Unified Network Alarm Correlation and Resolution Platform
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Solution Overview
Problem
Current network operation centers require significant human management and separate systems for fault monitoring, performance monitoring, configuration, and incident management, making it inefficient to manage increasingly complex virtualized networks with dynamic services.
Innovation Solution
A network resolution platform that automatically monitors, correlates, and resolves alarm conditions by receiving network information from both physical and virtual network portions, using machine learning models to determine alarm conditions, correlate them with inventory, topology, and service information, and generate resolutions for proactive network assurance.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If separate systems are used for fault monitoring, performance monitoring, configuration, and incident management, then each system can be specialized and optimized, but the overall system complexity increases and human management burden increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent combines multiple separate monitoring and management systems into a single unified network operations platform that integrates fault monitoring, performance monitoring, configuration management, and incident management functions. This consolidation reduces system complexity while maintaining specialized capabilities through modular architecture.
Solution Approach 2:
The unified network operations platform is designed to perform multiple functions across different network domains simultaneously. It can monitor both physical and virtual network portions, handle various types of alarms, and provide comprehensive management capabilities through a single multi-functional system.
2Adaptability or versatility
If manual management is used for complex virtualized networks, then human expertise can be applied to complex problems, but productivity decreases and response time increases
Solution Approach 1:
The system implements automated alarm correlation and root cause analysis capabilities that enable self-service functionality. The platform automatically processes alarm data, correlates alarms across network domains, identifies root causes, and generates resolutions without requiring continuous human intervention, thereby improving productivity while maintaining adaptability through intelligent algorithms.
Solution Approach 2:
The platform incorporates automated feedback loops where alarm correlation results and root cause analysis are continuously refined based on system performance data. This enables the system to learn from past incidents and improve its automated response capabilities over time, reducing the need for manual management while maintaining high adaptability.
3Loss of information
If comprehensive network monitoring is implemented across physical and virtual portions, then network health visibility improves, but data processing complexity and resource requirements increase
Solution Approach 1:
The monitoring system divides the network into distinct physical and virtual portions, each monitored with domain-specific algorithms and data processing pipelines. This segmentation allows comprehensive monitoring of both portions while managing data processing complexity through specialized handling of each network domain's unique characteristics.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent introduces an alarm correlation engine as an intermediary layer between raw alarm data collection and analysis. This intermediary automatically correlates alarms across physical and virtual network domains, reducing the complexity of processing comprehensive network data by filtering, aggregating, and contextualizing information before presentation to operators.
4Loss of time
If automated alarm correlation and resolution is implemented, then response time improves and human management burden decreases, but system complexity and initial setup requirements increase
Solution Approach 1:
The system performs preliminary alarm correlation and root cause analysis automatically as alarms are received, before human operators need to intervene. The platform pre-processes alarm data, correlates related alarms, identifies potential root causes, and prepares draft resolutions in advance, significantly reducing response time while managing complexity through automated workflows.
Data Source
AI summary
A device receives first network information associated with a first portion of a network, and second network information associated with a second portion of the network, and determines, based on the first network information and the second network information, an alarm condition for the network. The device determines, based on correlation rules, whether the alarm condition relates to a currently handled alarm condition or a previously handled alarm condition. The device correlates the alarm condition with network inventory information, network topology information, and network service information, when the alarm condition does not relate to the currently handled alarm condition or the previously handled alarm condition, to generate a correlated alarm condition. The device automatically generates a resolution for the correlated alarm condition based on the correlated alarm condition, and automatically performs one or more actions based on the resolution for the correlated alarm condition.