Path commissioning analysis and diagnostic tool

• US 7,206,972 B2
• Filed: 01/09/2003
• Issued: 04/17/2007
• Est. Priority Date: 01/09/2003
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Alcatel Canada Inc. (Nokia Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Alcatel SA (Nokia Corporation)
• Inventors: Wilson, Craig Murray Mansell, Fraiji, Nicolas, Loeffler-Henry, Richard
• Primary Examiner(s): Baderman; Scott
• Assistant Examiner(s): Truong; Loan
• Application Number:
  US10/338,719
• Publication Number:
  US 20040139371A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,559 Days
• Field of Search: 714/25, 714/27, 714/43, 714/44, 714/48
• US Class Current: 714/43
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 41/00 Arrangements for maintenance, administration or management of data switching networks, e.g. of packet switching networks
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 41/34 Signalling channels for network management communication

Abstract

A method for identifying service critical faults in a communications network and a network management system employing the method are provided. A service provisioning tool associated with the network management system and operating in accordance with the method, performs operations on a multitude of managed entity instances stored in a containment hierarchy associated with the network management system, the managed entity instances corresponding to managed field installed equipment. Received alarm information is used to ascribe operational states to corresponding managed entities in the containment hierarchy. Operating in accordance with the presented method, the service provisioning tool inspects low-level managed entities in the containment hierarchy and, if each managed entity of a group of low-level managed entities which provide a unitary function is “unavailable”, then the operational state of a corresponding high-level managed entity is set to the “unavailable” state. Service critical failures are distinctly pointed out from the multitude of reported failures. Benefits are derived from an improved failure reporting enabling fault management to address service critical failures on a priority basis.

Claims

1. A method of identifying service critical faults in a communications network comprising:

a. receiving alarm information from field installed communications network equipment;

b. updating operational states of managed entity instances corresponding to the failed network infrastructure to reflect the unavailability thereof;

c. propagating operational state information associated with a group of low-level managed entity instances to at least one high-level managed entity instance; and

d. identifying high-level managed entity instances experiencing service critical failures;

e. receiving route path tracing information generated in troubleshooting connection establishment;

f. updating route path tracing states of the managed entity instances corresponding to network infrastructure encountered in a traced route path to reflect route path trace states thereof;

g. propagating route path tracing state information associated with a low-level managed entity instance to at least one high-level managed entity instances; and

h. identifying high-level managed entity instances experiencing critical route path tracing failures;

i. displaying iconical representations of the identified high-level managed entities experiencing critical route path tracing failures,

wherein propagating operational state information from the group of low-level managed entity instances to the at least one high-level managed entity, the high-level managed entity operational state being set to correspond to a failure if each low-level managed entity instance in the group of low-level managed entity instances is experiencing a failure, and

wherein displaying iconical representations of the identified high-level managed entities experiencing critical route path tracing failures, the method further comprises a step of;

employing a route path tracing failure reporting scheme;

wherein employing the route path tracing failure reporting scheme, the method further comprises a step of;

ascribing a route path tracing state from;

“

in path”

, “

in alternate path”

, “

interrupted”

, “

available”

, “

needs repair”

, “

rejected”

, and “

not considered”

.

2. A network management system comprising:

a. a plurality managed entity instances corresponding to managed field installed network infrastructure;

b. a service provisioning tool operating on the plurality of managed entity instances, the service provisioning tool propagating operational state information from a group of low-level managed entity instances to a high-level managed entity, the high-level managed entity operational state being set to correspond to a failure if each low-level managed entity instance in the group of low-level managed entity instances prevents connection establishment therethrough, the inheritance of operational state identifying managed entities experiencing service critical failures, and

c. a connection route path tracing tool operating on the plurality of managed entity instances, the route path tracing tool propagating route path tracing state information from a low-level managed entity instance to a high-level managed entity, the inheritance of route path tracing state identifying managed entities experiencing critical route path tracing failures, the combination of managed entities identified as experiencing service critical faults and managed entities identified as experiencing critical route path tracing failures directing a fault management function to address service critical faults preventing connection establishment,

wherein a route path tracing state ascribed to managed entity is one from;

“

in path”

, “

in alternate path”

, “

interrupted”

, “

available”

, “

needs repair”

, “

rejected”

, and “

not considered”

.

3. A method of identifying service critical faults in a communications network by propagating operational state information from a group of low-level managed entity instances to at least one high-level managed entity, the high-level managed entity being set to indicate a failure only if all low-level managed entity instances in the group of low-level managed entity instances are experiencing a failure.