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AMDOCS MEDIATION
RELEASE 8.0
Amdocs Service Mediation Manager 8.0
Overview
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1997 2011 Amdocs. All Rights Reserved.
The included software and/or documentation cannot be reproduced, downloaded, disseminated, published,transferred, or combined with any other materials, in whole or in part, in any form or by any means, without the prior
written consent of Amdocs. The included software may contain and utilize third-party software products. These
materials are confidential, and shall be returned to Amdocs upon request.
Amdocs reserves the right to revise the included software and/or documentation and to make changes in the content
from time to time without notice. The trademarks and service marks of Amdocs, including the Amdocs mark and
logo, Ensemble, Enabler, Clarify, Return on Relationship, Intelecable, Collabrent, Intentional Customer Experience,
CES, Cramer, Qpass, SigValue, DST Innovis, JacobsRimell, ChangingWorlds and jNETx are the exclusive property
of Amdocs, and may not be used without permission. All other marks are the property of their respective owners.
Document Information
Release: 8.0Publication Date: December 2009; updated November 2011 for Service Pack 2
Catalog Number: 1531915
Information Security: Level 1 Confidential
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1 Int roduct ion......................................................................................................................... 1
Purpose and Scope.............................................................................................................................2
Target Audience..................................................................................................................................2
Prior Knowledge..................................................................................................................................2
Related Documents.............................................................................................................................3
Typographical Conventions.................................................................................................................3
Terms and Definitions .........................................................................................................................4
2 System Features ................................................................................................................. 7
Highlights and Benefits........................................................................................................................8Convergent Mediation Platform...........................................................................................................9
Distributed Architecture and Carrier-Class Scalability.......................................................................10
Modular, Adaptable, and Easily Configurable...................................................................................10
Next-Generation, Customer-Level Service Assurance......................................................................12
Extensibility.......................................................................................................................................12
High Reliability...................................................................................................................................13
Adaptability to the Network, Business Support Systems and Operator Support Systems................13
Manageability....................................................................................................................................14
System Repository for Managing Components.................................................................................15Advanced Monitoring and Reporting Capabilities .............................................................................16
J MX Monitoring .................................................................................................................................17
Integration with Operational ..............................................................................................................18
Security Features ..............................................................................................................................18
Ability to Select the Security Mechanism................................................................................................18
Session Timeout.....................................................................................................................................18
Secure Communication Channel ............................................................................................................19
Support for Multi-Language Text Encoding and Decoding................................................................19
Mediation Types................................................................................................................................20
Active Mediation................................................................................................................................20
Active Mediation Examples.....................................................................................................................21
Architecture.............................................................................................................................................21
Incremental Deployment.........................................................................................................................24
3 System Components ........................................................................................................ 25
Introduction........................................................................................................................................26
Table of Contents
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Central Event Manager .....................................................................................................................27
User Interface Server........................................................................................................................27
Gatherers ..........................................................................................................................................28
External and Modular Components...................................................................................................28
Information Sources................................................................................................................................28
Information Source Modules...................................................................................................................29
Types of ISMs.........................................................................................................................................30
Configuration Database.....................................................................................................................31
4 System Functions ............................................................................................................. 33
Supported Data Formats...................................................................................................................34
Data Processing in Batch-Mediation Projects ...................................................................................35
Collecting Data........................................................................................................................................35
Enhancing and Processing Data.............................................................................................................35
Storing Data............................................................................................................................................36
Exporting Data to External Systems and Applications............................................................................36
Data Processing in Active-Mediation Projects...................................................................................37
Component Repository......................................................................................................................38
Reporting...........................................................................................................................................38
Error Management............................................................................................................................39
Auditing.............................................................................................................................................39
Audit Service...........................................................................................................................................39
Project-level Audit...................................................................................................................................40
Monitoring..........................................................................................................................................42
Event Infrastructure and Log Files ..........................................................................................................42
Amdocs Service Mediation Manager Monitoring Interface .....................................................................43
Monitoring Runtime Operation of Projects..............................................................................................43
Chain Monitor..........................................................................................................................................44
Statistics............................................................................................................................................44
Statistics Service.....................................................................................................................................44
Statistics in Batch-Mediation Projects.....................................................................................................45
Statistics in Active-Mediation Projects ....................................................................................................45
Patch Management...........................................................................................................................46
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1 Introduction
Amdocs Service Mediation Manageris a carrier-class business infrastructure converged
mediation solution that combines data collection, data processing and data synthesis, data
export, and automated user-account provisioning on a single platform. It collects
information from data and voice networks and transforms the data into business
intelligence, enabling providers to understand how their networks are used and to translate
this knowledge into new revenue by developing and managing new profitable services.
Amdocs Service Mediation Manager consists of the Network-to-Business platform and
modules (ISMs). Amdocs Service Mediation Manager provides a bi-directional, real-time
link between the physical network infrastructure and Operations and Business Support
Systems (OSS/BSSs) to enable advanced network and service usage and automated
service provisioning.
Purpose and Scope.............................................................................................. 2
Target Audience.................................................................................................... 2
Prior Knowledge................................................................................................... 2
Typographical Conventions .................................................................................. 3
Terms and Definitions ........................................................................................... 4
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Purpose and ScopeThis book provides an overview of Amdocs Service Mediation Manager.
This book contains the following chapters:
Chapter 1, Introduction, (this chapter) explains the purpose and scope of this book
and how to use it.
Chapter 2, System Features, describes the features and benefits of Amdocs Service
Mediation Manager.
Chapter 3, System Components, contains a high-level description of the
applications architecture the core system components and their functions.
Chapter 4, System Features, provides an overview of how the system operates,
provides information about the modules, explains some important concepts in the
operation of the system, provides information about the functionality that the system
supports, which you can use to collect, process, and output the data.
Target AudienceThis document contains information useful for anyone who needs to understand the
purpose, architecture, and functionality of Amdocs Service Mediation Manager, including,
but not limited to:
Amdocs Service Mediation Manager administrators who set up and configure the
system
Amdocs Service Mediation Manager operators who monitor the system after it is
installed Implementers who use Amdocs Service Mediation Manager either as a standalone
mediation solution or as a mediation solution integrated with other Amdocs products
Users who need to understand the mediation and data processing functionality of
Amdocs Service Mediation Manager, such as marketing teams, trainers, testers, and
installers
Amdocs professional services and support staff who provide product support for
Amdocs Service Mediation Manager
Prior KnowledgeThis book assumes familiarity with basic mediation concepts.
Familiarity with Amdocs billing products is helpful, but not required.
This book is part of the set of documents in Related Documents and is designed to be
used in conjunction with them.
