Semi-automatic mode of network design

• US 5,337,320 A
• Filed: 10/28/1993
• Issued: 08/09/1994
• Est. Priority Date: 12/06/1989
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Nextiraone France (Nippon Telegraph and Telephone Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Racal-Datacom, Inc. (Thales SA)
• Inventors: Kung, Ching Y.
• Primary Examiner(s): ATKINSON, CHARLES
• Application Number:
  US08/141,371
• Time in Patent Office: 285 Days
• Field of Search: 371/15.1, 364/276.3, 395/575, 395/911, 395/909, 395/916, 395/917
• US Class Current: 714/26
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 11/2257 using expert systems
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 11/327 Alarm or error message display
• 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
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 41/0659 by isolating or reconfiguring faulty entities
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 41/16 using machine learning or artificial intelligence
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 43/00 Arrangements for monitoring or testing data switching networks
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 43/0829 Packet loss
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 43/106 using time related information in packets, e.g. by adding timestamps
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 43/50 Testing arrangements
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 706/908 Electronic or computer, internal or network, circuit
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 706/909 Communication
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 706/911 Nonmedical diagnostics
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 706/917 Communication

Abstract

An Expert System 10 for providing diagnostics to a data communications network 5. Alarms from a Network Manager 24 are received and queued by an Event Manager 117 and then filtered by an Alarm Filter 118 to remove redundant alarms. Alarms which are ready for processing are then posted to a queue referred to as a Bulletin Board 120. A Controller 112 determines which one of the posted goals has the highest priority by considering a priority number associated with the goal plus a time of arrival of the goal. An Inference Engine 122 uses information from an Expert Information Structure 111 to solve the highest priority goal by a process called instantiation. The process of solving the goal may be interrupted by a pause or suspension in order to perform tests under the direction of a Network Test Manager 124 or retrieve other information during which time other goals may be processed. Expert information is entered using a user friendly User Interface 104 which reduces need for the participation of a Knowledge Engineer. Configuration information about the network is maintained in a Network Structure Knowledge Base 109 by a Network Configuration Module 108. The Expert System 10 may operate in any of three modes: manual, wherein tests must be approved by or directed by an operator; automatic, where tests are run automatically without operator intervention; and semiautomatic, where operator approval is required for certain tests such as interruptive tests and other tests such as non-interruptive tests may proceed without operator intervention.

Claims

1. An expert network diagnostic system for diagnosing problems in a communication network in a semi-automatic mode, comprising in combination:

means for performing diagnostic tests on said network, said diagnostic tests including non-interruptive tests which do not significantly impact operation of said network and interruptive tests which require interfering with function a device in said network while said interruptive test is performed;

means for determining an appropriate one of said diagnostic tests to be performed to diagnose a problem with said network;

means for determining whether said appropriate test is an interruptive or non-interruptive test;

means for invoking said appropriate test if said appropriate test is non-interruptive; and

means for obtaining consent of an operator to perform said appropriate test if said appropriate test is interruptive.

2. An expert diagnostic system for providing diagnostics to a diagnostic target in a semi-automatic mode, comprising in combination:

means for performing diagnostic tests;

means for determining an appropriate one of said diagnostic tests to perform to diagnose a problem;

means for determining if said appropriate test meets a predetermined criteria;

means for invoking said appropriate test if said appropriate test meets said criteria; and

means for obtaining consent of an operator to invoke said appropriate test if said appropriate test does not meet said predetermined criteria.

3. The apparatus of claim 2, wherein meeting said predetermined criteria includes not disrupting operation of said diagnostic target in order to perform said appropriate test.