-=+[TELCO PROVISIONING SYSTEMS ]+=- ===================================== WRITTEN BY CHAOTICPHREAK ON 12/28/00 ==================================== WWW.PHREAK2600.COM ================== DISCLAIMER: =========== The information provided in this document was obtained from public domains and is meant for informative and educational purposes only. Any abuse and unlawful usage of the information provided in this document is the sole responsibility of the individual and not that of the author and its affiliates. By proceeding you are agreeing to these terms otherwise do not proceed and exit accordingly. TABLE OF CONTENTS: ================== I Introduction II Overview III RCMAC IV FACS V LFACS VI PREMIS VII SWITCH VIII MARCH IX SORD X SOAC XI LMOS XII Conclusion XIII Contacts XIV Shouts I: INTRODUCTION ================ The purpose of this article is to provide the reader with information pertaining to the different systems the telephone company use to administer the vast telephone network. These systems are critical in many aspects in order to maintain network operations and continue to provide quality ensured services to its customers. This by no means is a full complete list of all the system associated with maintaining operations in the telephone network but only a list of a handful of systems that I have personally come in contact with and are very important and critical to maintaining operations within the network itself. The goal of this article is to provide an overview and summary of the systems and what specific purpose they serve. II: OVERVIEW ============= The systems listed here are used to administer the giant telecom network thus the title "Telco Provisioning Systems". The systems that will be covered are (in no particular order) RCMAC, FACS, LFACS, SWITCH, MARCH, SORD, SOAC, LMOS. Not included is FOMS/FUSA because of the lack of information provided to me. Currently I am still researching FOMS/FUSA and when the time is right there will be an article, possibly split into two parts, regarding FOMS/FUSA. Use this document to provide you with an overview of these systems and their role in maintaining operations within the network and how they benefit the overall network itself and provide efficiency to those who have to administer this monster we call the telephone system. The information provided here is a general overview of the systems introduced by Bell Labs, they may not hold accountable to one specific area. III: RCMAC ========== RCMAC stands for Recent Change Memeory Administration Center and it serves the purpose of updating and making changes to software in the telephone switch (ESS,DMS,etc). Switching systems today use SPC (Stored Program Control) to provide POTS (Plain Old Telephone Service) along with other custom service modes to subscribers. People constantly make various changes to their telephone service thus the switching system uses a memory module called Recent Change. This area of memory called Recent Change is a temporary storage place for recent service changes and updates (Recent Change Messages) where they are then to be stored in the semipermanent memory area (Recent Change Memory) of the switch. From here on all information is then directly upgraded into the switch thus completing the service order placed by the customer in the Recent Change memory module of the switching systems's SPC. The time it usually takes to input a servic order request into the switch is referred to as the Frame Due Date. Not all Recent Change requests are service orders, some tend to be Line Equipment Transfers (LET), Special Studies (SLU integrated), Service Observing Requests (SOB) ,troube reports, and verification procedures. RCMAC in addition to inputting service order and other information into the switch, is responsible for other duties such as Simulated Facilites (SFG), Traffic Registers (TR), Route Indexs, Service Observing Assignment (SOB), Subscriber Line Usages (SLU), MARCH RPM updates (discussed later), and certain reqeusts from the I.C. (Installtion Center) and other transmissions from the I.C. Each subscriber telephone number is assigned a specific office equipment (OE) location in the central office. Office equipment append to a specific unique numbering plan identfication method. This numbering plan is different for each type of switching system (1ESS ,1AESS,2ESS,3ESS,4ESS,5ESS, DMS-10,DMS-100,DMS-200,DMS-250,DMS-300,1XB,4XB,5XB,SXS). The numbering plan for different types of equipment may also vary. OE may also be referred as LEN (Line Equipment Number) or under a RSS (Remote Switching System) a REN (Remote Equipment Number). In order to accomplish its task RCMAC coordinates its transmissions with many other work groups and achieves fast and accurate RC messages for switching systems. The groups that interact with RCMAC are as follows SCC (Switching Control Center): -Provides technical assistance