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Related Documents Amdocs Service Mediation Manager Installation Guide
Amdocs Service Mediation Manager User Guide
Amdocs Service Mediation Manager Operator Guide
Amdocs Service Mediation Manager Business Logic SDK Programmer Guide
Amdocs Mediation Glossary
Amdocs Service Mediation Manager Release Notes
Typographical ConventionsThe following table presents typographic conventions used in this guide.
, unless stated otherwise, is the Amdocs Service Mediation Manager home directory. Forexample, / Shar ed/ .
Typeface/ Symbol Meaning Example
Italics References to other documents,
new terms, and placeholders
For detailed definitions of terms,
see the Amdocs Mediation
Glossary.
Bold Names of menus, options,
command buttons, and fields
From the Object menu, choose
Edit.
Cour i er New Command-line input, on-screen
computer output, sample code
examples, names of files,
commands, and directories
Execute the following command:
ps - ef | f grep vol d
Courier New
Bold
What you type contrasted withcomputer output
Type the following:
./xacct_install
angle brackets Variable
square brackets Optional parameter or flag. . / xacct _conf i g run_t ask -i si d - q [ - f] [ - u{User Name} - p {Passwor d}]
curly brackets A parameter that is mandatory
when the optional flag or
parameter in square brackets is
selected.
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Terms and DefinitionsThe following table lists terms and acronyms used in this document. For more detailed
definitions and a complete set of Amdocs Mediation terms, see theAmdocs Mediation
Glossary. For definitions of Amdocs billing terms, see theAmdocs Billing PlatformGlossary.
Terms Definitions
AMC Amdocs Monitoring and Control
Amdocs Service
Mediation Manager
Monitor
An AMC plug-in that enables the monitoring of Amdocs Service
Mediation Manager using AMC.
BL SDK Business Logic SDK. An infrastructure of Amdocs Service
Mediation Manager that allows users to develop customized code
plug-ins geared at resolving specific business needs in a mediation
solution.
Central Event Manager A component of the Network-to-Business platform that
coordinates, manages, and controls the operation of the platform.
Component Repository A single place to define and manage components in the system. This
way you can define a component, such as record, rule, or function
once and then use it in the Business Logic for several ISMs.
Data Collection Module A type of ISM that serves as an interface between a Gatherer and a
network element that feeds data from the network element into
Amdocs Service Mediation Manager.
Data Enhancement
Module
A type of ISM that acts as an interface between a Gatherer and a
network element that provides functions (DEM functions), which canbe used to query the DEM in order to enhance the collected data with
data from other sources such as reference tables or other modules.
Data Export Module A type of ISM that receives data from another ISM and exports it to a
batch file where the data can be accessed by post-processing
applications, referred to as Customer Care and Billing (CCB)
systems, such as rating and billing applications.
Data Processing
Module
A type of ISM that receives data, processes it, and stores or outputs
the processed records.
Data Storage Module A type of ISM that acts as an interface between a database server and
a Gatherer. It can store the data the system collects in the database
and query the database.
DCM Data Collection Module
DEM Data Enhancement Module
DEM function .A synchronous function of a DEM (a special type of task) that can
be used in the enhancement process as part of the Field Enhancement
definition. Seetask.
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DPM Data Processing Module
DSM Data Storage Module
DXM Data Export Module
DC See direct connection.
DC group A group of IS instances connected through Enhancement Procedure
instances configured to work in direct connection (DC) reliability
mode.
direct connection A reliability mechanism of an Enhancement Procedure (EP) instance
used for transferring data between IS instances residing on the same
Gatherer.
Enhancement Procedure The set of operations that define the route of the data in Amdocs
Service Mediation Manager from its source (the trigger) to its
destination (the target). For flat record streams, the EP includes Field
Enhancements for every field in the target that receives data from the
trigger. From the perspective of the Network-to-Business
platform, a hierarchical record stream appears to have a single field
whose data type is record, and the EP includes one simple Field
Enhancement. Enhancement Procedure is the generic term that refers
both to an Enhancement Procedure template and an Enhancement
Procedure instance. The generic term (Enhancement Procedure) is
used when the distinction between the Enhancement Procedure
template and the Enhancement Procedure instance is not relevant
(either because the statement applies to both types of objects or
because the object type is clear from the context).
EP Enhancement Procedure
Field Enhancement Part of an Enhancement Procedure transferring records that defines
how the data obtained from a field in the trigger is processed to fill a
single field in the target.
Gatherer A component of the Network-to-Business platform that hosts IS
instances.
IS An instance of an ISM.
ISM An add-on to the Network-to-Business platform, which enables it
to collect, enhance, process, store, and export usage data, typically by
providing an interface between a Gatherer and a specific network
element, device, or database server.
job A file that is processed along a chain.
JRE Java runtime environment
node A core component in the Network-to-Business platform, such as
the CEM, the UIS, and a Gatherer.
Terms Definitions
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project A subset of the system configuration, which includes a collection of
configuration objects.
task A synchronous function exposed by an ISM instance that can beinvoked from the Amdocs Service Mediation Manager user interface,
from a command line interface, or from another ISM instance using
an internal API. Compare to DEM function
template A blueprint of a configuration object used to create multiple
instances of the object. A template can include one or more IS
templates and Enhancement Procedure templates that are associated
with these IS templates.
UIS User Interface Server
User Interface Server A component of the Network-to-Business platform that provides
local and remote control of the system by enabling users to access the
Amdocs Service Mediation Manager user interface.
Terms Definitions
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2 System Features
This chapter describes the features and benefits of Amdocs Service Mediation Manager.
Highlights and Benefits ......................................................................................... 8
Convergent Mediation Platform............................................................................ 9
Distributed Architecture and Carrier-Class Scalability........................................ 10
Modular, Adaptable, and Easily Configurable..................................................... 10
Next-Generation, Customer-Level Service Assurance....................................... 12
Extensibility......................................................................................................... 12
High Reliability.................................................................................................... 13
Adaptability to the Network, Business Support Systems and Operator SupportSystems.............................................................................................................. 13
Manageability...................................................................................................... 14
System Repository for Managing Components .................................................. 15
Advanced Monitoring and Reporting Capabilities............................................... 16
J MX Monitoring................................................................................................... 17
Integration with Operational................................................................................ 18
Security Features................................................................................................ 18
Support for Multi-Language Text Encoding and Decoding................................. 19
Mediation Types.................................................................................................. 20
Active Mediation................................................................................................. 20
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Highlights and BenefitsAmdocs Service Mediation Manager is a convergent mediation platform for all networks,
services, and processing modes that reduces the total cost of ownership by enabling
consolidation of business processes and systems.Amdocs Service Mediation Manager serves as a network abstraction layer for Operation
Support Systems and Business Support Systems. It provides all information related to
network services (such as subscriber-level usage data and quality-of-service data) that is
needed to create a complete picture of the network. Amdocs Service Mediation Manager
enhances and processes information based on customized business criteria, and then
distributes the results to target systems in a ready-to-use format.
