Interface for inserting a set of equipments interconnected by a telecommunication network into a management system for said equipments

An interface for inserting equipments interconnected by a traffic telecommunication network into a management system for the equipments includes a management support telecommunication network. The system also includes, for each equipment and integrated in one and the same physical entity, an interface with the management support network and an interface with the equipment.

CROSS REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS 
This application is related to co-pending application Ser. No. 08/018,541 
assigned to the same assignee. 
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
1. Field of the Invention 
The present invention concerns the management of a set of equipments 
interconnected by a telecommunication network. 
The present invention concerns, for example, a set of equipments 
interconnected by a telecommunication network in variable configurations 
matched to the requirements of network users, requiring exchange of 
management data between network units such as a network management center 
and the equipments constituting the network. 
The invention applies to the management of a tactical telecommunication 
network using microwave links, for example. 
2. Description of the Prior Art 
A tactical network of this kind (see FIG. 1) comprises a set of nodal 
stations CN located at the nodes of the network and each comprising a 
switching unit or switch CT connected to a plurality of equipments ET 
which in this example are microwave link equipments connected in turn 
either to network users AB or to other equipments ET at other nodal 
stations of the network to constitute a meshed network. 
Microwave links are advantageously used in a tactical network because they 
enable the network to be reconfigured when under attack simply by moving 
one or more of its nodal stations in response to such attack. 
Matching a tactical telecommunication network to the requirements of users 
which, in military applications, include resistance to attack, requires 
management data to be exchanged between the various network components and 
in particular between a network command center CC, or more generally 
network management center, and the equipments constituting the network 
whose operation and movements must be monitored by the network command 
center CC. 
Management data is usually exchanged in both directions, namely from the 
managed equipments to the command center CC and from the command center CC 
to the managed equipments. This data is usually called remote supervisory 
or alarm data in the former case and telecontrol data in the latter case. 
In all cases it concerns operating parameters of the managed equipments 
such as frequency, power output, bit rate, etc. 
It is known to transmit management data using a management support 
telecommunication network which is so called to distinguish it from the 
traffic network with which this description has been concerned until now 
and over which traffic data is transmitted. The management support network 
and the traffic network may be one and the same, in which case the 
management network behaves like a particular group of network users. In 
the case of fixed infrastructure traffic networks it is also known to use 
a management support network separate from the traffic network to prevent 
blocking situations should the traffic network fail. It is also known to 
transmit management data over service channels set up in parallel with 
traffic channels. In the case of a microwave link network, for example, 
this parallelism can be achieved by multiplexing within the microwave 
frame. 
In all these various cases the management data is thus usually transmitted 
in a point-to-point manner between the managed equipments and the 
management center. 
It is also known to associate with an equipment to be managed, for the 
purpose of inserting it into a management support network, first means 
dedicated to implementing interface functions with the telecommunication 
network forming the management support network and second means dedicated 
to implementing interface functions with said equipment. 
An object of the present invention is to combine these two interface 
functions in one and the same physical component or circuit board, 
depending on the degree of integration. 
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
The present invention consists in an interface for inserting equipments 
interconnected by a traffic telecommunication network into a management 
system for said equipments including a management support 
telecommunication network, where the interface comprises, for each 
equipment and integrated in one and the same physical entity, means 
implementing an interface function with said management support network 
and means implementing an interface function with said equipment. 
The present invention is advantageously applied to a specific management 
system architecture differing from those outlined above and enabling 
greater security of transmission of management data, especially in the 
event of attacks on the traffic network by which said equipments are 
interconnected or during network reconfiguration maneuvers. 
According to another feature of the invention said management support 
network comprises nodes consisting of management data switching and access 
equipments associated with respective equipments to be managed and 
interconnected to form a meshed network topologically independent of said 
traffic network and using flooding mode broadcasting and said interface is 
formed by one of said management data switching and access equipments and 
further comprises means implementing a management data switching function. 
