Cell network management system

• US 6,725,032 B1
• Filed: 10/08/1999
• Issued: 04/20/2004
• Est. Priority Date: 10/08/1999
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: CeleritasWorks, LLC (RGS Senior Management Group, LC)
• Original Assignee: CeleritasWorks, LLC (RGS Senior Management Group, LC)
• Inventors: Woods, John Kenneth, Sheridan, Joseph Allen
• Primary Examiner(s): Nguyen, Lee
• Application Number:
  US09/414,746
• Time in Patent Office: 1,656 Days
• Field of Search: 455/419, 455/420, 455/67.1, 455/423, 455/424, 455/560, 455/9, 455/67.11, 455/67.7
• US Class Current: 455/419
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 41/0253 using browsers or web-pages for accessing management information
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 41/069 using logs of notifications; Post-processing of notifications
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 41/0803 Configuration setting
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 41/0869 Validating the configuration within one network element
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 41/22 comprising specially adapted graphical user interfaces [GUI]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/75 Indicating network or usage conditions on the user display
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 69/329 in the application layer [OSI layer 7]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 9/40 Network security protocols
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 24/00 Supervisory, monitoring or testing arrangements

Abstract

A cell network management system comprises a user interface with navigation components and screen components, a web server component, and a database component. A workstation connects to the web server component via a browser. The user interface transmits configuration data to the workstation in the form of hypertext markup language. The workstation uses the navigation components to navigate through screen components displaying different levels of configuration data.

Claims

1. A system for managing a cell network having a plurality of components of a cell site complex comprising:

a data reception and storage system remote from the cell site complex components configured to receive configuration data for a plurality of parameters of the cell site complex components, to analyze the configuration data to determine if a configuration identified by the configuration data violates at least one configuration rule for at least one of the parameters of at least one of the cell site complex components, and, if a violation of the at least one configuration rule is identified, to report the violation; and

a user interface configured to generate for display the configuration data for the parameters of the cell site complex components, to enable navigation through the configuration data, to enable selection of selected configuration data for display, and, if the violation of the at least one configuration rule is identified, to receive the report of the violation from the data reception and storage system and to generate for display the report.

2. The system of claim 1 wherein at least one of the cell site complex components comprises at least one member selected from a group comprising a configuration data and alarms element, a switch, a processor, a digital trunk interface, a switching unit, and a network element.

3. The system of claim 1 wherein the at least one configuration rule violation comprises at least one member selected from a group comprising assigning more than a single digital signal zero group from a same digital signal one group to terminate at a same location of a switching unit, assigning the digital signal zero group to a control component of a base transceiver, and assigning a digital signal zero group of insufficient size to carry a communication between the base transceiver and a switch.

4. The system of claim 1 wherein the data reception and storage system comprises a load table configured to retain static configuration data from a current configuration.

5. The system of claim 1 further comprising a workstation configured to receive the configuration data.

6. The system of claim 5 further comprising a browser configured to operate on the workstation and to generate the configuration data for display.

7. The system of claim 1 wherein:

the data reception and storage system further is configured to parse the configuration data to basic components for storage; and

the system further comprises a database configured to store the basic components of the configuration data.

8. A user interface for managing a cell network having at least one component of a cell site complex comprising:

a screen module configured to generate configuration data for the cell site complex component for display in a screen frame;

a configuration module configured to enable entry of new configuration data for a new configuration of a parameter of the cell site complex component, and, when new configuration data is entered, to receive and process the new configuration data to determine the new configuration and to analyze the new configuration data to determine if the new configuration violates a configuration rule for the cell site complex component; and

a navigation module configured to generate a navigation frame with a navigation tool and a navigation component, wherein the navigation tool and the navigation component are configured to navigate through the configuration data and the new configuration data;

wherein the user interface is remote from the cell site complex component.

9. The system of claim 8 wherein the navigation component comprises a selectable screen component that represents the at least one cell site complex component and wherein the navigation module is configured to generate display data having other configuration data when the selectable screen component is selected.

10. The system of claim 8 further comprising a report interface module configured to generate at least one member of a group comprising a configuration error report and a data load error report.

11. The system of claim 8 wherein the screen module is configured to generate configuration data for a switch and to receive other configuration data for the switch.

12. The system of claim 8 wherein the screen module enables selection of a member selected from a group comprising a switch option, a processor option, a switching unit option, a digital trunk interface option, a cell site option, a base transceiver option, a channel unit option, a control channel option, a control channel assignments option, and a dedicated assignments option.

13. The system of claim 8 wherein the screen module enables selection of a member selected from a group comprising a switch configuration option, a switch selection option, a cellular processor option, an interprocess message switch cabinet option, a cell site node port option, a digital link trunk unit option, a switch module option, a packet handler option, a voice encoder/decoder option, a cell site option, a base transceiver station option, a channel unit option, a BTS shelf option, a BTS card option, a TCU option, and an ECU option.

14. The system of claim 8 wherein the screen module enables selection of a member selected from a group comprising a switch option, a processor option, a switching unit option, a digital trunk controller option, a cell site option, a channel element option, a BSC option, and an SBS shelf option.

15. The system of claim 8 wherein the screen module is configured to generate configuration data for at least one member of a group comprising a switch, a processor, a switching unit, a digital trunk interface, a cell site, a base transceiver, a channel unit, a control channel, a control channel assignments, and a dedicated assignments.

