End-to-end test and diagnostic management system

• US 8,432,898 B2
• Filed: 12/02/2005
• Issued: 04/30/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 11/11/2005
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Accenture Global Services Limited (Accenture PLC)
• Original Assignee: Accenture Global Services Limited (Accenture PLC)
• Inventors: Samele, Antonio, Proietti, Sirio, Lupo, Gabriele
• Primary Examiner(s): Nawaz, Asad
• Assistant Examiner(s): JENSEN, NICHOLAS A
• Application Number:
  US11/293,636
• Publication Number:
  US 20070115860A1
• Time in Patent Office: 2,706 Days
• Field of Search: 370/352, 379/1.03, 379/9.02, 379/22.04, 379/27.05, 379/29.05, 379/352
• US Class Current: 370/352
• CPC Class Codes: H04Q 3/0087 Network testing or monitoring arrangements

Abstract

An end-to-end test and diagnostic manager and a method of diagnosing service problems in a multi-domain, multi-service network are provided. A database receives and stores service and network inventory data identifying and describing the customer and the network components necessary to deliver a service to the customer over a multi-domain network. An interface for displaying service information to an operator and for receiving commands from an operator is also provided. A plurality of test tools for testing operational status and verifying the configuration of components necessary to deliver the service to the customer. An application server is configured to execute instructions for invoking the test tools. The results of the test are displayed for the operator via the interface.

Claims

1. A system for troubleshooting a service delivery problem of a service delivered to a customer over a multi-domain network wherein the multi-domain network includes a service delivery chain of network components for delivering the service, the system comprising:

a server configured to;

receive a report of the service delivery problem;

obtain customer profile information associated with the customer and operator profile information associated with a first system operator and with a second system operator;

responsively retrieve data from a network and service inventory database and store the retrieved data in a database, wherein the retrieved data specifies the service delivery chain of network components that deliver the service;

determine a first and a second set of applicable test and diagnostic tools from among a set of available tools for troubleshooting the network components of the service delivery chain, wherein the first set of applicable test and diagnostic tools are determined from among the set of available tools based on the customer profile information and the operator profile information associated with the first system operator and the second set of applicable test and diagnostic tools, which are different from the first set of applicable test and diagnostic tools, are determined from among the set of available tools based on the customer profile information and the operator profile information associated with the second system operator; and

execute workflows for invoking selected test and diagnostic tools of the first or second set of applicable diagnostic tools; and

a graphical user interface (GUI) in communication with the database and configured to;

display the service delivery chain of network components in a network display area of the GUI; and

display, in a tools area of the GUI, at least one of the first set of applicable test and diagnostic tools to the first system operator and the second set of applicable test and diagnostic tools to the second operator;

wherein the server is further configured to;

obtain input from the first system operator specifying a first selected test and diagnostic tool from among the first set of applicable test and diagnostic tools and the workflows to invoke the first selected test and diagnostic tool; and

obtain input from the second system operator specifying a selected test and diagnostic tool from among the second set of applicable test and diagnostic tools.

2. The system of claim 1 wherein the data includes a service plan subscribed to by the customer.

3. The system of claim 1 wherein the data includes customer data describing service equipment at a customer'"'"'s premises and under the customer'"'"'s control.

4. The system of claim 1 wherein the data includes information retrieved by the server from an operations support system.

5. The system of claim 1 further comprising a mobile terminal having a field access system, wherein the server is further configures to obtain data from the field access system and perform a final check of service restoration.

6. The system of claim 1 wherein the server is further configured to pull data from an LDAP (Lightweight Directory Access Protocol) to perform an information exchange to authorize user accesses.

7. The system of claim 1 wherein the server is further configured to pull data from an integrated order management system to gather information about the status of a work request concerning the service delivery problem.

8. The system of claim 1 wherein the server is further configured to provide information to a network trouble management system.

9. The system of claim 1 wherein the server is further configured to pull data from a fault management system to open an alarm when a problem is found and to provide information about impacted customers.

10. The system of claim 1 wherein the server is further configured to pull data from a service delivery platform to gather service and user profile information.

11. The system of claim 1 wherein the server is further configured to pull data from a performance management system to check for degradation in the network components.

12. The system of claim 1 wherein the server is further configured to provide data gathered from a selectively invoked diagnostic tool to an external operations support system.

