Questionaire for Desired PSE Enhancements ----------------------------------------- Please examine the detailed description of each enhancement on the seperate sheets and then categorise the priority you attach to each enhancement on the form below in the following way. H - High Priority M - Medium Priority L - Low Priority N - Not Interested Attempt to distribute your priorities evenly, an answer of high priority for everything will not tell us anything. Please return the form to Mike Capp at GEC. PSE Network Network Control Control Admin. External Other P1 N1 A1 E1 O1 P2 N2 A2 E2 O2 P3 N3 A3 E3 O3 P4 N4 A4 E4 O4 P5 N5 A5 E5 O5 P6 N6 A6 E6 O6 P7 N7 A7 E7 O7 P8 N8 A8 E8 P9 N9 A9 E9 P10 N10 A10 E10 N11 A11 E11 N12 A12 E12 N13 A13 E13 N14 A14 E14 N15 A15 E15 N16 A16 E16 N17 A17 N18 A18 N19 A19 N20 A20 N21 A21 N22 A22 N23 A23 N24 A24 N25 A25 N26 A26 N27 N28 N29 N30 N31 N32 N33 N34 Detailed Description of Desired Enhancements -------------------------------------------- 1. PSE Control -------------- P1 Easy method of changing configuration details (eg. DTE/DCE, redistribution of LCN's between logical groups) without having to ask GEC where to patch the system. P2 Better Operations Manual. P3 Better Console messages. P4 Less drastic method of closing down the switch. P5 Allow LAU names to be changed during normal PSE running. P6 Provide more information when an error causes a status change, eg. PCC ERROR does not seem to be a lot of use. P7 Setting of ALARM parameters (SETTH) should be written to disk so that they are not lost at a reload. P8 Changes to Call failure codes P9 Re-examination of all redirection, eg. via address rather than LAU. P10 More flexible approach to call routing on the lines of the Camtec equipment (ie. dependant on protocol I0 and user data). P11 Log Data The current release mechanism invites the user to send an up-to-date copy of their system disk. The new release is built on that base. In doing so, the data logged for Gateway NUIs gets out of phase. An enhancement or a utility is required to enable the sites to copy an up-to-date log of data to the newly released system. P12 Call redirection (ref DD1617/2 1-8) The current facility causes the redirection of the current call to a previously nominated alternative destination in the event of the original destination DTE being out of order. The alternative destination is configured as a Link Access Unit (LAU). In the light of experience to date, it becomes a recognised fact that an alternative destination will be much more useful if it where an internal address list with full 14 digit address. The main address may be the same 12 digits with differend sub-addresses. This will enable sites to build in their own remot help servers based on the sub-address. For instance an internal address can carry up to 99 sub-addresses some of which can be chosen to provide remote help facilities to inform the incoming callers of the current status of the hosts they wish to connect. 2. Network Control ------------------ N1 Ability to repair individual PCCs on-line, ie. without IPL. N2 LIM command for Switch unit, which prints message (with optional bell) when limit is reached, and optionally closes Switch automatically when limit reached). N3 LIM - message to be printed when limit is reached (with optional bell) and optionally, automatic closedown of link when limit reached. N4 Remote access to CPSE management facility via X29 calls. N5 Thresholds to be carried over IPL and midnight (optional). N6 Masks to be carried over IPL and midnight (optional). N7 Configuration option to allow secondary switches to CLOSE/ENABLE local links. N8 Monitor command, switchable per link, to print message when a specified limit on calls has been reached (with optional bell character as alarm), for example to be informed when no-one is using a particluar link, so that it can be closed down. The limit here is not necessarily related to the LIM command. N9 Test calls - ability to set up own test numbers (eg. to a host). N10 Test calls - better timestamping (msecs rather than secs). N11 Test calls - make facility useful for performance nomitoring. N12 STATUS - 'LINK DOWN' type messages to appear on same line as status report and replaced by a more specific cause of link failure (eg. timeout, carrier lost). N13 Topology tables - permanent masking of messages about other sites' links if required, but these links to be retained in the topology table so that the switch can still control them if necessary. This masking to be configurable at sysgen and at the console of the controlling switch. N14 Monitor calls through switch - two types: static - a snapshot dynamic - listing calls as set up and cleared until monitor is turned off N15 Macro facility in CCP ie, execution of commands from a file - could be extended to provide an automatic operator type facility, eg. ALARM every hour, CLOSE SW at 6 p.m. N16 ?A type facility on CCP commands, ie, interruption of output. N17 Improved error messages eg. 'Disc Unavailable' rather than 'error @39', 'Board Unavailable' rather than 'ACn exit at...' N18 HISTORY - switchable monitoring of specific lines for full Level 2 and/or Level 3 information, with option of sending to a file with a time/date stamp. N19 TOTALS - no automatic clearing of totals, so that totals can be accumulated but still examined. Option of clearing still provided by 'TOTALS C'. N20 HISTORY - option to list data which is new since last HISTORY command. N21 HISTORY - Selective access to diagnostic information (ie, list part of log only). N22 Broadcast command, such that anything typed after the command keyword is printed on all PSE consoles. N23 Monitor comand, switchable per link, to list calls as set up and cleared (called, calling addresses, direction). N24 HISTORY command and other passive monitoring commands to be available at secondary switches (ie, those not in control of the network). N25 STATUS - use of 'C' to indicate link CLOSEd rather than just 'N' for link down, where appropriate. N26 TOTALS - listing of individual totals. N27 STATUS for all links on specified exchange. N28 STATUS - output sorted into exchanges. N29 ALARM for all links on specified exchange. N30 ALARM - output sorted into exchanges. N31 HISTORY - output of timeing between frames (inc msec) N32 TOTALS - improved format of output. N33 Monitor comand, switchable per link, to list redirected calls as they are set up. N34 Comand to mask all unsolicited messages. 