Alarm correlation system

• US 20100332918A1
• Filed: 06/30/2009
• Published: 12/30/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 06/30/2009
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: RPX Corporation
• Original Assignee: Alcatel-Lucent Canada Incorporated (Nokia Corporation)
• Inventors: Harnois, Pascal
• Granted Patent: US 8,166,352 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 714/57
• 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 11/0766 Error or fault reporting or storing

Abstract

An alarm correlation method with rules and model is disclosed for suppression of alarms which will clear when another alarm clears. The alarm correlation method with rules and model includes a list of objects which alarms may be raised, and a list of correlation rules for each of the objects which associates objects which have correlated alarms, and a method of traversing the lists so that correlated alarms may be suppressed. The alarm correlation method with rules and model is particularly useful for overcoming operator overload due to the presence of multiple correlated alarms.

Claims

1. A method for managing alarms arising on a plurality of objects in telecommunications equipment, said method comprising the steps of:

establishing a list of networked alarm relations among said plurality of objects, wherein said list specifies correlated alarms and correlating alarms associations between said objects;

establishing a list of correlating alarms;

establishing a list of correlated alarms; and

and upon a new alarm being raised on an object of said plurality of objects;

traversing said list of networked alarm relations in conjunction with said list of correlating alarms and said list of correlated alarms; and

assigning said new alarm to one of either said list of correlating alarms or said list of correlated alarms.

2. A method as claimed in claim 1 wherein

said traversing step comprises traversing at least one of the set of parent objects, affecting objects, and children objects.

3. A method as claimed in claim 2 wherein

said list of networked alarm relations among said plurality of objects further comprises a priority attribute.

4. A method as claimed in claim 3 wherein

said priority attribute is used in the assigning step in the event that said new alarm can be correlated by two different alarms.

5. A method as claimed in claim 1 wherein

said list of correlating alarms is made available to an operator as an alarm list with correlated alarms suppressed.

6. A method as claimed in claim 1 wherein

said list of correlated alarms is made available to an operator as an alarm list with correlated alarms un-suppressed.

7. A method as claimed in claim 1 wherein

an object of said plurality of objects may comprise one of the set of a hardware device and a software function.

8. An article of manufacture for use in programming a telecommunications equipment to manage alarms arising on a plurality of objects in the telecommunications equipment, the article of manufacture comprising computer useable media accessible to the telecommunications equipment, wherein the computer useable media includes at least one computer program that is capable of causing the telecommunications equipment to perform the steps of:

establishing a list of networked alarm relations among said plurality of objects, wherein said list specifies correlated alarms and correlating alarms associations between said objects;

establishing a list of correlating alarms;

establishing a list of correlated alarms; and

and upon a new alarm being raised on an object of said plurality of objects;

traversing said list of networked alarm relations in conjunction with said list of correlating alarms and said list of correlated alarms; and

assigning said new alarm to one of either said list of correlating alarms or said list of correlated alarms.

9. An article of manufacture as claimed in claim 8 wherein

said traversing step comprises traversing at least one of the set of parent objects, affecting objects, and children objects.

10. An article of manufacture as claimed in claim 9 wherein

said list of networked alarm relations among said plurality of objects further comprises a priority attribute.

11. An article of manufacture as claimed in claim 10 wherein

said priority attribute is used in the assigning step in the event that said new alarm can be correlated by two different alarms.

12. An article of manufacture as claimed in claim 8 wherein

an object of said plurality of objects may comprise one of the set of a hardware device and a software function.