OVERALL PROJECT
The overall goal of the MISA project was to realise and validate via European field trials the optimum integrated end-to-end management of SDH and ATM networks in the framework of the Open Network Provision (ONP) environment.
AIMS
Our Swiss participation focused on two aspects. On the specification side, we were responsible for the validation of the MISA Information Models and Ensembles, for generation of the integrated MISA ASN.1/GDMO information base, and making it available to the Consortium as Web hypertext and Search engine. On the implementation side, we were responsible for the integrated MISA-OS, which offers the Xuser service, cooperates with peer parties across the Xcoop interface, and employs the management services of the underlying ATM and SDH networks for path provision and fault surveillance.
RESULTS
Although IBM Zurich Lab's participation was nominally only 5 percent of the overall Consortium's effort, our impact was substantial: we co-authored 13 of the 30 MISA related papers, set the overall Web framework for the trial, maintained the MISA servers (in Zurich, Athens, Barcelona, and Berlin), and provided the integrated MISA~S implementations for the IBM platforms.
Our architecture with the client-server distribution of the TMN manager role had been well accepted within MISA. The Consortium used our Webbin' servers as the middleware between the portable client environment and the TMN systems in the National Hosts for ATMISDH networks. Our solution made the development and integration of applications easier, enabling access via industry-standard Web browsers, Java applets and HTTP communication to X.700 managed objects.
MISA passed the last Audit in October 1998. The auditors concluded that our project fully reached its objectives and they congratulated the project team for the excellent results. They were extremely satisfied by the Ùanywhere anytime~ web access to our distributed trial environment, the completeness of implementation as demonstrated by the covered scenarios, and the well performing multi-domain setup of MISA TMN systems showing access to ATM and SDH network resources across European geographies. The IBM Zurich Lab was the responsible partner for the overall demonstration integration and presentations.
Final MISA demonstrations were given as part of Industrial Showcase of IS&N'99 conference in Barcelona, April 27-29, 1999. Being the main reason for our contract period extension (BBW Nr. 95.0524 Nachtrag Nr. 3), the IBM Zurich team coordinated the preparation and also the onsite setup.
As a result dissemination vehicle past termination of the Consortium work, we still maintain the MISA master server at
http://misa.ch, planning to keep it on4ine until the end of 2000.
CONCLUSIONS
Our Swiss participation was both essential for the Consortium and helped us to participate in the European Research Community and provide our contributions to the advanced pre-commercial trials around the involved National Hosts.
Comments made by the European project officers confirmed their high appreciation of our
Swiss contributions. The IBM Zurich MISA team gratefully acknowledges the helpful and
competent assistance from the Swiss government officers in the Bundesamt für Bildung und
Wissenschaft.
CONTACTS
For further information, please contact Dieter Gantenbein,
dga@zurich.ibm.com, +41-1-724 8353.
