WO2015013796A1

WO2015013796A1 - Radio network configuration and management tool

Info

Publication number: WO2015013796A1
Application number: PCT/CA2013/000679
Authority: WO
Inventors: Mark DABROWSKI; David Chapman; Christopher SISTO; Damithri Nirmaali SILVA; Robert Francis MCCOOK; Debbie Pinard
Original assignee: Teldio Corporation
Priority date: 2013-07-30
Filing date: 2013-07-30
Publication date: 2015-02-05

Abstract

A radio network configuration tool includes a canvas logic module for presenting a user canvas and a palette of objects representing elements of the radio newtwork on a display. Each object is associated with a set of properties, and the objects are draggable onto the canvas by the user. A database storing said sets of properties is associated with the objects. A code plug data interface configured to generate pseudo-code plugs or code plugs based on said stored properties pertaining to each of said objects for configuring the elements of the radio network. The tool can also import data from the code plugs or pseudo-code plugs of existing radio networks to create a newtwork diagram.

Description

RADIO NETWORK CONFIGURATION AND MANAGEMENT TOOL

FIELD OF THE INVENTION

[0001] This invention relates generally to the field of radio network management, and in particular to a system and method for simplifying network management on a two-way radio system.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

[0001] When the radio systems changed from analog to digital, they became more complex and harder to manage. The new digital radios have more fields to configure and more functionality to contend with. The ability of modern digital radios to run third-party applications further increases the complexity of the system.

[0002] Examples of third party applications are: telephony interconnect, location based on GPS / indoor positioning, telemetry control of gates and pumps, email/data gateway, notification of alarms, man down detection, and recording of radio conversations. Along with these third party applications can come other systems to integrate with, for example a PBX, or an alarm system.

[0003] When a customer buys a radio network, there are many different parties involved: the radio manufacturer (for example, Motorola), the dealers who sell and configure the network, the customer's or end user's IT department and the application developers who provide the third party applications. [0004] Customers also now want to manage their own systems, but the dealers that support them need to know what changes they are making. There is a lack of tools for the dealers to design and architect these networks and products. There are no formalized processes to structure the install, deployment and support of the networks. The system planning and engineering is often done on paper with Visio or Excel and the process can vary by individual, even within the same company. This causes high maintenance costs for dealers due to lack of information and process. These dealers also require tools that enable them to design, sell, install and manage complex digital radio systems.

[0005] Modern digital radios are configured using a "code plug", which is a small binary file containing all the configuration parameters for the radio. It is managed by the radio service software program and transferred to or from the radio via several proprietary means. It contains the operating frequencies, tone selections, timeout values, system IDs, etc. for the device in the network.

[0006] Drag and drop user interfaces using palettes and canvases used to draw a picture of a network are known. Many network management systems use them. Tools such as the Go Control by Northwoods Software can be used to implement them.

[0007] Examples of companies that have drag and drop user interface tools for radio networks are:

• Elbit Systems who are a manufacturer of military equipment, located in Israel.

They develop a Radio Network Management System specifically for the radios they build. The RNMS covers everything from planning to deployment as well as doing frequency analysis based on the current location of the radio network. It is able to store data information about the radios as well as program certain pieces of information over the air.

• Riverbed has automated network diagrams by communicating with network devices and updating diagrams accordingly. They show physical and logical views depending on the information that is relevant. They are stored as Visio or HTML in a web based repository, along with change history.

• Net Depict is a software program which is installed on a computer. It is tied heavily around Visio style diagrams and is able to retrieve information from network devices through SNMP (Simple Network Management Protocol). It automates the creation of drawings to layout the network, but only works with network devices that have an IP Address.

[0008] Currently due to the complexity of radio networks, it still takes senior engineers many days to design a radio network.

