Method and system for management of event notification in a communication network

Abstract

The present disclosure relates to a method and a system for management of event notification in a communication network The disclosure encompasses receiving event notification(s) from service unit(s) (SUs) [302]; monitoring the event notification(s); applying a set of configurable filtering criteria to identify key event notification(s) from the received event notification(s) based on the monitored event notification(s); and transmitting the key event notification(s) to a Network Management System (NMS) [304].

Description

METHOD AND SYSTEM FOR MANAGEMENT OF EVENT NOTIFICATION IN A COMMUNICATION NETWORKFIELD OF THE DISCLOSURE

[0001] Embodiments of the present disclosure generally relate to the field of wireless communication. More particularly, embodiments of the present disclosure relate to management of event notification(s) in a communication network.BACKGROUND

[0002] The following description of related art is intended to provide background information pertaining to the field of the disclosure. This section may include certain aspects of the art that may be related to various features of the present disclosure. However, it should be appreciated that this section be used only to enhance the understanding of the reader with respect to the present disclosure, and not as admissions of prior art.

[0003] The telecommunication industry has undergone a significant transformation over the years, with the advent of new technologies and the increasing demand for faster and more reliable communication services. As a result, telecommunication companies are constantly looking for ways to improve their services and enhance customer experience. One such way is by leveraging Network Management Systems (NMS) to send alert notifications to administrators.

[0004] NMS have become an indispensable tool for network administrators tasked with overseeing complex computer networks. These systems play a pivotal role in addressing a myriad of challenges that network administrators and organizations regularly encounter in the management of computer networks. Some of the core functionalities of NMS include network monitoring, load balancing, fault detection, resource optimization, and more.

[0005] The deployment of NMS greatly simplifies the responsibilities of network administrators; however, it does not come without its own set of limitations and challenges. Among the various challenges faced by NMS users, managing alert fatigue has consistently proven to be a daunting task. Alert fatigue arises due to several factors, including the complexity and interconnectivity of networked systems.

[0006] One particularly vexing issue within the realm of NMS is the occurrence of excessive duplicate notifications. This problem emerges when similar events are recorded and reported to the NMS by multiple processes. Furthermore, event flooding can transpire if a particular event recurs in a loop over a brief period of time. The processing of duplicate events, in such scenarios, often results in the overlooking or delay of critical event notifications. Additionally, the influx of duplicate events can overburden the NMS, leading to system overloading and operational inefficiencies.

[0007] Efforts have been made to address these limitations and challenges associated with NMS. Various solutions have been proposed, including enhanced event handling mechanisms, streamlined event reporting processes, and advanced algorithms for event prioritization. However, all of these solutions have fallen short in effectively mitigating the issue of alert or notification deduplication within NMS.

[0008] Thus, there exists an imperative need in the art to provide an enhanced notification management system for addressing alert or notification deduplication. Such a solution should substantially improve the efficiency and reliability of network management while ensuring that critical events are promptly and accurately reported to the network administrators. Hence, in view of these and other existing limitations, there arises an imperative need to automate network validation prior to onboarding any network application(s) on the network node(s) to overcome the above-mentioned limitations by providing a method and system for automated network validation in the network.OBJECTS OF THE DISCLOSURE

[0009] Some of the objects of the present disclosure, which at least one embodiment disclosed herein satisfies are listed herein below.

[0010] It is an object of the present disclosure to provide a system and a method for efficiently managing alarm notifications within a Network Management System (NMS) by preventing NMS flooding with excessive event notifications while maintaining a comprehensive record of all events for system health monitoring and troubleshooting.

[0011] It is another object of the present disclosure to provide a configurable criteria-based approach to identify and filter duplicate events within the NMS.

[0012] It is yet another object of the present disclosure to provide an alarm monitoring system that filters out duplicate event notifications and forwards only unique and essential notifications to the NMS.SUMMARY

[0013] This section is provided to introduce certain aspects of the present disclosure in a simplified form that are further described below in the detailed description. This summary is not intended to identify the key features or the scope of the claimed subject matter.

[0014] An aspect of the present disclosure may relate to a method for management of event notification in a communication network, the method comprises receiving, by a transceiver unit, a plurality of event notifications from a plurality of service units (SUs). The method further comprises monitoring, by a fault manager unit, the plurality of event notifications. The method further comprises applying, by the fault manager unit, a set of configurable filtering criteria to identify one or more key event notifications from the received plurality of event notifications based on the monitoring. The method further comprises transmitting, by the transceiver unit, the one or more key event notifications to a Network Management System (NMS).

[0015] In an exemplary aspect of the present disclosure, the applying of the set of configurable filtering criteria further comprises correlating, by the fault manager unit, the plurality of event notifications to eliminate one or more duplicate event notifications.

[0016] In an exemplary aspect of the present disclosure, the set of configurable filtering criteria validates and filters out the plurality of event notifications based on at least one of: event type, event source, event frequency, and event timestamp.

[0017] In an exemplary aspect of the present disclosure, each of the plurality of SUs corresponds to a network traffic processing unit. It is to be noted that each of the plurality of SUs is configured to generate the plurality of event notifications.

[0018] In an exemplary aspect of the present disclosure, the method further comprises storing, at a storage unit, the plurality of event notifications in a local database.

[0019] In an exemplary aspect of the present disclosure, the monitoring of the received plurality of event notifications corresponds to tracking of each of the plurality of event notifications.

[0020] In an exemplary aspect of the present disclosure, the one or more key event notifications are transmitted, by the transceiver unit, to the Network Management System (NMS) over a northbound interface.

[0021] Another aspect of the present disclosure may relate to a system for management of event notification in a communication network, the system comprises a transceiver unit configured to receive a plurality of event notifications from a plurality of service units (SUs). The system further comprises a fault manager unit configured to monitor the received plurality of event notifications. The fault manager unit is further configured to apply a set of configurable filtering criteria to identify one or more key event notifications from the received plurality of event notifications based on the monitored plurality of event notifications. The transceiver unit is further configured to transmit the one or more key event notifications to a Network Management System (NMS).

