System and method for determining the environmental configuration of telecommunications equipment

• US 6,700,498 B1
• Filed: 10/18/2002
• Issued: 03/02/2004
• Est. Priority Date: 08/24/2001
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Cisco Technology, Inc. (Cisco Systems, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Cisco Technology, Inc. (Cisco Systems, Inc.)
• Inventors: Nguyen, Yen Teresa, Jackson, Patrick E., Jeske, Richard
• Primary Examiner(s): Wu, Daniel J.
• Assistant Examiner(s): Nguyen, Phung
• Application Number:
  US10/273,955
• Time in Patent Office: 501 Days
• Field of Search: 340/635, 340/3.43, 340/825.36, 340/7.29, 340/511, 340/588, 340/589, 370/254, 374/141, 374/142, 374/144
• US Class Current: 340/635
• CPC Class Codes: G08B 21/12 responsive to undesired emission of substances, e.g. pollution alarms

Abstract

A system and method determines the environmental configuration of telecommunications equipment having interchangeable components to provide an alarm if an improper environmental configuration exists. A configuration engine associated with the network management system of the telecommunications equipment determines the environmental rating of components added to or removed from the telecommunications equipment by querying flash memory associated with the component. If components designed for controlled environmental conditions and components designed for uncontrolled environmental conditions are both present in the telecommunications equipment, then component engine 30 sets the alarm to alert the user of an improper environmental configuration.

Claims

1. A method for determining an environmental configuration of a telecommunications system, comprising:

maintaining ratings for each of a plurality of components in a telecommunications system, each rating comprising one of the following;

a controlled rating indicating that the component is intended for use in a controlled environment;

an uncontrolled rating indicating that the component is intended for use in an uncontrolled environment;

or

a both rating indicating the component is intended for use in either the controlled environment or the uncontrolled environment;

determining that an improper environmental configuration exists if the telecommunications system includes at least one component with a controlled rating and at least one other component with an uncontrolled rating; and

setting an alarm if the improper environmental configuration exists.

2. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

detecting addition of a new component to the telecommunications system; and

in response to detecting the addition of the new component, determining a rating for the new component.

3. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

detecting removal of one of the components of the telecommunications system;

re-determining whether the improper environmental configuration exists; and

clearing the alarm if the improper environmental configuration no longer exists.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein:

the rating of each component is stored in a flash memory associated with the component; and

the step of determining a rating comprises downloading the rating from the component.

5. The method of claim 4, wherein the step of determining the rating further comprises assigning a both rating to the component if the component does not have an associated flash memory.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein:

the telecommunications system comprises a chassis backplane having a both rating; and

the components are coupled to the chassis backplane.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein:

the ratings are associated with a capability for operations in predetermined temperature environments;

the controlled environment comprises an indoor environment; and

the uncontrolled environment comprises an outdoor environment.

8. A system, comprising:

a component engine operable to;

maintain a rating for each component of a telecommunications system comprising a plurality of components, each rating comprising one of the following;

a controlled rating indicating that the component is intended for use in a controlled environment;

an uncontrolled rating indicating that the component is intended for use in an uncontrolled environment;

or

a both rating indicating the component is intended for use in either the controlled environment or the uncontrolled environment; and

determine whether an improper environmental configuration exists such that the telecommunications system includes at least one component with a controlled rating and at least one other component with an uncontrolled rating;

a network management system interfaced with the component engine operable to set an alarm condition in response to the component engine detecting that the improper environmental configuration exists; and

an alarm operable to provide notice that the improper environmental condition exists if the component engine determines that the improper environment condition exists.

9. The system of claim 8, wherein the component engine is further operable to:

detect addition of a new component to the telecommunications system; and

in response to detecting the addition of the new component, determine a rating for the new component and re-determine whether the improper environmental configuration exists.

10. The system of claim 9, wherein the component engine determines the rating by performing the following steps:

downloading a rating from a flash memory of the new component; and

if the component has no flash memory, assigning a both rating to the new component.

11. The system of claim 8, wherein:

the component engine is further operable to;

detect removal of one of the components from the telecommunications system; and

delete the rating of the removed component from the ratings maintained by the component engine and re-determine whether the improper environmental configuration exists; and

the network management system is operable to clear the alarm condition in response to the component engine determining that the improper environmental configuration no longer exists.

12. The system of claim 8, wherein:

the ratings are associated with a capability for operations in predetermined temperature environments;

the controlled environment comprises an indoor environment; and

the uncontrolled environment comprises an outdoor environment.

13. The system of claim 8, wherein:

the default rating for components is the both rating; and

maintaining a both rating for a component comprises determining that the component does not have either the controlled rating or the uncontrolled rating.

14. A method for determining the environmental configuration of a telecommunications system, comprising:

maintaining a temperature range for each component of a telecommunications system, the temperature range indicating temperature conditions in which the component is suitable for operation;

determining an overall temperature range for the telecommunications system based on the temperature ratings of the components; and

setting an alarm if there is no range of operating temperatures that falls within the temperature ranges of all of the components of the telecommunications system.

15. The method of claim 14, further comprising outputting the overall temperature range to a user.

16. The method of claim 14, further comprising:

detecting addition of a new component to the telecommunications system; and

in response to detecting the addition of the new component, determining a temperature range for the new component.