3. Network Administration ------------------------- A1 Ability to update tables remotely without the need to re-IPL switches. A2 PRINTLOG - pick up new gateway accounting information which is to be provided with JNT enhancements. A3 Command to Auto-IPL switches from NMC. A4 Non-echo of CCP password at console. A5 Ability to down-line load IPL files from NMC to switches A6 Set of OS4000 library routines on the NMC for setup of X25 calls - this would not only be useful generally, but also for building software to down-line load 'black-box' PADS from the NMC. A7 Ability to run a multi switch network without a NMC, ie, a PSE with control should be able to use any command on LAU on another PSE. A8 Control over what is written to the Log File, ie, ability to not log call statistics on certain LAUs. A9 Dumps sent over network. A10 IPL files sent over network. A11 Access to statistics file via FTP/Yellow Book. A12 Provide an interactive system for analysing accounts and statistics eg. to pick out all calls to/from a particular host. A13 PRINTLOG - further analysis of calls - improve format of data such as duration and amount of data transmitted and received so that it is capable of further analysis - list all calls from/to unit over a given time interval (perhaps a subset of interactive system). A14 Ability to change CCP password at console (currently password to be re-entered before new one for added security). A15 Configurable time interval between statistics logs (currently fixed at 30 minutes). A16 Ability to change name of link without the need to delete and re-enter all information about that link. A17 PRINTLOG - further analysis of statistics information. A18 Utility to fetch selected tables from PDEs to the NMC and list their contents. A19 Ability to transfer dumps from the PSE to the NMC via FTP. A20 Comand to cause logout from CCP without relinquishing control of the network. A21 PRINTLOG - names of links to be printed rather than LAU numbers. A22 PRINTLOG - improve format of output. A23 Improve NADSEND error-handling and error messages. A24 PRINTLOG - suppression of repeated calls. A25 Provide information for network users on status of links, at the NMC. A26 GETLOG - ability to collect address of switch from the administration database, so that the user need only enter the switch number, or preferably, switch name. 4. Access to/from External Networking -------------------------------------- 4.1 Outgoing Calls ------------------ E1 Logging of NUI and option used at Gateway (to be included in information collected and output by GETLOG/PRINTLOG. E2 Selective access control - list of addresses and/or access classes accessible by particular NUI or host. E3 'Weighting' on packets, depending on destination - with respect to packet limits in NUI and host tables - ability to define access classes (eg. PSS, IPSS, Telex). E4 Option of user IDs (ie. NUI equivalent) and passwords changeable by users. E5 Suppress echo of password at Gateway. 4.2 Incoming Calls ------------------ E6 Restriction on calling addresses - similar to use of GAP/GAH tables for outgoing calls. E7 Selective access control - ie, known external users can only access specified hosts on local network ( or only specified services on those hosts). E8 Logging of incoming calls - optional ability to enforce external users to supply either user ID and password or name and establishment. This information to be logged. E9 Selective reverse charging - ie. accept charges only from specified callers. 4.3 General ----------- E10 GAH, GAP tables should be combined into one table - each address is specified as either host, Pad or both. E11 Provision of HELP facility, eg. directory. E12 Address-to-title mapping (for incoming TS29 calls). E13 Provision of full statistics, eg. called, calling, addresses, for gateway calls. E14 Null gateway. E15 Ability to use Name Registration Scheme Names. E16 Ability to route on a sub address so that an X29 call can be routed straight through (ie. without an 'enter call parameter'). 5. Other Considerations ----------------------- O1 Centralised system for authentication. 02 Intelligent console using colour and/or graphics providing - - pictures of network - control of network via light pen or touch-sensitive screen rather than keyboard input - storage and analysis/display of accounts and statistics information - hard-copy option O3 Regional Network Management and/or distributed administration database. O4 Consideration of 'real' database (eg. Rapport) as tool for - - Network Management information - servicing information, eg. on boards (board numbers, Way numbers, Field Service information) - users' own information/software O5 A facility to provide a suitable signal to be output (or which stops being output) if the PSE crashes. A more sophisticated version would output a signal when an event, or one of a number of events occurred, such as a line going non-operational, this event having been specified at the console. The signal would, for example be used to trigger radio-paging equipment, or an alarm. O6 Page-mode console. O7 Locking of console by physical key.