Network vulnerability management apparatus and method

• US 5,699,403 A
• Filed: 04/12/1995
• Issued: 12/16/1997
• Est. Priority Date: 04/12/1995
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Lucent Technologies, Inc. (Nokia Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Lucent Technologies, Inc. (Nokia Corporation)
• Inventors: Ronnen, U. George
• Primary Examiner(s): Kuntz, Curtis
• Assistant Examiner(s): TIEU, BINH KIEN
• Application Number:
  US08/420,917
• Time in Patent Office: 979 Days
• Field of Search: 370/13, 370/14, 370/17, 370/68, 379/1, 379/10, 379/11, 379/12, 379/13, 379/14, 379/15, 379/16, 379/17, 379/18, 379/19, 379/20, 379/220, 379/221, 379/222, 395/183.01, 395/183.06, 395/183.22, 395/185.01, 395/185.02, 364/550, 364/554, 364/570, 364/571.04, 455/67.1, 455/67.3, 455/67.9, 455/226.1
• US Class Current: 379/15.04
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 41/00 Arrangements for maintenance, administration or management of data switching networks, e.g. of packet switching networks
• CPC Class Codes: H04Q 2213/13521 fault management
• CPC Class Codes: H04Q 3/0075 Fault management techniques

Abstract

A data processing system is provided for identifying risks associated with abnormal conditions of network elements in a communications network. A data collection and processing module collects alarm message signals from a communications network and processes the alarm messages to general abnormal condition signals. An interface module also receives external condition signals indicative of external conditions affecting network elements in the communications network. The system provides an electronic risk processing module that generates direct and indirect risk signals based upon the abnormal condition signals, the external condition signals, and stored reference data. A display means displays a network element risk signal which is the sum of said direct and indirect risk signals. The displayed risk signal aids in assessing risks associated with network elements experiencing abnormal conditions. The system also generates and displays a sub-network risk signal. The system also adjusts the various risk calculations to take into account different types of planned maintenance activities.

Claims

1. A method for identifying risks associated with abnormal conditions of network elements communications network, comprising the steps of:

collecting alarm message signals from a communications network;

electronically processing said alarm message signals to generate abnormal condition signals;

receiving external condition signals indicative of external conditions affecting network elements in said communications network;

generating direct and indirect risk signals based upon said abnormal condition signals, said external condition signals, and stored reference data;

summing said direct and indirect risk signals to generate a network element risk signal;

displaying said network element risk signal to aid in assessing risks associated with network elements experiencing abnormal conditions.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein said step of generating a direct risk signal includes the substeps:

computing a total module failure risk by summing module failure risks for a given network element; and

adding said total module failure risk to said given network element'"'"'s risk due to external conditions.

3. The method of claim 2, wherein said module failure risks are computed by the substeps comprising:

retrieving from memory, based upon said abnormal condition signals, first probability data indicative of the failure probability of a functional module of said given network element, second probability data indicative of the failure probability of said functional module'"'"'s mate, network element impact data, and a module impact factor;

retrieving from memory, based upon said external condition signals, probability multiplier data;

computing a module failure probability signal as the product of said first probability data, said second probability data, and said probability multiplier data;

computing said module failure risk as the product of said module failure probability signal, said network element impact data, and said module impact factor.

4. The method of claim 3, wherein said probability multiplier data includes a traffic congestion factor and a module maturity factor.

5. The method of claim 2, wherein said network element'"'"'s risk due to external conditions is computed by the substeps comprising:

retrieving from memory, based upon said abnormal condition signals, network element impact data;

retrieving from memory, based upon said external condition signals, third probability data indicative of the failure probability of said given network element due to external conditions;

computing said risk due to external conditions as the product of said network element impact data and said failure probability due to external conditions.

6. The method of claim 5, wherein said external conditions include utility power alerts, weather alerts and on-going maintenance.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein said step of generating an indirect risk signal includes the substeps:

retrieving from memory, based upon said abnormal condition signals, background failure probability data, network impact data and cut-set data associated with a given network element;

computing a first cut-set value from prevailing failure probabilities of all constituent network elements identified by said cut-set data;

computing a second cut-set value from said prevailing failure probabilities of all constituent network elements identified by said cut-set data, except using said background probability data for the probability of said given network element;

computing said indirect risk signal as the product of said network impact data and the difference of said first and second cut-set values.

