JPH03171946A - High level centralized maintenance method by switching network managing equipment - Google Patents

Abstract

PURPOSE:To realize the addition of a function of an exchange service in a short period by regarding an exchange software as parts of various function units and allowing a network managing software to have the control right. CONSTITUTION:An operator of a network managing equipment NME converts constitution data of each exchange EX1-EX3 centralized and generated through a machine interface of a high level consisting of a display device CRT, a keyboard KBD and a mouse MUS to a data base to an information accumulating device DB of the network managing equipment NME. Subsequently, with respect to a specific area in a main storage device being within a management range of a constitution managing software of each management object exchange EX1-EX3, the constitution data generated from the network managing equipment NME is brought to down-loading. By this constitution data, the exchange EX gives an instruction by remote power-on so as to execute initialization, and a constitution managing software executes initialization as a software so that the exchange EX which receives the instruction can operate by the constitution data brought to down-loading. In such a way, opening of the exchange is facilitated.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION [Field of Industrial Application] The present invention relates to an advanced centralized maintenance method using a switching network management device that centrally manages a switching network configured using stored program control type electronic switching equipment as communication nodes.

[Conventional technology]

The operation and maintenance work for conventional general electronic switching equipment can be roughly divided into two types: configuration management, which involves generating and changing the configuration data that makes up the switching equipment; performance management, which measures and analyzes the usage rate of resources within the switching equipment; There is a task called fault management that manages faults in the various devices that make up the exchange. In conventional devices of this kind, as described in Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 62-293862, station information such as numbering plan and number of trunk lines set for each exchange is used as a station information setting method in a storage program control exchange. If changes were to be made while the switch was in operation, maintenance personnel had to manually make changes using the maintenance terminal equipment installed in the switch at each site. Furthermore, in a communication system in which a master station and multiple slave stations that follow it communicate with each other as described in Japanese Patent Application Laid-open No. 63-160446, multiple pieces of route information stored in each station are downloaded from the master station when the system is started. It was supposed to be done. Also, JP-A-63-1429
As described in Publication No. 48, the fault management and maintenance system for electronic switching equipment is to improve maintenance work for faulty packages and the like by linking the central processing unit for controlling the switching equipment and the maintenance console processor.

[Problem to be solved by the invention]

In the above-mentioned conventional technology, the station information setting method disclosed in Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 62-293862 is implemented in a single electronic exchange, and a maintenance person can input the configuration data for each station for multiple exchanges configuring a network within a company. Maintenance personnel are required to go to each station to make changes using maintenance terminal equipment, but as networks become globalized, switching stations are being installed around the world, which increases the burden on maintenance personnel. There was also the problem of reaching a limit. Also, JP-A-6
In the communication network route information creation method disclosed in Publication No. 3160446, performance information such as the resource usage rate within the exchange network changes dynamically under various conditions even after the station is in operation, so the route information also changes dynamically. There were issues that were not considered as to what needed to be done.

Furthermore, in the maintenance method for failures of electronic exchanges disclosed in Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 63-142948,
Similar to Publication No. 62, maintenance personnel are required to go to the exchange and perform maintenance work manually while referring to maintenance manuals, etc., which poses problems such as a heavy workload on the maintenance personnel.

An object of the present invention is to use a switching network management device that centrally manages a plurality of switching centers scattered in various locations, so that maintenance personnel can centrally manage the configuration data of each switching center without having to go to the site. An advanced centralized maintenance method using a switching network management device that facilitates the opening of switching centers by creating the configuration data, downloading the configuration data to each managed switching center, and automatically generating the configuration data of each switching center using a remote version. Our goal is to provide the following.

In addition, (2) we provide an advanced centralized maintenance method using a switching network management device that simplifies switching maintenance work by centrally managing configuration information associated with additions, changes, and deletions after the switching center is in operation. It's about doing. Furthermore, (3) the above (1)
). An object of the present invention is to provide an advanced centralized maintenance method using a switching network management device in which (2) the switching network management device automatically checks the consistency of maintenance work by inquiring each switching center, thereby reducing the work of maintenance personnel.

