ServAssure Alarm Central automates the identification and prioritization of existing and potential service impairments by monitoring cable network elements. New features for 2016 include Node Combining Network (NCN) Outage alarms. These occur above the level of the fiber node, between the fiber node and the hub. By correlating several fiber node outages to a single serving group or segment, the alarms should help the operator reduce truck rolls and mean-time-to-repair, ARRIS says.
Another recent addition to the software-as-a-service system is proactive amplifier maintenance. In the Amplifiers View, operators can see whether modems below an amplifier are meeting the targeted attenuation and correct power level. And Alarm Central Proactive Manager lets operators analyze issues that may be affecting a single cable modem rather than the HFC plant. These could include loose connectors or damaged cables.
Judges commented that the algorithm-based analysis is taking a major step toward cutting outage time as it is based on trending, multiple element extract data and a baseline architecture. "There is no doubt that keeping subscriber service outage minutes as low as possible is one of, if not the goal of field operations and network operations center teams," one judge said.