17. The method of claim 14, further comprising:

detecting removal of one of the components of the telecommunications system;

determining whether there is any range of operating temperatures that falls within the temperature ranges of all remaining components of the telecommunications system; and

clearing the alarm if there is a range of operating temperatures that falls within the temperature ranges of all remaining components of the telecommunications system.

18. The method of claim 14, wherein:

one or more of the components store the respective temperature ranges for the components in memory; and

the remaining components are deemed to have a temperature range corresponding to a default temperature range.

20. The system of claim 18, wherein the network management system is operable to provide the overall temperature range as output and further operable to provide notice whenever the network management system sets the alarm.

19. A system, comprising:

a component engine operable to;

maintain a temperature range for each component of a telecommunications system, the temperature range indicating temperature conditions in which the component is suitable for operation; and

determine an overall temperature range for the telecommunications system based on the temperature ratings of the components; and

a network management system interfaced with the component engine operable to set an alarm in response to the component engine determining that there is no range of operating temperatures that falls within the temperature ranges of all of the components.

21. The system of claim 19, wherein the component engine is further operable to:

detect addition of a new component to the telecommunications system; and

in response to detecting the addition of the new component, determine a temperature range for the new component.

22. The system of claim 19, wherein:

the component engine is further operable to;

detect removal of one of the components of the telecommunications system;

determine whether there is any range of operating temperatures that falls within the temperature ranges of all remaining components of the telecommunications system; and

the network management system is further operable to clear the alarm if there is a range of operating temperatures that falls within the temperature ranges of all remaining components of the telecommunications system.

23. The system of claim 19, wherein:

one or more of the components store the respective temperature ratings for the components in memory; and

the remaining components are deemed to have a temperature range corresponding to a default temperature range.

24. Software embodied in a computer-readable medium operable to perform the steps of:

maintaining ratings for each of a plurality of components in a telecommunications system, each rating comprising one of the following;

a controlled rating indicating that the component is intended for use in a controlled environment;

an uncontrolled rating indicating that the component is intended for use in an uncontrolled environment;

or

a both rating indicating the component is intended for use in either the controlled environment or the uncontrolled environment;

determining that an improper environmental configuration exists if the telecommunications system includes at least one component with a controlled rating and at least one other component with an uncontrolled rating; and

setting an alarm if the improper environmental configuration exists.

25. The software of claim 24, further comprising:

detecting addition of a new component to the telecommunications system; and

in response to detecting the addition of the new component, determining a rating for the new component.

26. The software of claim 24, further operable to perform the steps of:

detecting removal of one of the components of the telecommunications system;

re-determining whether the improper environmental configuration exists; and

clearing the alarm if the improper environmental configuration no longer exists.

27. The software of claim 24, wherein:

the ratings are associated with a capability for operations in predetermined temperature environments;

the controlled environment comprises an indoor environment; and

the uncontrolled environment comprises an outdoor environment.

28. The software of claim 24, wherein the step of determining the rating comprises:

downloading the rating from a flash memory of the new component; and

if the component does not have a flash memory, assigning a both rating to the component.

29. Software embodied in a computer-readable medium operable to perform the steps of:

configuring telecommunications equipment comprising a plurality of components, each component having a rating comprising one of the following;

a controlled rating indicating that the component is intended for use in a controlled environment;

an uncontrolled rating indicating that the component is intended for use in an uncontrolled environment;

or

a both rating indicating the component is intended for use in either the controlled environment or the uncontrolled environment;

storing a component rating for one or more components in a memory associated with the one or more components;

detecting the rating for each component added to or removed from the telecommunications equipment;

determining that an improper environmental configuration exists if at least one component has a controlled rating and at least one other component has an uncontrolled rating;

setting an alarm if the improper environmental configuration exists; and

clearing the alarm if an improper environmental configuration does not exist.

30. The software of claim 29, wherein:

storing the component rating comprises storing the component rating in a flash memory associated with the component; and

detecting the rating comprises;

downloading the rating from the flash memory; and

if the component has no flash memory, assigning a both rating to the component.

31. The software of claim 29, further operable to perform the steps of:

storing the rating for each added component in memory associated with the telecommunications equipment; and

deleting the rating of each removed component from the memory associated with the telecommunications.

32. The software of claim 29, wherein:

the ratings are associated with a capability for operations in predetermined temperature environments;

the controlled environment comprises an indoor environment; and

the uncontrolled environment comprises an outdoor environment.

33. A system, comprising:

means for configuring telecommunications equipment comprising a plurality of components, each component having a rating comprising one of the following;

a controlled rating indicating that the component is intended for use in a controlled environment;

an uncontrolled rating indicating that the component is intended for use in an uncontrolled environment;

or

a both rating indicating the component is intended for use in either the controlled environment or the uncontrolled environment;

means for storing a component rating for one or more components in a memory associated with the one or more components;

means for detecting the rating for each component added to or removed from the telecommunications equipment;

means for determining that an improper environmental configuration exists if at least one component has a controlled rating and at least one other component has an uncontrolled rating;

means for setting an alarm if the improper environmental configuration exists; and

means for clearing the alarm if an improper environmental configuration no longer exists.