Systems management of operational support systems applications

This paper discusses some of the challenges of providing systems management to BT's operational support systems (OSS). As the OSS evolve to exploit the three-tier distributed architecture, the provision of successful systems management solutions must overcome many problems, including those of scale, scope, functionality, integration, rate of change, and the relative immaturity of available solutions. The enterprise systems management framework (ESMF), BT's solution to the systems management requirements of three-tier distributed computing systems, is described. The ESMF takes a standards-based approach, integrating suitable tools into a management framework. This framework has then been extended in novel ways to provide the overall solution.