SSWC - Bell Research Report (Vol II) All research gathered, tested and mastered by the original members of SSWC: Chance - The Technician - Cellular Phantom SSWC presents our latest text file continuing our discussion on Bell Operating Departments. Note that information in this file is subject to change. However, we will try to keep you updated as much as possible. We will begin by discussing an important department of Bell, known as the Maintenance Center (MC) or Special Service Center (SSC). The MC is responsible for verifying and coordinating the transfer of special service activities between the Construction Work Group (CWG) and the Central Office Work Group (COWG). The MC or SSC will maintain control of all special service transfers. Note: When using an approved transfer switch, testing of Plain Old Telephone Service (POTS) services will be performed by the CWG. The MC need only test services classified as type "B". (This type of classification is generally used on the Computer System for Mainframe Operation (COSMOS) mainframe). The MC will receive a copy of the cable transfer and associated work orders from the Loop Assignment Center (LAC) prior to the scheduled start date of the transfer. They will deal with any unrecognized problems (such as clearing defective pairs, if requested by the Distribution Service Design Center (DSDC), and giving notification of what pairs have been or cannot be cleared) that would require new pair count assignments. The MC shall arrange with the CWG, Frame Control Center (FCC), SSC, and other necessary departments for the transfer of special and designed services that require release or special handling. During the transfer of these services, the MC will maintain communication with all personnel involved in the transfer activity. The MC or SSC shall coordinate the release and transfer of special and designed services designated as "B" services. The time and date for each service release shall be recorded on the MC copy of the Special Service Protection List and Defective Pair List. Note: Time and date of release must be negotiated in advance of the cable transfer. No work shall be permitted on service requiring a release until a method of procedure, including release date and time and personnel required, has been established by the MC and approved by the customer and SSC control office responsible for those services. When the MC receives work of those specific or out-of-the-ordinary release requirements, the Construction Management Center (CMC) supervisor, FCC supervisor, and other necessary work group supervisors must be notified in advance so they can begin work on the transfer. The MC shall test all affected special and designed services completed by the CWG as the transfer progresses. The CWG need not wait for verification by the MC, unless problems are encountered. The CWG will inform the MC of progress. The MC shall have the authority to stop the transfer procedures at any time if extensive trouble reports develope. If this occurs, the MC supervisor will lead an investigating committee to determine the cause of trouble and to recommend corrective action. After all work is completed, the MC will issue a final closing number for the completed transfer. The MC will notify the FCC that the transfer is complete and will give them the closing number. The MC will post the Cable Transfer Form as complete and will forward the transfer, including changes, and Defective Pair List to the LAC. We will now discuss the uses of the Cable Transfer Administration (CTA), and how they operate at a successful level. The general functions and responsibilities of the CTA work group is to provide flexibility in the design of the cable network, existing cable pairs are transferred for one cable count to another cable count. This is commonly referred to as a cable transfer or cable throw. The transfer occurs in a splice and involves disconnecting pairs of wires beyond the splice from one feeder cable count and reconnecting then to a different feeder count. The result is that the count of the pairs beyond the splice will change. The configuration, identification, and possible transferring of working cable pairs are complex and time-consuming. The work is further complicated by the many functions required of other work groups. To ensure that these operations are performed free of service interruptions and with maximum efficiency, timing and close coordination among all the work groups involved are mandatory. The same coordination is required to complete drop wire re- connections (line transfers). The Cable Transfer Committee (CTC) is also responsible for organizing this work in a timely manner. As soon as practical, after the line transfer have been completed, the old cable should be cut off and removed. (Their is more hardware work involved in this process, however we regret that we have not yet been able to fully research and understand what further hardware applications are used). In order for the Cable Transfer Committee to obtain a high degree of transfer efficiency, all committee members must attend committee meetings on a selective basis and monitor the published minutes (in