Fault management traffic reduction in heterogeneous networks

• US 9,538,402 B2
• Filed: 09/28/2012
• Issued: 01/03/2017
• Est. Priority Date: 09/30/2011
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: WSOU Investments, LLC (WSOU Holdings, LLC)
• Original Assignee: Nokia Solutions and Networks US LLC (Nokia Corporation)
• Inventors: Andrianov, Anatoly, Harris, John M.
• Primary Examiner(s): Orgad, Edan
• Assistant Examiner(s): Ko, Sithu
• Application Number:
  US13/630,063
• Publication Number:
  US 20130083669A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,558 Days
• Field of Search: 370/230, 370/241, 370/242, 455/411.423, 455/507
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 24/04 Arrangements for maintaining operational condition
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 24/08 Testing, supervising or monitoring using real traffic

Abstract

A method includes configuring one or more network nodes in a radio access network using information to be used by the one or more network nodes to determine whether an event detected by the one or more network nodes and associated with the radio access network should be reported. Another method includes configuring a network node in a radio access network using information to be used by the network node to determine whether an event detected by the network node and associated with the radio access network should be reported. Responsive to the configuring, the network node may or may not report the event. Apparatus, computer programs, computer program products, and communication systems are also disclosed.

Claims

1. An apparatus, comprising:

one or more processors; and

one or more memories including computer program code,

the one or more memories and the computer program code configured, with the one or more processors, to cause the apparatus to perform at least the following;

configuring a plurality of base stations in a radio access network using information to be used by each base station of the plurality of base stations to determine whether an event detected by the base station and associated with the radio access network should be reported, wherein the configuring comprises configuring by using the information a common random seed at each base station that is common to every base station of the plurality of base stations, the common random seed to be used by each base station of the plurality of base stations to determine a sequence of random values used to determine whether the detected event should be reported by the base station to an operations and management entity, wherein each of the plurality of base stations is to use a value uniquely identifying the base station from others of the plurality of the base stations to determine uniquely a starting point within the sequence of random values to identify a random value to use to determine whether the detected event should be reported by the base station to the operations and management entity.

2. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein:

the information comprises a plurality of probability values, each of the plurality of probability values to be used by a respective one of the plurality of base stations for comparison with a randomly generated value to determine whether the detected event should be reported by the respective base station.

3. The apparatus of claim 2, wherein:

the randomly generated value is generated using the common random seed and the value uniquely identifying the respective base station from others of the plurality of the base stations, and wherein the randomly generated value is compared to a probability value used by the respective base station to determine whether the detected event should be reported by the respective base station.

4. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the information comprises at least one value to be used by a selected base station of the plurality of base stations to set a delay used to report the detected event in response to the detected event not being reported to the selected base station by peers of the selected base station within the delay.

5. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein:

the information comprises information causing a selected one of the plurality of base stations to assume a reporter role and in the reporter role to report all detected events.

17. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the at least one memory including the computer program code is configured with the at least one processor to cause the apparatus to determine whether the identified random value is above a threshold;

and based on the identified random value being above the threshold, reporting the detected event to the operations and management entity.

6. A method, comprising:

configuring a plurality of base stations in a radio access network using information to be used by each base station of the plurality of base stations to determine whether an event detected by the base station and associated with the radio access network should be reported, Wherein;

the configuring comprises configuring by using the information a common random seed at each base station that is common to every base station of the plurality of base stations, the common random seed to be used by each of the plurality of base stations to determine a sequence of random values used to determine whether the detected event should be reported by the base station to an operations and management entity, wherein each of the plurality of base stations is to use a value uniquely identifying the base station from others of the plurality of the base stations to determine uniquely a starting point within the sequence of random values to identify a random value to use to determine whether the detected event should be reported by the base station to the operations and management entity.

7. The method of claim 6, further comprising receiving one or more reports from the plurality of base stations, the one or more reports reported by the plurality of base stations based at least in part on the information.

