NETWORK MODELS, METHODS, AND COMPUTER PROGRAM PRODUCTS FOR MANAGING A SERVICE INDEPENDENT OF THE UNDERLYING NETWORK TECHNOLOGY

摘要

Embodiments of the present invention provide network models, methods, systems,and computer program products for managing a service. For example, in someembodiments, a network model for managing a service includes an end servicedomain that associates the service with an end service provider. The endservice domain includes a plurality of wholesale service domains that eachincludes one or more networks that provide traffic transport for the endservice domain. One or more gateways are used to couple one of the wholesaleservice domains to another one of the wholesale service domains, and toperform protocol translation on traffic passing between the coupled wholesaleservice domains. In addition, one or more gateways are configured to couple auser to the end service domain, and are further configured to communicate withthe user by a protocol associated with the service. A process domain providesan abstract representation of applications provided by the end service domain.