Amdocs Service Mediation Manager provides these key features and benefits:
Convergent mediation platform for all types of networks, services, and processing
modes.
Distributed architecture and carrier-grade scalability enabling providers to leveragetheir hardware investment, scale with the growth of the network, upgrade quickly and
easily.
Highly modular, adaptable, and easily-configurable design that speeds up the
time-to-market for new services and reduces operational costs.
Support for next-generation service assurance at the customer level thereby improving
customer relationship management and enabling quality-of-experience-based
charging.
Enhanced integration with Amdocs Charging enabling users to speed up and reduce
costs of implementing a network-to-bill solution and to enhance revenue assurance.
Extensibility allowing users to use a Business Logic SDK to customize the system tomatch their business needs.
High reliability ensuring high system availability.
Adaptability to the network, Business Support System, and Operation Support System
environments and needs.
Advanced manageability that enhances usability and reduces maintenance and
operational costs.
Advanced monitoring and reporting capabilities.
Support for multi-language text encoding and decoding.
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Convergent Mediation PlatformAmdocs Service Mediation Manager is a convergent mediation platform for all networks,
services, and processing modes.
Amdocs Service Mediation Manager integrates with all types of networks(packet-switched and circuit-switched), including fixed, mobile, cable, satellite, and
next-generation networks. It also supports all types of services, including voice, VoIP,
data, content, and video services. Amdocs Service Mediation Manager collects usage data
from both data and voice networks from a variety of network elements, such as switches,
routers, firewalls, proxy servers, mail servers, directory servers, and application servers.
The gathered information provides a complete view of network activity detailing the
parameters of every session.
Amdocs Service Mediation Manager can handle the data in its original (raw) format or as
records (flat or hierarchical). The variety of data formats and processing modes the system
supports provide users with the ability to preserve the information about the original
context of the data, and the flexibility to process the data as individual records or as wholefiles.
Having one mediation platform for all their mediation needs enables providers to eliminate
multiple mediation silos and thus to reduce their total cost of ownership and to enhance
their business agility. Managing all mediation streams on one platform allows providers to
consolidate their business processes so that they use your system resources more
effectively and efficiently. Any new developed or implemented system capabilities for one
line of business can be re-used by all mediation lines of business. Because providers need
to maintain, monitor, and control only one system across their entire organization, they are
able to substantially reduce their operational costs for mediation as well.
Amdocs Service Mediation Manager dynamically processes the data it collects from all
layers of the network and transforms the data into meaningful business information,linking network elements to real-world entities. The system combines and consolidates
data from multiple network elements to provide a clear and detailed picture of user-level
service utilization because the complete view of network activity is often not readily
available from a single information source.
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Distributed Architecture and Carrier-Class ScalabilityAmdocs Service Mediation Manager has a highly distributed architecture that allows it to
scale with the growth of the network and with the increase of the network traffic.
The distributed architecture ensures data integrity and high system availability by placingintelligent software agents throughout the network, enabling transmission to multiple data
repositories. The architecture is composed of several functional layers that give Amdocs
Service Mediation Manager virtually infinite scalability, flexibility, and manageability.
Amdocs Service Mediation Manager enables users to install multiple systems on the same
computer taking advantage of multi-processor servers to scale up and run several
Gatherers on a single computer concurrently. A system configuration can be shared by
several distinct mediation projects, each of which can be accessed by separate users,
further expanding the scalability and manageability of the system.
The distributed architecture of Amdocs Service Mediation Manager enables users to better
leverage their hardware investment and to use the vertical scalability of the system to
transfer higher volumes of data without any extra cost.
The efficient distributed processing of the system, its horizontal and vertical scalability
and its support for low-cost platforms contribute to cost-efficient scalability that is needed
in order to handle the ever-increasing demands of processing large volumes of data.
Modular, Adaptable, and Easily ConfigurableAmdocs Service Mediation Manager includes a vast array of network data collection,
processing and distribution modules (also referred to as ISMs) for legacy and
next-generation services in all types of networks.
With comprehensive libraries of off-the-shelf independently configurable mediation
building blocks for collection, processing, and distribution, and plug-and-play
architecture, Amdocs Service Mediation Manager lets users quickly create mediation
processes. The modular design enables quick and easy upgrades and adaptation to service
changes: implementing a change typically only requires local updates to the relevant
building blocks.
Figure 2.1 Modular Design
GathererGatherer
Gatherer
IP switch
-
Radius server
Collector Parser
Validationmodule
De-Duplicator
Aggregator Formatter Distr ibutor
Gatherer
Collector Parser
externalapplication
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Amdocs Service Mediation Manager has a modern, feature-rich graphical user interface of
the system that you can use to configure the system and monitor its operation. Complex
configuration tasks are assisted using the familiar window-based configuration guiding
techniques of wizards. Even tasks involving writing custom code plug-ins are done
through user-friendly graphical interfaces.Figure 2.2 displays the Amdocs Service Mediation Manager main screen. The menus and
tabs available are determined by the project that is currently open.
Figure 2.2 Amdocs Service Mediation Manager Main Screen
Amdocs Convergent Mediation allows providers to launch new services quickly and
cost-effectively to market through its flexible modular architecture, adaptability features,and simple configuration. It is interoperable with existing infrastructure systems and offers
high extensibility and scalability. System administrators can easily customize mediation
flows and external interfaces for existing and new services.
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The advanced modular system architecture helps keep maintenance and upgrade costs to a
minimum because changes are implemented by replacing modules rather than the entire
system. In addition, the GUI-driven system configuration allows fast and independent
change implementation. The system can also be used as an interfacing and processing
bridge between Business Support Systems and Operator Support Systems, covering inter-systems functionality gaps that are created as a result of convergence or systems upgrade.
The overall effect of the system flexibility translates into faster time-to-market for new
services and reduced operational costs.
Next-Generation, Customer-Level Service AssuranceAmdocs Service Mediation Manager enables providers to improve service assurance and
customer service because it can collect and process quality-of-experience information at
the customer level. Using the information the system collects, providers gain an
understanding of the customer service experience that they can use to provide proactive,
rather than reactive, customer service. Amdocs Service Mediation Manager can collectvital customer service experience information from both network elements and from
Operator Support Systems, depending on the type and depth of information that is needed.
This raw data includes details such as service failures and different types of service quality
measurements. The system then correlates, aggregates, and adds this service experience
data to the customer usage data and in that way provides an integrated view of the
customer service experience. This information can be used to improve customer service by
enabling an optimal and proactive response to customer problems. It also allows providers
to improve the handling of service problems because it enables them to prioritize these
problems more effectively based on the actual customer impact. Providers can also use the
information to charge customers based on the quality of the entire experience, whereby
customers are charged based on their usage and their service experience.
