Programmability

The facility of adding software to an NMS can greatly extend its usefulness . This can include anything from MPLS/ATM/SONET provisioning to special-purpose NE monitoring. Open source NMS are a relatively new phenomenon and represent what might be called the ultimate in end- user configurability ”actually changing the base software itself. Network management requirements are unique to every network, so programmability is an important addition.

NNM Programmability

NNM allows for user-software to be added to enhance the base functions. Examples of this can be in any of the FCAPS areas. NNM allows for geographical map-level integration between itself and third-party applications. In this, a user can select an NNM map node (such as a router) and launch third-party software to carry out operations on that device. This can include reporting, alarm and event processing, and other applications. The merit of the integration is the value added to NNM and the ease with which the third-party software can be accessed from the operational context.