Telcordia®

Network Engineer

Network Engineer
Design Assistant User’s Guide
BD-NE-6.1-DA-USRADM-001 Issue 1, January 2010
TELCORDIA TECHNOLOGIES, INC. CONFIDENTIAL - RESTRICTED ACCESS
This document and the confidential information it contains shall be distributed, routed or made available solely to authorized persons
having a need to know within Telcordia, except with written permission of Telcordia..
Table of Contents BD-NE-6.1-DA-USRADM-001
Issue 1, January 2010

Copyright Page
Copyright © 1997-2009 Telcordia Technologies, Inc. All rights reserved.
Portions of this documentation are copyrighted by ESRI.

Trademark Acknowledgements
Network Engineer is a product of Telcordia Technologies, Inc. ESRI is a registered trademark of Environmental Systems Research
Institute, Inc. ArcInfo is a registered trademark of Environmental Systems Research Institute, Inc. Spatial Database Engine and SDE
are trademarks of Environmental Systems Research Institute, Inc. ArcMap, ArcCatalog, ArcView, and ArcToolbox are trademarks of
Environmental Systems Research Institute, Inc. Microsoft is a registered trademark of the Microsoft Corporation. Microsoft SQL
Server is a registered trademark. Windows 2000 and Windows XP are trademarks of the Microsoft Corporation. Oracle is a registered
trademark of Oracle Corporation.

TELCORDIA NOTICE OF DISCLAIMER AND LIMITATION OF

LIABILITY
This document is intended for use solely by Telcordia customers who have licensed the Telcordia software described herein. The
software, this document, and the information contained within this document may be used, copied or communicated only in
accordance with the terms of a written license agreement with Telcordia. No part of this document may be reproduced or transmitted
in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying and recording without the prior written permission of
Telcordia. While the information contained herein has been prepared from sources deemed reliable, Telcordia reserves the right to
revise the information without notice, but has no obligation to do so. Unless the recipient has been expressly granted a license by
Telcordia under a separate applicable written agreement with Telcordia, no license, express or implied, is granted under any patents,
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Telcordia does not recommend or endorse products and nothing contained herein is intended as a recommendation or endorsement
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RESTRICTED RIGHTS NOTICE

The software, documentation, and/or data delivered herewith are provided with RESTRICTED RIGHTS. Use, duplication, or disclosure
by the U.S. Government is subject to restrictions as set forth in subparagraph (c)(1)(ii) of the Rights in Technical Data and Computer
Software clause at DFARS 252.227-7013 or subparagraphs (c)(1) and (2) of the Commercial Computer Software - Restricted Rights
at 48 CFR 52.227-19, as applicable. Contractor/Manufacturer is Telcordia Technologies, Inc., 445 South Street, Morristown, New
Jersey, 07960-6438. Any rights not expressly granted herein are reserved.

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Table of Contents

Introduction . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 11

Using this Document . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 11

Conventions . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 11
Helpful Software ToolTips and Prompts. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 12

Getting Information . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 13
Related Documents . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 13
Online Help . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 14
Navigating the Help Window . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 15
Getting Help While You Work . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 15
Technical Support . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 15

1 Installation . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 17

Preparing the System . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 17

Uninstalling Design Assistant. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 17
Verifying the Network Engineer and Design Assistant Versions are Compatible
18
Uninstalling Network Engineer . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 18
Installing Network Engineer . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 19

Installing or Upgrading Design Assistant . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 19

Upgrading or Installing Design Assistant in the Network Engineer Data-

base . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 22
Determining Whether You Need to Modify and Run the GeoCre-
[Link] File . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 23
Modifying the [Link] File for a Custom Coordinate Sys-
tem.. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 24

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Running the DBUpgrade Utility . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 26

Using the DBUpgrade Progress Dialog Box . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 28

2 Design Assistant Key Concepts . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 31

Design Assistant Components. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 32
Design Assistant Configuration . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 32
Design Assistant Wizard . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 33

Three-Tier Network Solution. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 34

Network Tier Types . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 35
Generated Networks . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 36
Provide Network. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 36
Supply Network . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 37

Design Assistant Feature Classes . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 37

Where to Go from Here . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 37

3 Design Assistant Configuration Tasks . . . . . . . . . . . . . 39

Rule Sets . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 39
Rule Set Types . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 39
Serving Point Rule Sets . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 40
Transmedia Rule Sets . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 40
Route Rule Sets . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 40
Service Rule Sets . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 41
Sample Rule Sets . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 41

Security . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 41

Creating Required Models . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 42

Required Network Engineer Models Supporting the Sample Data Set . . . . 43
Structures . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 43

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Spans . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 43
Span Units. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 43
Equipment. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 43
Transmedia . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 44
Splice Closure . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 44
Design Assistant Models . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 44
Creating Complex Structure Models . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 44

Modelling for Optimization . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 46

Tool Summary and Workflow . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 48

Displaying the Design Assistant Toolset in NE Toolbox . . . . . . . . . . . . 49

Extended Equipment Definition. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 49

Prerequisites . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 49
Extending Equipment . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 50
Adding or Modifying an Equipment Model . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 50
Removing an Equipment Definition . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 52

Network Category/Type Definition . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 52

Network Tier Types . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 52
Network Categories . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 53
Prerequisites . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 53
Opening the Network Category/Type Definition Tool . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 54
Changing Names and Descriptions . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 55
Adding New Types . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 56
Adding New Categories. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 57
Removing Categories and/or Types . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 58

Rule Set Attribute Definition . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 58

Serving Point Rule Set Attributes . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 59
Transmedia Rule Set Attributes . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 64

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Route Rule Set Attributes . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 66

Service Rule Sets. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 67
Sample Rule Set Attributes and Default Values . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 67
Sample Serving Point Rule Sets . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 68
Sample Transmedia Rule Sets . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 69
Sample Route Rule Sets . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 71
Sample Service Rule Sets . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 72
Adding New Attributes to a Rule Set. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 73
Creating an Attribute COM Object. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 73
Creating Models . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 73
Adding New Design Assistant Domains . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 73
Opening the Rule Set Attribute Definition Tool. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 76
Dialog Box Element Definition . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 76
Attributes . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 77
Adding an Attribute . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 77
Editing Existing Attribute Definitions . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 79
Removing an Attribute . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 80

Rule Set Definition . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 80

Prerequisites . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 81
Opening the Rule Set Definition Tool . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 81
Dialog Box Element Definition . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 82
Validating Rule Sets . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 82
Rule Set Validation Checks . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 83
How To . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 85
Adding Rule Sets . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 87
Copying a Rule Set . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 89
Editing Rule Sets . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 90
Deleting Rule Sets . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 91

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Importing a Rule Set . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 92

Exporting a Rule Set . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 93

Rule Set Mapping . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 94

Prerequisites . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 94
Opening the Rule Set Mapping Tool . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 95
Dialog Box Element Definition . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 95
Associating Route Line Inventory Objects to
Rule Sets . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 96
Removing Associations . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 96

Task Definition . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 97
Prerequisites . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 97
INEDAIdentification . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 97
INEDATask . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 97
Opening the Task Definition Tool . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 98
Dialog Box Element Definition . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 99
Adding Tasks Types and Associating the COM Components . . . . . . . . . . . 99
Removing COM Components . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 101
Removing a Task Type . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 102

Wizard Builder. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 103

Prerequisites . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 103
Opening the Wizard Builder Tool . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 104
Creating a New Wizard . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 105
Wizard Information. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 105
Map Import . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 106
New Demand Points . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 106
Existing Demand Points. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 107
Route Lines . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 108
Serving Point Rule Set(s) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 109

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Provide and Supply Transmedia Rule Set(s) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 110

Line Loss Rule Set(s) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 111
Edit After Placement . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 112
Sizing and Association Setup . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 112
Track Processes . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 114
Copying a Wizard. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 114
Demand Points. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 116
Existing Demand Points. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 116
Route Lines . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 117
Serving Point Rule Set(s) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 117
Provide and Supply Transmedia Rule Set(s) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 118
Line Loss Rule Set(s) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 119
Edit After Placement . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 120
Sizing and Association Setup . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 120
Track Processes . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 122
Modifying an Existing Wizard. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 122
Deleting an Existing Wizard. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 123
Importing a Wizard . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 124
Exporting a Wizard. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 126
Validating Wizards . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 128
Wizard Validation Checks . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 128
How To . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 129

Validating All Wizards and Rule Sets . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 131

Using the Sample Wizard . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 132

Using the Copper Rider Sample. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 132

4 Using Design Assistant in Network Engineer . . . . . . . 147

Using Existing Network Inventory Objects . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 147

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Getting Started . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 148

Loading the Design Assistant Dataset. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 148
Displaying the Design Assistant Toolbar . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 149
Toolbar Element Definition . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 149
Selecting a Starting Point for the Wizard. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 150

Troubleshooting . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 150
Dialog Box Element Definition . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 151

Stopping and Restarting the Wizard . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 151

Process Summary . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 152
Saving Edits . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 153

Wizard Workflow — Creating a Network . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 154

Import Map (Optional) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 155
Place and Identify Demand Points . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 155
Generate Addresses for Demand Points . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 156
Provide Demand Point Information for Complex Structures . . . . . . . . . . 157
Select Existing Demand Points (Optional) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 160
Select Starting Point . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 161
Place Route Lines. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 162
Using the Span to Route Line Tool . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 164
Design Assistant Determines Serving Point Locations (Applies Serving Point
Rule Sets). . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 164
Edit Serving Points (Optional) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 165
Provide Information about Edits. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 167
Design Assistant Determines Supply Network (Applies Serving Point Rule
Sets) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 167
Edit the Supply Network (Optional) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 168
Design Assistant Determines Network Loading . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 168
Design Assistant Creates Span Network (Applies Route Rule Sets). . . . . 168
Edit Structures and Spans (Optional) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 169

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Design Assistant Creates the Transmedia Network. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 170

Associate Transmedia to Span Units (Optional) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 170
Design Assistant Sizes Structures (Optional) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 170
Design Assistant Applies Service Rule Sets . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 170
Finish! . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 171

Tracing a Design Assistant Network . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 172

Glossary . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 175

Index. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 177

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Introduction

Using Network Engineer Design Assistant, an administrator defines planning policies that
govern how networks are build based upon the location and demand data provided.
Individual planning policies (or rule sets) are then combined into wizards that represent the
step-by-step process of building network systems. Separating policies from data and allowing
policies to be combined into wizards maximizes the reuse of each policy and reduces the
work required to maintain them.

The Design Assistant software consists of two main components: configuration (wizard and
rule set definitions) and the design wizard toolbar. Once installed on a Network Engineer
administrator client machine, the configuration component tools are automatically added to
the Network Engineer Toolbox application for defining rule sets and wizards. After the
administrator uses the configuration tools to define network design wizards, it is integrated
into the Network Engineer application.

Key features provided by Design Assistant include:

• Customized rule sets. The administrator defines company policy in terms of rule sets.
The rule sets are guidelines that Design Assistant uses to connect the start point to the
customer demand points.

• A wizard helps planners to define the start location and the customer demand locations.

• Structures, spans, equipment and transmedia are automatically placed and connectivity
is established with minimal user intervention.

Using this Document

Conventions
Numerous items and instructions are provided throughout this guide. The conventions below
are designed to make it easy to find and understand information.

All graphical user interface elements are printed in SMALL CAPS text. For example:

Click PROPERTIES.

-and-

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The REFERENCE CONFIGURATION dialog box displays.

Key combinations you should press display in uppercase letters with SMALL CAPS text. If joined
with a plus sign (+), press and hold the first key while you press the remaining one(s). For
example:

Press CTRL + F.

File names, folder selections and directory paths are printed in the courier new font. For
example:

The XML sample project file, [Link], is located in the [drive]:\Program

Files\Network Engineer\Samples directory.

Instruction sets, menus and corresponding submenu commands are indicated by the use of
right brackets “>”. For example:…select START > PROGRAMS > TELCORDIA TECHNOLOGIES >
NETWORK ENGINEER > NETWORK ENGINEER tells you to click on the Start menu and go through the
Programs, Telcordia Technologies, and Network Engineer submenus to select the Network
Engineer command.

Helpful Software ToolTips and Prompts

The delivered software provides you with prompts that display in the status bar and ToolTips
that display over each command. These two features can be very helpful to you when using
the software.

Note: It is recommended that you establish a practice of checking the ToolTips and prompts
each time you use a command.

As you select different commands in the product, the prompts in the status bar change with
each command. In the following example, the button ZOOM IN is selected. Notice the Tooltip
ZOOM IN displays near the selected button. This defines the name of the command for you.
Zoom in by clicking a point or dragging a box. The displayed prompt provides you with
helpful information about using the command.

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Network Engineers Programmer API Guide Introduction
Release 6.1 Getting Information

Getting Information
Related Documents
The following documents are available on the Network Engineer DVD 1 in Adobe PDF format.
You will need Adobe Acrobat Reader 4.x or greater to view the documents. You can choose to
install these documents onto your client system hard drive during installation.

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Getting Information Issue 1, January 2010

• Telcordia Network Engineer Getting Started Guide

• Telcordia Network Engineer License Manager Installation Guide

• Telcordia Network Engineer Upgrade Guide

• Installing an Oracle-Based Network Engineer Server

• Installing an SQL Server-Based Network Engineer Server

• Telcordia Network Engineer Toolbox User’s Guide

• Telcordia Network Engineer Model Builder User’s Guide

• Telcordia Network Engineer and NE Analyst User’s Guide

• Customer Care Center Handbook

ESRI runtime software online documentation is also provided.

Online Help
Once you install your software, details and how-to information are just a click away in online
Help. The Help menu provides commands to open the Help window to see the Table of
Contents or search the index.

Figure 1-1 Example Online Help Window

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Navigating the Help Window

The first time you select a Contents command or click F1, the Help window opens. Use the
following tabbed pages in the navigation pane while you work:

CONTENTS Contains headings with topics listed below. Click the plus sign (+) to
expand the heading and see the topics.
INDEX Contains index terms. Click this tab to view and search index entries.
SEARCH Enables you to do keyword searches. Key in the keyword(s) you are
looking for and click DISPLAY.
Glossary Contains terms specific to the product.

You can open or close the navigation pane, select a tab, and resize or reposition the Help
window.

Getting Help While You Work

For Help About Do This

Concepts, terms, features, Select HELP menu > CONTENTS, or press F1 to display the Help
menu commands window. Click SEARCH and then type in keywords you are
looking for. Click DISPLAY to see a list of topics containing the
keyword.
Windows or panes Highlight a pane and press F1 to display the Help window.
Dialog boxes Press F1 to display the Help window.
Menu commands and Pause your cursor over the command or button until a
toolbar buttons screentip displays.

Technical Support
The Telcordia Geospatial Solutions Customer Support Center (CSC) is the primary contact for
questions and technical requests concerning the Network Engineer product. Please refer to
the Network Engineer Customer Care Handbook, delivered with your Network Engineer
software, for a description of the CSC functions and the information necessary to determine
when, how, and who to call at the CSC with questions and/or technical requests.

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 1

Installation

The Design Assistant application consists of two components. The configuration component is
installed in the NE Toolbox application. The Design Assistant Wizard toolbar is installed in the
Network Engineer application. You must have the complete installation of Network Engineer
on at least an administrator client machine and you need a Network Engineer geodatabase
on your server. The complete installation of Network Engineer includes database
administration tools, the Model Builder and NE Toolbox applications. See the Telcordia
Network Engineer Administrators Installation Guide for information.

Preparing the System

To install or upgrade Design Assistant on any system (Server or Client), you must have a
compatible version of Network Engineer already installed on the system. By a compatible
version; if Network Engineer version [Link] is installed, the Network Engineer Design
Assistant version must be 6.0.1.2301.

Uninstalling Design Assistant

This task is applicable if you are performing an upgrade on a Server or a Client system.

Warning! Uninstalling Network Engineer before any Assistant product can cause unsuccessful
product installation or function and require significant work to correct. Please follow the order
given below to prevent issues.

1 Select CONTROL PANEL from your computer’s START menu.

2 Select the ADD OR REMOVE PROGRAMS item.

3 From the list of installed programs, select TELCORDIA NETWORK ENGINEER - DESIGN ASSISTANT
and click REMOVE.

4 Follow the prompts to successfully uninstall the product.

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Verifying the Network Engineer and Design

Assistant Versions are Compatible
This task is applicable for all installation and upgrade processes.

For Network Engineer and Design Assistant to be compatible, the version numbers should be
the same down to the two-digit core build number. (For example, Network Engineer version
[Link] and Design Assistant version 6.0.0.1101 are compatible.)

To find the version number for Network Engineer:

1 If you are installing a new version of Network Engineer, locate the product version
information on your Network Engineer packaging materials.

- or -

If you already have Network Engineer installed, Select START MENU > SETTINGS > CONTROL
PANEL > ADD OR REMOVE PROGRAMS. Select NETWORK ENGINEER from the list of programs and
click the CLICK HERE FOR SUPPORT INFORMATION link. The SUPPORT INFO message box
displays:

2 If the products are compatible and you do not intend to install a newer version, then
continue on to “Installing or Upgrading Design Assistant,” on page 19.

- or -

If the products are not compatible, then continue on to the next section, “Uninstalling
Network Engineer”.

Uninstalling Network Engineer

This task is applicable if you have planned to upgrade the Network Engineer version on the
system or if the previous version of Network Engineer is not compatible with the new version
of Design Assistant that you plan to install.

1 Select CONTROL PANEL from your computer’s START menu.

2 Select the ADD OR REMOVE PROGRAMS item.

Before you can uninstall Network Engineer, you must first uninstall any additional
Assistant products — Integration Assistant, Field Assistant, or Schematics Assistant —
from the system. You can reinstall these products at any time after you install Network
Engineer. To do so, please see the User Guides delivered with the product.

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3 Select each product from the list of installed programs, (for example TELCORDIA NETWORK
ENGINEER - INTEGRATION ASSISTANT) and click REMOVE. Follow the prompts to successfully
uninstall the product.

4 From the list of installed programs, select TELCORDIA NETWORK ENGINEER and click REMOVE.
Follow the prompts to successfully uninstall Network Engineer.

Installing Network Engineer

This task is applicable for installation and upgrade processes that required you to uninstall
Network Engineer.

To install Network Engineer, follow the instructions in the Telcordia Network Engineer
Administrators Installation Guide. To access this document, select the START MENU > ALL
PROGRAMS > TELCORDIA TECHNOLOGIES > NETWORK ENGINEER > DOCUMENTATION LIBRARY help file.

Installing or Upgrading Design Assistant

Follow the steps below for a first-time installation or for an upgrade of Design Assistant on at
least one client machine that has the Complete install of Network Engineer configuration
(Model Builder and NE Toolbox) and database administration tools. Subsequent client
installations are dependent upon your purchase agreement.

Important: Please make sure that you have completed all the necessary steps in “Preparing
the System,” on page 17.

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1 Insert the Telcordia Network Engineer Design Assistant DVD. The DESIGN ASSISTANT SETUP
screen displays.

