Modeling telecom systems can pose significant challenges from a data volume perspective. The concept of grouping allows nonspatial objects with shared attribution and topology to be logically grouped together and represented in a telecom domain network using a single row in the database.
When modeling an individual fiber strand in a fiber cable, grouping allows for efficient representation using unit identifiers (or unit IDs) and an extended schema to reduce storage requirements. This approach replaces physical groups of objects with system-maintained attributes, which makes interactions with large numbers of similar objects more intuitive and enhances the modeling of connectivity between equipment with large cardinalities, such as ports and transceivers in a switch or router.
Unit identifiers (or unit IDs) are used to identify all objects (for example, ports or fibers) within a piece of equipment that can be connected. A unit ID is unique for each component of the equipment and is managed at the top of an equipment's containment hierarchy to logically group assets in a nonspatial junction object when its asset type is assigned the Unit Identifiable network category.
For example, a 96-strand fiber cable is represented in the first image below (with 193 records) as one line feature with 96 nonspatial edge objects and 96 corresponding containment associations. This can be represented more efficiently as shown in the second image below (with 3 records) by grouping the strands into a single feature with one edge object and containment association, streamlining the modeling process and reducing the number of records needed to manage the network effectively.
Color schemes can be applied to fiber cables and fiber strands to distinguish and identify the individual units that compose the grouped object. The Modify Associations and Trace panes allow you to work with these unit identifiers and color schemes to establish associations and specify trace locations, respectively.
Note:
When working with grouped edge and junction objects in a telecom domain network, connectivity is not supported between a grouped edge object and an ungrouped junction object. A generic grouped junction object that is assigned the Connector Junction network category can be used to transition between grouped and ungrouped objects in this scenario.
An exception to this is in scenarios in which ungrouped unit container devices are connected with grouped edge objects. In this case, connector junctions are not required. The grouped edge object specifies the necessary From and To first unit and last unit information for connectivity to be established with the device's unit identifiable junction object contents on validation.
It is also important to note that when you use grouped objects to create a circuit, the grouped objects must be connected in the same sequence for a path to be found.
Using the diagram below, consider a scenario in which you want to create a circuit between the grouped junction objects A and B, using the first grouped edge object where First unit and Last unit is 1. Specifying a starting and stopping location would fail to find a valid path. This is because the connectivity on the From and To sides of the first grouped edge object changes sequence with unit ID 1 becoming 5 on the To side. Multiple circuit sections would need to be created to model this connectivity properly. Specifying a starting and stopping location starting at First unit 2 and Last unit 3 would succeed because the connectivity sequence remains consistent on each side of the second grouped edge object.
When you create a circuit, you can define it using only a subset of the unit identifiers available in a grouped edge or junction object. For example, as shown in the diagram below, a single nonsectioned circuit (Yellow) can be defined between unit ID 2 in the grouped junction object (FOO.A.2) and unit ID 3 in another grouped junction object (BAR.B.3). Another separate nonsectioned circuit (Green) can be defined between unit ID 4 (BAR.B.4) and unit ID 5 (BAR.B.5) in the same junction object.