[0022] Another aspect of the present disclosure may relate to a non-transitory computer-readable storage medium storing instruction for management of event notification in a communication network, the storage medium comprising executable code which, when executed by one or more units of a system, causes a transceiver unit to receive a plurality of event notifications from a plurality of service units (SUs). Further, the executable code which, when executed, causes a fault manager unit to monitor the received plurality of event notifications. Further, the executable code which, when executed, causes fault manager unit to apply a set of configurable filtering criteria to identify one or more key event notifications from the received plurality of event notifications based on the monitored plurality of event notifications. Further, the executable code which, when executed, causes the transceiver unit to further transmit the one or more key event notifications to a Network Management System (NMS).

[0023] Yet another aspect of the present disclosure relates to user equipment (UE) for management of event notification in a communication network. The UE comprises a transceiver unit configured to receive a plurality of event notifications from a plurality of service units (SUs). The transceiver unit is further configured to transmit one or more key event notifications to a Network Management System (NMS). It is to be noted that the one or more key event notifications are transmitted to the NMS based on monitoring, by a fault manager unit, the plurality of event notifications. It is further noted that the one or more key event notifications are transmitted to theNMS based on applying, by the fault manager unit, a set of configurable filtering criteria to identify one or more key event notifications from the received plurality of event notifications based on the monitoring.DESCRIPTION OF DRAWINGS

[0024] The accompanying drawings, which are incorporated herein, and constitute a part of this disclosure, illustrate exemplary embodiments of the disclosed methods and systems in which like reference numerals refer to the same parts throughout the different drawings. Components in the drawings are not necessarily to scale, emphasis instead being placed upon clearly illustrating the principles of the present disclosure. Some drawings may indicate the components using block diagrams and may not represent the internal circuitry of each component. It will be appreciated by those skilled in the art that disclosure of such drawings includes disclosure of electrical components, electronic components or circuitry commonly used to implement such components.

[0025] FIG.1 illustrates an exemplary block diagram representation of a 5th generation core (5GC) network architecture

[0100] ,

[0026] FIG. 2 illustrates an exemplary block diagram of a computing device

[0200] upon which the features of the present disclosure may be implemented in accordance with exemplary implementation of the present disclosure.

[0027] FIG. 3 illustrates an environment for a system [300 A] for management of event notification in a communication network, in accordance with exemplary implementations of the present disclosure.

[0028] FIG. 4 illustrates an exemplary method

[0400] flow diagram for management of event notification in a communication network, in accordance with the exemplary embodiments of the present disclosure.

[0029] FIG. 5 illustrates another exemplary system

[0500] architecture for management of event notification in a communication network, in accordance with the exemplary embodiments of the present disclosure.

[0030] The foregoing shall be more apparent from the following more detailed description of the disclosure.DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0031] In the following description, for the purposes of explanation, various specific details are set forth in order to provide a thorough understanding of embodiments of the present disclosure. It will be apparent, however, that embodiments of the present disclosure may be practiced without these specific details. Several features described hereafter can each be used independently of one another or with any combination of other features. An individual feature may not address any of the problems discussed above or might address only some of the problems discussed above. Some of the problems discussed above might not be fully addressed by any of the features described herein. Example embodiments of the present disclosure are described below, as illustrated in various drawings in which like reference numerals refer to the same parts throughout the different drawings.

[0032] The ensuing description provides exemplary embodiments only, and is not intended to limit the scope, applicability, or configuration of the disclosure. Rather, the ensuing description of the exemplary embodiments will provide those skilled in the art with an enabling description for implementing an exemplary embodiment. It should be understood that various changes may be made in the function and arrangement of elements without departing from the spirit and scope of the disclosure as set forth.

[0033] It should be noted that the terms "mobile device", "user equipment", "user device", “communication device”, “device” and similar terms are used interchangeably for the purpose of describing the disclosure. These terms are not intended to limit the scope of the disclosure or imply any specific functionality or limitations on the described embodiments. The use of these terms is solely for convenience and clarity of description. The disclosure is not limited to any particular type of device or equipment, and it should be understood that other equivalent terms or variations thereof may be used interchangeably without departing from the scope of the disclosure as defined herein.

[0034] Specific details are given in the following description to provide a thorough understanding of the embodiments. However, it will be understood by one of ordinary skill in the art that the embodiments may be practiced without these specific details. For example, circuits, systems,networks, processes, and other components may be shown as components in block diagram form in order not to obscure the embodiments in unnecessary detail. In other instances, well-known circuits, processes, algorithms, structures, and techniques may be shown without unnecessary detail in order to avoid obscuring the embodiments.

[0035] Also, it is noted that individual embodiments may be described as a process which is depicted as a flowchart, a flow diagram, a data flow diagram, a structure diagram, or a block diagram. Although a flowchart may describe the operations as a sequential process, many of the operations can be performed in parallel or concurrently. In addition, the order of the operations may be re-arranged. A process is terminated when its operations are completed but could have additional steps not included in a FIG.

[0036] The word “exemplary” and / or “demonstrative” is used herein to mean serving as an example, instance, or illustration. For the avoidance of doubt, the subject matter disclosed herein is not limited by such examples. In addition, any aspect or design described herein as “exemplary” and / or “demonstrative” is not necessarily to be construed as preferred or advantageous over other aspects or designs, nor is it meant to preclude equivalent exemplary structures and techniques known to those of ordinary skill in the art. Furthermore, to the extent that the terms “includes,” “has,” “contains,” and other similar words are used in either the detailed description or the claims, such terms are intended to be inclusive in a manner similar to the term “comprising” as an open transition word without precluding any additional or other elements.

[0037] As used herein, an “electronic device”, or “portable electronic device”, or “user device” or “communication device” or “user equipment” or “device” refers to any electrical, electronic, electromechanical and computing device. The user device is capable of receiving and / or transmitting one or parameters, performing function / s, communicating with other user devices and transmitting data to the other user devices. The user equipment may have a processor, a display, a memory, a battery and an input-means such as a hard keypad and / or a soft keypad. The user equipment may be capable of operating on any radio access technology including but not limited to IP-enabled communication, Zig Bee, Bluetooth, Bluetooth Low Energy, Near Field Communication, Z-Wave, Wi-Fi, Wi-Fi direct, etc. For instance, the user equipment may include, but not limited to, a mobile phone, smartphone, virtual reality (VR) devices, augmented reality (AR) devices, laptop, a general-purpose computer, desktop, personal digital assistant, tablet computer, mainframe computer, or any other device as may be obvious to a person skilled in the art for implementation of the features of the present disclosure.