2 Click NEXT.

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3 From the READY TO INSTALL screen, click NEXT to start the installation process.

4 Wait as the product is installed.

- or -

Click CANCEL to end the install process.

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5 Once the installation is complete, the screen below displays. Click FINISH to complete the
installation.

The Design Assistant application is installed in the Network Engineer\Bin folder.

Upgrading or Installing Design Assistant in

the Network Engineer Database
To upgrade the Network Engineer database for use with Design Assistant, you use the
DBUpgrade Tool to run XML files containing scripts that modify the database content and
structure. The scripts that you run will vary based on whether you are upgrading or installing
Design Assistant for this database.

• If you are upgrading Design Assistant — meaning that you have previously used Design
Assistant on this database — then you run the [Link] file. You do
not run the [Link] file.

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• If you are installing Design Assistant — meaning that you have never used Design
Assistant on this database — then you will modify the [Link] file to
reflect your landbase coordinate system, run the modified file, and then run the
[Link] files.

Continue with the next section “Determining Whether You Need to Modify and Run the
[Link] File” to ensure that you run the necessary files.

Determining Whether You Need to Modify and

Run the [Link] File
The [Link] file creates the Design Assistant feature dataset and the
required feature classes. The Design Assistant dataset was created with the sample landbase
coordinate system delivered with Network Engineer. To determine whether you must modify
and run the [Link] file for the database you are upgrading, follow these
steps:

1 Select the START > ALL PROGRAMS > ARCGIS > ARCCATALOG menu item. The ARCCATALOG
dialog box displays.

2 Double-click the SDE connection in the treeview for the database you are upgrading.

3 Review the items in the CONTENTS tab to determine if the [Link] SDE
feature dataset is present. Proceed as follows:

• If the [Link] SDE feature dataset is listed, then you have previously
used Design Assistant on this database. Do not modify or run the

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[Link] file. Instead, move to “Running the DBUpgrade Utility,”

on page 26.

• If the [Link] SDE feature dataset is not listed, then you have not
used Design Assistant on this database. You must modify and run the
[Link] file to use your landbase coordinate system. Continue
with “Modifying the [Link] File for a Custom Coordinate
System.,” on page 24.

Modifying the [Link] File for

a Custom Coordinate System.
If your database was created using a Custom Coordinate System as defined in the Installing
Oracle NE Server or the Installing SQL Server NE Server the coordinate system file, a XML
file was modified with the coordinate system information for the Telco Feature Dataset. Open
the xml file created with the coordinate system information and copy the Spatial Reference
information and replace the Spatial Reference information in the [Link]
to add the custom coordinate system.

The [Link] spatial reference information is replaced with the correct

coordinate system information. Apply the changes to the file and save, you may wish to
rename the file to a name you recognize as the coordinate modified file. Paste the modified
[Link] in the same directory where the coordinate system file resides. For
the wizard to apply the coordinate system information it needs to read the coordinate system
file.

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Use the [Link] from the Network Engineer\NEDatabase\Bin directory to add the
Design Assistant Feature Classes to the database. The Inferred Node and route Line feature
classes are created.

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Running the DBUpgrade Utility

To upgrade the database, you will use the DBUpgrade utility to run one or both of the
following XML files: [Link] and [Link]. To upgrade
the database, follow these steps:

1 Navigate to the ..\\Network Engineer\NEDatabase\Bin directory and double-click

[Link]. The NETWORK ENGINEER UPGRADE utility displays.

2 Click ADD CONNECTION at the bottom of the grid to select the SDE connection file of the
Network Engineer database. The ADD DATABASE CONNECTION dialog box displays.

a In the LABEL/NAME field, key in a short, descriptive name for the database. This
name displays in the CONNECTION column of the DB UPGRADE dialog box.

b In the SDE CONNECTION field, use the BROWSE button to select the SDE connection
file.

c Use the pull-down menu in the TYPE field to select CONTROL AND INSTANCE DATA.

d Click ORACLE CONNECTION and key in the required connection information as well as
the Oracle and NE passwords.

e Click TEST CONNECTION to ensure that the service, instance, database, username and
password are valid. If the TEST CONNECTION button is disabled, the test is successful.

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Tip! You can add connections to upgrade multiple databases at one time if
all of the databases meet the same requirements for running one or both of
the xml files. See “Determining Whether You Need to Modify and Run the
[Link] File,” on page 23 for more information.

f Click SAVE to exit the ADD DATABASE CONNECTION dialog box. The connection file
displays in the grid.

3 Follow the steps below to first run the [Link] file, if required.
If you are unsure whether you need to run the [Link] file,
repeat the steps in “Determining Whether You Need to Modify and Run the
[Link] File,” on page 23. Then follow the same steps to run
the [Link] file. You run the [Link] file regardless
of whether you are installing or upgrading Design Assistant.

Warning! Before running the [Link] file, you must have

updated it to match your landbase coordinate system. See “Modifying the
[Link] File for a Custom Coordinate System.,” on page 24 for
instructions.

a Click the BROWSE button in the SCRIPT file section and navigate to the following
directory:

..\\Network Engineer\NEDatabase\Database Scripts\Design

Assistant\Upgrade
b Select the file you are running, [Link] or
[Link], and click OPEN.

c Click GO to start the update process. The STATUS dialog box displays.

d When the process finishes, click CLOSE button on the STATUS dialog box.

- or -

If errors are encountered, see “Using the DBUpgrade Progress Dialog Box,” on
page 28 to start and stop the database upgrade process.

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Using the DBUpgrade Progress Dialog Box

The DB UPGRADE PROGRESS dialog box provides step-by-step feedback from the database
upgrade operations being performed.

The Progress dialog box contains the following information:

• STEP TITLE — the current operation being performed.

• COMMAND TYPE — the type of operation being performed.

• CONNECTION — the title of the database connection.

• STATUS — progress for the step as well as any returned output information.

• RUNTIME — the amount of time it took the step to execute.

You can use this dialog box to:

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• See detailed results, errors, or other details for a specific step. Select the step and click
VIEW STEP OUTPUT. The STEP RESULTS dialog box displays a read-only view of the current
step’s status.

• Stop the upgrade process. Click STOP from the PROGRESS dialog box.

• Restart the upgrade process. Select the script file and check the AUTO RESUME option
(this button displays only after the first use of DBUpgrade). This enables the utility to
start at the point where it the process was interrupted.

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 2
Design Assistant Key
Concepts

The Design Assistant application provides tools to aid in the design and layout of new
networks based on a customized set of guidelines. Design Assistant offers the following
major features:

• Configuration tools that enable administrators to establish guidelines or rule sets for
creating required network types. A Wizard Builder tool also lets administrators create
customized wizards which are used to walk planners through the network design
process in Network Engineer.

• Network consistency. Administrators can select certain models for use in network plans.
The pre-selected models are placed in the Design Assistant Wizard where they can be
selected by planners. This promotes standardization of equipment, spans, structures,
and transmedia. It also ensures that planners use the best models to use in the given
scenario.

• Network layout optimization. Design Assistant, based on customized guidelines for

items such as costing and location, automatically selects the best network layout for the
planner.

• Automatic placement of required structures, spans, equipment, and transmedia. Design

Assistant places user-specified models on the map, eliminating tedious placement tasks
for planners.

• Connectivity establishment. Design Assistant determines how the placed models must
be connected to form the network.

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Design Assistant Components

As shown in the figure below, Design Assistant consists of two main components:
configuration tools and workflow/implementation.

Figure 2-1 Design Assistant Components and Basic Workflow

Design Assistant Configuration

The administrative or configuration component provides tools to establish network types and
rule sets specific to your needs. Rule sets represent your company’s specific policies,
procedures and network requirements. Defined networks and rule sets enable you to use
Design Assistant to meet many different scenarios. In planning for an underground copper
network, an aerial copper network or a fiber network, you need spans, transmedia,
equipment and structures. In each case, the set of choices is specific to the network
scenario.

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For example, to create an underground copper network, you can define a rule set that
specifies the following:

• Spans are used for the duct sections.

• Copper cables suitable for ducts are designated as the transmedia.

• Equipment and splices that are available.

• Buried boxes are used for the structures.

For a fiber network, you can use the same spans and structures as for the underground
copper network, but you can also specify fiber cables, fiber splices and equipment.

Once networks and rule sets are defined, the configuration tools include a wizard builder that
enables you to apply your rule sets to create an automated workflow for Network Engineer
planners.

The Design Assistant configuration tools reside within the NE Toolbox application and are
discussed in detail in “Design Assistant Configuration Tasks”.

Design Assistant Wizard

The planning component is the Design Assistant Wizard that resides in Network Engineer. The
Design Assistant Wizard contains all the wizards and rule sets created using the configuration
tools. Once planners are in a Network Engineer work order, they can select the wizard
created by the administrator to guide them through the entire process of creating a network:
from defining the start location to laying down the route lines.

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Three-Tier Network Solution Issue 1, January 2010

Three-Tier Network Solution

Currently, Design Assistant is intended for network addition or new site development as a
three-tier/node solution. Instead of trying to create an entire network at one time, Design
Assistant enables you to build your network in three phases or “tiers” at a time.

Figure 2-2 Three-Tier Solution

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Network Tier Types

Figure 2-3 Network Tier Types

Before using Design Assistant, a planner must determine the following:

• Type of network to create.

• Location and size of the network.

• The starting point of the network.

• Demand locations—where the network is trying to get service to.

• Possible routes.

The three network tier types listed above are the default names provided with Design
Assistant.

1 Provide Point. The starting point of the network.

2 Serving Points. The equipment location, which provides service to one or more demand
points. The Serving Point itself is provided service by the Provide Point.

3 Demand Locations. The actual location where copper pairs and/or fiber strands are
needed to supply service. The Customer Demand Point is provided service from the
Serving Point.

Using the Design Assistant configuration tools in NE Toolbox, you can change the names of
the network tier types and use the supplied default values. Or, you can create your own
network tier types; however, the network tier type you create must still provide one of the
three defined functions.

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Rule sets can be created for different parts of the network. The rule sets can also be
subdivided by network category to allow a rule set to define just the network between the
Provide Point and Serving Points. This provides the flexibility to apply multiple rule sets on
the same part of the network (Provide Network) but apply different rules depending on the
network category of the items (Copper or Fiber transmedia, for example).

Generated Networks
The Provide and Supply networks that connect the network tier types are automatically
generated from rule sets available in a Design Assistant Wizard in the Network Engineer
application.

Figure 2-4 Generated Networks

Provide Network
This network connects the provide point to the serving point(s). This network is generated
from the following user information.

• Provide point.
• Placed and fully connected route line—including connection to the provide point.
• List of serving point locations.
• Demand at each serving point location.

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Supply Network
The supply network connects between the generated serving point and demand points. This
network is generated from the following user information.

• Span and structures to place on route

• Equipment, splices, and transmedia to be placed.

Design Assistant Feature Classes

The Design Assistant application adds the Route Line and Inferred Node feature classes to
Network Engineer. The Route Line feature class provides linear features representing route
lines in a network. Use Model Builder to create custom route line models for placement in
Network Engineer. The Inferred Node feature class provides point features indicating where
equipment may go. These new feature classes are available only with the Design Assistant
application.

Where to Go from Here

1 Make sure you have installed NE Toolbox on at least your administrator client machine.

2 Use the administrative Design Assistant tools in NE Toolbox to define your rule sets and
create the wizards for the planners. Refer to “Design Assistant Configuration Tasks”.

3 Make sure the Network Engineer client is installed on each client machine and is
properly connected to the required server.

4 Planners can then open Network Engineer, create a work order and use the Design
Assistant Wizard to assist them in creating the desired networks.

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 3
Design Assistant
Configuration Tasks

The first step in using the Design Assistant is to define the rule sets for wizards as well as
select models to be used within Network Engineer. This chapter describes each Design
Assistant configuration tool provided in the NE Toolbox application and explains how to set up
models in Model Builder.

Make sure you have already installed the Network Engineer, Model Builder and NE Toolbox
applications on at least one client machine.

Rule Sets
The rule set is used to implement planning policies and derive standard, repeatable behavior.
Each rule consists of the following:

• Parameter. A simple value to be used.

• Array. A table of possibilities that are evaluated in a particular order (priority).

The evaluation of arrays is specific to what they are being applied to. For example, in using
Copper transmedia, the Design Assistant will use the cheapest form (smallest) of copper
cable first.

Rule Set Types

There are four basic types of rule sets provided by Design Assistant.

• Serving Point

• Transmedia

• Route

• Service

Use the Design Assistant Toolbox tools to set up the attribute values available for each of the
rule set types and then create your own customized rule sets based on these types.

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Serving Point Rule Sets

Serving Point rule sets control where serving points are created. The serving point is an
intermediate node between provide points and demand points to maximize network
efficiency by optimizing the location. Serving Points are generally located in four positions:

• External to the demand point on a route line.

• Internal to the demand point; for example, in a business unit.

• In the owning structure of the demand point. For example, in an apartment, the serving
point may be located on the same floor (parent structure).

• In some other “ancestor” structure of the demand point; for example, in the building
rather than the floor.

Transmedia Rule Sets

Transmedia rule sets define allowable equipment, splices, and transmedia (cables) that can
be placed between two object types. Design Assistant follows the span path when placing
transmedia.

Note: Transmedia rule sets need to be created for using complex models such as MDUs
(multiple dwelling units). You need to take into account all elements comprising a complex
model to create the needed rule sets for the supply and serving point transmedia.

Route Rule Sets

Route rule sets define allowable spans and structures that can be placed. In general, more
than one route rule set can apply to a wizard; one for the Provide network (also referred to
as “Spine”), and one or more rule sets for the supply network.

Route rule sets act upon route lines. Route lines of different types can invoke different rule
sets. The route lines can result from the different sources listed below.

• Manually placed. Typically this covers the creation of the spine route.

• Identified from a selection set. Users have the option to select existing spans and place
route lines following the selected spans.

• Inferred. Route lines that are automatically generated based on the rule set definitions.
These route lines are generated between the serving point to the customer demand
locations.

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Service Rule Sets

Service rule sets define the maximum line loss values for a specific network category. It is
used to identify portions of the route that exceed the line loss threshold. You must have the
line loss and wavelength values set in the Line Loss Assignment tool (in the Reference Data
toolset) for the transmedia models being used; otherwise, the line loss threshold is not
identified by the Design Assistant. Refer to the Network Engineer Toolbox User’s Guide for
information on how to use these tools.

Sample Rule Sets

To help you get started, Design Assistant provides the following sample rule sets that can be
used to create an underground copper network:

• Serving Point rule set: Rider Copper.

• Route rule sets: Spine, Rider, Lead-in.

• Transmedia rule sets: Copper Provide Point to Serving Point - UG (underground),

Copper Serving Point to Customer Demand - UG.

• Service rule set: Copper UG Service.

You can modify these rule sets to meet your needs as well as create rule sets of your own.
The attributes and default values for these rule sets are listed later in “Sample Rule Set
Attributes and Default Values”. Models being used by these sample rule sets are also
provided with Design Assistant and are discussed in detail in “Modelling for Optimization”.

Security
Users must have Oracle system administrator and Network Engineer administrator privileges
to use NE Toolbox Design Assistant tools. The Design Assistant Security model is available in
the Engineer and Administrator usergroups. For more information about security
management in Network Engineer, refer to the security tool section in the NE Toolbox User’s
Guide.

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Creating Required Models

Before creating rule sets for the end-user wizards, administrators need to use the Telcordia
Model Builder application to create all the models that they intend for their planners to use.
This includes structure, starting equipment, route line, span, transmedia and port models.
When creating models for Design Assistant, use the guidelines below.

• Attribute values for models should be defined within Model Builder.

• It is recommended that the Point Status attribute for models be set to OLD. This enables
the model to be used by Design Assistant, even if it was placed before a wizard is run.

• The WEIGHTING attribute is used by Design Assistant to determine the order of

placement as well as what transmedia to place to satisfy the demand. Design Assistant
selects the smallest weight model first, then it looks at the cable contents. For example,
you have the following cables:

• 100 pair cable with a weight value of 0.4.

• 250 pair cable with a weight value of 1.0.

If the network demand is 200, Design Assistant selects two of the 100-pair cables
(2*0.4 < 1*1.0), but if the demand goes to 210, Design Assistant selects the 250 pair
cable (3*0.4 > 1*1.0).

If no weight is assigned for a model, the default weight is 1.

• When creating ports to be used in splitter equipment, you must define two port
attributes: port direction and port connector type. Support for the port type and port
direction attributes enables Design Assistant to pick the correct equipment and connect
it properly. Example situations include:

• Placing terminating equipment. Design Assistant looks at the number of Out ports.

• Connecting to equipment. Design Assistant looks at the number of in ports.

• Connecting from an equipment. Design Assistant looks at the number of out ports.

The port direction values are IN, OUT, or IN/OUT. The IN/OUT value is the default
setting. An attribute in a Transmedia rule set indicates which port types the rules set
should be connecting to.

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Required Network Engineer Models Supporting

the Sample Data Set
The following models, delivered with the Network Engineer and Design Assistant packages,
must be available for the Design Assistant sample data set to install and work.

Note: If you deleted any of these Network Engineer models and you do want to use the
Design Assistant sample data set, contact Telcordia customer service for further instructions.

Structures
• HANDHOLE
• PEDESTAL
• Small Cabinet (pad)
• Large Cabinet (pad)
• MANHOLE

Spans
• Duct Str
• Joint Trench
• Trench

Span Units
• 4" PVC Duct
• 1" Duct

Equipment
• 2 Port Tap
• 4 Port Tap
• 8 Port Tap
• 25 PR TERM
• 50 PR TERM
• 100 PR TERM
• 900X-X Conn

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Transmedia
• 25x24-B

• 50x24-B

• 100x24-B

• 200x24-B

• 900x26

Splice Closure
• Underground Copper (UG) Splice

Design Assistant Models

These models are installed using the DB Create utility when setting up Design Assistant.
Refer to “Upgrading or Installing Design Assistant in the Network Engineer Database” for
more information.

• Route Line Models

• Spine

• Rider

• Lead-in

Creating Complex Structure Models

Complex models are structure-class models like MDUs (multiple dwelling units) and MBUs
(multiple business units) that can be comprised of equipment and/or structure unit models.
Complex structures can be used as demand points when creating your network. Typically, the
placement of structures and then the addition of structure units and equipment is a slow,
manual process. Design Assistant provides a Complex Structure Placement tool that enables
you to quickly perform the following for each complex structure placed as a demand point:

• Define the type and number of structure units to place inside the complex structure.

• Perform the required duct work.

• Perform the required cabling from the serving point into the structure units.

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For example, planners can quickly build an apartment building consisting of multiple floors
and rooms (generated complex model is not to scale). The necessary cabling running to each
room can also be created in minutes.

When planners go through the wizard, the Complex Structure Placement tool displays when
the system detects that a complex model has been placed. For this detection to occur, you
must use the Model Builder application to mark each structure model you want to use as
complex.

