GB2340628A - Processing and passing on peripheral unit activations in a network - Google Patents

Abstract

A network, in particular an SDH network, for transmitting digital data (Fig. 1), comprises a plurality of network elements (NE1 - NEn, Fig. 1) which are controlled or adjusted by at least one master operator unit EMOS. Each network element has a control and monitoring processor SCU to which a plurality of peripheral units PCU (plug-in cards) have access. The activations of the peripheral units PCU are passed to the control and monitoring processor SCU for processing and passing on to the master operating unit EMOS. The monitoring processor SCU comprises processing units organised according to the different types of the peripheral units PCU to be controlled, thus all commands/activations are processed locally by one processing unit, and expansion/retrofitting is problem-free. (Whereas in the prior art (Fig. 3), activation-specific processing units would be used, such that each processing unit needs to have knowledge of all peripheral processor types and thus they would all need to be adapted on expansion/retrofitting.)

Description

CIRCUIT ARRANGEMENT AND METHOD FOR CONTROL OF NETWORK ELEMENTS In

transmission networks, in particular transmission networks in which data is transmitted with different bit rates within a synchronous digital hierarchy, a plurality of network elements are arranged. These network elements either combine a plurality of data streams with a low bit rate to form a data stream with a high bit rate or, for example, partial data streams are coupled out of or into a data stream with a high bit rate with the aid of the network elements.

The network elements are controlled or adjusted by way of an Equipment Management Operating System, which is called a master operator init in the following. A plurality of network elements can be connected to the master operator unit. With this master operator unit, individual network elements in the transmission network can be activated or configured. These network elements are in each case structured in such a way that there is access to peripheral units of very different module types by way of a control and monitoring processor integrated in the network element. These peripheral units are in each case plug-in cards, each having their own processor, which is controlled by a control or monitoring processor of the network element by way of command interfaces. The activations of the peripheral units are passed to the control and monitoring processor, preferably by way of a distributor, for example a bus system.

The processing units inside the control and monitoring processor, which are constructed so as to be activation-specific, are divided up in such a way that, for example, one processing unit is responsible for alarm messages of all peripheral units connected to the network element. In the case of this activation processing, the processing unit, which is developed so as to be activation-specific, communicates with a plurality of subordinate processing units in the network element. If the peripheral arithmetic units are expanded by a unit having new function features or user facilities in the case of the existing peripheral units, this alteration must be detected in a plurality of the processing units arranged in the control and monitoring processor. An alteration in the processing units in turn entails extensive testing and adaptation procedures between the processing units.

Thus, in this classic architecture for control software of network elements of transmission engineering, the system is divided up according to functional aspects. This means that the tasks of the same type are processed for all controlled peripheral units or cards by one processing unit. For example, each alarm message, irrespective of its further effects, is first processed by a functional unit Alarming.

The commands of a master arithmetic unit or activations from a peripheral unit to the processing units inside the network elements result in the initiation of a plurality of processing procedures between the processing units. Each communication between the processing units in the network element unit leads to a plurality of interface procedures between the processing units.

The invention seeks to provide a circuit arrangement and a method for comparatively fast adaptation of network elements to a changed environment.

According to one aspect of the invention there is provided a circuit arrangement having a control and monitoring processor for processing and passing on activations which are delivered by master units and/or peripheral units, wherein in addition to at least one central processing unit, the control and monitoring processor has at least one processing unit corresponding to each peripheral unit allocated to it.

According to a second aspect of the invention there is provided a method for processing and passing on of activations, delivered by master units and/or peripheral units, inside a control and monitoring processor, wherein the activations delivered by a peripheral unit are processed centrally in a processing unit allocated to said peripheral unit.

The invention brings with it the advantage that events to be processed are passed comparatively quickly to a master operator unit.

The invention brings with it the advantage that communication between the processing units of the network element is avoided.

The invention brings with it the further advantage that in the case of a new software version or an addition of new peripheral units to the network element, extensive te:ting or simulation procedures can be dispensed with.