[0038] Further, the user device and / or a system as described herein to implement technical features as disclosed in the present disclosure may also comprise a “processor” or “processing unit”, wherein processor refers to any logic circuitry for processing instructions. The processor may be a general-purpose processor, a special purpose processor, a conventional processor, a digital signal processor, a plurality of microprocessors, one or more microprocessors in association with a Digital Signal Processor (DSP) core, a controller, a microcontroller, Application Specific Integrated Circuits, Field Programmable Gate Array circuits, any other type of integrated circuits, etc. The processor may perform signal coding data processing, input / output processing, and / or any other functionality that enables the working of the system according to the present disclosure. More specifically, the processor is a hardware processor.

[0039] As used herein, “a user equipment”, “a user device”, “a smart-user-device”, “a smartdevice”, “an electronic device”, “a mobile device”, “a handheld device”, “a wireless communication device”, “a mobile communication device”, “a communication device” may be any electrical, electronic and / or computing device or equipment, capable of implementing the features of the present disclosure. The user equipment / device may include, but is not limited to, a mobile phone, smart phone, laptop, a general-purpose computer, desktop, personal digital assistant, tablet computer, wearable device or any other computing device which is capable of implementing the features of the present disclosure. Also, the user device may contain at least one input means configured to receive an input from at least one of a transceiver unit, a processing unit, a storage unit, a detection unit and any other such unit(s) which are required to implement the features of the present disclosure.

[0040] As used herein, “storage unit” or “memory unit” refers to a machine or computer-readable medium including any mechanism for storing information in a form readable by a computer or similar machine. For example, a computer-readable medium includes read-only memory (“ROM”), random access memory (“RAM”), magnetic disk storage media, optical storage media, flash memory devices or other types of machine-accessible storage media. The storage unit stores at least the data that may be required by one or more units of the system to perform their respective functions.

[0041] As used herein “interface” or “user interface” refers to a shared boundary across which two or more separate components of a system exchange information or data. The interface may also be referred to a set of rules or protocols that define communication or interaction of one or moremodules or one or more units with each other, which also includes the methods, functions, or procedures that may be called.

[0042] All modules, units, components used herein, unless explicitly excluded herein, may be software modules or hardware processors, the processors being a general-purpose processor, a special purpose processor, a conventional processor, a digital signal processor (DSP), a plurality of microprocessors, one or more microprocessors in association with a DSP core, a controller, a microcontroller, Application Specific Integrated Circuits (ASIC), Field Programmable Gate Array circuits (FPGA), any other type of integrated circuits, etc.

[0043] As used herein the transceiver unit includes at least one receiver and at least one transmitter configured respectively for receiving and transmitting data, signals, information or a combination thereof between units / components within the system and / or connected with the system.

[0044] As discussed in the background section, the current known solutions have several shortcomings. The present disclosure aims to overcome the above-mentioned and other existing problems in this field of technology by providing methods and systems of an automated network validation.

[0045] FIG. 1 illustrates an exemplary block diagram representation of 5th generation core (5GC) network architecture

[0100] , in accordance with exemplary implementation of the present disclosure. As shown in FIG. 1, the 5GC network architecture

[0100] includes a user equipment (UE)

[0102] , a radio access network (RAN)

[0104] , an access and mobility management function (AMF)

[0106] , a Session Management Function (SMF)

[0108] , a Service Communication Proxy (SCP)

[0110] , an Authentication Server Function (AUSF)

[0112] , a Network Slice Specific Authentication and Authorization Function (NSSAAF)

[0114] , a Network Slice Selection Function (NSSF)

[0116] , a Network Exposure Function (NEF)

[0118] , a Network Repository Function (NRF)

[0120] , a Policy Control Function (PCF)

[0122] , a Unified Data Management (UDM)

[0124] , an application function (AF)

[0126] , a User Plane Function (UPF)

[0128] , a data network (DN)

[0130] , wherein all the components are assumed to be connected to each other in a manner as obvious to the person skilled in the art for implementing features of the present disclosure.

[0046] Further, the 5G core network architecture

[0100] relies on a "Service-Based Architecture" (SB A) framework, where the architecture elements defined in terms of "Network Functions" (NFs)offer their services to all the other NFs and / or to any "consumers" that are permitted to make use of these provided services via interfaces of a common framework.

[0047] The Radio Access Network (RAN)

[0104] is the part of a mobile telecommunications system that connects the user equipment (UE)

[0102] to the core network (CN) and provides access to different types of networks (e.g., 5G network). It consists of radio base stations and the radio access technologies that enable wireless communication.

[0048] The Access and Mobility Management Function (AMF)

[0106] is the 5G core network function responsible for managing access and mobility aspects, such as UE registration, connection, and reachability. It also handles mobility management procedures like handovers and paging.

[0049] The Session Management Function (SMF)

[0108] is the 5G core network function responsible for managing session-related aspects, such as establishing, modifying, and releasing sessions. It coordinates with the User Plane Function (UPF)

[0128] for data forwarding and handles IP address allocation and Quality of Service (QoS) enforcement. Further, the SMF

[0108] facilitates enforcement of session management related policy decisions from the PCF

[0122] ,

[0050] The Service Communication Proxy (SCP)

[0110] is a network function in the 5G core network that facilitates communication between other network functions by providing a secure and efficient messaging service. It acts as a mediator for service-based interfaces.

[0051] The Authentication Server Function (AUSF)

[0112] is the network function in the 5G core responsible for authenticating UEs during registration and providing security services. It generates and verifies authentication vectors and tokens.

[0052] The Network Slice Specific Authentication and Authorization Function (NSSAAF)

[0114] is the network function that provides authentication and authorization services specific to network slices. It ensures that UEs can access only the slices for which they are authorized.

[0053] The Network Slice Selection Function (NSSF)

[0116] is the network function responsible for selecting the appropriate network slice for the UE based on factors such as subscription, requested services, and network policies.

