System and Method for Testing Automated Provisioning and Maintenance of Operations Support Systems

• US 20120218902A1
• Filed: 05/10/2012
• Published: 08/30/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 03/03/2004
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: AT&T Corporation (AT&T, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: AT&T Corporation (AT&T, Inc.)
• Inventors: Kirtley, Rance A., Zhang, Lili
• Granted Patent: US 8,462,639 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 370/241
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 41/0233 Object-oriented techniques, for representation of network management data, e.g. common object request broker architecture [CORBA]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 41/08 Configuration management of networks or network elements address allocation H04L61/50
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 41/0843 based on generic templates
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 41/0895 Configuration of virtualised networks or elements, e.g. virtualised network function or OpenFlow elements
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 41/145 involving simulating, designing, planning or modelling of a network
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 43/14 using software, i.e. software packages network security related monitoring H04L63/1408

Abstract

The present invention provides a complete virtual multi-vendor EMS based network that behaves identical to the network elements of the EMS clients. A virtual network simulator is built that has the ability to faithfully simulate the behavior of any vendor'"'"'s EMS to represent the data objects required by the TMF 814 specification. This allows automatic provisioning and maintenance of the Operation Support Systems to fully test new functionality against complete EMS based network without depending upon the availability of any physical equipment, thereby providing much quicker, low cost, extremely life-like testing environment.

Claims

1. A computer-readable medium comprising instructions thereon that, when executed by a processing device, cause the processing device to perform a method that provisions and maintains an operations support system associated with a telecommunications network, the method comprising:

receiving, from the operations support system, a request associated with a virtual network element of an element management system client, the virtual network element being configured to simulate behavior of the element management system client;

creating a virtual subnetwork circuit associated with the virtual network element, the virtual subnetwork circuit including first and second simulated element management system clients, the first and second simulated element management system clients including a set of data descriptions based on the request associated with the virtual network element using a database including attribute information associated with the virtual network element and provisioning logic, the virtual subnetwork circuit connecting the virtual network element between the first and second simulated element management system clients;

transmitting the set of data descriptions to the operations support system; and

transmitting an asynchronous notification associated with the set of data descriptions to the operations support system.

2. The computer-readable medium defined by claim 1, wherein the method further comprises selecting attribute information from the database based on the request received from the operations support system.

3. The computer-readable medium defined by claim 1, wherein the attribute information includes at least one of a managed element, topological link, multilayer subnetwork, physical termination point, connection termination point, equipment holder, equipment routing link, and subnetwork connection.

4. The computer-readable medium defined by claim 1, wherein the request includes instructions to create a connection to the element management system client.

5. The computer-readable medium defined by claim 4, wherein the method further comprises:

establishing a connection between virtual network elements associated with the element management system client in response to receiving the instructions; and

transmitting notification of the connection to the operations support system.

6. The computer-readable medium defined by claim 1, wherein the method further comprises transmitting the asynchronous notification in response to creation of the virtual network element.

7. The computer-readable medium defined by claim 1, wherein the method further comprises transmitting the asynchronous notification in response to deletion of the virtual network element.

8. The computer-readable medium defined by claim 1, wherein the method further comprises transmitting the asynchronous notification in response to a change in state of the virtual network element.

9. A system that provisions and maintains an operations support system associated with a telecommunications network, the system comprising a processing device configured to receive, from the operations support system, a request associated with a virtual network element of an element management system client, the virtual network element being configured to simulate behavior of the element management system client, the processing device creating a virtual subnetwork circuit associated with the virtual network element, the virtual subnetwork circuit including first and second simulated element management system clients, the first and second simulated element management system clients including a set of data descriptions based on the request associated with the virtual network element using a database including attribute information associated with the virtual network element and provisioning logic, the virtual subnetwork circuit connecting the virtual network element between the first and second simulated element management system clients, the processing device transmitting the set of data descriptions to the operations support system, the processing device transmitting an asynchronous notification associated with the set of data descriptions to the operations support system.

10. The system defined by claim 9, wherein the processing device is further configured to select attribute information from the database based on the request received from the operations support system.

11. The system defined by claim 9, wherein the attribute information includes at least one of a managed element, topological link, multilayer subnetwork, physical termination point, connection termination point, equipment holder, equipment routing link, and subnetwork connection.

12. The system defined by claim 9, wherein the request includes instructions to create a connection to the element management system client.

13. The system defined by claim 12, wherein the processing device is further configured to establish a connection between virtual network elements associated with the element management system client in response to receiving the instructions, the processing device being configure to transmit notification of the connection to the operations support system.

14. The system defined by claim 9, wherein the processing device is further configured to transmit the asynchronous notification in response to creation of the virtual network element.

15. The system defined by claim 9, wherein the processing device is further configured to transmit the asynchronous notification in response to deletion of the virtual network element.

16. The system defined by claim 9, wherein the processing device is further configured to transmit the asynchronous notification in response to a change in state of the virtual network element.