Follow the steps below to create a complex model in Model Builder.

1 Open the Model Builder application: START menu > PROGRAMS > TELCORDIA TECHNOLOGIES >
MODEL BUILDER.

2 Select the STRUCTURE node under the PLACEABLE MODELS tree view. All structure models
display in the right-hand list pane.

3 Double-click a structure model you want to use as complex.

The MODEL BUILDER ATTRIBUTE EDITOR screen displays.

4 Scroll to the COMPLEX STRUCTURE attribute. Double-click in the field to enable a pulldown
list and select Y (Yes).

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Note: Design Assistant places inferred nodes to represent structure units inside a building
model.

5 Click VALIDATE MODEL.

6 Once validation is successful, click SAVE to save your edits and then exit the MODEL
BUILDER ATTRIBUTE EDITOR screen.

7 Once the model is validated and ready for production, you can select it in the Design
Assistant wizard builder. As your planners run the wizard, they can select from your
specified complex models.

Modelling for Optimization

When creating networks via the wizard processing, Design Assistant can automatically
perform steps to optimize network placement. Optimization processes include:

1 Automatically associating transmedia to spans and/or span units.

2 Sizing span units to spans.

3 Sizing structures.

For Design Assistant to perform these operations, you must define specific attributes for the
models being used in the network. Required attributes and model classes are listed below.

Table 3-1 Required Attribute Definitions for Models Used in a Network

Class Attribute Design Assistant Processing

Attributes Used to Size Transmedia to a Span Unit

Span Unit DIAMETER Determines if transmedia can fit in a span unit.

Transmedia DIAMETER Determines if transmedia can fit in a span unit.
Span Unit UNUSABLE If this value is set to YES, IT omits the span unit from being
used for associating a transmedia to a span unit.

Attributes Used to Size an Additional Span Unit to Span

Span Unit HEIGHT Determines if the span unit can fit in the span.
WIDTH
Span WIDTH

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Table 3-1 Required Attribute Definitions for Models Used in a Network (Continued)

Class Attribute Design Assistant Processing

Attributes Used to Size Structures

STRUCTURE WEIGHTING Determines order of processing for structure models.

HEIGHT Determines if structure units may fit into a structure if a
rack is to be added using the extended equipment tool and
volume check.
WIDTH Determines if structure units can fit into a structure if a
rack is to be added by way of using Extended Equipment
and volume check.
STRUCTURE DEPTH Determines if structure units may fit into structure if a rack
(cont.) is to be added by way of using Extended Equipment and
volume check.
FILL_FACTOR Determines if structure units can fit into a structure if a
rack is to be added using the extended equipment tool and
volume check.
STRUCTURE FACE Determines the side of a structure and the number of
UNIT spans leading into and out of a structure that are allowed.
MAX_NUM_ Determines the number of bores in a specified face.
BORES
MAX_BORE_ Determines the diameter of all bores. If this attribute is
SIZE not set, one span unit can be fit into each bore and no
diameter check is made.
HEIGHT Determines if structure units may fit into structure if a rack
is to be added by way of using Extended Equipment and
volume check.
WIDTH Determines if structure units can fit into structure if a rack
is to be added using the Extended Equipment tool and
volume check.
LENGTH Determines if structure units can fit into a structure if a
rack is to be added using the Extended Equipment tool and
volume check.
DIAMETER Determines if a span unit can fit into a bore on a face.

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Tool Summary and Workflow

The Design Assistant toolset in NE Toolbox contains the tools listed below. The Wizard Builder
tool should be used once all your rule sets are defined. The recommended workflow in using
these configuration tools is listed below.

1 Extended Equipment Definition. Use this tool to:

• Add chassis and structure units (i.e., racks) to existing equipment models.

• Associate chassis to a rack.

• Associate the rack to a structure.

2 Network Category/Type Definition. Use this tool to define one of the three network tier
types. Network categories (copper vs. fiber, for example) can be created by the
Administrator to define each network tier type.

3 Rule Set Attribute Definition. Use this tool to define customer-specific attributes per rule
set type.

4 Rule Set Definition. Use this tool to create rule sets based on the type and individual
attribute settings. The rule set defines the values of the attributes that were created in
the Rule Set Attribute Definition tool.

5 Rule Set Mapping. Use this tool to associate route rule sets to route line inventory
objects by class, category, and type.

6 Task Definition. Use this tool to define a task and associate a custom tool/library to
implement the task.

7 Wizard Builder. Use this tool to define, save, modify, and delete the definition of a plan
as a wizard that can be run in Network Engineer. Once you have created the necessary
wizards, planners can open Network Engineer and follow the wizards to create the
network(s).

The remaining sections in this chapter describe how to use each of these tools.

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Displaying the Design Assistant Toolset in

NE Toolbox
If the Design Assistant Toolset does not display in NE Toolbox, follow these steps:

1 Select TOOLS menu > ADD FROM FILE.

2 The SELECT COMPONENT dialog box displays.

3 Navigate to the ...\Network Engineer\Bin directory. Select [Link] and click

OPEN.

4 Place a checkmark beside all the tools that are listed and click OK.

The Design Assistant toolset displays in Toolbox.

Extended Equipment Definition

Use this tool to add chassis and structure units (i.e., racks) to equipment models created in
Model Builder. You select specific chassis and structure units that comprise the equipment, as
well as the maximum number of chassis and structure units that can be added. Once you
have expanded the selected equipment model(s), you can set the model as the Terminating
Model when defining transmedia rule set attributes. The Rule Set Definition tool is described
in “Rule Set Definition”.

Note: If the equipment model is defined down to the port in Model Builder, the Extended
Equipment Definition tool is not needed.

Prerequisites
To enable Design Assistant to use the equipment defined in this tool, you must set the
Dimensions and Weighting (see “Creating Required Models”) attributes for the equipment
models created/modified in Model Builder. Weighting is a relative prioritization of models and
is used to determine the order of placement. Weighting also determines what transmedia to
place to satisfy the demand. Design Assistant picks the smallest weighting.

Use the Model Builder application to create the required equipment models and provide
values for these attributes before using the Extended Equipment Definition tool. Otherwise,
the Design Assistant application will not be able to determine the sizes of the equipment as
they are placed.

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Extending Equipment
Follow the steps below to expand equipment models.

1 From the NE Toolbox tree, select EXTENDED EQUIPMENT DEFINITION under the Design
Assistant toolset. The EXTENDED EQUIPMENT DEFINITION dialog box displays.

Note: If you could not add the Design Assistant toolset, please contact your Telcordia
customer support for further instructions.

Adding or Modifying an Equipment Model

2 Select an existing equipment model in the grid.

- or -

Click ADD DEFINITION. An empty row is added to the bottom of the grid.

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3 Click in the EQUIPMENT MODEL column to display a BROWSE button. Click the BROWSE button
to open the MODEL SELECTOR dialog box.

4 From the MODEL list, double-click on the equipment model you want to use. The model
displays in the EQUIPMENT MODEL field.

5 Click in the CHASSIS MODEL field to display a BROWSE button. Click the BROWSE button to
open the MODEL SELECTOR dialog box. Select the chassis model you want to associate to
the equipment model.

6 Click in the MAXIMUM NUMBER column and key in the number of chassis that can be placed
inside the equipment model.

7 Click in the STRUCTURE UNIT MODEL column. Click the BROWSE button to open the MODEL
SELECTOR dialog box and choose a structure unit to be associated to the equipment.

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8 Click in the MAXIMUM STRUCTURE column and key in the number of structure units that can
be placed inside the equipment model.

Note: The Extended Equipment tool does not perform checking as far as ensuring the fit
of chassis into the equipment. You must define the dimensions (height, width and
depth) correctly on the models to help Design Assistant size and associate the items
properly.

9 Click OK to save your changes when you are finished. If you modify an equipment
model, your edits take effect the next time the equipment model is placed. Any
equipment models that have already been placed do not change.

- or -

Click CANCEL to undo any changes.

Removing an Equipment Definition

10 Select an existing equipment model in the grid.

11 Click REMOVE DEFINITION. The expansions to the model are now removed. This
removal does not effect any of the selected equipment models that have already been
placed.

Network Category/Type Definition

Use this tool to define different types of networks the planner must create. The three
network tier types listed below are the default names provided with Design Assistant.

Network Tier Types

• Provide Point. A starting point of the network.

• Serving Points. The eventual equipment location, which provides service to one or more
demand points. The Serving Point itself is provided service by the Provide Point and acts
as a distribution point to its customer/demand points.

• Customer Demand Points. The actual location where copper pairs and/or fiber strands
are needed to supply service. The Demand Point is provided service from the Serving
Point.

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You can change the names of the network tier types and use them. Or, you can create your
own network tier types; however, the type you create must still provide one of the three
defined functions.

Network Categories
Rule sets can be created for different parts of the network. The rule sets can also be
subdivided by network category to allow a rule set to define a specific network. For example,
a network category that specifies just the network between a provide point and serving
points. Categories can be defined to the desired level as determined by customer needs such
as subdividing the copper category into inside plant copper and outside plant copper
categories.

Prerequisites
Before you use the Network Category/Type Definition tool, plan out your category and types
that you need as well as the naming scheme. This will help you once you begin the creation
process. If category or type names (domains) are changed once networks are built, they
become invalid.

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Opening the Network Category/Type Definition

Tool
1 From the NE Toolbox tree, select NETWORK TYPE/CATEGORY DEFINITIONS under the Design
Assistant toolset. The NETWORK TYPE/CATEGORY DEFINITIONS dialog box displays.

Note: If you could not add the Design Assistant toolset, please contact your Telcordia
customer representative for further instructions.

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Changing Names and Descriptions

1 From the NETWORK TYPE/CATEGORY DEFINITIONS dialog box, select a category or network
type name that you want to change.

2 In the Name field, delete the current name and key in your desired name. Then delete
the current description in the DESCRIPTION field and key in a new one.

3 Click APPLY to save your changes and continue working.

- or -

Click OK to save your changes and close the dialog box.

- or -

Click CANCEL to close the dialog box and undo the edits.

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Adding New Types

The new types you add are entered in the Design Assistant attribute domain list.

1 From the NETWORK TYPE/CATEGORY DEFINITIONS dialog box, click the ADD TYPE button.
NEW TYPE and NEW DESCRIPTION display in the NAME and DESCRIPTION fields.

2 Delete the text and key in the type name and a brief description (up to fifty characters).

The new type and description display in the TYPES PER CATEGORY pane.

3 Click APPLY to save your changes and continue working.

- or -

Click OK to save your changes and close the dialog box.

- or -

Click CANCEL to close the dialog box and undo the additions.

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Adding New Categories

The new categories you add are entered in the Design Assistant attribute domain list.

1 From the NETWORK TYPE/CATEGORY DEFINITIONS dialog box, click the ADD CATEGORY
button. NEW CATEGORY and NEW DESCRIPTION display in the NAME and DESCRIPTION fields.

2 Delete the text and key in the category name and a brief description.

The new category and description display in the CATEGORIES pane.

3 Click APPLY to save your changes and continue working.

- or -

Click OK to save your changes and close the dialog box.

- or -

Click CANCEL to close the dialog box and undo the additions.

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Removing Categories and/or Types

1 From the NETWORK TYPE/CATEGORY DEFINITIONS dialog box, select a category or type you
want to remove.

2 Click DELETE TYPE.

- or -

Click DELETE CATEGORY to remove the item from the display list.

3 Click APPLY to save your changes and continue working.

- or -

Click OK to save your changes and close the dialog box.

- or -

Click CANCEL to close the dialog box and undo the changes.

Any categories and/or types that are removed are no longer available for work sessions from
the time of deletion forward.

Caution! When you delete a category or type, the existing planning definition, rule sets, and
any reference models can be affected. It is recommended that you only remove categories
and types you know that are not in use.

Rule Set Attribute Definition

The Rule Set Attribute Definition tool is the starting point in defining rule sets to be used by
your network planners. Use this tool to define and list all the attributes you want to comprise
each rule set type. An initial default list is provided with the Design Assistant package. Define
the required value types that must be entered for each attribute. The attributes you define
here display in the Rule Set Definition tool.

Use this tool to perform the following for each rule set type.

• Add an attribute.

• Edit existing attribute definitions.

• Remove an attribute.

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Before you begin, take a few minutes to review the attributes that can be selected for each
rule set type.

Serving Point Rule Set Attributes

• START_LOCATION_TYPE. Network location, either internal or external.

• START_OBJECT_CATEGORY. Network category that identifies which items to consider

(for example, Narrowband Demand Point).

• START_OBJECT_TYPE. Network type.

• MAX_DEMAND_POINTS. Maximum number of demand points to be served by a single

serving point. If the number of demand points exceeds this maximum, then more
serving points are created.

• MAXIMUM_DISTANCE. Maximum distance (geospatial) from the customer demand

location to the serving point within a group. The serving point is centrally located within
the group, but there is no guarantee that the serving point is placed precisely in the
middle of the group.

• MAXIMUM_DEMAND. Maximum total demand to be served by a single serving point. If

the total demand exceeds this maximum, more serving points are created.

• SERVING_POINT_OBJECT_LOCATION. Network location for the generated serving point,

either internal or external.

• SERVING_POINT_OBJECT_CATEGORY. Network category that is created to represent

the serving point.

• SERVING_POINT_OBJECT_TYPE. Network object where the serving point is to be

created.

• ROUTE_POLICY_TYPE. Describes the routing policy to be used by the Design Assistant

when generating the route lines.

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• Trace. Apply route to existing route lines and do not deviate from those lines. This
can be used for explicit networking from serving point to demand [Link] the map
the route line-spine is shown in red, the trace route only follows the route line, it
does not connect the demand points-SDU.

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• Direct. Apply straight-line for the route from serving point to demand point
typically for direct feed either via underground or aerial. The route line is drawn
from the cabinet in the street centerline, the direct route type draws the route to
the demand point -SDU directly from the inferred node- serving point.

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• Rider. Run parallel to existing route lines with a perpendicular route to the demand
point. The rider route type is the most commonly used route policy type, the routes
are drawn from the route line-spine and create perpendicular connections to the
demand points-SDU.

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• Snap. Run perpendicular to existing route lines. The Snap is very similar to the
Rider route type.

• OVERRIDE_DEMAND_POINT_ROUTE_POLICY. Determines whether the route policy type

should be overridden on the Demand Point. Typically, the value is NO to enable a default
to be set while maintaining individual settings.

• DIRECT_ROUTE_LINE_MODEL. Name of the model used to draw a straight route-line. In

an aerial model, the model would be AERIAL.

• RIDER_ROUTE_LINE_MODEL. The model used for the parallel aspects in a Rider route
policy.

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• LEADIN_ROUTE_LINE_MODEL. The model used for the inferred route line in a Snap
route policy, or the last leg of the Rider policy.

• INTERNAL_ROUTE_LINE_MODEL. The model used for the placement of route lines for
complex structures.

Transmedia Rule Set Attributes

These attributes define the cables between the two points in the network.

• START_OBJECT_LOCATION. Network location, either internal or external.

• START_OBJECT_CATEGORY. Network category that identifies the start of the network for
this rule set.

• START_OBJECT_TYPE. Network type.

• TERMINATING_EQUIPMENT. Priority list of equipment starting from the smallest

(cheapest). This list contains only equipment suitable for the other entries in the rule
set. For example, if the rule set relates to an underground copper network, then only
underground equipment is available. If the first equipment in the list is not satisfactory
(for example, it cannot support the required demand), Design Assistant considers the
next equipment in the list. Only one piece of equipment is placed.

• TERMINATING_TRANSMEDIA. Priority list of transmedia (cables/fiber cables) dependent

upon the span type starting with the smallest (lowest number of pairs/strands, lowest
quality). This is the set of transmedia to be considered for terminating on the
terminating equipment. The list may not contain the full set of cables (for example,
large pressurized cables cannot be terminated directly on equipment). If the first
transmedia model in the list cannot meet requirements, then the next model is
considered. Multiples are allowed if needed and the largest is not sufficient.

• AGGREGATE_TRANSMEDIA. If enabled by the user (set to YES), multiple transmedia

between two points are, where possible, aggregated to form a single section. For
example, two 10-pair cables can be aggregated to form a 20-pair cable. However, this
option could potentially be costly in the system by placing more splices and cables.

• AGGREGATING TRANSMEDIA. Priority list of transmedia used when aggregating.

• SPLICE_TRANSMEDIA. Priority list of splice types starting with the smallest (i.e, used to
splice two small transmedia). The splice type is related to the transmedia; pressurized
rule sets use pressurized splice kits. It is cheaper to have less splices in a network.

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• SPLICE_AT_EQUIPMENT. Terminating equipment can also be set to act as a splice point

for the transmedia and removes the need for additional splice points because of
transmedia lengths. It is recommended that this option be set to YES. Otherwise,
equipment is used as a pass-through, using ports on both sides.

• TERMINATE_EXCESS. If enabled (set to YES), any transmedia greater than the demand
is fully terminated at the terminating equipment. For example, if the demand is for
three pairs, but the minimum cable is five pairs, then all five pairs are terminated, if
ports are available. Typically, a YES value is set for the provide network and NO for the
supply network.

• MAXIMUM_TRANSMEDIA_LENGTH. Maximum length of transmedia without splicing. For

example, if the length exceeds the maximum policy amount, intermediate splices are
required.

• MINIMUM_TRANSMEDIA_LENGTH. Minimum length of transmedia to avoid unnecessary

splicing. Based on the TRANSMEDIA_SLACK value, this could be a percentage of the
absolute value.

• TRANSMEDIA_LENGTH_FACTOR. Percentage to include provision of slack on

transmedia. The slack value can be a percentage or an absolute value. For example, a
value of 110% can indicate that 10% extra cable of calculated length should be
provided.

• USE_EXISTING_TRANSMEDIA. If existing transmedia (planned or built) is available,

then it can be used as an alternative to providing new transmedia. For example,
stumped pairs can be used to provide cable facilities.

• DIVERT_EXISTING_TRANSMEDIA. If the Use Existing Transmedia attribute is set to YES,

the existing transmedia can be diverted. For example, if a cable is available but spliced
to another cable, the splice can be broken and re-made to a new transmedia to create
the required network.

• TRANSMEDIA_SLACK_OPTION. Sets amount of slack for each placed transmedia model.

Options to select from include:

• None. No value is required.

• Percentage. Planner must enter a percentage value, typically greater than 100%.
For example, a value of 110 means set the cable to 110% of the of the geographic
length.

• Fixed. Planner must set a fixed value to add to each cable that is placed. For
example, if the fixed value is set to 10, Design Assistant would add 10 units (where
a unit is determined by the measurement being used) to each cable that is placed.

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• PORT_CONNECTOR_TYPE. Defines which port type the rule set can connect to. The
default value is ANY. When creating ports to be used in splitter equipment, you must
define two port attributes: port direction and port connector type in Model Builder.
Support for the port type and port direction attributes enables Design Assistant to pick
the correct equipment and connect it properly. The port direction values are IN, OUT, or
IN/OUT. The IN/OUT value is the default setting.

