Integration of Network Management Agent (NMA) into ACTN-Based Optical Network

With the growth of optical network scale, the complexity of network operation and maintenance has increased dramatically. Enhancing the intelligence level of optical network operation and management and building high-level autonomous optical networks have become the common vision of global operators. The development of AI, especially large AI model technologies, provides a feasible technical path for realizing autonomous perception, decision-making, analysis, and execution. The existing ACTN architecture provides network abstraction and control functions for optical networks but lacks higher-level autonomous capabilities. This document explores the introduction of AI based Network Management Agent(NMA) functions into ACTN-based optical networks to achieve high-level autonomy of optical networks. It discusses the ACTN-enhanced architecture of optical networks after the introduction of NMAs, including key components, interaction relationships, new interface requirements in the enhanced architecture, as well as typical use cases of agent-based autonomous operation and maintenance for optical networks. The document aims to improve the autonomy level of optical networks and promote the realization of autonomous optical networks by extending the original ACTN architecture.