What's FCAPS?
-M<
I suppose that answers the question whether FCAPS holds currency
among network managers/engineers.
It is an ITU-T developed network management model composed of
Fault, Configuration, Accounting, Performance, Security (FCAPS).
Some people think it is a mandatory specification for how to
manage a network; other people think it is an antiquated view
of telecom network management; and yet other people think it is
as relevant as the ISO 7-layer network model.
Seems the latest cluster of hype is around (e)TOM from the TMF, much more
than strict FCAPS etc.
We see a lot of interest among enterprises in ITIL for IT service
management, which I'm guessing would overlap the FCAPS framework. Is anyone
investing it for the SP side?
(what's ITIL? - http://www.ogc.gov.uk/index.asp?id=2261)
Irwin
We see a lot of interest among enterprises in ITIL for IT service
management, which I'm guessing would overlap the FCAPS framework.
s/a lot of interest/we want to sell/
I agree that there's alot of interest in ITIL but I'm not so sure it offers a conceptual model that
makes sense of network management. ITIL is more generic that FCAPS so it would be
like describing scientific method in terms of Aristotle's concepts of form and matter. Bad analogy?
The usefulness that I see in the model is it's ability to present a big picture of the functional
areas that must be addressed if an enterprise or sp is to manage a network well. It's
a communication device. When you explain to someone who has never heard of it
that well run networks have teams that manage network faults, network configuration, network accounting,
performance and security....they tend to go, "oh yeah. I see." The question I am
asking is whether or not there are key activities that are outside FCAPS but nonetheless essential these days to
running a network....with the overarching awareness that there are some activities that
are so generic that they don't warrant being specifically part of the mission of network managers
....