13. The system of claim 1 wherein the test and diagnostic tools include a stand alone test tool package.

14. The system of claim 1 wherein capabilities of said tools are provided by network element managers having access to specific network elements'"'"' configuration data and which are capable of testing the specific network elements'"'"' operational status.

15. The system of claim 1 wherein capabilities of said plurality of test tools are provided by a layer 2, 3, domain manager.

16. The system of claim 1 wherein capabilities of said test tools are included as test modules stored in the database.

17. The system of claim 1 wherein said plurality of test tools comprise a combination of stand alone test tool packages, network element managers, a layer 2, 3 manager, and a test module stored in the database.

18. The system of claim 1 further comprising a user profile database that stores the operator profile information, the operator profile information comprising access privileges associated with the first and second system operators.

19. The system of claim 1 further comprising a web server for serving a GUI page.

20. The system of claim 1, further comprising:

a test repository database configured to store the workflows, wherein the server is further configured to access the test repository database after obtaining the system operator input.

21. An end-to-end test and diagnostic manager diagnose a service delivery problem of a service delivered by way of a service delivery chain of network components to a customer over a multi-domain network, the end-to-end test and diagnostic manager comprising:

a graphical user interface (GUI) for displaying status and configuration data of the network components that comprise the service delivery chain, and applicable test tools available to troubleshoot the service delivery problem, whereby a user may select one or more of the applicable test tools; and

a server configured to;

receive a report of the service delivery problem and responsively retrieve network and service inventory data;

obtain a customer profile information associated with the customer, a first user profile information associated with a first user and second user profile information associated with a second user;

determine, based on the report, network and service inventory data, and customer and first and second user profile information;

network services provided to the customer, the network components, and the status and configuration data; and

the applicable test tools identified from among a set of available tools for troubleshooting the network components of the service delivery chain, the applicable test tools comprising a first set of applicable test tools selected by the first user from among the set of available tools and a second set of applicable test tools selected by the second user from among the set of available tools; and

execute workflows to invoke at least one of the test tools selected by the first user or the second user.

22. The end-to-end test and diagnostic manager of claim 21 wherein the test tools comprise any combination of tools taken from the list comprising:

Customer Premises Equipment Ping Test;

Sync Profile;

Port verification;

Port Lock/Unlock;

No Sync Test;

Port Reset;

Internet Protocol (IP) Ping Testing;

Test Call;

Call History;

End-To-End Voice over Network (VoN) Service; and

End-To-End Backbone (BB) Service; and

Mechanized Loop Testing (MLT).

23. The end-to-end test and diagnostic manager of claim 21 wherein the server is further configured to execute one or more of the test tools directly.

24. The end-to-end test and diagnostic manager of claim 21 wherein the server is further configured to invoke an external test tool to test network elements within a domain of the multi-domain network.

25. The end-to-end test and diagnostic manager of claim 21 wherein the server invokes at least one of the test tools via a layer 2,3 domain manager.

26. The end-to-end test and diagnostic manager of claim 21 wherein the server invokes at least one of the test tools via an element manager associated with a network.

27. The end-to-end test and diagnostic manager of claim 21 further comprising a web server, the graphical user interface comprising a web based graphical user interface having interface pages served to a client terminal associated with an operator.

28. The end-to-end test and diagnostic manager of claim 27 further comprising a user profile database for storing user profiles defining access rights test privileges of operators permitted to use the end-to-end test and diagnostic manager.

29. The end-to-end test and diagnostic manager of claim 21 wherein the server is configured to invoke a plurality of test tools to test the status of every network component involved in delivering the service.

30. A method for diagnosing a service delivery problem of a service delivered by way of a service delivery chain of network components to a customer over a multi-domain network, the method comprising:

receiving a report of the service delivery problem;

obtaining, using a computer processor, a customer profile information associated with the customer, a first operator profile information associated with a first system operator and a second operator profile information associated with a second system operator;

constructing, using the computer processor, the service delivery chain of network components;

determining, using a computer processor and based on the report and the customer and the first and second operator profile information, a first and a second set of applicable test tools from among a set of available tools for troubleshooting the network components of the service delivery chain;

displaying on a graphical user interface;

the service delivery chain of network components;

the first set of applicable test tools to the first system operator; and

the second set of applicable test tools to the second system operator;

obtaining second system operator input identifying selected test tools from among the displayed second set of applicable test tool;

obtaining first system operator input identifying selected test tools from among the displayed first set of applicable test tool; and

identifying a root cause of the service delivery problem by executing workflows to invoke at least one of the selected test tools.