ss of life. So the change in status would trigger actions corresponding to the new state. Preprovisioning: A set of parameters needs to be set during provisioning. Effective decision on the parameters to set can be obtained by trend analysis of the network element. This would aid in determining parameters for provi- sioning and is termed as preprovisioning. Configuration management (CM) involves continuous tracking of critical attri- butes of the network elements and a successful initialization only marks the start- ing point for CM. 3.4 Accounting Management Accounting management involves identification of cost to the service provider and payment due for the customer. Accounts being calculated based on service subscribed or network usage. In accounting, a mediation agent collects usage records from the network ele- ments and forwards the call records to a rating engine (see Figure 3.2). The rating engine applies pricing rules to a given transaction, and route the rated transaction to the appropriate billing/settlement system. This is different from customer account ITU-T FCAPS Billing, customer care, settlement, Rating engine CDR, XDR, IPDR Mediation Network Figure 3.2 Accounting data flow. management. (Any customer is represented in the billing system as an account. One account can have only one customer.) Accounting management can be split into the following functions: Track service and underlying resource usage: The mediation agent collects data from NEs, which is used to determine charges to customer accounts. Account data processing must be carried out in near real-time for a large number of cus- tomers. On the data collected by the mediation agent, a tariff is applied based on the service level agreement the customer has with the service provider. Tariff: The tariff or rating of usage is also part of accounting. This involves applying the correct rating rules to usage data on a per customer basis and then applying discounts, rebates, or charges as specified in the service level agreement. Usage restriction