Alarm monitoring device and alarm monitoring method

Abstract

An alarm monitoring device (1) that monitors an alarm of an NW device (P) comprises: an input unit (11) that acquires work information to be executed in the NW device (P); a condition generation unit (13) that generates, on the basis of the work information and a network configuration, a condition for a work-induced alarm that occurs in the NW device (P) due to work; a determination unit (17) that acquires an alarm output from the NW device (P) and determines, on the basis of the condition, whether or not the acquired alarm is a work-induced alarm; and a notification unit (18) that notifies a maintenance person (2) of the determination result from the determination unit (17).

Description

Alarm Monitoring Apparatus and Alarm Monitoring Method

[0001] The present disclosure relates to an alarm monitoring apparatus and an alarm monitoring method for monitoring alarms generated in a network device.

[0002] When a network device connected to a network (hereinafter abbreviated as "NW device") undergoes setting change work such as path establishment or modification, communication is temporarily interrupted along with these works. Along with this communication interruption / disconnection, the NW device may sometimes generate an alarm. In an alarm monitoring apparatus that monitors alarms generated in an NW device, receiving an alarm caused by work from this NW device will result in a false non-fault alarm being sent to maintenance personnel and the like.

[0003] Patent Document 1 discloses that when construction is performed on an NW device, false alarms are prevented by collectively stopping alarms of related equipment during the time period from the start to the end of the construction.

[0004] Japanese Unexamined Patent Application Publication No. 2013-162461

[0005] However, with the technology disclosed in Patent Document 1, the monitoring function is stopped during the time period until work such as setting change on the NW device is completed. Therefore, when a failure unrelated to the work occurs, or when a failure occurs in another NW device connected to the network, this failure cannot be detected.

[0006] The present disclosure has been made in view of the above circumstances, and an object thereof is to provide an alarm monitoring apparatus and an alarm monitoring method capable of detecting the occurrence of a failure unrelated to work even when work is being performed on a network device.

[0007] The alarm monitoring apparatus according to one aspect of the present disclosure is an alarm monitoring apparatus that monitors alarms of an NW device, comprising: a condition generating unit that generates a condition for a work-caused alarm generated in the NW device due to work based on work information executed in the NW device and a network configuration; a determination unit that acquires an alarm output from the NW device and determines whether the acquired alarm is the work-caused alarm based on the condition; and a notification unit that notifies a maintenance personnel of a determination result obtained by the determination unit.

[0008] An alarm monitoring method according to one aspect of the present disclosure is an alarm monitoring method for monitoring alarms generated in a network device, the method comprising: acquiring information on work performed in the network device; generating conditions for work-related alarms generated in the network device based on the work information and the network configuration; acquiring alarms output from the network device; determining whether the acquired alarm is a work-related alarm based on the conditions; and notifying a maintenance person of the determination result.

[0009] According to this disclosure, it becomes possible to detect the occurrence of faults unrelated to the work being performed on the network device.

[0010] Figure 1 is an explanatory diagram showing an alarm monitoring device and a network equipped with a plurality of NW devices according to an embodiment. Figure 2A is a block diagram showing the detailed configuration of the alarm monitoring device and NW devices according to an embodiment. Figure 2B is a block diagram showing the detailed configuration of an alarm monitoring device, control device, and NW device according to a modified example. Figure 3 is an explanatory diagram showing the specific contents of the condition setting. Figure 4 is a flowchart showing the processing procedure of the alarm monitoring device according to an embodiment. Figure 5 is an explanatory diagram showing the transmission and reception of signals on the network according to the first embodiment. Figure 6A is an explanatory diagram showing the transmission and reception of signals on the network when condition setting y1 is output according to the second embodiment. Figure 6B is an explanatory diagram showing the transmission and reception of signals on the network when condition setting y2 is output according to the second embodiment. Figure 7A is a graph according to the third embodiment showing a curve indicating the light reception intensity of the equipment generated by the condition generation unit and a curve indicating the light reception intensity output from the NW device, showing the case where the degree of agreement between the two curves is high. Figure 7B is a graph relating to the third embodiment, showing a curve representing the light reception intensity of the device generated by the condition generation unit and a curve representing the light reception intensity output from the NW device, showing the case where the degree of agreement between the two curves is low. Figure 8A is an explanatory diagram relating to the third embodiment, showing the transmission and reception of signals on the network when condition setting y1 is output. Figure 8B is an explanatory diagram relating to the third embodiment, showing the transmission and reception of signals on the network when condition setting y2 is output. Figure 9 is a block diagram showing the hardware configuration of this embodiment.

