Field officers, technicians or technical supervisors from telecommunications carriers, contractors or other service providers apply the skills and knowledge in this unit.

They conduct network performance analysis routinely to monitor the health of the network and also following network upgrades and new installations.

This unit applies to switching, transmission, wireless and optical telecommunications networks.

ELEMENT

PERFORMANCE CRITERIA

1. Analyse network performance to determine service levels

1.1. Establish network type and quality of service (QoS) standards levels required, in conjunction with equipment suppliers and customer opinion, to determine the benchmark for network performance standards

1.2. Analyse trend analysis data and statistical data to assess the level and type of network degradation

1.3. Conduct performance tests according to established performancechecklist to systematically evaluate the level of QoS using appropriate performance analysis tools

1.4. Analyse test results and determine the QoS levels and network problems

1.5. Establish restoration times in the event of service breakdown

1.6. Determine, organise and allocate resources necessary to monitor service levels

2. Monitor the integrity of the network

2.1. Monitor alarm panels and verify message retrieval system on an ongoing basis to maintain network integrity

2.2. Undertake real time analysis of data from all sources to determine network health

3. Manage the delivery of quality service

3.1. Conduct monitoring activities to maintain the quality of service level and integrity of the network

3.2. Analyse trouble reports and performance data including customer feedback on a regular basis as an indicator of network performance

3.3. Analyse drive test data as an input to performance and optimise the network to improve network level of service

4. Analyse problems and organise repair

4.1. Analyse performance results regularly and initiate investigations when performance levels are below specified standards and recommend network changes

4.2. Analyse causes of problems by testing specific network components

4.3. Isolate problems where possible and escalate repair according to enterprise policy

4.4. Undertake evaluation testing after repair to ensure that the problem has been rectified

5. Coordinate upgrade of software and hardware

5.1. Develop strategies to affect changes according to recommendations and produce a plan to coordinate activities

5.2. Produce a cost estimate of proposed change and submit a cost-benefit study for approval

5.3. Confirm shortcomings in hardware and software and negotiate with planners for network modifications

5.4. Evaluate the modifications to ensure network compatibility and use of appropriate protocols providing QoS in the network

5.5. Produce a plan for software and hardware changes to be initiated with minimum network downtime and customer impact

5.6. Undertake tests following upgrade to ensure the level of performance planned as a result of the upgrade has been achieved

5.7. Produce documentation including configuration details and tests results and submit to network planner

Required skills

analytical skills to interpret performance tests and make recommendations

communication skills to liaise with customers and technical staff to ensure requirements are known and can be met within timeframes

literacy skills to interpret technical specifications and related documentation

numeracy skills to make calculations on test data for evaluation of network performance

planning and organisation skills to develop activity plans and strategies to monitor, repair or upgrade equipment, systems or software

problem solving skills to account for unexpected faults or equipment configuration anomalies

technical skills to correctly analyse network performance service levels and provide solutions

Required knowledge

cost estimation

customer:

customer policies

expectancies

service level agreements

network:

alarms

compatibility and interoperability

operations

performance analysis methodologies

performance analysis tools

performance tests

planning and design principles

protocols providing QoS

QoS standard levels

software and hardware upgrades

technologies and architectures of:

switching network

transmission network

technologies of customer network

The evidence guide provides advice on assessment and must be read in conjunction with the performance criteria, required skills and knowledge, range statement and the Assessment Guidelines for the Training Package.

Overview of assessment

Critical aspects for assessment and evidence required to demonstrate competency in this unit

Evidence of the ability to:

interpret current network performance data

monitor the integrity of the network

manage the delivery of quality service

conduct performance tests using appropriate performance analysis tools

analyse problems and organise repair applying escalation procedures, if required, within service assurance guidelines

coordinate upgrade of software and hardware.

Context of and specific resources for assessment

Assessment must ensure:

site where network performance analysis may be conducted

data from organisations involved in planning initiatives

range of software currently used in industry

relevant regulations, specifications that impact on service measures and forecasting activities.

