Leased Private Network Network Management: The CNO Experience

In October of 1988, AT&T successfully implemented the Custom Network Option (CNO) service. CNO is an AT&T service that provides large business customers with a shared, private digital switched network. To fulfill customer requirements, extensive network management capabilities had to be provided. Specifically, customers required real-time call, traffic, and network status information along with on demand testing capabilities. AT&T met these needs by providing a Customer Service Administrative Control Center System (CSACCS) and allowing customers to receive network information by interfacing with this center. CSACCS collects alarms, performance data, configuration information and message detail records from the CNO network. This information can then be accessed by the customer via a graphics workstation, CNO-Network Management System (CNO-NMS).