Suspected failure location estimating device and suspected failure location estimating method

Abstract

A suspected failure location estimating device according to an aspect of the present invention is configured to be capable of acquiring information from a network. The network includes a plurality of nodes and a plurality of terminating devices, and the plurality of nodes and the plurality of terminating devices are connected by a plurality of paths. The suspected failure location estimating device includes: a path information input unit that receives, from the plurality of terminating devices, a plurality of pieces of path information relating to the paths between the terminating devices; a state information input unit that receives, from the plurality of terminating devices, a plurality of pieces of state information corresponding to the plurality of pieces of path information and relating to communication states; and a processing unit that estimates, on the basis of the plurality of pieces of path information and the plurality of pieces of state information, a suspected location at which there may be a failure, for each of the plurality of paths. The processing unit sequentially processes the plurality of pieces of path information, and if first state information corresponding to first path information is normal, determines that all paths included in the first path information are normal, and if second state information corresponding to second path information is abnormal, determines that all paths included in the second path information are suspect, and finally determines that a path that is suspect is the suspected location.

Description

Fault-suspected Location Estimation Device and Fault-suspected Location Estimation Method 【0001】 One aspect of the present invention relates to a fault-suspected location estimation device and a fault-suspected location estimation method. 【0002】 Generally, an optical subscriber network called a PON (Passive Optical Network) arranges ONUs (Optical Network Units) for a large number of subscribers respectively, connects these ONUs to an OLT (Optical Line Terminal) arranged in the facility center of the corresponding area, and connects from this OLT to the upper network. In this type of network, in order to manage the state of the network, a network management device is installed in the upper network, and the operation state of the above-mentioned large number of ONUs and other information are collected by the network management device to manage the operation state of the network. 【0003】 For example, an APN (All-Photonics Network) that utilizes photonics-based technology in all sections is known. In a network such as an APN, it may not be possible to obtain abnormal state information such as an alarm from an abnormal location, and only end-to-end abnormal state information can be obtained. 【0004】 In Patent Document 1, for a network to be fault-determined, after receiving a fault report from a user, overlapping of a plurality of accumulated path information is performed to estimate a fault-suspected location. 【0005】 Japanese Patent No. 5495274 【0006】 In Patent Document 1, only the path information of the user who has reported a fault is overlapped to estimate the fault-suspected location. Therefore, when there are few fault reports, it is difficult to narrow down the fault-suspected location. 【0007】 The present invention has been made paying attention to the above circumstances, and an object thereof is to provide a technology capable of narrowing down a location suspected of abnormality. 【0008】A fault suspect location estimation device according to one aspect of the present invention is a fault suspect location estimation device configured to acquire information from a network, wherein the network includes a plurality of nodes and a plurality of termination devices, the plurality of nodes and the plurality of termination devices are connected by a plurality of paths, and the fault suspect location estimation device comprises a path information input unit that receives a plurality of path information relating to paths between the termination devices from the plurality of termination devices, a status information input unit that receives a plurality of status information relating to the communication status corresponding to the plurality of path information from the plurality of termination devices, and a processing unit that estimates a suspect location with a potential fault for each of the plurality of paths based on the plurality of path information and the plurality of status information. The processing unit processes the plurality of path information in order, and if the first status information corresponding to the first path information is normal, it determines that all paths included in the first path information are normal, if the second status information corresponding to the second path information is abnormal, it considers all paths included in the second path information as suspect, and finally determines the suspected path as the fault location. 【0009】 According to one aspect of the present invention, a technique is provided that makes it possible to narrow down the suspected abnormal area. 【0010】 Figure 1 is a schematic diagram of a network management system according to the first embodiment of the present invention. Figure 2 is a block diagram of the fault suspect location estimation device shown in Figure 1. Figure 3 is a block diagram showing an example of the hardware configuration of the fault suspect location estimation device. Figure 4 is a flowchart illustrating the operation of the fault suspect location estimation device. Figure 5 is a diagram illustrating an example of a communication path used by multiple termination devices. Figure 6 is a diagram illustrating the four path information items 1 to 4 shown in Figure 5. Figure 7 is a diagram illustrating an example of state information corresponding to the four path information items 1 to 4 shown in Figure 6. Figure 8 is a diagram illustrating an example of the operation for determining a suspect location. Figure 9 is a flowchart illustrating the operation of the fault suspect location estimation device according to the second embodiment of the present invention. 