other words review information from past meetings). Higher management will be able to evaluate the effectiveness of the transfer committee. The number of jobs completed as scheduled and the ability of the committee to identify problems should be monitored as a measure of committee success in scheduling and completing cable transfers. The use of these procedures will reduce customer trouble reports and the overall cost of cable and line transfers and will permit balancing the work force and work load for all groups involved. By completing cable transfers promptly, in accordance with the time schedule, changes to transfer sheets will be minimized, the need for rerunning cables will be reduced, testing cables can be properly scheduled, and time spent on field work can be shortened. The errors, frustrations, and probability of cable troubles associated with delays in this kind of work can be virtually eliminated. A Cable Transfer Committee must be established in each network distribution service/construction district to ensure close coordination and proper timing of cable, line, or station transfers. Districts that cover a large service area (having more that one Loop Assignment Center or Maintenance Center) may require more than one committee. When scheduling transfers, consideration must be given to work tours and peak load periods (busy times of the week) of all work groups to optimize the continuity of the cable transfer activity. Consideration must also be given to time required by the CWG to complete preliminary work, by the LAC to analyze and lay out the transfer, by the Circuit Provision Center (CPC) to check the design of special services, by DSDC, Construction Management Center (CMC), and installation to make the resulting changes, and by the MC and/or SSC to negotiate with special service customers. The Cable Transfer Committee must negotiate all completion dates. The transfer committee chairperson will monitor and take action on excessive time intervals for all work groups. Transfers that involve an extremely large number of working circuits may require scheduling in smaller segments. Transfers should be scheduled to maintain continuity until wire work is completed. The committee is responsible for all special scheduling. Offices with mechanized assignment records such as COSMOS or TIRKS require more strict scheduling due to transaction restrictions. Sequence transfers and the reusing of counts cleared on previous transfers may also require more strict scheduling. Cable transfers worked via COSMOS must be closely monitored to avoid long-term storage of cable transfers in the data base. Long-term storage causes changes for the FCC and CWG, thereby causing lost time. The committee will make preliminary arrange- ments for the transfer of special and designed services. The LAC will provide a list of all special services, by Common Language Circuit Identification (CLCI), that are in the affected cable count to the DSDC prior to scheduling the transfer in the firm period. The DSDC will forward the list to the CPC along with the new and old cable makeup for the reissuance of new Work Order Record Detail (WORD - The work authorization and layout card for designed special services) documents and redesigns, if necessary. After the new WORD documents are received, the FCC will bring the Work Authorization (WA - The first page of the WORD document) to the CTA committee meetings. The WA copy will contain the work description and associated notes for the transfer and, most important, will give the circuit classification code "A" or "B". Next we will discuss information concerning the Telephone Outside Plant. This brief discussion will inform you exactly what path cables take from the CO to the subscribers residence. This path is as follows: 1 Main Distributing Frame (MDF) 2 Tip Cables 3 Cable Vault 4 CO Manhole 5 Main Conduit 6 Subsidiary Conduit 7 Insulated Joint 8 Main Distributing Terminal (MDT) 9 Riser Cable 10 Distributing Terminal 11 Anchor Guy 12 Aerial Cable Cross Connecting Box 13 Telephone Company Owned Pole 14 Aerial Cable 15 Strand (one cable) 16 Joint Use Pole Electric or Telephone 17 Terminal 18 Splice 19 Electric Wires 20 Urban Wires 21 Dropwire 22 Main U.G. Cable 23 Stub 24 Rear Wall Cable 25 Buried Cable 26 Cribbing 27 Block Pole After completing this sequence the cables will then run into the residence, providing telephone service. * Note to the reader: In order to gain maximum knowledge from this file, it is suggested that you obtain and study our first file. This concludes SSWCs Bell Research Report (Vol II). The information contained in this file is solely for the use of Phone Phreaks that FULLY understand what has been discussed. If you do not FULLY understand what has been discussed in this file, it is extremely advisable not to attempt to use any of this information, whereas you could cause an extreme negative impact on the rest of the Phreak community. Have a good time, learn what you can, but never think you know more than you do. To the novice this file is all technical BullShit. However, to the experienced Phreak, its much, much more. * SSWC: The leader in innovative phreaking!