Interface system for integrated monitoring and management of network devices in a telecommunication network

• US 6,115,743 A
• Filed: 09/22/1998
• Issued: 09/05/2000
• Est. Priority Date: 09/22/1998
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Verizon Patent and Licensing Incorporated (Verizon Communications Inc.)
• Original Assignee: MCI WorldCom, Inc. (Verizon Communications Inc.)
• Inventors: Stautz, Darren Jay, Cowan, Daniel Edward, Turner, Mark B.
• Primary Examiner(s): Luu, Le Hien
• Application Number:
  US09/158,742
• Time in Patent Office: 714 Days
• Field of Search: 455/423, 340/506, 345/329, 379/26, 709/223, 709/224
• US Class Current: 709/224
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 11/328 Computer systems status display G06F11/327 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 41/0654 using network fault recovery ring fault isolation or reconfiguration in loop networks without recovery actions by a network management system H04L12/437
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 41/22 comprising specially adapted graphical user interfaces [GUI]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 43/045 for graphical visualisation of monitoring data
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 43/0811 by checking connectivity
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 43/0817 by checking functioning
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 43/106 using time related information in packets, e.g. by adding timestamps

Abstract

A graphical user interface (GUI) system is provided for managing and controlling multiple network devices and client applications in a telecommunications network. The GUI system provides an integrated environment in which a user sends instructions and data to the network devices and client applications and receives back data related to status of the network devices and client applications. The integrated environment allows the user to access many window screens which are all tied into one main window. The many window screens provide options for commands and views of data related to various areas of management and control of the telecommunications network. The one main window provides a point of reference so that the user does not have to log onto various systems numerous times or use different terminals dependent upon which command or data the user desires to send or receive. Training and operational time and costs are thus reduced from prior art systems.

Claims

1. In a telecommunications network having telecommunications network devices, each telecommunications network device having a device-specific communication format for communicating via the telecommunications network, a telecommunications network monitoring and management system comprising:

a processor configured to execute telecommunications network monitoring and management processes, the processor configured to access the telecommunications network and data networks for process communications;

a plurality of device interface processes including telecommunications network analysis, restoration, and maintenance processes configured to execute on the processor, each device interface process configured to communicate with one of the telecommunications network devices and with a graphical server process of the telecommunications network monitoring and management processes, the device interface processes configured to translate communications between a communications format of the graphical server process and a device-specific communications format of one of the telecommunications network devices, the graphical server process configured to communicate with the telecommunications network devices via the device interface processes; and

graphical interface processes configured to communicate with the graphical server process via the internal communications process and with user terminals via the data network wherein communications are exchanged between the user terminals and the telecommunications network monitoring and management processes and between the user terminals and the telecommunications network devices.

2. The telecommunications network monitoring or management system of claim 1 wherein the communications exchanged between the user terminals and the telecommunications monitoring or management processes and between the user terminals and the telecommunications devices include data and commands.

3. The telecommunications network monitoring or management system of claim 1 wherein the telecommunications network monitoring or management processes include a network control coordinator process configured to route communications between the graphical server process and the device interface processes.

4. The telecommunications network monitoring or management system of claim 1, including an internal communication process comprising electronic messages and electronic mailboxes.

5. The telecommunications network monitoring or management system of claim 1 wherein the communications exchanged between the user terminals and the telecommunications network monitoring or management processes and between the user terminals and the telecommunications devices include unsolicited alarms indicating problems in the telecommunications network.

6. The telecommunications network monitoring or management system of claim 1 wherein the communications exchanged between the user terminals and the telecommunications network monitoring or management processes and between the user terminals and the telecommunications devices include audit commands, and in response to the audit commands, include status information on the telecommunications network including telecommunications network link status and network device status.

7. The telecommunications network monitoring or management system of claim 1 wherein the communications exchanged between the user terminals and the telecommunications network monitoring or management processes and between the user terminals and the telecommunications devices include commands to configure the telecommunications network devices.

8. The telecommunications network monitoring or management system of claim 1 wherein the user terminals are configured to display a graphical user interface with a main window configured to integrate a plurality of windows used in monitoring or managing the telecommunications network.

9. A telecommunications monitoring and management system for monitoring and managing a telecommunications network having telecommunications network devices and resources, the system comprising:

a plurality of interface processes configured to communicate with the telecommunications network devices and resources including monitoring the network, analyzing network problems, configuring network devices and communication links, managing restoration systems, maintaining the telecommunications network, manually controlling network devices, generating restoration and restoral sets, maintenance, and operational plans, among other network analysis, restoration and particular maintenance and operations functions; and

a graphical user interface system configured to provide a unified graphical user interface to communicate with the telecommunications network devices or resources via the plurality of interface processes for telecommunications network analysis, restoration, and maintenance.

10. The telecommunications monitoring or management system of claim 9 wherein the graphical user interface system is further configured to communicate with telecommunications network monitoring or management processes.

11. The telecommunications monitoring or management system of claim 9 wherein the graphical user interface system is configured to integrate access to all telecommunications network monitoring or management options and status indicators under the unified graphical user interface.

12. The telecommunications monitoring or management system of claim 9 wherein each telecommunications network device has different device-specific communication formats for communicating via the telecommunications network.

13. The telecommunications monitoring or management system of claim 9 wherein the telecommunications network monitoring or management processes comprise a control manager process, a fault analysis process, a restoration coordinator process, a verification manager process, a report manager process, a network control coordinator process, a trunk action data process, a real-time network device database process, real-time restoration database process, a pre-plan files process, or a plan manager process.

14. The telecommunications monitoring or management system of claim 9 wherein the telecommunications network monitoring or management processes comprise processes configured to communicate with external processes via a data network.

15. The telecommunications monitoring or management system of claim 9 wherein the graphical user interface system has graphical objects indicating the status of the telecommunications network.

16. The telecommunications monitoring or management system of claim 15 wherein the status of the telecommunications network comprises execution state, dynamic route generation, readiness mode, link status, pre-plan status, or alarm.

17. The telecommunications monitoring or management system of claim 9 wherein the graphical user interface system comprises a graphical user interface server, graphical user interface processes and user terminals.

18. The telecommunications monitoring or management system of claim 17 wherein the user terminals are configured to be distributed among computer data networks.

19. In a telecommunications network having telecommunications network devices, each telecommunications device having a device-specific communication format for communications via the telecommunications network and in a data network system, a telecommunications network monitoring and management method comprising:

executing telecommunications network monitoring and management processes and an internal communications process;

communicating between the telecommunications network monitoring and management processes via the internal communications process;

providing access to the telecommunications and data networks for the telecommunications network monitoring and management processes;

translating communications between a communications format of a graphical server process and device-specific communications formats of each of the telecommunications network devices wherein the graphical server process communicates with the telecommunications network devices;

communicating between the telecommunications network monitoring and management processes and the graphical server process for performing telecommunications network analysis, restoration, and maintenance communications; and

communicating between the graphical server process and user terminals via the data network wherein the user terminals send and receive telecommunications network monitoring and management communications to the telecommunications network devices and the telecommunications network monitoring and management processes via the graphical server process.

20. The telecommunications network monitoring or management method of claim 19, further including:

integrating a plurality of graphical display windows under a main graphical display window wherein all graphical display windows are displayed on each of the user terminals for monitoring or managing the telecommunications network.