and coverage to RCMAC. -Provides emergency services and coverage to off hour RCMAC which includes any service discrepancies and so forth. Also is responsible for updates in the switching systems SPC related to RCMAC activities. NAC (Network Administration Center): -List of line class codes. -Translation Assignments. -Service Observing Assignments (SOB). -Subscriber Line Usage (SLU) study assignment. -RPM updates for switching systems in Cosmos tables USOC/NXX/Ltg. -Customer Line Overflow study assignment. -List of numbers that are to be stored in switching systems memory module from one intercept route index to another, prior to reassignment. -Area Transfer/Dial for Dial assignment. Frame: -Interfaces with RCMAC for LET. -Frame Jeopardy Reports. -Any trouble encountered by frame group when completeing service orders may be handled by the MLAC (Mechanized Loop Assignment Center) or may be handled by the RCMAC. BSC/RSC (Business/Residence Service Center) and MKTG (Marketing) RSB: -Handles customer requests for service changes and special custom services to customers. -Responsible for producing service order requests and works with RCMAC in offering these service. RSB (Repair Service Bureau) or SPOC (Single Point Of Contact): -Works with RCMAC in clearing trouble reports which involves RC input. -Responsible for investigating and clearing up discrepancies caused by RC input. IC (Installation Center) or MC (Maintenance Center): -Responsible for producing Frame Due Date. -In charge of ensuring all service order changes filed by customers are taken care of by a certain due date. -Generally in charge of administration and management of completeing service orders and must determine if the request needs field work or no field work. MLAC or LAC (Mechanized Loop Assignment Center): -In charge of coordinating and assiging service order requests to RCMAC. -Responsible for assiging subscriber line numbers and subscriber loops (does not hold true for all RBOC's.) RCMAC is more of a facility management center where different processes and workgroups function regarding the same goals but should most definetly be classified as a telco provisioning system due to the extreme importance of the work it handles. In summary RCMAC is responsible for all service change updates to subscriber lines. RCMAC is a vital function to ensuring customers quality telephone usage and service changes in a quick, accurate and easy manner. IV: FACS ======== FACS stands for Facility Administration Control System and consists of 5 components which are designed to work as one unified system. FACS works closely with RCMAC and is a vital component to the different transmissions RCMAC conducts. The five sub systems FACS consists of is LFACS, PREMIS, SWITCH, MARCH, SORD, SOAC. These systems generally make up the system we call FACS and all contribute to the activities that FACS is responsible for conducting but in some instances, some of these systems may be classified as stand alone systems. A good example of a stand alone system is SWITCH which is involved in the basic order flow of FACS but is in a sense a stand alone system because it has its own role and functions which are not integrated in the FACS system and serves other vital purposes in the management of the telephone network. FACS is a universal system almost guarenteed to be in full use by all RBOC's. The components of FACS will be discussed further. V: LFACS ======== LFACS is one of five systems part of the unified system called FACS. LFACS stands for Loop Facility Administration Control System. LFACS is responsible for maintaining an inventory of outdoor loop facilites such as cables, cable pairs, service terminals, interconnecting points, and cross-connect terminals and other physical components. The inventory contains customer locations and the outside plant facilites which serve each location. LFACS is also responsible for assigning AR's (Assignment Requests) to outside facilites received from SOAC (Service Order Activity and Control - discussed later) as a result of customer service order activity and cable pair assignment. LFACS also is responsible for generating worksheets for cable transfers and re-concentrations. In summary, LFACS is responsible for maintaining the inventory which consists of outside loop facilities and related components such as cables, cable pairs, service terminals and so forth, handling assignment requests and administering and managing inquiries and reports received from SOAC as a result of service order activity filed by the subscriber. VI: PREMIS ========== PREMIS is another component system of fACS and is short for PREMise Information System and is divided into three sub systems known as the main PREMIS database, PREMLAC (PREMis Loop Assignment Center) and PREMLAS (PREMis Loop Assignment Special circuit). PREMIS has three mechanized databases which are responsible