Element Management layer

The functions of individual Network Elements are managed by Operations Systems Functions (OSF) in the Element Management layer. This layer deals with vendor specific management functions and hides these functions from the layer above, the Network Management layer.

Examples of functions performed at the Element Management layer are:

• detection of equipment errors,
• measuring power consumption,
• measuring the temperature of equipment,
• measuring the resources that are being used, like CPU-time, buffer space, queue length etc.,
• logging of statistical data,
• updating firmware.

Note that an OSF in the Element Management Layer and a NEF may be implemented within the same piece of equipment, or in different pieces of equipment.