ExtensibilityMediation processes can be independently customized according to business needs by
employing the Business Logic software development kit (SDK). The kit provides
advanced tools for mediation processes creation including a configuration manager,
processing functions manager, data mapping manager, rule manager and more. Amdocs
Service Mediation Manager is the quintessential mediation applications development
platform.
For more information about the Business Logic SDK, see theAmdocs Service Mediation
Manager Business Logic SDK Programmer Guide.
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High ReliabilityAmdocs Service Mediation Manager is designed to assure the highest level of reliability.
The high system reliability of Amdocs Service Mediation Manager prevents the risk of
data loss and data duplication. The system also has swift and efficient data recoverymechanisms. For more details about the reliability features, seetheAmdocs Service
Mediation Manager User Guide.
The system has a high availability that is achieved through the Watchdog process, which
runs in the background and monitors the operation of each component. The Watchdog
restarts the component if one of its critical functions fails. Amdocs Service Mediation
Manager allows users to implement a High Availability solution in a LAN and a WAN
environment, ensuring uninterrupted functioning of all its components in the event of
hardware failure.
Adaptability to the Network, Business Support Systemsand Operator Support SystemsAmdocs Service Mediation Manager is fully adaptable to all major network technologies,
including hardware, software, operations, and business support systems.
The system is designed to work with industry standard protocols, which allows for the
rapid and seamless assimilation of new, emerging network standards, devices and
applications. A variety of flexible interface connectors enable quick and simple integration
of Amdocs Service Mediation Manager with network and environments of Business
Support Systems and Operator Support Systems, and quick responses to network changes.
When network technology providers introduce new hardware or software, the extensive
library of ISMs that Amdocs supplies allows service providers to quickly launch newservices. As new network elements are deployed, new ISMs can be designed to collect and
process any relevant information the network elements provide Interpretability with
existing infrastructure systems is further supported by the open architecture and the use of
technologies such as Java and XML.
Amdocs Service Mediation Manager enables users to process the data according to their
own business rules, and output it in a variety of formats to fit the needs of the downstream
processing applications.
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ManageabilityThe following features make it easy to set up, manage, and maintain Amdocs Service
Mediation Manager:
Web-based graphical user interface through which authorized users can access thesystem
System-wide and component-specific upgrades
Amdocs Service Mediation Manager enables system-wide and component-specific
upgrades, configuration changes and activation/deactivation of any of its components.
Import and export functionality
Amdocs Service Mediation Manager has an import and export feature that enables
users with the required access rights to export, import, and edit the configuration of the
system, of individual projects, and of the environment variables, using Extensible
Markup Language (XML).
Support for templates
Amdocs Service Mediation Manager is configured using self-contained building
blocks (templates) that are configured once and can be re-used many times. You re-use
a template by creating multiple instances of the template. In each instance only some
of the properties are modified. Using templates allows you to quickly configure
repeating patterns of objects.
Support for self-contained independent projects
Amdocs Service Mediation Manager has multi-project development environment that
makes it easy for users to set up the system, manage its configuration, and monitor its
operation.
Each project includes a set of related objects allowing administrators to configure the
system incrementally and to implement a sophisticated security policy that lets groups
of users work on individual projects independently.
In addition, support for projects makes it easier and less costly to make updates to
individual projects without affecting the configuration of the entire system or of the
other projects.
Support for users and user groups
Amdocs Service Mediation Manager enables administrators of the system to
implement a flexible user management policy tailored to their individual needs.
Support for environment variablesAmdocs Service Mediation Manager supports environment variables: configuration
parameters that are modified for every instance and stored in an external file, allowing
users to easily migrate configurations from one environment to another.
For more information about templates and projects, see theAmdocs Service Mediation
Manager User Guide. For more information about setting up a security policy, see the
Amdocs Service Mediation Manager Operator Guide.
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System Repository for Managing ComponentsAmdocs Service Mediation Manager allows administrators of the system to create,
manage and search for components in a single component repository (referred to as the
repository).The component repository enables configuring components (such as custom data types,
records, and functions) and using the components in ISMs of the current project or projects
across the system.
Components in the repository are defined for use as follows:
Project-specific Can be used by all ISMs that belong to a specified project
Common Can be used by all ISMs in the system
Components defined in the component repository appear in the Business Logic
Configuration window of the ISMs in read-only mode. To modify a component that was
defined in the component repository, you must first change the component in the
component repository and then publish the repository.
In the Business Logic configuration of ISMs, you can use components defined in the
component repository in one of the following ways:
Attach the component The configuration of the component is referenced in the
repository. If changes are made to the component in the repository and then published,
the new configuration is automatically updated in the ISM.
Attach and replace a component Attach a component from the repository to replace a
local component.
Detach the component The ISM deletes the component from the local configuration
and no longer references it.
Copy the component locally The ISM copies the component configuration locally.
Changes that you make to the component are local and, therefore, do not affect other
ISMs.
Share a component with the component repository Adds components that are
currently defined in the Business Logic configuration to the repository.
You can share a component in one of the following ways:
Share After you share the component with the repository, the component
becomes read-only and you can no longer make changes to that component from
the Business Logic configuration. The ISM attaches the component and references
the component in the repository, and the component becomes available to other
ISMs.
Share as Owner The repository attaches the component and references it. Other
ISMs can use the component. However, only the ISM that is the owner of the
component can make changes to the component. This is useful for components that
are generated by ISMs, such as an ASN.1 record.
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The components in the repository are organized in folders. The system-defined folders
define which ISMs can use the components. You can also create additional folders that are
used for display purposes only and enable to easily locate components.
Using the component repository ensures that:
Changes to repository components are updated across the system.
If you change the configuration of a repository record, Enhancement Procedures that
use the record are not deleted.
If you change the configuration of a repository record, input and output tasks in the
Business Logic configuration that use the repository record are automatically
redefined.
Amdocs Service Mediation Manager contains a Flow to Repository Integrator wizard that
enables integrating records in an existing flow with the repository automatically.
For more information about the component repository, seeAmdocs Service Mediation
Manager User Guide.
Advanced Monitoring and Reporting CapabilitiesAmdocs Service Mediation Manager provides you with a variety of ways to get
information about its operation:
The log files of the system and its components
Monitoring applications
System Alerts Monitor
Component Monitor
Chain Monitor (relevant for monitoring chains in batch-mediation projects)
SNMP Trap Exporter
Service Mediation Manager Monitor (batch-mediation projects only)
The Management Information Base (MIB) extensions of the system and the ISMs that
have a MIB
User-interface indicators, such as color of icons or the status indicators for system
components
JMX-based monitoring
You can monitor the system or objects in the individual projects according to your access
rights. You can define thresholds, configure filters and SNMP traps for all events in the
Amdocs Service Mediation Manager user interface.