[0011] Embodiments will be described below with reference to the drawings. Figure 1 is a schematic diagram of the network system 100 to which the alarm monitoring device 1 according to this embodiment is connected. As shown in Figure 1, the network system 100 comprises a plurality of network devices P (P1, P2, P3, ...) to be monitored, and the alarm monitoring device 1. Each network device P (hereinafter abbreviated as "NW device P") and the alarm monitoring device 1 are connected to the network. In the following, when one of the plurality of NW devices is specifically indicated, it will be indicated with a suffix such as "NW device P1", and when not specifically indicated or when referring to them collectively, it will be indicated as "NW device P" without a suffix.

[0012] When an alarm is output by any NW device P, the alarm monitoring device 1 distinguishes whether the alarm is caused by work (hereinafter referred to as "work-related alarm") or by a fault unrelated to work (hereinafter referred to as "fault-related alarm") and notifies the maintainer responsible for maintaining the network system 100. The alarm monitoring device 1 distinguishes whether an alarm generated by any NW device P is a work-related alarm or a fault-related alarm based on at least one of the following pieces of information (hereinafter referred to as "management information"): network configuration, alarm generation pattern, and changes in the behavior of NW devices due to work. For example, the alarm may be distinguished using only the alarm generation pattern. Alternatively, the alarm may be distinguished using the network configuration and changes in the behavior of NW devices due to work.

[0013] "Work" refers to tasks such as switching paths for network devices or replacing devices with new ones. "Network configuration" refers to the connection status of multiple network devices P. "Alarm generation pattern" refers to a chronological pattern such as "when work is performed on a certain network device P, alarms are output in the order of alarm x1 → alarm x2 → alarm x3." It also refers to the timing of alarm generation and recovery.

[0014] "Changes in the behavior of a network device due to work" refers to the pattern of changes in the behavior of equipment mounted on a network device P when work is performed on that network device P. An example of such a change in behavior is the pattern of changes in the light reception intensity of the equipment.

[0015] Figure 2A is a block diagram showing the detailed configuration of the alarm monitoring device 1 and the network device P. In Figure 2A, one network device P is shown for the sake of simplicity. As shown in Figure 2A, the alarm monitoring device 1 includes an input unit 11, a setting information generation unit 12, a condition generation unit 13, a storage unit 14, a data entry unit 15, a monitoring unit 16, a determination unit 17, and a notification unit 18. Alternatively, as shown in Figure 2B, the alarm monitoring device 1A may include a condition generation unit 13, a storage unit 14, a monitoring unit 16, a determination unit 17, and a notification unit 18, while a control device 3, configured separately from the alarm monitoring device 1A, may include an input unit 11, a setting information generation unit 12, and a data entry unit 15.

[0016] The input unit 11 accepts input operations from the maintenance worker 2. The input unit 11 acquires the work information entered by the maintenance worker 2. Work information refers to information such as performing a path switching operation or performing a device replacement operation on a certain network device P.

[0017] The configuration information generation unit 12 generates configuration information such as "config" based on the work information entered in the input unit 11. The storage unit 14 stores management information. The management information includes the network configuration, alarm generation patterns, and information on behavioral changes due to work, as shown below.

[0018] In terms of network configuration, information such as adjacent network devices, connection ports, and communication path routes for a given network device P is stored in the storage unit 14. As an alarm generation pattern, for example, a pattern such as "Alarm x1 (e.g., signal interruption) is triggered by condition setting y1 and recovered by condition setting y2" is stored in the storage unit 14. "Condition setting" refers to setting the conditions for work-related alarms according to the stage of the work. As information on changes in the behavior of the network device due to work, for example, a change pattern in which the light reception intensity of equipment mounted on network device P1 decreases triggered by condition setting y1 (see Figures 7A and 7B described later) is stored in the storage unit 14.

