Method and apparatus for managing and graphically representing elements in a network

• US 20050050196A1
• Filed: 08/25/2003
• Published: 03/03/2005
• Est. Priority Date: 08/25/2003
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Lucent Technologies, Inc. (Nokia Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Lucent Technologies, Inc. (Nokia Corporation)
• Inventors: Szoka, Michael Joseph, Aita, Nageshwar, Kalaparthy, Mehar S., Baireddy, Ranga Rao, Piddaparti, Sudha, Virdee, Jaspal S.
• Application Number:
  US10/648,625
• Publication Number:
  US 20050050196A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 709/224
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 41/0654 using network fault recovery ring fault isolation or reconfiguration in loop networks without recovery actions by a network management system H04L12/437
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 41/12 Discovery or management of network topologies
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 41/22 comprising specially adapted graphical user interfaces [GUI]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 43/0811 by checking connectivity

Abstract

Method and apparatus for managing a communications network by graphically representing network elements within a network as a plurality of network element objects, graphically representing communications links between two network elements as a bridge object and graphically representing the status of cross-connects within a network element as an icon displayed on each of said linked network element objects. The icon is a set of colors, each color corresponding to a particular connection state of each communication link within each network element.

Claims

1. A method for provisioning a circuit via a plurality of network elements comprising:

(a) graphically representing said network elements within a network as a plurality of network element objects;

(b) graphically representing a communications link between two network elements as a bridge object disposed between two of said plurality of network element objects; and

(c) graphically representing the status of cross-connection links within said network elements as an icon displayed on each of said linked network element objects;

wherein

said network element objects and bridge objects may be manipulated to form a graphical representation of a desired circuit.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the icon is selected from the group consisting of a set of colors, a set of images, shapes, symbols, objects, and text.

3. The method of claim 2, wherein the icon is a set of colors and each color of said set corresponds to a particular connection state and cross-connection state within each network element.

4. The method of claim 3 wherein the set of colors consists of a list of seven colors.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein each bridge object has at least one communications link, each communications link comprising at least one channel for establishing a communication path between two of the plurality of network elements.

6. A graphical user interface (GUI), comprising:

a plurality of network element objects, each network element object representing a respective element within a network and having a status icon associated with the network element object;

a plurality of bridge objects, representing a respective communications channel within the network;

wherein;

in response to a user selection of a network element object, the network element corresponding to the selected network object is selected for use in a circuit; and

its corresponding status icon displays information as to the status of a communications channel between the network element and a second network element.

7. The GUI of claim 6, wherein each bridge object further comprises at least one communications link object, each communications link object comprising at least one channel object, each channel object representing the communication channel.

8. The GUI of claim 6, wherein the status icon is selected from the group consisting of colors, shapes, symbols, objects and text.

9. The GUI of claim 8, wherein the colors represent the status of a communications channel between the first network element and the second network element.

10. The GUI of claim 9, wherein a first color represents a cross-connection locally in a management system database not yet set to a network element.

11. The GUI of claim 10, wherein said first color is black.

12. The GUI of claim 9, wherein a second color represents an active connection created by CIT/EMS.

14. The GUI of claim 9, wherein a third color represents a pending communications channel.

15. The GUI of claim 14, wherein said third color is gray.

16. The GUI of claim 9, wherein a fourth color represents a partial communications channel state.

17. The GUI of claim 16, wherein said fourth color is red.

18. The GUI of claim 9, wherein a fifth color represents an improper disconnect state of the communications channel.

19. The GUI of claim 18, wherein said fifth color is orange.

20. The GUI of claim 9, wherein a sixth color represents an “

intent to delete”

state of the communications channel.

21. The GUI of claim 20, wherein said sixth color is magenta.

13. The GUI of color 12, wherein said second color is green.