Network management system

• US 6,259,679 B1
• Filed: 09/27/1999
• Issued: 07/10/2001
• Est. Priority Date: 02/22/1996
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Verizon Patent and Licensing Incorporated (Verizon Communications Inc.)
• Original Assignee: MCI Communications Corporation (Verizon Communications Inc.)
• Inventors: Cooley, Von A., Sanders, Ed J. Jr., Perry, Wayne B., Franklin, Thomas Dennie, Henderson, Gregory Scott
• Primary Examiner(s): Vu, Huy D.
• Application Number:
  US09/406,384
• Time in Patent Office: 652 Days
• Field of Search: 709/223, 709/224, 709/226, 370/351, 370/389, 370/401, 370/252, 370/254, 370/238, 370/255, 370/258, 345/326, 345/339, 345/348, 345/349
• US Class Current: 370/254
• CPC Class Codes: H04J 3/0688 Change of the master or reference, e.g. take-over or failure of the master
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 41/0213 Standardised network management protocols, e.g. simple network management protocol [SNMP]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 41/0233 Object-oriented techniques, for representation of network management data, e.g. common object request broker architecture [CORBA]
• 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 41/052 using standardised network management architectures, e.g. telecommunication management network [TMN] or unified network management architecture [UNMA]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 41/0663 Performing the actions predefined by failover planning, e.g. switching to standby network elements
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 41/08 Configuration management of networks or network elements address allocation H04L61/50
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 41/0813 characterised by the conditions triggering a change of settings
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 41/0866 Checking the configuration
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 41/0873 Checking configuration conflicts between network elements
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 41/0879 Manual configuration through operator
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 41/0886 Fully automatic configuration
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 41/12 Discovery or management of network topologies
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 41/145 involving simulating, designing, planning or modelling of a network
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 41/147 for predicting network behaviour
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 41/20 Network management software packages
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 41/22 comprising specially adapted graphical user interfaces [GUI]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 41/5009 Determining service level performance parameters or violations of service level contracts, e.g. violations of agreed response time or mean time between failures [MTBF]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 41/5019 Ensuring fulfilment of SLA
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 41/5067 Customer-centric QoS measurements
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 69/08 : Protocols for interworking; Protocol conversion
• CPC Class Codes: H04Q 3/0079 : involving restoration of networks, e.g. disaster recovery, self-healing networks
• CPC Class Codes: H04Q 3/0083 : Network planning or design; Modelling of planned or existing networks

Abstract

A system and method for managing a telecommunications network. The system and method employs a network management architecture that provides an overlay in which network management functions are performed. The network management architecture includes a workstation function that provides a graphical user interface (GUI) for a user to interact with an object model of the physical telecommunications network, a telecommunications network management subsystem that provides an object model of the network including object models of network equipment and connectivity between the equipment, a database subsystem that stores “current” and “future” views of the network, and an object request broker that translates objects from a first object-oriented paradigm to a second object-oriented paradigm for use by the GUI. The network management architecture facilitates network design by determining network performance metrics. The network architecture can also be used to assess the performance of a given network configuration by virtue of simulation. The network architecture can also be used to initialize switchover logic for network restoration.

Claims

1. A method for reducing screen clutter in a system having a display screen for displaying a graphical representation of a telecommunications network having a plurality of network elements that are interconnected by a plurality of physical network links, wherein said graphical representation includes a plurality of network element icons for representing the plurality of network elements, comprising the steps of:

determining a display screen position for each network element icon displayed on the display screen;

determining a set of network element icons that are clustered on said display screen using said display screen positions;

logically grouping said set of clustered network element icons; and

representing said logical grouping as a single icon on said display screen,

wherein the step of determining whether a set of network element icons are clustered on said display screen includes the step of determining whether said set of network element icons overlap each other on said display screen.

2. The method of claim 1, further including the step of providing an indication that said single icon represents a set of clustered network element icons.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein said determination of whether said set of network element icons overlap each other is based on a user selectable overlap factor.

4. The method of claim 1, further comprising the step of:

responding to a zoom request from a user of the system by displaying said set of network element icons represented by said single icon.

5. A method for reducing screen clutter in a system having a display screen for displaying a graphical representation of a telecommunications network having a plurality of network elements that are interconnected by a plurality of physical network links, wherein said graphical representation includes a plurality of network element icons for representing the plurality of network elements, comprising the steps of:

upon the selection of an area of the display screen by a user, determining a set of network element icons that are displayed within said selected area;

determining whether said set of network element icons within the selected area overlap each other on the display screen;

logically grouping said set of network clement icons that overlap each other; and

representing said logical grouping as a single icon on the display screen.

6. The method of claim 5, further comprising the step of providing an indication that said single icon represents a set of network element icons.

7. The method of claim 5, further comprising the step of:

responding to a zoom request from a user of the system by displaying said set of network element icons represented by said single icon.

8. A network management system, comprising:

a display for displaying a graphical representation of a telecommunications network having a plurality of network elements that are interconnected by a plurality of physical network links, wherein said graphical representation includes a plurality of network elements;

first determining means for determining a display screen position for each network element icon displayed on said display screen;

second determining means for determining a set of network element icons that are clustered on said display screen using said display screen positions;

grouping means for logically grouping said set of clustered network element icons; and

means for representing said logical grouping as a single icon on said display screen,

wherein said second determining means for determining a set of network element icons are clustered on said display screen includes third determining means for determining whether said set of network element icons overlap each other on said display screen.

9. The network management system of claim 8, further including means for providing an indication that said single icon represents a set of clustered network element icons.

10. The network management system of claim 8, further including means for enabling a user to select an overlap factor, said overlap factor being used by said third determining means in determining whether said set of network element icons overlap each other on said display screen.

11. The network management system of claim 8, further including means for displaying said set of network element icons represented by said single icon in response to a zoom request from a user.

12. A network management system, comprising:

a display screen for displaying a graphical representation of a telecommunications network having a plurality of network elements that are interconnected by a plurality of physical network links, wherein said graphical representation includes a plurality of network element icons for representing said plurality of network elements;

selecting means for selecting an area of said display screen;

means for determining whether a set of network elements that are displayed in the area overlap each other on the display screen;

means for logically grouping the set of network element icons that overlap each other within said area; and

means for representing said logical grouping as a single icon on said display screen.

13. The network management system of claim 12, further including means for providing an indication that said single icon represents a set of network element icons.

14. A computer-readable medium containing instructions for controlling one or more processors to perform a method for reducing clutter on a display screen comprising a plurality of icons, the method comprising:

determining a display screen position for each icon displayed on the display screen;

determining, based on the display screen positions, at least two icons that overlap each other on the display screen; and

representing the at least two icons as a single icon on the display screen.