NETWORK MANAGEMENT FOR MOBILE SATELLITE SYSTEMS

Mobile satellite systems (MSSs) are being developed around the world t o provide voice and data services to large populations of mobile subsc ribers in rural and sparsely populated areas. To maintain efficient op eration of an MSS, it is essential that a network management system (N MS) be incorporated into the design. This paper presents a comprehensi ve review of these issues in relation to the overall requirements of M SSs. Functions that need to be performed by the NMS are discussed in d etail, under the categories of configuration, fault, performance, acco unting, security, capacity, service, and administration management. An architecture for integrating NMS functions into the network control c entre (NCC) and extending network management services to other network elements is presented. The roles of enabling technologies such as exp ert systems, fault tolerant processors, and object-oriented databases are examined.