitive world. Customer
retention is key to business success. Some of the bad effects of intended security
breaches include service thefts, disclosure of confidential information, collapse of the
entire system etc. These are the worst nightmares for service providers. An immaculate
security system becomes indispensable for anybody offering service over his networks.
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1.
2.
3.
4.
User Authentication.
Restricting the authenticated users from using privileged commands.
Restricting the authenticated users from accessing specific resources in the NE.
Restricting the authenticated users from accessing privileged data from the data
tables.
5. Implementing security over the various channels through which the session is
established.
6. Keeping track of all the security-related events that happen in the network.
TL1 agent plays a major role in security. It receives all the TL1 commands and serves as
the single point of communication. You have to configure the agent for implementing
security in the device. Sending proper commands to the agent and thereby storing right
information in the NE can easily deal with all the above-mentioned key challenges. The
agent validates the commands with the help of data stored in the NE. It can execute or
reject the commands based on the validation output.
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Telcordia LFACS
Telcordia SWITCH
Telcordia Customer Network Manager (FLEXCOM)
SERVICE ASSURANCE SUITE
Fault Management
Telcordia NMA System (NMA)
Telcordia Surveillance Manager (SM)
PERFORMANCE MANAGEMENT
Telcordia Network Performance Monitor (NPM)
Telcordia Service Level Manager (SLM)
Telcordia Network Capacity Manager (NCM)
Physical layout
Hardware configuration
Network topology
Protection scheme
AID modeling
CLEI code
Supported input messages and autonomous messages.
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11.0 Glossary
Acknowledgment
An acknowledgment is a short reply from the NE indicating that an input command
message is being acted upon or has been immediately rejected. The essential purpose of
an acknowledgment is to assure a user that a command that takes a long time to execute
has been received by the NE.
AID - Access Identifier
AID is one of the blocks in the Staging Parameter Block of an input message .The Access
IDentifier (AID) block normally consists of one or more parameters that uniquely identify
the entity, within the target NE, to be acted upon by the input message.
ATAG - Autonomous Tag
ATAG is one of parameter in an autonomous message . It is assigned by the NE, must be
sequential, and must be included in all autonomously generated messages. It allows an
OS to correlate spontaneous outputs triggered by a common problem and also to identify
whether the OS has failed to receive any output.
Autonomous message
An autonomous message is an unsolicited message from the NE to the appropriate OS for
reporting any event occurred in an NE.
Circuit
A circuit is a connection between two points
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