[0054] The Network Exposure Function (NEF)

[0118] is the network function that exposes capabilities and services of the 5G network to external applications, enabling integration with third-party services and applications.

[0055] The Network Repository Function (NRF)

[0120] is the network function that acts as a central repository for information about available network functions and services. It facilitates the discovery and dynamic registration of network functions.

[0056] The Policy Control Function (PCF)

[0122] enables efficient policy control and management, facilitating network behaviour control, network slicing, user equipment (UE) activities, and communication with other 5G core network functions. PCF is responsible for policy control decisions, such as QoS, charging, and access control, based on subscriber information and network policies. The PCF is responsible for policy control decisions and flow-based charging control functionalities.

[0057] The Unified Data Management (UDM)

[0124] is the network function that centralizes the management of subscriber data, including authentication, authorization, and subscription information.

[0058] The Application Function (AF)

[0126] is the network function that represents external applications interfacing with the 5G core network to access network capabilities and services. In an exemplary implementation, the application function (AF)

[0126] as shown in FIG. 1, resembles an application server that can interact with the other control -plane NF s. The AF(s)

[0126] can exist for different application services and can be owned by the network operator or by trusted third parties. For instance, the AF

[0126] of an over-the-top application provider can influence routing, steering its traffic towards its external edge servers. For services considered to be trusted by the operator, the AF

[0126] can access Network Function(s) (NF) directly whereas untrusted or third- party AF(s)

[0126] would access the Network Functions through the NEF

[0118] ,

[0059] The User Plane Function (UPF)

[0128] is the network function responsible for handling user data traffic, including packet routing, forwarding, and QoS enforcement.

[0060] The Data Network (DN)

[0130] refers to a network that provides data services to user equipment (UE)

[0102] in a telecommunications system. The data services may include but are not limited to internet services, private data network related services.

[0061] The 5GC network architecture also comprises a plurality of interfaces for connecting the network functions with a network entity for performing the network functions. The NSSF

[0116] is connected with the network entity via the interface denoted as (Nnssf) interface in the figure. The NEF

[0118] is connected with the network entity via the interface denoted as (Nnef) interface in the figure. The NRF

[0120] is connected with the network entity via the interface denoted as (Nnrf) interface in the figure. The PCF

[0122] is connected with the network entity via the interface denoted as (Npcf) interface in the figure. The UDM

[0124] is connected with the network entity via the interface denoted as (Nudm) interface in the figure. The AF

[0126] is connected with the network entity via the interface denoted as (Naf) interface in the figure. The NSSAAF

[0114] is connected with the network entity via the interface denoted as (Nnssaaf) interface in the figure. The AUSF

[0112] is connected with the network entity via the interface denoted as (Nausf) interface in the figure. The AMF

[0106] is connected with the network entity via the interface denoted as (Namf) interface in the figure. The SMF

[0108] is connected with the network entity via the interface denoted as (Nsmf) interface in the figure. The SMF

[0108] is connected with the UPF

[0128] via the interface denoted as (N4) interface in the figure. The UPF

[0128] is connected with the RAN

[0104] via the interface denoted as (N3) interface in the figure. The UPF

[0128] is connected with the DN

[0130] via the interface denoted as (N6) interface in the figure. The RAN

[0104] is connected with the AMF

[0106] via the interface denoted as (N2). The AMF

[0106] is connected with the RAN

[0104] via the interface denoted as (Nl). The UPF

[0128] is connected with other UPF

[0128] via the interface denoted as (N9). The interfaces such as Nnssf, Nnef, Nnrf, Npcf, Nudm, Naf, Nnssaaf, Nausf, Namf, Nsmf, N9, N6, N4, N3, N2, and Nl can be referred to as a communication channel between one or more functions or modules for enabling exchange of data or information between such functions or modules, and network entities.

[0062] The present disclosure can be implemented on a computing device

[0200] as shown in FIG. 2. The computing device

[0200] implements the present disclosure in accordance with the 5G communication network architecture (as shown in FIG. 1). FIG. 2 illustrates an exemplary block diagram of the computing device

[0200] upon which the features of the present disclosure may be implemented in accordance with exemplary implementation of the present disclosure. In an implementation, the computing device

[0200] may also implement a method

[0400] (as shown in FIG. 4) for management of event notification in a communication network utilising the system [300A] (as shown in FIG. 3). In an implementation, the computing device

[0200] may also implement the method

[0400] for management of event notification in the communication network utilising the system

[0500] (as shown in FIG. 5). In another implementation, the computing device

[0200] itself implements the method

[0400] for management of event notification in a communication network using one or more units configured within the computing device

[0200] , wherein said one or more units can implement the features as disclosed in the present disclosure.

[0063] The computing device

[0200] may include a bus

[0202] or other communication mechanism for communicating information, and a hardware processor

[0204] coupled with bus

[0202] for processing information. The hardware processor

[0204] may be, for example, a general-purpose microprocessor. The computing device

[0200] may also include a main memory

[0206] , such as a random-access memory (RAM), or other dynamic storage device, coupled to the bus

[0202] for storing information and instructions to be executed by the processor

[0204] , The main memory

[0206] also may be used for storing temporary variables or other intermediate information during execution of the instructions to be executed by the processor

[0204] , Such instructions, when stored in non-transitory storage media accessible to the processor

[0204] , render the computing device

[0200] into a special-purpose machine that is customized to perform the operations specified in the instructions. The computing device

[0200] further includes a read only memory (ROM)

[0208] or other static storage device coupled to the bus

[0202] for storing static information and instructions for the processor

[0204] ,

[0064] A storage device

[0210] , such as a magnetic disk, optical disk, or solid-state drive is provided and coupled to the bus

[0202] for storing information and instructions. The computing device

[0200] may be coupled via the bus

[0202] to a display

[0212] , such as a cathode ray tube (CRT), Liquid crystal Display (LCD), Light Emitting Diode (LED) display, Organic LED (OLED) display, etc. for displaying information to a computer user. An input device

[0214] , including alphanumeric and other keys, touch screen input means, etc. may be coupled to the bus

[0202] for communicating information and command selections to the processor

[0204] , Another type of user input device may be a cursor controller

[0216] , such as a mouse, a trackball, or cursor direction keys, for communicating direction information and command selections to the processor

[0204] , and for controlling cursor movement on the display

[0212] , The input device typically has two degrees of freedom in two axes, a first axis (e.g., x) and a second axis (e.g., y), that allow the device to specify positions in a plane.