[0019] The condition generation unit 13 extracts the work target and work content from the setting information generated by the setting information generation unit 12. The condition generation unit 13 extracts management information such as network configuration, alarm generation pattern, and behavioral change information due to work stored in the storage unit 14. Based on the extracted work target, work content, and management information used as judgment conditions from each piece of management information, the condition generation unit 13 generates judgment conditions for determining work-related alarms and fault-related alarms.

[0020] In the first embodiment described later, the condition generation unit 13 generates determination conditions for work-related alarms based on the network configuration and alarm generation pattern of the NW device P to be worked on, and according to the work stage. For example, as shown in Figure 3, the condition generation unit 13 generates determination conditions such as alarm x1 being a work-related alarm as condition setting y1, and alarms x1 and x2 being work-related alarms as condition setting y2. The determination unit 17 (details to be described later) determines whether the alarm output from each NW device P is a work-related alarm or a fault-related alarm based on these determination conditions.

[0021] In the second embodiment described later, the condition generation unit 13 generates a time-series reference alarm generation pattern that occurs at each NW device P at each stage of work due to work, based on the network configuration and time-series alarm generation pattern, and uses this as a determination condition. For example, an alarm generation pattern such as "When condition setting y1 is implemented, alarms x1 and x2 occur at NW device P1, and when the subsequent condition setting y2 is implemented, alarm x2 recovers at NW device P1 and alarm x3 occurs at NW device P3" is set as the reference alarm pattern. The determination unit 17 determines that if a time-series alarm generation pattern with a high degree of agreement with this reference alarm generation pattern is obtained from each NW device P, these alarms are work-related alarms, and if a time-series alarm generation pattern with a low degree of agreement is obtained from each NW device P, these alarms are fault-related alarms.

[0022] In the third embodiment described later, the condition generation unit 13 generates determination conditions for detecting abnormal operation of the NW device P based on information about the network configuration and behavioral changes due to work. For example, as shown in the curves s1 and s3 in Figures 7A and 7B described later, the determination unit generates a determination condition based on the expected change pattern of light reception intensity at the equipment mounted on the NW device P during work (this is referred to as the "reference change pattern"). The determination unit 17 determines that the change in photoelectric intensity output from the NW device P is due to work if it matches the reference change pattern shown in curves s1 and s3, and determines that the change is not due to work if it does not match the reference change pattern.

[0023] The condition generation unit 13 outputs each of the above-mentioned determination conditions to the determination unit 17.

[0024] The input unit 15 inputs settings to each NW device P. Generally, as shown in Figure 2B, the control device 3 comprises an input unit 11, a setting information generation unit 12, and an input unit 15. The control device 3 inputs the setting information from the input unit 15 to each NW device P to which the settings are to be applied. In this disclosure, the setting information generation unit 13 of the control device 3 is linked to a new function to be added to the alarm monitoring device 1A.

[0025] The monitoring unit 16 receives alarm information output from each network device P, as well as information on the behavior of equipment mounted on each network device P (for example, light reception intensity). The monitoring unit 16 is, for example, an SNMP manager.

[0026] In the first embodiment described later, the determination unit 17 acquires the determination conditions generated by the condition generation unit 13. Based on the timing of setting input by the input unit 15 and the acquired determination conditions, the determination unit 17 determines whether the alarm information received by the monitoring unit 16 is an operation-related alarm or a fault-related alarm.

[0027] In the second embodiment described later, the determination unit 17 determines whether the alarm information is an action-related alarm based on the alarm generation pattern stored in the storage unit 14. Specifically, by patterning the transition of alarm generation according to the work procedure, the determination unit 17 determines the occurrence of an action-related alarm at each work stage with pinpoint accuracy.

