System and method for managing a telecommunications network by associating and correlating network events
First Claim
Patent Images
1. A method for managing a telecommunications network, comprising:
- (1) maintaining a network object database comprising a plurality of network objects, wherein each of said network objects corresponds to at least one of a plurality of network elements, said plurality of network elements including tangible network elements and non-tangible network elements, wherein each of said network objects is defined by a set of attributes, each of said attributes having a value that represents a current state of the corresponding network element;
(2) receiving network event information from a plurality of network domains;
(3) identifying each of said network objects that is impacted by said network event information as impacted network objects, wherein said impacted network objects correspond to impacted network elements;
(4) identifying each of said attributes of said impacted network objects that is impacted by said network event information as impacted attributes;
(5) changing the value of said impacted attributes to reflect the impact of said network event information, thereby updating the current state of said impacted network elements to incorporate a state change and correlating network event information from at least one network domain with state changes in said at least one network domain and other network domains; and
(6) providing data reflecting the current state of said network elements and the updated current state of said impacted network elements to a network management workstation.
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Accused Products
Abstract
System and method for managing telecommunications networks. The state of network elements is managed by associating and correlating network events across many different network domains. Network elements include tangible elements, such as hardware and equipment, and non-tangible elements, such as customers, countries, and services. By incorporating an inferencing engine or expert system, sources of network problems are inferred, impacts of network events are assessed, and corrective actions are recommended.
285 Citations
43 Claims
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1. A method for managing a telecommunications network, comprising:
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(1) maintaining a network object database comprising a plurality of network objects, wherein each of said network objects corresponds to at least one of a plurality of network elements, said plurality of network elements including tangible network elements and non-tangible network elements, wherein each of said network objects is defined by a set of attributes, each of said attributes having a value that represents a current state of the corresponding network element; (2) receiving network event information from a plurality of network domains; (3) identifying each of said network objects that is impacted by said network event information as impacted network objects, wherein said impacted network objects correspond to impacted network elements; (4) identifying each of said attributes of said impacted network objects that is impacted by said network event information as impacted attributes; (5) changing the value of said impacted attributes to reflect the impact of said network event information, thereby updating the current state of said impacted network elements to incorporate a state change and correlating network event information from at least one network domain with state changes in said at least one network domain and other network domains; and (6) providing data reflecting the current state of said network elements and the updated current state of said impacted network elements to a network management workstation. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19)
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20. A method for managing a telecommunications network, comprising:
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(1) maintaining a network topology object database comprising a plurality of network objects, wherein each of said network objects corresponds to at least one of a plurality of network elements, said plurality of network elements including tangible network elements and non-tangible network elements, wherein each of said network objects is defined by a set of attributes, each of said attributes having a value that represents a current state of the corresponding network element; (2) receiving network event information from a plurality of network domains; (3) receiving network topology information; (4) identifying each of said network objects that is impacted by said network event information, and each of said network objects that is impacted by said network topology information, as impacted network objects, wherein said impacted network objects correspond to impacted network elements; (5) identifying each of said attributes of said impacted network objects that is impacted by said network event information and said network topology information as impacted attributes; (6) changing the value of said impacted attributes to reflect the impact of said network event information and said network topology information, thereby updating the current state of said impacted network elements to incorporate a state change and correlating network event information from at least one network domain with state changes in said at least one network domain and other network domains; (7) for each of said impacted network elements, determining whether said state change is a significant state change; (8) for each significant state change, applying an expert system rule to produce an assessment of said significant state change and providing said assessment to a network management workstation; and (9) providing data reflecting the current state of said network elements and the updated current state of said impacted network elements to the network management workstation. - View Dependent Claims (21, 22, 23, 24, 25, 26, 27, 28, 29, 30)
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31. A system for managing a telecommunications network, comprising:
