A SOA-based information management model for Next-Generation Network

Next-Generation Networks (NGNs) aim to provide a unified network infrastructure to offer multimedia data and telecommunication services through IP convergence. NGNs will utilize multiple broadband, QoS-enabled transport technologies, creating a converged service-oriented packet-switched network infrastructure, where service-related functions are separated from the transport functions and are handled by the application layer. This requires significant changes in the network management system (NMS) to handle the complexity of heterogeneous NGNs. Simple Network Management Protocol (SNMP) is a widely adopted protocol in NMS. However, the escalation of heterogeneous networks has exposed the limitations of SNMP. A NGN requires a novel management system to manage network information to carry out SNMP operations. Currently, the Abstract Syntax Notation One (ASN.1) language is used by Management Information Base (MIBs) to define SNMP message specification and information management of network devices. This will no longer be adequate in management NGNs. In this paper, an SOA-based network information management model will be proposed in order to provide a comprehensive solution for the NGN network management.