【0011】Embodiments will be described below with reference to the drawings. The embodiments shown below are illustrative examples of devices and methods for realizing the technical concept of the present invention, and the technical concept of the present invention is not defined by the shape, structure, arrangement, etc. of the components. Each functional block can be realized as hardware, software, or a combination of both. It is not essential that each functional block is distinguished as in the following example. For example, some functions may be performed by functional blocks other than the illustrative functional blocks. Furthermore, the illustrative functional blocks may be further divided into finer functional subblocks. In the following description, elements having the same function and configuration are denoted by the same reference numerals, and redundant descriptions are omitted. 【0012】 [1-1] Diagram 1 of the network management system 1 is a schematic diagram of the network management system 1 according to the first embodiment of the present invention. The network management system 1 comprises a network 10 and a fault location estimation device 20. 【0013】 Network 10 is composed of a passive optical network (PON) that can send and receive data from one point to multiple endpoints using, for example, an optical line. Alternatively, network 10 is composed of an APN. An APN is a network that introduces photonics-based technology throughout, from the terminal to the network, and provides an end-to-end (E2E) optical wavelength path. An APN is configured to perform optical communication between termination devices. Network 10 may have configurations other than those described above. The configuration of network 10 in Figure 1 is an example, and Figure 1 shows a mesh network as an example. The network connection configuration may be other. 【0014】Network 10 comprises multiple nodes 11 and multiple termination devices 12. The multiple devices constituting Network 10 are connected by multiple paths (also called lines). The paths of Network 10 include optical lines, etc. In Figure 1, the squares with the lowercase letter "a" represent nodes 11, and the squares with the uppercase letters "A to H" represent termination devices 12. 【0015】 Multiple nodes 11 are connected using multiple paths based on a predetermined connection configuration. Nodes 11 have the function of relaying paths and switching paths. Nodes 11 include routers and / or L2 switches. When the network 10 performs optical communication, the nodes include optical switches, optical splitters and / or central office optical line terminals (OLTs). 【0016】 Each termination device 12 is connected to its corresponding node 11 via a network path. The termination device 12 is, for example, a device that converts optical signals into digital signals. The termination device 12 is composed of, for example, an Optical Network Unit (ONU). User terminals (also called user terminals) are connected to the termination device 12 via a network line. 【0017】 The fault location estimation device 20 is configured to acquire predetermined information from a plurality of termination devices 12 included in the network 10. Alternatively, the fault location estimation device 20 may acquire predetermined information from the user terminals of users using the network 10. 【0018】 Figure 2 is a block diagram of the fault location estimation device 20 shown in Figure 1. The fault location estimation device 20 is configured to acquire route information and status information from the network 10. The fault location estimation device 20 may be configured to acquire route information and status information from the termination device 12, or from the user terminal. Route information is information about the route between termination devices (also referred to as End-to-End). Status information corresponds to route information and is information about the communication status of the End-to-End route. 【0019】 The fault location estimation device 20 includes a route information input unit 21, a status information input unit 22, a fault location estimation unit 23, an input unit 24, and an output unit 25. The fault location estimation unit 23 includes an information acquisition unit 23A and an estimation processing unit 23B. 【0020】 The route information input unit 21 is configured to receive route information from, for example, the terminal device 12. The route information input unit 21 receives route information from the terminal device 12 or the like. 【0021】 The status information input unit 22 is configured to receive status information from, for example, the termination device 12. The status information input unit 22 receives status information from the termination device 12 or the like. 【0022】 The input unit 24 has a function for administrators and others to input information. The output unit 25 has a function to display the information generated by the fault location estimation unit 23 and to output it to an external device. 【0023】 The information acquisition unit 23A acquires route information from the route information input unit 21 and also acquires status information from the status information input unit 22. 【0024】 The estimation processing unit 23B estimates the location suspected of being abnormal based on the route information and status information acquired by the information acquisition unit 23A. The estimation processing unit 23B processes multiple route information and multiple status information in sequence and estimates the location suspected of being abnormal with a high probability of being abnormal. 【0025】 (Hardware configuration of the fault location estimation device 20) Figure 3 is a block diagram showing an example of the hardware configuration of the fault location estimation device 20. 【0026】 The fault location estimation device 20 can be configured using a computer. The fault location estimation device 20 comprises a processor 30, a data storage unit 31, a program storage unit 32, a communication interface unit (communication I / F unit) 33, an input / output interface unit (input / output I / F unit) 34, an input unit 24, and an output unit 25. The data storage unit 31, the program storage unit 32, the communication interface unit 33, and the input / output interface unit 34 are connected to the processor 30 via a bus 35. 【0027】The processor 30 consists of a CPU (Central Processing Unit), an MPU (Micro Processing Unit), and the like. The processor 30 performs the operation of the fault location estimation unit 23 described above. 