Service providers have long desired a means by which they can automate many of the processes associated with frame configuration and management. By alleviating many of the manual processes listed, they could improve the accuracy of copper management while significantly saving on operational expenditures.

However, for copper automation to be implemented in a distribution frame, there are many requirements that must be met. These generally include the following:

• Any-to-Any Non-Blocking Connectivity: The ability to switch any facility pair to any equipment pair regardless of existing connections or port utilization in the system. ("Blocking" refers to an instance when a connection cannot be made between a facility pair and a specific equipment pair.) With any-to-any switching, OSS components that are making provisioning assignments or fault-management decisions have the appropriate assurance that is required to do their respective functions successfully.

• Scalability: Telephone exchanges vary greatly in size. Whereas a smaller, rural exchange may only serve a few thousand subscribers, a larger urban exchange may terminate a couple hundred thousand copper pairs. An automated distribution frame technology must cost-effectively scale to meet these different size requirements.

• Reliability: As the distribution frame is the lifeline for telco services, the product must adhere to the most stringent physical and environmental requirements outlined by service providers today, including network equipment building standards (NEBS) level 3. For practical usage, an automated distribution frame must provide an extremely high degree of confidence that connections are made correctly upon request. In addition, as the distribution frame is an essential component to providing connectivity to millions of subscribers, it must have an extremely low failure rate and long life expectancy.

• OSS Integration: An automated distribution frame must be closely integrated with service activation, inventory, and workflow systems so that cross-connects can automatically take place as part of an end-to-end software-driven process flow. In addition, by tying in the distribution frame with existing fault-management systems, problems can be proactively isolated and rapidly resolved with minimum human intervention.

• Automated Connection Verification and Ongoing Testing: The ability to remotely connect any line terminating on the frame to a testing system to verify that connections were made correctly and are working properly. This testing system can be used to assist with service provisioning, fault isolation, and ongoing monitoring of the circuit.