[0009] Another problem arises when new equipment needs to be added to an existing network. This currently requires someone to manually look at code plugs, emails, notes, and talk with the engineer who designed the system.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

[0010] Embodiments of the invention provide a tool that can greatly reduce the configuration time, and also simplify the understanding of how a network is currently configured, allowing the engineer to rapidly make modifications. [0011] In one embodiment the invention employs a cloud-based solution wherein all the information is made available from one location. The radio system knowledge is transferred into a centralized location, accessible by all service provider sales and support staff. This tool reduces the amount of time and effort currently required for pre and post sales engineering and support. Turnaround time for adding new equipment is quicker and easier since the documented radio networks can be easily referenced.

[0012] The radio systems are managed through an easy-to-use and rich user interface. This tool can maintain all information in the cloud so that it is accessible anywhere and can be shared with anyone. A radio network can be designed or reverse engineered and displayed in a drag and drop user interface. Select portions of the system information should be able to be exported to a file, such as a pdf file or excel spreadsheet, which can include diagrams as well as detailed text. The tool can standardize the process and ensure content required by all stakeholders was available throughout the sales and support process.

[0013] According to the present invention there is provided a radio network configuration tool, comprising a display; a canvas logic module for presenting on said display a user canvas and a palette of objects representing elements of the radio network on the display, each object being associated with a set of properties, and said objects being draggable onto the canvas by the user in a configuration determined by the user; a database storing said sets of properties associated with said objects; and a code plug data interface configured to generate pseudo-code plugs or code plugs for elements of the network based on said stored properties pertaining to each of said objects. [0014] As noted above a code plug is a binary configuration file containing all the configuration information for a particular radio. This is typically created using a proprietary application provided by the radio manufacturer. The dealer or engineer enters all the necessary configuration parameters, and the proprietary application creates the code plug as a binary file for each radio or network device. The proprietary application may import human readable data, for example, in the form of an XML file or Excel spreadsheet. Likewise, the proprietary application may export the data in such form so that the engineer can know what the set parameters are. The applicants refer to such readable data ready for importing into, or exported from, an application that creates a code plug, a "pseudo-code plug". The tool in accordance with the invention may export such a pseudo-code plug if an interface to the application that creates the binary code plug for an application is not available. However, if the required API (application programming interface) is made available by the manufacturer, then the tool in accordance with the invention may interface directly with the code plug generator application to output the actual code plug itself ready for insertion into the radio.

[0015] In another aspect the invention provides a radio network management tool for discovering a configuration of an existing radio network, comprising a display; a code plug data interface for importing data from code plugs or pseudo-code plugs of elements in the existing radio network, wherein said code plugs or pseudo-code plugs contain sets of properties associated with the elements in the network; a code plug analyzer for converting the code plug data into a processable form; a tool database for storing the converted data; and a canvas logic module configured to present on said display the network configuration based on the processable data retrieved from the code plugs. [0016] In yet another aspect the invention provides a radio management tool for managing elements of a radio network, wherein each of the elements are assigned properties, comprising a tool web client executable on a client device for importing and presenting data pertaining to the radio network; and a remote tool web server for interacting with the tool web client, said remote tool web server comprising: a tool web client interface for interfacing with the tool web client; a tool data interface for interfacing with a database storing properties of elements of the network; a code plug data interface for interfacing with a code plug database; and a canvas logic module for drawing a network diagram on a user display based on the elements of the network input by a user or retrieved from the code plug database.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0017] The invention will now be described in more detail, by way of example only, with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which:

[0018] Figure 1 shows the general architecture of the system;

[0019] Figure 2 shows more detail of the tool web server and the code plug interface;

[0020] Figure 3 shows more detail of the tool web server and the quotes and requirements interface;

[0021] Figure 4 shows more detail of the tool web server and the external systems interfaces;

[0022] Figure 5 illustrates a typical drag and drop user interface;

[0023] Figure 5a shows a detail of the palette; [0024] Figure 5b illustrates how applications can be added to servers;

[0025] Figure 6 shows the detail of the properties box associated with objects on the canvas when an error occurs;

[0026] Figure 7 shows the drag and drop user interface with an error occurring;

[0027] Figure 8 illustrates the canvas logic;

[0028] Figure 9 is a flowchart showing the creation of a network diagram;

[0029] Figure 10 is a flowchart showing the import of code plugs to create a network diagram.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF ILLUSTRATED EMBODIMENTS

[0030] Although the invention will be described in connection with certain preferred embodiments, it will be understood that the invention is not limited to those particular embodiments. On the contrary, the invention is intended to cover all alternatives, modifications, and equivalent arrangements as may be included within the spirit and scope of the invention as defined by the appended claims.

