turer of the equipment in the database. The analysis functions would include tools for manipulation, optimization, and allocation. When a fault occurs, based on the loca- tion of an inventory the nearest technician can be allocated to service the equipment and fix the fault. This helps for better work allocation and in meeting service level agreements offered to the customer. The reporting functions provide a detailed view or report of the inventory and also would include customized functions for generat- ing a report on inventory based on location, type, number of services, and SO on. Having a network management system helps to monitor the network, but an inventory management system is required for planning, design, and life cycle management capabilities of elements in the network. The auto discovery process triggered at an element management system identifies the resources in the network. The updated resource information is then synchronized with the inventory man- agement system. This information should be available in a central repository with easy user access that provides the ability to access up-to-date network information required for high-reliability environments. In addition to taking feed from lower layers, the inventory management system also gives feed to upper layers. For example, it gives feed to a trouble ticketing Fundamentals of EMS, NMS and OSS/BSS system that allows device specific alarm information to be provided, as a part of the dispatch process, to a network engineer for trouble resolution. This in turn reduces the mean time to repair (MTTR). Some of the operations involved in inventory management need support from the element management system. Let us consider the EMS functionalities involved in inventory management: Auto discovery to update dynamic status of the resources when it is put to use in the network. Audit, at regular intervals, of network resources and synchronization of data with the inventory management system. Update on attribute or type of a resource after a software or pat