Method and apparatus for providing a reliable fault management for a network

• US 7,958,386 B2
• Filed: 12/12/2007
• Issued: 06/07/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 12/12/2007
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: AT&T Intellectual Property I LP (AT&T, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: AT&T Intellectual Property I LP (AT&T, Inc.)
• Inventors: Rahman, Moshiur
• Primary Examiner(s): Beausoliel; Robert
• Assistant Examiner(s): Lottich; Joshua P
• Application Number:
  US11/955,171
• Publication Number:
  US 20090158098A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,273 Days
• Field of Search: 714/4, 714/48, 714/55
• US Class Current: N/A
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 41/0613 based on the type or category of the network elements
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 43/0811 by checking connectivity
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 43/10 Active monitoring, e.g. heartbeat, ping or trace-route

Abstract

A method and apparatus for providing reliable fault management for a network are disclosed. For example, a method receives one or more alarms from one or more network elements (NEs) by an element management system, and determines whether the one or more alarms need to be forwarded to a fault management platform (FMP) over a wireless data network. The method then forwards the one or more alarms over the wireless data network if it is determined that the one or more alarms need to be forwarded over the wireless data network.

Claims

1. A method for providing fault management for a network, comprising:

receiving an alarm from a network element by an element management system;

determining whether the alarm needs to be forwarded to a fault management platform over a wireless data network, wherein the determining comprises receiving an instruction from the fault management platform to use the wireless data network; and

forwarding the alarm over the wireless data network if it is determined that the alarm needs to be forwarded over the wireless data network.

2. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

forwarding the alarm that was sent over the wireless data network over a wired data network to the fault management platform.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the determining comprises determining whether a heartbeat signal has been received from the fault management platform in accordance with a predetermined schedule.

4. The method of claim 3, wherein the predetermined schedule for sending the heartbeat signal is configurable by a network service provider.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein the determining comprises detecting a failure of a wired data network.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein the network is a packet network.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein the determining comprises detecting a failure of a connection to the wired data network.

8. A computer-readable medium having stored thereon a plurality of instructions, the plurality of instructions including instructions which, when executed by a processor, cause the processor to perform a method for providing fault management for a network, comprising:

receiving an alarm from a network element by an element management system;

determining whether the alarm needs to be forwarded to a fault management platform over a wireless data network, wherein the determining comprises receiving an instruction from the fault management platform to use the wireless data network; and

forwarding the alarm over the wireless data network if it is determined that the alarm needs to be forwarded over the wireless data network.

9. The computer-readable medium of claim 8, further comprising:

forwarding the alarm that was sent over the wireless data network over a wired data network to the fault management platform.

10. The computer-readable medium of claim 8, wherein the determining comprises determining whether a heartbeat signal has been received from the fault management platform in accordance with a predetermined schedule.

11. The computer-readable medium of claim 10, wherein the predetermined schedule for sending the heartbeat signal is configurable by a network service provider.

12. The computer-readable medium of claim 8, wherein the determining comprises detecting a failure of a wired data network.

13. The computer-readable medium of claim 8, wherein the determining comprises detecting a failure of a connection to the wired data network.

14. The computer-readable medium of claim 8, wherein the network is a packet network.

15. A method for providing fault management for a network, comprising:

sending a heartbeat signal by a fault management platform to a plurality of element management systems over a wired data network in accordance with a predetermined schedule;

gathering responses from the element management systems;

identifying an element management system of the plurality of element management systems that is non-responsive;

communicating with the element management system identified as non-responsive via a wireless data network;

determining a connection to the element management system identified as non-responsive over the wired data network is restored; and

notifying the element management system identified as non-responsive that the connection over the wired data network is restored.

16. The method of claim 15, wherein the determining the connection is restored comprises sending the heartbeat signal periodically over the connection.

17. The method of claim 15, wherein the network is a packet network.

18. The method of claim 15, wherein each of the plurality of element management systems receives an alarm from a network element.

19. The method of claim 18, wherein the alarm is received from the plurality of element management systems via the wireless data network.