for address data, a credit file, and maintaining a list of updated telephone numbers. PREMLAC is a special extension system to the address database and provides for outside plant facility data at each address entry. PREMIS supports customer negoatiation talks with a BOC representative and therefore is used to assist representatives prepare an inquiry report for the customers service orders. PREMIS interfaces with SWITCH to generate a list of updated telephone numbers in a given exchange and therefore is responsible for assigning telephone numbers to customers. PREMIS also provides access to customer address verification for addresses with telephone numbers and addresses without telephone number. In summary, PREMIS is a computer based information storage and retrieval system used to work in Residental/Business Service Centers (RSC/BSC) and is primarily responsible for assigning subscriber telephone numbers. VII: SWITCH =========== I'm sure many of you have heard of a system called COSMOS (COmputer System for Mainframe OperationS). COSMOS is now obsolete and has been upgraded to a system called SWITCH. SWITCH still has the same functions and responsibilites as COSMOS but carry's it duties and tasks out in a more efficient way. SWITCH is a network management system that is one of the componenet systems of FACS. SWITCH works with new modern digital facilites yet at the same time retaining support for older analog facilities and equipment. Like COSMOS, SWITCH is basically a large database system which contains all the OE (office equipment) inventory, customer cable pair equipment, and other central office facility equipment, and also is responsible for storing certain custom call features. SWITCH is responsible for service activation, subscriber line assignment, frame work management. SWITCH allows for service order activiation by updating its database which contains a complete facility equipment inventory. In summary, SWITCH is a very efficient COSMOS upgrade which contains an inventory of all CO facilities, and is a vital system to the functioning of FACS VIII: MARCH =========== MARCH is MIZAR upgrade which is FACS component system and is repsonsible for translating subscriber line related service order data received from SOAC (Service Order Analysis Control) into RC messages and transmitting them to the SPC (Stored Program Control) of the switch thus completing the service order requests. MARCH is an extemely important system to the transmissions and activites RCMAC conducts. Currently MARCH supports switching systems manufactured by Lucent Technologies, Nortel Networks, Ericsson, NEC, and Siemens Stromberg- Carlson. MARCH runs on a Amdahl mainframe computer. Back ago when COSMOS was around, MARCH had trouble communicating and transmitting to COSMOS since the generic interface MARCH uses is not supported by COSMOS but with the usage of templates and a COSMOS upgrade to SWITCH the problem has been handled in a efficient way. MARCH is a RC message manager responsible for updating the SPC of switching systems and is a vital system to the completion of service orders received from SOAC. IX: SORD ======== SORD also is a important FACS component system and stands for Service ORder Distribution and is responsible for distributing service order requests throughout the FACS enviroment and other systems and workgroups which then proccess the service order. Service orders received by SORD from a customer request contatin USOC's (Universal Service Order Codes) and FID's (Field IDentifier) which specifies the type of service the service order calls for. SORD also access's PREMIS for telephone number and address information and notes other entries made by the Representative. SORD then passes the service order onto SOAC for processing. X: SOAC ======= SOAC the last of the FACS systems, stands for Service Order Analysis Control and receives service orders from SORD and reads the USOC's and FID's contained in the service order forwarded from SORD using special internal tables to interpret the codes and determine what facility requirements and FACS component systems are needed to complete the service order. SOAC then accesses the appropriate FACS component system such as SWITCH for office equipment and CO facility equipment assignment, LFACS for cable pair assignment amd forwards orders to MARCH and forwards assignments to SORD. SOAC again uses special internal tables to translate data being transmitted into acceptable format for the receiving system. SOAC also maintaints a database of service order history and is responsible overall for analyzing the service order and determining the type of service being requested. XI: LMOS ======== LMOS stands for Loop Maintenance and Operations System and is responsible for handling subscriber problems concerning the local loop. LMOS can be described as a vital telco repair data management