[0028] In the third embodiment described later, the determination unit 17 acquires the reference change pattern stored in the storage unit 14. Furthermore, it acquires the change pattern of the device received by the monitoring unit 16 and determines the degree of agreement with the reference change pattern. For example, if the condition generation unit 13 generates a reference change pattern in which the light reception intensity of the device changes as shown by curve s1 in Figure 7A, and the monitoring unit 16 acquires a change pattern in which the light reception intensity of the device changes as shown by curve s2, then the degree of agreement between these is high, and it is determined that this change pattern and the reference change pattern are in agreement.

[0029] On the other hand, if the condition generation unit 13 generates a reference change pattern shown in curve s3 of Figure 7B, and the monitoring unit 16 acquires a change pattern in which the light reception intensity of the device changes as shown in curve s4, then the degree of agreement between them is low, and it is determined that the change pattern and the reference change pattern do not match. The determination unit 17 outputs information on whether the change patterns match or not to the notification unit 18.

[0030] The determination unit 17 performs status checks, such as SNMP requests and PM information (device information), on the NW device P to be monitored, as needed.

[0031] The notification unit 18 notifies the maintenance worker 2 of the determination result from the determination unit 17. The notification unit 18 is equipped with, for example, a display and shows alarms generated in each NW device P and the change patterns of the equipment. The notification unit 18 distinguishes whether the alarm generated in each NW device P is an operation-related alarm or a fault-related alarm and notifies the maintenance worker 2 accordingly.

[0032] As shown in Figures 2A and 2B, the NW device P includes a receiving unit 21, an alarm determination unit 22, and a transmitting unit 23.

[0033] The receiving unit 21 receives information on the determination conditions transmitted from the input unit 15 of the alarm monitoring device 1.

[0034] The alarm determination unit 22 determines whether or not to output an alarm when a fault occurs in the NW device P. The alarm determination unit 22 determines the alarm using, for example, SNMP (Simple Network Management Protocol).

[0035] The transmission unit 23 transmits the alarm that the alarm determination unit 22 has determined to output to the alarm monitoring devices 1 and 1A.

[0036] [Description of the First Embodiment] Next, we will describe the first embodiment of the specific processing when performing work on the NW device P. Figure 4 is a flowchart of the processing procedure of the first embodiment. Hereinafter, we will describe the processing procedure of the first embodiment with reference to the flowchart shown in Figure 4. First, in step S11 of Figure 4, the input unit 11 receives work information input from the maintenance worker 2.

[0037] In step S12, the setting information generation unit 12 generates setting information to be output to the NW device P based on the work information input by the maintenance worker 2. For example, as shown in Figure 5 (details will be described later), it generates setting information such as switching the communication destination of NW devices P1 and P2 from P3 to P4.

[0038] In step S13, the condition generation unit 13 extracts the work target and work content from the setting information.

[0039] In step S14, the condition generation unit 13 generates judgment conditions for each processing stage of work on the basis of the work target, the work content, and the management information stored in the storage unit 14. For example, as shown in FIG. 3, the condition generation unit 13 generates judgment conditions such that an alarm x1 occurring in the NW device P1 under condition setting y1 is determined as a work-induced alarm, and alarms x1 and x2 occurring in the NW device P1 under condition setting y2 are determined as work-induced alarms.

[0040] In step S15, the input unit 15 outputs judgment conditions to each NW device P.

[0041] In step S16, the judgment unit 17 confirms, for each NW device P, whether a work-induced alarm specified in the judgment condition is set.

[0042] In step S17, it is judged whether or not a work-induced alarm of the judgment condition is specified. If the alarm is specified (S17; YES), the process proceeds to step S18; otherwise (S17; NO), the process proceeds to step S19.

[0043] In step S18, the judgment unit 17 applies the judgment condition. That is, when an alarm is output by the NW device P and received by the monitoring unit 16, the judgment unit 17 judges whether the alarm is a work-induced alarm or a failure-induced alarm on the basis of the applied judgment condition. The notification unit 18 notifies the maintenance worker 2 of this judgment result.

[0044] In step S19, the input unit 15 judges whether condition setting has been completed for all NW devices P. If the setting has been completed (S19; YES), this process ends; otherwise (S19; NO), the process returns to step S15.