(4) After the switching network, which is configured with switching equipment as communication nodes, is in operation, the switching network management device collects the usage rate of the lines managed within each switching device by cyclic polling, and uses the switching network management device to identify abnormal traffic lines. i! If the line is identified as such, it automatically issues a change command to the detour route table in the switching center linked to the line, dynamically changing the detour route in the switching network, thereby facilitating facility planning and maintenance by operators. An object of the present invention is to provide an advanced centralized maintenance method using a switching network management device that supports the work of operators.

In addition, (5) when a failure occurs in the equipment that makes up the exchange managed by each exchange itself, the exchange network management device is notified of the failure rather than outputting a failure message to the maintenance terminal at each site. Highly centralized switching network management equipment enables the switching network management equipment to centrally monitor the occurrence of faults within the switching network, eliminating the need for maintenance personnel to be permanently stationed at each switching center, resulting in size savings. The purpose is to provide a maintenance method.

Furthermore, (6) when a maintenance person needs to investigate the detailed contents of the fault notified to the network management equipment in (5) above through the display of the switching network management equipment, conventional Typically, maintenance personnel would execute commands/messages that are a list of alphanumeric characters while referring to the maintenance manual, but this could be done by creating a database of command-to-Japanese translation tables in the exchange network management equipment. Furthermore, it is an object of the present invention to provide an advanced centralized maintenance method using a switching network management device that supports maintenance personnel in troubleshooting procedures by organizing and programming maintenance work procedures described in a maintenance manual.

[Means to solve the problem]

In order to achieve the above objectives, the advanced centralized maintenance method using the switching network management device of the present invention has a database and a man-machine interface for centrally managing a switching network consisting of a plurality of electronic exchanges and lines. In an advanced centralized maintenance system for switching networks in which an information processing computer is installed as a network management device and the network management device is linked to a central processing unit for controlling electronic exchanges, (1) the configuration of each switching center that makes up the switching network; After the information is created and made into a database through the man-machine interface of the network management device, the configuration data is downloaded to the main storage device in the central control device of each managed exchange, and then the above data is sent from the network management device to each exchange. This system enables the remote and centralized automatic generation of data for each switching office and subscriber data that make up the switching network using a remote version that instructs users to perform initial settings based on configuration data. In addition, (2) changes to software data associated with the addition, deletion, or modification of system component devices that make up a switch after the opening of a switch were generally carried out by switch maintenance personnel who visited the site and used the maintenance terminal of each switch. Centralized maintenance of multiple exchanges by downloading the configuration data of the target exchange from the network management device to the exchange through the man-machine interface screen of the network management device. This made it possible.

Furthermore, (3) above (1). Management of the station data and subscriber data that make up the switching system using the means of (2) must be done manually, but as networks become larger and more complex, management of these configuration data has already become difficult. Since there are many tasks that are beyond the scope of manual work, the network management device periodically checks whether there are any mutual contradictions in the configuration information of the switching network system created in (1) and (2) above in order to deal with these issues. The configuration data of each switch is collected through cyclic polling and checked by statistical analysis, and if any inconsistency in the switch network configuration data is discovered, it is notified to maintenance personnel through the man-machine interface of the line management device. This system has a function to check the consistency of switching network configuration data.

In addition, (4) In addition to call control, which is the original purpose of the storage program W electronic exchange, the control system of the exchange also uses configuration information and performance information of various resources (relay lines, terminal lines, etc.) that make up the exchange. It is managed by software, and the network management device periodically collects the resource utilization rate within each switch after the switch is in operation through cyclic polling, and then uses the collected data to make a big-picture judgment from a total standpoint. If an abnormality is detected in the usage rate of the trunk line, such as the usage rate of the line linking exchange A and exchange B continues to exceed the standard value for a certain period of time, the system detects an abnormality. In this case, the network management device prevents calls between exchanges A and B by rewriting the detour table or call restriction table held by each exchange. Routing control such as detouring is dynamically performed.

