Automated Repair Service Bureau: The Front-End System

The components of the Automated Repair Service Bureau (ARSB) described throughout this volume serve four major functions. These are: (i) maintaining a customer line record data base so that repair personnel have up-to-date information about the facilities being repaired, (ii) recording and tracking troubles reported on telephone equipment from the time the trouble is reported until the time it is cleared and closed out, (Hi) testing and analyzing the condition of customer loops, and (iv) analyzing closed trouble report data to aid in managing the repair process. The first and last of the above functions are handled by the Loop Maintenance Operations System (LMOS) host,1,2,3 where the power of a large main frame computer and the availability of large amounts of disk storage can be used to advantage. The third function--automated loop testing--is performed by the Mechanized Loop Test (MLT) system.4 1165 Fig. 1--Automated Repair Service Bureau--an example.