Route Rule Set Attributes

• USE_EXISTING_SPAN_UNIT. Enables the route rule sets to use existing spans and span
units (if set to YES).

• TERM_POINT_STRUCTURE. A terminating structure that is placed at the location along

the span path where demand is summed up to a point. Typically, a terminating point
structure is placed at the serving point or customer demand location.

• MID_SPAN_STRUCTURE. Mid-span structures are placed along stretches of spans that

exceed the maximum span distance. In these cases, the span is divided into sections
less than the maximum distance. Mid-span structures are placed along that path to
connect the divided spans together.

• END_STRUCTURE. End structures are placed along span paths that change from one
span type to another and cross over route line rule sets. A typical example of this is a
reducer placed at the end of a run between a Rider and Lead-in to the customer demand
location.

• CORNER_STRUCTURE. Structure model to be used for going around a corner. On aerial

routes, corners (CORNER_ANGLES) can only be achieved by using poles. A corner
structure is placed if the angle is less than the value entered for the attribute.

• SPAN_MODEL. Span model to be placed on the route line when the network is created.

• SPAN_UNIT_MODEL. Model to be used for additional span units if the initial model is
insufficient.

• MAX_SPAN_DISTANCE. If a span exceeds this distance, a mid-span structure is

required.

• CORNER_ATTACHMENT_MODEL. Model that is added to the corner structure (if defined)

when a corner structure is placed.

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Service Rule Sets

• START_OBJECT_CATEGORY. Network category that identifies the start of the network for
this rule set.

• ATTENUATION_LINE_LOSS_1. Maximum line loss value for the network that cannot be
exceeded.

• ATTENUATION_FREQ_1. Frequency value that cannot be exceeded.

• ATTENUATION_WAVELENGTH_1. Wavelength measurement. The wavelength and

frequency values are used to define line loss for fiber cable networks.

Note: If line loss, wavelength, and frequency values are not set in the rule set, line loss is not
used by Design Assistant.

Sample Rule Set Attributes and Default Values

The following tables list the attributes and default values of the sample rule sets delivered
with Design Assistant. You can add and modify these values to run the sample wizard.

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Sample Serving Point Rule Sets

Table 3-2 Sample Serving Point Rule Sets, Attributes, and Default Values

Rule Set Attribute Attribute Value

Rider Copper Start Location Type External

Start Object Category Narrowband
Start Object Type Customer Demand
Maximum Demand Points 12
Maximum Distance 400
Maximum Demand 1000
Serving Point Location External
Serving Point Category Narrowband
Serving Point Type Serving Point
Route Policy Type Rider
Override Demand Point No
Route
Direct Route Line Model Lead-in
Rider Route Line Model Rider
Lead-in Route Line Model Lead-in
Internal Route Line Model Lead-in

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Sample Transmedia Rule Sets

Table 3-3 Sample Transmedia Rule Sets, Attributes, and Default Values

Rule Set Attribute Attribute Value

Copper Provide Point to Start Object Location External

Serving Point - UG Start Object Category Narrowband
Start Object Type Provide Point
End Object Location External
End Object Category Narrowband
End Object Type Serving Point
Terminating Equipment 25 PR TERM, 50 PR TERM,
100 PR TERM, 900X-X Conn
Terminating Transmedia 50X24-B, 100X24-B,
200X24-B, 900X26
Aggregate Transmedia Yes
Aggregating Transmedia 200X24, 900X26
Splice Transmedia UG Spl.
Splice at Equipment Yes
Terminate Excess Yes
Maximum Transmedia Length 290
Minimum Transmedia Length 25
Transmedia Slack Percentage
Transmedia Length Factor 110
Use Existing Transmedia Yes
Divert Existing Transmedia No
Transmedia Slack Option Percentage

Port Connection Type ANY

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Table 3-3 Sample Transmedia Rule Sets, Attributes, and Default Values (Continued)

Rule Set Attribute Attribute Value

Copper Serving Point to Start Object Location External

Customer Demand - UG Start Object Category Narrowband
Start Object Type Serving Point
End Object Location External
End Object Category Narrowband
End Object Type Customer Demand
Terminating Equipment 2 Port TAP, 4 Port TAP, 8 Port
Tap, 25 PR TERM, 50 PR
TERM, 100 PR TERM, 900X-X
Conn
Terminating Transmedia 25X24-B, 50X24-B, 100X24-
B, 200X24-B, 900X26
Aggregate Transmedia No
Aggregating Transmedia <Empty>
Splice Transmedia UG Spl.
Splice at Equipment Yes
Terminate Excess Yes
Maximum Transmedia Length 600
Minimum Transmedia Length 10
Transmedia Slack None
Transmedia Length Factor 0
Use Existing Transmedia No
Divert Existing Transmedia No
Transmedia Slack Option Percentage

Port Connection Type ANY

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Sample Route Rule Sets

Table 3-4 Sample Route Rule Sets, Attributes, and Default Values

Rule Set Attribute Attribute Value

Spine Use Existing Span Unit Yes

Terminating Point Structure PEDESTAL, SMALL CABINET
(PAD), LARGE CABINET
(PAD), MANHOLE
Intersection Structure Model SMALL CABINET (PAD),
LARGE CABINET (PAD),
MANHOLE
Mid Span Structure MANHOLE
End Structure Model HANDHOLE, PEDESTAL,
SMALL CABINET (PAD),
LARGE CABINET (PAD),
MANHOLE
Corner Structure Model PEDESTAL
Span Model Duct Str
Span Unit Model 4" Duct
Corner Angle 120
Max Span Distance 110

Rider Use Existing Span Unit Yes

Terminating Point Structure PEDESTAL, SMALL CABINET
(PAD), LARGE CABINET
(PAD), MANHOLE
Intersection Structure Model SMALL CABINET (PAD),
LARGE CABINET (PAD),
MANHOLE
Mid Span Structure MANHOLE
End Structure Model HANDHOLE, PEDESTAL,
SMALL CABINET (PAD),
LARGE CABINET (PAD),
MANHOLE
Corner Structure Model PEDESTAL
Span Model Joint Trench 500
Span Unit Model 4" Duct

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Table 3-4 Sample Route Rule Sets, Attributes, and Default Values (Continued)

Rule Set Attribute Attribute Value

Rider (cont.) Corner Angle 120

Max Span Distance 500

Lead-in Use Existing Span Unit Yes

Terminating Point Structure PEDESTAL, SMALL CABINET
(PAD), LARGE CABINET
(PAD), MANHOLE SMALL
CABINET (PAD), LARGE
CABINET (PAD), MANHOLE
Intersection Structure Model SMALL CABINET (PAD),
LARGE CABINET (PAD),
MANHOLE
Mid Span Structure MANHOLE
End Structure Model HANDHOLE, PEDESTAL,
SMALL CABINET (PAD),
LARGE CABINET (PAD),
MANHOLE
Corner Structure Model PEDESTAL
Span Model TRENCH
Span Unit Model 1” inner duct
Corner Angle 120
Max Span Distance 500
Corner Attachment Model

Sample Service Rule Sets

Table 3-5 Sample Service Rule Sets, Attributes, and Default Values

Rule Set Attribute Attribute Value

Copper UG Service Rule Set Type Service

Start Object Category Narrowband
Attenuation Line Loss 1 2.5
Attenuation Wavelength 1
Attenuation Frequency 1

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Adding New Attributes to a Rule Set

To add new attributes to a rule set, you must perform the following:

• Create a COM object for the system to pick up the attribute, as well as handle existing
rule set attributes.

• Create required models needed by the networks.

• Add any new domains. Design Assistant comes with a predefined set of categories and
types that you can use, or you can add new domains.

Creating an Attribute COM Object

Design Assistant has defined COM interfaces that you must use. Locate the
[Link] file in the Network Engineer\Bin directory. You must implement both
the INEDAIdentification and INEDATask interfaces when creating your COM attribute object.

Creating Models
Use the Model Builder application to create all models needed for the networks your end
users/planners need to build their networks. Model Builder provides a base set of models that
you can modify, or you can create your own from the ground up to suit your needs. Refer to
the Model Builder User’s Guide.

Once the required models have been created, you can control the models that end users or
planners can select and use through these Design Assistant toolbox tools.

Adding New Design Assistant Domains

When creating a domain, you define a name, description, and domain type. There are four
different types of attribute domains that are supported: range domains, coded value
domains, SQL statement domains, and user domains.

• Range domain. A range domain specifies a valid range of values for a numeric attribute.
For example, you can set the minimum and maximum length for cables in your system.
A range domain specifies this range of values.

• Coded value domain. A coded value domain can apply to any type of attribute—text,
numeric, date, and so on. Coded value domains specify a valid set of values for an
attribute. The coded value domain includes both the actual value that is stored in the
database (the CODE column in the DOMAIN EDITOR window) and a more user-friendly
description of what that value actually means (the VALUE column).

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• SQL Statement. A range of attribute values defined by an SQL statement. The WHERE
clause is used to specify that only certain rows of the table are displayed, based on the
criteria described in that WHERE clause. The attributes are displayed in the NETWORK
ENGINEER ATTRIBUTE EDITOR dialog box. The SQL statement applies to domains that handle
a one-to-many relationship such as setting product lines and associated manufacturers.
You can have multiple product lines associated to a single manufacturer.

• User domain. You can write your own .dll to create a domain. The .dll must access the
Network Engineer IUserDomain interface.

The VALIDATE DOMAIN column enables or disables the validation of the values users enter for
the domain.

The following domains are provided with Design Assistant:

• DADL_NETWORK_CATEGORY. Contains all categories entered using the Network

Category/Type Definition tool.

• DADL_NETWORK_TYPE. Contains all types entered using the Network Category/Type

Definition tool.

• DADL_ROUTE_POLICY_TYPE. Contains routing information entries.

• DADL_TRANSMEDIA_SLACK. Defines transmedia slack options.

• DADL_LOCATION_TYPE. Defines location information for network objects (EXTERNAL/

INTERNAL).

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If you want attributes to use a new domain, you must first use the Attribute Domain tool in
NE Toolbox to add the desired domain. Follow the steps below to create a domain.

1 From the NE Toolbox tree, select INVENTORY CONTROL > ATTRIBUTE CONTROL > ATTRIBUTE
DOMAIN. The DOMAIN EDITOR window displays.

2 Scroll down to the bottom of the table and key in the domain name in a blank row.
Domains for Design Assistant must have the prefix DADL_. Then key in a brief
description.

3 Use the pull-down menu in the DOMAIN TYPE column to select the type of domain you
need (CODED VALUE, RANGE, SQL or USER).

4 Click NEXT to continue. Key in the remaining information; the options provided are based
on the selected domain type.

5 Click FINISH when you are done.

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Opening the Rule Set Attribute Definition Tool

From the NE Toolbox tree, select RULE SET ATTRIBUTES DEFINITION under the Design Assistant
toolset. The RULE SET ATTRIBUTES dialog box displays.

Dialog Box Element Definition

Element Description

Adds a new attribute to the selected rule set type.

Removes an attribute from the rule set. A warning message will display
about removing attributes that have already been saved to the database.
Expands the dialog box to display the columns and automatically sizes
the grid.
RULE SET TYPE Pulldown menu used to select a rule set.

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Attributes
• Name. Name of the attribute. Used internally by the COM object. Do not change the name
unless you are implementing a custom COM object.

• Display Name. Attribute name that displays in the Rule Set Definition tool.

• Attribute Type. Select one of the value types below that must be used for the attribute
in the Rule Set Definition tool.

• Model List. Requires that a prioritized model list be created for the attribute. Select
the model class to be used for the list in the LIST/MODEL CLASS NAME column in the
Rule Set Definition tool.

• Model. Requires a single model to be used for the attribute.

• Domain list. Requires a domain value for the attribute.

• Number. Requires any number type, long, integer, float, or double.

• Text. Text strings.

• Yes/No. Yes or no value.

• Boolean. True or false value.

• List/Model Class Name. Sets the class that models must be belong to for the attribute.
For example, if the STRUCTURE CLASS and MODEL LIST values are set, then in the Rule Set
Definition tool, you can only create a prioritized list of models within the structure class.

• Display Sequence. Enables you to define the order in which to display the attributes
when defining a rule set.

Adding an Attribute
Follow the steps below to add an attribute. If you are adding a new attribute, you must
create a COM object using defined Design Assistant interfaces for the attribute to be used.
The delivered COM objects do not contain a definition for the new attributes.

1 From the RULE SET ATTRIBUTES dialog box, use the pulldown menu to select a rule set
type.

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2 Click ADD. An empty row at the bottom of the grid is highlighted. Type in the
attribute name. Then set the remaining column options.

3 Click APPLY to save your changes and continue working.

- or -

Click OK to save your changes and close the dialog box.

- or -

Click CANCEL to close the dialog box and undo the changes.

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Editing Existing Attribute Definitions

1 From the RULE SET ATTRIBUTES dialog box, use the pulldown menu to select a rule set
type.

2 Change the ATTRIBUTE TYPE and LIST/MODEL CLASS NAME if desired.

Caution! You can change the display name, but should only do so if implementing a
custom COM object.

3 Click APPLY to save your changes and continue working.

- or -

Click OK to save your changes and close the dialog box.

- or -

Click CANCEL to close the dialog box and undo the changes.

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Removing an Attribute
Caution! Removing an attribute that is currently being used within a rule set can cause
problems. Make sure the attribute is not used before removing it.

1 From the RULE SET ATTRIBUTES dialog box, use the pulldown menu to select a rule set
type.

2 Select the row containing the attribute you want to remove.

3 Click DELETE.

4 At the warning prompt, click YES to continue with the deletion or NO to cancel.

5 Click APPLY to save your changes and continue working.

- or -

Click OK to save your changes and close the dialog box.

- or -

Click CANCEL to close the dialog box and undo the changes.

Rule Set Definition

This tool is used to define all your required rule sets and their corresponding attribute values.
You can perform the following tasks.

• Adding rule sets

• Copying a rule set

• Editing rule sets

• Deleting rule sets

• Importing a rule set

• Exporting a rule set

• Validating rule sets

Telcordia recommends that you create your rule sets in the following order: Serving Point,
Route, Transmedia, Service.

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Prerequisites
You must set up all the attributes for each rule set type using the Rule Set Attribute
Definition tool.

Opening the Rule Set Definition Tool

From the NE Toolbox tree, select RULE SET DEFINITION under the Design Assistant toolset. The
RULE SET DEFINITION dialog box displays.

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Dialog Box Element Definition

Element Description

Adds a new rule set.

Copies a rule set from another Network Engineer database.

Removes the active rule set.

Imports a Design Assistant rule set.

Exports a rule set.

Validates the selected rule set.

SELECT RULE SET TYPE Lists the four rule set types.
RULE SET ATTRIBUTES Lists the attributes defined for the selected rule set type.

Validating Rule Sets

The VALIDATING RULE SETS command in the Rule Set Definition tool enables you to check your
current rule sets at any time. Before you begin, take a few minutes to review the validation
report that displays as well as the attributes being checked during the validation process.

Validation is also performed during the following operations:

• Validating wizards. In the Rule Set Definition tool, validation is automatically run before
a rule set is import or exported.

• Validating all wizards and rule sets. Use this toolbox tool (see “Validating All Wizards
and Rule Sets”) to check the wizards and rule sets in the current database.

The results of the validation process display in the VALIDATING WIZARDS/RULE SETS dialog box. A
tree view, containing the wizard and rule set nodes, lists all critical errors and warnings that
were found. Expand the RULE SET node in the tree view to see a description of the critical
errors and/or warnings that occurred for each rule set. Valid items are indicated by a
checkmark and listed as VALID. The figure below is an example validation report.

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Figure 3-1 Example Validation Report

The following icons denote critical errors, warnings, and validation confirmations.

Icon Description

Critical error. The wizard or rule set will not validate until all critical errors are
corrected.
Warning. The wizard or rule set will validate on warnings, but there could be
problems that occur once the item is in use within Network Engineer.
Valid. The wizard or rule set has been successfully validated.

Rule Set Validation Checks

The lists below represents the items that are checked when validating each rule set type.

• Serving Point Rule Set validation items:

• Rule set name is populated and unique.

• Start Object location is defined.

• Start Object type is defined.

• Start Object category is defined.

• Maximum demand points, maximum distance, and maximum demand are greater
than zero.

• Serving Point location is defined.

• Serving Point type is defined.

• Serving Point category is defined.

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• Route Policy type is defined.

• Rider, Lead-in, and Direct Route Line models must be defined (at least one) and
available for placement.

• Internal Route Line models must be defined (at least one) and available for
placement.

• Route Rule Set validation items:

• Rule set name is populated and unique.

• Existing span unit is defined.

• Terminating Structure points have at least one entry and all entries existent or
available for placement models.

• Intersection Structure points have at least one entry and all entries are existent
models.

• Mid Span Structure points have at least one entry and all entries are existent
models.

• End Structure points have at least one entry and all entries are existent models.

• Corner Structure points have at least one entry and all entries are existent models.

• Span Structure points have at least one entry and all entries are existent models.

• Span Unit Structure points have at least one entry and all entries are existent
models.

• Corner Angle is existent, positive, and less than 360 degrees.

• Max Span Distance is greater than zero.

• Transmedia Rule Set validation items:

• Start Object location is defined.

• Start Object type is defined.

• Start Object category is defined.

• End Object type is defined.

• End Object Location is defined.

• End Object Category is defined.

• Terminating equipment has at least one entry and all entries are existent models.

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• Terminating transmedia has at least one entry and all entries are existent models.

• Aggregate transmedia is defined.

• If the aggregate transmedia attribute is set to YES, then the aggregating

transmedia must have at least one entry and all entries are existent models.

• Splice transmedia has at least one entry and all entries are existent models.

• Splice at equipment is defined.

• Terminate excess is defined.

• Maximum transmedia length is defined as a positive number or zero.

• Minimum transmedia length is defined as a positive number or zero, and is less

than the maximum transmedia length.

• Use existing transmedia is defined.

• Divert existing transmedia is defined.

• Port connector type is defined (issued as a warning).

• Service Rule Set validation Items:

• Start Object category is defined.

How To
Follow the steps below to use the VALIDATE RULE SET command in the Rule Set Definition tool.

1 From the RULE SET DEFINITION dialog box, use the pull-down menus to set the type and
then the name of the rule set definition you want to check.

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2 Click VALIDATE RULE SETS to open the WIZARD/RULE SET VALIDATION dialog box.

3 Expand the RULE SET node in the tree view to see any critical errors or warnings.

4 Click SAVE to save the validation results to a text file. From the SAVE AS dialog box, go to
the desired file location and type in the file name followed by the .txt extension, or
browse to overwrite an existing text file. Click SAVE to close the dialog box.

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The file is a textual display of the tree view, divided into two main sections, Rule Sets
and Wizards. An example text file is shown below.

5 Click CLOSE when you have finished to dismiss the WIZARD/RULE SET VALIDATION dialog box.
You can then run steps 1 - 4 to repeat validation until you have eliminated at least all
critical errors.

