s. Further, management procedures used in traditional local area networks (LANs) allowing resource sharing are not sufficient for man- aging very high-speed virtual channel connections, which does not bode well for the future. Finally, ATM administration must address implications of multimedia net- works carrying voice, data, video and audio. Tasks related to ATM management are complicated by the complex and hetero- geneous nature of the networking environment. In fact, most current networks com- prise diverse equipment from different vendors, and new technologies and services add to the complexity of the network. Therefore, ATM management applications must support the complex procedures imposed by ATM technology, while at the same time being suited to composite networks. Note that heterogeneity issues do 2 For example, see Tim Greene's Network World article that appeared in my email Inbox on 5 September 2002: "ATM still rules the core". K. Misra et al. (eds.), OSS for Telecom Networks © Springer-Verlag London Limited 2004 OSS for Telecom Networks arise in purely ATM networks, from differences in implementations of ATM tech- nology in equipment from different vendors. The Network Management Working Group of the ATM Forum has developed a structured approach to managing ATM networks in a layered model. This model is designed for both public and private networks, and it includes interfaces to: Simple Network Management Protocol (SNMP) Common Management Information Protocol (CMIP) Proprietary management systems. The model also allows for distribution of management information over ATM networks through Operations and Maintenance (O&M) cells. Several other manage- ment models have been independently proposed as potential solutions for inte- grated management, most notably the TMN model. Vendor independent network management is an ongoing goal of the OSS comm- munity. "Vendor independence" refers to independence from which telecom network hardware is implemented by a carrier. An OSS should have the same functionality re