Method and system for providing alarm reporting in a managed network services environment

• US 7,525,422 B2
• Filed: 04/14/2006
• Issued: 04/28/2009
• Est. Priority Date: 04/14/2005
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Atlassian US, Inc. (Atlassian Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Verizon Business Global LLC (Verizon Communications Inc.)
• Inventors: Bishop, Reid J., White, Christopher L., Fortner, James D., Spieker, Jonathan L.
• Primary Examiner(s): Crosland, Donnie L
• Application Number:
  US11/404,503
• Publication Number:
  US 20060244585A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,110 Days
• Field of Search: 340/522
• US Class Current: 340/522
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 41/0233 Object-oriented techniques, for representation of network management data, e.g. common object request broker architecture [CORBA]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 41/0631 using root cause analysis; using analysis of correlation between notifications, alarms or events based on decision criteria, e.g. hierarchy, tree or time analysis
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 41/0659 by isolating or reconfiguring faulty entities
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 3/10 Providing fault- or trouble-signals
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 3/2254 in networks

Abstract

An approach for alarm reporting is provided. An alarm from a first alarm feed and an alarm from a second alarm feed are received. A merged alarm is generated to provide a consistent view of an event corresponding to the alarm from the first alarm feed and the alarm from the second alarm feed. The merged alarm is stored for retrieval by a reporting system.

Claims

1. A method for providing alarm reporting, the method comprising:

receiving an alarm from a first alarm feed;

receiving an alarm from a second alarm feed, wherein the first alarm feed and the second alarm feed are redundant sources;

generating a merged alarm to provide a unified view corresponding to the alarm from the first alarm feed and the alarm from the second alarm feed;

storing the merged alarm for retrieval by a reporting system; and

generating a merge key for uniquely identifying alarms that are identical.

2. A method according to claim 1, further comprising:

generating a merged feed from the first alarm feed and the second alarm feed.

3. A method according to claim 2, further comprising:

transmitting the merged feed to a portal for viewing by a user.

4. A method according to claim 1, further comprising:

storing an enter time value for when an alarm is received; and

storing an exit time value for when an alarm is closed.

5. A method according to claim 4, further comprising:

storing a reoccurrence time value for when an alarm recurs.

6. A method for providing alarm reporting, the method comprising:

retrieving a merged alarm from a database, wherein the merged alarm is generated from an alarm from a first alarm feed and an alarm from a second alarm feed, wherein the first alarm feed and the second alarm feed are redundant sources;

generating a merge key for uniquely identifying alarms from the first alarm feed and the second alarm feed that are identical; and

generating a report based on the merged alarm.

7. A method according to claim 6, wherein the database is configured to store an enter time value for when an alarm is received, and an exit time value for when an alarm is closed.

8. A method according to claim 7, wherein the database is configured to store a reoccurrence time value for when an alarm recurs.

9. A system for providing fault handling, the system comprising:

a view processor configured to receive an alarm from a first alarm feed and an alarm from a second alarm feed, the first alarm feed and the second alarm feed being redundant sources,

wherein the view processor is further configured to generate a merged alarm to provide a unified view corresponding to the alarm from the first alarm feed and the alarm from the second alarm feed and to generate a merge key for uniquely identifying alarms that are identical,

wherein the merged alarm is retrieved by a reporting system.

10. A system according to claim 9, wherein the view processor is further configured to generate a merged feed from the first alarm feed and the second alarm feed.

11. A system according to claim 10, wherein the view processor is further configured to transmit the merged feed to a portal for viewing by a user.

12. A system according to claim 9, further comprising:

a database configured to store an enter time value for when an alarm is received and an exit time value for when an alarm is closed.

13. A system according to claim 12, wherein the database is further configured to store a reoccurrence time value for when an alarm recurs.

14. A system according to claim 9, further comprising:

a workflow engine configured to generate a workflow event corresponding to the alarm of the first alarm feed indicative of a fault within a customer network, wherein recovery from the fault is automated according to the workflow event; and

an automation engine configured to transmit alarm information to a maintenance management system configured to output maintenance event information in response to the transmitted alarm information, wherein the alarm information specifies information about the alarm, the automation engine being further configured to determine whether the alarm of the first alarm feed is correlated to a maintenance event based on the maintenance event information, the automation engine differentiating handling of the alarm based on the correlation.

15. A system according to claim 14, wherein the automation engine is further configured to initiate generation of a trouble ticket for the alarm according to the correlation, and to initiate notification of the customer network about the generated trouble ticket.

16. A system according to claim 14, wherein the customer network includes one or more network elements, and the automation engine is further configured to initiate monitoring of the network elements to provide end-to-end visibility.

17. A system according to claim 9, wherein the view processor is further configured to generate a merged feed from the first alarm feed and the second alarm feed, the system further comprising:

a portal configured to provide a view of the merged feed to a user.