Methods, systems, and computer program products for providing network outage information

• US 7,912,183 B2
• Filed: 10/09/2006
• Issued: 03/22/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 10/09/2006
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Bellsouth Intellectual Property Corporation (AT&T, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: AT&T Intellectual Property I LP (AT&T, Inc.)
• Inventors: Cain, Barron, Jopp, John, Allen, Roy, Brown, Kirk, Harrell, Aaron, Walker, Jackie Jr., Prange, Thomas, Wilson, Joel
• Primary Examiner(s): TIEU, BINH KIEN
• Application Number:
  US11/545,651
• Publication Number:
  US 20080086661A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,625 Days
• Field of Search: 379/1.01, 379/9, 379/9.02, 379/9.03, 379/9.04, 379/14, 379/14.01, 379/10.01, 379/15.01, 379/15.04, 379/15.05, 379/22.04, 379/22.05, 379/24, 379/25, 379/27.04, 379/29.05, 379/29.09, 379/29.1, 379/32.01, 370/242, 370/252
• US Class Current: 379/9.03
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 41/0686 Additional information in the notification, e.g. enhancement of specific meta-data
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 41/0816 the condition being an adaptation, e.g. in response to network events
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 43/06 Generation of reports
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 43/16 Threshold monitoring

Abstract

Exemplary embodiments relate to methods, systems, user devices and computer program products for providing network status information. Methods include receiving alarm data for an event from a plurality of sources. The alarm data includes a plurality of alarm records each including a site identifier. The alarm data is processed to create report data. The processing includes assigning an attribute of failed to each of the site identifiers that are specified in more than a threshold number of the alarm records. The report data comprises at least digital loop carrier information. The report data is transmitted to a mechanized loop test (MLT) testing system capable of generating MLT test results. The MLT test results are used to adjust the digital loop carrier information included in the report data, wherein the digital loop carrier information specifies a quantity of digital carrier loop lines that are out of service.

Claims

1. A method for providing network equipment status information, the method comprising:

receiving alarm data for an event from a plurality of sources, the alarm data including a plurality of alarm records each including a site identifier;

processing the alarm data to create report data, the processing including assigning an attribute of failed to each of the site identifiers that are specified in more than a threshold number of the alarm records, wherein the report data comprises at least digital loop carrier information;

transmitting the report data to a mechanized loop test (MLT) testing system capable of generating MLT test results; and

using the MLT test results to adjust the digital loop carrier information included in the report data, wherein the digital loop carrier information specifies a quantity of digital carrier loop lines that are out of service.

2. The method of claim 1 wherein:

each of the alarm records further includes an alarm type, a site type, an equipment type, a date and a time; and

the processing further includes summing alarm occurrences by one or more of the site identifier, the site type, the alarm type, the equipment type, the date, the time and the failed attribute.

3. The method of claim 2 wherein each of the alarm types includes one or more of out of service, power outage, on batteries, on engines, and critical.

4. The method of claim 2 wherein each of the site types includes one or more of central office, customer and carrier.

5. The method of claim 2 wherein each of the equipment types includes one or more of digital loop carrier (DLC), signaling system seven (SS7), asymmetrical digital subscriber line (ADSL), digital subscriber line access multiplexer (DSLAM), and simplex.

6. The method of claim 1 wherein the alarm data for each of the alarm records is received and processed within a specified period of time from when the alarm records were created.

7. The method of claim 1 wherein the alarm data for each of the alarm records is received and processed in an automated fashion and on a periodic basis.

8. The method of claim 1 wherein the site identifier corresponds to a geographic region and the processing further includes summing alarm records by geographic region.

9. The method of claim 1 wherein:

each of the site identifiers correspond to one or more of a DLC site, an ADSL site and a central office site;

each of the alarm records further includes an alarm type corresponding to one or more of out of service, outage, on batteries and on engines; and

the processing includes calculating totals of the number of DLC sites with the attribute of failed, the number of DLC sites with an alarm type of on batteries, the number of ADSL sites with the attribute of failed, the number of ADSL sites with the alarm type of out of service, the number of ADSL subscribers affected at the ADSL sites, the number of central offices with the alarm type of on engines, and the number of central offices with the alarm type of on batteries.

10. The method of claim 1, further comprising transmitting the report data to a requester at a user system, wherein the requestor accesses the report data via a user interface screen.

11. The method of claim 1 further comprising storing the report data in a storage medium accessible by a requester at a user system.

12. A system for providing network status information, the system comprising:

a storage device; and

a processor in communication with the storage device, the processor including instructions for facilitating;

receiving alarm data for an event from a plurality of sources, the alarm data including a plurality of alarm records each including a site identifier;

processing the alarm data to create report data, the processing including assigning an attribute of failed to each of the site identifiers that are specified in more than a threshold number of the alarm records;

wherein the report data comprises at least digital loop carrier information;

storing the report data on the storage device;

transmitting report data to a mechanized loop test (MLT) testing system capable of generating MLT test results; and

using the MLT test results to adjust digital loop carrier information included in the report data, wherein the digital loop carrier information specifies a quantity of digital carrier loop lines that are out of service.

13. The system of claim 12 wherein the processor and storage device are located on a user device and the receiving is via a network.

14. The system of claim 12 wherein the alarm data is received via a network.

15. The system of claim 12 wherein the alarm data is stored on the storage device.

16. The system of claim 12 wherein the storage device and the processor are in communication via a network.

17. A computer program product for providing network status information, the computer program product comprising a storage medium readable by a processing circuit and storing instructions for execution by the processing circuit for facilitating a method comprising:

receiving alarm data for an event from a plurality of sources, the alarm data including a plurality of alarm records each including a site identifier; and

processing the alarm data to create report data, the processing including assigning an attribute of failed to each of the site identifiers that are specified in more than a threshold number of the alarm records, wherein the report data comprises at least digital loop carrier information;

transmitting the report data to a mechanized loop test (MLT) testing system capable of generating MLT test results; and

using the MLT test results to adjust the digital loop carrier information included in the report data, wherein the digital loop carrier information specifies a quantity of digital carrier loop lines that are out of service.

18. The computer program product of claim 17 wherein:

each of the alarm records further includes an alarm type, a site type, an equipment type, a date and a time; and

site identifier, the site type, the alarm type, the equipment type, a date, a time; and

the processing further includes summing alarm occurrences by one or more of the failed attribute.

19. The computer program product of claim 17 wherein:

each of the site identifiers correspond to one or more of a DLC site, an ADSL site and a central office site;

each of the alarm records further includes an alarm type corresponding to one or more of out of service, outage, on batteries and on engines; and

the processing includes calculating totals of the number of DLC sites with the attribute of failed, the number of DLC sites with an alarm type of on batteries, the number of ADSL sites with the attribute of failed, the number of ADSL sites with the alarm type of out of service, the number of ADSL subscribers affected at the ADSL sites, the number of central offices with the alarm type of on engines, and the number of central offices with the alarm type of on batteries.

20. The computer program product of claim 17, further comprising transmitting the report data to a requestor at a user system, wherein the requestor accesses the report data via a user interface screen.