[0065] The computing device

[0200] may implement the techniques described herein using customized hard-wired logic, one or more ASICs or FPGAs, firmware and / or program logic which in combination with the computing device

[0200] causes or programs the computing device

[0200] to be a special-purpose machine. According to one implementation, the techniques herein areperformed by the computing device

[0200] in response to the processor

[0204] executing one or more sequences of one or more instructions contained in the main memory

[0206] , Such instructions may be read into the main memory

[0206] from another storage medium, such as the storage device

[0210] , Execution of the sequences of instructions contained in the main memory

[0206] causes the processor

[0204] to perform the process steps described herein. In alternative implementations of the present disclosure, hard-wired circuitry may be used in place of or in combination with software instructions.

[0066] The computing device

[0200] also may include a communication interface

[0218] coupled to the bus

[0202] , The communication interface

[0218] provides a two-way data communication coupling to a network link

[0220] that is connected to a local network

[0222] , For example, the communication interface

[0218] may be an integrated services digital network (ISDN) card, cable modem, satellite modem, or a modem to provide a data communication connection to a corresponding type of telephone line. As another example, the communication interface

[0218] may be a local area network (LAN) card to provide a data communication connection to a compatible LAN. Wireless links may also be implemented. In any such implementation, the communication interface

[0218] sends and receives electrical, electromagnetic or optical signals that carry digital data streams representing various types of information.

[0067] The computing device

[0200] may send messages and receive data, including program code, through the network(s), the network link

[0220] and the communication interface

[0218] , In the Internet example, a server

[0230] might transmit a requested code for an application program through the Internet

[0228] , the ISP

[0226] , the local network

[0222] , a host

[0224] and the communication interface

[0218] , The received code may be executed by the processor

[0204] as it is received, and / or stored in the storage device

[0210] , or other non-volatile storage for later execution.

[0068] As discussed in the background section, the current known solutions for event notifications towards a Network Management System (NMS)

[0302] have several shortcomings such as excessive duplicate notification and inadequate local event recording. Further, network administrators often need to manually filter and handle event notifications, which can be timeintensive and error-prone, particularly in networks with high event volumes.

[0069] The present disclosure aims to overcome the above-mentioned and other existing problems in this field of technology by providing a configurable criterion-based filtering of event notifications and / or alarms, that overcomes the disadvantages of the existing systems and providesthe flexibility and scalability thereof without impacting the overall performance, scalability of the NMS

[0302] as well as the administrators thereof.

[0070] The present disclosure is implemented by the system [300A] (as shown in FIG. 3). The system [300A] may be implemented using the computing device

[0200] (as shown in FIG. 2). In an implementation, the computing device

[0200] may be connected to the system [300 A] to perform the present disclosure.

[0071] Referring to FIG. 3, an environment

[0300] for the system [300A] for management of event notification in a communication network, is shown, in accordance with the exemplary implementations of the present disclosure. The system [300A] comprises at least one transceiver unit

[0301] ; at least one fault manager unit

[0303] ; and at least one storage unit

[0306] comprising at least one local data base

[3061] , The system [300A] is connected to a plurality of service unit (SUs)

[0302] and at least one Network Management System (NMS)

[0304] , The plurality of service unit (SUs)

[0302] corresponds to a network traffic processing unit

[0305] , The at least one Network Management System (NMS)

[0304] comprises a northbound interface

[0307] ,

[0072] It is to be noted that the system [300A] is configured to perform the management of event notification in the communication network. It is further noted that functional architecture of the network (such as but not limited to 5G) core is flexibly designed to adopt implementation changes. Also, all of the components / units of the system [300A] are assumed to be connected to each other unless otherwise indicated below. As shown in the FIG.3, all units shown within the system [300A] should also be assumed to be connected to each other. Also, in FIG. 3 only a few units are shown, however, the system [300 A] may comprise multiple such units or the system [300 A] may comprise any such number of said units, as required to implement the features of the present disclosure. Further, in an implementation, the system [300 A] may be present in a user device / user equipment (may also referred herein as a UE)

[0308] to implement the features of the present disclosure. The system [300A] may be a part of the UE

[0308] or may be independent of but in communication with the UE

[0308] , In another implementation, the system [300 A] may reside in a server or a network entity. In yet another implementation, the system [300A] may reside partly in the server / network entity and partly in the UE

[0308] ,

[0073] The system [300 A] is configured for management of event notification in a communication network, with the help of the interconnection between the components / units of the system [300A], The event notification is enabled by carrying out the following functions:1. The “obtaininterface” function is used to receive a reference to the object implementing the IpEventNotification interface.2. The “createnotification” function is used to enable the notification mechanism so that subsequent framework events can be sent to the application depending upon the service by checking the availability of Service Capability Feature (SCF).3. The “reportNotification” function is used to notify the application of the availability of new SCFs.

[0074] The SCF refers to a Service Capability Server (SCS) that is used for event detection and notification functions. Further, the SCF registration is performed by:1. Running a “registerService” by the SCS to agree, within the network, on a name to call, internally, a newly installed SCF version.2. Running “announceServiceAvailability” by the SCS to indicate the new SCF is available.

[0075] The transceiver unit

[0301] is configured to receive a plurality of event notifications from the plurality of service units (SUs)

[0302] , In general, event may include events of resource allocation, session management, conflict management, and the like. In an example, the event notifications may be characterized by nature of priority assigned to a particular event, for instance, event notifications may have urgent / normal priority. In an example, two event notifications may be of same nature that is duplicate event notification may be encountered by different network functions. Further, in an example, when a user subscribes to an incoming call screening application, the application needs to be invoked when the user receives a call. It will therefore request to be notified when a call setup is performed, with the user number as Called Party Number.

