Java TL1 API FAQ

TL1 (Transaction Language 1) is an ASCII-based machine-to-machine and human-to-machine management protocol defined by Bellcore. It is widely used to manage optical, broadband, and access equipment in North America.

iReasoning TL1 API is a set of Java APIs for building TL1 management applications. It hides much of the protocol's complexity, so engineers do not need to handle every TL1 detail directly. Because many vendors follow the Telcordia standards loosely, some TL1 libraries cannot manage agents with slightly different implementations. iReasoning TL1 API uses a flexible architecture that can adapt to these variations.

When asynchronous mode is not used, the library does not create a thread, and the EJB specification permits client-side sockets. The library therefore conforms to the EJB specification in synchronous mode.

The asyncSend method in TL1Session creates a thread, so it should not be used in an Enterprise JavaBean. Some competing TL1 libraries create threads regardless of the selected mode and therefore generally do not conform to this EJB requirement.

Because iReasoning TL1 API is written in Java, it can run on any operating system with a compatible Java Virtual Machine.

Begin with a basic understanding of TL1 and Java. The TL1 API User Guide provides an introduction and usage examples. Next, explore the examples shipped with the product; they clearly demonstrate how to write simple programs that communicate with a TL1 agent. The examples are also available through the JavaDoc.

Most examples require a TL1 agent. Run runsimulator.bat on Windows or runsimulator.sh on Unix to start the included TL1 simulator on port 9000.

On Windows, from the directory immediately above lib, configure the classpath:

set classpath=lib\examples.jar;lib\ireasoningtl1.jar

Run runsimulator.bat on Windows or runsimulator.sh on Unix, and then start the sample client:

java tl1

You can then run the other included examples in the same way.