【0028】 The program storage unit 32 includes, for example, a non-volatile memory that can be written to and read at any time, such as an HDD (Hard Disk Drive) or SSD (Solid State Drive), and a non-volatile memory such as ROM (Read Only Memory). The program storage unit 32 stores the programs necessary for the processor 30 to perform various processes according to this embodiment. That is, the information acquisition unit 23A and the estimation processing unit 23B described above are realized by having the processor 30 execute the programs stored in the program storage unit 32. 【0029】 The data storage unit 31 includes, for example, non-volatile memory such as an HDD or SSD, and volatile memory such as RAM (Random Access Memory). The data storage unit 31 temporarily stores various data acquired and created during the process in which the processor 30 performs various processes, and is also used as a workspace for the processor 30. 【0030】 The communication interface unit 33 includes a wired communication module and / or a wireless communication module. The wireless communication module includes a wireless LAN (Local Area Network). The communication interface unit 33 performs interface processing with an external device according to a predetermined communication standard. The communication interface unit 33 is capable of receiving information from an external device and transmitting information to an external device. 【0031】 The input / output interface unit 34 is connected to the input unit 24 and the output unit 25. The input / output interface unit 34 performs interface processing with the input unit 24 and the output unit 25 according to a predetermined communication standard. 【0032】[1-2] Operation Next, the operation of the network management system 1 configured as described above will be explained. Figure 4 is a flowchart illustrating the operation of the fault suspect location estimation device 20. 【0033】 Users communicate within the network 10 using their user terminals. The user terminals also communicate within the network 10 via the termination device 12. The fault location estimation device 20 can acquire end-to-end routing information and status information from multiple termination devices 12 within the network 10, or from the user terminals of multiple users using the network 10. In this embodiment, there is no automatic route switching function in case of an abnormality. Alternatively, it is possible to acquire the route status and status information before route switching. 【0034】 First, the route information input unit 21 receives route information from the termination device 12. The information acquisition unit 23A acquires the route information received from the route information input unit 21 (step S100). 【0035】 Next, the status information input unit 22 receives status information from the termination device 12 that corresponds to the route information acquired in step S100. The information acquisition unit 23A acquires the received status information from the status information input unit 22 (step S101). 【0036】 Figure 5 illustrates an example of a communication path used by multiple termination devices 12. The numbers assigned to the multiple paths in Figure 5 represent path numbers. Figure 5 shows 10 paths connecting multiple nodes 11. Figure 5 also shows four example path information entries 1 to 4. 【0037】 Figure 6 is a diagram illustrating the four route information items 1 to 4 shown in Figure 5. The route information number refers to the number assigned to the route information. The termination device number refers to the number assigned to the termination device. The start is the termination device on the transmitting side, and the end is the termination device on the receiving side. The utilization route is one of several routes traversed between End and End. 【0038】Route information 1 starts at device A, ends at device F, and uses routes 1, 4, and 9. Route information 2 starts at device B, ends at device G, and uses routes 1, 3, 7, and 10. Route information 3 starts at device C, ends at device E, and uses routes 2, 6, and 9. Route information 4 starts at device D, ends at device H, and uses routes 2, 7, 8, and 9. 【0039】 Figure 7 illustrates an example of status information corresponding to the four route information items 1 to 4 shown in Figure 6. In Figure 7, the route status of route information item 1 is assumed to be interrupted, the route status of route information item 2 is assumed to be normal, the route status of route information item 3 is assumed to be normal, and the route status of route information item 4 is assumed to be normal. Interrupted means that a failure has occurred in the equipment along the route, and the route and communication have been interrupted. Normal means that no failure has occurred in the equipment along the route, and communication can be performed between End and End. 【0040】 Next, the estimation processing unit 23B determines the content of the acquired state information (step S102). If the state information is normal, the estimation processing unit 23B determines that all paths traversed between End-End are normal (step S103). If the state information is abnormal, the estimation processing unit 23B considers all paths traversed between End-End to be suspicious (step S104). Abnormal state information means that the path state in Figure 7 is broken. 【0041】 Next, the estimation processing unit 23B determines whether or not all route information between End and End has been confirmed (step S105). Specifically, the estimation processing unit 23B checks all route information and status information owned by the terminal device 12 and / or the user terminal. If not all route information has been confirmed (step S105 = No), the process proceeds to step S100. The number of route information items to be determined in step S105 may be multiple and a predetermined number. Then, the estimation processing unit 23B processes the multiple route information items in order. 【0042】When all the route information has been checked (step S105 = Yes), the estimation processing unit 23B determines the route that is finally suspected as a suspected location (also referred to as a suspected failure location) (step S106). Subsequently, the output unit 25 outputs the suspected location determined in step S106 to an external device (step S107). 