The ubiquity and user-friendliness of the World Wide Web is prompting long distance carriers to reevaluate how they give users a view into their networks. Traditionally, obtaining network-performance data has been more difficult and more expensive than most customers are willing to buy into. Moving this function to the Web facilitates the acquisition of real-time performance data using the familiar browser interface. Not only are more network management tools being equipped with hooks into the World Wide Web, but some expensive management platforms are being discontinued because they do not compete well against Web-based tools that do. Among the long distance carriers that offer Web-based management tools is LDDS WorldCom.
LDDS WorldCom, the fourth largest long distance carrier in the United States, offers its customers a Web-based Network Management System (Fig. 1) that is accessed through a client equipped with a standard Web browser. With the browser, users can monitor the performance of their data and voice WANs. The system gives network administrators their choice of hour-by-hour and day-by-day statistics on frame relay, dedicated access, and toll-free circuits. For example, on a near real-time basis, frame relay users can see hourly and daily reports on the percentage of frames marked discard-eligible due to bursting above the committed information rate (CIR). Users can also compare CIRs to actual traffic load to help determine when port expansion is necessary.
Figure 1: Architecture of the LDDS WorldCom Web-based management capability, which gives users reports on their portion of the network.
The reporting service makes it simpler for managers and administrators to get into the network to obtain performance-related information, without requiring them to buy additional hardware and software compatible with their provider's network monitoring capabilities. Customers can use Web NMS to obtain usage statistics, such as: originating number, number of no-answers, and average call duration for customer toll-free numbers; trunk group activity levels on dedicated access lines; and port/PVC usage on frame relay service. In near-real time, Frame Relay customers can use Web NMS to:
§ Open a window into the network when considering a change or upgrade to their existing frame relay facilities
§ Track how much of their traffic is "bursting" above the committed information rate (CIR) to discard-eligible status
With regard to toll-free 800 or 888 numbers, the Web NMS toll-free application enables call center managers to do such things as determine on an hourly basis how many calls are being answered or dropped in queue for each telephone number. In near-real time, toll-free customers can use Web NMS to:
§ Monitor usage volumes on individual facilities to best distribute calls among multiple answering locations
§ Ensure that all calls are getting through
§ Adjust staffing based on traffic load reports
§ Track response to specific toll-free numbers used in advertising campaigns and on product packaging
In near-real time, Dedicated Access Line (DAL) customers can use Web NMS to:
§ View trunk group activity levels reports
§ Based on trunk group reports, use conventional means to best allocate available bandwidth between multiple services—for example, between outbound and inbound trunk groups
§ Based on trunk group reports, use spare capacity for point-to-point data services
To use the Web NMS, users actually go into WorldCom's password-protected corporate intranet. An additional level of security is provided by partitioning the servers on a customer-by-customer basis. Hyperlinks enable Web NMS users to click on individual physical or virtual circuits, check the traffic load through specific frame relay ports, or switch among hourly, daily, and historical summaries. The Web NMS screens also include online help and customer feedback links.
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