DS-1 Extended Superframe Format and Related Performance Issues

1. INTRODUCTION: The purpose of this article is to discuss the impact of T1 extended superframe format (ESF) on both service and application performance monitoring. ESF provides customers with continuous error checking capability on their T1 facilities. This raises questions not only about how customers will use this data, but also about how service providers will respond to the customer data. For example, service providers will now be held more accountable by customers for stated performance objectives on T1 facilities.