[0076] It is to be noted the service unit (SU) is indicative of the smallest traffic processing unit or process within the network. In the context of the current disclosure, the Service Units (SUs)

[0302] represent the individual traffic processing units / processing units or processes responsible for detecting and generating event notifications within the communication network. In an example, the SUs

[0302] may be a network switch port used for handling traffic specific to that port, a firewall rule engine, and the like.

[0077] The transceiver unit

[0301] is further configured to transmit the one or more key event notifications to a Network Management System (NMS)

[0304] , It is to be noted that the NMS

[0304] here refers to an application or set of applications that lets the network engineers manage anetwork's independent components inside a bigger communication network management framework and performs several key functions. The transceiver unit

[0301] is further configured to transmit the one or more key event notifications to the Network Management System (NMS)

[0304] , over a northbound interface

[0307] ,

[0078] The fault manager unit

[0303] is configured to monitor the received plurality of event notifications. The fault manager unit

[0303] is further configured to apply a set of configurable filtering criteria to identify one or more key event notifications from the received plurality of event notifications based on the monitored plurality of event notifications. It is to be noted that the set of configurable filtering criteria for event notifications may include but not limited to parameters that network management personnel (like administrators) can adjust / alter to control event trigger notifications for desired event notification execution. These criteria may include type of event, errors encountered during execution of the event, warnings, or security breaches), time of occurrence of event, affected network components by the event. Thus, with the help of the set of configurable filtering criteria, the network personnel can focus on the most critical events and not be bothered by notifications of less significant / important events.

[0079] In an exemplary aspect of the present disclosure, to apply the set of configurable filtering criteria, the fault manager unit

[0303] is further configured to correlate the plurality of event notifications to eliminate one or more duplicate event notifications.

[0080] In an exemplary aspect of the present disclosure, the set of configurable filtering criteria validates and filters out the plurality of event notifications based on event type, event source, event frequency, and event timestamp. It is to be noted that the event type may be a specific occurrence like a network outage, a security breach, a configuration change, or a performance threshold breach, such as high latency or packet loss. Further, the event source is indicative of a particular origin of the event i.e., the component or the network function where the event was generated. Furthermore, the event frequency signifies the number of times that event occurred within a given time period. This may include occurrence of connection drops, security alerts, security alerts etc. Also, the event timestamp refers to the exact date and timing details when a particular event occurs in the network. For e.g., x event occurring at 1715-20082024 is indicative of the event x occurring at 17: 15 hours on 20th August 2024.

[0081] In an exemplary aspect of the present disclosure, each of the plurality of SUs

[0302] corresponds to a network traffic processing unit

[0305] , It is to be noted that each of the plurality of SUs

[0302] is configured to generate the plurality of event notifications.

[0082] In an exemplary aspect of the present disclosure, the storage unit

[0306] configured to store the plurality of event notifications in a local database

[3061] ,

[0083] In an exemplary aspect of the present disclosure, the monitoring of the received plurality of event notifications corresponds to tracking of each of the plurality of event notification.

[0084] In an exemplary aspect of the present disclosure, the system [300A] can be used for alarm monitoring and reporting towards the NMS

[0304] ,

[0085] Referring to FIG. 4, an exemplary method flow diagram

[0400] for management of event notification in a communication network, in accordance with exemplary implementations of the present disclosure is shown. In an implementation the method

[0400] is performed by a system [300A] (as shown in FIG. 3). In another implementation, the method

[0400] is performed by a system

[0500] (as shown in FIG. 5). Further, in an implementation, the system [300A] may be present in a server device to implement the features of the present disclosure. Furthermore, in an implementation, the system

[0500] may be present in a server device to implement the features of the present disclosure. Also, as shown in FIG. 4, the method

[0400] starts at step

[0402] ,

[0086] At step

[0404] , the method

[0400] comprises receiving, by a transceiver unit

[0301] , a plurality of event notifications from a plurality of service units (SUs)

[0302] ,

[0087] In an exemplary aspect of the present disclosure, each of the plurality of SUs

[0302] corresponds to a network traffic processing unit

[0305] , It is to be noted that each SU of the plurality of SUs

[0302] is configured to generate the plurality of event notifications.

[0088] At step

[0406] , the method

[0400] comprises monitoring, by a fault manager unit

[0303] , the plurality of event notifications.

[0089] In an exemplary aspect of the present disclosure, the monitoring of the received plurality of event notifications corresponds to tracking of each of the plurality of event notifications.

[0090] At step

[0408] , the method

[0400] comprises applying, by the fault manager unit

[0303] , a set of configurable filtering criteria to identify one or more key event notifications from the received plurality of event notifications based on the monitoring.

[0091] In an exemplary aspect of the present disclosure, the applying of the set of configurable filtering criteria further comprises correlating, by the fault manager unit

[0303] , the plurality of event notifications to eliminate one or more duplicate event notifications.

[0092] In an exemplary aspect of the present disclosure, the set of configurable filtering criteria validates and filters out the plurality of event notifications based on at least one of: event type, event source, event frequency, and event timestamp.

[0093] At step

[0410] , the method

[0400] comprises transmitting, by the transceiver unit

[0301] , the one or more key event notifications to a Network Management System (NMS)

[0304] ,

[0094] In an exemplary aspect of the present disclosure, the one or more key event notifications are transmitted, by the transceiver unit

[0301] , to the Network Management System (NMS)

[0304] over a northbound interface

[0307] ,

[0095] In an exemplary aspect of the present disclosure, the method

[0400] further comprises storing, at a storage unit

[0306] , the plurality of event notifications in a local database

[3061] ,

[0096] Thereafter, the method

[0400] terminates at step

[0412] ,

[0097] Referring to FIG. 5, an exemplary system architecture

[0500] for management of event notification in a communication network is shown, in accordance with the exemplary embodiments of the present disclosure. The present disclosure may be implemented by the system

[0500] having the computing device

[0200] (as shown in FIG. 2). In an implementation, the computing device

[0200] may be connected to the system

[0500] to perform the management of the event notification in the communication network. The system

[0500] comprises a plurality of service units (SUs)

[0302] (as shown in FIG. 3), a fault manager (also called as a fault manager unit

[0303] as shown in FIG. 3) and a Network Management System (NMS)

