Abstract

Multi-Service Core Aggregation Systems promise significant operational and capital cost savings while speeding provisioning and reducing provisioning errors. In choosing a MultiService Core Aggregation System, however, carriers should ensure that the system has the management capabilities to enable multi-tiered management structures without compromising access to unauthorized resources. In legacy architectures, access is physically controlled on a per- add/drop multiplexer/per-ring basis, and only authorized personnel have access to each add/drop multiplexer’s management controls. But since a Multi-Service Core Aggregation System can terminate dozens of rings, carriers must find ways to give employees or customers only the appropriate level of management on only the appropriate ring or rings.

In this article, the author will explain how router technology can be applied to traditional SONET equipment to enable carriers to implement routing and forwarding isolation for ring traffic, while the implementation of role-based access control gives carriers the management isolation and access capabilities to assign various management privileges to specific employees or customer personnel while protecting other resources from them.

© 2005 Optical Society of America