[0031] Figure 1 shows the general architecture of one embodiment of system in accordance with the invention. In this embodiment it is shown as a cloud-based system, wherein the various components may be distributed throughout the cloud. However, it could also be implemented as a straightforward web server application, or less desirably as a standalone system. In the latter case, the advantages of multi-user access would be lost, although a stand-alone application might have application in certain circumstances. [0032] The tool web server 100 is where all the logic for the system is handled. It is connected to the cloud 107 and has access to tool data 112, which is a database of all the objects, their data and connections between them. The system administrator 101 uses a tool web client 102, which interfaces with the tool web server through the cloud, to see and manage the drag and drop user interface. The web client also allows the user to import data from pseudo-code plugs or code plugs to generate a network diagram of an existing network, input modifications, and based on the modified diagram export pseudo-code plugs or code plugs for loading into radios or network elements.

[0033] The sales engineer 110 interfaces with the customer 108 to get requirements and create quotes. The sales engineer 110 uses a sales and support web client 103 to interface with the tool web server 100. The tool web server 100 has access to the quotes and requirements database 111, which is where the data input by the sales engineer 110 is stored.

[0034] The code plug databases 109 is a representation of where code plugs or pseudo-code plugs for the system are stored. This can be legacy data, or data created by the tool. It can reside in one spot, or can be distributed over the network. Existing code plugs may be stored separately from pseudo-code plugs or code plugs created by the system.

[0035] Other third party applications 106 (for example a PBX/Telephone

Interconnect) can also be added to this network.

[0036] Figure 2 shows the tool web server 100 in more detail. The tool web client interface 202 is software that connects through the cloud 107 to the tool web client 102, and receives the objects, their position on the canvas, and the properties data input by the administrator 101. The tool web client interface 202 may be run on a client device, such as a PC, tablet or smartphone. The canvas logic 203 is responsible for storing the data input into the tool data 112 and figuring out the connections between objects. It uses the tool data interface 204 to read and write data to and from the tool data 112.

[0037] Code plugs are data that can pre-exist for a system or can be created by the system. This data can be imported into the system as pseudo-code plug data or directly as code-plug data if the API for the code plug software is available. The code plug data interface 200 is responsible for reading and writing data into the code plug databases 109.

[0038] The administrator 101 can use the tool web client 102 to ask for code plugs to be imported to the system. This request is received by the tool web client interface 202, which in turn makes a request to the code plug data interface 200 to retrieve the data. The files to retrieve are part of the request. Once the code plug data interface 200 retrieves the desired code plugs, the code plug analyzer 201 takes the data and converts it into data that the tool can understand. It then uses the tool data interface 204 to store this data in the tool data 112. The canvas logic 203 can then get this tool data 112 using the tool data interface 204, and makes the new objects and connections, which is then displayed to the administrator 101 through the tool web client interface 202 to the tool web client 102. The canvas logic is also responsible for showing any errors in the network.

[0039] Figure 3 shows details of another aspect of the tool web server 100. When the sales engineer 110 talks to the customer 108, they input the data in a standard format on the sales and support web client 103. This data is received by the sales and support web client interface 302 in the tool web server 100 and stored in the quotes and requirements database 111 using the quotes and requirements data interface 300. The sales engineer 110 can then use the tool web client 102 to request a network drawing to be produced using this data. This request is received by the tool web client interface 202, which requests the quotes and requirements data interface 300 to retrieve the data from the quotes and requirements database 111. Once this data is retrieved, the quotes and requirements data interface 300 passes it to the quotes and requirements data analyzer 301, which takes the data and converts it into data that the tool can understand, i.e., in a form that is compatible with the data that is processed by the tool web server 100. It then uses the tool data interface 204 to store this data in the tool data 112. The canvas logic 203 can then get this tool data 112 using the tool data interface 204, and makes the new objects and connections, which is then displayed to the sales engineer 110 through the tool web client interface 202 to the tool web client 102. The canvas logic is also responsible for showing any errors in the network.

