Background
Is your computer system quality assured (QA), verified and validated (V&V)?
Is your computer system still qualified after the initial installation?
Do you have a network management specialist available 24/7?
Network Management Service (NMS), combined with the Westinghouse Technology Upgrade and Maintenance Service and the customer’s HP maintenance agreement, provides dependable computing capabilities — a necessity for engineers performing reload designs or continually monitoring core performance.
NMS offers nuclear operators cost-effective benefits:
- Code performance that is QA’d and V&V’d
- Code results traceable to a Westinghouse Reference Standard System
- A troubleshooting hotline available 24/7
- Rapid problem diagnosis and correction by Westinghouse experts that help minimize down time
Description & Benefits
To provide a better understanding of NMS and its benefits, here are some questions and answers related to the service…
We have an information technology department. Why do we need Network Management Service?
Most utility Information Technology (IT) departments are skilled in maintaining computing networks based on Microsoft Windows® technology. Nuclear applications largely use UNIX®-based operating systems (OS), such as Linux for Hewlett Packard® (HP) and other servers. Typically, IT departments are less familiar with these types of operating systems. As a heavy user of scientific and engineering applications, using a large internal network of Linux-based servers, Westinghouse has become expert in the management of these systems resulting in extremely high reliability. Westinghouse is now making its experts available to support customer Linux networks to deliver this same level of service to the customer. NMS customers have found that it is more cost effective to contract for NMS than to support a small Linux-based network internally.
I have an HP maintenance agreement for my servers. Do I still need Network Management Service?
Yes! An HP maintenance agreement provides repair and replacement for the server hardware and for updates of the server OS. This coverage is necessary, but NMS provides the additional services that are needed to make the system dependable for use in a nuclear plant environment.
For example:
![All three components (HP maintenance, NMS and technology transfer [TT]) are essential to providing dependable results by using a reliable computing environment at a reasonable cost](/media/skvhctsx/network-management-service1.png?rmode=max&width=714&height=422)
All three components (HP maintenance, NMS and technology transfer [TT]) are essential to providing dependable results by using a reliable computing environment at a reasonable cost
If a plant or utility headquarters engineer arbitrarily installs the “latest-and-greatest” patches supplied by the hardware or OS vendor on the server, the computational software may no longer be in compliance with the traceability requirement to V&V software. NMS provides that the patches installed keep the system in compliance. As a matter of interest, if someone modifies a system under NMS, an alarm will be triggered, indicating the change and giving notice to the assigned engineer or manager to take appropriate action, including calling a Westinghouse computing professional for consultation on how to proceed.
How does the Westinghouse Technology Transfer link with Network Management Service?
NMS and the HP service agreement are two components that support a dependable system. The third component is Westinghouse Technology Upgrade and Maintenance Service, which provides an ongoing stream of improvements to licensed Westinghouse software products. The software updates are tested prior to release with the appropriate hardware configuration and software OS to confirm production of dependable results. By linking the three components together, the hardware is protected against failure, the computing software is up-to-date and the entire system is in a QA/V&V-configured mode.
How can Network Management Service keep my system “clean?”
The StatePoint™ Server Integrity Monitoring System is installed on the systems and initialized by the Westinghouse NMS specialist. StatePoint Server Integrity Monitoring System continually scans the system to determine if there are any changes in the basic state of the system and applications. If something in the system is adjusted, StatePoint Server Integrity Monitoring System triggers an alarm on a designated monitor, and the assigned person can take action, such as calling a Westinghouse computing professional. The specialist will consult via phone to diagnose the issue and determine the cause of the change. Appropriate action can then be taken by the specialist to disposition the change, including any necessary repair or documenting of the disposition within the StatePoint™ Server Integrity Monitoring System.
What else do I get with Network Management Service?
In addition to the assurance that the system is configured to match the Westinghouse Reference System, NMS provides onsite visits for hands-on system checks and training, as required. NMS also provides consultation for non-emergency assistance such as adding printers or other hardware to the network, adding or removing users, and general Linux help.
Windows® is a registered trademark of Microsoft Corporation in the United States and other countries.
UNIX® is a registered trademark of The Open Group.
Hewlett Packard® is a registered trademark of Hewlett-Packard Development Company, L.P.
StatePoint™ is a trademark or registered trademark of Westinghouse Electric Company LLC in the United States and may be registered in other countries throughout the world. All rights reserved. Unauthorized use is strictly prohibited.