In addition, (5) As mentioned in (4) above, in electronic switching systems that adopt the storage program control method, the fault detection and automatic disconnection functions of the system equipment that make up the electronic switching system are also managed by control system software. Since the exchange's maintenance terminal equipment only prints out information when a failure occurs, maintenance personnel had to be stationed at each exchange site, but with this method, failure information detected at the exchange can be autonomously dialed up. In addition to making it possible to notify the network management device according to the function, parameters such as the time of failure, location of failure, details of failure, and switching center number logically assigned within the managed switching network are included in the failure notification message. By using the three techniques mentioned above, in which the basic data for converting the parameters into Japanese, etc. is stored in the network management equipment as a database, failures that occur in the exchanges that make up the switching network can be immediately reported to the network management equipment. This allows for centralized display in Japanese. Furthermore, (6) According to (5) above, if a local maintenance person discovers a failure in a replacement device, the maintenance person will maintain various test commands while referring to the maintenance manual etc. in order to understand the failure situation in detail. Manual operations are repeated by inputting information from a terminal and analyzing the output results, but in this method, the procedures described in the maintenance manual are created as rules and databases in the network management equipment, and semi-automated operations are performed from a remote location. This system is designed to support maintenance personnel by implementing the system and outputting results in a list format in Japanese that is easily readable by maintenance personnel without the need for manuals.

[Effect]

In the above-mentioned advanced centralized maintenance method using the switching network management device, the electronic exchange that adopts the storage program control method is roughly divided into a call path system, a control system, and input/output system hardware and software, and the system configuration of a single electronic exchange is Equipment management, performance management such as the usage rate of the relevant resources, and fault management such as fault detection and automatic disconnection of the above-mentioned component equipment are all realized by the control system software of the electronic switching equipment, and the electronic switching equipment with these functions is A dedicated line, a public telephone network, and an ISDN (Integrated
Seruicl Digital Network)
An information processing device (generally a workstation) with an advanced man-machine interface and database is installed as a switching network management device that centrally manages a switching network consisting of By providing a control link that performs data communication using out-of-band signals, inter-processor communication between the network management device and the control processor of the management exchange is enabled, and the network management device can be used to centralize a switching network consisting of multiple exchanges. Adopted as a maintenance terminal, (1) The man-machine interface of the switching network management device is used to create a database of configuration data for each switching center created centrally by the operator, and the network management device connects each switching center with a line for management control. After establishing a data link by a known means using launch based on configuration data.

In addition, (2) when changing station data or subscriber data after the station is in operation, the line management device can instruct the change by sending a command to the exchange after establishing a data link with the exchange. Configuration data can be maintained remotely without having to go to the office. Furthermore, (3) the network management device collects switch configuration data held by each switch by known means, and performs the above (1). (2)
The consistency check of the network configuration data can be performed by comparing it with the configuration data generated by the system and calling attention to the maintenance operator through the man-machine interface of the network management device if there is a discrepancy.

In addition, (4) the network management device collects and statistically analyzes trunk line utilization data connected to each exchange through cyclic polling from each exchange, and analyzes the line utilization rate, which is conventionally managed for each exchange. This can replace the manual collection of the usage status of each station by printing it out from the maintenance terminal installed at each station, and if an abnormal value is detected as a result of statistical analysis after automatic collection by the network management device. By creating a detour route based on the configuration data managed within the network management device and distributing the detour route pattern table to the relevant switching center, the relevant switching center can thereafter divert calls according to the detour pattern. Therefore, it is possible to avoid using lines with abnormally high utilization rates due to concentrated calls, etc., and congestion can be prevented.

In addition, (5) when a fault occurs in a component that makes up a switch, the fault message that was conventionally output to the maintenance console of each switch is now managed by the network using an autonomous dial-up function via the switch input/output control device. The message should be sent after the data link is established with the device, and the date of the failure, the logical network address of the area where the failure occurred, and the details of the failure should be attached as parameters to the failure message, and the above failure message should be stored in the database of the network management device. By creating a Japanese translation table, the network management device can centrally display the failure occurrence status of the component devices that make up the switched network.

Furthermore, (6) if the operator of the network management device that has detected the occurrence of a failure by the means described in (5) above collects detailed information to clarify the cause of the failure, etc., the network management device will specify the Initial failure response that reduces the burden on maintenance personnel investigating failure conditions and causes by allowing remote access and issuing commands to the exchange simply by clicking the mouse on the display screen displayed on the menu-driven screen. Can provide support.

〔Example〕

An embodiment of the present invention will be described below with reference to FIGS. 1 to 9.

FIG. 1 is a schematic diagram of a system configuration showing an embodiment of the advanced centralized maintenance method using the switching network management device of the present invention.