Amdocs Service Mediation Manager also integrates with Amdocs Monitoring & Control.
For more information, see Integration with Operational.
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You can use the following methods to view auditing information:
Audit Service Configure the modules (ISMs) used to output audit information about
the data that is being processed. You can direct the audit streams to external systems
for further analysis or to a database, and then use the audit information that is collected
to produce audit reports using the native Amdocs Service Mediation Managerreporting engine or other reporting tools. For more information, see Audit Service.
Project-level Audit Tracks and reports the audit data for the entire project, rather than
in the scope of the individual IS, and helps service providers reduce revenue leakage
and billing errors through auditing of data. Project-level audit incorporates the audit
counters and events of the Audit service. If your implementation uses the Audit
service, you can either continue to use it or replace it with project-level audit. For more
information, see Project-level Audit.
Amdocs Service Mediation Manager has sophisticated reporting tools that allows
administrators, operators, and other users of the system to configure and generate reports
using the data the system collects. Amdocs Service Mediation Manager supports a variety
of output formats and formatting options allowing users to configure the system to sendreports to an email address, to save them to a disk, and so on. Users can also configure the
system to run scheduled reports at pre-defined intervals.
For more information about the monitoring and reporting capabilities of the system, see
theAmdocs Service Mediation Manager Operator Guide.
J MX MonitoringJava Management Extensions (JMX) is a Java technology that is used in Amdocs
Mediation to expose monitoring information about IS and enhancement procedure
instances. You can use this information, for example, to identify potential bottlenecks orproblems in a data flow and balance system load.
The JMX server runs on the User Interface Server (UIS), and it receives up-to-the-minute
status and statistical information from the monitoring server, including:
For each enhancement procedure, its ID, information about input and output rates,
queue size, and current status.
For each IS instance, its name and ID, information about the processing rate and status
(such as whether it is working, paused or stopped)
For each IS instance, statistical data defined in the Statistics Collection Point
component and in the Statistics tab of the last page of the Information Source
Properties wizard.
You can also view this information from any generic console (such as JConsole) or
in-house monitoring application.
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Integration with OperationalSupport for operating system environment variables enables you to use standard operating
system environment variables to configure the system (IS templates and IS instances).
This way you can update the values in a centralized location during runtime and theconfiguration parameters are streamlined taking advantage of standardized operating
system features.
Security FeaturesAmdocs Service Mediation Manager has advanced security features that enable users to
implement to protect the integrity of their system and data. The security features include:
Ability to select one of the two supported security mechanisms
Native security mechanisms
Amdocs Security Manager
Session Timeout
Support for a secure communication channel
Ability to Select the Security Mechanism
Amdocs Service Mediation Manager has its native security mechanism that enables
administrators to easily implement and modify a flexible security policy. The security
policy is based on having users, user groups, and permissions to perform certain actions.
Managing users, user groups, and permissions.
In addition to the native security mechanisms, Amdocs Service Mediation Manager
supports Amdocs Security Manager. The integration of Amdocs Service Mediation
Manager with Amdocs Security Manager enables using the security features of Amdocs
Security Manager and managing the security policy of all Amdocs applications using the
same application.
For more information about the features and benefits of these security mechanisms and
how to select the security mechanism, see theAmdocs Service Mediation Manager
Operator Guide.
Session TimeoutAmdocs Service Mediation Manager provides a mechanism to handle session timeout after
a configurable period of inactivity (inactivity period). The inactivity periodspecifies how
long a user login session remains active when there has been no user activity. If there is no
user activity for the pre-defined inactivity period, Amdocs Service Mediation Manager
displays a countdown alertthat informs you that your log in session to the Amdocs Service
Mediation Manager user interface will close and provides you with the option to resume
the session.
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Secure Communication Channel
The Amdocs Service Mediation Manager components communicate using a proprietary
TCP/IP-based protocol called Comm. The secure channel uses Secure Sockets Layer
(SSL), a protocol for transmitting information securely on the Internet. SSL uses
encryption to transmit the data securely. The URLs that use SSL start with https rather
than http.The secure port for communication with the UIS should be used to log in when
using https (and when the system works in secure mode).
Support for Multi-Language Text Encoding and DecodingAmdocs Service Mediation Manager supports the Unicode standard, enabling users to use
all major world languages in the system. Unicode is a single encoding scheme that
supports all the currently known characters. Support for Unicode strings allows the system
to accurately manipulate data in all languages, such as Japanese, Russian, and Hebrew.
Support for Unicode strings has the following main applications:
Allows using international characters (that is, characters that are not part of the Latin
alphabet set, such as characters in Cyrillic, Devanagri, and Chinese characters) in the
Amdocs Service Mediation Manager user interface. For example, users can enter the
names of configurable system objects, such as queries, reports, users, and Gatherers in
the Amdocs Service Mediation Manager user interface using international characters.
Allows users to get and store data from Information Sources in languages that use
international characters. For example, a file with data in Chinese can be used as anInformation Source.
Note:A Unicode-enabled browser, operating system, and database that supportUTF-8 standard are required to take advantage of this feature.
Note: In addition to the requirement for using a Unicode-enabled operatingsystem and database configured to work with UTF-8, the ISMs that get, process,
store, and export the data must support the Unicode standard for the system to
get data in languages that use international characters.
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Mediation TypesAmdocs Service Mediation Manager supports two types of mediation:
Batch Passive, uni-direction mediation that collects usage data from the network,
processes the data, and then sends the results to the target system. Batch mediationreceives requests, collects files off-line, and then processes the data. Batch processing
does not return answers immediately. Use batch mediation for applications that do not
require real-time processing of data, such as postpaid billing applications.
Active Bi-directional mediation that responds to service-authorization requests in
real-time, directly from network elements. Using active mediation you can support
highly available and dynamically load-balanced environments that handle transactions
in real-time. Active mediation enables to use services that require real-time response,
such as prepaid data services, sophisticated content services authorization, and
dynamic re-provisioning. For more information, see Active Mediation.
Each project can use either batch mediation or active mediation.
Active MediationActive mediation enables Amdocs Service Mediation Manager to act as a Decision Engine
that intercepts service events of different types in real-time, and then activates a decision
process that is based on Business information to determine the service flow. The decision
process uses pre-defined decision trees that can be created or modified dynamically. Both
event details and BSS/OSS parameters are used to get to a service decision. The service
decision can be to approve the use of a service, to reject the use of a service, or it can
define the next service execution step. The decision is then forwarded to the relevant
network elements for implementation.The decision process is divided into two steps:
Sorting process Sorts the different types of events based on data that is part of the
event data
Decision process Defines the result of the process based on parameters that are part
of part of the event data and external parameters obtained from the BSS/OSS
Active mediation enables to:
Automate the handling and validation of service-authorization requests and guarantee
continuous service availability.
