Today's complicated and heterogeneous telecommunication network environments need fully-integrated, cost-effective, user-friendly management systems. When developing such management systems in distributed environments, many telecommunication companies are carefully adopting CORBA and Java technologies. CORBA technology enables developers to create and manipulate distributed management system components easily while Java technology liberates human users from complicated and proprietary management system interfaces. In this paper, we propose a TMN-based integration framework for distributed network management by combining both CORBA and Java technologies. The framework generalizes a logically-layered architecture from the management agents layer to the user interface layer. It also provides generalized TMN management interfaces using inter-domain gateway systems for coordinating heterogeneous management protocols. By using these interfaces, TMN management function components can be easily constructed as CORBA objects to provide powerful TMN management services to administrators via user-friendly Web browsers. On the basis of this framework, we have designed and implemented a TMN alarm surveillance system which realizes our framework.

Up to now, a lot of efforts have been made for the management of telecommunication networks and equipment, but less effort has been made for the realization of higher-layer service and business management. Common Object Request Broker Architecture (CORBA) provides the infrastructure for interoperability of various object-oriented management applications in a distributed environment, and being widely used to develop distributed systems in many areas of information processing technologies. There are recently worldwide growing interests for applying CORBA technology for the realization of higher layer Telecommunication Management Network (TMN) management functions. In this paper, we propose a platform architecture for the efficient integration of CORBA technology within TMN framework, where CORBA-based management functions as well as TMN-based management functions can be realized efficiently. GDMO/ASN. 1 to IDL translator has been designed and implemented for translating TMN management information into OMG CORBA IDL interface. The CORBA/CMIP gateway has also been designed for realization of the interaction translation specification of JIDM task force with some additional extensions. Finally, we evaluate the performance of the CORBA-based network management system, and analyze the code reusability for the construction of the CORBA-based management system, in order to show the efficiency of the architecture.

Private networks are becoming globalized and more complicated through LAN-WAN interconnection. While WANs are managed by CMIP, LANs are managed by SNMP. To achieve end-to-end management, the integration of CMIP-based and SNMP-based management is important. We have developed an MI (Management Integration) platform for CMIP-based and SNMP-based management. It provides OSI SMF (Systems Management Function)-based unified basic management services to upper level applications regardless of the differences between CMIP-based and SNMP-based management. It achieves this with two modules: a management information transfer integration module that mainly covers protocol and data format differences between them, and a basic management module that covers functional differences. The translation of management information in the former module can be changed flexibly because the translation is based on an external script file. The latter module has additional SMF-like functions for the management of SNMP agents in addition to SMF manager role functions, etc. Prototype evaluation has demonstrated the feasibility of the MI platform.