system. LMOS is the system database that holds different types of data regarding customer local loop repair. The data LMOS holds accountable for are as follows: -Troube history - database containing a index of trouble reports for the day -Past trouble history - Database containing recent trouble history for the last 30-40 days -Subcriber line records - Database containing records of customer local loop circuits and identifies customer class of service whether POTS (Plain Old Telephone Service) or SS (Special Services). -Service order history - Database indexing all subcriber line changes for the day, used for build up of miniline records to be sent to the front end bases. -Miniline record - Responsible for keeping LMOS synch with front end bases. When the customer needs to file a trouble report concerning their line, they call the CRSAB (Centralized Repair Service Answering Bureau). The CRSAB is the center which handles all customer negotiations regarding trouble reports. When the trouble report is filed it is sent along what is known as the cross front end which is a link to LMOS. It is then sent along to the front end where a BOR (Basic Output Report) is generated. A BOR contains subcriber line record information retrieved from the LMOS subcriber line records database, previous trouble history and other data acquired from tests performed by the MLT (Mechanized Loop Testing). The MLT is an extrememly important part of LMOS which is responsible for performing the actual physical tests on subscriber loops. A minicomputer residing in the RSB (Repair Service Bureau) provides the actual data link between MLT and LMOS. This minicomputer is known as the MLT controller. The physical MLT hardware resides in either the RSB or may be connected to the LMOS central processor. Numerous trunks connect physical MLT hardware to wire centers which are connected to subscriber loops to allow for testing. LMOS is both a customer loop and toll oriented system. The customer loop portion of the network that LMOS handles is constantly changing and being updated due to the customer activity. The toll portion involves BOC (BELL Operating Company) initiated plant changes. BOC's requested plant changes (also called job or work orders) are adjustements and changes that must be made to the loop in order to fit the requirements of the customer service changes and trouble reports. The USO (Universal Service Order) is a record of all plant change requests made by BOC's. USO's contain important data such as customers listings, billing sections, service and equipment section, and assignment sections. USO's also hold information that identify central office and outside plant facilites or lines. When service orders or trouble reports are processed, they pass through a interface program that translates the service order or trouble report data into edible USO format by adding RSB identifiers otherwise known as repair unit numbers. The ALRU (Automatic Line Record Update) is a subsystem of LMOS responsible for updating LMOS databases in response to service orders and trouble reports. In summary, LMOS is a system responsible for handling customer trouble reports and repairing problems on subscriber lines. XII: Conclusion =============== The information provided in this document regards different provisioning systems that telephone company personnel use to adminster and maintain operations on the telecom network. These systems although different in the processes and work they conduct are all similar in that they are vital to ensuring quality service to subscribers and keeping up with the demanding needs of the customers served by the telecom network. Hundreds of millions of people use the telephone as their primary means of communication daily and without these provisioning systems conducting their transmissions and activities in the efficient manner that they do, all those people would not be able to rely on quality telephone service. In a way all these systems are the basic foundation of the telephone network and is what allows the network to function so efficiently and never deprive customers of valuable service. As I conclude, just appreciate your telephone service and try not to imagine what would happen if these systems were not with us :(. Thats it for now, hope this article gave you a little insight on the vast powers and intricacies of the telephone network. Hope you had a good one, peace out. XIII: Contacts ============== ChaoticPhreak@Secureroot.com Cha0ticPhreak or Cha0t1cPhr34k on aim CP or ChaoticPh in #Hackphreak and #Phreak2600 on Efnet UIN # 83170648 on ICQ XIV: Shouts =========== Cycad, Pentium Cowboy, Syscrash, Boxphreak, Netstorm, Prefix, Pyrotix and his Atlantis kiddies, Redmage, Zerovoid, _Sub, Superluck, Rsh, Akurei, and all you other lamers whose names I cant think of right now :-). c) COPYRIGHT 2000 Phreak2600.com All rights reserved