8. The method of claim 7, wherein said prevailing failure probabilities are computed by the substeps comprising:

summing module failure probabilities, associated with said given network element, where said module failures would result in the complete failure of said given network element; and

computing said prevailing failure probability of said given network element by adding said summed module failure probabilities to third probability data indicative of the failure probability of said given network element due to external conditions.

9. The method of claim 1, wherein said generation of direct and indirect risk signals account for planned maintenance activity.

10. The method of claim 1, further comprising the steps:

retrieving from memory, based upon said abnormal condition signals, cut-set data and impact data associated with a sub-network;

computing a cut-set value from prevailing failure probabilities of all constituent network elements identified by said cut-set data;

computing a sub-network risk signal as the product of said cut-set value and said sub-network impact data;

displaying said sub-network risk signal to aid in assessing overall risk of said communications network.

11. An apparatus for identifying risks associated with abnormal conditions of network elements in a communications network comprising:

a data collection and processing module that collects alarm message signals from a communications network and processes said alarm messages to generate abnormal condition signals;

an interface module that receives external condition signals indicative of external conditions affecting network elements in said communications network;

an electronic risk processing module that generates direct and indirect risk signals based upon said abnormal condition signals, said external condition signals, and stored reference data; and

a display means that displays a network element risk signal to aid in assessing risks associated with network elements experiencing abnormal conditions, where said network element risk signal is the sum of said direct and indirect risk signals.

12. The apparatus of claim 11, wherein said electronic risk processing module determines said direct risk signal based on network element risks due to functional modules experiencing said abnormal conditions, and based on network element risks due to external condition.

13. The apparatus of claim 12, wherein said external conditions include weather alerts and utility power alerts.

14. The apparatus of claim 12, where said external conditions further include on-going maintenance.

15. The apparatus of claim 11, wherein said network element risks due to functional modules experiencing said abnormal conditions account for the effects due to hardware and software maturity by way of a probability multiplier.

16. The apparatus of claim 11, wherein said network element risks due to functional modules experiencing said abnormal conditions account for the effects due to traffic congestion by way of a probability multiplier.

17. The apparatus of claim 11, wherein said electronic risk processing module determines said indirect risk signal based on cut-sets and impact data associated with sub-networks of said communications network.

18. The apparatus of claim 17, wherein said indirect risk signal represents the contribution to sub-network risk due to an abnormal condition of a given network element within said cut-sets.

19. The apparatus of claim 11, wherein said electronic risk processing module accounts for planned maintenance activities when determining direct and indirect risks.

20. The apparatus of claim 11, wherein said electronic risk processing module further generates a sub-network risk signal based on cut-sets and impact data associated with a sub-network of said communications network;

and where said display means displays said sub-network risk signal to aid in assessing overall risk of said communications network.

21. An apparatus for identifying the risks associated with abnormal conditions of network elements in a communications network, comprising:

a data collection and processing module that collects alarm message signals from a communications network and processes said alarm messages to generate abnormal condition signals;

an interface module that receives external condition signals indicative of external conditions affecting network elements in said communications network;

an electronic risk processing module that generates a direct risk signal including the effects of functional module risk and external condition risk; and

a display means that displays a network element risk signal to aid in assessing risks associated with network elements experiencing abnormal conditions;

wherein said functional module risk is derived from the probability of simplex failure of a functional module, the probability of mate failure, and a probability multiplier; and

wherein said network element risk signal includes the risk represented by said direct risk signal.

22. The apparatus of claim 21, wherein said probability multiplier accounts for the effects of traffic congestion.

23. The apparatus of claim 21, wherein said probability multiplier accounts for the effects of hardware and/or software maturity.

24. The apparatus of claim 21, wherein said network element risk signal is the sum of said direct risk signal and an indirect risk signal.

25. The apparatus of claim 24, wherein said indirect risk signal represents the contribution to sub-network risk due to an abnormal condition of a given network element associated with a cut-set of said sub-network.

26. The apparatus of claim 21, wherein said electronic risk processing module further generates a sub-network risk signal based on cut-sets and impact data associated with a sub-network of said communications network;

and where said display means displays said sub-network risk signal to aid in assessing overall risk of said communications network.