scope:

The present document addresses the requirements of Network and service providers of Synchronous Digital Hierarchy (SDH) transmission Networks for establishing, maintaining and releasing Virtual Container (VC) connections, which span several administrative SDH domains. These requirements are satisfied by the use of a standardized interface (the "X-interface") between Operation Systems belonging to different Network operators.

The present document contains a general overview describing the different management areas that will be covered in the X-interface ES - path provisioning and fault management - as well as the relationships between them.

The present document describes the configuration management area covering the following aspects:

- a management architecture that shows how the X-interface is to be used between Network providers;

- the management services and functions needed to manage SDH connections, which span several administrative domains. These management services and functions cover the requirements for the X-interface;

- the management information crossing the X-interface. This management information specification uses the GDMO formalism, described in ITU-T Recommendation X.722 [1].

This version includes the first two of the five foreseen management Ensembles (Path Provisioning, Fault Management, Performance Management, Network Resourcing, Administration of the Management Network). Missing Ensembles will be added in future issues of the present document.