Yes, I suppose nothing ever truly dies. All of this just fades off to form a historical reference from which to draw comparisons and to build upon. One of my points is that FCAPS does indeed resonate with those endowed by a good background in networking, but outside this circle, it’s largely unknown.

As we try to align FCAPS and ITIL, we see some problems. The ‘C’ in FCAPS is now spread across Configuration, Change, and Release in ITIL. The ‘P’ is all over the map, with most of its relevance to Capacity and Service Level Management in ITIL.

Is one right and one wrong? No. It’s just the same discussions being spoken in different languages. They’re both mostly right, although ITIL is more formalized and better socialized across technology domains. I do think ITIL could be much better on its treatment of performance, but I guess we’ll all have to work on that for future clarifications of ITIL.

Tools are only beginning the migration from FCAPS to ITIL, especially network management tools. I shudder when I hear people talk so much about Fault Management, including within my own company. Such talk is neither evil nor foolish; it’s just a reflection of the state of transition. I firmly believe that “Fault” Management has become an anachronism. Technology and business conditions have graduated to much more than that. It’s time for us all to move forward with open minds (and tools) beyond faults.

I do like your analogy of the “three day week as a wise old consultant to ITIL” … great point!

– Glenn –