[0304] (as shown in FIG. 3). A Service Unit ‘ 1 . . .n’

[0302] can be a component in the system

[0500] responsible for detection of an event that merits attention of the Network Manager subsequently generating an alarm notification for the said event. Examples of such events include but are not limited to FaultNotifications, Performance Notifications, Configurational Notifications, Security Notifications, Traffic Notifications, Temperature and Power related Notifications and QoS violation Notification. The plurality of SUs

[0302] send the faulty event / fault event to the fault manager

[0303] of the system

[0500] , The fault manager

[0303] is configured to have a fault management module (not shown) which is responsible for filtering out the duplicate event(s) basis the identification of key event(s). The fault management module is configured to receive the event notifications which are streamlined to the Fault Manager

[0303] though one or more predetermined communication channels or interfaces. The Fault Manager

[0303] is defined as a component responsible for monitoring network faults. The primary duties of the fault manager

[0303] include but are not limited to Alarm forwarding, Alarm Correlation, Alarm Analysis, Escalation of alarm related information to a network manager or administrator, fault tracking etc. The fault manager module comprises a plurality of sub modules that include a Local Event Record Module (not shown), a Criterion Module (not shown), and a Deduplication Module (not shown). The Local Event Record Module is configured to store and record all the information pertaining to event notifications. Examples of information related to event notifications include but are not limited to information about date and time of occurrence of notifications, number of notifications related to an event, information related to specific event leading to generation of a notification etc. The Criterion Module is configured to implement at least one configurable filtering criteria to the received notifications. Examples of filtering criteria include but are not limited to duplicate notifications, critical and non-critical notifications that may or may not merit immediate response form a network manager, redundant notifications, expired notifications, unique notification etc. The Deduplication Module is configured to compare the received notifications to the records of previously received events in order to identify and remove redundant and obsolete notifications. Further, the system comprises communicating the filtered Alarm Notification to a Network Operations Centre (NOC) team via a communication link.

[0098] Upon identification of the key event(s), the key event(s) are sent to the NMS

[0304] , In an exemplary implementation of the present disclosure, the fault manager

[0303] carries out the process for event deduplication and notification filtering within an alarm monitoring and reporting system (not shown in FIG. 5).

[0099] Another aspect of the present disclosure may relate to a non-transitory computer-readable storage medium storing instruction for management of event notification in a communication network, the storage medium comprising executable code which, when executed by one or more units of a system [300A], causes a transceiver unit

[0301] to receive a plurality of event notificationsfrom a plurality of service units (SUs)

[0302] , Further, the executable code which, when executed, causes a fault manager unit

[0303] to monitor the received plurality of event notifications. Further, the executable code which, when executed, causes fault manager unit

[0303] to apply a set of configurable filtering criteria to identify one or more key event notifications from the received plurality of event notifications based on the monitored plurality of event notifications. Further, the executable code which, when executed, causes the transceiver unit

[0301] to further transmit the one or more key event notifications to a Network Management System (NMS)

[0304] ,

[0100] Yet another aspect of the present disclosure relates to user equipment (UE)

[0308] for management of event notification in a communication network. The UE

[0308] comprises a transceiver unit

[0301] configured to receive a plurality of event notifications from a plurality of service units (SUs)

[0302] , The transceiver unit

[0301] is further configured to transmit one or more key event notifications to a Network Management System (NMS)

[0304] , It is to be noted that the one or more key event notifications are transmitted to the NMS

[0304] based on monitoring, by a fault manager unit

[0303] , the plurality of event notifications. It is further noted that the one or more key event notifications are transmitted to the NMS

[0304] based on applying, by the fault manager unit

[0303] , a set of configurable filtering criteria to identify one or more key event notifications from the received plurality of event notifications based on the monitoring.

[0101] Further, in accordance with the present disclosure, it is to be acknowledged that the functionality described for the various components / units can be implemented interchangeably. While specific embodiments may disclose a particular functionality of these units for clarity, it is recognized that various configurations and combinations thereof are within the scope of the disclosure. The functionality of specific units as disclosed in the disclosure should not be construed as limiting the scope of the present disclosure. Consequently, alternative arrangements and substitutions of units, provided they achieve the intended functionality described herein, are considered to be encompassed within the scope of the present disclosure.

[0102] As is evident from the above, the present disclosure provides a technically advanced solution for management of event notification in a communication network by way of customizing the event notification. The present disclosure thus provides an enhanced alarm monitoring and reporting for managing the event notification that is adapted to relay only distinctive event notifications to the NMS

[0304] , It serves as a communication bridge between different notification sources, such as applications, services, or various service units (SUs)

[0302] , and administrators in the NMS

[0304] , The present disclosure scrutinizes, and pinpoints duplicate events predicated basedon configurable criteria. Instead of individual systems or applications handling their own event notification logic and integrations, the event notifications are sent via the “alarm moderating component”, thereby avoiding duplicity as well as flooding of event notifications to the NMS

[0304] , The present disclosure deploying the Alarm Notification and Deduplication thus offers several significant advantages, including but not limited to:1. Efficient Resource Utilization: By filtering out duplicate event notifications, the present disclosure optimizes the utilization of network management resources, thereby reducing the processing overhead and preventing network systems overloading. This leads to improved network components performance and responsiveness.2. Mitigation of Alert Fatigue: The present disclosure effectively addresses the issue of alert fatigue by ensuring that network administrators receive only unique and essential event notifications. This helps in reducing the volume of event notifications, making it easier for administrators to focus on critical events and take prompt action.3. Enhanced Network Reliability: With the ability of the present disclosure to prevent the NMS

