Method and apparatus for inter-domain alarm correlation

• US 5,768,501 A
• Filed: 05/28/1996
• Issued: 06/16/1998
• Est. Priority Date: 05/28/1996
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Google LLC (Alphabet Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Cabletron Systems Incorporated (Extreme Networks, Inc.)
• Inventors: Lewis, Lundy
• Primary Examiner(s): Beausoliel, Jr., Robert W.
• Assistant Examiner(s): HUA, LY
• Application Number:
  US08/654,305
• Time in Patent Office: 749 Days
• Field of Search: 395/185.01, 395/182.02, 395/183.01, 395/183.02, 395/184.01, 395/200.01, 395/200.06, 395/200.09, 395/200.1, 395/200.11, 395/200.13
• US Class Current: 714/48
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 41/044 comprising hierarchical management structures
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 41/046 comprising network management agents or mobile agents therefor
• 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 43/0817 by checking functioning
• CPC Class Codes: H04Q 2213/13516 agents or brokers - user, terminal etc., also OSI agent/managers
• CPC Class Codes: H04Q 2213/13521 fault management
• CPC Class Codes: H04Q 2213/13533 multivendor and hybrid, e.g. public/private, networks, inc. international
• CPC Class Codes: H04Q 2213/13535 distributed systems - also domains in service creation
• CPC Class Codes: H04Q 2213/13566 mediation
• CPC Class Codes: H04Q 3/0062 Provisions for network management
• CPC Class Codes: H04Q 3/0075 Fault management techniques
• CPC Class Codes: H04Q 3/0095 Specification, development or application of network management software, e.g. software re-use

Abstract

A multi-domain network manager provides alarm correlation among a plurality of domains included in a communications network. Individual network management systems each monitor a single respective domain of the communications network, and provide intra-domain alarms indicative of status specific to the single respective domain. The multi-domain network manager receives the intra-domain alarms, and correlates them to provide inter-domain alarms as well as responses in the form of corrective actions. The multi-domain network manager thus provides a high level of correlation and response for the entire network while each network management system provides a lower level of correlation and response for an individual domain of the network.

Claims

1. An apparatus comprising:

a plurality of single-domain network management systems (NMSs), a first NMS monitoring status information from a first domain of a communications network, correlating the status information to generate a first intra-domain alarm, and providing as an output the first intra-domain alarm, and a second NMS monitoring a second domain of the communications network and providing as an output a second intra-domain alarm; and

a multi-domain network manager operatively coupled to each of the NMSs, and having an input that receives each of the first and second intra-domain alarms, the multi-domain network manager correlating the first and second intra-domain alarms to generate a result.

2. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the multi-domain manager includes an output that provides an alarm indicative of the result.

3. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the multi-domain manager determines a corrective action based upon the first and second intra-domain alarms and has an output that provides the corrective action to a network resource within the communications network.

4. The apparatus of claim 3, wherein the first NMS determines a single-domain corrective action based upon a single-domain correlation of status information received from the first domain, and has an output that provides the single-domain corrective action to a network resource within the first domain.

5. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the multi-domain manager includes a correlation system that determines adjacent domains.

6. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the multi-domain manager provides as an output an inter-domain alarm and a severity associated with the inter-domain alarm.

7. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the multi-domain manager includes a state machine, having an input that receives the first and second intra-domain alarm and an output that provides a severity and a correlation of the first and second intra-domain alarms.

8. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the first NMS includes:

a coordination agent having an input that receives the status information and an output that provides modified status information; and

an abstraction agent having an input that receives the modified status information from the coordination agent and an output that provides an abstracted version of the modified status information to the multi-domain network manager.

9. A method for managing a communications network that is partitioned into a plurality of domains, comprising the steps of:

receiving a first intra-domain alarm from a first domain of the network, the first intra-domain alarm being generated in response to a correlation of status information from the first domain of the network;

receiving a second intra-domain alarm from a second domain of the network; and

correlating the first intra-domain alarm with the second intra-domain alarm to generate an inter-domain alarm.

10. The method of claim 9, further comprising the step of:

receiving status information from at least one resource in the first domain;

correlating the status information to generate the first intra-domain alarm; and

transmitting the first intra-domain alarm.

11. The method of claim 10, wherein the step of correlating the status information includes abstracting the status information to create the first intra-domain alarm, the method further comprising a step of decomposing the status information to generate a corrective action the first domain of the network.

12. The method of claim 9, further comprising the steps of:

analyzing the inter-domain alarm to determine a corrective action; and

providing a command to a network resource within the communications network to implement the corrective action.

13. The method of claim 12, further comprising the steps of:

receiving status information from at least one resource in the first domain;

correlating a first portion of the status information to generate the first intra-domain alarm;

analyzing a second portion of the status information to determine a second corrective action; and

providing a second command to a second network resource within the communications network to implement the second corrective action.

14. The method of claim 9, wherein the step of correlating includes determining a domain that is adjacent to the first domain.

15. The method of claim 9, wherein the step of correlating includes determining a severity of a condition indicated by a combination of the first intra-domain alarm and the second intra-domain alarm, the inter-domain alarm including an indication of the severity of the condition.

16. The method of claim 9, wherein the step of correlating includes the steps of:

providing the first intra-domain alarm and the second intra-domain alarm to a state machine; and

receiving an output from the state machine indicative of a severity and a correlation of a combination of the first intra-domain alarm and the second intra-domain alarm.

17. An apparatus for managing a communications network that is partitioned into a plurality of domains, comprising:

means for receiving a first intra-domain alarm from a first domain of the network, the first intra-domain alarm being generated in response to a correlation of status information from the first domain of the network;

means for receiving a second intra-domain alarm from a second domain of the network; and

means for correlating the first intra-domain alarm with the second intra-domain alarm to generate an inter-domain alarm.

18. The apparatus of claim 17, further comprising a single-domain network management system operatively coupled to the first domain, including:

means for receiving status information from at least one resource in the first domain;

means for correlating the status information to generate the first intra-domain alarm; and

means for transmitting the first intra-domain alarm.

19. The apparatus of claim 17, further comprising:

means for analyzing the inter-domain alarm to determine a corrective action; and

means for providing a command to a network resource within the communications network to implement the corrective action.

20. The apparatus of claim 19, further comprising a single-domain network management system operatively coupled to the first domain, including:

means for receiving status information from at least one resource in the first domain;

means for correlating a first portion of the status information to generate the first intra-domain alarm;

means for analyzing a second portion of the status information to determine a second corrective action; and

means for providing a second command to a second network resource within the communications network to implement the second corrective action.

21. The apparatus of claim 17, wherein the means for correlating includes for determining a domain that is adjacent to the first domain.

22. The apparatus of claim 17, wherein the means for correlating includes determining a severity of a condition indicated by a combination of the first intra-domain alarm and the second intra-domain alarm, the inter-domain alarm including an indication of the severity of the condition.

23. The apparatus of claim 17, further comprising a state machine having an input that receives the first intra-domain alarm and the second intra-domain alarm and an output indicative of a severity and a correlation of a combination of the first intra-domain alarm and the second intra-domain alarm.

24. The apparatus of claim 17, wherein the means for correlating the status information includes means for abstracting the status information to create the first intra-domain alarm, the apparatus further comprising means for decomposing the status information to generate a corrective action for the first domain of the network.