FAULT MONITORING IN MULTI-DOMAIN NETWORKS

• US 20160072688A1
• Filed: 09/02/2015
• Published: 03/10/2016
• Est. Priority Date: 09/08/2014
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Alcatel-Lucent SA (Nokia Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Alcatel-Lucent SA (Nokia Corporation)
• Inventors: DESAI, Mayank, ANTONY, Saji
• Application Number:
  US14/843,278
• Publication Number:
  US 20160072688A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 41/0645 by additionally acting on or stimulating the network after receiving notifications
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 41/065 involving logical or physical relationship, e.g. grouping and hierarchies
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 41/0659 by isolating or reconfiguring faulty entities
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 41/0677 Localisation of faults
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 43/0823 Errors, e.g. transmission errors

Abstract

The present subject matter relates to fault monitoring in multi-domain networks. In an example, alarm messages associated with multiple network entities in the multi-domain network are received. Upon receiving the alarm messages, state information of network entities traversed by services across the multi-domain network prior to receiving the alarm messages is acquired. The state information of the network entities for each of the services comprises hierarchical relationships between physical level entities, logical level entities, and service level entities traversed by a respective service. A network entity is identified from the acquired state information that matches with the faulty network entity corresponding to each of the alarm messages. Services that are impacted by the faulty network entity are determined based on traversing the state information of the network entities, through the hierarchical relationships, from the identified network entity to the service level entities.

Claims

1. A method for monitoring faults in a multi-domain network, the method comprising:

receiving, by a processor, alarm messages associated with multiple network entities in the multi-domain network, wherein each of the alarm messages is indicative of a faulty network entity;

upon receiving the alarm messages, acquiring, by the processor, state information of network entities traversed by services across the multi-domain network prior to receiving the alarm messages, wherein the state information of the network entities for each of the services comprises hierarchical relationships between physical level entities, logical level entities, and service level entities traversed by a respective service;

identifying, by the processor, a network entity from the acquired state information that matches with the faulty network entity corresponding to each of the alarm messages; and

determining, by the processor, services that are impacted by the faulty network entity based on traversing the state information of the network entities, through the hierarchical relationships, from the identified network entity to the service level entities.

2. The method as claimed in claim 1, further comprising identifying, by the processor, an actual faulty network entity in the multi-domain network based on traversing the state information of the network entities, through the hierarchical relationships, from the service level entities associated with the determined services towards the physical level entities, wherein the state information is traversed till a network entity that matches with the faulty network entity corresponding to the each of the alarm messages is reached.

3. The method as claimed in claim 2, wherein the actual faulty network entity is the network entity at a lower most level based on the hierarchical relationships.

4. The method as claimed in claim 1, wherein the traversing the state information of the network entities comprises keeping a track of the network entities that are already traversed in the state information.

5. The method as claimed in claim 1, wherein the traversing the state information of the network entities comprises parsing the network entities that lead to the service level entities.

6. The method as claimed in claim 1, further comprises:

setting, by the processor, a flag with a status indicative of a non-traversing entity for a predefined set of network entities in the state information, wherein the traversing the state information of the network entities comprises parsing the network entities in the state information that are without the flag set with the status indicative of the non-traversing entity.

7. The method as claimed in claim 1, wherein the hierarchical relationships comprises:

relations between network equipment, physical terminations associated with the network equipment, links between the physical terminations, logical terminations corresponding to the physical terminations, paths between the logical terminations, and service types associated with the paths.

8. The method as claimed in claim 7, wherein the paths between the logical terminations comprises child paths and parent paths in a parent-child relationship, wherein each of the child paths is a direct path between two logical terminations, and wherein each of the parent paths is an aggregate path of at least two child paths.

9. A fault monitoring system comprising:

a processor; and

a service impact analyzer coupled to the processor to;

receive alarm messages associated with multiple network entities in the multi-domain network, wherein each of the alarm messages is indicative of a faulty network entity;

acquire, upon receiving the alarm messages, state information of network entities traversed by services across the multi-domain network prior to receiving the alarm messages, wherein the state information of the network entities for each of the services comprises hierarchical relationships between physical level entities, logical level entities, and service level entities traversed by a respective service;

identify a network entity from the acquired state information that matches with the faulty network entity corresponding to each of the alarm messages; and

determine services that are impacted by the faulty network entity based on traversing the state information of the network entities, through the hierarchical relationships, from the identified network entity to the service level entities.

10. The fault monitoring system as claimed in claim 9, further comprising:

a root cause analyzer coupled to the processor to identify an actual faulty network entity in the multi-domain network based on traversing the state information of the network entities, through the hierarchical relationships, from the service level entities associated with the determined services towards the physical level entities, wherein the state information is traversed till a network entity that matches with the faulty network entity corresponding to the each of the alarm messages is reached.

11. The fault monitoring system as claimed in claim 10, wherein the actual faulty network entity is the network entity at a lower most level based on the hierarchical relationships.

12. The fault monitoring system as claimed in claim 9, wherein the service impact analyzer is to keep a track of the network entities that are already traversed in the state information.

13. The fault monitoring system as claimed in claim 9, wherein the service impact analyzer is to:

set a flag with a status indicative of a non-traversing entity for a predefined set of network entities in the state information; and

parse the network entities in the state information that are without the flag set with the status indicative of the non-traversing entity.

14. A non-transitory computer-readable medium having embodied thereon a computer program for executing a method for monitoring faults in a multi-domain network, the method comprising:

receiving alarm messages associated with multiple network entities in the multi-domain network, wherein each of the alarm messages is indicative of a faulty network entity;

upon receiving the alarm messages, acquiring state information of network entities traversed by services across the multi-domain network prior to receiving the alarm messages, wherein the state information of the network entities for each of the services comprises hierarchical relationships between physical level entities, logical level entities, and service level entities traversed by a respective service;

identifying a network entity from the acquired state information that matches with the faulty network entity corresponding to each of the alarm messages; and

determining services that are impacted by the faulty network entity based on traversing the state information of the network entities, through the hierarchical relationships, from the identified network entity to the service level entities.

15. The non-transitory computer-readable medium as claimed in claim 14, wherein the method further comprises identifying an actual faulty network entity in the multi-domain network based on traversing the state information of the network entities, through the hierarchical relationships, from the service level entities associated with the determined services towards the physical level entities, wherein the state information is traversed till a network entity that matches with the faulty network entity corresponding to the each of the alarm messages is reached.