The invention brings with it the further advantage that a large number of interfaces between individual unit-type-specific processing units inside the control and testing processor can be avoided.

The invention brings with it the further advantage that expenditure on development, testing and also maintenance can be minimised.

The invention brings with it the further advantage that in the case of an integration of a new follow-on version or a peripheral unit, only one processing unit inside the control and monitoring processor that corresponds to the peripheral unit has to be adapted.

Further advantageous developments of the circuit arrangement and of the method are given in the further claims.

For a better understanding of the present invention, and to show how it may be brought into effect, reference will now be made, by way of example, to the accompanying drawings, in which:

Figure 1 shows a network configuration; Figure 2 shows a block-circuit diagram of a network element; Figure 3 shows processing units inside the control and monitoring processor; Figure 4 shows a block-circuit diagram for processing activations in accordance with the invention; and Figure 5 shows an adaptation inside the control is and monitoring processor.

Figure 1 shows a configuration of a network, in particular of an SDH network, for transmitting digital data. This network basically has a plurality of similarly constructed network elements NE1,..., NEn, at least one master operator unit EMOS and also further network management units SMNIOS. The network units NE1,..., NEn are connected to each other by way of connecting lines Q formed from glass-fibre lines, for example. By way of at least one connecting line, an operator has the possibility of configuring the peripheral units connected to the network elements NEx.

The activations delivered by the peripheral units are processed by the control and monitoring computer in the network unit NEx.

Figure 2 shows the connection of peripheral control units, the peripheral units or module types PCU,. to the network units NEn. These peripheral module types PCU each have, by way of a distributor V, access to the control and monitoring processor SCU of a network unit NE. The control and monitoring processor SCU processes and passes on, when required, the activations addressed to it to the master operator unit EMOS.

Figure 3 shows the essential processing units which are integrated in the control and monitoring unit SCU. These processing units are constructed according to activation-specific points of view. The most important processing units are a unit for signal monitoring, for example for a quality measurement, or a unit for signal alteration by adding or splitting off items of additional information TP/PM, a unit for passing on a signal CC and a unit PP for doubling the signal in order to send it over two different lines, an equipment management alarming unit Eqm-A for handling all alarm messages which have nothing to do with SDH signals per se but instead with problems in the hardware of the network element, an equipment management unit Eqm-S for managing the different hardware units in the system, a card protection unit CP for protection against failure, a line protection unit L/P for recognition of a fault in the SDH signal path to an adjacent network element NEx, a synchronous equipment timing unit SET for clock-pulse supply of the network element, and an overhead management unit OHM for evaluating and for appending additional information onto a signal to be transmitted.

There follows an example of an activation processing with the aid of an alarm message delivered by a peripheral unit. In this example, starting from the peripheral unit PCU:OIS 16, the alarm message is delivered by way of the distributor V to the control and monitoring computer SCU. In the control and monitoring computer SCU, after the reception of the alarm message, a series of routines for alarm processing are initiated. In the case of this alarm message, the card protection unit CP is informed by the equipment management alarming unit Eqm-A that a card has failed and which protective measures need to be taken. Starting from this management alarming unit Eqm-A, different procedures are then carried out in the card protection unit CP, in the cross connection/path protection unit CC/PP and in the line/ring protection unit L/P. Additionally, a message is delivered by the card protection unit CP to the equipment management startup configuration control unit Eqm-S, which in turn passes a message to the equipment management EMOS.

The current processing units inside the control and monitoring processor SCU are organised according to functional points of view and the processing units inside the network element are adapted thereto. In the case of this activation processing, alarm messages, a configuration, a performance or a protective measure are processed by processing units responsible for these activations. Thus, for example, an alarm of a peripheral unit can lead to the actuation of a protective function or to the deletion of performance values and to the configuration of other peripheral units of the 6ame type. In the case of the processing of activations of peripheral units, a plurality of functional units are affected, something which results in a dependency and a large number of interfaces between the individual functional units inside the control and monitoring processor SCU. Moreover, there are corresponding functionalities which are controlled by the individual functional units of the line equipment processor on almost all peripheral processor types. In addition, the individual functionalities on different peripheral processor types are possibly developed in different ways. Each activation-specific processing unit of the central processor unit SCU has knowledge of all peripheral processor types. In the case of follow-on versions of network elements NE, there are usually new peripheral module types. The approach of an activation processing that was pursued hitherto leads to each processing unit in the central processor unit SCU having to be adapted to the follow on version of a peripheral unit.

