METHOD AND SYSTEM FOR PERFORMING NETWORK DIAGNOSTICS UTILIZING A SECONDARY COMMUNICATIONS MEDIUM

• US 20090161557A1
• Filed: 12/20/2007
• Published: 06/25/2009
• Est. Priority Date: 12/20/2007
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Verizon Patent and Licensing Incorporated (Verizon Communications Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Verizon Services Organization Incorporated (Verizon Communications Inc.)
• Inventors: Macias, Jose J.
• Granted Patent: US 8,699,355 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 370/242
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 41/0681 Configuration of triggering conditions
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 41/22 comprising specially adapted graphical user interfaces [GUI]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 43/50 Testing arrangements

Abstract

A method, comprising detecting a problem associated with a network communications link of a primary communications medium, performing one or more actions on a first network element communicatively coupled to the network communications link in response to detection of the problem, and transmitting data associated with the problem from the first network element to a second network element utilizing a secondary communications medium.

Claims

1. A method, comprising:

detecting a problem associated with a network communications link of a primary communications medium;

performing one or more actions on a first network element communicatively coupled to the network communications link in response to detection of the problem; and

transmitting data associated with the problem from the first network element to a second network element utilizing a secondary communications medium.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the data transmitted comprises one of data based at least in part on one or more optical signals received by the first network element, data based at least in part on one or more electrical signals transmitted by the first network element, data based at least in part on one or more radio signals transmitted by the first network element, a status of one or more indicators of the first network element, and data based at least in part on one or more portions of information retrieved from memory of the first network element.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the first network element is comprised of a network device and a device communicatively coupled to the network device and communicatively coupled to the secondary communications medium and wherein the device communicatively coupled to the network device enables the transmission of data over the secondary communications medium and the performance of one or more actions on the network device.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the data is transmitted in response to a request from the second network element.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein at least one of the one or more actions performed on a first network element is performed in response to a request from the second network element.

6. The method of claim 4, further comprising:

utilizing the second network element to detect the problem of the network communications link; and

sending a request to perform one or more actions to the first network element from the second network element utilizing the secondary communications medium.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein the data is transmitted in response to the first network element detecting the problem associated with the network communications link.

8. The method of claim 4, wherein the second network element multicasts the request and one or more secondary network elements receive the request.

9. The method of claim 4, further comprising one or more first network elements responding to the request in the event the request matches a predetermined condition.

10. The method of claim 9, wherein the predetermined condition is the matching of an identifier in the request to a stored identifier on the first network element.

11. The method of claim 1, wherein the first network element multicasts the transmission of data to one or more second network elements.

12. The method of claim 1, wherein the secondary communications medium is one of a paging network and a mobile network.

13. The method of claim 4, wherein the request is sent via one of a page and a text message.

14. The method of claim 1, wherein at least one of the one or more actions is one of resetting the state of the first network element to a default state and powering a first network element off and on.

15. The method of claim 1 wherein the first network element comprises one or more of:

an optical splitter, an optical network terminal, an optical network unit, a fiber drop terminal, a hub, a residential gateway and a headend.

16. The method of claim 1 wherein the second network element comprises an optical line terminal.

17. The method of claim 1 wherein the network communications link comprises a link in a passive optical network.

18. A system, comprising:

a first network element communicatively coupled to a network communications link of a primary communications medium;

a second network element communicatively coupled to the first network element wherein the second network element is communicatively coupled to a secondary communications medium and the second network element is configured to;

perform one or more actions on a first network element; and

transmit data from the second network element to a third network element utilizing the secondary communications medium.

19. The system of claim 18, wherein the second network element contains a battery and is operational in the event of a power outage.

20. A system, comprising:

a first network element communicatively coupled to a network communications link of a primary communications medium;

a second network element communicatively coupled to the first network element wherein the second network element is communicatively coupled to a secondary communications medium and the second network element is configured to;

perform one or more actions on a first network element; and

receive data from a third network element utilizing the secondary communications medium.