[0040] Figure 4 shows details of another aspect of the tool web server 100, which is an example of how other systems can be integrated into the radio network, in this example through a third party app 106. The third party app interface 400 is responsible for interfacing with the third party app 106. In order for the third party app 106 to be able to configure, it needs information from the tool. An API managed by the third party app interface 400 is how it gets this information. An example of information that might be needed is the IP addresses of some devices, or frequency information. As well, these apps can provide information to the tool through this API. The third party app 106 can provide an icon for an app to be added to the application palette, and the fields that need to be filled in. The third party interface 400 is responsible for converting any data to and from the tool data 112 format and use the tool data interface 204 to store it or retrieve it from the tool data 112. The canvas logic 203 uses this tool data 112 to display the information on the canvas. Data input on the canvas through the tool web client 102, received by the tool web client interface 202 and put on the canvas by the canvas logic 203, for example data that can be used to configure a third party app 106, is stored in the tool data 112 using the tool data interface 204. The third party app interface 400 is informed, and it uses the tool data interface 204 to retrieve the data from the tool data database 112, convert it into the appropriate format, and send it to the third party app 106.

[0041] Another aspect of the tool web server 100 is the engineering rule check module 402. The administrator 101 can ask for engineering rule check to be run through the tool web client 102. The tool web client interface 202 then starts the engineering rule check 402. The engineering rule check 402 then uses the tool data interface 204 to get the data it needs to run from the tool data database 112, and then runs an engineering rule check to ensure that the properties and connections are valid, for example, to ensure that two radios in communication with each other are on the same frequency. The results of the engineering rule check are written onto the canvas using the canvas logic 203, which is then displayed to the system administrator 101 through the tool web client interface 202 and the tool web client 102. This can be in the form of highlighting any objects or fields that have a problem, or could just be a log of errors found. Another example of what the engineering rule check 402 does arises in the situation where one repeater is configured with 200 users divided among 10 groups. This is something for example the Motorola System Planner would not recommend as there would be too many collisions of talk groups trying to talk at the same time. Another example would be a situation where there were ten repeaters connected together as peers but the permissible message delay is set to 10ms. Since this would likely cause a time-out, it should be set to 40ms based on the number of repeaters trying to communicate with each other.

[0042] Figure 5 shows an example of the tool as displayed in the tool web client 102. This comprises a display showing a palette of objects 500 that can be dropped onto the canvas 512 in a similar manner to objects in, for example, a Visio application. There is a properties box 511, which shows the properties for the selected object on the canvas 512, which in this case is the master repeater 501. The system administrator 101 or sales engineer 110 can edit data in the properties box 511 as shown in detail in Figure 6. Selected data for each object 506, 501, 502 can also be shown on the canvas 512. In this example, certain data 508, 509, and 510 were selected to be shown with the corresponding objects 506, 501, 502.

[0043] Figure 5 also shows an example of how objects and connections can automatically be drawn from data imported from the code plug databases 109. In this case, there were three code plugs selected, one for a data radio 506, one for a master repeater 501, and one for a peer repeater 502. The connection 507 was drawn between the data radio 506 and the master repeater 501 because the frequency tx and rx fields 524 match. The connection 503 was drawn between the master repeater 501 and the peer repeater 502 because the Ethernet IP and Gateway IP fields 525 match, and the connections, 504 and 505 were drawn because of connection 503 being drawn and another field, slot info (not shown) having a particular value.