Figure 4 shows the processing units inside the control and monitoring computer SCU in accordance with the invention. The processing units arranged in the control and monitoring computer SCU are the unit CLL for clock-pulse supply of the network element NEx, the switching network line system unit SNL, which has a switching matrix for passing on the commands or activations, an optical amplifier unit OA for amplifying the optical signals, an overhead access unit OHA for managing the items of additional information contained in a signal, a system control unit realtime unit SCUR, which contains the control computer of the network element, and a network element administration unit NEAD, which manages the essential items of information which cannot be allocated to a certain unit or card or to a certain unit type or card type.

In the case of an error message of a peripheral unit, for example the module type PCU OIS16, only one processing unit OIS16 in the network element NE is required for processing the activation of the peripheral unit PCU OIS16. This processing unit OIS16 is responsible only for a special type of peripheral unit. All procedures for processing the activation of the peripheral unit PCU OIS16 that become necessary are dealt with inside the card-type-oriented processing unit OIS16. In the case of an alarm message, in the case of the card-type-oriented processing unit, only one.activation is passed to the switching network for line system SNL and a master or predominant processing unit NEAD.

The card-type-based processing units CLL, SNL, OIS16, EIPS1, OA, ORA, SCUR and NEAD of the central processor SCU in the network element divide the software of the central processor SCU according to different types of the peripheral processor units PCU to be controlled. A card-type-based processing unit of the central processor unit SCU is in each case responsible for all peripheral processors of a certain type. All commands/activations can beprocessed locally -by one processing unit.

The card-type-based software architecture thus avoids a communication between the processing units in the central processor unit or the control and monitoring processor SCU.

In Figure 5, a further peripheral unit PCU:OIS4 is connected to a network element. In the network is element, it is not necessary, as it was before, for extensive additional modules to each existing processing unit in the control and monitoring processor SCU to be implemented; instead, only one processing unit OIS4 which corresponds to the new peripheral unit has to be inserted and one supplementary module attached to the predominant processing unit NEAD.

In accordance with the local processing of activations in the processing units, which activations are passed by a peripheral unit via the distributor or a bus system to the control or system processor SCU, the activations of the master unit EMOS are also processed substantially locally in a processing unit of the control or system processor SCU. In the case'of an alteration or insertion of new user facilities, for example in the overhead management, only the processing unit OHA in the control or system processor SCU needs to be altered in this connection.

Claims (8)

1. Circuit arrangement having a control and monitoring processor for processing and passing on activations which are delivered by master units and/or peripheral units, wherein in addition to at least one central processing unit, the control and monitoring processor has at least one processing unit corresponding to each peripheral unit allocated to it.

2. Circuit arrangement according to claim 1, wherein the processing units in the control and monitoring processor are constructed in modular fashion.

3. Circuit arrangement according to claim 1, wherein the peripheral units are connected by way of a distributor to the control and monitoring processor.

4. Circuit arrangement according to any preceding claim which is arranged in a network element.

5. Method for processing and passing on of activations, delivered by master units and/or peripheral units, inside a control and monitoring processor, wherein the activations delivered by a peripheral unit are processed centrally in a processing unit allocated to said peripheral unit.

6. Circuit arrangement substantially as herein described, with reference to Figures 4 and 5 of the accompanying drawings.

7. Method for processing and passing on of activations substantially as herein described, with reference to 4 and 5 of the accompanying drawings.

8. A network having a circuit arrangement as claimed in one of claims 1-4 or 6.