Respond to service-authorization requests in real-time directly from network elements,including content-aware gateways and routers, to correlate the requests, price them
according to flexible pricing rules, debit or replenish customer accounts, and then send
service-authorization responses to calling applications.
Provide an interface between new network elements (such as GGSN) and BSS.
Maintain a mirror-image of the current state of each service-authorization request,
thereby minimizing the risk of data loss and assuring a high level of service reliability.
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Operate in a Highly available and dynamically load-balanced environments that
handle transactions in real-time.
Provide content and Access control.
Active Mediation Examples
The following scenarios provide examples for active mediation:
Define charging of a prepaid customers
When a prepaid customer requests to use a certain data service such as MMS, the
Service Control system sends a request for service authorization to the decision
engine. The decision engine then requests rate and balance information from the rating
and balance management systems. After the decision engine receives the information
it determines whether to approve or reject the service. If the request is approved, quota
for the session is reserved and the decision engine keeps tracking the session to enable
proper charging and to terminate the session if the balance ends.
Dynamic re-provisioning that enables dynamic bandwidth management.
When a request to increase bandwidth for a specific subscriber is received, the
decision engine consults the provisioning system, which holds relevant information,
and then decide whether to grant the request. If the request is approved, the decision
engine sends the re-provisioning request to the provisioning system, which in turn
implements it.
Architecture
An Active Mediation flow is constructed of one or more Clusters. Each cluster isconstructed of nodes, which are represented by one or more Gatherers that operate
according to schema-rules.
Each Gatherer is a node in the cluster and contains a single instance of a template, which
represents the business logic of a single node.
A primary node in a partition handles tasks. A secondary node in a partition receives and
saves updates of the current state of transactions that are handled by the primary node of
that partition so that it can replace the primary node without any loss of data, if the primary
node fails.
Figure 2.3 describes the active-mediation architecture. Monitoring, statistics, and audit
functions are not depicted.
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Figure 2.3 Active-Mediation Architecture
The active mediation architecture is modular and hierarchical, consisting of the following
main elements:
ISMs and ISs Enable to collect, enhance, and process data. An IS is a configured
instance of an ISM. Each IS is assigned a unique name and is configured to belong to a
cluster. The ISMs in an active-mediation project fall into the following main
categories:
Network-interface module Interacts with network elements, such as GGSN,
handles service-authorization requests, and converts the incoming requests from
raw data into hierarchical records. Network-interface modules are configured in
non-partitioned clusters, in which all Gatherers are active and redundant. For
example, the Diameter Server ISM is a network-interface module.
Service-logic manager module Acts as the main processing point between thenetwork-interface cluster and service elements (such as a rating engine or a
balance manager), and can query data from another module. Service-logic
manager modules are configured on partitioned clusters and therefore there is load
balancing between their instances. For example, you can configure the Business
Logic SDK ISMas a service-logic manager module.
Non-partitioned Cluster
(Network-Interface)
ISM
UID 1352632
Network-to-Business Platform
Partitioned Cluster(Service Logic)
Partition 1
Back-up Node - Gatherer 4
Primary Node - Gatherer 3
Partition 2
Primary Node - Gatherer 5
Back-up Node - Gatherer 6
UpstreamS
ervers
Node 1 - Gatherer 1
Node 2 - Gatherer 2
NetworkElement
SharedMemory
ISM
Legend
Service Connection
Smart Load-Balancer
Task (hierarchical)
ISM ISM
SharedMemory
ISM ISM
Service LogicManager module Shared
Memory
Network Interfacemodule (ISM)
Service LogicManager module
Network Interfacemodule (ISM)
Oracle DB with
fast logging tablecomponent
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Enhancement module Enhances the data of a network-interface module or
service-logic manager module, such as loading and storing reference data, or
connecting to an external balance manager. For example, the you can configure the
Business Logic SDK ISMas a service-logic manager module.
Audit module Active Mediation Audit Logging ISMcollects auditing andrevenue-assurance data and loads the data to an Oracle database. This ISM is
required for the implementation of the project-level audit feature.
Gatherers Main component of the Network-to-Business platform that supports the
main usage-data processing operations.
A dedicated Gatherer is used for a Cluster Lookup Agent that maintains information
on the state of the clusters, such as the Gatherers currently running on a cluster, and the
partitions to which each Gatherer belongs.
Clusters A group of one or more Gatherers. Each cluster has a unique system-wide
name. You can define a Shared State Table (SST) that maintains state of the nodes in
the cluster and enables to manage sessions. Clusters can have one of the followingtypes:
Non-partitioned Clusters that contain a module (ISM) that interfaces with a
network element such as the Diameter Server ISM. Non-partitioned clusters are
fully redundant and all Gatherers perform the same tasks. Typically, the contents of
a non-partitioned cluster are not resource-consuming and do not require load
balancing. The network-interface ISM receives service requests, parses the
requests, validates them, and then sends them on a Service Connection to a
partitioned cluster.
Partitioned Clusters that contain one or more service-logicmodules (ISMs) or
that interface with service elements. Each Gatherer is assigned to a partition. Each
partition contains one active Gatherer, which is the first Gatherer to launch, andone or more hot back-up Gatherers. Only the active Gatherer of a partition
processes data.
Amdocs Service Mediation Manager performs load balancing between the
partitions by dividing messages between nodes based on the routing criteria. If you
select a user defined routing criteria you perform load balancing based on values of
fields such as Subscriber ID and service-type.
Service Connections Bi-directional connections between non-partitioned clusters and
partitioned clusters. A service connection carries responses to the original request
messages so that the network-interface module, which sends these responses to the
network element. A Service Connection is analogous to an Enhancement Procedure in
a batch-mediation project, but it supports two-way data traffic.
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Incremental Deployment
Incremental deployment ensures high availability in an active-mediation project. It allows
data processing to continue while configuration changes are deployed and eliminates the
risk of data loss or data corruption when deploying the project configuration.
When a Gatherer receives the configuration, it compares the version of its current
configuration to the version that it has just received. If the new configuration is more
recent, the Gatherer updates its configuration and then restarts.
A project can contain partitioned or non-partitioned clusters. Each cluster can contain
several nodes, which stop their runtime operation and restart to deploy configuration
changes.
To allow data processing while deploying configuration changes, the configuration is
incrementally deployed in two stages as follows:
1. Configuration is deployed to the backup nodes in the partition. The backup nodes send
the deployed version back to the CEM.
