Network Node Fault Management With Direct Fault Reporting

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Solution Overview

Problem

Existing network management systems face complexity and inefficiency in fault detection and reporting due to the need for specialized operations and indirect interaction through intermediaries, lacking real-time capability assessment of managed nodes, and inability to determine fault types they can report.

Innovation Solution

A simplified method and system for Network Resource Management (NRM) Fault Management (FM) that directly configures managed nodes to detect, report, and log faults using standardized operations, with attributes like administrative and operational states to control fault reporting, and maintains fault type lists for each node, reducing the need for complex subscription mechanisms.

Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles

VSEngineering Contradiction Analysis

1Reliability

If specialized subscription mechanisms are used for fault management, then fault reporting capability is established, but system complexity and operational overhead increase significantly

Engineering Contradiction:

Improvefault reporting capabilityVSAvoidsystem complexity

Core Design Contradiction:

ReliabilityVSDevice complexity

Solution Approach 1:

The patent extracts the fault reporting capability from the complex subscription mechanism. Instead of requiring full subscription setup with multiple parameters and intermediary agents, the system allows nodes to directly report faults using a simplified operation that carries both the fault information and destination address, eliminating the need for separate subscription management

Inventive Principle:

Principle #2Taking out (Extraction)

Solution Approach 2:

The fault report operation is designed to be multi-functional, serving both as a fault notification and as a capability advertisement. The same operation that reports a fault also informs the network management system about the node's fault reporting capabilities, eliminating the need for separate capability negotiation procedures

Inventive Principle:

Principle #6Universality (Multi-functionality)

2Extent of automation

If intermediary agents are used to manage fault reporting, then centralized control is achieved, but direct interaction and real-time capability assessment are lost

Engineering Contradiction:

Improvecentralized controlVSAvoidreal-time capability assessment

Core Design Contradiction:

Extent of automationVSLoss of information

Solution Approach 1:

The system implements feedback by having fault report operations include information about the reporting node's capabilities. When a node sends a fault report, it simultaneously provides feedback to the network management system about what types of faults it can detect and report, enabling real-time capability assessment without intermediary agents

Inventive Principle:

Principle #23Feedback

Solution Approach 2:

The patent eliminates the intermediary agent role by allowing direct communication between managed nodes and the network management system. The fault report operation itself serves as the direct interaction mechanism, carrying all necessary information without requiring intermediate translation or routing through agent entities

Inventive Principle:

Principle #24Intermediary (Mediator)

3Adaptability or versatility

If multiple specialized operations are implemented for fault management, then comprehensive fault coverage is achieved, but operational complexity increases

Engineering Contradiction:

Improvefault coverageVSAvoidoperational complexity

Core Design Contradiction:

Adaptability or versatilityVSEase of operation

Solution Approach 1:

The patent merges multiple specialized fault management operations into a single unified fault report operation. This single operation handles fault detection, reporting, capability advertisement, and destination specification, replacing what would otherwise require multiple separate operations including subscription setup, capability negotiation, and fault notification

Inventive Principle:

Principle #5Merging (Combining)

Solution Approach 2:

Instead of having the system configure nodes with fault reporting capabilities through multiple setup operations, the patent inverts the approach by having nodes automatically advertise their capabilities through the fault report operation itself. This eliminates the need for complex pre-configuration and capability negotiation procedures

Inventive Principle:

Principle #13The other way round (Inversion)

Data Source

PatentEP3954089B1Management model for node fault management

Publication Date: 2025.12.10 TELEFONAKTIEBOLAGET LM ERICSSON (PUBL)

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AI summary

In a network Fault Management (FM) model, network equipment (160) maintains a ManagedElement object (12). The ManagedElement object contains one or more ManagedFunction objects (14, 22, 24, 26) with each ManagedFunction object (16) comprising an FMControl object specifying the capabilities of the ManagedFunction objects to produce, report, and log fault reports, a Fault Type List object (18) listing the various types of faults the ManagedFunction object can detect, report, and log, and a currentFaultList object (20) listing the current faults and associated fault information. The FMControl object further includes several attributes that are set by a Management System (30) to control the reading of fault reports as well as the sending of the fault reports to other interested network nodes (190).