O-RAN has been very successful in bringing down the cost of radio access networks by disaggregating the radio access network. This has enabled new device manufacturers to come into existence, allowed system integrators to build best-of-breed RAN offerings, and also deliver a cost-effective turnkey solution to the service providers. NetMan’s support of the O-RAN initiative in the RAN management space is important as it makes new vendor integration easier. If you are a system integrator or an OEM/device manufacturer in the O-RAN space, NetMan is the ideal and proven management solution for you.

Key features of NetMan topology module are

• Hierarchical tree for grouping network elements.
• Map-based visualization of network elements and interconnections.
• Manual/GPS based location identification.
• Real-time status of network elements and interconnections.
• Management of inventory components such as cards, shelves, and ports.
• Context-based menu actions on various inventory components.

An Element Management System has to showcase the unique features of the network element while complementing the element with features that are yet to be supported. Based on Dhyan's experience with several network elements at various stages in their product life cycle, each feature of NetMan has been developed with several options to make integration easier.

For instance, in the Google Maps view, all the devices have to be placed in the right location using their geo-coordinates. It may not be realistic to expect all network elements to have pre-set GPS information. To complement the network element's capability, NetMan supports the following options. These options ensure that the user experience is not diminished for any network element.

• If the network element supports GPS, NetMan can fetch the GPS coordinates directly from the device. These coordinates can then be used as the geo-coordinates for the network element.
• If the network element does not have a built-in GPS, the address configured in the network element (as part of its configuration) can be geocoded to a latitude and longitude.
• If the network element is not configured with either of these values, network operators can use NetMan to provision or configure those values. Network operators with sufficient privileges can provide the address of installation. Upon setting the address, NetMan will automatically calculate the geo-coordinates and assign them to the network element.
• Operators can also drag and drop the network element at a specific location in the Google Maps Based Deployment View. NetMan can automatically take care of recording the location and use it to update the geo-coordinates for the network element.
• If the network administrator has a spreadsheet or CSV file with the actual deployment coordinates, these can be imported directly into NetMan to update the geo-coordinates.

• Fault detection – Detect faults from SNMP traps, TL1 autonomous messages, syslog messages or with periodic status polling.
• Fault isolation – Isolate the root cause using inbuilt fault event correlation and de-duplication engine.
• Fault tracking – Manage faults using simple inbuilt trouble ticketing interface or with external integration to more advanced ticketing software.
• Corrective action – Perform closed loop automation with automatic alarm-triggered configuration or perform manual actions to resolve the fault.

• Data collection – Benefit from our scalable data collection from network elements, optimized for each protocol. Data collection is a key part of an Element Management System. The efficiency of the data collection engine typically determines the scalability of the Element Management System.
• Trending - Review trends in network performance over a longer period of time with our efficient aggregated data management.
• Reporting – View performance reports with flexible and personalisable dashboard, and have the system email periodic automatic reports to configured users.

• Configuration template – Maintain a configuration template with placeholder variables and publish the configuration to multiple devices on one go.
• Discovery-triggered configuration – Automate initial configuration push to devices with discovery-triggered configuration.
• Alarm-triggered configuration – Execute a template (or script) upon receiving an alarm condition to help in faster debugging and resolution of issue.
• Firmware upgrades – Perform scheduled and topology aware firmware upgrade on the network with reduced downtime.
• Configuration editor – Edit device configuration directly using YANG schema-based UI. This feature enables integration of new devices cost effectively.
• Configuration profiles – Manage configuration of multiple devices using a single configuration profile.
• Configuration audit – Identify configuration discrepancies using configuration audit feature.
• Configuration backup/restore – Perform configuration backup and restore, use the delta view to compare historical/current configuration of multiple devices.

• Each user shall perform only the authorized actions with fine-grained Role-based access control
• Perform remote authentication with RADIUS, TACACS+ and Active Directory
• Actions performed by users are logged and can be audited.
• Users can be organized into multiple domains, by means of which multiple tenants can co-exist in a single deployment instance.
• Users can backup/restore NetMan database to recover from a failure.

NetMan comes with built-in tools for recovering the Element Management System from disasters. NetMan can be configured to periodically backup its data and configuration on a remote ftp-server. The NetMan-based Element Management System and its data will be restored to its last known configuration after a disaster occurs. Such features have allowed our customers to pass several security audits conducted by service providers.

• Standalone – Only one node is deployed and doesn’t support HA.
• Active/Standby – Only one node is active at a time.
• Load balancing – Multiple nodes are active at a time and load is distributed between nodes.
• Disaster recovery – Maintain an active and a standby site. Standby site shall take over incase active site fails.
• Cloud deployment – Avoid the costs of maintaining the deployment on premise using our cloud hosted service.