[0044] Figure 5a describes the objects in the palette 500 in more detail. The generic object 513 is a catch-all for anything not captured by the tool. The mobile object 514 represents a mobile radio used typically in vehicles or as a gateway from a sender to the radio world. The portable object 515 represents a portable radio carried by users in the field. The repeater object 516 represents for a radio repeater that broadcasts radio signals at a higher power. The server object 517 represents a server that can host applications that interface with the radio network. The switch object 518 represents a network switch used to connect multiple network devices. The textbox object 519 is used as a label to describe objects better.

[0045] Figure 5b shows what happens when a server 520 is dragged and dropped onto the canvas 512. A palette of external apps 521 (as described in Figure 4) is displayed, and these apps, for example the PBX app 522, can be dragged and dropped 530 onto the server. When this is done, the properties box shows the pbx fields 523 that can be programmed for the PBX app 522. The properties box contains fields pertaining to configurable attributes of the third party applications.

[0046] Figure 6 shows an example of some of the properties 511 fields in more detail. These fields are also found in code plugs. If this data was imported, for example, in the form of an XML file, it could have been used to add objects 501, 502, 506 automatically to the canvas 512, and to draw connections 503, 504, 505, 507 between them. Field 600 is the manufacturer of the device, in this case Motorola. Field 601 is the model of the device, in this case M27TR 9JA7AN. Field 602 is the Ethernet IP of the device, in this case 192.168.100.1. Field 603 is the subnet mask of the device, in this case 255.255.255.0. Field 604 is the Gateway IP of the device, in this case blank. Field 605 is the radio ID of the device, in this case 100. Field 606 is the radio model of the device, in this case XPR 8400. Field 607 is the serial number of the device, in this case 484TKQ4590. Field 608 is the firmware version of the device, in this case R01.09.11. Field 609 is the radio IP of the device, in this case 192.168.10.1. Field 610 is the CAI net of the device, in this case 12. Field 611 is the CAI group of the device, in this case 225. Field 612 is the link type of the device, in this case blank. Field 613 is the color code of the device, in this case 1. Field 614 is the frequency tx of the device, in this case 462.175000. Field 615 is the frequency rx of the device, in this case 467.175000. Field 616 is the mode of the device, in this case IP site connect.

[0047] Figure 7 illustrates an example of a possible error or concern in the network showing up on the canvas after the canvas logic has examined the data using the rule engineering module 805. In this case there are three objects on the canvas, the mobile 506, the master repeater 501 and the peer repeater 502. The firmware version numbers 702, 700 for the mobile 506 and the master repeater 501 match, but the firmware version number 701 for the peer repeater 502 is not the same, and is not up-to-date, so a problem of

incompatibility might arise in the network. The administrator could drill down to the reason why the object was highlighted using the tool and decide whether or not the error should be corrected or ignored. [0048] Figure 8 shows the canvas logic 203 in more detail. The tool web client data receiver 800 is responsible for receiving new data entered on the tool web client 102 through the tool web client interface 202. The tool web client data receiver 800 then stores the data in the tool data database 112 using the tool data interface 204. It is also responsible for retrieving data requested by the tool web client interface 202 on behalf of the tool web client 102 from the tool data database 112 via the tool data interface 204. The tool data analysis 804 is responsible for getting all the data from the tool data database 112 through the tool data interface 204 and checking it for errors. If it finds any errors, it sends them to the tool web client 102 via the tool web client interface 202. The engineering rule check input 805 takes results given to it by the engineering rule check 402 and sends them in the right format to the tool web client 102 via the tool web client interface 202. The connections manager 801 is responsible for determining all the automatically drawn connections between the objects based on properties data. It uses the tool data interface 204 to get the data from the data tool database 112. It then sends the tool web client 102 these connections via the tool web client interface 202.

