The ICM methodology for TMN system design
Authors: David Griffin, George Pavlou
ICM achieves its objectives through the development of a TMN testbed, developed in an incremental fashion over the lifetime of the project. This means that the version of the testbed from a previous phase is the starting point of the next phase of the project’s work - in this way the project builds its own specialised tools for development (such as a TMN platform) and the maximum amount of both specification and software reuse is achieved within its lifetime. By following this approach the project is divided into a number of phases whereby each phase produces results which are used as a major input for the next phase.
The approach to developing the testbed in each phase is:
The above steps describe the overall methodology of the ICM project. The remainder of this chapter deals with a more detailed methodology for designing and developing TMN systems (a description of the validation methodology is given in Chapter 12).
The ICM approach builds and expands on the methodology recommended by the ITU for specifying, designing and developing TMN interfaces. The resulting methodology becomes the ICM project’s method of work but we believe that the methodology is of more general utility and, as such, is suitable for adoption by designers of other TMN systems.