Telecommunications Management Network: Vision vs. Reality Although very few organizations can claim today that TMN has improved their ability to manage their telecommunications network, there is no doubt that the TMN vision - with its inherent promise - will gradually
Roch Glitho, Stephen K. Hayes · 1995
ince the early 1980s, the standards bodies have been specifying the Telecommunications Management Network (TMN) principles. Millions of dollars have been spent. The TMN principles aim at being applicable across telecommunications technologies. They recommend the use of independent management networks to manage telecommunications networks, elements in the telecommunications networks (managed networks), and managing systems (in managing networks), communicating via well defined, standardized interfaces. The standards bodies envisioned TMN as a possible solution to the complex problem of telecommunications networks and services Operation, Administration, Maintenance & Provisioning (OAM&P) in today’s open, multivendor environment. However, the vision stumbles against the reality. Various factors still hinder the implementation of TMN-based OAM&P systems. This article provides a tutorial on TMN by contrasting the vision and the reality.