Adding Rule Sets

1 From the RULE SET DEFINITION dialog box, use the pulldown menu to select a rule set type.
Attributes defined for the rule set type display in the RULE SET ATTRIBUTES list.

2 Click NEW RULE SET. Key in the name of the rule set in the NAME attribute field and
press ENTER. The rule set name displays at the top of the attribute list.

3 Go through the attributes for the rule set and define values for the attribute.

4 Use the pulldown menu to select MODIFY LIST.

For attributes where model lists must be set, the MODEL PRIORITIES dialog box displays.

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5 Click ADD to open the MODEL SELECTOR dialog box.

- or -

For attributes requiring a single model to be selected, the MODEL SELECTOR dialog box
displays. Because the class was defined for the attribute in the Rule Set Attribution
Definition tool, only the models available for the class display. You cannot select another
class from the MODEL SELECTOR dialog box.

- or -

For attributes where model lists must be set, select models the planner can use.

6 Click ADD and then click CLOSE.

The models display in the MODEL PRIORITIES dialog box. The models are listed by their
priority level starting at the top of the list. To change the priority, select the model and
use the UP or DOWN arrow keys or click DELETE to remove a model from the list.

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Click OK when you have finished to close the MODEL PRIORITIES dialog box. The model
listed first in the priority list displays in the attribute field.

- or -

For attributes requiring a single model to be selected, select the model you want to add.
Click ADD and then click CLOSE.

The model displays in the attribute field.

7 Continue setting up attributes for the rule set and click APPLY.

8 Repeat steps 2 through 7 for each rule set you want to add.

Copying a Rule Set

To save some time, if you need to create a rule set that is similar to an existing one, you can
use the COPY RULE SET command. This enables you to copy all attribute settings of a particular
rule set and then modify the ones you need to update.

1 From the RULE SET DEFINITION dialog box, use the pull-down menu to select the Rule Set
type.

2 Then from the RULE SET ATTRIBUTES field, use the pull-down menu to select the name of
the rule set you want to copy.

3 Click COPY RULE SET.

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4 In the NAME field, replace NEW RULE SET DEFINITION text with the name you want to use
for the new rule set.

5 Click APPLY when you have finished. The new rule set name displays in the pull-down
menu under the RULE SET ATTRIBUTES dialog box.

6 You can now make changes to the attributes for the new rule set as well as run
validation.

7 Click OK when you have finished to close the RULE SET DEFINITION dialog box.

Editing Rule Sets

1 From the RULE SET DEFINITION dialog box, use the pulldown menu to select a rule set type.
Attributes defined for the rule set type display in the RULE SET ATTRIBUTES list.

2 Use the pulldown menu to select a rule set. Attribute values selected for the rule set
then display.

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3 You can change the name of the rule set. Double-click the rule set NAME field and key in
the desired name. Press ENTER when you are done. The new rule set name displays at
the top of the attribute list.

4 Go through the attributes for the rule set and change attribute values.

5 To change models or the priority of models for certain attributes, use the pulldown
menu to select MODIFY LIST. The MODEL PRIORITIES dialog box displays.

You can add or remove models from the list. Use the UP and DOWN arrow keys to change
the priority list. Click OK when you have finished to close the MODEL PRIORITIES dialog
box. The model listed first in the priority list displays in the attribute field.

- or -

To change a single model for an attribute, use the pulldown menu to select MODIFY LIST.
The MODEL SELECTOR dialog box displays.

Select the model you want and click ADD. Click CLOSE when you have finished. The
model displays in the attribute field.

6 Continue changing the desired attributes for the rule set and click APPLY.

7 Repeat steps 2 through 6 for each rule set you want to change.

8 Click OK when you have finished to close the RULE SET DEFINITION dialog box.

Deleting Rule Sets

1 From the RULE SET DEFINITION dialog box, use the pulldown menu to select a rule set type.
Attributes defined for the rule set type display in the RULE SET ATTRIBUTES list.

2 Use the pulldown menu to select a rule set. Attribute values selected for the rule set
then display.

3 Click DELETE RULE SET. At the prompt, click YES to continue or NO to cancel the
deletion.

Caution! When you delete a rule set, any wizards that use the rule set will no longer
work. Removal of rule sets do not affect networks that have already been created.

4 Click APPLY to save your changes and continue working.

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Importing a Rule Set

You can import one or more rule sets from one Network Engineer database for use in another
Network Engineer database with this tool. All Design Assistant wizards and rule sets are
stored in XML files for importing and exporting.

Follow the steps below to import a rule set.

1 From the RULE SET DEFINITION dialog box, click IMPORT RULE SETS.

The WIZARD/RULE SET IMPORT dialog box displays.

2 Click BROWSE and locate the XML file containing the rule set(s) you want to import (you
can import multiple rule sets). Click OPEN. The selected XML file displays in the IMPORT
FROM FILE field.

3 In the ITEMS IN FILE TO IMPORT display, all rule sets contained in the selected XML file
display and are automatically checked for import, as shown in the figure above. For any
rule set(s) in the list you do not want to import, click the corresponding checkbox to
unselect it. Click IMPORT to start the import process.

During the import process, if a rule set already exists in your Design Assistant database with
the same name as one of the rule sets you are importing, you are prompted to either

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overwrite the existing rule set, rename the rule set being imported, or cancel the operation.
You will receive the prompt for each duplicated rule set name.

Once the import has completed, the new wizards can now be selected when using the Design
Assistant Wizard command in Network Engineer. To see the new rule sets, use the RULE SET
DEFINITION NE Toolbox tool.

Exporting a Rule Set

You can export one or more rule sets to an XML file that can be imported into another
Network Engineer database. Follow the steps below to export a rule set.

1 From the RULE SET DEFINITION dialog box, click EXPORT RULE SETS. The WIZARD/RULE SET
EXPORT dialog box opens.

In the ITEMS IN DATASET TO EXPORT display, all rule sets contained in the selected XML file
display and are automatically checked for export, as shown in the figure above. For any
rule set(s) in the list you do not want to export, click the corresponding checkbox to
unselect it. Click EXPORT to start the export process.

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2 Under EXPORT TO FILE, click BROWSE to open the SAVE AS dialog box. Select the location of
the XML file and type in the desired file name. Click SAVE. The XML file displays in the
EXPORT TO FILE field.

3 In the ITEMS IN DATASET TO EXPORT display, click the checkbox next to one or more rule
sets in the list and click EXPORT to start the export process.

During the export process, if a rule set already exists in your Network Engineer
database with the same name as one of the rule sets you are exporting, you are
prompted to either overwrite the existing rule set, rename the rule set being exported,
or cancel the operation. You will receive the prompt for each duplicated rule set name.

Once the export has completed, use the IMPORT WIZARD command to load the rule sets to
another Network Engineer database.

Rule Set Mapping

Use this tool to associate Route rule sets to route line features. A Route rule set is associated
to a class/category/type of route line. If more than one model exists for a class/category/
type, then those models will use the same rule set. If you want to have a different rule set for
different models, they must be of a different class/category/type.

Prerequisites
The network tier types and categories must be defined (see “Network Category/Type
Definition”). Also, the route line rule sets must be defined (see “Rule Set Definition”).

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Opening the Rule Set Mapping Tool

From the NE Toolbox tree, select Rule Set Mapping under the Design Assistant toolset. The
RULE SET DEFINITION dialog box displays.

Dialog Box Element Definition

Element Description

Adds a new Route Line class that can be mapped to a network category, type,
and rule set.
Removes the mapping association.

Resizes the display columns.

CLASS Currently, only route lines can be associated to a rule set.

CATEGORY Lists the available route line inventory categories.

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Element Description

TYPE Lists the available route line inventory types.

RULE SET Lists the currently defined route rule sets.

Associating Route Line Inventory Objects to

Rule Sets
1 From the ROUTE LINE RULE SET MAPPING dialog box, click ADD. The cursor moves to the
last row of the display grid and adds the Route Line class.

2 Use the pulldown menus to select the Network Category and Type to associate to route
line inventory objects.

3 Use the pulldown menu to select the RULE SET you want to use.

4 Click APPLY to save your changes and continue working.

- or -

Click OK to save your changes and close the dialog box.

- or -

Click CANCEL to close the dialog box and undo the changes.

Note: The same rule set can be associated to multiple classes, categories and/or types.

Removing Associations
1 From the ROUTE LINE RULE SET MAPPING dialog box, select the mapping row you want to
remove.

2 Click REMOVE. The row is removed from the display grid.

3 Click APPLY to save your changes and continue working.

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- or -

Click OK to save your changes and close the dialog box.

- or -

Click CANCEL to close the dialog box and undo the changes.

Note: Deleting an association does not affect networks that were previously created.

Task Definition
The Task Definition tool enables you to create a task type and assign a COM component to
perform that task. You can create a variety of custom tools for use within Network Engineer
to assist in creating your network.

Prerequisites
Create the COM object. Design Assistant has defined COM interfaces that you must use.
Locate [Link] in your Design Assistant\Bin directory. You must implement
both the INEDAIdentification and INEDATask interfaces when creating your COM object.

INEDAIdentification
• Task Name and Description. Name and a brief description of the task.

• Task Type. The task type code defined in the Task Definition tool.

INEDATask
• Initialize. Initializes the COM object.

• Execute. Executes a specific command.

• XMLRepresentation. Helper routine to extract an XML node.

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Opening the Task Definition Tool

From the NE Toolbox tree, select Task Definition under the Design Assistant toolset. The NE
Design Assistant Task Definition dialog box displays.

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Dialog Box Element Definition

Element Description

Add a COM component. Opens a BROWSE dialog box for you to select
the .dll file of the component to implement the task.
Remove the selected task association.

Resize the display columns.

Opens the TASK TYPE DEFINITION dialog box to add or remove a task
type.
TASK TYPE Lists the task types defined using the TASK TYPE DEFINITION dialog box.
TASK NAME Shows the name that displays in the wizards you will build. The task
name is taken from the COM component .dll.
TASK DESCRIPTION Shows a brief description of the task. The description is also taken
from the COM component .dll.

Adding Tasks Types and Associating the COM

Components
The steps in this section describe how to create the task you want performed using the COM
component. The table below shows the default task types provided with Design Assistant.

Table 3-6 Default Task Types Provided with Design Assistant

Task Type Task Name Description

Select Starting NE Design Assistant Select Starting Identifies a starting point in the
Point Point network.
Serving Point Design Assistant Serving Point Rule Design Assistant serving point rule
Rule Set Set Object set object.
Route Line Rule Design Assistant Route Rule Set Design Assistant route rule set
Set Object object.
NE Design Design Assistant Wizard Object Design Assistant wizard object.
Assistant
Wizard
Address Dress Generation - Non Complex Dress generation for non-complex
Generation - Structures structures.
Non Complex

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Table 3-6 Default Task Types Provided with Design Assistant

Task Type Task Name Description

NE Design Dress Generation - Complex Dress generation for complex

Assistant MDU/ Structures structures.
MBU Creation
Transmedia Design Assistant Transmedia Rule Design Assistant Transmedia rule
Rule Set Set Object set object.
NE Design Audit Trail Audit trail.
Assistant Audit
Trail
Edit Serving Edit Serving Point Groups Edit Serving Point groups.
Point Groups
NE Design
Assistant Error
UI
Service Rule Set Design Assistant Service Rule Set Design Assistant service rule set.
Media Divert

1 From the TASK DEFINITION dialog box, click ADD/REMOVE TASK TYPE.

The TASK TYPE DEFINITION dialog box displays.

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2 Click NEW TASK TYPE. The cursor moves to the last row in the grid. Enter the task
type code (maximum twenty characters) and description from the COM component you
will use in the TASK TYPE CODE and DESCRIPTION columns.

Caution! Do not remove or change the delivered task type codes because the delivered
COM objects are using these codes.

3 Click APPLY to save your changes and continue adding or removing types.

- or -

Click OK to save your changes and close the dialog box.

The new task(s) displays in the TASK TYPE DEFINITION dialog box.

4 Select the new task in the grid and click ADD A COMPONENT. A browse dialog box
displays. Navigate to the directory containing your component and select the .dll. Click
OPEN to select the file and close the BROWSE dialog box.

The task name and description taken from the COM component display in the grid.

5 Click APPLY to save your changes and continue working.

- or -

Click OK to save your changes and close the TASK DEFINITION dialog box.

- or -

Click CANCEL to close the dialog box and undo the changes.

Removing COM Components

Caution! Removing associated COM objects can cause unpredictable behavior. For example,
removal of the Serving Point rule set COM object can cause problems because other tasks
rely on its behavior.

1 From the TASK DEFINITION dialog box, select the row containing the COM component you
want to remove.

2 Click REMOVE A COMPONENT. The COM component is removed and no longer

implemented when the task is performed.

3 Click APPLY to save your changes and continue working.

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Removing a Task Type

1 From the TASK DEFINITION dialog box, click ADD/REMOVE TASK TYPE.

The TASK TYPE DEFINITION dialog box displays.

2 Select the task type you want to delete and click DELETE TASK TYPE. The task type is
removed from the display grid.

3 Click APPLY to save your changes and continue removing types.

- or -

Click OK to save your changes and close the dialog box.

- or -

Click CANCEL to close the dialog box and undo the changes.

Caution! Any network that was created using the removed task type is not affected.
However, any COM objects using that task ID code cannot be created if the task code is
removed or changed.

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Wizard Builder
The Wizard Builder tool enables administrators to create wizards that guide planners through
the process of network development. Each wizard can implement specific rule sets defined
for a specific network tier type.

Prerequisites
The following tasks need to be performed before building the wizards.

• Creating network categories and types (see “Network Category/Type Definition”).

• Creating the rule sets (see “Rule Set Definition”). Each rule set contains a set of defined
attributes (see “Rule Set Attribute Definition”).

Optional tasks that can be performed based on your network needs:

• Map the route rule sets to routing inventory objects (see “Rule Set Mapping”).

• Create COM objects that implement specific tasks (see “Task Definition”).

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Opening the Wizard Builder Tool

1 From the NE Toolbox tree, select Wizard Builder under the Design Assistant toolset. The
WIZARD BUILDER INTRODUCTION screen displays.

2 Click NEXT to continue. The Wizard Builder steps you through each of the available
options:

• Creating a new wizard

• Copying a wizard

• Modifying an existing wizard

• Deleting an existing wizard

• Importing a wizard

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• Exporting a wizard

• Validating wizards

As you are going through the wizard, click NEXT to continue to the next operation. Click BACK
to return to the previous operation to make changes, or click CANCEL to end the process.

The remaining sections describe each of these options.

Creating a New Wizard

1 Select CREATE A NEW WIZARD.

2 Click NEXT to continue.

Wizard Information

3 Key in a wizard name in the ENTER NEW WIZARD NAME field. You can use up to 32 alpha-
numeric characters. If you attempt to use a name that is already being used, the wizard
will not allow the name and will prompt you to enter a different name.

4 In the DESCRIPTION field, key in a brief description of the wizard for the planner to view.

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5 By default, NEW SITE is already selected. Currently, Design Assistant only supports new
site development.

6 Click NEXT.

Map Import

7 Click YES to import a background map. When the planner runs the wizard you are
creating, a BROWSE dialog box displays for the planner to select the required raster map
file to be added to the map.

- or -

Click NO to skip this option.

8 Click NEXT to continue.

New Demand Points

The SELECT DEMAND POINTS display list shows the demand point structures that will be
displayed for use in the planner’s Network Engineer model palette.

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9 Click YES to enable the planner to place demand points. Continue with the remaining
steps in this section.

- or -

Click NO to disallow planners from placing demand points. Click NEXT to move to the
next section.

10 Click ALL to allow the planner to use all demand point structure models in the database.

- or -

Add specific models to the list:

a Click the PLUS button.

The MODEL SELECTOR dialog box opens.

b Select all demand point structures the planners can use.

c Click ADD TO PALETTE.

d Close the MODEL SELECTOR dialog box when you have finished.

11 To remove a model from the list:

a Select the model.

b Click the MINUS button.

12 Click NEXT to continue.

Existing Demand Points

13 Click YES to enable planners to select existing demand points.

- or -

Click NO to prevent planners from using existing demand points.

14 Click NEXT to continue.

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Route Lines

This option indicates whether or not the planner can place new route lines. It also defines the
route lines that can be placed.

15 Click YES to enable planners to place route lines. Continue with the remaining steps in
this section.

- or -

Click NO to disallow planners from placing new route lines. Click NEXT to move to the
next section.

The SELECT ROUTE LINE MODELS display list shows the route line modes that will be
displayed for use in the planner’s Network Engineer model palette.

16 Click ALL to allow the planner to use all route line models in the database.

- or -

Add specific models to the list:

a Click the PLUS button.

The MODEL SELECTOR dialog box opens.

b Select all route line models the planners can use.

c Click ADD TO PALETTE.

d Close the MODEL SELECTOR dialog box when you have finished.

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17 To remove a model from the list:

a Select the model.

b Click the MINUS button.

18 Click NEXT to continue.

Serving Point Rule Set(s)

This section defines the rule sets planners can use when determining the serving point
locations.

19 Click the PLUS button to open the SELECT RULE SET dialog box. You can select one or
more rule sets from the list. Use the CTRL+ or SHIFT+ keys when selecting multiple rule
sets. Click ADD to place the selected rule sets in the serving point rule set display.

20 Once rule sets are added, use the up and down arrow buttons to change the order of the
rule sets.

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21 Click CLOSE when you have finished to close the Select Rule Set dialog box.

22 Use the up and down arrow buttons to set up the display order of the rule set.

23 If there is no rule set defined, then that step will be skipped when the wizard definition
is executed by the planner.

24 Click NEXT to continue.

Provide and Supply Transmedia Rule Set(s)

This section defines the rule sets planners can use when determining the transmedia and
equipment that need to be used. You can select rule sets for both provide and supply
transmedia.

25 Click the PLUS button to open the SELECT RULE SET dialog box. Use the CTRL+ or
SHIFT+ keys to select multiple rule sets. Click ADD to place the selected rule sets in the
transmedia rule set display.

26 Once rule sets are added, use the up and down arrow buttons to change the order of the
rule sets.

27 Click CLOSE when you have finished to close the SELECT RULE SET dialog box.

28 Use the UP and DOWN arrow buttons to set up the display order of the rule set.

If there is no rule set defined for a particular category, then that step will be skipped
when the wizard is executed by the planner.

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29 Click NEXT to continue.

Line Loss Rule Set(s)

This section defines the rule sets planners can use when determining line loss.

30 Click the PLUS key to open the SELECT RULE SET dialog box. Use the CTRL+ or SHIFT+
keys to select multiple rule sets. Click ADD to place the selected rule sets in the
transmedia rule set display.

31 Once rule sets are added, use the UP and DOWN arrow buttons to change the order of the
rule sets.

32 Click CLOSE when you have finished to dismiss the SELECT RULE SET dialog box.

33 Use the UP and DOWN arrow buttons to set up the display order of the rule set.

If there is no rule set defined for a particular category, then that step will be skipped
when the wizard is executed by the planner.