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a network management workstation for displaying a network state; and network information receiving and processing means communicatively coupled to said network management workstation for receiving and processing information affecting the network state, said network information receiving and processing means comprising, database maintenance means for maintaining a network topology object database comprising a plurality of network objects, wherein each of said network objects corresponds to at least one of a plurality of network elements, said plurality of network elements including tangible network elements and non-tangible network elements, wherein each of said network objects is defined by a set of attributes, each of said attributes having a value that represents a current state of the corresponding network element, event receiving means for receiving network event information from a plurality of network domains, topology receiving means for receiving network topology information, means for identifying each of said network objects that is impacted by said network event information, and each of said network objects that is impacted by said network topology information, as impacted network objects, wherein said impacted network objects correspond to impacted network elements, means for identifying each of said attributes of said impacted network objects that is impacted by said network event information and said network topology information as impacted attributes, means for changing the value of said impacted attributes to reflect the impact of said network event information and said network topology information, thereby updating the current state of said impacted network elements to incorporate a state change and correlating network event information from at least one network domain with state changes in said at least one network domain and other network domains, means for determining whether said state change is a significant state change, means for applying an expert system rule to produce an assessment of said significant state change, means for transmitting said assessment to said network management workstation, and means for transmitting data reflecting the current state of said network elements and the updated current state of said impacted network elements to said network management workstation. - View Dependent Claims (32, 33, 34, 35, 36)
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37. A computer program product comprising a computer useable medium having computer program logic recorded thereon for enabling a processor in a computer system to manage a telecommunications network, said computer program logic comprising:
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database maintenance means for enabling the processor to maintain a network topology object database comprising a plurality of network objects, wherein each of said network objects corresponds to at least one of a plurality of network elements, said plurality of network elements including tangible network elements and non-tangible network elements, wherein each of said network objects is defined by a set of attributes, each of said attributes having a value that represents a current state of the corresponding network element; event receiving means for enabling the processor to receive network event information from a plurality of network domains; topology receiving means for enabling the processor to receive network topology information; impacted network object identifying means for enabling the processor to identify each of said network objects that is impacted by said network event information, and each of said network objects that is impacted by said network topology information, as impacted network objects, wherein said impacted network objects correspond to impacted network elements; impacted attribute identifying means for enabling the processor to identify each of said attributes of said impacted network objects that is impacted by said network event information and said network topology information as impacted attributes; attribute changing means for enabling the processor to change the value of said impacted attributes to reflect the impact of said network event information and said network topology information, thereby updating the current state of said impacted network elements to incorporate a state change and correlating network event information from at least one network domain with state changes in said at least one network domain and other network domains; state change determining means for enabling the processor to determine, for each of said impacted network elements, whether said state change is a significant state change; rule applying means for enabling the processor to apply, for each significant state change, an expert system rule to produce an assessment of said significant state change and to provide said assessment to a network management workstation; and data providing means for enabling the processor to provide data reflecting the current state of said network elements and the updated current state of said impacted network elements to the network management workstation. - View Dependent Claims (38, 39, 40, 41)
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42. A computer program product comprising a computer useable medium having computer program logic recorded thereon for enabling a processor in a computer system to manage a telecommunications network, said computer program logic comprising:
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database maintenance means for enabling the processor to maintain a network object database comprising a plurality of network objects, wherein each of said network objects corresponds to at least one of a plurality of network elements, said plurality of network elements including tangible network elements and non-tangible network elements, wherein each of said network objects is defined by a set of attributes, each of said attributes having a value that represents a current state of the corresponding network element; receiving means for enabling the processor to receive network event information from a plurality of network domains; impacted network object identifying means for enabling the processor to identify each of said network objects that is impacted by said network event information as impacted network objects, wherein said impacted network objects correspond to impacted network elements; impacted attributes identifying means for enabling the processor to identify each of said attributes of said impacted network objects that is impacted by said network event information as impacted attributes; attribute changing means for enabling the processor to change the value of said impacted attributes to reflect the impact of said network event information, thereby updating the current state of said impacted network elements to incorporate a state change and correlating network event information from at least one network domain with state changes in said at least one network domain and other network domains; and data providing means for enabling the processor to provide data reflecting the current state of said network elements and the updated current state of said impacted network elements to a network management workstation. - View Dependent Claims (43)
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Specification