In Figure 1, managed exchange EX and network management device NM
Data communication is possible with E through the management control line LNK.

FIG. 2 is a schematic diagram of the hardware configuration of the exchange EX to be managed in FIG. 1. In Fig. 2, the storage program control type Tsubokawa managed exchange EX has a central office line interface circuit BcIF for the central office line CO, an extension interface circuit LIF for the extension terminal LIN, and an exchange switch N.
An exchange input/output control system CP consisting of W and a certain exchange communication path system SP, a central control unit CPU which is a processor that controls these communication path systems SP, a main storage device MM, and various external input/output devices. ■The architecture is such that the main purpose of the exchange EX, such as call control and operational management of the exchange itself, can be realized by the software SFT of the control system CP shown in FIG.

FIG. 3 is a configuration diagram of the control system CP software SFT of the exchange EX in FIG. 2. In FIG. 3, the exchange control system software SFT includes a configuration management program package CNF dedicated to managing the equipment that constitutes the exchange aEX,
A program package TRB for monitoring and managing faults in the above-mentioned component equipment and a program package PFM for measuring and monitoring the performance status of the resources of the exchange EX are used as operation management software, and various dedicated function program packages FCI for call control are used. FCn is configured as call control software, and these unit function packages can be activated directly from the external network management device NME via the exchange dedicated operating system EXOS and the input/output interface IOC shown in FIG. The software MSFT of the network management device NME also has a configuration as shown in FIG.

Figure 4 shows the software MS of the network management device NME in Figure 1.
It is an FT configuration diagram. In FIG. 4, the network management software MSFT includes a dedicated process MCNF for managing the constituent equipment constituting the exchange EX in the exchange network, a fault management process MTRB for the constituent equipment of the exchange EX, and a process MTRB for managing the resources within the exchange network. This is an operating system dedicated to network management, which is configured as a performance management process MPFM and various call service implementation processes SC1 to SCn, and these management processes control data communication with the network exchange center EX and control the execution of management processes. The configuration allows data communication with each exchange EX via an NMOS using an outband signal. The hardware configuration of the network management device NME is as shown in FIG.

FIG. 5 is a schematic hardware configuration diagram of the network management device NME shown in FIG. In FIG. 5, the network management device NME includes a network management control processor MCP, a display device CRT which is a man-machine interface, and a keyboard K.
BD, mouse MUS, floppy disk FD,
It consists of an information storage device (database disk system!) DB.

In the respective software configurations of the exchange EX and the network management device NME based on the system configuration and network architecture as described above, the network management device NM centrally manages the exchange network configured with the exchange EX as a communication node.
An example of a highly centralized maintenance method for a switching network using E will now be described.

FIG. 6 is a schematic flow diagram of the automatic generation and distribution function of configuration data showing the embodiment of FIG. 1 of the advanced centralized maintenance method using the switching network management device of the present invention. In Figure 6, ■Each exchange EXI is centrally created by the operator of the network management device NME from the display device CRT, keyboard KBD, and mouse MUS through a certain advanced man-machine interface.
, EX2, and EX3 as a database in the information storage device iiIDB of the network management device NME, ■ A specific area in the main memory device MM that is the management range of the configuration management software l-CNF of each managed exchange EXI to EX3. For this purpose, download the configuration data created in step ① above from the network management device NME. ■Use remote power-on to instruct the exchange EX to perform initial settings using the configuration data downloaded from the network management device NME. ■When the exchange EX receives a remote power-on instruction from the network management device NME, the configuration management software CNF performs software initial settings so that it can operate with the downloaded configuration data. The flow from ■ to ■ above is sent to the network management device NME for all exchanges EX within the management target.
Centralized generation of configuration data that can be performed centrally from
Distribution method can be realized.

FIG. 7 is a schematic flow diagram of a network configuration data consistency check function showing a second embodiment of the advanced centralized maintenance method using the switching network management device of the present invention. In the storage program control type exchange EX, management of configuration data such as station data and subscriber data due to expansions and changes after station operation is performed using configuration management, which is a part of the exchange@EX control software SFT, as described above. Realized by CNF. In addition, the y4 configuration management software of the switching network management device NME (MCNF) is used for each switching center EX.
It is possible to interact with CNF's Yokokai management software via a certain standard interface.

