NetTrouble: a TTS for network management

Current information systems need tools that are able to register the variety of problems that occur in the system, co-ordinating the efforts for resolution and keeping the experience gained in those efforts. These applications are traditionally called trouble ticket systems (TTS). The network management (NM) environment involves several issues not yet addressed by current systems, namely the heterogeneity of data networks, geographic dissemination (of the managed system and of the management team), the multi-organisational attribute of wide area networks (with many carriers and communication service providers between network ends), and the decomposition (both functional and hierarchical) of the associated tasks and responsibilities. This paper explains the most important results of a project developed at the University of Coimbra that involved the development of NetTrouble, a TTS designed for NM that brings out new and innovative concepts such as the use of administrative domains (useful in dealing with multi-organisational systems), the autonomic definition of co-operation policies between different organisations, a flexible administrative model (going to ticket-level detail and able to involve both local and remote human resources), and the virtual presence of tickets belonging to remote domains. The notification model of NetTrouble, another interesting feature, is also be described.