System architecture method and computer program product for managing telecommunication networks

• US 8,468,228 B2
• Filed: 08/19/2003
• Issued: 06/18/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 08/19/2003
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Telecom Italia S.p.A.
• Original Assignee: Telecom Italia S.p.A.
• Inventors: Covino, Giuseppe, Gotta, Danilo, Ughetti, Marco
• Primary Examiner(s): Fan, Hua
• Application Number:
  US10/568,688
• Publication Number:
  US 20060203732A1
• Time in Patent Office: 3,591 Days
• Field of Search: 709223-226
• US Class Current: 709/223
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 41/042 comprising distributed management centres cooperatively managing the network
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 41/044 comprising hierarchical management structures
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 41/046 comprising network management agents or mobile agents therefor
• CPC Class Codes: H04Q 3/0062 Provisions for network management

Abstract

A system architecture for managing a telecommunication network includes network equipment and supported network services, wherein the equipment has associated control interfaces. The architecture has a base layer proxying the interfaces and decoupling them from management functions, and a support layer having a community of agents co-ordinating operation of the base layer in order to support distributed management functionalities. The base layer and the support layer constitute separated superposed layers in the architecture. The layers in the architecture preferably include components adapted to perform respective functions based on respective instruction information provided to them. A data base is provided for storing the instruction information. The architecture is arranged for distributing the instruction information from the data base to the components. Preferably, all the layers in the architecture include process executors.

Claims

1. A storage device comprising a non-transitory, computer-readable network management system for managing a communication network comprising network equipment, said equipment having associated interfaces, the network management system comprising:

a base layer for proxying said interfaces and for decoupling said interfaces from management functions, said base layer comprising distributed process executors to execute in a distributed manner processes concerning management of said network, each process executor comprising at least one of a workflow engine, a rule engine, and a combination thereof;

wherein said base layer comprises;

a sub-layer of protocol adapters for interfacing a set of network equipment offering a given protocol; and

a sub-layer of resource proxy modules, each said proxy module providing a representation of the configuration of given network equipment according to a defined information model and configured for aligning said representation of the configuration of given network equipment by at least one operation selected from the group of;

performinq all the management actions on said network by invoking operation through at least one associate protocol adapter;

receiving at said resource proxy modules all the notifications sent by said network equipment; and

performing a periodical verification of alignment between the representation of the network equipment and said network equipment;

a support layer superposed to said base layer and comprising a plurality of agents coordinating operation of said base layer in order to support distributed management functionalities;

a database, stored on a computer-readable medium, storing instruction information; and

a manager application configured to manage distribution of said instruction information from said database to at least one of said base layer and said support layer,

wherein said distributed management functionalities include FCAPS (Fault, Configuration, Accounting, Performance, Security) functionalities,

wherein at least two of said agents are hosted on different machines,

wherein said layers are configured to perform respective functions based on said instruction information,

wherein said layers are configured to modify respective functions in response to said instruction information,

wherein said plurality of agents communicate information indicative of a status of said plurality of agents to said manager application, said information indicative of a status comprising information regarding current load conditions, and

wherein, in response to said status information, said manager application moves at least one agent to a different machine.

2. The storage device of claim 1, wherein said resource proxy modules are configured for enrichment with element manager information.

3. The storage device of claim 1, wherein said resource proxy modules are configured for running processes using said process executors.

4. The storage device of claim 1, wherein said resource proxy modules are configured for interacting directly with one another in an interworking relationship.

5. The storage device of claim 1, wherein said agents in said community are configured for running vendor and technology independent services.

6. The storage device of claim 1, comprising at least one manager application configured for performing functions selected from the group of:

managing distribution of processes between said base layer and said support layer;

managing distribution of information models between said base layer and said support layer;

monitoring the state of the system on the basis of information provided by said agents;

interacting with external systems; and

executing management processes.

7. The storage device of claim 6, wherein said at least one manager application comprises a separated, additional upper layer in said system.

8. The storage device of claim 6, wherein said at least one manager application is at least partly integrated to said support layer.

9. The storage device of claim 1, wherein all said layers in said system include process executors.

10. The storage device of claim 9, wherein each of said process executors in each of said layers comprises at least one of a workflow engine, a rule engine and a combination thereof.

11. The storage device of claim 1, wherein said instruction information comprises at least one of:

process definitions comprising at least one of workflows and rules; and

data model definitions.

12. The storage device of claim 1, wherein the manager application is configured to manage distribution of information models between said base layer and said support layer, said database being associated with the manager application.

13. The storage device of claim 1, wherein said resource proxy modules can support FCAPS (Fault, Configuration, Accounting, Performance, Security) functionalities.