34 Click NEXT to continue.

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Edit After Placement

This section sets options on whether or not the planner can edit serving point information or
move routes, structures, spans, equipment and transmedia after placement.

35 For each question, click YES to allow the planner to perform the action, or NO to the
planner from performing the action.

36 Click NEXT to continue.

Sizing and Association Setup

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37 Set options for structure sizing and automatic transmedia associations, as follows:

• DISPLAY ADDRESS DIALOG. Select NO if you do not want the SIMPLE ADDRESS dialog box
to display when the user gets to the Place Demand Points step in the wizard.

• OPTIMIZE STRUCTURE LOCATIONS. Select NO to skip the extra internal processing that
minimizes the number of transmedia splice points based on rearrangement of mid-
span structures. This is a processing step with no user interaction. This could also
be turned off during testing of new wizards to allow for faster processing through
all the wizard steps.

• ASSOCIATE TRANSMEDIA TO SPANS/SPAN UNITS. Select NO to skip the processing step of

associating transmedia to the spans or span units along the path it follows.
Typically, this should be set to YES, but for new customers who have not properly
defined the diameter and/or height and width data for transmedia, spans, or span
units, this enables the user to proceed without additional processing. If this option
is turned off, the user must manually associate these items at the edit point or
after the wizard has been completed. This option could also be temporarily turned
off for testing of new wizards.

• AUTOMATICALLY SIZE STRUCTURES. If you select YES, you must have size information
defined for span unit and structure models to be used. Without these attributes
defined, Design Assistant displays an error message for every structure being
placed because it cannot properly size the model. Select NO to skip the structure
sizing optimization step. This enables the user to turn this option off until these
attributes are defined or for quickly testing a wizard or rule set. Additionally it may
be determined by the user that only one structure is to be placed for each of the
structures types, in which case there is no sizing optimization to be performed. Any
structure changes deemed necessary by the user can be handled at the edit point
by replacing it with the correct structures.

Note: To enable the optimization of sizing and associations, you must provide values for
specific model attributes. These attributes are listed in “Creating Required Models”.

38 Click NEXT to continue.

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Track Processes

39 Click YES to prompt the planner to enter information for each edit point. This enables
you to track/audit any modifications to the network design. The prompt only displays if
the user has made an edit at the edit step.

- or -

Click NO if you do not want a prompt to display.

40 Click FINISH. You have now completed building a wizard.

41 Click CLOSE to exit the WIZARD BUILDER dialog box.

Repeat these steps for each wizard you want to create for planners. You will need to go
over these wizards with your planner before the planners begin using them in Network
Engineer.

Copying a Wizard
Use the COPY WIZARD option if you need to create a wizard that is similar to an existing one.
This enables you to copy all attribute settings and rule sets from the wizard and then modify
the ones you need to update.

1 From the NE Toolbox tree, select Wizard Builder under the Design Assistant toolset. The
WIZARD BUILDER INTRODUCTION screen displays.

2 Click NEXT to continue.

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3 Select COPY WIZARD and click NEXT.

4 Use the pull-down menu to select a wizard in the current NE database. Then click NEXT
to continue.

5 Type in the name of the new wizard and a brief description.

6 Click NEXT when you have finished.

7 Select YES or NO to import a map and click NEXT.

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Demand Points

8 Click YES if you want to enable the planner to place demand points.

Use the +/- buttons to add or remove models to serve as demand points. Click ALL to
display all demand point structure models in your database.

- or -

Click NO to disallow planners from placing demand points.

9 Click NEXT to continue.

Existing Demand Points

10 Click YES to enable planners to select existing demand points.

- or -

Click NO so that planners will not be able to use existing demand points.

11 Click NEXT to continue.

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Route Lines

12 Click YES if you want to enable planners to place route lines.

Use the +/- buttons to add or remove route line models. Click ALL to display all route line
models in your database.

- or -

Click NO to disallow planners from placing new route lines.

13 Click NEXT to continue.

Serving Point Rule Set(s)

Any rule sets already contained in the original wizard you copied display in the list.

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14 You can add to or remove the rule sets. These are the rule sets planners can use when
determining the serving point locations.

• Use the +/- buttons to add or remove rule sets.

• Use the UP and DOWN arrow buttons to set up the display order of the rule
set.

If there is no rule set defined, then that step will be skipped when the wizard definition
is executed by the planner.

15 Click NEXT to continue.

Provide and Supply Transmedia Rule Set(s)

Any rule sets already contained in the original wizard you copied display in the list.

16 You can add to or remove the rule sets. These are the rule sets planners can use when
determining the serving point locations.

• Use the +/- buttons to add or remove rule sets.

• Use the UP and DOWN arrow buttons to set up the display order of the rule
set.

If there is no rule set defined, then that step will be skipped when the wizard definition
is executed by the planner.

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17 Click NEXT to continue.

Line Loss Rule Set(s)

This section defines the rule sets planners can use when determining line loss. Any rule sets
already contained in the original wizard you copied display in the list.

18 You can add to or remove the rule sets. These are the rule sets planners can use when
determining the serving point locations.

• Use the +/- buttons to add or remove rule sets.

• Use the UP and DOWN arrow buttons to set up the display order of the rule
set.

If there is no rule set defined, then that step will be skipped when the wizard definition
is executed by the planner.

19 Click NEXT to continue.

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Edit After Placement

This section sets options on whether or not the planner can edit serving point information or
move routes, structures, spans, equipment and transmedia after placement.

20 For each question, click YES to allow the planner to perform the action, or NO to the
planner from performing the action.

21 Click NEXT to continue.

Sizing and Association Setup

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22 Set options for structure sizing and automatic transmedia associations, as follows:

• DISPLAY ADDRESS DIALOG. Select NO if you do not want the SIMPLE ADDRESS dialog box
to display when the user gets to the Place Demand Points step in the wizard.

• OPTIMIZE STRUCTURE LOCATIONS. Select NO to skip the extra internal processing that
minimizes the number of transmedia splice points based on rearrangement of mid-
span structures. This is a processing step with no user interaction. This could also
be turned off during testing of new wizards to allow for faster processing through
all the wizard steps.

• ASSOCIATE TRANSMEDIA TO SPANS/SPAN UNITS. Select NO to skip the processing step of

associating transmedia to the spans or span units along the path it follows.
Typically, this should be set to YES, but for new customers who have not properly
defined the diameter and/or height and width data for transmedia, spans, or span
units, this enables the user to proceed without additional processing. If this option
is turned off, the user must manually associate these items at the edit point or
after the wizard has been completed. This option could also be temporarily turned
off for testing of new wizards.

• AUTOMATICALLY SIZE STRUCTURES. If you select YES, you must have size information
defined for span unit and structure models to be used. Without these attributes
defined, Design Assistant displays an error message for every structure being
placed because it cannot properly size the model. Select NO to skip the structure
sizing optimization step. This enables the user to turn this option off until these
attributes are defined or for quickly testing a wizard or rule set. Additionally it may
be determined by the user that only one structure is to be placed for each of the
structures types, in which case there is no sizing optimization to be performed. Any
structure changes deemed necessary by the user can be handled at the edit point
by replacing it with the correct structures.

Note: To enable the optimization of sizing and associations, you must provide values for
specific model attributes. These attributes are listed in “Creating Required Models”.

23 Click NEXT to continue.

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Track Processes

24 Click YES to prompt the planner to enter information for each edit point. This enables
you to track/audit any modifications to the network design. The prompt only displays if
the user has made an edit at the edit step.

- or -

Click NO if you do not want a prompt to display.

25 Click FINISH. You have now created a new wizard from the original.

26 Click CLOSE to exit the WIZARD BUILDER dialog box.

Repeat these steps for each wizard you want to copy. You will need to go over these
wizards with your planner before the planners begin using them in Network Engineer.

Modifying an Existing Wizard

Use the Wizard Builder tool to change any settings in wizards that have been created.

1 From the NE Toolbox tree, select Wizard Builder under the Design Assistant toolset. The
WIZARD BUILDER INTRODUCTION screen displays.

2 Click NEXT to continue.

3 From the WIZARD BUILDER screen, select MODIFY AN EXISTING WIZARD.

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4 Click NEXT to continue.

5 Rename the wizard or change the description if desired.

6 Click NEXT.

7 The wizard builder takes you through all available options to make any required
changes.

8 Click FINISH to save your changes and close the WIZARD BUILDER dialog box.

- or -

Click CANCEL to close the WIZARD BUILDER without saving any edits.

Repeat these steps for each wizard you want to copy. You will need to go over the
changes to the wizards with your planner before the planners begin using them in
Network Engineer.

Deleting an Existing Wizard

Use the Wizard Builder tool to delete any wizards.

1 From the NE Toolbox tree, select Wizard Builder under the Design Assistant toolset. The
WIZARD BUILDER INTRODUCTION screen displays.

2 Click NEXT to continue.

3 From the WIZARD BUILDER screen, select DELETE AN EXISTING WIZARD.

4 Click NEXT to continue.

5 Use the pulldown list to select an existing wizard.

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6 Click FINISH to remove the wizard. Then close the WIZARD BUILDER dialog box.

- or -

Click CANCEL to end the edit session and close the WIZARD BUILDER dialog box.

Make sure your planners are aware that you have deleted the wizard.

Importing a Wizard
Use this tool to import a wizard and all associated rule sets from one Network Engineer
database for use in another Network Engineer database. All Design Assistant wizards and
their corresponding rule sets are stored in XML files for importing and exporting.

1 From the NE Toolbox tree, select Wizard Builder under the Design Assistant toolset. The
WIZARD BUILDER INTRODUCTION screen displays.

2 Click NEXT to continue.

3 From the WIZARD BUILDER screen, select IMPORT WIZARDS.

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4 Click NEXT to open the WIZARD/RULE SET IMPORT dialog box.

5 Click BROWSE and locate the XML file containing the wizard and then click OPEN. The
selected XML file displays in the IMPORT FROM FILE field.

In the ITEMS IN FILE TO IMPORT display, all wizards contained in the selected XML file display
and are automatically checked for import.

6 For any wizard in the list you do not want to import, click the corresponding checkbox to
unselect it.

7 Click IMPORT to start the import process.

During the import process, if a wizard already exists in your Design Assistant database
with the same name as one of the wizards you are importing, you are prompted to
either overwrite the existing wizard, rename the wizard being imported, or cancel the
operation. You will receive the prompt for each duplicated wizard name.

Once the import has completed, the new wizards can now be selected when using the Design
Assistant Wizard command in Network Engineer. To see the new rule sets, use the Rule Set
Definition NE Toolbox tool.

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Exporting a Wizard
You can export a wizard and all associated rule sets to an XML file that can be imported into
another Network Engineer database.

1 From the NE Toolbox tree, select Wizard Builder under the Design Assistant toolset. The
WIZARD BUILDER INTRODUCTION screen displays.

2 Click NEXT to continue.

3 Select EXPORT WIZARDS.

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4 Click Next to open the Wizard/Rule Set Export dialog box.

5 Click BROWSE to open the SAVE AS dialog box.

6 Select the location of the XML file and type in the file name. Click SAVE.

The XML file displays in the EXPORT TO FILE field.

In the ITEMS IN DATASET TO EXPORT display, all wizards contained in the selected XML file
display and are automatically checked for export.

7 For any wizard(s) in the list you do not want to export, click the corresponding checkbox
to unselect it.

8 Click EXPORT to start the export process. All rule sets associated to the selected wizards
will be included in the XML file.

Once the export has completed, use the IMPORT WIZARD command to load the wizards to
another Design Assistant database.

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Validating Wizards
Before you begin, take a few minutes to review the validation report that displays as well as
the attributes being checked for wizards and rule sets during the validation process.

You can use the Validating Wizards option in the Wizard Builder tool at any time to check
your wizards and rule sets. The results of the validation process display in the VALIDATING
WIZARDS/RULE SETS dialog box. Expand the tree view nodes to see the wizards and rule sets
checked during the validation process. Further expand each node to see the wizard or rule
set name and then a description of the critical error or warning message.

Wizard Validation Checks

The list below represents the items that are checked when validating a wizard.

• Wizard name is populated and unique.

• Demand point structures are existing models.

• Route line models are existing models.

• Serving Point rule sets used in the wizard are valid, and at least one must exist.

• Provide Side Transmedia rule sets used in the wizard are current and valid.

• Supply Side Transmedia rule sets used in the wizard are valid.

Each rule set type also has specific items and attributes that are checked during validation.
For information on validation checking for rule sets, refer to “Rule Set Validation Checks”.

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How To
1 From the NE Toolbox tree, select Wizard Builder under the Design Assistant toolset. The
WIZARD BUILDER INTRODUCTION screen displays.

2 Click NEXT to continue.

3 From the WIZARD BUILDER screen, select VALIDATE WIZARD.

4 Click NEXT and use the pull-down menu to select the wizard you want to check.

5 Click NEXT to open the WIZARD/RULE SET VALIDATION dialog box.

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6 Expand the tree view to see any errors or cautions.

7 Click SAVE to save the validation results to a text file.

8 From the SAVE AS dialog box, go to the desired file location and type in the file name
(using a .txt file type), or browse to overwrite an existing text file. Click SAVE.

The file is a textual display of the tree view, divided into two main sections, Rule Sets
and Wizards.

9 Click CLOSE when you have finished to dismiss the WIZARD/RULE SET VALIDATION dialog box.

10 Repeat these steps validation until you have eliminated at least all critical errors.

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Validating All Wizards and Rule Sets

The Wizard Rule Set Validation tool enables you to check all rule sets and wizards you have
defined in your database.

1 From the NE Toolbox tree, select Wizard Ruleset Validation Tool under the Design
Assistant toolset. This automatically starts the validation process on all rule sets and
wizards in the current database.

When the process is complete, the WIZARD/RULE SET VALIDATION screen displays with the
results. The figure below is an example validation report.

2 Expand the RULE SET or WIZARD nodes in the tree view to see any critical errors or
warnings.

3 Click SAVE to save the validation results to a text file.

4 From the SAVE AS dialog box, go to the desired file location and type in the file name
(using a .txt file type), or browse to overwrite an existing text file. Click SAVE.

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The file is a textual display of the tree view, divided into two main sections, Rule Sets
and Wizards.

5 Click CLOSE when you have finished to dismiss the WIZARD/RULE SET VALIDATION dialog box.
You can then run steps 1-3 to repeat validation until you have eliminated at least all
critical errors.

6 Repeat these steps validation until you have eliminated at least all critical errors.

Using the Sample Wizard

Design Assistant provides a sample Copper Rider wizard that creates an small underground
copper network. This wizard runs off of the sample rule sets also delivered with the Design
Assistant package. Use this sample wizard as an introduction to Design Assistant and its
capabilities. You can also modify this wizard to meet your network requirements.

Using the Copper Rider Sample.

1 Start a Network Engineer session, open a work order either a new work order or an
existing work order. Locate an area for the design.

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2 Place structures by locating the Models tab and select the Structure class, place a Large
Cabinet as the structure to hold the equipment-Starting Point. Place SDUs as the
Demand Points.

3 Select the DSX1 120 from the Equipment Class and place in the cabinet.

4 Place the Spine Route Line from the Rout Line Class, extending the linear from the
equipment along a route that will encompass the demand points placed in the map.

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An admin label has not been assigned to the equipment that is playing the UND admin label
as undefined.

5 Select the Design Assistant Wizard to select the Copper Rider sample.

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6 Select the Copper Rider and select K to start the wizard.

Select the right arrow to have the wizard recognize the Demand Points that have been
placed, the Point Status of the builds is NEW since they have been placed in a new work
order. If the buildings (SDU) had been placed and the work order had been closed and
reopened, the Point Status attributes would need to be changed to NEW from OLD. The same
applies the Route Line.

7 When the Demand Points are recognized by the wizard, the Starting Point Equipment
must be selected.

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8 Navigate to the PORT under the equipment, when the port is selected the Demand
Required and Total Ports fields will be populated with information from the equipment.

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9 Select the External Network Location, the Narrowband Network Category, and the
provide Point Network Type from the drop down selections. With the required
information in these fields, the OK button becomes active. Select OK to continue.

10 The wizard is now ready to identify the route, since the Spine route was placed and
exists in the work area, select the right arrow to continue with the wizard.

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11 The wizard distributes the load to the serving points, if the load needs to be modified
the Serving Point Groups dialog is displayed.

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By selecting an entry underneath the Rider the service can be dragged and dropped to
another serving point. When the service is rearranged, the services will be red until the Apply
button is selected and the changes are accepted. When all changes are made, if any changes
need to be made, select the X in the top of the display to exit the dialog.

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12 Select the right arrow, the edits have been made to the serving areas. Continue with the
wizard to determine the Supply Route. Depending upon the Route Type the route can
vary. The default route type is the Rider.

13 The routes to the demand points are placed, make edits if needed. Select the right
arrow to continue with the wizard.

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The Span network is created next, the wizard places the spans according to the settings
made in Toolbox for the Route rule set types.

14 If any edits need to be made to the spans placed, these changes can take place or
continue with the wizard by selecting the right arrow.

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15 As the wizard adds network or other tasks defined in the rules, the Design Assistant
progress dialog is available to alert the user of the progress. The progress dialogs are
helpful in describing the processes taking place and/or the work being performed by the
wizard.

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The transmedia and equipment have been placed by the wizard.

16 Select the right arrow to continue or make edits if needed then continue with the
wizard.

Applying the service rule set

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17 As the service is being completed, the Network Engineer Issues dialog appears to later
the suer of any errors or warnings. In this case there are warnings of the cable
exceeding the line loss as defined in the rule set definitions. Warnings need to be
addressed and the wizard will continue, errors must be resolved before the wizard will
continue to the next step.

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18 The wizard has completed the design for the design area.

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 4
Using Design Assistant in
Network Engineer

Once the Administrator has defined the rule sets and wizards using the Design Assistant
Toolbox tools (as explained in “Design Assistant Configuration Tasks”), the planners working
in Network Engineer develop networks using the Design Assistant wizards from within the
Network Engineer application. Each wizard walks the planner through the steps needed to
create the network based on rule sets that determine the network composition.

This chapter provides instructions for the planner to use a wizard to step through the process
of creating a customized network.

Before you begin, Design Assistant users need to have the following information:

• Is this going to be a new network, or an addition to a currently in-place network?

• Can inventory objects already in place be used by the network?

• Where are the locations or demand points the network service is providing?

• Where are the locations or serving points the network service is coming from?

• What serving equipment is to be used as the starting point for the network?

• What wizard do I need to use to create the network?

Using Existing Network Inventory Objects

If you would like to use inventory objects comprising an existing network, you must take the
following into consideration:

• Check the location of the provide points.

• Check the direction where you want the new network to go.

• If existing spans are used, Design Assistant checks and verifies them against span rules
set in the current rule set. If the spans cannot be validated, a warning message
displays.

• Do not use offsets. Design Assistant does not recognize any offset network items such
as an offset splice closure on a span.

• When using existing transmedia, you can use a downstream trace to see what cables
can be re-used.

