Fault management system for a communications network

• US 20040039958A1
• Filed: 06/06/2003
• Published: 02/26/2004
• Est. Priority Date: 12/22/2000
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: British Telecommunications PLC (BT Group PLC)
• Original Assignee: British Telecommunications PLC (BT Group PLC)
• Inventors: Maxwell, Richard
• Granted Patent: US 7,251,754 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 714/4
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2201/18 Comparators
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 3/30 for subscriber's lines , for the local loop
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 3/305 testing of physical copper line parameters, e.g. capacitance or resistance locating faults in cables G01R31/08

Abstract

There is described a method of operating a fault management system for an access network which forms part of a communications network. In the access network, terminating lines in the form of pairs of copper wires extend from a local switch (10) through a series of nodes to terminal equipment provided for user of the network. The fault management system includes a test head (104) and an access network management system (102).

Each night, the test head (104) performs a series of tests on each of the terminating lines. The results of the tests are transmitted to the access network management (102). The test results are then analysed with respect of a set of parameter to identify characteristics that would indicate that a fault is likely to occur on the associated circuit within a predetermined period e.g. 1 year. Further analysis can then be carried out to establish the probability of the fault actually occurring and/or whether the potential fault analysed is going to occur in either the underground or the over-ground part of the network. Further analysis determines the relative costs of repair for circuits or network elements in which faults or potential faults have been identified.

Claims

1. A method of operating a fault management system for a communications network, said communications network including a switch and an access network of one or more terminating circuits connecting said switch to terminal equipment provided for users of the communications network, the or each of said terminating circuits passing through one or more nodes between said switch and its respective terminal equipment, said method comprising the steps of:

performing a circuit test on the or each circuit of at least a subset of said terminating circuits and to produce a test result for the or each circuit so tested, the or each test result comprising one or more elements of test data;

for the or each circuit identifying whether a fault exists on the circuit;

identifying circuits that have a possibility of becoming faulty within the predetermined period;

associating a repair cost with each fault or potential fault; and

for the or each circuit calculating a measure of the possible cost of repair of the circuit over a predetermined period.

2. A method according to claim 1, further comprising the step combining the cost measures for each circuit associated with a network element resulting in a cost measure for the network element.

3. A method according to claim 2, in which where data for one or more circuits running through the network element is missing, a smoothing algorithm is applied to compensate for the missing data.

4. A method according to any of claims 1, 2 or 3, in which the measure of cost can be split between an element associated with the fault(s) being in the overhead or in the underground portion of the network.

5. A method according to any preceding claim in which the cost measure is calculated for a plurality of circuits or network elements and then used to rank the circuits or lines relative to each other.

11. A computer program or set of computer programs arranged to cause a general purpose computer or group of such computer to carry out the method of claims 1 to 5 or to provide the apparatus of claims 6 to 10.

6. A fault management apparatus for a communications network including a switch and an access network of terminating circuits connecting said switch to terminal equipment provided for users of the communications network, each of said terminating circuits passing through a series of nodes between said switch and its respective terminal equipment, said fault management apparatus comprising:

circuit testing apparatus arranged to perform circuit tests on said terminating circuits to produce test results;

a store containing data relating to said terminating circuits;

means for identifying in the or each circuit whether a fault exists on the circuit;

means for identifying circuits that have a possibility of becoming faulty within the predetermined period;

means for associating a repair cost with each fault or potential fault; and

means operable, for the or each circuit to calculate a measure of the possible cost of repair of the circuit over a predetermined period.

7. Apparatus according to claim 6, further comprising the step combining the cost measures for each circuit associated with a network element resulting in a cost measure for the network element.

8. Apparatus according to claim 7, in which where data for one or more circuits running through the network element is missing, a smoothing algorithm is applied to compensate for the missing data.

9. Apparatus according to any of claims 6, 7 or 8, in which the measure of cost can be split between an element associated with the fault(s) being in the overhead or in the underground portion of the network.

10. Apparatus according to any of claims in which the cost measure is calculated for a plurality of circuits or network elements and then used to rank the circuits or lines relative to each other.