2. Configuration is deployed to the primary nodes.
In non-partitioned clusters and for cluster lookup agents, the deployment priority
determines which set of Gatherers update the configuration during the first stage and
which set update the configuration during the second stage.
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3 System Components
This chapter contains a high-level description of the applications architecture the core
system components and their functions.
Introduction......................................................................................................... 26
Central Event Manager....................................................................................... 27
User Interface Server.......................................................................................... 27
Gatherers............................................................................................................ 28
External and Modular Components .................................................................... 28
Configuration Database...................................................................................... 31
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IntroductionAmdocs Service Mediation Manager consists of the Network-to-Business platform and
modules, which are also referred to asISMs.
The Network-to-Business platform includes the following components:
Central Event Manager(CEM) Coordinates, manages, and controls the operation of
Amdocs Service Mediation Manager and all its components.
User Interface Server(UIS) Web-accessible secure point of contact for
administration and management of Amdocs Service Mediation Manager.
Gatherers Smart-agents that host and manage ISMs and the data collection and
processing activities of those ISMs. You can add one or more Gatherers.
You can add any number ofISMs to Amdocs Service Mediation Manager. Amdocs Service
Mediation Manager stores configuration data in a database server, which is sometimes
referred to as the configuration database (see Configuration Database for more
information).
Figure 3.4 Amdocs Service Mediation Manager Architecture (Example)
networkelement
networkelement
networkelement
CEM
DPM
DEMDPM
DXM Parser
UIS
BusinessLogic ISM
FormatterFile
TransporterISM
DCM
processingapplication
processingapplication
OSS/BSS system
Amdocs Service MediationManager
network infrastructure
access
to
userinterface
reports
DSM
databaseserver
sto
re
report data
qu
ery
Gatherer
Enhancement Procedure
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Central Event ManagerThe Central Event Manager(CEM) coordinates, manages, and controls the operation of
Amdocs Service Mediation Manager and all its components. The CEM has the following
main functions: Coordinates, controls, and manages the collection, processing, and transfer of data.
The CEM coordinates the operation of the Gatherers and manages the flow of data in
the system through the collection scheme defined in the system configuration. Based
on the collection scheme the CEM determines the computation flow (the set of
operations Amdocs Service Mediation Manager performs to obtain the desired
information). The CEM controls all the Gatherers, instructing them to perform the
sequence of operations defined in the computation flow.
Provides centralized system-wide licensing and ISM installation. ISMs are installed on
the host computer of the CEM. The CEM distributes the ISM software to the
appropriate Gatherers. It maintains a list of licenses installed in the system and verifies
periodically if the system is properly licensed. This feature lets users centrally installand uninstall licenses. It also prevents unlicensed use of the system and any of its
components.
Monitors the state of the Gatherers, the ISMs, the enhancement, and the data collection
process.The Gatherers periodically communicate with the CEM. The CEM
continuously monitors the state of each Gatherer and Information Source in the
system.
User Interface Server
The User Interface Server(UIS) is a Web-accessible secure point of contact foradministration and management of Amdocs Service Mediation Manager. It enables
multiple users to access the Amdocs Service Mediation Manager user interface
concurrently through a Web browser, providing local and remote platform-independent
control of the system. The UIS provides these functions through the Amdocs Service
Mediation Manager user interface.The UIS is the server and the Amdocs Service
Mediation Manager user interface is the Java client running in the Web browser.
Access to the Amdocs Service Mediation Manager user interface is password-protected
and limited to authorized users.
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GatherersThe Gatherers are multi-threaded smart-agents that run as background processes
(daemons on UNIX operating systems). Each Gatherer can host multiple ISMs, allowing
scalable configuration of the system. The Gatherers manage the ISMs that they host andtheir data collection and processing activities.
Typically the Gatherers are strategically located close to the network elements the ISMs
access to minimize traffic on the network. The Gatherers load and run the ISMs without
interfering with the operation of the network elements or the other Gatherers.
The Gatherers are remotely administered and controlled by the Central Event Manager,
allowing for low cost central administration of the entire distributed Amdocs Service
Mediation Manager system. Each Gatherer stores relevant configuration information
locally ensuring that it can operate even when it is temporarily disconnected from the
CEM.
The Gatherers ensure the integrity of all the data in the system using their own local
persistent storage, a light-weight file-based database. The Gatherers save the usage datafrom the ISM instances that they host persistently on the disk in a buffer, called a
persistent queue (PQ). The persistency infrastructure of the Gatherers ensures the full
reliability of the system. It guarantees that all the usage data that is in the system will reach
its target destination and eliminates the risk of data duplication.
External and Modular ComponentsAmdocs Service Mediation Manager collects network session data from Information
Sources. It uses Information Source Modules (ISMs) to interface with the Information
Sources.
Information Sources
AnInformation Source (IS) is a network device or application server from which Amdocs
Service Mediation Manager collects network session data. Most network devices and
application servers provide logging or statistical information about their activity. Amdocs
Service Mediation Manager can collect network session data from the log file of a mail
server, the logging facility of a firewall, a traffic statistics table available on a router and
accessible through SNMP, a database entry accessible through the Web, an authentication
servers query interface, and other network devices. Routers, Web servers, firewalls, mail
servers, directory servers, authentication servers, and others are examples of InformationSources.
Each type of Information Source is accessed using a different method or protocol. Some
generate logs, others are accessible via SNMP, yet others have proprietary APIs or any
other proprietary protocol.
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Information Source Modules
TheInformation Source Modules (ISMs), which typically act as an interface between the
Gatherers and the network elements, extend the functionality of the system, enabling it to
collect usage data from the network as well as to enhance, process, export, and store the
gathered information.
The functionality of an ISM determines its type. For example, a Data Collection Module
(DCM) is responsible for collecting data from the network. A DCM typically provides an
interface for a particular network element.
The ISMs communicate with the network elements using protocols and formats such as
UDP/IP, TCP/IP, SNMP, telnet, file access, ODBC, native API, and others.
ISMs are add-ons to the Network-to-Business platform. They can be removed or added to
the system without affecting its basic configuration. A minimum of two ISMs must be
installed and configured for the system to collect and store data a Data Collection
Module to get the data from the network element and a Data Storage Module to store that
data in the database server and to query it.
One or multiple instances of the same ISM can be configured in the system. For example,
to access the data from several firewalls of the same type, several instances of the same
ISM must be configured. Thus the term Information Source (IS) is also used to refer to an
instance of the ISM.
ISM installation, licensing, and upgrades are centrally administered by the CEM. Refer to
theAmdocs Service Mediation Manager Installation Guide for details on the installation.
For instructions on configuring ISMs, refer to the documentation of the specific module.
