What is NMS and EMS

First of all, NMS is an abbreviation for Network Management System, and EMS is an abbreviation for Element Management System. TMN, a very old standard document, describes the two as concepts such as NM, EM, and NE. We will look at the relevant standard documents when there is an opportunity in the future, and first, let's look at a schematic concept.

In order to efficiently operate and manage network equipment, NMS and EMS suitable for the service area are required. In general, in the case of wired networks, NMS is often operated alone, and in the case of mobile communication networks, EMS is required in addition to NMS. In this article, we will examine the concept of the overall management system and explain the differences between NMS and EMS.

Management System refers to a GUI system that performs network management functions, usually represented by FCAPS. Here, FCAPS means the following five functions.

l  Fault Management 

l  Configuration Management

l  Account Management

l  Performance Management

l  Security Management

In general, EMS is a system that directly communicates with NE (Network Element) such as a base station and performs all functions including configuration, and NMS communicates with EMS and performs a function of collecting faults and statistics.

Unlike mobile communication networks, wired networks do not use EMS but use only NMS in many cases. This is because in many cases, network engineers set up routers and switches directly and only monitor them with NMS. In recent years, many systems that directly control equipment using NETCONF, etc. have appeared in wired networks.

3GPP standard defines EM, NM and NE as follows

Element Manager (EM): provides a package of end-user functions for management of a set of closely related types of network elements. These functions can be divided into two main categories: Element Management Functions and
Sub-Network Management Functions.

Network Element (NE): a discrete telecommunications entity, which can be managed over a specific interface, e.g. the RNC.

Network Manager (NM): provides a package of end-user functions with the responsibility for the management of a network, mainly as supported by the EM(s) but it may also involve direct access to the Network Elements. All communication with the network is based on open and well-standardized interfaces supporting management of multi-vendor and multi-technology Network Elements.