Method and system for automated handling of alarms from a fault management system for a telecommunications network

• US 7,120,633 B1
• Filed: 07/30/2003
• Issued: 10/10/2006
• Est. Priority Date: 07/31/2002
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Cingular Wireless LLC (AT&T, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Cingular Wireless II LLC (AT&T, Inc.)
• Inventors: Kromer, Mark A.
• Primary Examiner(s): MIZRAHI, DIANE D
• Application Number:
  US10/630,588
• Time in Patent Office: 1,168 Days
• Field of Search: 707 1- 10, 707100-1041, 707200-206, 714/14, 705/1
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 11/0748 in a remote unit communicating with a single-box computer node experiencing an error/fault remote testing G06F11/2294
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 11/0793 Remedial or corrective actions recovery from an exception in an instruction pipeline G06F9/3861; by retry G06F11/1402; for recovering from a failure of a protocol instance or entity H04L69/40
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 41/0893 Assignment of logical groups to network elements
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 707/99938 Concurrency, e.g. lock management in shared database

Abstract

A method and system provides for the automated handling of alarms from a fault management system for a telecommunications network without the need for the intervention of an operator. When the fault management system identifies service outages or other network performance problems, an alarm is generated, and an established set of rules is applied to evaluate the alarm based on certain attributes of the alarm. From this application of the rules, an action is identified and initiated, which could involve any of a number of tasks or activities, including, for example, transmission of instructions directly to a network device, electronic notifications directly to a technician or other maintenance personnel, and/or generation of a trouble ticket.

Claims

1. A computer-based method for automated handling of alarms generated by a fault management system associated with a telecommunications network in which each alarm has certain attributes, comprising the steps of:

establishing a set of rules for handling each alarm based on certain attributes of that alarm, and storing said set of rules in a computer database;

receiving a particular alarm from the fault management system into a queue;

using a computer in applying the established set of rules stored in the computer database to the particular alarm, such that an action is identified for handling the particular alarm; and

initiating said action in response to the particular alarm without intervention of an operator.

2. A method as recited in claim 1, in which applying the established set of rules, identifying an action for handling the particular alarm, and initiating said action are accomplished through execution of a digital computer program resident on a computer-readable program in the computer.

3. A method as recited in claim 1, and further comprising the step of reporting of the initiating of said action to an operator.

4. A method as recited in claim 1, wherein said action is transmission of instructions to a particular network device.

5. A method as recited in claim 1, wherein said action is generation of a trouble ticket.

6. A computer-based method for automated handling of alarms generated by a fault management system associated with a telecommunications network in which each alarm has certain attributes, comprising the steps of:

establishing a set of rules for handling each alarm based on certain attributes of that alarm, and storing said set of rules in a computer database;

providing access to said computer database such that contrary instructions can be communicated to and temporarily stored in said computer database;

receiving a particular alarm from the fault management system into a queue;

using a computer in applying the established set of rules stored in the computer database to the particular alarm, such that an action is identified for handling the particular alarm; and

determining whether there is a particular contrary instruction stored in the database, and in the absence of a particular contrary instruction, initiating said action in response to the particular alarm without intervention of an operator.

7. A method as recited in claim 6, in which applying the established set of rules, identifying an action for handling the particular alarm, determining whether there is a particular contrary instruction stored in the database, and initiating said action are accomplished through execution of a digital computer program resident on a computer-readable medium in the computer.

8. A method as recited in claim 6, and further comprising the step of reporting of the initiation of said action to an operator.

9. A method as recited in claim 6, wherein said action is transmission of instructions to a particular network device.

10. A method as recited in claim 6, wherein said action is generation of a trouble ticket.

11. A computer-based system for monitoring and controlling operation of a telecommunications network, comprising:

a fault management subsystem for monitoring operation of the telecommunications network and issuing alarms based on the occurrence of predetermined events;

a computer database for storing rules for handling alarms issued from said fault management subsystem based on certain attributes of such alarms;

a task manager for implementing actions; and

a computer for, upon issuance of a particular alarm from said fault management subsystem, applying the rules stored in said computer database in order to identify an appropriate action for handling the particular alarm, said task manager implementing the appropriate action without intervention of an operator.

12. A system as recited in claim 11, in which applying the established set of rules, identifying an action for handling the particular alarm, and implementing the appropriate action are accomplished through execution of a digital computer program resident on a computer-readable medium in the computer.

13. A system as recited in claim 11, wherein said appropriate action is transmission of instructions to a particular network device.

14. A system as recited in claim 11, wherein said action is generation of a trouble ticket.

15. A system as recited in claim 11, wherein access is provided to said database such that contrary instructions can be communicated to and temporarily stored in said database;

and wherein when the rules stored in said database have been applied in order to identify an appropriate action for handling the particular alarm, a determination is made as to whether there is a particular contrary instruction stored in the database, and if so, said task manager canceling implementation of the appropriate action.