Systems and methods for diagnosing faults in computer networks

• US 7,237,138 B2
• Filed: 05/07/2001
• Issued: 06/26/2007
• Est. Priority Date: 05/05/2000
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Computer Associates Think Inc. (Broadcom, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Computer Associates Think Inc. (Broadcom, Inc.)
• Inventors: Ball, Scott, Greenwald, Joseph, Caron, Jonathan P., Taylor, David K., Buia, Christopher
• Primary Examiner(s): Bonzo; Bryce P.
• Application Number:
  US10/258,908
• Publication Number:
  US 20030149919A1
• Time in Patent Office: 2,241 Days
• Field of Search: 714/43, 714/25, 370/242, 370/248
• US Class Current: 714/4.3
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 11/2257 using expert systems

Abstract

A network management system (10) includes a fault diagnosis system (12) connectable to a communications network (20). The fault diagnosis system includes a fault object factory, a path determination module, and a fault diagnosis engine. The fault object factory is constructed and arranged to receive fault data and create fault objects. The path determination module is constructed to determine, in a communications network, a path related to the fault data. The fault diagnosis engine is constructed to perform, using the determined path, a fault analysis on the fault data to diagnose a fault related to the communications network. The network management may also include a help desk system (18), a topology mapper (14) or an impact analyzer (16).

Claims

1. A method of diagnosing a fault in a communications network, comprising the acts of:

receiving fault data from one or more computer-implemented automatic fault detectors associated with the communications network;

creating at least one fault object from the received fault data;

determining, in response to receiving said fault data, a path in the communications network related to said fault data; and

performing, using said path, a fault analysis on said fault data to diagnose a fault related to the communications network, wherein said fault analysis is a root cause analysis that includes triggering a specific fault handler, and wherein triggering said fault handler includes obtaining an ordered list of fault handlers for a specified transition state of the at least one fault object.

2. The method of claim 1 wherein said determining a path includes performing a domain-specific algorithm.

3. The method of claim 2 wherein said path determination includes dynamically generating a trace route by employing a path-tracing algorithm.

4. The method of claim 1 wherein said determining a path includes employing data stored in a topology mapper.

5. The method of claim 1 wherein said determining a path includes using routing and switching algorithms used by the network for data forwarding.

6. The method of claim 1 wherein said determining a path includes performing a layer 3 path determination.

7. The method of claim 6 wherein said performing said layer 3 path determination includes finding a router in a subnet and using said router as a starting point for path generation.

8. The method of claim 1 wherein creating a fault object includes creating a fault object in a fault object factory using said received fault data.

9. The method of claim 1 wherein said receiving fault data includes using a detector.

10. The method of claim 1 wherein said using a detector includes using an agent.

11. The method of claim 1 wherein said triggering said fault handler includes employing a diagnoser fault handler.

12. The method of claim 11 wherein said employing said diagnoser fault handler includes generating possible faults that may caused occurrence of said fault data.

13. The method of claim 11 wherein said diagnoser fault handler is designed to handle QoS problems.

14. The method of claim 11 wherein said diagnoser fault handler is designed to handle problems in virtual private networks.

15. The method of claim 11 wherein said diagnoser fault handler is designed to handle problems in multi-cast groups.

16. The method of claim 11 wherein said diagnoser fault handler is designed to handle wireless connectivity problems.

17. The method of claim 11 wherein said diagnoser fault handler is designed to handle problems related to cable access.

18. The method of claim 11 wherein said diagnoser fault handler is designed to handle problems related to DSL access.

19. The method of claim 11 wherein said employing diagnoser fault handler includes transitioning fault object between processing states.

20. The method of claim 1 wherein said triggering said fault handler includes employing a tester fault handler.

21. The method of claim 20 wherein said triggering said fault handler includes employing a tester fault handler of each said possible fault.

22. The method of claim 1 wherein said obtaining said ordered list includes employing a diagnoser fault handler registered for the type of the analyzed object.

23. The method of claim 1 further including prioritization.

24. The method of claim 1 further including fault presentation that displays fault result to a user.

25. A system for diagnosing a fault in a communications network, comprising:

a fault object factory constructed and arranged to receive fault data from one or more computer-implemented automatic fault detectors associated with the communications network and create fault objects;

a path determination module constructed to determine, in the communications network, a path related to said fault data;

a fault diagnosis engine constructed to perform, using said path, a fault analysis on said fault data to diagnose a fault related to the communications network; and

a fault handler constructed to perform analysis of said fault objects that includes a diagnoser fault handler constructed and arranged to change a fault state of one or more of said fault objects.

26. The system of claim 25 wherein, the one or more fault detectors are constructed and arranged to detect a fault in a monitored entity.

27. The system of claim 25 wherein said fault handler includes a fault handler tester.

28. A system for diagnosing a fault in a communications network, comprising:

a fault object factory constructed and arranged to receive fault data from one or more computer-implemented automatic fault detectors associated with the communications network and create fault objects;

a path determination module constructed to determine, in the communications network, a path related to said fault data;

a fault diagnosis engine constructed to perform, using said path, a fault analysis on said fault data to diagnose a fault related to the communications network; and

a fault repository constructed and arranged for storing and accessing fault objects, wherein said fault repository includes said fault objects and at least one fault association object.

29. A system for diagnosing a fault in a communications network, comprising:

a fault object factory constructed and arranged to receive fault data from one or more computer-implemented automatic fault detectors associated with the communications network and create fault objects;

a path determination module constructed to determine, in the communications network, a path related to said fault data; and

a fault diagnosis engine constructed to perform, using said path, a fault analysis on said fault data to diagnose a fault related to the communications network, wherein each of said fault objects include a description, a processing state, and test result object, and wherein said test result object includes a description, a target entity, test data, and a result state.

30. A method of diagnosing a fault in a communications network, comprising the acts of:

receiving fault data regarding one or more faults from a computer-implemented automatic fault detector on the communications network;

creating at least one fault object from the fault data;

creating one or more fault association objects using associations between the one or more fault objects;

storing the one or more fault objects and the one or more fault association objects in a fault repository;

determining at least one path in the communications network related to said fault data; and

performing, based on said at least one path, the one or more fault objects, and the one or more fault association objects, a fault analysis on said fault data to diagnose a fault related to the communications network, wherein the fault analysis determines at least a cause of the fault.

31. A network management system, comprising a fault diagnosis system connectable to a communications network, comprising:

a fault object factory residing on the communications network constructed and arranged to receive fault data from one or more computer-implemented automatic fault detectors associated with the communications network and create a fault object from the fault data, wherein the fault object includes a processing state;

a path determination module constructed to determine, in the communications network, a path related to said fault data; and

a fault diagnosis engine constructed to perform, based on said path, a fault analysis on the fault object to diagnose a fault related to the communications network, wherein the fault analysis determines at least a cause of the fault,

wherein said fault diagnosis engine utilizes one or more fault handlers to perform the fault analysis, wherein the processing state of the fault object determines which of the one or more fault handlers is used in the fault analysis, and wherein the one or more fault handlers modify the processing state of the fault object during fault analysis.