Introduction to E2A

E2A stands for E-Telemetry Alarm Surveillance Protocol. Today, it is considered a legacy monitoring protocol.

What is E2A?

E2A was developed in the 1960's by a major long-distance carrier to to facilitate network monitoring for large organizations. E2A is the most advanced version of the original E1 protocol. E2A was a dramatic advance from protocols, such as TBOS, which were deployed in that timeframe.

E2A was one of the very first telecom monitoring protocols, and it is still used today by many Regional Bell Operating Companies (RBOCs) and other organizations in the telecommunications industry. E2A is:

• A Multi-Bit Protocol- E2A is considered to be a multi-bit protocol, as it does not operate using a standard 8-bit word. It is typically used on slow communications lines, including 1200 or 9600 band.
• A Polled Protocol- E2A is a polled protocol, so an E2A master requests alarms from site devices at regular intervals. This polling provides a positive confirmation of device status.
• A Legacy Protocol- E2A has become a legacy protocol after the development of more advanced protocols, such as TL1 and SNMP. With the introduction of new protocols, there has been a major decline in the production of monitoring equipment that supports E2A protocol. However, many companies are still utilizing E2A equipment, particularly organizations that have acquired RBOCs over the years.

A Dead-End Network?

E2A legacy equipment often leaves network operators with an outdated network infrastructure and seemingly few options. However frustrating it may seem, though, you do have several viable options. This white paper will clearly explain each of them.