14. A method of managing a communication network comprising network equipment, said equipment having associated interfaces, the method comprising the steps of:

providing a base layer proxying said interfaces and decoupling said interfaces from management functions;

executing, in said base layer, distributed processes concerning management of said network, each of said processes comprising at least one of workflows, rules, and combination thereof;

providing a sub-layer of protocol adapters for interfacing a set of network equipment offering a given protocol;

providing a sub-layer of resource proxy modules, each said proxy module providing a representation of the configuration of given network equipment according to a defined information model;

configuring said resource proxy modules for aligning said representation to the network of a given network equipment by at least one operation selected from the group of;

performing all the management actions of said network by invoking operation through at least one associated protocol adapter;

receiving at said resource proxy modules all the notifications sent by said network equipment; and

performing a periodical verification of alignment between the representation of the network equipment and said network equipment;

supporting distributed management functionalities via a support layer superposed to said base layer and comprising a plurality of agents coordinating operation of said base layer;

including FCAPS (Fault, Configuration, Accounting, Performance, Security) functionalities as said distributed management functionalities;

hosting at least two of said agents on different machines;

performing in each of said layers, functions based on instruction information;

providing a database for storing said instruction information for each of said layers;

distributing said instruction information from said database to each respective layer;

modifying at least one of the distributed processes based on said instruction information, such that a function of the at least one distributed process is changed;

providing a manager application configured for distributing said instruction information from said database to at least one of said base layer and said support layer;

providing information indicative of a status of said plurality of agents to said manager application, wherein said information indicative of a status comprises information regarding current load conditions; and

based on said information indicative of a status, moving at least one agent to a different machine.

15. The method of claim 14, further comprising the step of configuring said resource proxy modules for enrichment with element manager information.

16. The method of claim 14, further comprising the step of configuring said resource proxy modules for running processes using a process executor.

17. The method of claim 14, further comprising the step of configuring said resource proxy modules for interacting directly with one another in an inter-working relationship.

18. The method of claim 14, further comprising the step of configuring said agents in said community for running vendor and the technology independent services.

19. The method of claim 14, wherein the step of providing a manager application further comprises performing steps selected from the group of:

managing distribution of processes between said base layer and said support layer;

managing distribution of information models between said base layer and said support layer;

monitoring the state of said layers on the basis of information provided by said agents;

interacting with external systems; and

executing management processes.

20. The method of claim 19, further comprising the step of configuring said manager application as a separated upper layer in addition to said base proxying layer and said support layer.

21. The method of claim 19, further comprising the step of at least partly integrating to said support layer said manager application.

22. The method of claim 14, further comprising the step of providing process executors in all said layers.

23. The method of claim 22, further comprising the step of providing in said process executors at least one of a workflow engine, a rule engine, and combinations thereof.

24. The method of claim 14, further comprising the step of providing in said instruction information at least one of:

process definitions comprising at least one of workflows and rules, and

data model definitions.

25. The method of claim 14, further comprising the steps of:

providing said manager application configured for managing distribution of information models between said base layer and said support layer; and

associating said database with said manager application.

26. The method of claim 14, further comprising supporting FCAPS (Fault, Configuration, Accounting, Performance, Security) functionalities via said resource proxy modules.

27. A computer program product resident on a non-transitory computer-readable medium for storing instructions for execution by a processor, the instructions when executed by a processor performing a method of managing a communication network comprising network equipment, said equipment having associated interfaces, the method comprising:

providing a base layer proxying said interfaces and decoupling said interfaces from management functions;

wherein said base layer comprises;

a sub-layer of protocol adapters for interfacing a set of network equipment offering a given protocol; and

a sub-layer of resource proxy modules, each said proxy module providing a representation of the configuration of given network equipment according to a defined information model and configured for aligning said representation of the configuration of given network equipment by at least one operation selected from the group of;

performing all the management actions on said network by invoking operation through at least one associate protocol adapter;

receiving at said resource proxy modules all the notifications sent by said network equipment; and

performing a periodical verification of alignment between the representation of the network equipment and said network equipment;

executing, in said base layer, distributed processes concerning management of said network, each of said processes comprising at least one of workflows, rules, and a combination thereof;

supporting distributed management functionalities via a support layer superposed to said base layer and comprising a plurality of agents coordinating operation of said base layer, wherein at least two of said agents are on different machines;

providing a database for storing instruction information for each of said layers;

distributing said instruction information from said database to each respective layer;

receiving instruction information in each of said layers;

performing in each of said layers, functions based on said instruction information;

receiving information indicative of a status of said plurality of agents, wherein said information indicative of a status comprises information regarding current load conditions; and

based on said information indicative of a status, moving at least one agent to a different machine.