【0043】 FIG. 8 is a diagram for explaining an example of the operation of determining a suspected location. The route information and status information in FIG. 8 correspond to the contents of FIGS. 6 and 7. FIG. 8 shows the failure estimation status of ten routes 1 to 10. The estimation processing unit 23B makes a determination as shown in FIG. 8 based on the route information 1 to 4 and the four corresponding status information. Specifically, the estimation processing unit 23B processes in the following order of (1) to (6). (1) In the initial state, routes 1 to 10 are set to null (a state where no data exists). (2) Since the route information 1 is broken, routes 1, 4, and 9 are suspected. (3) Since the route information 2 is normal, routes 1, 3, 7, and 10 are set to "〇". "〇" means normal. (4) Since the route information 3 is normal, routes 2, 6, and 9 are set to "〇". (5) Since the route information 4 is normal, routes 2, 7, 8, and 9 are set to "〇". (6) Finally, the route 4 whose failure estimation status is suspected is determined as the suspected location and output. 【0044】 That is, the route suspected by a certain route information maintains its previous state until it is normally updated by the subsequent route information. Also, the route determined as normal by a certain route information maintains its previous state until it is updated to suspected by the subsequent route information. Thereby, for each route, [1-3] Effects of the First Embodiment According to the first embodiment, in addition to the route information that is usually abnormal, the route information with normal communication can be used to estimate the suspected abnormal location. Also, in a communication network such as an APN, by performing an overlay of route information using both the normal state and abnormal state information, even when there is little failure information, the suspected abnormal location can be estimated with high accuracy. Consequently, a failure suspected location estimation device capable of narrowing down the suspected abnormal location can be realized. 【0045】[2] Second Embodiment In the second embodiment, when the same route is determined to be suspected multiple times, the number of overlaps of the routes with overlapping suspicions is calculated. Then, based on the number of overlaps, a more likely failure location is determined. 【0046】 FIG. 9 is a flowchart for explaining the operation of the failure suspected location estimation device 20 according to the second embodiment of the present invention. The block configuration of the failure suspected location estimation device 20 is the same as that in FIG. 2. The operations in steps S200 to S203 in FIG. 9 are the same as the operations in steps S100 to S103 in FIG. 4. 【0047】 When the state information is abnormal, the estimation processing unit 23B suspects all the routes passing between the End - Ends (step S204). Subsequently, the estimation processing unit 23B adds 1 to the number of overlaps of the routes with overlapping suspicions (step S205). 【0048】 Subsequently, the estimation processing unit 23B determines whether all the route information between the End - Ends has been confirmed (step S206). If not all the route information has been confirmed (step S206 = No), the process proceeds to step S200. Note that the number of route information determined in step S206 may be a plurality and a predetermined number of route information. Then, the estimation processing unit 23B processes the plurality of route information in order. 【0049】 When all the route information has been confirmed (step S206 = Yes), the estimation processing unit 23B finally determines the routes that are suspected as the suspected locations (step S207). 【0050】 Subsequently, the estimation processing unit 23B determines whether there are a plurality of finally suspected locations (step S208). 【0051】 When there are a plurality of suspected locations (step S208 = Yes), the estimation processing unit 23B determines the route with the largest number of overlaps among the routes determined to be suspected as the more likely failure location (step S209). 【0052】Next, the output unit 25 outputs the suspected location determined in steps S207 and S209 to an external device (step S210). If there are no multiple suspected locations (step S208 = No), the output unit 25 outputs the suspected location determined in step S207 to the external device. 【0053】 According to the second embodiment, routes that have been repeatedly identified as suspected of being faulty can be output as routes with a higher probability of failure. Other effects are the same as in the first embodiment. 【0054】 [3] Modifications Each process according to the above-described embodiment can also be stored as a program (software means) that can be executed by a computer, for example, on a storage medium such as a magnetic disk, optical disk, or semiconductor memory, or transmitted and distributed via a communication medium. The storage medium includes a storage medium provided in a computer or a storage medium provided in a device connected via a network. The computer can then read the program stored in the storage medium and execute the above-described process by controlling its operation with the read program. 【0055】 The present invention is not limited to the embodiments described above, and can be modified in various ways during implementation without departing from its essence. Furthermore, each embodiment may be combined as appropriate, and in that case, the combined effects can be obtained. Moreover, the above embodiments include various inventions, and various inventions can be extracted by selecting combinations from the multiple constituent elements disclosed. For example, if the problem can be solved and effects obtained even if some constituent elements are deleted from all the constituent elements shown in the embodiment, then the configuration with these deleted constituent elements can be extracted as an invention. 【0056】1...Network management system 10...Network 11...Node 12...Terminal device 20...Fault suspect location estimation device 21...Route information input unit 22...Status information input unit 23...Fault suspect location estimation unit 23A...Information acquisition unit 23B...Estimation processing unit 24...Input unit 25...Output unit 30...Processor 31...Data storage unit 32...Program storage unit 33...Communication interface unit 34...Input / output interface unit 35...Bus

