Hierarchical Network Display for Real-Time Failure Identification
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Solution Overview
Problem
Managing large computer networks is challenging due to equipment failures, which cause delays and inefficiencies in identifying and addressing issues, especially as networks grow in complexity, as existing methods like manual tables or lists become unwieldy and fail to provide real-time information on affected users or equipment.
Innovation Solution
The system automatically processes and displays network information in a hierarchical structure, allowing for real-time organization and presentation of data, including affected users and equipment, using a processing engine that adds elements to the data structure based on descriptive data, and provides a graphical display with alarm states and impact counts.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Productivity
If manual tables or lists are used to track network equipment, then simplicity of implementation is maintained, but time to locate failed equipment increases significantly as network size grows
Solution Approach 1:
The patent replaces manual tracking methods (mechanical/systematic human effort) with an automated computer-based system that uses software to automatically discover, track, and display network equipment status. The system automatically generates visual displays showing equipment locations and failure states without requiring manual updating of tables or lists.
Solution Approach 2:
The network management system performs self-service by automatically discovering network equipment, tracking their status, and generating visual displays of network state without requiring manual intervention. The system autonomously monitors equipment failures and updates the visual representation of the network.
2Loss of information
If comprehensive network monitoring is implemented to track all equipment and users, then information completeness about affected users is improved, but system complexity and data processing requirements increase
Solution Approach 1:
The patent segments the network information into hierarchical levels (network, equipment, user) and organizes it in a structured visual display format. This segmentation allows comprehensive tracking of equipment and affected users while presenting information in a manageable, organized manner that reduces processing complexity.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent transforms flat network data into a multi-dimensional visual display that adds spatial and hierarchical dimensions to the information. The visual display organizes equipment and user information in a structured layout that presents comprehensive data in an intuitive format, reducing the cognitive and processing complexity of managing comprehensive network information.
Data Source
AI summary
Apparatus and methods for automatically processing and displaying information for managing equipment or services in a network. The information is automatically inserted into a hierarchical data structure, which can then presented in a ticker display for viewing by a user. The information concerning the network equipment or services may also be used to determine the users affected by particular network failures.