New network management software from Rohde & Schwarz provides network operators with a simple solution that gives them a central overview of overall transmitter operation across sites. The R&S TS4570 monitors all transmitters and monitoring equipment via an SNMP interface and graphically displays them on a computer. Disturbances are immediately detectable on-screen, allowing network operators to respond promptly to eliminate a fault. As a result, transmitter failures can either be prevented or their consequences significantly reduced. Also, the R&S TS4570 software makes it unnecessary to program complex individual solutions that up to now have been essential to network management.

The R&S TS4570 network management software is suitable for high-power transmitter sites, small transmitter sites, cable headends and satellite uplink sites. The software can be installed on a commercially available, industrial computer and perform all the operations of a multiplex controller at a transmitter site. The network management software can also integrate numerous transmitter sites, including an entire nationwide broadcast network, into the monitoring system.

Data is packetized and sent to the central network monitoring location, often quite remote from the individual sites, where it is graphically displayed on a PC. Users can configure the display parameters in many ways. Different monitoring scenarios can be shown in a single graphic: a single transmitter site, several transmitter sites or a combination of both views, for example.

If a device at one of the transmitter sites fails, the event is immediately displayed on the monitor, allowing network operators to respond right away. A browser-based interface, block diagrams and event displays make it easy for users to maintain a comprehensive overview. Intuitively operable, the interface requires no special programming skills, which makes the network operator independent of external service providers.