Network Element Management

 
Network element management software refers to control software for the various devices that
make up the network, including routers, switches, and the radios themselves. Newcomers to
telecommunications may be surprised to learn that in many cases the same basic elements
made by different manufacturers may not necessarily talk to one another, and elements that
are different in function and/or bear a hierarchical relationship to one another often have
associated control software that functions essentially as a closed system. A synchronous optical
network (SONET) add/drop multiplexer, for instance, would in its traditional guise require
manual intervention to accept new customers, and even in its updated, next-generation
SONET form, would not normally communicate with a metro Ethernet switch to provision a
circuit for a subscriber or to increase the bandwidth of an existing connection. True, network
elements exist that combine SONET and Ethernet functionality and can do these things, but
they are not the norm.
The manufacturer of the particular device in question almost always provides network element
management software, though that same manufacturer may not actually have developed
the software in-house but instead may have gone to a software vendor specializing in this area.
In addition, independent software vendors sell network element management products that
may provide certain types of functionality not present in the manufacturer’s own software
product. Frequently what a network operator is seeking in the product of an independent is a
system that will facilitate integration with other elements in the network.