Common Telecom DTD - and TCIF

Subject: Re: Common Telecom DTD

Date: Thu, 22 May 1997 16:46:13 -0700

From: "K. Meusel" <Klaus.Meusel@oen.siemens.de>

Newsgroup: comp.text.sgml


  --------------------------------------------------------------

Per-Ake Ling wrote:
> 
> Per-Ake Ling wrote:
> >
> > Peter Flynn wrote:
> > >
> > > Paul, Madsen wrote:
> > > >
> > > > Hello, does anyone have any information on the Common Telecom DTD (CTD).
> > > >
> > > > I believe it is the European counterpart of the TCIF TIM DTD.
> > >
> > > No, but I'd be very interested to know if you find either of them.
> >
> 
> Since there is a good post from my colleague from Siemens
> (Henning Moeller) regarding CTD and addresses for further info
> about EFTI3, I will here limit myself to forward the answer
> I recieved from Don Pratt in TCIF:
> 
> <!--*Updates, related files, and documentation will be available at:
>        http://www.atis.org/atis/tcif/ipi
>      Additional sites for downloading:
>        ftp://ftp.bellcore.com/pub/world/TCIF (command-line ftp only)
>        ftp://ftp.isogen.com/pub/tcif (accessible with Web browsers)
>      TIM 2 is defined and described in TCIF-IPI-95-004, Issue 2.
>      To order, please contact TCIF, 202-434-8844.*-->
> 
> --
> Per-Åke Ling                    email:  Per-Ake.Ling@uab.ericsson.se
> Ericsson Utvecklings AB         phone:  +46  8 727 5674
> AXE Research and Development    fax:    +46  8 727 3247


 Now, given some entry points to EFTI's CTD and TCIF/IPI's TIM DTD, we
 should try to identify what they (might) have in common and where the
 differences are. As far as I understand it, the DTD's complement each
 other. However, my knowledge about TIM is poor, so please take my
 statements below as "opening shot" & add your comments on the TIM-side.

 As stated in my abstract about the CTD (which has been posted by
Henning,
 because I had problems with the newsreader) the CTD offers both
specific
 contents-based structures for operation and maintenance documentation
 and generic text structures in a scaleable way (-> semantic level,
 granularity, ... ).
 
 A design principle for the contents-based ("semantic") structures and 
 the telecom-specific set of elements within the CTD was to build the
 intersection of structures and elements within different vendor's and
 operator's documents (as far as possible). Therefore, the CTD may be
 regarded as restrictive in these specific parts. On the other hand,
 this approach allows customers/people processing documents which are
 compliant to the CTD to hook in powerfull tools for configuration,
 automatic linking, etc.

 As far as I know, parts of the TIM DTD are very open. Instead of
 building the intersection of structures and elements, it offers the
 union, i.e. offers different optional sub-structures and puts them
 together with "OR"-connections. This approach is open, but restricts
 potential engineering-methods / a further document processing.

 What about the operator requirements concerning TCIF/TIM ? What are
 US customers intending when requesting documentation in compliance
 with the TIM DTD ? 
 If the DTD is just used to exchange turn-key solutions from A to B,
 why is important to have a single DTD ?

 Answers/comments are highly appreciated and would help to find the
 right balance in this trade-off.

 Best regards
 -- KM


 email: Klaus.Meusel@oen.siemns.de