 OSS for Telecom Networks 3. Customizing management services: The configuration service is provided to modify system configuration for optimizing its performance and the network's performance. Through the element configuration user interface, tasks can be preconfigured and the systems which need to be configured can be chosen. The task, saved as an XML file, can be modified and applied to other such systems. Software distribution, upload and download, services assist the network admin- istrator in managing systems inventory. A task can be configured through the GUI for uploading and downloading the software to a TFTP enabled system. The soft- ware may be a new application or an operating system upgrade patch. The authentication service supports the management of user authentication. Through the user administration tool, users can be added and deleted and pass- words assigned and modified. Based on the authentication, users can be allowed to create or execute particular tasks. Using the access control/authorization service, a network administrator can define user privileges for secure management of the systems. 11.2.2 Product Architecture Management applications must get smarter as network infrastructure increases in size, heterogeneity and complexity. End-to-end management and scalability are the order of the day for most OSS functionalities. Configuration management is one such functionality as it is so central to service provisioning and inventory management. The following are some of the key configuration management challenges that must be addressed to achieve end-to-end, scalable management: Support for multiple management interfaces: Although there may be great diver- sity in network elements, the management application should be able to commu- nicate with all devices. Provide a scalable enterprise configuration: When a network reaches a certain size, automation is necessary because it becomes impractical to manage and maintain the configuration information on an element-by-element basis. Automation also red