Therefore, in FIG. 7, ■The network management device NME inquires of the exchange EX about the latest configuration data managed by the configuration management software CNF of the exchange EX, and ■The exchange EX that received the inquiry updated the latest configuration data. Notify the data to the network management device NME.

■Execute the above (■) by cyclic polling for all of the management exchanges EX, ■Check the consistency to see if there is an update to the configuration data, and ■If it is recognized that there is an update, update the display device CRT. Displays the name of the exchange EX and the details of the updated data. Exchange machine EX with the above ■～■
A system for checking the consistency of network configuration data after station operation is realized.

FIG. 8 is a schematic flow diagram of the switching network performance management detour instruction function showing the third embodiment of the advanced centralized maintenance method using the switching network management device of the present invention. In FIG. 8, (1) The network management device NME instructs the performance management software PPM of the management exchange EX to measure the trunk line usage rate at a specific time. ■Performance management software I-PF of exchanger EX that received instructions
M measures the usage rate of each relay line calculated from the call volume,
■Notify the network management device NME of the measurement results. ■The rope management device NME performs cyclic polling on the above ■~■, and determines the presence or absence of an abnormal line by determining the usage rate of the trunk line collected by the cyclic polling and comparing it with a certain reference value set within the rope management device NME. ■Instructing the network management device NME to rewrite the call restriction table and detour route table for each line in each exchange EX so that calls to the line deemed abnormal can be restricted. Accordingly, ■Restrict and divert incoming calls to lines with certain abnormal values. The performance management detour route automatic generation and distribution system of the switching network can be realized by the above steps 1 to 2.

FIG. 9 is a schematic flow diagram of a fault management maintenance support function showing a fourth embodiment of the advanced centralized maintenance method using the switching network management device of the present invention. In Figure 9, ■ Exchange @EX2 that monitors the presence or absence of failures in the system equipment that constitutes exchange EX
fault management software} When the TRB detects the occurrence of a fault in a component device, the exchange EX2 notifies the network management device NME of the fault by raising an event of fault occurrence using a known means such as autonomous dial-up. do. ■The above event parameters include the fault management software TRB of the exchange EX2.
Parameter conversion is performed by including the in-network logical address, failure occurrence time, and failure content logical code edited in , and by storing various conversion tables of the above parameters in a database in the network management device NME. , ■ Enables immediate display of the occurrence of a fault in Japanese via the display device CRT, and ■ Analyzes the occurrence of a fault and automatically sends a test command to the exchange EX2 according to the maintenance procedure established in the network management device NME. 1) The command activates the fault management software (TRB) of the exchange EX2 to create various detailed fault information, and 2) reports the investigation results to the network management device NME. ■The network management device NME analyzes the investigation results and displays the [phase] display device C.
Shown to the operator via RT. A switching network fault management fault information input/output method is realized by the above-mentioned phases ① to [phases].

[Effects of the Invention] According to the present invention, configuration management and performance of a group of exchanges constituting a switching network can be achieved by using a network management device having an advanced man-machine interface and using software of both the managed exchange and the network management device. In addition to being able to centrally monitor management and fault management, the division of functions between switching software and network management software is clarified, and switching software is considered to be a component of various functional units, with control rights held by the network management software. By dividing the functions, it is possible to perform highly centralized implementation and maintenance, thereby meeting the diversified needs of network users and the needs of switching equipment vendors who can add switching service functions in a short period of time. This also has the effect of reducing the load on operators and maintenance personnel.

[Brief explanation of the drawing]

