FAULT MANAGEMENT TRAFFIC REDUCTION IN HETEROGENEOUS NETWORKS

• US 20130083669A1
• Filed: 09/28/2012
• Published: 04/04/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 09/30/2011
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: WSOU Investments, LLC (WSOU Holdings, LLC)
• Original Assignee: Nokia Siemens Networks NV (Nokia Corporation)
• Inventors: Harris, John M., Anatoly, Andrianov
• Granted Patent: US 9,538,402 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 370/242
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 24/04 Arrangements for maintaining operational condition
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 24/08 Testing, supervising or monitoring using real traffic

Abstract

A method includes configuring one or more network nodes in a radio access network using information to be used by the one or more network nodes to determine whether an event detected by the one or more network nodes and associated with the radio access network should be reported. Another method includes configuring a network node in a radio access network using information to be used by the network node to determine whether an event detected by the network node and associated with the radio access network should be reported. Responsive to the configuring, the network node may or may not report the event. Apparatus, computer programs, computer program products, and communication systems are also disclosed.

Claims

1. An apparatus, comprising:

one or more processors; and

one or more memories including computer program code,

the one or more memories and the computer program code configured, with the one or more processors, to cause the apparatus to perform at least the following;

configuring one or more network nodes in a radio access network using information to be used by the one or more network nodes to determine whether an event detected by the one or more network nodes and associated with the radio access network should be reported.

2. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein:

the one or more network nodes comprise a plurality of network nodes; and

the information comprises a plurality of probability values, each of the plurality of probability values to be used by a respective one of the plurality of network nodes for comparison with a randomly generated value to determine whether the detected event should be reported by the respective network node.

3. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein:

the one or more network nodes comprise a plurality of network nodes; and

the information comprises a common random seed for each of the plurality of network nodes, the common random seed to be used by each of the plurality of network nodes to determine a sequence of random values used to determine whether the detected event should be reported by the network node.

4. The apparatus of claim 3, wherein each of the plurality of network nodes is to use a value uniquely identifying the network node from others of the plurality of the network nodes to determine uniquely a starting point within the sequence of random values.

5. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the information comprises at least one value to be used by a selected one of the one or more network nodes to set a delay used to report the detected event in response to the detected event not being reported to the selected network node by peers of the selected network node within the delay.

6. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein:

the one or more network nodes comprise a plurality of network nodes; and

wherein the information comprises a plurality of at least one values, each of the plurality of at least one values to be used by a corresponding one of the plurality of network nodes to set a delay and where the corresponding network node is to report the detected event in response to the detected event not being reported to the corresponding network node by peers of the corresponding network node within the delay.

7. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein:

the one or more network nodes comprise a plurality of network nodes; and

the information comprises information causing a selected one of the plurality network nodes to assume a reporter role and in the reporter role to report all detected events.

8. A method, comprising:

configuring one or more network nodes in a radio access network using information to be used by the one or more network nodes to determine whether an event detected by the one or more network nodes and associated with the radio access network should be reported.

9. The method of claim 8, further comprising receiving one or more reports from the one or more network nodes, the one or more reports reported by the one or more network nodes based at least in part on the information.

10. An apparatus, comprising:

one or more processors; and

one or more memories including computer program code,

the one or more memories and the computer program code configured, with the one or more processors, to cause the apparatus to perform at least the following;

configuring a network node in a radio access network using information to be used by the network node to determine whether an event detected by the network node and associated with the radio access network should be reported.

11. The apparatus of claim 10, wherein the information comprises a random seed, and wherein the one or more memories and the computer program code are further configured, with the one or more processors, to cause the apparatus to perform at least the following:

generating by the network node a plurality of pseudorandom values using the random seed and using the plurality of pseudorandom values to determine whether the detected event should be reported by the network node.

12. The apparatus of claim 11, wherein generating the plurality of pseudorandom values using the common random seed further comprises using a value uniquely defining the network node relative to other network nodes in a cluster of network nodes to determine a starting point within the plurality of pseudorandom values.

13. The apparatus of claim 10, wherein the information comprises at least one value, wherein the one or more memories and the computer program code are further configured, with the one or more processors, to cause the apparatus to perform at least the following:

using by the network node the at least one value to set a delay and reporting the detected event in response to the detected event not being reported to the network node by peers of the network node within the delay.

14. The apparatus of claim 13, wherein the information further comprises a maximum delay value, and wherein the one or more memories and the computer program code are further configured, with the one or more processors, to cause the apparatus to perform at least the following:

using by the network node the maximum delay value to determine a time period to store the detected event, using the time period to determine whether a similar event to the detected event is determined by the network node to have occurred within the time period, and determining not to report the similar event in response to the similar event occurring during the time period.

15. The apparatus of claim 10, wherein the information comprises information causing the network node to assume a reporter role, and wherein the one or more memories and the computer program code are further configured, with the one or more processors, to cause the apparatus to perform at least the following:

reporting by the network node all detected events while in the reporter role.

16. The apparatus of claim 10, wherein an operations and management entity configures the network node using one or more configuration messages comprising the information.

17. The apparatus of claim 10, further comprising accessing one or both of one or more configuration files or one or more policies comprising the information and performing the configuring using the accessed information.

18. The apparatus of claim 10, wherein any detected events are reported to at least one operations and management entity.

19. A method, comprising:

configuring a network node in a radio access network using information to be used by the network node to determine whether an event detected by the network node and associated with the radio access network should be reported.

20. The method of claim 19, further comprising reporting by the network node the event in response to a determination, based at least on the information, the event should be reported.

21. A computer program product comprising a computer-readable storage medium bearing computer program code embodied therein for use with a computer, the computer program code comprising:

code for configuring a network node in a radio access network using information to be used by the network node to determine whether an event detected by the network node and associated with the radio access network should be reported.