Service level management in a hybrid network architecture

• US 6,556,659 B1
• Filed: 06/02/1999
• Issued: 04/29/2003
• Est. Priority Date: 06/02/1999
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Accenture Global Services Limited (Accenture PLC)
• Original Assignee: Accenture LLP (Accenture PLC)
• Inventors: Bowman-Amuah, Michel K.
• Primary Examiner(s): TIEU, BINH KIEN
• Application Number:
  US09/325,015
• Time in Patent Office: 1,427 Days
• Field of Search: 379/1,9,10,14,15,32,33,34,113,115,133,134,207,219 370/232,244,252,253,352,353 709/224,250 707/10
• US Class Current: 379/9.04
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 12/14 Charging , metering or billing arrangements for data wireline or wireless communications
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 12/1403 Architecture for metering, charging or billing
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 12/1439 time-based
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 12/1482 involving use of telephony infrastructure for billing for the transport of data, e.g. call detail record [CDR] or intelligent network infrastructure
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 12/1485 Tariff-related aspects
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 12/1496 involving discounts
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 12/6418 Hybrid transport
• 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 41/5009 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 43/00 Arrangements for monitoring or testing data switching networks
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 43/0817 by checking functioning
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 43/0876 Network utilisation, e.g. volume of load or congestion level
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 43/10 Active monitoring, e.g. heartbeat, ping or trace-route
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 43/16 Threshold monitoring
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 15/00 Arrangements for metering, time-control or time indication ; Metering, charging or billing arrangements for voice wireline or wireless communications, e.g. VoIP
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 15/41 Billing record details, i.e. parameters, identifiers, structure of call data record [CDR]
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 15/49 Connection to several service providers
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 15/58 based on statistics of usage or network monitoring
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2215/0164 Billing record, e.g. Call Data Record [CDR], Toll Ticket[TT], Automatic Message Accounting [AMA], Call Line Identifier [CLI], details, i.e. parameters, identifiers, structure
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2215/0188 Network monitoring; statistics on usage on called/calling number
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2215/46 : Connection to several service providers
• CPC Class Codes: H04Q 3/0075 : Fault management techniques

Abstract

A Service Level Management system is provided. A notification of a service level problem within a combination packet-switching and circuit-switching hybrid network is received by the system. The service level agreement is retrieved and the problem is checked against the agreement to determine if the agreement has been met. The notification of the problem is prioritized with a second notification of a second service level problem based on a number of times the agreement has not been met. Next, a resolution for the service level problem within the hybrid network is determined. The resolution may include a status report, resolution notification, problem reports, service reconfiguration, trouble notification, service level agreement violations, and/or outage notification. The progress of the implementation of the resolution is tracked. Finally, the hybrid network is managed based on the future predicted behavior of the network.

Claims

1. A method for service level management in a hybrid network architecture, comprising the steps of:

a) receiving notification of a service level problem within a hybrid network, wherein the hybrid network is a combination packet-switching and circuit-switching network;

b) retrieving a service level agreement;

c) checking the service level problem against the service level agreement to determine if the service level agreement has been met;

d) prioritizing the notification of the service level problem with a second notification of a second service level problem based on a number of times the service level agreement has not been met;

e) determining a resolution for the service level problem within the hybrid network if the service level agreement has not been met, wherein the resolution is selected from the group of resolutions consisting essentially of;

status reporting, resolution notification, problem reporting, service reconfiguration, trouble notification, service level agreement violations, and outage notification;

f) tracking a progress of the implementation of the resolution; and

g) managing the hybrid network based on future predicted behavior of the hybrid network.

2. A method as recited in claim 1, wherein the resolution is a trouble notification.

3. A method as recited in claim 2, wherein the trouble notification includes the delivery of a trouble ticket.

4. A method as recited in claim 1, further comprising the step of notifying a customer upon the completion of the resolution.

5. A system for service level management in a hybrid network architecture, comprising:

a) logic that receives notification of a service level problem within a hybrid network, wherein the hybrid network is a combination packet-switching and circuit-switching network;

b) logic that retrieves a service level agreement;

c) logic that checks the service level problem against the service level agreement to determine if the service level agreement has been met;

d) logic that prioritizes the notification of the service level problem with a second notification of a second service level problem based on a number of times the service level agreement has not been met;

e) logic that determines a resolution for the service level problem within the hybrid network when the service level agreement has not been met, wherein the resolution is selected from the group of resolutions consisting essentially of;

status reporting, resolution notification, problem reporting, service reconfiguration, trouble notification, service level agreement violations, and outage notification; and

f) logic that tracks a progress of the implementation of the resolution; and

g) logic that manages the hybrid network based on future predicted behavior of the hybrid network.

6. A system as recited in claim 5, wherein the resolution is a trouble notification.

7. A system as recited in claim 6, wherein the trouble notification includes the delivery of a trouble ticket.

8. A system as recited in claim 5, further comprising logic that notifies a customer upon the completion of the resolution.

9. A computer program embodied on a computer readable medium for service level management in a hybrid network architecture, comprising:

a) a code segment that receives notification of a service level problem within a hybrid network, wherein the hybrid network is a combination packet-switching and circuit-switching network;

b) a code segment that retrieves a service level agreement;

c) a code segment that checks the service level problem against the service level agreement to determine if the service level agreement has been met;

d) a code segment that prioritizes the notification of the service level problem with a second notification of a second service level problem based on a number of times the service level agreement has not been met;

e) a code segment that determines a resolution for the service level problem within the hybrid network when the service level agreement has not been met, wherein the resolution is selected from the group of resolutions consisting essentially of;

status reporting, resolution notification, problem reporting, service reconfiguration, trouble notification, service level agreement violations, and outage notification; and

f) a code segment that tracks a progress of the implementation of the resolution; and

g) a code segment that manages the hybrid network based on future predicted behavior of the hybrid network.

10. A computer program as recited in claim 9, wherein the resolution is a trouble notification.

11. A computer program as recited in claim 10, wherein the trouble notification includes the delivery of a trouble ticket.

12. A computer program as recited in claim 9, further comprising a code segment that notifies a customer upon the completion of the resolution.