FIG. 1 is a schematic configuration diagram of a system configuration showing an embodiment of the advanced centralized maintenance method using the switching network management device of the present invention, FIG. 2 is a schematic configuration diagram of the hardware of the managed exchange shown in FIG. 1,
Figure 3 is a software configuration diagram of the control system of the exchange shown in Figure 2, Figure 4 is a software configuration diagram of the network management device in Figure 1,
FIG. 5 is a hardware configuration diagram of the network management device shown in FIG.
FIG. 7 is a schematic flow diagram of the network configuration data consistency check function showing the second embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 8 is a schematic flow diagram of the detour instruction function showing the third embodiment of the present invention. Schematic Flowchart FIG. 9 is a schematic flowchart of a fault management maintenance support function showing a fourth embodiment of the present invention. NME...Network management equipment, EX...Exchange, LNK/
・・Management control line, SP ・・Switching communication line system, CP
...Exchange input/output control system, LIN...Terminal, LIF
...Extension 1/F, NW...Switch, CIF...
Office line 1/F, CO...office line, CPU...central control unit, MM...main memory, IOC...input/output interface, SFT...exchange control system software, C
NF... Switch configuration management software, TRB... Switch fault management software, PFM... Switch performance management software,
PCI-FCn...Call control? II + function software, EXO
S...Switching OS, MSFT...Network management software, MCNF...Network management configuration management software, MTRB...
... Line management fault management software, MPFM... Line management performance management software, SC1 to SCn... Service control software, NMOS... Network management OS, MCP... Network management control processor, CRT... Display Equipment, MUS・
...mouse, FD...floppy disk, DB...
・Database (disk) device.

Claims (1)

[Scope of Claims] 1. A switching network having a man-machine interface and a database for centrally managing a switching network consisting of switching equipment that employs a storage program control method as a communication node and relay lines connecting these switching equipment. In the exchange network advanced centralized maintenance method that enables centralized maintenance and operation of exchange networks using a management device, the exchange network management device displays configuration information such as station data and subscriber data for each managed exchange in a menu-driven Japanese and diagram screen. Centrally create and distribute configuration data using a simple man-machine interface using only continuous operation of the mouse big, download the configuration data to each exchange, and then automatically generate configuration data for each exchange using remote power-on. An advanced centralized maintenance method using a switching network management device characterized by: 2. The switching network is managed by a switching network management device that has a man-machine interface and a database for centrally managing the switching network, which is composed of switching equipment that uses the storage program control method as a communication node and relay lines that connect these. In the advanced centralized maintenance method for switching networks that enables centralized maintenance operations, configuration information remote control allows central maintenance to be performed by switching network management equipment, such as changing configuration information such as station data and subscriber data of the switching equipment for expansion after switching operation. An advanced centralized maintenance method using a switching network management device characterized by performing centralized maintenance. 3. Periodically polling each managed exchange from an exchange network management device to generate and distribute the configuration information such as office data and subscriber data of the exchange to be generated and distributed by the method according to claim 1 and changed by the method according to claim 2. Check the consistency of the switching network configuration data by collecting the data, and if any deficiencies or mutual contradictions are discovered, call the operator or maintainer's attention through the man-machine interface. An advanced centralized maintenance method using a switching network management device characterized by: 4. The switching network management device inquires of each managed switch about the usage rate of the trunk line connecting between the switches by cyclic polling,
When abnormal traffic, congestion, etc. are recognized by collecting and analyzing the usage rate of trunk lines measured at each exchange, the switching An advanced centralized maintenance method using a switching network management device characterized by automatically generating and distributing performance information of switching equipment and instructing to create respective route tables and rewriting the detouring table in each managed switching equipment. 5. A switching network is constructed by a switching network management device having a man-machine interface and a database for centrally managing a switching network consisting of switching equipment that uses a storage program control method as a communication node and relay lines connecting these. In the advanced centralized maintenance method for switching networks, which enables centralized maintenance and operation of the switching network, if a failure occurs in the resources such as various control circuits and control devices that make up the switching that are monitored by each managed switching, the switching network management equipment At the same time, the fault information such as the logical number of the switching center existing in the switching network, the time of fault occurrence, and the logical number of the resource where the fault occurred is added to the fault occurrence notification message, and furthermore, the switching network management device Advanced centralized maintenance using a switching network management device characterized by performing advanced centralized fault monitoring that monitors faults in the resources that make up the switching network using an advanced man-machine interface by converting the knowledge base into a database. Method. 6. Switching network management in which the switching network management device that detects the occurrence of a fault by the method according to claim 5 specifically accesses the switching equipment in which the fault has occurred, automatically collects detailed fault information using various test commands, and judges the results. A switching network management device characterized in that the device performs advanced centralized fault information input/output capable of providing fault information to maintenance personnel through an advanced man-machine interface using forms such as detailed information lists using Japanese. Highly intensive maintenance method.