End-to-end network service assurance solution

• US 9,059,939 B2
• Filed: 06/15/2012
• Issued: 06/16/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 02/23/2012
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Infosys Limited
• Original Assignee: Infosys Limited
• Inventors: Garimella, Krishna Ghaitanya, Shetty, Ashit Mahendra, Saxena, Gaurav, Thota, Kishore Babu, Ranade, Sanjay Ravindra
• Primary Examiner(s): JEAN, FRANTZ B
• Application Number:
  US13/524,932
• Publication Number:
  US 20130227103A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,096 Days
• Field of Search: 709/203, 709/217, 709/219, 709/223, 709/249, 717/100, 717/104, 714/2
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 41/052 using standardised network management architectures, e.g. telecommunication management network [TMN] or unified network management architecture [UNMA]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 41/0631 using root cause analysis; using analysis of correlation between notifications, alarms or events based on decision criteria, e.g. hierarchy, tree or time analysis
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 41/0661 by reconfiguring faulty entities
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 41/0663 Performing the actions predefined by failover planning, e.g. switching to standby network elements
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 41/0677 Localisation of faults
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 41/12 Discovery or management of network topologies
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 41/142 using statistical or mathematical methods
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 41/147 for predicting network behaviour
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 41/5054 Automatic deployment of services triggered by the service manager, e.g. service implementation by automatic configuration of network components
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 41/5074 Handling of user complaints or trouble tickets

Abstract

Disclosed herein are representative embodiments of tools and techniques for providing network service assurance. One exemplary embodiment includes a framework for network service assurance that includes a presentation layer, a service management layer, a network-infrastructure management layer, and a unified network-access layer. The unified-network-access layer is configured to receive a network request in a standard abstracted format, the network request being associated with at least one network element. The unified network-access layer also being configured to select a vendor adaptor from a plurality of vendor adaptors based on an element type of the at least one network element. The unified network-access layer further being configured to generate a vendor-formatted network request using the vendor adapter, and configured to send the vendor-formatted network request to the at least one network element.

Claims

1. A system comprising one or more computing devices implementing an integrated end-to-end framework for network service assurance, the system comprising:

one or more processors; and

memory, the memory storing computer-executable instructions for causing the system to implement the framework comprising;

a presentation layer;

a service management layer;

a network-infrastructure management layer; and

a unified network-access layer, the unified network-access layer configured to;

receive a network request in a standard abstracted format, the network request associated with at least one network element of a plurality of network elements;

based on information about the at least one network element, select a vendor adaptor from a plurality of vendor adaptors;

using the vendor adaptor, generate a vendor-formatted network request based at least on the received network request; and

send the vendor-formatted network request to the at least one network element.

2. The system implementing the integrated end-to-end framework of claim 1 wherein the vendor adaptor transforms the network request in the standard abstracted format into the vendor-formatted network request in a vendor format.

3. The system implementing the integrated end-to-end framework of claim 2 wherein the vendor adaptor transforms the network request in the standard abstracted format into the vendor-formatted network request at least by mapping an identified device with a device interface standard compliant with the device and generating the vendor-formatted network request so that it is compliant with the device interface standard.

4. The system implementing the integrated end-to-end framework of claim 1 wherein the network-infrastructure management layer comprises a fault fix engine, a correlation engine, a capacity analytics module, a unified topology module, a call tracing and call data record analysis module, and a unified data repository.

5. The system implementing the integrated end-to-end framework of claim 1 wherein the service management layer comprises a management information system based reporting engine, a knowledge based service analytics engine, a key indicators based service level agreement management module, a forecasting and trend analytics module, and a service model agent module.

6. The system implementing the integrated end-to-end framework of claim 1 wherein the service management layer comprises a knowledge based service analytics engine, the knowledge based service analytics engine comprising a rules engine.

7. The system implementing the integrated end-to-end framework of claim 1 wherein the presentation layer comprises an interactive voice response module, a web module, or a convergence gateway.

8. The system implementing the integrated end-to-end framework of claim 1 wherein the service management layer comprises one or more third-party adaptors that interface with one or more external systems, the external systems comprising a trouble ticketing system, a workflow management system, or a billing system.

9. The system implementing the integrated end-to-end framework of claim 1 wherein the unified network-access layer comprises an integration layer, the integration layer comprising an integration web service module and an integration module.

10. The system implementing the integrated end-to-end framework of claim 1 wherein the unified network-access layer comprises an integration layer, a data modeling layer, a network adaptation layer, and an element adaptors layer.

11. The system implementing the integrated end-to-end framework of claim 1 wherein the unified network-access layer comprises a data modeling layer, the data modeling layer configured to transform network requests in a standard abstracted format into a plurality of vendor formats using at least one or more data dictionaries.

12. The system implementing the integrated end-to-end framework of claim 1 wherein the unified network-access layer comprises a network adaptation layer, the network adaptation layer configured to operate in a reactive mode at least using one or more vendor request handlers or in a proactive mode using at least one or more vendor watch modules.

13. A method for providing an integrated end-to-end framework for network service assurance implemented using one or more computing devices, the method comprising:

providing a presentation layer;

providing a service management layer;

providing a network-infrastructure management layer; and

providing a unified network-access layer, the unified network-access layer configured to;

receive a network request in a standard abstracted format, the network request associated with at least one network element of a plurality of network elements;

based on information about the at least one network element, select a vendor adaptor from a plurality of vendor adaptors;

using the vendor adaptor, generate a vendor-formatted network request based at least on the received network request; and

send the vendor-formatted network request to the at least one network element.

14. The method of claim 13 wherein the vendor adaptor transforms the network request in the standard abstracted format into the vendor-formatted network request in a vendor format.

15. The method of claim 14 wherein the vendor adaptor transforms the network request in the standard abstracted format into the vendor-formatted network request at least by mapping an identified device with a device interface standard compliant with the device and generating the vendor-formatted network request so that it is compliant with the device interface standard.

16. The method of claim 13 wherein the network-infrastructure management layer comprises a fault fix engine, a correlation engine, a capacity analytics module, a unified topology module, a call tracing and call data record analysis module, and a unified data repository.

17. The method of claim 13 wherein the service management layer comprises a management information system based reporting engine, a knowledge based service analytics engine, a key indicators based service level agreement management module, a forecasting and trend analytics module, and a service model agent module.

18. The method of claim 13 wherein the service management layer comprises a knowledge based service analytics engine, the knowledge based service analytics engine comprising a rules engine.

19. The method of claim 13 wherein the presentation layer comprises an interactive voice response module, a web module, or a convergence gateway.

20. One or more non-transitory computer-readable media storing computer-executable instructions for causing one or more computing devices to perform a method for providing an integrated end-to-end framework for network service assurance, the method comprising:

providing a presentation layer;

providing a service management layer;

providing a network-infrastructure management layer; and

providing a unified network-access layer, the unified network-access layer configured to;

receive a network request in a standard abstracted format, the network request associated with at least one network element of a plurality of network elements;

based on information about the at least one network element, select a vendor adaptor from a plurality of vendor adaptors;

using the vendor adaptor, generate a vendor-formatted network request based at least on the received network request; and

send the vendor-formatted network request to the at least one network element.