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• Check existing or free ports on equipment.

• If there is no splice closure or equipment at the end of an existing cable, Design

Assistant does not use that cable. Make sure you place splice closures at the end of
cables you want to use in the network Design Assistant is creating.

• Rule sets can be defined to find any cables that divert off of the main path so the cables
can be re-used. Check with your administrator to see if this option has been defined
within the wizard you are using.

Note: Design Assistant does not modify an existing network. It only tries to use what is
available rather than re-design the network.

Getting Started
In order to use the Design Assistant component in Network Engineer, you must load the
Design Assistant data set, display of the Design Assistant toolbar, and select a starting point
for the wizard.

Loading the Design Assistant Dataset

To use Design Assistant, you must add the Design Assistant dataset to Network Engineer as
described below.

1 Open your map in Network Engineer.

2 Select FILE menu > ADD DATA.

3 From the ADD DATA dialog box, select [Link] and click ADD.

The [Link] dataset displays in the Network Engineer table of contents

SOURCE tab under Layers.

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Displaying the Design Assistant Toolbar

If you do not see the Design Assistant toolbar, select VIEW menu > TOOLBARS > NETWORK
ENGINEER DESIGN ASSISTANT. The DESIGN ASSISTANT toolbar displays.

Prompt area Example

Helper Tool

From this toolbar, you can start a wizard plan and step through it. This toolbar also informs
you of the current processing step in the wizard.

Toolbar Element Definition

Element Description

Starts a pre-defined wizard work plan.

Moves back one step in the wizard plan and performs an “undo” of the
previous wizard action (up to approximately 32 edits). This button is only
enabled at certain points in the execution of the wizard.

Note: To undo only manual edits and leave the Design Assistant
automated processes unchanged, use the ESRI UNDO command. If you
click the BACK button in the DESIGN ASSISTANT WIZARD, your edits are
undone as well as the previous edits and processes performed by the
wizard. For example, if you edit serving points after Design Assistant has
determined the locations of the serving points, clicking the BACK button in
the wizard will undo your edits as well as the serving point
determinations made by Design Assistant.
Moves to the next step in the wizard plan. This button may be disabled
when required tasks must be performed before moving forward.
PROMPT AREA Inform you of the step currently being performed in the wizard.
HELPER TOOLS Provides commands that are specific for the step being performed in the
wizard.

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Selecting a Starting Point for the Wizard

1 Start Network Engineer and create a work order. (You must have a work order open for
Design Assistant to be enabled).

2 If you are creating a new network, place your starting point equipment on the map. If
you are adding to an existing network, select the equipment to be used as the starting
point for the addition.

Troubleshooting
The ISSUES dialog box displays any problems Design Assistant encounters when creating the
network.

You cannot close this dialog box until all the issues entries have been removed. However, you
can make the dialog box semi-transparent using the slider bar. Depending on the severity of
the problem(s), you may be able to continue on through the wizard without resolving the
problems. For example, if the network becomes disconnected, Design Assistant would not be
able to continue. It is highly recommended that you resolve the problems and close this
dialog box before continuing to the next step in the wizard.

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An errors icon ( ) displays on the right side of the DESIGN ASSISTANT toolbar after processes
where errors are likely to occur. Click this icon to maximize and minimize the ISSUES dialog
box as you review the problems.

Dialog Box Element Definition

Use the following options on the ISSUES dialog box to locate and resolve network problems.
Note that the options are grayed out if you select an error to which they do not apply. For
example, if an error does not involve multiple features, then the NAVIGATE AFFECTED FEATURES
options are grayed out.

Element Description

Deletes the selected row. Delete the error entry once you
have fixed the problem.
Highlights the feature on the map described in the selected
entry row. For example, if you encounter a line loss error,
use this option to show where on the cable the line loss is
exceeded.
Selects feature. Highlights the feature on the map and places
it into the selection set. You can then edit the feature to
resolve the problem.
Zooms to feature. Zooms in to the area on the map
described in the selected entry row.
Navigates through affected features. Moves you from one
feature to the next for an error that involves multiple
features.
Issue sorting. Sorts the issue list by either severity or
occurrence when you click the corresponding header row.
Click a header row once to sort in ascending order. Click a
second time to sort in descending order.

Stopping and Restarting the Wizard

A Design Assistant wizard can be stopped and later restarted at that same point when you
save your map file using the FILE menu > SAVE, or EDITOR menu > SAVE EDITS command.
Design Assistant notes the save point and stores information it needs to restart the wizard at
a later time.

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Process Summary
The save, stop and re-open process is outlined below:

1 When you re-open the work order containing the saved edits, you can select the wizard
you were using. Design Assistant checks to see if the work order had been saved while
the wizard was running.

2 If the work order and completed wizard steps have been saved, a message box similar
to the one below displays.

In the example message box, Copper Rider Wizard is the name of the wizard being
used.

3 Click YES to restore the wizard to the previously-saved step and continue the wizard
from that point forward.

-or-

Click NO to clear out previously-saved wizard information. The selected wizard will be
started from the beginning.

-or-

Click CANCEL to continue work in Network Engineer without opening a wizard. Any saved
wizard data is left as is. This enables you to start the wizard where you left off at a later
time.

Note: If the work order was not saved during the wizard execution, you must re-select the
wizard and start from the beginning.

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Saving Edits
When you save edits, a progress bar displays at the bottom of the Network Engineer window
showing that data is being saved and/or stored. There are a few limitations to the wizard
operations when a work order is saved. Please keep these in mind when saving your edits
during wizard operation.

• The best place to save edits is at any edit point or step of the wizard where the system
is waiting for user input. Saving edits as the system is processing a wizard step may
cause unpredictable results. For example, the system may attempt to save a step that is
only half finished in an operation. You can save your work as often as you need.

• Within the saved work order, you cannot use the wizard restoration process as an
“undo” or a way to restore back to a save point. For example, you have saved steps
1 through 4 in the wizard. At step 9, you decide you do not want any of the new edits
performed after step 4. You cannot re-open the wizard to remove edits to return the
system back to step 4.

• If you make any edits outside of the wizard in between save points, the wizard may not
be able to run from its last save point. Situations where restoring to a previously-saved
state will not be allowed are listed below.

• The start point was removed.

• Data recorded as part of a solution no longer exists. In most cases, Design

Assistant will attempt to continue as if the item was never present. A simple
example case would be of a customer demand point that no longer exists. In this
case the wizard attempts to continue and issues an error or warning if this affects
processing. However, if a number of spans or structures were removed from the
work order and you start at the EDIT STRUCTURES AND SPANS step, the attempt by
Design Assistant to create transmedia may be unsuccessful. A path along which to
generate transmedia may no longer be present.

• The starting wizard step also has an effect on what may or may not be allowed to
be missing from the stored data. Missing a structure before finding the inferred
node locations may have little effect on continuing within a wizard. However,
missing a structure before the CREATE TRANSMEDIA step occurs may cause Design
Assistant to stop the wizard process.

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Wizard Workflow — Creating a Network

The workplans created by the administrators are in the form of wizards that you can follow.
The following steps will be executed during the development of a new network site. The steps
listed as optional are those that can be skipped as part of the wizard definition. The workflow
shows all options that can be defined.

Example graphics are given throughout the workflow to illustrate the steps performed by
Design Assistant. Pertinent areas are indicated by a red, dotted-line callout.

1 Click SELECT WIZARD on the DESIGN ASSISTANT toolbar.

The NETWORK ENGINEER DESIGN ASSISTANT dialog box displays.

2 Select the required wizard. (Ask your administrator if you are unsure which wizard to
use.)

3 Click OK.

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Import Map (Optional)

4 You are prompted to select a raster file name.

Current filters include file types .bmp, .jpg, .gif, .tiff, .dxf, .dwg, .dgn and *.*. The file is
attached to the map as a new layer and the GeoReferencing tools are launched.
Standard ESRI tools will guide you in placing, rotating, and resizing the imported map
file using control points. See Georeferencing a Raster in the ESRI ArcMAP Help File for
more information.

The result is a layer containing the raster image.

Place and Identify Demand Points

Demand Point models identified in the wizard builder are loaded on the Model Selector
palette and placed in the MODELS table of contents in Network Engineer.

5 Place the models on the map. Each demand point structure that is placed will be added
to an internal list for use in analyzing the network.

Keep in mind that:

• The demand points are connected based on the order in which they are placed on
the map.

• The spacing between structures determines the grouping of items in the network.

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Generate Addresses for Demand Points

While placing new demand points, the ADDRESS GENERATION dialog box displays.

6 Populate addresses into the demand points.

The fields in the ADDRESS section provide a way to build a plot ID value (street address)
such as NE 101 MAIN STREET. In this example, NE is the Prefix, 101 is the value and Main
St is the suffix. If you want to continue placing houses up the street, you can enter an
INCREMENT value. If the increment is set to 2, the next house is NE 103 MAIN ST; then NE
105 MAIN ST, and so on. This enables you to place all houses on the street and have the
plot ID value automatically filled as you go rather than having to enter it in each time.
Each time a structure is placed, the increment is added to the current value field in
preparation for the next structure placement.

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Provide Demand Point Information for Complex

Structures
While placing complex models, the COMPLEX STRUCTURE dialog box displays.

7 Populate the following information for the demand point:

• PLOT ID and ADDRESS. Type in the ID and address of the demand point.

• UNITS. Defines the structure units or floors to place inside the structure. Click the
MODEL SELECTOR tool to pick the floor model to use as well as the number of floors
that will be placed. You can also designate the type of cabling for each floor and the
sub-plot ID or address of each floor.

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• MODEL SELECTION:

• SERVICE TYPE. Use the pulldown menu to select the service type.

• MODEL AND SERVING POINT DEFINITION. Click the MODEL SELECTOR tool to pick a sub-
unit model to place inside each of the floors. Key in the number of sub-units
that will be placed on each floor and the demand at each sub-unit.

• OBJECT TYPE. Use the pulldown menu to select the transmedia rule set to be
used.

• SERVING POINT LOCATION AND TYPE. Select the serving point (inferred node) that
will provide service to each sub-unit.

• CLEAR VALUES. Once you enter settings, they are saved and automatically
display the next time the dialog box is opened. If you do not want to use the
values, click CLEAR VALUES to empty the value fields.

When placing complex models as demand points, note the following:

• All floors are generated the same. For example, if you have a ten-story building
and the top floor only has one sub-unit on it but the rest have five sub-units, you
must define all ten stories to have five sub-units using the wizard. You can then
manually edit the top floor and remove the extra units.

• Only the parent structure is displayed on the map for a complex model.

• All the floors and sub-units are internal to the complex model and are not
displayed.

• To apply the rule sets, inferred nodes are generated and associated to the sub-
units to model the connections of cable and duct internal to the structure.

• Scaling for the internal spans and transmedia cable lengths is not accurate. It
merely provides a means for end-to-end connectivity from the sub-unit to the
outside of the structure.

• You can define each floor unit to have both narrowband and wideband sub-units.

• No shared category sub-units are allowed. You cannot place one sub-unit model
and have it contain both narrowband and wideband service; you must place two
separate sub-units with one being narrowband and the other wideband.

• Floors have an internal service point.

• Inferred nodes are placed by Design Assistant to represent structure units inside
the building.

• A complex structure is represented as an external serving point.

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When you have finished, click OK to save your edits and close this dialog box.

8 If you have not already done so, set the following attributes for the placed structure
models:

a Click the MASS ATTRIBUTE EDITOR to set the attributes of all placed structures.

b Assign the following attributes:

• Network category (use the pulldown menu to set the category)

• Network type (select CUSTOM DEMAND)

• Point status (use the pulldown menu to select NEW)

• Demand point

• Transmedia demand

9 Select UPDATE ALL to update attributes for all demand point structures you placed. Save
your edits and close the ATTRIBUTE EDITOR dialog box.

Figure 4-1 Demand Point Structures in Place on Map

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Select Existing Demand Points (Optional)

10 Click SELECT FEATURES on the Network Engineer toolbar and select placed demand
points. The additional demand points are added to the demand point list for analysis.

11 Click MASS ATTRIBUTE EDITOR to set the following attributes for all placed structures if
you have not already done so:

• Network category (use the pulldown menu to set the category)

• Network type (select CUSTOM DEMAND)

• Point status (use the pulldown menu to select NEW)

• Demand point

• Transmedia demand

12 Select UPDATE ALL to update attributes for all demand points you placed.

13 Save your edits and close the ATTRIBUTE EDITOR dialog box.

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Select Starting Point

14 Select STARTING POINT. The SELECT STARTING EQUIPMENT/PORT RANGES dialog box displays.

15 Click SELECT FEATURES and highlight the equipment you want to use.

-or-

If you have not yet placed the equipment, click the MODEL SELECTOR button to select the
equipment and place it on the map. Then return to this dialog box and click SELECT
FEATURES.

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16 Set the following options:

• SELECTION TYPE:

• SELECT PORT. Select a single port.

• SELECT PORT RANGE. Use the SHIFT+ or CTRL+ keys to select a range of ports. The
range of ports MUST be at least equal to or greater than the required demand;
otherwise, you cannot continue.

• DEMAND INFORMATION. The DEMAND REQUIRED field is automatically populated based on

previous demand point settings. The TOTAL PORTS and AVAILABLE PORTS values are
based on the port selection type.

• NETWORK INFORMATION. Use the NETWORK LOCATION, CATEGORY and TYPE pulldown
menus to select the correct values for those fields.

Once the network information has been entered for the selected port(s), the OK button
is enabled.

17 Click OK to continue.

Place Route Lines

Route line models identified in the wizard builder are loaded on the MODEL SELECTOR palette
and placed in the MODELS table of contents.

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18 Use the required models to place a new route line. Each route line represents a potential
path in the network that will be generated.

The rules for placing route lines are:

• Route lines must touch the equipment starting point.

• Route lines must be inter-connected.

• Route lines must have an endpoint.

Important: Accuracy of the network creation depends on how accurately you place the
route lines. For example, if you need a specific distance in the network, that distance
must be set up by the route lines.

All route lines must be broken at intersection points. Any two route lines that cross each
other but are not broken at the intersection point are treated as independent lines.
Likewise, any route line that ends on top of another route line, but not at an intersection
point, is considered independent.

Figure 4-2 Route Lines Representing Potential Network Path Determined by Design
Assistant

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Using the Span to Route Line Tool

When you are placing route lines, the SPAN TO ROUTE LINE tool is available in the DESIGN
ASSISTANT toolbar. You can select an existing span with this tool and place a route line along
the path of the selected span. Follow the steps below to use this tool.

19 Select spans on the map.

20 Click the SPAN TO ROUTE LINE button on the wizard toolbar. The SPAN TO ROUTE LINE
dialog box opens with the selected spans listed.

21 Select a route line model to place along the path of the selected span.

22 Click APPLY. A new route line will be generated using the points from the existing span.

23 Check the ASSOCIATE SPAN CATEGORY/TYPE TO SELECTED ROUTE LINE option to associate the
route line model chosen for all similar spans in the list after the first one has been
defined. If this option is not selected, you must define a route line model for each span
in the list separately.

Design Assistant Determines Serving Point

Locations (Applies Serving Point Rule Sets)
24 Design Assistant uses the route path, demand point locations, and rule set information
to determine the proper placement of serving point objects. A serving point object is a
holding point (also referred to as an inferred node) that will eventually be a piece of
equipment supplying connectivity to the demand points.

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Figure 4-3 Serving Point Locations Placed Along Route Lines Determined by Design
Assistant

25 When determining serving point locations, Design Assistant creates groupings of

demand points to be served by a single serving point. Design Assistant tries to create
smaller groups.

Edit Serving Points (Optional)

26 Select serving points on the map using the SELECT FEATURES tool. The SERVING POINT
GROUPS dialog box displays showing the selected network category type.

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Dialog box elements include:

Element Description

Removes an underlying demand point from an INFERRED_NODE in

the tree view. Any demand points that are removed are placed
under the UNCONNECTED DEMAND POINTS node.
Selects demand locations from map. Click this button and then
expand the tree view. As you select the structure on each node, the
corresponding structure highlights on the map. Select the inferred
node from the tree view, click this command and select demand
point on the map to change the serving point associations.
Highlights the serving point item(s) on the map based on what is
selected in the dialog box tree view. If an INFERRED_NODE is
currently selected in the tree view, all of the serving points
associated to the INFERRED_NODE are highlighted. If a single
demand point is selected in the tree view, then only the serving
point associated to the demand point is highlighted.
Zooms to serving point areas. Zooms the map display to the serving
point associated to the item selected in the tree view. Click the BACK
button on the NETWORK ENGINEER toolbar to return to the previous
map view.
Selects features. Highlights the item(s) on the map based on what
is selected in the dialog box treeview. If an INFERRED_NODE is
currently selected in the tree view, all of the features associated to
the INFERRED_NODE are highlighted. If a single item is selected in
the tree view, then only features associated to the item are
highlighted.
Deselects features. Removes all selected items on the map.

Finds items in the tree view. Select a feature on your map and then
click this button to highlight the selected feature in the tree view.
CHANGE You can drag demand points from one INFERRED_NODE to another
RELATIONSHIPS to change the relationships between the items. You can change
which nodes supply the demand to the indicated demand points set
by the Design Assistant software.
Using your cursor, select an item in the tree view and drag it to the
desired location. You can also change the group of items to which it
serves. All changed nodes are highlighted in red.

27 Click APPLY to make your changes and then close the dialog box.

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Provide Information about Edits

If your administrator turned on the Auditing feature for the wizard, the NE DESIGN ASSISTANT
EDITS dialog box below displays whenever you make any edits.

28 Key in the reason and a brief explanation for the edit.

29 Click OK to continue.

Design Assistant Determines Supply Network

(Applies Serving Point Rule Sets)
30 Once serving points are generated and the association to the demand point is defined,
Design Assistant uses the route information from the Serving Point rule set to place
route lines from the serving point to the demand points. New route lines may be placed
for connecting the serving points to the demand points.

Figure 4-4 Route Lines from Serving Point to Each Structure Demand Point Placed by
Design Assistant

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Edit the Supply Network (Optional)

31 Manually change the route lines comprising the provide network path or supply network
path.

Note: If your administrator turned on the Auditing feature for the wizard, the NE Design
Assistant Edits dialog box below displays whenever you make any edits.

Design Assistant Determines Network Loading

32 Design Assistant analyzes the loading on each route to determine the best route
through the network. This route determination is based on the shortest path to connect
the provide point to the serving points.

Design Assistant Creates Span Network (Applies

Route Rule Sets)
33 Design Assistant places the remaining spans and structures. Each route line’s type
indicates which rule set is to be applied. The route is analyzed for proper structure
placement and span location. The order of placement for span structures is:

a Corner structures

b End structures

c Terminating structures

d Intersecting structures

e Mid-span structure

34 The following attributes will be applied:

• Max Span Distance. If the route line is longer than the maximum span distance,
the route line is broken and the mid-span structure model is placed. If the route
line is longer than the maximum span distance, the location of the mid-span
structures are evenly spaced along the route line. If optimization is enabled,
Design Assistant then attempts to minimize the number of splices.