[0045] Next, the processing procedure of the above-described first embodiment will be described with reference to FIG. 5. FIG. 5 is an explanatory diagram showing changes in the network connection state when performing work to switch the communication path of the NW device P3 connected to the network to the NW device P4. That is, FIG. 5 shows condition settings and alarms when changing the communication path of "P1→P2→P3" to the communication path of "P1→P2→P4".

[0046] As shown in Fig. 5, when performing communication path switching work, the condition generation unit 13 generates a determination condition for a work-induced alarm at the time of switching a communication destination for the NW device P1, and the input unit 15 outputs a condition setting y1 indicating this determination condition to the NW device P1. In the NW device P1, for example, an alarm x1 and an alarm x2 are set as work-induced alarms. The alarm x1 is, for example, communication interruption, and the alarm x2 is, for example, a connection error. As a result, the alarms x1 and x2 occur in the NW device P1, and these alarms x1 and x2 are acquired by the monitoring unit 16. The determination unit 17 determines that the alarms x1 and x2 are work-induced alarms. This work-induced alarm is notified to the maintainer 2 from the notification unit 18.

[0047] After that, when the communication path is switched from "P1→P2→P3" to "P1→P2→P4", the condition generation unit 13 generates a determination condition for a work-induced alarm at the time of switching a communication destination for the NW device P3, and the input unit 15 outputs a condition setting y2 indicating this determination condition to the NW device P3.

[0048] In the NW device P3, for example, an alarm x3 is set as a work-induced alarm. In addition, the alarm x2 is excluded from the work-induced alarms in the NW device P1. As a result, when the alarm x3 occurs in the NW device P3 and is acquired by the monitoring unit 16, the determination unit 17 determines that the alarm x3 is a work-induced alarm. Further, when the alarm x2 is output from the NW device P1, this alarm x2 is determined to be a failure-induced alarm. This failure-induced alarm is notified to the maintainer 2 from the notification unit 18.

[0049] As described above, the alarm monitoring device 1 according to the present embodiment is an alarm monitoring device 1 that monitors alarms of NW devices P, and includes: a condition generation unit 13 that generates a condition for a work-induced alarm that occurs in an NW device P due to work based on work information executed by the NW device P and a network configuration; a determination unit 17 that acquires an alarm output from the NW device P and determines whether the acquired alarm is a work-induced alarm based on the condition; and a notification unit 18 that notifies the maintainer 2 of a determination result obtained by the determination unit 17.

[0050] In the first embodiment of this design, when the condition generation unit 13 of the alarm monitoring device outputs condition settings y1 and y2 for each stage of the work, it is determined whether the alarm generated in each NW device P is a work-related alarm or a fault-related alarm according to the determination conditions corresponding to these condition settings, and this determination is notified to the maintenance worker 2. Based on this determination result, the maintenance worker 2 can recognize whether or not a fault-related alarm has occurred in each NW device P, and can respond immediately when a fault occurs.

[0051] In the first embodiment, when each NW device P is performing work such as changing the communication path, it is possible to prevent missing fault-causing alarms that are mixed in with work-causing alarms. In the first embodiment, the alarm monitoring device 1 according to the first embodiment can be configured with a simple equipment change, such as modifying a conventional alarm monitoring control device, thus improving versatility.

[0052] (Description of the Second Embodiment) Next, the second embodiment will be described. In the second embodiment, time-series information indicating the timing of the occurrence and recovery of work-related alarms is set as a determination condition, and it is determined whether the alarm is work-related or fault-related based on whether or not the alarm is output according to this determination condition. For example, time-series information such as "Alarm x2 of NW device P1 is generated by condition setting y1 and recovered by condition setting y2" is set as a determination condition. The processing procedure is the same as the flowchart shown in Figure 4, so the explanation will be omitted.

[0053] The procedure of the second embodiment will now be described with reference to Figures 6A and 6B. Figures 6A and 6B are explanatory diagrams showing the output of condition settings y1, y2, and alarms x1 to x3 when performing the operation of switching the communication path of NW device P3 connected to the network to NW device P4.

