Method for describing problems in a telecommunications network

• US 7,580,998 B2
• Filed: 06/27/2003
• Issued: 08/25/2009
• Est. Priority Date: 08/14/2002
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: WSOU Investments, LLC (WSOU Holdings, LLC)
• Original Assignee: Alcatel-Lucent Canada Incorporated (Nokia Corporation)
• Inventors: Scarth, Gordon Bruce
• Primary Examiner(s): OSMAN, RAMY M
• Application Number:
  US10/606,896
• Publication Number:
  US 20040073663A1
• Time in Patent Office: 2,251 Days
• Field of Search: 709223-226, 709/242, 714/4, 714/43, 714/46
• US Class Current: 709/224
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 41/065 involving logical or physical relationship, e.g. grouping and hierarchies
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 41/22 comprising specially adapted graphical user interfaces [GUI]

Abstract

A method for describing problems in a telecommunications network is provided, wherein the alarms for a network service displayed on an operator'"'"'s console are presented in the order of the path comprising the service and associated with respective network elements, followed by a description of a recommended corrective procedure for the alarms.

Claims

1. A method implemented by a network management hardware server of a network for describing a problem in the network, the network comprising a plurality of network entities, the method comprising:

defining a service as a channel, from an originating network entity to a destination network entity, modulated by a dither tone specific to said channel, said originating network entity and said destination network entity belonging to said plurality of network entities, said service being carried by a path in the network;

selecting a subset of alarms associated with said service, the subset of alarms being selected from a list of alarms in the network;

grouping alarms in the subset of alarms associated with said service in a number of groups of alarms, each group of alarms being associated with said service and with a respective network entity from among said plurality of network entities;

ordering the groups of alarms according to a sequence in which they appear in a traversal of the path of the service in the network; and

transforming each alarm in each group of alarms into a problem description for the service.

2. A method as described in claim 1, further comprising the step of providing a corrective procedure in response to at least one alarm in said subset of alarms.

3. A method as described in claim 1, wherein said grouping further associates each group of alarms with a type of said network entity, where a type of said network entity is one of a node, a slot, a card and a port.

4. A method as described in claim 1, wherein the step of grouping further comprises a step of associating at least one alarm in the subset of alarms with at least two network entities from among said plurality of network entities.

5. A method as described in claim 1, wherein the description is a verbal description.

6. A method as described in claim 1, wherein the description is a text description.

7. A method as described in claim 1, wherein the description is a pictorial description.

8. A method implemented by a network management hardware server of a network for describing a problem in the network, the network comprising a plurality of network entities, the method comprising:

defining a service as a channel, having a unique identifier, connecting an originating network entity to a destination network entity, wherein said originating network entity and said destination network entity belong to said plurality of network entities, and wherein said service is carried by a path in the network;

selecting a subset of alarms associated with said service, the subset of alarms being selected from a list of alarms in the network;

grouping alarms in the subset of alarms associated with said service in a number of groups of alarms, each group of alarms being associated with said service and with a respective network entity from among said plurality of network entities;

ordering the groups of alarms according to a sequence in which they appear in a traversal of the path of the service in the network; and

transforming each alarm in each group of alarms into a problem description for the service;

wherein the step of transforming each alarm further comprises the step of forming at least one template including text substitution markers.

9. A method as described in claim 8, wherein the text substitution markers correspond to specific network entities from among said plurality of network entities.

10. A method as described in claim 8 wherein said path is a two-way path and the step of ordering the groups of alarms comprises ordering the groups of alarms in a direction of the path from a beginning of the path to an end of the path.

11. A method as described in claim 8 wherein said path is a two-way path and the step of ordering the groups of alarms comprises ordering the groups of alarms in a direction of the path from an end of the path to a beginning of the path.

12. A method implemented by a network management hardware server of a network for describing a problem in the network, the network comprising a plurality of network entities, the method comprising:

defining a service as a channel, from an originating network entity to a destination network entity, modulated by a dither tone specific to said channel, said originating network entity and destination network entity belonging to said plurality of network entities, said service being carried by a path in the network;

selecting a subset of alarms associated with said service, the subset of alarms being selected from a list of alarms in the network;

grouping the subset of alarms associated with said service in a number of groups of alarms, each group of alarms being associated with said service and with a respective network entity from among said plurality of network entities;

ordering the groups of alarms according to a sequence in which they appear in a traversal of the path of the service in the network; and

transforming each alarm in each group of alarms into a problem description for the service;

wherein said problem triggers at least one of;

a missing channel identification alarm;

an unexpected dither tone alarm;

a loss of signal alarm; and

a channel power out of range alarm.