16. The system of claim 8 wherein the screen module is configured to generate configuration data for at least one member of a group comprising a switch, a cellular processor, an interprocess message switch cabinet, a cell site node port, a digital link trunk unit, a switch module, a packet handler, a voice encoder/decoder, a cell site, a base transceiver station, a channel unit, a BTS shelf, a BTS card, a TCU, and an ECU.

17. The system of claim 8 wherein the screen module is configured to generate configuration data for at least one member of a group comprising a switch, a processor, a switching unit, a digital trunk controller, a cell site, a channel element, a BSC, and an SBS shelf.

18. The system of claim 8 wherein the cell site complex is configured to perform at least one member of a group comprising transmit a wireless communication and receive another wireless communication.

19. The system of claim 8 further comprising a workstation configured to receive the configuration data.

20. The system of claim 19 further comprising a browser configured to operate on the workstation and to generate a page with the configuration data.

21. A method for managing a cell network having at least one component of a cell site complex comprising:

collecting configuration data for at least one parameter of the cell site complex component;

generating the configuration data for display and entry data for entry of new configuration data;

receiving from a location remote from the cell site complex component signaling having new configuration data for a new configuration of the cell site complex component;

processing the signaling with a processor to determine the new configuration from the new configuration data and to determine if the new configuration violates at least one configuration rule for the cell site complex component; and

generating new signaling for the new configuration to effect the new configuration for the cell site complex component if the new configuration does not violate the at least one configuration rule.

22. The method of claim 21 wherein the cell site complex component comprises at least one member selected from a group comprising a configuration data and alarms element, a switch, a processor, a digital trunk interface, a switching unit, and a network element.

23. The method of claim 21 wherein a violation of the at least one configuration rule comprises at least one member selected from a group comprising assigning more than a single digital signal zero group from a same digital signal one group to terminate at a same location of a switching unit, assigning the digital signal zero group to a control component of a base transceiver, and assigning a digital signal zero group of insufficient size to carry a communication between the base transceiver and a switch.

24. The method of claim 21 further comprising loading configuration data to a load table configured to retain static configuration data from a current configuration.

25. The method of claim 21 further comprising storing the new configuration data in a temporary load table until the new configuration data can be analyzed to determine if the new configuration violates the at least one configuration rule.

26. The method of claim 21 further comprising transmitting the signaling containing the new configuration data from a workstation.

27. The method of claim 21 further comprising receiving other signaling containing the configuration data at a workstation.

28. The method of claim 27 further comprising displaying the configuration data using a browser.

29. The method of claim 21 wherein the signaling comprises internet protocol signaling.

31. A method for managing a cell network having at least one compound of a cell site complex comprising:

collecting configuration data for a plurality of parameters of the cell site complex component;

determining if at least some configuration data violates at least one configuration rule for at least one of the plurality of parameters of the cell site coplex component;

generating signal for generating a first graphical interface representation of a first configuration of at least a first parameter of the cell site complex component, the signaling comprising first configuration data, first display data for displaying the first configuration data, first navigation data for navigating through the first configuration data, and if the at least some configuration data violates the at least one configuration rule, first configuration rule violation data;

receiving return signaling requesting a navigation for display of second configuration data;

processing the return signaling in a processor remote from the cell site complex component;

determining if at least some second configuration data violates the at least one configuration rule for at the least one of the plurality of parameters of the cell site complex component; and

generating new signaling for generating a second graphical interface representation of the second configuration data, second display data for displaying the second configuration data, second navigation data for navigating through the second configuration data, and if the at least some second configuration data violates the at least one configuration rule, second configuration rule violation data.

30. The method of claim 31 further comprising parsing the configuration data to basic components for storage and storing the basic components of the configuration data in a database.

32. The method of claim 31 wherein the configuration data comprises at least one member of a group comprising switch configuration data, processor configuration data, switching unit configuration data, digital trunk interface configuration data, cell site configuration data, base transceiver configuration data, channel unit configuration data, control channel configuration data, control channel assignments configuration data, and dedicated assignments configuration data.

33. The method of claim 31 wherein the configuration data comprises at least one member of a group comprising switch configuration data, cellular processor configuration data, interprocess message switch cabinet configuration data, cell site node port configuration data, digital link trunk unit configuration data, switch module configuration data, packet handler configuration data, voice encoder/decoder configuration data, cell site configuration data, base transceiver station configuration data, channel unit configuration data, BTS shelf configuration data, BTS card configuration data, TCU configuration data, and ECU configuration data.

34. The method of claim 31 wherein the configuration data comprises at least one member of a group comprising switch configuration data, processor configuration data, switching unit configuration data, digital trunk controller configuration data, cell site configuration data, channel element configuration data, base station controller configuration data, and selection back subsystem shelf configuration data.

35. The method of claim 31 wherein the cell site complex is configured to perform at least one member of a group comprising transmit a wireless communication and receive another wireless communication.

36. The method of claim 31 further comprising transmitting the second signaling containing the second configuration data from a workstation.

37. The method of claim 31 further comprising receiving the first signaling containing the first configuration data at a workstation.

38. The method of claim 37 further comprising displaying the first display data using a browser.