[0049] Figure 9 is a flowchart which shows an administrator adding objects to the canvas and having code plugs automatically saved, and automatic line drawing and error checking being done. Box 900, administrator 101 opens the tool web client 102. Box 901, administrator 101 drags a component from the palette of objects 500 onto the canvas 512 and fills in the properties 511 for the object. Box 902, the tool web client 102 sends the action to the tool web client interface 202. Box 903, the tool web client interface 202 calls the canvas logic 203. Box 904, the canvas logic 203 stores the object and properties in the tool data 112 using the tool data interface 204. Box 905, The tool data interface 204 passes the object properties to the code plug analyzer 201 which converts the data into code plugs or pseudocode plugs. Box 906, the code plug analyzer 201 stores the code plugs or pseudo-code plugs into the code plug databases 109 using the code plug data interface 200. Box 907, the canvas logic 203 analyzes the new object and properties. Box 908, new lines to be automatically added or errors to be displayed? If not, go back to Box 901, if yes go to box 909. Box 909, the canvas logic 203 sends the new lines and/or error messages to the tool web client 102 through the tool web client interface 202.

[0050] Figure 10 is a flowchart which shows an administrator selecting existing code plugs, importing them into the system, creating tool data and the tool displaying the result. Box 1000, administrator 101 opens the tool web client 102. Box 1001, administrator 101 selects code plugs to be imported from the code plug databases 109. Box 1002, the tool web client 102 sends the request to the code plug data interface 200. Box 1003, the code plug data interface 200 retrieves the code plugs and gives them to the code plug analyzer 201. Box 1004, the code plug analyzer 201 converts the code plugs into tool data and stores it into the tool data database 112 using the tool data interface 204. Box 1005, the canvas logic 203 retrieves the new tool data 112 via the tool data interface 204. Box 1006, the canvas logic 203 analyzes the new tool data and creates corresponding objects and lines. Box 1007, the canvas logic 203 sends the new objects and lines to the tool web client 102 through the tool web client interface 202. Box 1008, the tool web client 102 displays the diagram on the canvas 512. [0051] It should be appreciated by those skilled in the art that any block diagrams herein represent conceptual views of illustrative circuitry embodying the principles of the invention. For example, the various blocks or modules may be implemented in a processor provided through the use of dedicated hardware as well as hardware capable of executing software in association with appropriate software. When provided by a processor, the functions may be provided by a single dedicated processor, by a single shared processor, or by a plurality of individual processors, some of which may be shared. Moreover, explicit use of the term "processor" should not be construed to refer exclusively to hardware capable of executing software, and may implicitly include, without limitation, digital signal processor (DSP) hardware, network processor, application specific integrated circuit (ASIC), field programmable gate array (FPGA), read only memory (ROM) for storing software, random access memory (RAM), and non volatile storage. Other hardware, conventional and/or custom, may also be included. Moreover, it will be understood that the blocks described herein can be implemented as software modules in suitable digital signal processing hardware.

Claims

1. A radio network configuration tool, comprising:

a display;

a canvas logic module for presenting on said display a user canvas and a palette of objects representing elements of the radio network on the display, each object being associated with a set of properties, and said objects being draggable onto the canvas by the user in a configuration determined by the user;

a database storing said sets of properties associated with said objects; and

a code plug data interface configured to generate pseudo-code plugs or code plugs for elements of the network based on said stored properties pertaining to each of said objects.

2. A radio network configuration tool as claimed in claim 1 , wherein said code plug data interface comprises an application programming interface (API) to interface directly with a code plug generator.

3. A radio network configuration tool as claimed in claim 1, wherein each said object is associated with a configuration box containing properties fields to permit user entry of the properties associated with the corresponding network element.

4. A radio network management tool as claimed in claim 3, further comprising a rule checking module for verifying the compatibility of the network elements based on their properties and stored rules, and wherein said canvas logic module is further configured to draw attention to potential compatibility issues on said canvas.

5. A radio network configuration tool as claimed in claim 1, which is based on a web- based client-server model and wherein said user canvas is implemented by a client application running on a client device and said canvas logic module is implemented on a remote tool web server.

