intelligent networks

[jim@bilbo.suite.com (Jim Miller)]

There's an interesting article in the July 11'th edition of Communications  
Week on page 8 of the Network Monitoring & Testing insert.

Here are some selected paragraphs:

"The convergence of technologies for multimedia promises a new age of  
"super-smart networks" to give users the ultimate weapon in monitoring and  
testing."

"These new multimedia networks...offer sophisticated self monitoring from  
a central signal distribution point, or head end, to the customer's  
doorstep."

"..hybrid fiber coax networks are, "a bit of a paradigm shift from  
previous networks in the sense that a large part of testing is eliminated  
and replaced by proactive maintenance in surveillance fashion."

"The hybrid network has monitoring everywhere, and that surveillance  
allows us to do proactive maintenance and isolation of problems."

"You can ask the network about itself, and discover things such as whether  
its healthy of not, whether it's got a phone call up, how a phone call is  
connected through the network or whether or not video is enabled at a  
particular home."

"...the network can test the NIU (Network Interface Unit) on the side of  
every home to determine whether a problem lies between the central office  
and the home or resides in a wiring flaw in the customer's home."

"...the set-top boxes in the network will belong to the service providers.   
But for test and monitoring purposes, US West will be able to tap all the  
information flowing back from that set-top box into the network, Emmot  
says."


With networks like that, who needs a Digital Telephony Bill?


Jim_Miller@suite.com