Alarm Integration for Layer 1 Fault Isolation
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Solution Overview
Problem
Long-distance telecommunication networks face challenges in precisely isolating the root cause of failures due to the lack of detailed alarms from Layer 2 Ethernet switches and Layer 3 routers, which only provide indications of failure at Layer 2/Layer 3 without underlying details, necessitating integration with more granular alarms from reconfigurable optical add-drop multiplexers (ROADMs) and optical transport network (OTN) elements.
Innovation Solution
A method is introduced to integrate alarms from routers and Ethernet switches with those from ROADM/OTN network elements, utilizing enhanced alarms such as SignalFail-Set, SignalFail-Clear, LocalFault-Set, and RemoteFault-Set to analyze laser optical parameters and determine troubleshooting actions, including dispatches for replacing or cleaning optical components, thereby isolating root causes of failures.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Measurement precision
If alarms from Layer 2 Ethernet switches and Layer 3 routers are used alone, then the system is simple to operate, but the measurement precision of failure root cause is insufficient
Solution Approach 1:
The patent combines alarms from multiple network layers (Layer 1 OTN/ROADM elements, Layer 2 Ethernet switches, and Layer 3 routers) into a unified alarm integration system. This merging enables cross-layer correlation of alarm data, allowing the system to trace failures from high-level network elements down to specific physical components like laser transmitters, thereby improving measurement precision of failure root cause while managing complexity through systematic integration.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent introduces an alarm integration system as an intermediary layer that collects, correlates, and analyzes alarms from multiple network elements and layers. This intermediary processes raw alarm data from OTN/ROADM elements, Ethernet switches, and routers, transforming them into actionable failure root cause information. The intermediary manages the complexity by providing a structured approach to alarm correlation and troubleshooting action generation.
2Productivity
If manual troubleshooting is performed without integrated alarms, then the device complexity is low, but the productivity of network maintenance is reduced
Solution Approach 1:
The patent implements preliminary action by proactively analyzing alarm data from multiple network layers before failures fully manifest or propagate. The alarm integration system continuously monitors and correlates alarms from OTN/ROADM elements, Ethernet switches, and routers, identifying potential failures early and generating troubleshooting actions in advance. This proactive approach accelerates trouble isolation speed by preparing diagnostic information before manual intervention is required.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent establishes feedback loops where alarm data from network elements is continuously collected, analyzed, and used to generate troubleshooting actions. The system provides feedback by correlating alarms across layers and providing actionable insights that guide maintenance personnel. This feedback mechanism improves productivity by transforming raw alarm data into structured diagnostic information, reducing the time required for manual troubleshooting and failure root cause identification.
3Reliability
If detailed alarm integration is implemented, then the reliability of failure analysis is improved, but the loss of time for data collection increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent implements continuous alarm data collection and correlation across all network layers (OTN/ROADM elements, Ethernet switches, and routers). The alarm integration system operates continuously, maintaining real-time monitoring and correlation of alarms from multiple sources. This continuous operation ensures that failure analysis accuracy is improved through comprehensive data collection without requiring additional time during actual troubleshooting, as the data is already prepared and correlated when failures occur.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent performs preliminary data collection and correlation by continuously gathering alarm data from multiple network elements and layers before failures occur. The system pre-processes and correlates alarm data, maintaining a ready state for rapid failure analysis. This preliminary action ensures that when failures occur, the system can immediately provide accurate failure root cause identification without incurring additional data collection time, thereby improving reliability while minimizing time loss.
Data Source
AI summary
Methods, systems, and apparatuses, among other things, may integrate one or more first alarms reported by routers and Ethernet switches with one or more second alarms reported by reconfigurable optical add/drop multiplexers (ROADMs) and optical transport network (OTN) network elements. Moreover, one or more troubleshooting actions may be performed based on the integrated first alarms and second alarms.