GPON planning software system for telecoms

Telecom service providers can use the Inventory & Management System (IMS) from VC4 to register complete GPON networks, incorporating everything from fiber cables and splitters to physical and logical connections, up to customer services and VLANs.

GPON Network Management

When it comes to GPON system management, the IMS OSS software application boasts the following functionality:

• GPON Network Asset Registration and Inventory
• GPON Network Planning and Design/change management
• GPON Network Capacity Management
• GPON Network Discovery and Reconciliation
• GPON Network Auto Provisioning and Trail Engineering
• GPON Planned Works and Service Impact Analysis
• GPON Trouble Ticket Management
• GPON Single Point of Failure calculation
• GPON Warehouse/Stock and Spare Management
• GPON Vendor and Contract Management

Connections

IMS is capable of allowing users to manage all GPON-related connections, including:

• Fiber cables
• Fibers
• GPON physical  connections
• Ethernet service
• V-LAN, SVLAN, CVLAN
• Customer services

Graphical overviews can be brought up for every connection, created on the fly from the information held within the relevant database. It’s possible to choose what data to view on the screen, from location and card details to ODF information.

This example shows a customer service system running over a GPON network platform:

Customer service that is running over GPON network platform

Connection Layering

The IMS software tool makes it easy for customers to cycle through the various connection layers – for example, from fiber to GPON physical to ethernet service to VLAN to customer service, and vice versa.

Equipment

Using IMS, telecom service providers can remodel all GPON system equipment, as well as other platforms like SDH, SONET, WDM, MPLS, mobile 2G/3G/4G, voice, DSL, PDH, microwave, servers, power and sync.

As the IMS software tool is vendor-independent, all types of vendors can be modeled in the system.

The front and back layout for each shelf and sub-shelf can be modeled via a graphical representation.

Example screenshot of a Huawei OLT:

Huawei OLT

Example of an ONT (Zhone):

Example of an ONT (Zhone)

Example of a splitter in IMS:

Example of Splitter

DDF-ODF related to Ethernet equipment

GPON system equipment can be pre-wired to a patch panel or ODF, with all frames and cabling stored in the system.

DDF/ODF related to GPON

Optical distribution frames can be created with location as the starting point, while DDF shelves and patch panels can be situated within a rack.

There is a front and back to every frame. For each frame position, a connection/path can be made to equipment – pre-wiring – or another frame.

A screenshot of an ODF with its positions:

ODF with its positions

A screenshot of a cable route between two pieces of equipment in different locations, connected to each other via internal cabling and distribution frames:

cable route of two equipment

Relation between GPON and other platforms

IMS details the relationship between GPON and other platforms, such as fiber and MPLS. This can be a carrier/sub relation or a circuit/cable between the different points of multiple platforms.

Network Map

The network map functionality within IMS can be used to create graphical network drawings.

All items depicted by the map are taken from the database.

The network map can be used to directly open equipment and connections, while configuration of the network can also be carried out via this form.

Example screenshot:

Networkmap GPON

Routing in geographical view:

Geographical view of a networkmap