Figure 3.5 Information Source Modules (ISMs)
GathererGatherer
Cisco router
AggregatorISMLDAP
EnhancementISM
CiscoNetFlow Pro
ISM
OracleServer ISM
Oracle Serverdatabase
store
quer
y
LDAP Server
RemoteAccess Server
RADIUSAccounting
ISM
Nokia CGPro ISM
NokiaChargingGateway
DNS Server
DNS ISM
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Types of ISMs
ISMs exhibit several types of behaviors, according to which they are classified as Data
Collection Modules, Data Enhancement Modules, Data Processing Modules, Data Storage
Modules, and Data Export Modules. Most ISMs exhibit one type of behavior, but some
exhibit several. For example, an ISM, such as the Cisco NetFlow Pro ISM, acts only as a
Data Collection Module. The Aggregator ISM, on the other hand, is a Data Processing
Module that also behaves as a Data Collection Module.
AData Collection Module (DCM) feeds the data it collects from a network element
into Amdocs Service Mediation Manager and thus triggers the flow of information
through the system. The DCM receives the data from the network element and relays it
to its associated Gatherer asynchronously (independently from and without
synchronization with any other event in Amdocs Service Mediation Manager). For
example, the Cisco NetFlow Pro ISM is a DCM. When a network session is initiated,
the ISM receives the details of the session from the Cisco device and relays the data to
the Gatherer. Every DCM provides at least one output stream.
AData Enhancement Module (DEM) enhances the data the system collects from
primary sources using data from another source, such as a remote access server, a
DHCP server, a DNS server, an LDAP server and a database. The DEM adds
correlated data from the source. For example, Source/Destination IP addresses
collected from a DCM are temporary, normally assigned for the duration of the user
session. Using a DEM, the service provider can determine, which subscriber was
assigned to that particular address for the session. A DEM supplies new information
when queried by the Gatherer that hosts it. When it receives an information request
from the Gatherer, it attempts to retrieve the information from the source it interfaces
with and then relays the response back to the Gatherer. A DEM enhances the data by
supplying DEM functions that are used in the enhancement process.
AData Processing Module (DPM) receives and processes the data. The processing
stage can include flexible, policy-based data filtering, de-duplication, association,
aggregation, applying business logic rules, and so on. A DPM can have input and
output streams that allow it to function in a variety of ways in the enhancement
process. It can receive data on its input streams, and can serve as the destination of data
flowing through the system. A DPM can also send data on its output streams and thus
trigger the flow of data through the system acting like a DCM. An input stream of a
DPM can be the target of an Enhancement Procedure, and an output stream can be the
trigger. (For more information on Enhancement Procedures, see The Flow of Data in
the System in theAmdocs Service Mediation Manager User Guide.) A DPM can also
act as a DEM, supplying DEM functions.
AData Storage Module (DSM) is a type of DPM that acts as an interface between a
database server and a Gatherer. It can be configured either to store data and to query
the data it stores or to query the data stored by another DSM.
Note: DEMs can only enhance the data in flat records. Hierarchical records aretransparent to the platform. The data in hierarchical records can be enhanced
only using custom code plug-ins developed with the help of the Business Logic
SDK infrastructure. Raw data cannot be enhanced.
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DSMs that are configured to store data behave like Data Processing Modules (DPMs)
because they can receive data and forward data to other ISMs. Like DPMs, DSMs have
input streams that can be targets of Enhancement Procedures, and output streams that
can be triggers of Enhancement Procedures.
Each DSM is associated with a single table structure with a specific set of fields. TheDSM performs clean-up and aging procedures on the data in the table it is associated
with. It removes old data to free space for new data periodically based on a user-
defined expiration period. The DSM places a timestamp on every record when the
record enters the database and deletes the record after its validity expires.
AData Export Module (DXM) is a type of DPM that receives usage data and exports it
to external systems and applications, such as billing, churn, fraud detection, and other
analytic applications. DXMs enable numerous formatting options for the data the
system outputs, and allow users to match the data format to the requirements of the
post-processing application. DXMs can use different export mechanisms to transfer
the data. For example the Text File Export ISM uses batch files. The export
mechanism is determined by the needs of the application to which the data is exported.The DXMs serve as an interface between Amdocs Service Mediation Manager and
external applications and provide a means of exporting data from the system. In the
enhancement process DXMs are like Data Processing Modules (DPMs) because they
have input streams that can be targets of Enhancement Procedures and output streams
that can be triggers of Enhancement Procedures.
DXMs provide a direct, efficient, and reliable mechanism for data export. They enable
data from multiple points on the Network-to-Business platform to be exported to
destination applications, eliminating potential bottlenecks and enabling concurrent
data transfer to multiple applications. DXMs have very low latency, which makes them
suitable for near-real-time data transfer. DXMs support multiple input streams (like
DPMs) and thus enable users to direct the data from multiple flows to a billing system
(in a single file that combines the records from multiple sources).
Configuration DatabaseAmdocs Service Mediation Manager stores all the configuration data in an Oracle or
MySQL database.
Amdocs Service Mediation Manager supports the following connection modes:
For an Oracle database Supports two database connection modes. It can connect to
an Oracle database instance or service.
The Oracle service connects to Oracle Real Application Clusters (RAC), which
enables you to deploy a single database across a cluster of servers providing high
availability of the configuration database.
For a MySQL database Supports MySQL InnoDB (Transactional database) in
instance mode only.
For information about the supported database servers, see theAmdocs Service Mediation
Manager Installation Guide.
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4 System Functions
This chapter briefly discusses the following functional components of Amdocs Service
Mediation Manager.
Supported Data Formats .................................................................................... 34
Data Processing in Batch-Mediation Projects..................................................... 35
Data Processing in Active-Mediation Projects .................................................... 37
Component Repository....................................................................................... 38
Reporting............................................................................................................ 38
Error Management.............................................................................................. 39
Auditing............................................................................................................... 39
Monitoring........................................................................................................... 42
Statistics.............................................................................................................. 44
Patch Management............................................................................................. 46
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Supported Data FormatsAmdocs Service Mediation Manager can transfer data in the original format (as raw files),
as records, or as events.
In active-mediation projects, Amdocs Service Mediation Manager transfers data inhierarchical record streams only.
A recordis a data structure that consists of a set of fields exposed by the stream of an IS.
The record structure can be one of the following:
FlatContains a set of fields of primitive data types such as Integer, String, Date/
Time, and Float. The structure of a flat record stream is defined by the fields that it
contains. The fields that the flat record stream contains are registered in the Network-
to-Business platform.
You can enhance the data in flat record streams by configuring complex Field
Enhancements (Field Enhancements that use DEM functions or tasks).
Hierarchical Contain a set of fields arranged in a hierarchical structure. The fieldscan be Primitive data types (such as Integer, String, and Float), complex data