[0304] flooding, crucial event notifications are less likely to be ignored or delayed. This results in improved network reliability and reduced risk of service disruptions.4. Configurability: The criteria-based approach of the present disclosure to event deduplication allows for customization to suit specific network management requirements. Administrators can configure the network components to filter events based on criteria relevant to unique characteristics of their network.5. Comprehensive Event History: All event notifications, including duplicates, are recorded locally within the system [300A] of the present disclosure. This comprehensive event history serves as a valuable resource for network components health monitoring, historical analysis, and issue debugging.6. Improved Network Monitoring: Network administrators and Network Operations Centers (NOC) teams benefit from more efficient network monitoring as they receive a streamlined and relevant stream of event notifications. This enables quicker response times to network issues and enhances overall network management.7. Scalability: The present disclosure aids in seamlessly scaling of the network components with growing network complexities and demands. Thus, the present disclosure can adapt to networks of varying sizes and configurations, making it suitable for both small-scale and large-scale network environments.8. Enhanced User Experience: With reduced alert fatigue and improved network reliability, users of the present disclosure experience a more user-friendly and productive environment for managing complex networks.9. Cost Savings: By preventing unnecessary alarm floods and system overloads, the present disclosure reduces the need for additional hardware or resources to handle excessive notifications. This can result in cost savings for organizations operating and maintaining the NMS

[0304] ,

[0103] Accordingly, it may be understood that the present disclosure provides a comprehensive and configurable solution to the challenges of managing event notifications within the Network Management System(s) (NMS)

[0304] , leading to a more effective and cost-efficient network management experience.

[0104] While considerable emphasis has been placed herein on the disclosed implementations, it will be appreciated that many implementations can be made and that many changes can be made to the implementations without departing from the principles of the present disclosure. These and other changes in the implementations of the present disclosure will be apparent to those skilled in the art, whereby it is to be understood that the foregoing descriptive matter to be implemented is illustrative and non-limiting.

[0105] Further, in accordance with the present disclosure, it is to be acknowledged that the functionality described for the various the components / units can be implemented interchangeably. While specific embodiments may disclose a particular functionality of these units for clarity, it is recognized that various configurations and combinations thereof are within the scope of the disclosure. The functionality of specific units as disclosed in the disclosure should not be construed as limiting the scope of the present disclosure. Consequently, alternative arrangements and substitutions of units, provided they achieve the intended functionality described herein, are considered to be encompassed within the scope of the present disclosure.

Claims

We Claim:

1. A method [400] for management of event notification in a communication network, the method [400] comprising: receiving, by a transceiver unit [301], a plurality of event notifications from a plurality of service units (SUs) [302]; monitoring, by a fault manager unit [303], the plurality of event notifications; applying, by the fault manager unit [303], a set of configurable filtering criteria to identify one or more key event notifications from the received plurality of event notifications based on the monitoring; and transmitting, by the transceiver unit [301], the one or more key event notifications to a Network Management System (NMS) [304],2. The method [400] as claimed in claim 1, wherein the applying of the set of configurable filtering criteria further comprises: correlating, by the fault manager unit [303], the plurality of event notifications to eliminate one or more duplicate event notifications.

3. The method [400] as claimed in claim 1, wherein the set of configurable filtering criteria validates and filters out the plurality of event notifications based on at least one of: event type, event source, event frequency, and event timestamp.

4. The method [400] as claimed in claim 1, wherein each of the plurality of SUs [302] corresponds to a network traffic processing unit [305], and wherein each of the plurality of SUs [302] is configured to generate the plurality of event notifications.

5. The method [400] as claimed in claim 1, wherein the method [400] further comprises storing, at a storage unit [306], the plurality of event notifications in a local database [3061],6. The method [400] as claimed in claim 1, wherein the monitoring of the received plurality of event notifications corresponds to tracking of each of the plurality of event notifications.

7. The method [400] as claimed in claim 1, wherein the one or more key event notifications are transmitted, by the transceiver unit [301], to the Network Management System (NMS) [304] over a northbound interface [307],8. A system [300 A] for management of event notification in a communication network, the system [300A] comprising:- a transceiver unit [301] configured to receive a plurality of event notifications from a plurality of service units (SUs) [302];- a fault manager unit [303 ] connected to at least the transceiver unit [301 ], the fault manager unit [303] is configured to: o monitor the received plurality of event notifications;o apply a set of configurable filtering criteria to identify one or more key event notifications from the received plurality of event notifications based on the monitored plurality of event notifications; and- the transceiver unit [301] further configured to: o transmit the one or more key event notifications to a Network Management System (NMS) [304],9. The system [300 A] as claimed in claim 8, wherein to apply the set of configurable filtering criteria, the fault manager unit [303] is further configured to: correlate the plurality of event notifications to eliminate one or more duplicate event notifications.

10. The system [300A] as claimed in claim 8, wherein the set of configurable filtering criteria validates and filters out the plurality of event notifications based on event type, event source, event frequency, and event timestamp.

11. The system [300A] as claimed in claim 8, wherein each of the plurality of SUs [302] corresponds to a network traffic processing unit [305], and wherein each of the plurality of SUs [302] is configured to generate the plurality of event notifications.

12. The system [300A] as claimed in claim 8, further comprises a storage unit [306] connected to at least the fault manager unit [303], the storage unit [306] configured to store the plurality of event notifications in a local database [3061],13. The system [300 A] as claimed in claim 8, wherein the monitoring of the received plurality of event notifications corresponds to tracking of each of the plurality of event notification.

14. The system [300A] as claimed in claim 8, wherein the transceiver unit [301] is configured to transmit the one or more key event notifications to the Network Management System (NMS) [304], over a northbound interface [307],15. A user equipment (UE) [308] for management of event notification in a communication network, the UE [308] comprising:- a transceiver unit [301] configured to: o receive a plurality of event notifications from a plurality of service units (SUs) [302]; and o transmit one or more key event notifications to a Network Management System (NMS) [304], wherein the one or more key event notifications are transmitted to the NMS [304] based on:- a fault manager unit [303] configured to: o monitor the plurality of event notifications; ando apply a set of configurable filtering criteria to identify one or more key event notifications from the received plurality of event notifications based on the monitoring.

16. A non-transitory computer-readable storage medium storing instruction for management of event notification in a communication network, the storage medium comprising executable code which, when executed by one or more units of a system [300A], causes: a transceiver unit [301] to: o receive a plurality of event notifications from a plurality of service units (SUs) [302]; a fault manager unit [303] to: o monitor the received plurality of event notifications; o apply a set of configurable filtering criteria to identify one or more key event notifications from the received plurality of event notifications based on the monitored plurality of event notifications; and the transceiver unit [301] to further: o transmit the one or more key event notifications to a Network Management System (NMS) [304],

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