Method of labeling alarms to facilitate correlating alarms in a telecommunications network

• US 20050166099A1
• Filed: 02/18/2005
• Published: 07/28/2005
• Est. Priority Date: 01/22/2002
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Jackson Shyu
• Original Assignee: Jackson Shyu
• Inventors: Shyu, Jackson
• Granted Patent: US 8,065,409 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 714/47
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 11/0709 in a distributed system consisting of a plurality of standalone computer nodes, e.g. clusters, client-server systems
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 11/0769 Readable error formats, e.g. cross-platform generic formats, human understandable formats
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 11/079 Root cause analysis, i.e. error or fault diagnosis in a hardware test environment G06F11/22; in a software test environment G06F11/36
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 41/0213 Standardised network management protocols, e.g. simple network management protocol [SNMP]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 41/0631 using root cause analysis; using analysis of correlation between notifications, alarms or events based on decision criteria, e.g. hierarchy, tree or time analysis

Abstract

A method for generating compressed correlation key values for use in correlating alarms generated by network elements in a telecommunications network is disclosed. An alarm message generated by a network element is received. A context value in the alarm message is identified. A table that associates context values to correlation key value formulas is maintained. A formula specifying how to generate the correlation key value is retrieved from the table. Each formula may specify, for an associated context value, one or more ordinal positions of fields in the alarm message, a concatenation of which yields the correlation key value. The correlation key value is created based on the formula. A unique ordinal number is generated to represent the correlation key value, which acts as a context key. The alarm message and correlation key value are sent to an external system for use in correlating alarms.

Claims

1. A method of generating an external correlation key value for use in correlating alarms emitted by network elements or system elements in a telecommunications network, the method comprising the steps of:

receiving an alarm message generated by a network element or system element of the telecommunications network;

identifying a context value in the alarm message;

retrieving, based upon the context value in the alarm message, from a table that associates context values to internal correlation key value formulas, a formula specifying how to generate an internal correlation key value;

creating and storing the internal correlation key value based on the formula;

generating the external correlation key value based on the internal correlation key value; and

sending the alarm message and external correlation key value to an external system for use in correlating alarms.