MTS-switch generic verification

• US 20040139126A1
• Filed: 01/09/2003
• Published: 07/15/2004
• Est. Priority Date: 01/09/2003
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Bellsouth Intellectual Property Corporation (AT&T, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Bellsouth Intellectual Property Corporation (AT&T, Inc.)
• Inventors: Thacker, Terry D., Metcalf, Gary Thomas, Gnadinger, David
• Granted Patent: US 7,130,382 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 707/203
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 41/069 using logs of notifications; Post-processing of notifications
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 41/082 the condition being updates or upgrades of network functionality

Abstract

An apparatus, method, and computer readable medium for automatically notifying a network administrator of a mismatch between a current software version level in a telecommunications switch and a corresponding entry in a database. The apparatus includes a computer for querying the telecommunications switch for the current software version level of the switch and for querying the database, wherein the database is associated with a switch translation system and the database includes an entry associated with the software version level of the switch. The computer compares the current software version level of the switch with the database entry associated with the software version level of the switch. The method and the computer readable medium include establishing communication between a host computer and a telecommunications switch; querying the switch for the current software version level of the switch; establishing communications between the host computer and a switch translation system; querying a database associated with the switch translation system for a corresponding entry in the database associated with the software version level of the switch; storing the current software version level of the switch in a data store associated with the host computer; and storing the database entry in a data store associated with the host computer.

Claims

1. An apparatus for automatically notifying a network administrator of a mismatch between a current software version level in a telecommunications switch and a corresponding entry in a database, comprising:

a computer for querying the telecommunications switch for the current software version level of the switch and for querying the database, wherein the database is associated with a switch translation system and the database includes an entry associated with a software version level of the switch; and

wherein the computer compares the current software version level of the switch with the database entry associated with the software version level of the switch.

2. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the computer transmits a notification message to a network administrator when there is a mismatch between the current software version level of the switch and the database entry associated with the software version level of the switch.

3. The apparatus of claim 2, wherein the computer transmits the notification message on a predetermined schedule.

4. The apparatus of claim 3, wherein the predetermined schedule is periodic and is selected from the group consisting of hourly, daily, weekly, and monthly.

5. The apparatus of claim 2, wherein the computer transmits the notification message via e-mail.

6. The apparatus of claim 2, wherein the computer transmits the notification message via a wireless device.

7. The apparatus of claim 2, wherein the computer transmits the notification message via facsimile.

8. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the computer is adapted for establishing communications with the switch over a network.

9. The apparatus of claim 8, wherein the network is a communications network configured to carry data and is selected from the group consisting of a local area network (LAN), a wide area network (WAN), the Internet, the Web, an analog telephony network, a digital telephony network, a wired telephony network, a wireless telephony network, a PSTN telephony network, an ISDN telephony network, an xDSL telephony network, a radio network, a television network, a cable network, and a satellite network.

10. A method for automatically notifying a network administrator of a mismatch between a current software version level in a telecommunications switch and a corresponding entry in a database, comprising:

establishing communication between a host computer and the telecommunications switch;

querying the switch for the current software version level of the switch;

establishing communications between the host computer and a switch translation system;

querying a database associated with the switch translation system for a corresponding entry in the database associated with the software version level of the switch;

storing the current software version level of the switch in a data store associated with the host computer; and

storing the database entry in a data store associated with the host computer.

11. The method of claim 10, further comprising comparing the current software version level of the switch and the database entry associated with the software version level of the switch.

12. The method of claim 11, further comprising notifying a telecommunications network administrator when there is a mismatch between the current software version level of the switch and the database entry associated with the software version level of the switch.

13. The method of claim 12, further comprising synchronizing the database entry and the current software version level of the switch when the host computer determines a mismatch between the database entry and the current software version level of the switch.

14. The method of claim 12, wherein notifying the telecommunications network administrator further comprises transmitting an e-mail message to the administrator.

15. The method of claim 12, wherein notifying the telecommunications network administrator further comprises transmitting a wireless message to the administrator.

16. The method of claim 12, wherein notifying the telecommunications network administrator further comprises transmitting a facsimile message to the administrator.

17. The method of claim 10, further comprising:

accessing a directory containing the names of a plurality of switches distributed in a telecommunications network;

establishing communications with each of the plurality of switches; and

querying each of the plurality of switches for a current software version level of each switch in the plurality of switches.

18. The method of claim 17, further comprising:

accessing a directory containing the names of a plurality of switch translation systems associated with each switch in the plurality of switches;

establishing communications with each of the plurality of switch translation systems;

querying a plurality of databases associated with each of the plurality of switch translation systems for corresponding entries in the plurality of databases of software version levels of each of the plurality of switches;

storing the software version levels of each of the plurality of switches in a data store associated with the host computer; and

storing the plurality of database entries in a data store associated with the host computer.

19. The method of claim 18, further comprising:

comparing the current software version level of each of the plurality of switches with the corresponding entries in each of the plurality of databases of the software version levels of each of the plurality of switches.

20. A computer readable medium tangibly embodying a program of instructions executable by a computer to perform a method of automatically notifying a network administrator of a mismatch between a current software version level in a telecommunications switch and a corresponding entry in a database, the method comprising:

establishing communication between a host computer and the telecommunications switch;

querying the switch for the current software version level of the switch;

establishing communications between the host computer and a switch translation system;

querying a database associated with the switch translation system for a corresponding entry in the database associated with the software version level of the switch;

storing the current software version level of the switch in a data store associated with the host computer; and

storing the database entry in a data store associated with the host computer.

21. An apparatus, comprising:

a telecommunications switch, comprising;

a computer for automatically notifying a network administrator of a mismatch between a current software version level loaded in the telecommunications switch and a corresponding entry in a database, the computer comprising instructions for retrieving the current software version level loaded in the switch and for querying the database, wherein the database is associated with a switch translation system and the database includes an entry associated with a software version level of the switch; and

wherein the computer compares the current software version level of the switch with the database entry associated with the software version level of the switch.

22. The apparatus of claim 21, wherein the computer transmits a notification message to a network administrator when there is a mismatch between the current software version level of the switch and the database entry associated with the software version level of the switch.

23. A method, comprising:

establishing communications between a telecommunications switch and a switch translation system;

querying a database associated with the switch translation system for a corresponding entry in the database associated with the software version level of the switch;

comparing the current software version level of the switch and the database entry associated with the software version level of the switch; and

notifying a telecommunications network administrator when there is a mismatch between the current software version level of the switch and the database entry associated with the software version level of the switch.