According to another feature of the invention said management data 
switching function is also integrated in said one and the same physical 
entity. 
Other objects and features of the present invention will emerge from the 
following description of one embodiment of the invention given by way of 
example for an application to a tactical telecommunication network using 
microwave links and the specific management system architecture mentioned 
above and with reference to the appended drawings.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION 
The nodal station CN shown diagrammatically in FIG. 2 comprises a traffic 
switch CT connected to a plurality of traffic data transmission equipments 
ET of which there are six in this example and which constitute the 
equipments to be managed. 
Each traffic data transmission equipment ET is associated with a management 
data switching and access equipment EG. These management data switching 
and access equipments EG constitute the nodes of a management support 
telecommunication network so called to distinguish it from the traffic 
telecommunication network carrying traffic data exchanged between network 
users. 
Each management data switching and access equipment EG has three management 
support network ports or network ports connecting it to three other 
management data switching and access equipments EG of the management 
support network plus a port (not separately identified in FIG. 2) or 
equipment port connecting it to the management equipment. 
The equipment EG in question is connected to an equipment EG of another 
nodal station (not shown) of the network by a network port A1 via the 
associated transmission equipment ET over a microwave link. 
The other two network ports A2, A3 are connected by cable links to two 
other equipments EG at the same nodal station, in this instance the two 
equipments EG nearest the equipment concerned. 
Note that the number of network ports may be greater than three without 
departing from the scope of the present invention. 
Note likewise that the number of managed equipments ET associated with the 
same management equipment EG can be greater than one without departing 
from the scope of the present invention and that in this case the 
equipment EG would have a corresponding number of equipment ports. 
The port A1 being connected via the associated equipment ET, the traffic 
data IT and management data IG are transmitted on different channels of 
the same microwave link as diagrammatically shown in FIG. 2. 
The port A1 could be connected by a cable link like the ports A2 and A3 
without departing from the scope of the invention. 
The set of equipments EG interconnected in this way forms a meshed 
management support network transmitting management data between the 
network command center and the management data switching and access 
equipments associated with respective traffic data transmission 
equipments. 
Note that the command center CC may be regarded as a special management 
data switching and access equipment and so can be moved within the 
management support network if this is reconfigured. 
The equipment EG shown in FIG. 3 comprises a management switch CG whose 
network ports are the ports A1, A2, A3 and which routes management data 
sent by the managed equipment ET or by the command center CC over the 
management network. 
The management switch is connected to the managed equipment ET via an 
interface I which formats management data received at the network ports 
A1, A2 and A3 for the equipment ET in a form suitable for its reception by 
this equipment and management data sent by the equipment ET in a form 
suited to its transmission from the management switch ports A1, A2 and A3. 
Management data is routed over the management support network in the known 
"flooding" broadcast mode whereby an equipment EG which receives such data 
on any of the three network ports retransmits it once from both the other 
ports which guarantees redundant routing of such data. If an equipment EG 
is the originator of data sent in this way it sends the data directly from 
the three network ports. 
In the case of transmission of management data using the known 
packet-switched transmission mode, the management switch CG is a packet 
switch, for example, the interface I being in this case a packet 
assembler-disassembler. The management switch, which has a low capacity 
given its restricted number of ports, and this interface are 
advantageously implemented on the same component or circuit board 
(depending on the degree of integration). 
In the case of implementation on a circuit board, for example, the board 
carries means defining an interface with the managed equipment and with 
the management network and means defining a management message switching 
function, in this example a packet switching function, utilizing the 
"flooding" routing technique. 
At the interface with the managed equipment the circuit board formats 
remote supervisory and telecontrol messages at the managed equipment input 
and output. 
At the interface with the management network this circuit board: 
sends remote supervisory messages originating from the equipment, 
recognizes messages addressed to the managed equipment and processes them 
so that they can be forwarded to that equipment, 
manages acknowledgement of messages addressed to the managed equipment. 
The circuit board may be either integrated into the equipment to be managed 
or housed in a separate unit.