5ESS((R)) field switch performance capture

Customers constantly demand better product performance and support from their vendors. Vendors want to meet that challenge in the most effective, efficient way possible. Both face the constant pressure of doing more with fewer people, and both struggle with the problems of retaining and growing expertise. We created a system to generate the information that meets these challenges. Working with 5ESS(R) Switch customers, we capture raw switch output and transmit it to a central processing facility from switches around the globe. The analyzed and raw data, available automatically every day on the Lucent Technologies intranet, makes possible rapid, broad understanding of potential hardware or software problems, switch operational analysis, and automatic prioritization to improve and maintain switch performance in both warranty and non-warranty circumstances. This system has caused transformations in how engineers solve problems, how managers focus resources, and how Lucent interacts with its customers. This paper describes the system's design philosophy and implementation, as well as provides examples of important results.