Creating a Circuit ID Format

Tue Aug 22 07:36:39 UTC 2017

Excerpts from Colton Conor's message of August 21, 2017 10:26 pm:
> We are building a new fiber network, and need help creating a circuit ID
> format to for new fiber circuits. Is there a guide or standard for fiber
> circuit formats? Does the circuit ID change when say a customer upgrades
> for 100Mbps to 1Gbps port?
> 
> What do the larger carriers do? Any advice on creating a circuit ID format
> for a brand new fiber network?
> 
> 
>  Originally we ran a CLEC using a LECs copper, and our circuit ID was
> historically a telephone number for DSL circuits. The ILEC had a complex
> method for assigning circuit IDs.
> 
> I am sure anything will work as long as you keep track of it, but any
> advice would be great!
> 

Hi,

I see you have already received some very good suggestions.

The key for me with circuit IDs are that they have to integrate well in your
backend systems as well as your products. 

There is little point in creating a telcordia-like system if you will have
trouble filling in all the fields in an automated way, just like it can be
troublesome to keep an incrementing number accurate, if you don't have a good
central database to track it in.

Avoid creating a number system where the A-end and B-end is part of the ID
if you have (or ever will have) logical multi-point circuits.

Also avoid having circuit numbers that take assumptions of your country of
operation if you ever have to deliver something cross-border.

I happen to like the format of PREFIX-NUMBERS, where the prefix indicates some
sort of broad type, and with such a form it is important not to have too
restrictive prefix types. For example consider only having Fiber, Copper, and
logical as types, or whatever makes sense in your operation. With too many
similar types comes the risk of having disparity between what your circuit ID
suggests, and what is actually out there.

I would suggest that you keep separate IDs for the actual fiber in the ground,
and the service the customer buys.

That way you can track the customer subscription, modify the parameters of it,
if the customer upgrades his speed, but separately track your fiber deployment.

At a previous employer we had to implement Service IDs on an already existing
network where everything previously had been using only the actual fiber IDs,
and that was a painful process, so it's better to get these things right as
early as possible.

--
Best Regards
Allan Eising
IP Network Engineer
NORDUnet A/S

m: eising at nordu.net
w: http://www.nordu.net