IBM 5.5 User Manual

Page of 86
1
1Introduction.fm November 27, 2006
Chapter 1. Introduction
This chapter provides an overview of Netcool
®
/Precision for Transmission Networks 
(Netcool/Precision TN). 
This chapter contains the following sections:
Introduction to Netcool/Precision TN
Netcool/Precision TN enables real-time network asset management and reconciliation, 
regardless of the management protocols, technologies, and vendors' products used. 
Netcool/Precision TN:
Collects any network data, including fault, performance, inventory, facility, and 
connection information.
Provides complete asset visibility, enabling you to visualize the network in real time, 
including the inventory image for each device, the topology of the network, and 
customer circuits provisioned in the network. 
Provides the information needed to generate asset and network capacity reports to 
reconcile all offline OSS databases, such as inventory, provisioning, and billing. 
Provides flexible asset reporting, including standard and customizable asset reports, 
as well as direct access to the XML stream and the network data in the database. 
Provides a web-based GUI called Network Pilot for collecting and viewing the 
network data. 
Optionally integrates complete inventory, facility, and connection data with 
Netcool/OMNIbus alerts so that operators can locate, diagnose, and solve network 
problems more easily. 
Telecom networks are more difficult than ever to manage; they are built on multiple 
technologies and managed by systems from multiple vendors. Service providers generally 
have multiple management systems (OSSs), each of which performs one function for one 
portion of their network. Each of these systems provides a limited view of a vendor-specific 
portion of the network.