6. A radio network configuration tool as claimed in claim 5, wherein the tool web server includes a rule check module for verifying the compatibility of the properties of the various elements of the network based on stored rules.

7. A radio network configuration tool as claimed in claim 5, which implements a cloud- based model wherein components of the tool are distributed throughout the cloud.

8. A radio network configuration tool as claimed in claim 5, further comprising a sales- and-support client for accepting client requirements, a quotes-and-requirements database for storing the client requirements, a quotes-and-requirements data analyzer for converting data in the quotes-and-requirements database into a form suitable for presentation as a network diagram on said canvas.

9. A radio network configuration tool as claimed in claim 5, further comprising a tool web client for interfacing with the web server to present said data as a network diagram on the canvas.

10. A radio network configuration tool as claimed in claim 9, wherein canvas logic module further comprises a connections manager configured to draw connectors between said objects on the canvas based on said user-entered properties and the stored rules.

11. A radio network configuration tool as claimed in claim 1 , wherein said objects further include a server object represents third party applications, and wherein said server object when dragged onto the canvas presents a palette of said third party applications.

12. A radio network configuration tool as claimed in claim 11 , wherein each said third party application is associated with a configurable properties box that is visible on the display when the server object is on the canvas, said properties box containing fields pertaining to configurable attributes of said third party applications.

13. A radio network management tool for discovering a configuration of an existing radio network, comprising:

a display;

a code plug data interface for importing data from code plugs or pseudo-code plugs of elements in the existing radio network, wherein said code plugs or pseudo-code plugs contain sets of properties associated with the elements in the network;

a code plug analyzer for converting the code plug data into a processable form;

a tool database for storing the converted data; and

a canvas logic module configured to present on said display the network

configuration based on the processable data retrieved from the code plugs or pseudo-code plugs.

14. A radio network management tool as claimed in claim 13, wherein the canvas logic module is configured to draw on said display a network diagram representing the existing radio network based on said retrieved data.

15. A radio network management tool as claimed in claim 14, further comprising a rule checking module for verifying the compatibility of the network elements based on their properties and stored rules, and wherein said canvas logic module is further configured to draw attention to potential compatibility issues on said canvas.

16. A radio network management tool as claimed in claim 13, which is implemented as a client-server model, said display is on a user device, and said canvas logic module is implemented on a remote web server.

17. A radio network management tool as claimed in claim 16, wherein said client-server model is implemented as cloud-based solution wherein components thereof are distributed throughout the cloud.

18. A radio network management tool for managing elements of a radio network, wherein each of the elements are assigned properties, comprising:

a tool web client executable on a client device for importing and presenting data pertaining to the radio network; and a remote tool web server for interacting with the tool web client, said remote tool web server comprising:

a tool web client interface for interfacing with the tool web client;

a tool data interface for interfacing with a database storing properties of elements of the network;

a code plug data interface for interfacing with a code plug database;

a canvas logic module for drawing a network diagram on a user display based on the elements of the network input by a user or retrieved from the code plug database.

19. A radio network management tool as claimed in claim 18, which is configured to permit user modifications to the network diagram and generate pseudo-code plugs or code plugs based on the modified diagram.

20. A radio network management tool as claimed in claim 19, which is a cloud-based solution and wherein components of the tool are distributed throughout the cloud.

21. A radio management tool as claimed in claim 18, wherein the remote tool web server comprises a rule check module for verifying the compatibility of the properties of elements of the network based on stored rules.

22. A radio network management tool as claimed in claim 18, wherein the remote tool web server comprises a connections manager configured to draw connections between elements of the network based on their stored properties entered by the user or retrieved from code plugs or pseudo-code plugs.

23. A radio network management tool as claimed in claim 18, further comprising a sales- and-support web client for inputting client requirements into the system, and a quotes-and- requirements analyzer for accepting client requirement data and converting it into a form compatible with data accepted for processing by the tool web server.

24. A radio network management tool as claimed in claim 23, wherein the canvas logic module further comprises a connections manager for drawing connections between elements of the network based on their stored properties or user input.