Automatic generation of reconfiguration scripts for telecommunication devices

• US 6,078,741 A
• Filed: 02/05/1997
• Issued: 06/20/2000
• Est. Priority Date: 02/05/1997
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: American Telecorp
• Original Assignee: Firsttel Systems Corporation
• Inventors: Russell, Mark, Berriatua, Steve, Ma, Xiwen, Moloney, Simon, Tian, XiaoLin
• Primary Examiner(s): Teska, Kevin J.
• Assistant Examiner(s): CHOI, KYLE JAEHUN
• Application Number:
  US08/795,917
• Time in Patent Office: 1,231 Days
• Field of Search: 395/500, 395/309, 395/500.45, 395/500.44, 364/578
• US Class Current: 703/24
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 41/024 using relational databases for representation of network management data, e.g. managing via structured query language [SQL]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 41/0806 for initial configuration or provisioning, e.g. plug-and-play
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 41/0886 Fully automatic configuration
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 41/0889 Techniques to speed-up the configuration process

Abstract

An apparatus is programmed with a plurality of programming instructions for automatically generating a reconfiguration script comprising a plurality of configuration commands for reconfiguring a plurality of telecommunication devices of a telecommunication system, based on a current and a target descriptive image of the telecommunication system. The current descriptive image specifies the devices and their features included in the current configuration of the telecommunication system, whereas the target image specifies the devices and their features to be included in the target configuration of the telecommunication system. The plurality of programming instructions generate the reconfiguration script employing feature dependency graph (FDG) data structures, a device model modeling the rules and behaviors of the telecommunication devices, and feature deletion/addition linklists.

Claims

1. An apparatus comprising

(a) a storage medium having stored therein a plurality of programming instructions which, when executed, implement a reconfiguration script generator to generate a reconfiguration script having a plurality of executable configuration commands for configuring/reconfiguring a plurality of telecommunication devices, based on a current configuration descriptive image and a target configuration descriptive image of the plurality of telecommunication devices, the reconfiguration script generator including a first function for building a current configuration feature dependency graph data structure to account for dependencies between current features of current telecommunication devices;

and

(b) an execution unit coupled to the storage medium to execute the plurality of programming instructions.

2. The apparatus as set forth in claim 1, wherein the reconfiguration script generator includes a second function for initializing a current configuration data structure with current configuration data based on the current configuration descriptive image of telecommunication devices.

3. The apparatus as set forth in claim 1, wherein the reconfiguration script generator includes a second function for initializing a target configuration data structure with target configuration data based on the target configuration descriptive image of telecommunication devices.

4. The apparatus as set forth in claim 1, wherein the reconfiguration script generator further includes:

a second function to build a target configuration feature dependency graph data structure to account for dependencies between target features of target telecommunication devices, and

a third function to build a reconfiguration feature dependency graph data structure based on the current and target configuration feature dependency graph data structures to account for dependency between impacted features of impacted telecommunication devices.

5. The apparatus as set forth in claim 1, wherein the reconfiguration script generator includes a second function to build a target configuration feature dependency graph data structure to account for dependencies between target features of target telecommunication devices.

6. The apparatus as set forth in claim 1, wherein the reconfiguration script generator generates the reconfiguration script employing rules and behaviors of the telecommunication devices modeled by a device model to determine dependencies between features of telecommunication devices.

7. The apparatus as set forth in claim 1, wherein the reconfiguration script generator generates the reconfiguration script employing at least one ordered linklist to enumerate deletion and addition operations required to configure/reconfigure the telecommunication devices.

8. The apparatus as set forth in claim 7, wherein the reconfiguration script generator includes a second function to enumerate a number of deletion operations required to configure/reconfigure the telecommunication devices in an ordered linklist.

9. The apparatus as set forth in claim 8, wherein the second function further enumerates a number of addition operations required to configure/reconfigure the telecommunication devices in the ordered linklist.

10. The apparatus as set forth in claim 7, wherein the reconfiguration script generator includes a second function to enumerate a number of addition operations required to configure/reconfigure the telecommunication devices in an ordered linklist.

11. The apparatus as set forth in claim 1, wherein the reconfiguration script generator includes a second function for outputting the plurality of executable configuration commands based on at least one ordered linklist identifying deletion and addition operations required to configure/reconfigure the telecommunication devices.

12. A method comprising:

a) receiving a current configuration descriptive image of telecommunication devices;

b) receiving a target configuration descriptive image of telecommunication devices; and

c) automatically generating a reconfiguration script having a plurality of executable configuration commands for configuring/reconfiguring a plurality of telecommunication devices, based on the received current configuration descriptive image and target configuration descriptive image of the plurality of telecommunication devices, including building of a current configuration feature dependency graph data structure to account for dependencies between current features of current telecommunication devices.

13. The method as set forth in claim 12, wherein (c) includes initializing a current configuration data structure with current configuration data based on the received current configuration descriptive image of telecommunication devices.

14. The method as set forth in claim 12, wherein (c) includes initializing a target configuration data structure with target configuration data based on the received target configuration descriptive image of the plurality of telecommunication devices.

15. The method as set forth in claim 12, wherein (c) further includes:

building a target configuration feature dependency graph data structure to account for dependencies between target features of the target telecommunication devices, and

building a reconfiguration feature dependency graph data structure based on the current and target configuration feature dependency graph data structures to account for dependencies between impacted features of impacted telecommunication devices.

16. The method as set forth in claim 12, wherein (c) includes building a target configuration feature dependency graph data structure to account for dependencies between target features of target telecommunication devices.

17. The method as set forth in claim 12, wherein (c) includes employing rules and behaviors of the telecommunication devices modeled by a device model to determine dependencies between features of the telecommunication devices.

18. The method as set forth in claim 12, wherein (c) includes employing at least one ordered linklist to enumerate deletion and addition operations required to configure/reconfigure the telecommunication devices.

19. The method as set forth in claim 18, wherein (c) includes enumerating a number of deletion operations required to reconfigure the telecommunication devices in an ordered linklist.

20. The method as set forth in claim 19, wherein (c) further includes enumerating a number of addition operations required to configure/reconfigure the telecommunication devices in the ordered linklist.

21. The method as set forth in claim 18, wherein (c) includes enumerating a number of addition operations required to configure/reconfigure the telecommunication devices in an ordered linklist.

22. The method as set forth in claim 12, wherein step (c) includes outputting the plurality of executable configuration commands based on at least one ordered linklist identifying deletion and addition operations required to configure/reconfigure the telecommunication devices.