Method of assessment

A range of assessment methods should be used to assess practical skills and knowledge. The following examples are appropriate for this unit:

review of proposed upgrade strategy prepared by the candidate, outlining cost-benefit analysis, equipment compatibility study and proposed testing routine

direct observation of the candidate undertaking a practical monitoring, testing or planning exercise

oral or written questioning to assess knowledge of monitoring and testing procedures and types of systems.

Guidance information for assessment

Holistic assessment with other units relevant to the industry sector, workplaces and job role is recommended, for example:

ICTTEN6043A Undertake network traffic management

ICTTEN6045A Implement planned network changes with minimal impact to the customer

ICTTEN6047A Manage a common channel signalling network.

Aboriginal people and other people from a non-English speaking background may have second language issues.

Access must be provided to appropriate learning and assessment support when required.

Assessment processes and techniques must be culturally appropriate, and appropriate to the oral communication skill level, and language and literacy capacity of the candidate and the work being performed.

In all cases where practical assessment is used it will be combined with targeted questioning to assess required knowledge. Questioning techniques should not require language, literacy and numeracy skills beyond those required in this unit of competency.

Where applicable, physical resources should include equipment modified for people with special needs.

The range statement relates to the unit of competency as a whole. It allows for different work environments and situations that may affect performance. Bold italicised wording, if used in the performance criteria, is detailed below. Essential operating conditions that may be present with training and assessment (depending on the work situation, needs of the candidate, accessibility of the item, and local industry and regional contexts) may also be included.

Network type may refer to:

internet protocol (IP) networks:

internet protocol TV (IPTV)

mesh

multiprotocol label switching (MPLS)

online games

video teleconferencing (VTC)

voice over internet protocol (VoIP)

web

packet switched networks

frame relay(FR)

asynchronous transfer mode (ATM)

optical networks:

dense wavelength division multiplexing (DWDM) networks

optical Ethernet

wireless networks:

world interoperability for microwave access (WiMAX)

cellular mobile

general packet radio service (GPRS)

long term evolution (LTE).

Quality of service (QoS) is a measurement of:

customer satisfaction

level of performance

level of quality of service

quality of service by the network

service response times.

Customer may include:

communications consultant

contractor to a major supplier

end users

other divisions of the company

small, medium or large organisations

wholesale service providers.

Network degradation may refer to:

blockages

call drop out

congestion

connection drop out

latency

lockouts

packet loss

poor data transfer rate

poor quality of service

server performance.

Performance tests may include:

grade of service (GoS)

IP systems:

bit rate

data throughput

delay

error probability

jitter

out of order packet delivery

packet dropping

mean opinion score (MOS)

mean time between failures (MTBF)

packet switched network:

cross-talk

echo

frequency response

interrupts

loss

loudness levels

service response time

signal-to-noise ratio

quality of experience (QoE).

Performancecheck list may include:

compression:

disable

firewalls:

disable software types

hardware:

central processing unit (CPU)

modems

routers

network service provider:

port blocking

compression

software:

applications

operating system (OS)

test:

use test tools

trace:

use commands

tunneling:

virtual private network (VPN)

verify:

connectivity

data transfer rate

timings.

Performance analysis tools may include:

network management system

protocol analyser

software:

Linux advanced routing and traffic control

bandwidth arbitrator

Zeroshell.

Monitoring activities may include:

customer perception surveys

feedback from marketing personnel

live tests via alarms

network alarms

network repair

performance levels

periodic updates from network management systems

real-time performance indicators

service levels

temporarily connected test equipment

trend data.

Protocols providing QoS may include:

ATM

FR

next generation home network (G.hn) standard

home phoneline networking alliance (Home PNA) - home networking over coax and phone wires

Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE) standards:

IEEE 802.11e

IEEE 802.11p

IEEE 802.1p

IEEE 802.1Q

IP differentiated services (DiffServ)

IP integrated services (IntServ)

multiprotocol label switching (MPLS)

Resource reSerVation Protocol (RSVP)

RSVP traffic engineering (RSVP-TE)

type of service (TOS) field in the IP header (now superseded by Diffserv).

Unit sector

Telecommunications

Network planning

This unit contains employability skills.