Network fault diagnostic device, network fault diagnostic method, and computer product

• US 20070074076A1
• Filed: 02/23/2006
• Published: 03/29/2007
• Est. Priority Date: 09/29/2005
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Fujitsu Limited
• Original Assignee: Fujitsu Limited
• Inventors: Imai, Satoshi, Ueno, Hitoshi, Yamada, Akiko, Yamada, Hitoshi, Chugo, Akira
• Granted Patent: US 7,587,634 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 714/26
• 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 11/079 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 41/0609 based on severity or priority
• 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 network fault diagnostic device is configured in the following manner. A causal relation table stores causal relations between faults and events, and a monitor event selector refers to the causal relation table to extract a minimum event required for identifying a fault, and sets the event as a monitor event. The acquisition-event selector selects events from the causal relation table based on latest fault candidates, and sets priorities of the events selected, in the order of efficiently identifying faults. The event acquiring unit requests events in the order of the priorities set, and the event receiving unit receives each event in response to the respective requests. The fault determining unit narrows down the candidates of the fault based on the events received one by one.

Claims

1. A network fault diagnostic device that identifies a fault based on a causal relation between a fault occurring on a network and an event indicating a sign of the fault, comprising:

a storage unit that stores therein a probability of an event for a fault occurring on the network in correlation with the causal relation between the fault and the event;

an event acquiring unit that selects a minimum event required for identifying the fault from events of which probabilities are stored in the storage unit and acquires selected event from each device connected to the network; and

a fault determining unit that identifies the fault by extracting a set of fault candidates corresponding to the event acquired by the event acquiring unit, from faults stored in the storage unit, and obtaining a set common with fault candidates corresponding to the event acquired by the event acquiring unit.

2. The network fault diagnostic device according to claim 1, wherein the event acquiring unit selects a minimum event required for identifying a fault occurring on the network based on the probabilities stored in the storage unit, and to automatically acquire the event from each device connected to the network.

3. The network fault diagnostic device according to claim 1, wherein the event acquiring unit calculates a priority of each event based on the probabilities stored in the storage unit, decides an acquisition order of events capable of efficiently identifying the fault, and requests the events in the acquisition order, from each device connected to the network.

4. The network fault diagnostic device according to claim 3, wherein when a next event cannot be acquired after a predetermined time is elapsed since one event is acquired, the event acquiring unit starts calculating the priority.

5. The network fault diagnostic device according to claim 3, wherein when an event is acquired during calculation of the priority, the event acquiring unit stops the calculation and re-calculates the priority.

6. The network fault diagnostic device according to claim 1, wherein

the fault determining unit prepares information about identified fault and history information indicative of an event acquired for identifying the fault, and

the storage unit dynamically updates the probability of each event based on the history information prepared by the fault determining unit.

7. The network fault diagnostic device according to claim 1, wherein the event acquiring unit sets an importance level of a fault based on an instruction from an operator, and selects an event according to the importance level.

8. The network fault diagnostic device according to claim 6, wherein the fault determining unit stores certainties, and dynamically selects an event according to the change of the probability of the event stored in the storage unit.

9. A method of identifying a fault based on a causal relation between a fault occurring on a network and an event indicating a sign of the fault, comprising:

preparing a probability of an event for a fault occurring on the network in correlation with the causal relation between the fault and the event;

selecting a minimum event required for identifying the fault from events of which probabilities are prepared at preparing;

acquiring the event selected at the selecting from each device connected to the network; and

identifying the fault by extracting a set of fault candidates corresponding to the event acquired at the acquiring, from faults prepared at the preparing, and obtaining a set common with fault candidates corresponding to the event acquired at the acquiring.

10. A computer-readable recording medium that stores therein a computer program that causes a computer to implement a method of identifying a fault based on a causal relation between a fault occurring on a network and an event indicating a sign of the fault, the computer program causing the computer to execute:

preparing a probability of an event for a fault occurring on the network in correlation with the causal relation between the fault and the event;

selecting a minimum event required for identifying the fault from events of which probabilities are prepared at preparing;

acquiring the event selected at the selecting from each device connected to the network; and

identifying the fault by extracting a set of fault candidates corresponding to the event acquired at the acquiring, from faults prepared at the preparing, and obtaining a set common with fault candidates corresponding to the event acquired at the acquiring.

11. An event selecting device that selects an event to be acquired from a network device based on a causal relation between a fault occurring on a network and an event indicating a sign of the fault, comprising:

a storage unit that stores therein a probability of an event for a fault occurring on the network in correlation with the causal relation between the fault and the event; and

an event selector that selects a minimum event required for identifying the fault occurring on the network, from events of which probabilities are stored in the storage unit, and that sets selected event as an event to be acquired from each device connected to the network.