Circuit provisioning for a packet switched network

The author describes the circuit provisioning process for the Datapac network, with emphasis on the current efforts to automate the system. He describes the system which is being developed: a PC/LAN (personal computer/local area network) configuration with gateways to other remote systems. The first phase, a LAN with 20 workstations, has been installed. Two computer assignment systems have been developed and implemented: the hardware assignment and tracking system (HATS), which selects the hardware configuration that satisfies the customer´s requirements and optimizes the allocation of resources on the packet-switch concentrator, and the Datapac address and numbering assistance (DANA), a system that takes the customer´s location and derives the appropriate Datapac serving switch, the circuit number, the control offices, and other associated administrative information