Higher order logic applied to expert systems for alarm analysis, filtering, correlation and root causes which converts a specification proof into a program language

• US 8,219,512 B2
• Filed: 08/18/2011
• Issued: 07/10/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 12/22/2006
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Avaya Incorporated
• Original Assignee: Avaya Incorporated
• Inventors: Daily, Daniel J., Gentle, Christopher R., Kawahara, Lisa Y., Maity, Ashis, Thomas, Michael J.
• Primary Examiner(s): VINCENT, DAVID ROBERT
• Application Number:
  US13/212,946
• Publication Number:
  US 20110302562A1
• Time in Patent Office: 327 Days
• Field of Search: 706/20, 706 45- 47, 706 55- 59
• US Class Current: 706/45
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 11/2257 using expert systems
• CPC Class Codes: G06N 5/01 Dynamic search techniques; Heuristics; Dynamic trees; Branch-and-bound

Abstract

The present invention is directed to a system and method for applying second- and higher-order logic to analysis of event descriptive information, such as alarms, error messages, and fault signals.

Claims

1. A method, comprising:

a processor executing a program extractor and a code generator;

providing a specification proof describing at least one of (i) a state and/or configuration and (ii) a condition, operation, and/or function of a network element;

converting, by the program extractor, at least one of the specification proof and a modified form thereof of the specification proof into a first program language; and

converting, by the code generator, the first program language into a second program language, the second program language describing an expert system adapted to analyze event descriptive information, wherein the program extractor performs the converting step in a first operating mode, and wherein the program extractor is operable, in a second operating mode, to provide non-constructive output, the non-constructive output being at least one of questions and statements about the conversion of the at least one of the specification proof and the modified form of the specification proof into the first program language in response to a failure by the program extractor to perform the converting step in the first operating mode.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the specification proof is derived, by set theory, from a set of propositions, the set of propositions describing at least one of a set of network element states, conditions, operations, configurations, functions, and alarms.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein, prior to conversion by the program extractor, the specification proof is converted by a core inference engine into a set of higher-order logic statements, wherein the set of higher- order logic statements is the modified form of the specification proof, and wherein the modified form of the specification is converted by the program extractor.

4. A computer readable medium comprising processor-executable instructions adapted to perform the steps of claim 1.

12. The method of claim 1, wherein in the second operating mode the non-constructive output is generated at least in part in response to additional information provided by at least one of a human operator and a many-order logic (MOL) module to the program extractor.

13. The method of claim 12, wherein the additional information is provided by a human operator.

14. The method of claim 1, wherein the additional information is provided by an MOL module.

5. A system, comprising:

an input for a specification proof describing at least one of (i) a state and/or configuration and (ii) a condition, operation, and/or function, of a network element;

a program extractor adapted to convert in a first operating mode at least one of the specification proof and a modified form of the specification proof into a first program language, wherein in a second operating mode the program extractor is adapted to provide non-constructive output, the non-constructive output being at least one of questions and statements about the conversion of the specification proof and a modified form of the specification proof; and

a code generator adapted to convert the first program language into a second program language, the second program language describing an expert system adapted to analyze event descriptive information.

6. The system of claim 5, wherein the specification proof is derived, by set theory, from a set of propositions, the set of propositions describing at least one of a set of network element states, conditions, operations, configurations, functions, and alarms.

7. The system of claim 5, wherein, prior to conversion by the program extractor, the specification proof is converted by a core inference engine into a set of higher-order logic statements, wherein the set of higher- order logic statements is the modified form of the specification proof, and wherein the modified form of the specification is converted by the program extractor.

8. The system of claim 5, wherein the second operating mode is selected in response to a failure by the program extractor to generate programming language describing an expert system.

9. The system of claim 8, wherein the program extractor fails to generate the second programming language describing an expert system, wherein the program extractor provides non-constructive output, and wherein the non-constructive output is generated at least in part in response to additional information provided by at least one of a human operator and a many-order logic (MOL) module to the program extractor.

10. The system of claim 9, wherein the additional information is provided by a human operator.

11. The system of claim 9, wherein the additional information is provided by an MOL module.