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Network categories

A network category is a tag used to represent a characteristic of an asset in a network. It is created and assigned to network features for specific asset group and asset type combinations.

Every utility network model includes a set of system-provided network categories that incorporate semantics in the utility network for subnetwork management, circuit management, and tracing operations. These system-provided network categories cannot be deleted from the utility network; you can decide whether you want to assign them to assets in your network.

You can create additional user-defined network categories (for example, protective) for a utility network and assign them to network features at the asset group and asset type levels. There is no limit to the number of categories that you can set for each asset group and asset type combination.

User-defined network categories are created using the Add Network Category tool. Use the Set Network Category tool to assign a user-defined or system-provided category to a network feature at the asset group and asset type levels. All features or objects belonging to that asset type will have the assigned network category.

The system-provided network categories added to a utility network differ depending on whether you are using a traditional or telecom domain network, and they are used by various tools to configure which features are considered, including Update Subnetwork, Export Subnetwork, Verify Circuits, Export Circuits, and Trace.

System-provided categories in a traditional domain network

The system-provided network categories for a traditional domain network are as follows:

  • Subnetwork controller—This network category is required to allow a terminal on a device or junction object feature to be set as a subnetwork controller to define the origin of a subnetwork.

  • Subnetwork tap—This network category is used in tracing to model features that are tapped off a midspan vertex on a line or edge object. Tapped network features allow a network commodity to continue to flow through the feature, without interruption, to the other side of the main line or edge object. Secondary features attached to the tap are influenced by the attribute substitution value defined for the tap.

  • Attribute substitution—This network category is assigned to attributes to indicate that a substitution value for subnetwork tap features is to be used during a trace and is used to identify features with substitutions during attribute propagation.

  • Propagator Resetter—This network category is assigned to features which reset the propagated value during a trace. During attribute propagation, if features with the propagator resetter category are discovered by the trace during an update subnetwork operation, the values from the resetter features become the propagated attribute values.

Subnetworks are a required component of subnetwork management in traditional domain networks, and subnetwork controllers must be set in a network for subnetworks to be used. Propagation and attribute substitution are advanced functionality used in tracing; it is optional to define features with the network attributes of subnetwork tap or attribute substitution.

System-provided categories in a telecom domain network

The system-provided network categories for a telecom domain network are as follows:

  • Circuit Location—This network category is used for circuit management to define the active ports in the network which define the circuit. A feature or object representing an active port (i.e. transceiver) must be assigned the Circuit Location network category to serve as the start or stop location for a circuit or circuit section. A circuit cannot be defined which passes through a port assigned the Circuit Location network category. During the verify circuits operation, a path trace is performed that starts and stops at junctions and junction objects with an asset type assigned this category.

  • Conflict Container—This network category is assigned to container features to indicate the base level (or root) of a containment hierarchy. During reconcile operations, features assigned this category are used to report logical conflicts in a conflict set. Only a single Conflict Container feature can be defined within the same containment hierarchy. This is necessary because logical conflicts are not identified and reported using traditional conflict detection. An example is grouped fibers inside a cable that are divided in different ways between default and a version. The divided fibers would be created as inserts in new rows; however, on reconcile, these would conflict logically at the container level.

  • Mux/Demux—This network category is assigned to multiplexers (MUX) and demultiplexers (DEMUX) to support circuit management and optimize the validate operation to mark circuits as dirty. When junction objects assigned this category are encountered in the trace during validate or with a path or circuit trace, traversals are limited to a single hop and cannot return to another feature with the category before first traversing an edge object. When finding a path during a trace, this prevents traversals within a device from doubling back upon themselves.

  • Connector Junction—This network category is assigned to junction objects to facilitate transition between grouped edge objects and ungrouped junction objects, and to maintain integrity when modeling the network topology and aid transition. Objects assigned this category are generic grouped junction objects that can be shared by multiple edge objects and do not typically represent real-world assets.

  • Splitter—This network category is assigned to splitter ports to support circuit management and optimize the validate operation to mark circuits as dirty. When junction objects assigned this category are encountered in the trace during validate or with a path or circuit trace, traversals are limited to a single hop and cannot return to another feature with the category before first traversing an edge object. When finding a path during a trace, this prevents traversals within a device from doubling back upon themselves.

  • Edge Unit Container—This network category manages unit identifier assignment for Unit Identifiable features within a container's containment hierarchy and supports connectivity inference with path traces. The Max Content Unit ID field on the container constrains the total number of units that can exist on features within the hierarchy. For example, while an individual fiber strand has its own unit ID, the cable containing it controls how many fiber units can exist within it.

    • When used for connectivity inference, features assigned this category specify the point up to which a trace will traverse the containment hierarchy to infer connectivity for content features assigned as Unit Identifiable. This is only valid on asset types that have been assigned the Container association role.

  • Junction Unit Container—This network category is used to manage unit identifiers on grouped objects assigned the Unit Identifiable network category in a container's containment hierarchy and to support connectivity inference with path traces. When used for connectivity inference, features assigned this category specify the point up to which a trace will traverse the containment hierarchy to infer connectivity for content features assigned as Unit Identifiable. This is only valid on asset types that have been assigned the Container association role.

  • Unit Identifiable—This network category is used to support management of unit identifiers on grouped junction objects in unit container features, and to support connectivity inference with path traces. When objects are assigned this category, the unit container feature in the object's containment hierarchy is used to manage units for the object. When used for connectivity inference as part of a path trace, objects with a single connected edge (valence of 1) are considered candidates for traversal.