• Span Model. For each route line found, a span is created using the available span
model type.

• Span Unit Model. Places any additional span units.

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• Terminating Point Structure. Placed at locations of demand. Generally these are

serving point and customer demand locations.

• Mid-Span Structure Model. If the route line exceeds the Max Span Distance, then
the first structure indicated is placed. The wizard can also be set to minimize
splices on long span runs. It looks at the maximum transmedia length and adjusts
spacing to remove splices along a path.

• Intersection Structure Model. If the route line has an intersection (three or more
spans), the first structure model listed is placed.

• End Structure Model. Placed at locations of changes from one class/category/type

of route line to another class/category/type route line.

• Corner Structure Model. If the route line has any corners in it that is less than the
Corner Angle value, the first structure listed is placed.

• Corner Angle. Angle used to determine if a Corner Structure Model should be

placed.

Figure 4-5 Required Spans and Other Structure Models Placed by Design Assistant

Mid-span Structure

Span

Corner Structure

Edit Structures and Spans (Optional)

You can modify spans and structures created in the previous process to create the final
layout.

35 Use the TELCO menu > REPLACE command to replace multiple models. See Network
Engineer Online Help for information on using the REPLACE function. If Auditing is enabled
for the wizard, an EDITS dialog box displays for you to type in a brief explanation for any
change(s).

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Design Assistant Creates the Transmedia Network

36 Splice closures are placed at locations along the supply network.

37 Transmedia cables are placed in spans along the supply network.

The provide and supply networks determine the best possible route for the transmedia
and spans that have been generated along that route. Along with the span, a calculated
demand for each span segment is used for the number of pairs or fibers needed to
satisfy the demand in the plan. Using the demand along the segment and the list of
possible transmedia options from the transmedia rule set, a transmedia cable that has
sufficient capacity is selected.

Figure 4-6 Splice Closures

Associate Transmedia to Span Units (Optional)

38 Newly-created transmedia is assigned to a span or span unit. Span units are generated
as needed. The assignments are done based on the transmedia fitting inside of the
span/span unit. This fit is based on diameter.

Design Assistant Sizes Structures (Optional)

39 All structures are sized to make sure the enclosed equipment and other inside
structures can fit.

Design Assistant Applies Service Rule Sets

40 Design Assistant resets the point status values for items in the work order.

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Finish!
41 The network design has been completed.

Figure 4-7 Network Completed Using Design Assistant Wizard

42 Validate your data and save your edits.

-or-

If you have not closed or saved the current work order session, you can remove the
network and start again; or step back through the wizard to undo edits and re-start.

Note: Once you save your edits or close the work order session, you cannot undo changes
through the Design Assistant wizard.

You can continue working to create other networks within the work order.

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Tracing a Design Assistant Network

To evaluate your network, you can perform a trace to see pairs in a selected cable, or ports
on an equipment. The trace provides a list of features in each path, as well as a count of
features, path length, and attenuation loss. You can also display a report of traced features in
your web browser.

The steps below outline the process of using the Network Engineer Trace command.

1 Select the starting equipment of the network.

2 Select TELCO menu > TRACE NETWORK command. The system displays the TRACE NETWORK
dialog box.

3 Use the pulldown menu to select DOWNSTREAM as the direction for the trace.

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4 Click the TRACE CONFIGURATION button to have a connection status included in the
trace. The TRACE CONFIGURATION dialog box displays.

5 Select one or more connection statuses and set additional options as desired. Click the
CLOSE button to dismiss the TRACE CONFIGURATION dialog box.

6 Select the starting equipment from the SOURCE pulldown menu on the TRACE NETWORK
dialog box.

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7 Click OK to accept your changes and dismiss the TRACE NETWORK dialog box. The system
displays the BROWSE TRACE dialog box.

Initially, only the BRANCHES tree view is populated.

8 Select an item in the BRANCHES tree view to view its features in the TRACED FEATURES grid
and enable any commands.

9 Select REPORT if you need to display the NETWORK ENGINEER TRACE REPORT after the
command executes.

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Glossary

Complex Models
Complex models are structure-class models like MDUs (multiple dwelling units) and MBUs
(multiple business unit) that can be comprised of equipment and/or structure unit models.

Direct/Aerial Policy
Policy that applies a straight-line for the route from serving point to demand point. This is
typically used for a direct feed either via underground or aerial.

Extended Equipment Definition

An NE Toolbox tool used to add chassis and structure units (i.e., racks) to equipment models
created in Model Builder.

Network Category
A network category defines the type of network to be created.

Rider Policy
Policy that runs routes parallel to existing route lines with a perpendicular route to the
demand point.

Route Rule Set

Route rule sets define allowable spans and structures that can be placed.

Rule Set
Rule sets represent your company’s specific policies, procedures and network requirements.
Defined networks and rule sets enable you to use the Design Assistant to meet many
different scenarios.

Service Rule Set

Service rule sets define the maximum line loss values for a specific network category. It is
used to identify portions of the route that exceed the line loss threshold.

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Serving Point Rule Set

Serving point rule sets control where serving points are created. The serving point is an
intermediate node between provide points and demand points to maximize network
efficiency by optimizing the location.

Snap Policy
Policy that runs routes perpendicular to existing route lines.

Trace Route Policy

Policy that applies a route to existing route lines and does not deviate from those lines. This
can be used for explicit networking from serving point to demand point.

Transmedia Rule Set

Transmedia rule sets define allowable equipment, splices, and transmedia (cables) that can
be placed between two object types.

Weighting
Weighting is a relative prioritization of models and is used to determine the order of
placement in a Design Assistant-generated network.

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Index

A rule set 77
rule sets 48, 58
adding
sample rule set 67
attributes to rule sets 73, 77
service rule set 67
domains 73
service rule set samples 72
equipment models 50
serving point
network categories 57
rule set attributes 59
network types 56
serving point rule set samples 68
rule sets 87
span unit 46
task types 99
structures 47
address generation - complex structure dia-
transmedia 46
log box 157
rule set attributes 64
address generation dialog box 156
transmedia rule set samples 69
addresses
audit trails
generating for demand points 156
prompting user for 114, 122
associating
COM components to task types 99
B
route line inventory objects to rule sets
route line inventory objects building
associating to rule sets 96 wizards 48, 103
transmedia to span units 170
transmedia to span units automatically C
112, 120
categories
transmedia to spans automatically 112,
networks 48, 52, 53, 57, 58
120
changing
associations
network descriptions 55
removing 96
network names 55
attributes
checks for validation 83
adding to rule sets 73, 77
editing in rule sets 79 classes
removing from rule sets 80 design assistant features 37
route rule set 66 COM components
route rule set samples 71 associating to task types 99

Telcordia Technologies Inc. 177

 removing 101 demand points
COM objects allowing planners to place new 106, 116
creating 73 allowing planners to use existing 107, 116
INEDAIdentification 97 display address dialog to planners during
placement 112, 120
INEDATask 97
generating addresses for 156
complex models 44
identifying 155
creating 44
placing 155
complex structures providing for complex structures 157
providing demand points for 157 selecting existing 160
components descriptions
design assistant 32 networks 55
configuring design assistant
design assistant 32, 39 applying service rule sets 170
copying components 32
rule sets 89 concepts 31
wizards 114 configuring 32, 39
creating 44 creating span networks 168
attribute COM object 73 creating transmedia networks 170
design assistant models 42 determining network loading 168
models 73 determining serving point locations 164
networks 154 determining supply network 167
new wizards 105 displaying toolbar in NE 149
domains 73
D feature classes 37
getting started 37
database installing 17, 19
updating 22
loading the dataset in NE 148
upgrade utility 26
models 44
defining 48, 58, 97 rule sets 39
extended equipment 48, 49 sample rule sets 41
network categories 48, 52 security 41
network types 48, 52 sizing structures 170
rule sets 48 tools 48, 49
tasks 48, 97 tracing networks created by 172
deleting upgrading 17
rule sets 91 using in NE 147, 148
wizards 123 wizard 33

178 Telcordia Technologies Inc.

 workflow 32, 48 equipment after placement 112, 120
design assistant edits dialog box 167 rule set attributes 79
rule sets 90
design assistant issues dialog box 150
serving points 165
dialog boxes
serving points after placement 112, 120
address generation 156
spans 169
address generation - complex structure
spans after placement 112, 120
157
structures 169
design assistant edits 167
structures after placement 112, 120
design assistant issues 150
supply networks 168
extended equipment definition 50
transmedia after placement 112, 120
model priorities 88
network category/type definition 54, 55, edits
56, 57 providing information about 167
network engineer design assistant 154 saving in NE 153
rule set attributes 76, 78, 79, 81 equipment
rule set definition 82, 90, 92 adding models 50
rule set mapping 95 allowing planners to edit after placement
select starting equipment/port ranges 161 112, 120
serving point groups 165 defining 48, 49
span to route line 164 extending 50
task definition 98, 99 modifying models 50
task type definition 100 removing definitions 52
wizard builder 104 errors
wizard/rule set 127 resolving 150
wizard/rule set export 93
exporting
wizard/rule set import 125
rule sets 93
wizard/rule set validation 86, 129, 131
wizards 126
displaying
extended equipment
address dialog when placing demand points
defining 48, 49
112, 120
design assistant toolbar in NE 149 extended equipment definition dialog box 50

domains extended equipment definition tool

adding 73 prerequisites 49
summary 48
E using 49
extending
editing
equipment 50

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F INEDAIdentification COM object 97
INEDATask COM object 97
features
classes 37 inferred route lines
allowing planners to move after placement
figures
112, 120
demand point structures in place on map
159 installing
design assistant components and basic design assistant 17, 19
workflow 32 inventory objects
example validation report 83 route lines 96
generated networks 36 using in NE 147
network completed using design assistant
wizard 171
network tier types 35
L
required spans and other structure models line loss rule sets
placed by design assistant 169 making available to planners 111, 119
route lines from serving point to each
loading
structure demand point placed by design
assistant 167 design assistant dataset in NE 148
route lines representing potential network
path determined by design assistant 163 M
serving point locations placed along route
mapping 48
lines determined by design assistant 165
splice closures 170 maps
three-tier solution 34 allowing planners to import 106, 115
importing 155
G minimizing
splices 112, 120
generate networks 36
model priorities
generating
dialog boxes 88
addresses for demand points 156
modelling
getting started 148
optimizing 46
models
I
adding for equipment 50
identifying complex 44
demand points 155 creating 73
importing design assistant 44
maps 106, 115, 155 equipment 43
rule sets 92 expanding 50
wizards 124 modifying for equipment 50

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 optimizing 46 categories 48, 52, 53
required 42 creating 154
requirements 43 descriptions 55
samples 43 determining loading 168
span units 43 editing supply 168
spans 43 generated 36
splice closures 44 names 55
structures 43 provide 36
transmedia 44 removing categories 58
modifying removing types 58
equipment models 50 supply 37
wizards 122 tier types 35, 52
tiers 34
moving
tracing 172
inferred route lines after placement 112,
120 types 48, 52
new wizards
N creating 105

names
networks 55
O
naming opening 76
wizards 105, 115 network category/type definition tool 54
rule set attribute definition tool 76
NE toolbar
rule set definition tool 81
elements 149
rule set mapping tool 95
network category type definition dialog box
task definition tool 98
54, 55, 56, 57
wizard builder tool 104
network category/type definition tool
optimizing
opening 54
modelling 46
prerequisites 53
structure locations 112, 120
summary 48
using 52
P
network engineer design assistant dialog box
154 placing
network loading demand point 155
determined by design assistant 168 new demand points 106, 116

networks new route lines 108, 117

adding categories 57 route lines 162, 164

adding types 56 planners

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 allowing to edit equipment after placement information about edits 167
112, 120
allowing to edit serving points after place- R
ment 112, 120
allowing to edit spans after placement 112, removing
120 associations 96
allowing to edit structures after placement COM components 101
112, 120 equipment definitions 52
allowing to edit transmedia after placement network categories 58
112, 120
network types 58
allowing to import maps 106, 115
rule set attributes 80
allowing to move inferred route lines after
placement 112, 120 task types 102

allowing to place new demand points 106, reports

116 validation 83
allowing to place new route lines 108, 117 requirements
allowing to use existing demand points design assistant models 42
107, 116
models 43
displaying address location dialog to when
placing demand points 112, 120 resolving
making line loss rule sets available for 111, errors 150
119 restarting
making serving point rule sets available for wizards 151
109, 117
route
making transmedia rule sets available for
110, 118 rule set attributes 66
tracking edits 114, 122 rule set validations 84

prerequisites rule sets 40

network category/type definition tool 53 sample rule set attributes 71

rule set definition tool 81 route lines

rule set mapping tool 94 allowing planners to place new 108, 117
task definition tool 97 inventory objects 96
wizard builder tool 103 placing 162

processes routes
tracking 114, 122 placing lines 164

provide rule set

networks 36 attributes 77

providing rule set attribute definition tool 76

complex structure demand point informa- dialog box elements 76
tion 157 summary 48

182 Telcordia Technologies Inc.

 using 58 exporting 93
rule set attributes 48, 58 importing 92
route 66 mapping 48
route samples 71 removing attributes 80
samples 67 route 40, 84
service 67 samples 41
service samples 72 service 41, 85
serving point 59 serving point 40, 83
serving point samples 68 transmedia 40, 84
transmedia 64 types 39
transmedia samples 69 validating 82, 128, 129
validating all 131
rule set attributes dialog box 76, 78, 79, 81
validation checks 128
rule set definition
dialog box elements 82
S
rule set definition dialog box 90, 92
samples
rule set definition tool
models 43
opening 81
rule set attributes 67
prerequisites 81
rule sets 41
summary 48
wizards 132
rule set mapping
saving
dialog box elements 95
edits made with wizards 153
rule set mapping dialog box 95
security 41
rule set mapping tool
select starting equipment/port ranges dialog
opening 95 box 161
prerequisites 94
selecting
summary 48
existing demand points 160
rule sets 39, 48, 83, 85 line loss rule sets for wizards 111, 119
adding 87 serving point rule sets for wizards 109, 117
adding attributes 73, 77 starting point 161
associating route lines inventory objects 96 starting point for wizards 150
attributes 48, 58 transmedia rule sets for wizards 110, 118
copying 89
service
defining 48
applying rule sets 170
deleting 91
rule set attributes 67
editing 90
rule set validations 85
editing attributes 79
rule sets 41

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 sample rule set attributes 72 splice closures
serving point models 44
rule set attributes 59 splices
rule set validations 83 minimizing 112, 120
rule sets 40 starting point
sample rule set attributes 68 selecting 161
serving point groups stopping
dialog box elements 166 wizards 151
serving point groups dialog box 165 structures
serving point rule sets allowing planners to edit after placement
making available to planners 109, 117 112, 120
attributes 47
serving points
editing 169
allowing planners to edit after placement
112, 120 equipment 43
applying rule sets 164 models 43
editing 165 optimizing locations 112, 120
locations determined by design assistant sized by design assistant 170
164 sizing 47, 170
sizing sizing automatically 112, 120
span units 46 span units 43
structures 47 transmedia 44
structures automatically 112, 120 supply
transmedia 46 networks 37
span networks supply networks
applying rule sets 168 applying rule sets 167
created by design assistant 168 determined by design assistant 167
span to route line dialog box 164 editing 168

span unit
attributes 46 T
span units tables
associating transmedia with 170 default task types provided with design as-
sistant 99
sizing for spans 46
required attribute definitions for models
spans used in a network 46
allowing planners to edit after placement sample route rule sets, attributes, and de-
112, 120 fault values 71
editing 169 sample service rule sets, attributes, and
models 43 default values 72

184 Telcordia Technologies Inc.

 sample serving point rule sets, attributes, rule set definition 48
and default values 68 rule set mapping 48
sample transmedia rule sets, attributes, summary 48
and default values 69
task definition 48, 97
task definition dialog box 98 wizard builder 48, 103
task definition tool tracing
dialog box elements 99 networks 172
opening 98
tracking
prerequisites 97
processes 114, 122
summary 48
transmedia
using 97
allowing planners to edit after placement
task type definition dialog box 100 112, 120
task types associating to span units 170
adding 99 associating to span units automatically
associated COM components with 99 112, 120
default 99 associating to spans automatically 112, 120
removing 102 attributes 46
rule set attributes 64
tasks 48, 97
rule set validations 84
adding types 99
rule sets 40
associating types with COM components 99
sample rule set attributes 69
default types 99
sizing for span units 46
removing types 102
transmedia networks
three-tier network 34
created by design assistant 170
tiers
creating 170
networks 34, 52
transmedia rule sets
types 35
making available to planners 110, 118
tool summary 48
troubleshooting 150
toolbars
dialog box elements 151
design assistant in NE 149
types
toolbox
network tiers 35
design assistant tools 49
networks 48, 52, 56, 58
tools rule sets 39
displaying 49
extended equipment definition 48, 49 U
network category/type definition 48, 52
rule set attribute definition 48, 58 updating
database 22

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upgrading allowing planners to edit equipment after
design assistant 17, 19 placement 112, 120
allowing planners to edit serving points af-
using
ter placement 112, 120
design assistant in NE 147, 148
allowing planners to edit spans after place-
existing demand points 107, 116 ment 112, 120
existing inventory objects in NE 147 allowing planners to edit structures after
utilities placement 112, 120
database upgrade 26 allowing planners to edit transmedia after
placement 112, 120
allowing planners to import maps 106, 115
V
allowing planners to move inferred route
validating 85 lines after placement 112, 120
all rule sets 131 allowing planners to place new demand
all wizards 131 points 106, 116
checks for rule sets 83, 128 allowing planners to place new route lines
108, 117
checks for wizards 128
allowing planners to use existing demand
route rules sets 84 points 107, 116
rule sets 82, 85, 128, 129 associating transmedia to span units auto-
service rules sets 85 matically 112, 120
serving point rules sets 83 associating transmedia to spans automati-
transmedia rules sets 84 cally 112, 120
wizards 128, 129 automatically sizing structures 112, 120
building 48, 103
W copying 114
deleting 123
wizard
displaying address dialog to planners when
design assistant 33 placing demand points 112, 120
wizard builder dialog box 104 exporting 126
wizard builder tool importing 124
opening 104 minimizing splices 112, 120
prerequisites 103 modifying 122
summary 48 naming 105, 115
using 103 optimizing structure locations 112, 120
providing description 105, 115
wizard/rule set export dialog box 93, 127
restarting 151
wizard/rule set import dialog box 125
sample 132
wizard/rule set validation dialog box 86, 129, saving edits 153
131
selecting line loss rule sets for planners
wizards 111, 119

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 selecting serving point rule sets for plan- tracking processes 114, 122
ners 109, 117 validating 128, 129
selecting starting points 150 validating all 131
selecting transmedia rule sets for planners validation checks 128
110, 118
workflow 154
stopping 151
workflow 32, 48

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188 Telcordia Technologies Inc.