8. An apparatus, comprising:

one or more processors; and

one or more memories including computer program code,

the one or more memories and the computer program code configured, with the one or more processors, to cause the apparatus to perform at least the following;

configuring a base station of a plurality of base stations in a radio access network using information to be used by each base station of the plurality of base stations to determine whether an event detected by the base station and associated with the radio access network should be reported,

wherein the configuring comprises configuring using the information at the base station a random seed that is common to every base station of the plurality of base stations in the radio access network,

wherein the one or more memories and the computer program code are further configured, with the one or more processors, to cause the apparatus to perform at least generating by the base station a plurality of pseudorandom values using the random seed and using the plurality of pseudorandom values to determine whether the detected event should be reported by the base station to an operations and management entity, wherein each of the plurality of base stations is to use a value uniquely identifying the base station from others of the plurality of the base stations to determine uniquely a starting point within the plurality of pseudorandom values to identify a random value to use to determine whether the detected event should be reported by the base station to the operations and management entity.

9. The apparatus of claim 8, wherein the information comprises at least one value, wherein the one or more memories and the computer program code are further configured, with the one or more processors, to cause the apparatus to perform at least the following:

using by the base station the at least one value to set a delay and reporting the detected event in response to the detected event not being reported to the base station by peers of the base station within the delay.

10. The apparatus of claim 9, wherein the information further comprises a maximum delay value, and wherein the one or more memories and the computer program code are further configured, with the one or more processors, to cause the apparatus to perform at least the following:

using by the base station the maximum delay value to determine a time period to store the detected event, using the time period to determine whether a similar event to the detected event is determined by the base station to have occurred within the time period, and determining not to report the similar event in response to the similar event occurring during the time period.

11. The apparatus of claim 8, wherein the information comprises information causing the base station to assume a reporter role, and wherein the one or more memories and the computer program code are further configured, with the one or more processors, to cause the apparatus to perform at least the following:

reporting by the base station all detected events while in the reporter role.

12. The apparatus of claim 8, wherein the operations and management entity configures the base station using one or more configuration messages comprising the information.

13. The apparatus of claim 8, further comprising accessing one or both of one or more configuration files or one or more policies comprising the information and performing the configuring using the accessed information.

14. A method, comprising:

configuring a base station of a plurality of base stations in a radio access network using information to be used by each base station of the plurality of network access nodes to determine whether an event detected by the base station and associated with the radio access network should be reported, wherein;

the configuring comprises configuring using the information at the base station a random seed common that is to every base station of the plurality of base stations in the radio access network, the random seed to be used by each base station of the plurality of base stations; and

generating by the base station a plurality of pseudorandom values using the random seed and using the plurality of pseudorandom values to determine whether the detected event should be reported by the base station to an operations and management entity, wherein each of the plurality of base stations is to use a value uniquely identifying the base station from others of the plurality of the base stations to determine uniquely a starting point within the plurality of pseudorandom values to identify a random value to use to determine whether the detected event should be reported by the base station to the operations and management entity.

15. The method of claim 14, further comprising reporting by the base station the event in response to a determination, based at least on the information, that the event should be reported.

16. A computer program product comprising a non-transitory computer-readable storage medium bearing computer program code embodied therein for use with a computer, the computer program code comprising:

code for configuring a plurality of base stations in a radio access network using information to be used by each base station of the plurality of base stations to determine whether an event detected by the base station and associated with the radio access network should be reported, wherein the configuring comprises configuring using the information a random seed at each base station that is common to every base station of the plurality of base stations in the radio access network, the random seed to be used by each base station of the plurality of base stations to determine a sequence of random values used to determine whether the detected event should be reported by the base station to an operations and management entity, wherein each of the plurality of base stations is to use a value uniquely identifying the base station from others of the plurality of the base stations to determine uniquely a starting point within the sequence of random values to identify a random value to use to determine whether the detected event should be reported by the base station to the operations and management entity.