| I have been involved with DECmcc since its beginning. The issue of
accounting, chargeback, or whatever keeps reappearing. The problem
from the DECmcc viewpoint is that we can't do anything unless the
base entities provide the primitive data. We already have mechanisms
to collect data via HDR. Lacking primitive accounting data from
entities, there is no reason to build any FMs or PMs that provide
a general solution that no one can use.
LTM was never intended to be an accounting or cost allocation tool.
It was intended to be a performance monitoring tool. I can understand
why the customer rejected it if there need was for cost allocation.
The EMA long term direction is just that. It is a problem similar
to the old analogy of what comes first, the chicken or the egg.
In our case, it is the accounting FMs or the accounting data.
EMA has stated a long term strategy and has several organizations
interested in providing the accounting FMs but the need raw accounting
data and none of the current entities provide that data.
wally
|
| That isn't a very good excuse, Wally...
The DEC X.25 products have provided accounting data for a long time (about 7
or 8 years, because I wrote the first version of this as my second
assignment in the company!).
Until Phase V that information was not available using the standard
management protocols. However, in Phase V, the accounting information is
logged as an ordinary event when a circuit terminates. All the information
needed is there and can be retrieved using the Phase V AM.
So when will we see an Accounting FM? :-)
Graham
|