An Element Management System (EMS) comprises hardware and software sub-systems which primary purpose is to monitor and manage the underlying network infrastructure. Although the term EMS is widely used interchangeably with NMS (Network Management Systems), there is an important distinction between the two. While EMS is responsible for managing individual networks and sub-systems, NMS deals with aggregating input from multiple EMS systems. The scope of NMS systems is much larger, entailing sophisticated database management, performance analysis and interfaces with higher level OSS systems for accounting and billing purposes. In that sense an EMS system has a "northbound" interface to NMS and a "southbound" interface to the actual network equipment deployed.

There are certain design principles that should guide the design of a good EMS system:

1. It should adhere to the FCAPS paradigm (Fault Management, Configuration Management, Accounting Management, Performance Management and Security Management) with the primary focus on Fault and Configuration Management.


2. It should have end-to-end comprehensive monitoring capabilities. Just managing a few subsystems and leaving out others is sub-optimal and does not achieve its required purpose. For example, in a typical HFC (Hybrid Fiber Coax) cable network, simply managing the headend infrastructure and ignoring the nodes is of little value to the cable operator. In a similar vein, architectures that only support node or power management and fail to manage the headend infrastructure fail to do the job they are designed for.


3. Fault Management should be comprehensive (end-to-end network coverage) and proactive in nature, wherein faults are detected long before the end user or customer is affected, and supported by sophisticated notification and recovery options.


4. The software GUI (Graphical User Interfaces) should be intuitive and efficient, hiding the underlying complexity of network configuration and architecture.


5. The design should be based on industry standards and not rely on proprietary mechanisms or protocols for data interchange. As an example, SNMP (Simple Network Management Protocol) is one of the most widely used standards for network management. The ability to integrate into any high level NMS system and interoperate with other peer EMS sub-systems is more important than ever before.

Aurora's Element Management System

Aurora's Element Management System is part of a suite of monitoring and management applications collectively named "Opti-Trace"™. The Aurora EMS meticulously adheres to the design principles mentioned above and enables standards-based proactive management of the Aurora optical networking gear for HFC, Fiber Deep and Ethernet Access architectures. Flexible software and hardware tools offer convenient local and remote monitoring of the CH3000 headend chassis comprising optical transmitters, receivers, EDFAs, DWDM / CWDM / LcWDM^® multiplexers and de-multiplexers, optical switches, broadcast/narrowcast combiners, Ethernet access equipment, and much more.

Optical nodes in the field are managed via Aurora's digital return technology that lends itself to low cost and reliable network monitoring solutions. Critical parameters such as power supply voltages, optical light levels, and status of node modules can be accessed via a remote desktop with very user friendly GUI-based tools.

Representative software and hardware elements of Aurora's EMS

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Aurora's management solution supports the industry-standard SNMP protocol. Instrumented are a comprehensive set of Network Management MIBS that enable seamless integration with any industry-standard SNMP-based NMS package. As part its Fault Management portfolio, Aurora supports a comprehensive alarms library together with selected HMS MIBS for standards-based alarms management and SNMP trap reporting. Aurora NMS also supports web-based monitoring tools that enable remote management using a web browser on any public IP network such as the Internet.

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