[0054] As shown in Figure 6A, by outputting condition setting y1 to NW device P1, alarms x1 and x2 are set as work-related alarms in NW device P1. Subsequently, as shown in Figure 6B, by outputting condition setting y2 to NW device P3, alarm x3 is set as a work-related alarm in NW device P3, and alarm x2 is recovered in NW device P1. That is, alarm x2 is excluded from work-related alarms. The condition generation unit 13 generates a reference alarm generation pattern that indicates the timing of the occurrence and recovery of these work-related alarms. The determination unit 17 acquires the reference alarm generation pattern from the condition generation unit 13. The determination unit 17 acquires the alarm generation pattern output from each NW device P and compares it with the reference alarm generation pattern to determine whether the alarm generation pattern output from each NW device P is a work-related alarm or a fault-related alarm.

[0055] For example, as shown in Figure 6B, if an alarm x2 is output from the NW device P1 after the condition setting y2 has been output, this does not match the above-described standard alarm occurrence pattern, so it is determined that this alarm x2 is a fault-caused alarm and the maintenance person 2 is notified.

[0056] In this second embodiment, a reference alarm generation pattern is generated from the timing of the occurrence of work-related alarms, and it is determined whether the alarm is work-related or fault-related based on whether the alarm generation pattern output from each NW device P matches the reference alarm generation pattern. Therefore, if a fault occurs in each NW device P while work such as changing the communication path is being performed, it is possible to distinguish and detect fault-related alarms originating from this fault, thereby improving the accuracy of fault detection.

[0057] In the second embodiment, by patternizing the alarm generation transition according to the work procedure, it becomes possible to pinpoint work alarms at each work stage. That is, in the first embodiment described above, it is possible to determine work alarms for each individual work, whereas in the second embodiment, it is possible to determine work alarms for each stage of the work.

[0058] (Description of the Third Embodiment) Next, the third embodiment will be described. In the third embodiment, when an operation is performed, a reference change pattern is generated that shows the state change of the equipment installed in each NW device P, and the degree of agreement between the change pattern showing the state change of the equipment output from the NW device P and the reference change data is determined to determine the signs of failure occurring in each NW device P. The processing procedure is the same as the flowchart shown in Figure 4, so the explanation will be omitted.

[0059] The procedure of the third embodiment will now be described with reference to Figures 8A and 8B. Figures 8A and 8B are explanatory diagrams showing the flow of condition settings y1 and y2, and state change data z1 and z2 when performing the operation of switching the communication path of NW device P3 connected to the network to NW device P4.

[0060] The condition generation unit 13 generates a change pattern of the state of the equipment mounted on the NW device P1 (for example, a change pattern of light reception intensity) when condition setting y1 is output to the NW device P1. The condition generation unit 13 stores this change pattern as a reference change pattern in the storage unit 14. For example, the data of curve s1 shown in Figure 7A is stored in the storage unit 14. The condition generation unit 13 generates a change pattern of the state of the equipment mounted on the NW device P1 (for example, a change pattern of light reception intensity) when condition setting y2 is output to the NW device P3. The condition generation unit 13 stores this change pattern as a reference change pattern in the storage unit 14. For example, the data of curve s3 shown in Figure 7B is stored in the storage unit 14.

[0061] The determination unit 17 acquires data z1 of the state change of the equipment output from the NW device P1, compares the change pattern of the acquired data z1 with the reference change pattern generated by the condition generation unit 13, and determines the degree of agreement between the two. For example, as shown in Figure 8A, when the change pattern shown by curve s2 in Figure 7A is output from the NW device P1 at the time of output of condition setting y1, the degree of agreement between curve s1 (reference change pattern) and curve s2 is determined. If an agreement is determined, it is determined that this state change (for example, a change in light reception intensity) is a change caused by work.

[0062] On the other hand, as shown in Figure 8B, if the change pattern shown by curve s4 in Figure 7B is output from the NW device P1 when the condition setting y2 is output, the degree of agreement between curve s3 (reference change pattern) and curve s4 is determined. If a mismatch is determined, it is determined that this change in state (for example, a change in light reception intensity) is due to a change caused by something other than the work. These determination results are notified to the maintenance worker 2 by the notification unit 18.

