No. 4 ESS: Network Management and Traffic Administration

High-quality service requires the proper planning for the quantities of central office and trunking equipment and the effective utilization of this equipment in the operational environment. The network management and traffic administration functions in the No. 4 ESS are planned with these objectives in mind. The network management function is directed at maintaining a high level of service during unusual traffic situations. The traffic administration function has two aspects: network engineering and machine administration. Basically, network engineering encompasses the planning function associated with the dimensioning of equipment, and machine administration consists of the ongoing activities aimed at meeting service objectives. A fundamental distinction between these activities is their differing time frames: (i) The network management activities deal in real time with the unexpected or unusual situation. 1169 (ii) Machine administration activities deal with maintaining service objectives on a daily and monthly basis. (iii) Network engineering activities are concerned with future planning for customer service. 1.1 Network management