Maintenance operations console for an advanced intelligent network

• US 6,018,567 A
• Filed: 02/26/1998
• Issued: 01/25/2000
• Est. Priority Date: 11/22/1995
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Verizon Patent and Licensing Incorporated (Verizon Communications Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Bell Atlantic Network Services, Inc. (Verizon Communications Inc.)
• Inventors: Dulman, Scott P.
• Primary Examiner(s): Kuntz, Curtis A.
• Assistant Examiner(s): NGUYEN, DUC MINH
• Application Number:
  US09/031,043
• Time in Patent Office: 698 Days
• Field of Search: 379/34-35, 379/10, 379/15, 379/27, 379/120, 379/1, 379/12, 379/22-23, 379/29, 379/32, 379/134-135, 379/111-115, 379/201, 379/207, 379/127, 379/133
• US Class Current: 379/32.03
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 3/2254 in networks
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 7/12 for working between exchanges having different types of switching equipment, e.g. power-driven and step by step or decimal and non-decimal
• CPC Class Codes: H04Q 2213/13345 Intelligent networks, SCP
• CPC Class Codes: H04Q 2213/13505 management information base [MIB]
• CPC Class Codes: H04Q 2213/13546 Intelligent Peripheral
• CPC Class Codes: H04Q 3/0029 Provisions for intelligent networking

Abstract

An arrangement for monitoring operations of advanced intelligent network (AIN) elements of a public switched telephone network by transporting standardized network management messages across a data network. A maintenance and operations console (MOC) sends and receives Simplified Network Management Protocol (SNMP) objects from AIN elements such as an Intelligent Peripheral (IP) via a packet switched network using a standardized transport protocol such as TCP/IP. The IP includes an error monitoring system that collects error messages and generates an error status report. An SNMP agent internal to the IP converts the error status report to SNMP objects outputs the SNMP objects onto the packet switched network. The MOC receives the SNMP objects, assigns an operational priority to the SNMP objects, and displays the operational priority of the received SNMP objects based on object relationships identified by a Management Information Base (MIB). The MOC outputs SNMP objects identifying corrective measures in accordance with user selection inputs and the object relationships identified by the MIB. The MOC of the present invention provides flexible monitoring of AIN elements at different locations based on the use of SNMP object base, and accommodates changes to the AIN based on the received MIB objects.

Claims

1. In an advanced intelligent network (AIN) comprising a plurality of AIN elements providing call processing functions in a public switched telephone network and a data network providing operations messages between the AIN elements, wherein each of said AIN elements includes an operating software subsystem, an application software subsystem performing a call processing function, a communication subsystem sending and receiving operations messages to and from said each AIN element via a standardized transport protocol, and a monitoring subsystem identifying errors in each of the subsystems of said each AIN element, a maintenance and operations console (MOC) coupled to said plurality of AIN elements via a data communication network for monitoring said plurality of AIN elements, said MOC comprising:

an alarm management module for receiving and organizing alarms from the plurality of AIN elements in response to the application subsystem of an AIN element sending an alarm and an operational priority of the alarm;

a topology map module for organizing the alarms received by said alarm module for display on a graphic user interface; and

a failover/recovery system for performing corrective countermeasures by outputting correction commands to different AIN elements in response to detected alarms from the alarm management module.

2. The MOC of claim 1, wherein said failover/recovery system is further responsive to selected inputs from a user at the graphic user interface.

3. The MOC of claim 1, further comprising:

a simplified network management protocol (SNMP) network management application for executing the monitoring, detection, and correction of alarms in the AIN network.

4. The MOC of claim 3, further comprising:

an operating system server for supporting the functions of said alarm management module, said topology module, said failover/recovery system, and said network management application.