[0063] If the maintenance worker 2 determines that the change pattern is inconsistent, they can recognize that some kind of malfunction has occurred in the network device P1, or that there are signs of an impending malfunction. Furthermore, if the maintenance worker 2 determines that the change pattern is inconsistent, they will check the equipment of the network device P1 and determine whether or not a malfunction has occurred. If they determine that no malfunction has occurred, they will register the change pattern of the equipment state at that time in the storage unit 14 as a new change pattern caused by the work.

[0064] Thus, in the third embodiment, even if no alarm is output from the NW device P, the change pattern of the state of the equipment mounted on each NW device P (for example, the change pattern of the received light intensity) is acquired, and the degree of agreement between this change pattern and a preset reference change pattern is notified to the maintenance worker 2.

[0065] Therefore, if an unexpected state change occurs in each NW device P, the maintenance worker 2 can be notified of the determination result, thus preventing the occurrence of a fault in each NW device P from being overlooked. Furthermore, if the determination result in the determination unit 17 is inconsistent, and the maintenance worker 2 determines that there is no problem, this change pattern is newly registered. This makes it possible to avoid false detection of a fault. In addition, faults or signs of fault can be detected early, regardless of whether an alarm is issued or not.

[0066] As shown in Figure 9, the alarm monitoring device 1 of this embodiment described above can use a general-purpose computer system that includes, for example, a CPU (Central Processing Unit, processor) 901, memory 902, storage 903 (HDD: Hard Disk Drive, SSD: Solid State Drive), communication device 904, input device 905, and output device 906. The memory 902 and storage 903 are storage devices. In this computer system, the various functions of the alarm monitoring device 1 are realized when the CPU 901 executes a predetermined program loaded onto the memory 902.

[0067] The alarm monitoring device 1 may be implemented on a single computer, or on multiple computers. Furthermore, the alarm monitoring device 1 may be a virtual machine implemented on a computer.

[0068] The program for the alarm monitoring device 1 can be stored on a computer-readable recording medium such as an HDD, SSD, USB (Universal Serial Bus) memory, CD (Compact Disc), or DVD (Digital Versatile Disc), or it can be distributed via a network. A computer-readable recording medium is, for example, a non-transitory recording medium.

[0069] This disclosure is not limited to the embodiments described above, and numerous modifications are possible within the scope of its essence.

[0070] 1 Alarm monitoring device 2 Maintenance personnel 11 Input unit 12 Setting information generation unit 13 Condition generation unit 14 Storage unit 15 Input unit 16 Monitoring unit 17 Judgment unit 18 Notification unit 21 Receiving unit 22 Alarm judgment unit 23 Transmission unit 100 Network system P (P1, P2, ...) Network device (NW device)

Claims

1. An alarm monitoring device for monitoring alarms of a network device, comprising: a condition generation unit that generates conditions for work-related alarms generated in the network device due to work, based on work information performed by the network device and the network configuration; a determination unit that acquires alarms output from the network device and determines, based on the conditions, whether or not the acquired alarm is a work-related alarm; and a notification unit that notifies a maintenance person of the determination result by the determination unit.

2. The alarm monitoring device according to claim 1, wherein the condition generation unit generates a time-series reference alarm generation pattern of alarms that occur at each stage of the operation, and the determination unit determines whether or not a malfunction has occurred in the NW device based on the degree of agreement between the time-series alarm generation pattern output from the NW device and the reference alarm generation pattern.

3. The alarm monitoring device according to claim 1, wherein the condition generation unit generates a reference change pattern that occurs within the NW device during operation, and the determination unit acquires the change pattern within the NW device output from the NW device and determines a sign of failure in the NW device based on the degree of agreement between the acquired change pattern and the reference change pattern.

4. An alarm monitoring method for monitoring alarms generated in a network device, comprising: acquiring information on work performed in the network device; generating conditions for work-related alarms generated in the network device based on the work information and the network configuration; acquiring alarms output from the network device; determining whether the acquired alarm is a work-related alarm based on the conditions; and notifying a maintenance person of the determination result.

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