Service Level Management Techniques Service Level Management (SLM) techniques are applicable to a network transport operator – in the parlance of the previous chapter – providing service assurances either to another network transport operator, for a service provider, or an end user. Service level techniques pertain to aggregates of services, and are contractual in nature. The processes and terminology related to this subject are dealt with in this chapter. As in the previous chapters of this book, the terminology and concepts from telecommunications world are when they can be generalized to the multi-service Internet | 6 Service Level Management Techniques Service Level Management SLM techniques are applicable to a network transport operator - in the parlance of the previous chapter - providing service assurances either to another network transport operator for a service provider or an end user. Service level techniques pertain to aggregates of services and are contractual in nature. The processes and terminology related to this subject are dealt with in this chapter. As in the previous chapters of this book the terminology and concepts from telecommunications world are when they can be generalized to the multi-service Internet. In this chapter the context of service level management is discussed first followed by a description of service planning and creation process. MODELS FOR SERVICE LEVEL MANAGEMENT A network domain in general can include both transport network elements such as routers and service-related ones streaming servers being examples of the latter. Both types can be present not only when a transport network operator is also providing services such as streaming but also because a service provider may Implementing Service Quality in IP Networks Vilho Raisanen 2003 John Wiley Sons Ltd ISBN 0-470-84793-X 180 SERVICE LEVEL MANAGEMENT TECHNIQUES Service layer Mgmt plane Transport layer N Figure Conceptual relation of management plane to service and transport layers have some kind of managed network of its own. The management system of a domain conceptually manages both transport and service-related resources in such a case. For this reason the management plane is often drawn as shown in Figure . In reality the service and transport layer management is not always very integrated. Taking a service provider as an example the management system for services may be advanced but the transport level management may be based on tools provided by the router vendor. By default there is no link between the two management sub-systems apart from the human operator. In what .