Claims

1. A fault suspect location estimation device configured to acquire information from a network, wherein the network includes a plurality of nodes and a plurality of termination devices, the plurality of nodes and the plurality of termination devices are connected by a plurality of paths, the fault suspect location estimation device comprises: a path information input unit that receives a plurality of path information relating to paths between the termination devices from the plurality of termination devices; a status information input unit that receives a plurality of status information relating to the communication status corresponding to the plurality of path information from the plurality of termination devices; and a processing unit that estimates a potentially faulty location for each of the plurality of paths based on the plurality of path information and the plurality of status information, wherein the processing unit processes the plurality of path information in order, determines all paths included in the first path information as normal if the first status information corresponding to the first path information is normal, determines all paths included in the second path information as suspected if the second status information corresponding to the second path information is abnormal, and finally determines the suspected path as the faulty location.

2. The device for estimating a suspected fault location according to claim 1, further comprising an output unit that outputs the suspected fault location.

3. The fault suspect location estimation device according to claim 1, wherein the processing unit adds 1 to the number of overlaps of suspected routes, and determines that routes with a large number of overlaps are suspect locations with a higher probability of failure.

4. A method for estimating a suspected fault location for a fault location estimation device configured to acquire information from a network, wherein the network includes a plurality of nodes and a plurality of termination devices, the plurality of nodes and the plurality of termination devices are connected by a plurality of paths, the fault location estimation method receives a plurality of path information relating to paths between termination devices from the plurality of termination devices, receives a plurality of status information relating to communication status corresponding to the plurality of path information from the plurality of termination devices, estimates a suspected fault location for each of the plurality of paths based on the plurality of path information and the plurality of status information, processes the plurality of path information in order, determines all paths included in the first path information as normal if the first status information corresponding to the first path information is normal, determines all paths included in the second path information as suspected faults if the second status information corresponding to the second path information is abnormal, and finally determines the suspected path as the fault location.

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