KR100271029B1 - Network management system and method - Google Patents

Abstract

The present invention relates to an apparatus and method for managing a communication network having various network components conforming to various communication protocols. The network management system according to the present invention collects resources of network equipments represented by modeling objects. ; The message processing unit receives a notification message including a modeling object from the TMN subsystem, and displays the notification message in a form suitable for storage if the notification message needs to be stored for a long time, and in a form suitable for a graphical user interface if the message requires real-time processing. ; A database subsystem for receiving and storing a message to be stored for a long time from a message processing unit; And a terminal that receives the message to be processed in real time from the message processing unit and expresses the modeling object included in the message in a graphic form by a graphic user interface.

According to the present invention, it is possible to easily design and maintain a network, to represent a physical network in an efficient manner, and to properly express it when the physical network is changed to a new shape. Therefore, it is possible to reduce the operating costs and resources required for network management.

Description

Network management system and method

TECHNICAL FIELD The present invention relates to communication network management, and more particularly, to communication network management having various network components conforming to various communication protocols.

As communication networks become more complex, communication network service providers require larger capacity network management systems. Network management systems face serious obstacles. One such obstacle is that the network management system must manage a network of network devices that conform to various interface standards. One example of such an interface standard is the well-known common management interface protocol (CMIP). A communication network management system must not only manage various network components, but also manage network expansion and change.

However, conventional communication network management systems do not provide a mechanism for representing a physical network in an efficient manner to facilitate network design and maintenance. In addition, it does not provide a mechanism to properly represent when the physical network is changed to a new shape.

The present invention was created to solve the above problems, and facilitates network design and maintenance, expresses a physical network in an efficient manner, and properly manages a network when the physical network is changed into a new shape. And a method thereof.

1 is a block diagram showing an environment in which a network management system according to the present invention is installed.

2 shows the basic structure of a TMN.

3 is a block diagram showing the configuration of a network management system according to the present invention.

4 is a block diagram showing the configuration of a network management system having a failure maintenance / repair function as an embodiment of the present invention.

5 is a block diagram showing the configuration of a network management system having a performance analysis function as an embodiment of the present invention.

6 is a block diagram showing the configuration of a network management system having a traffic monitoring / control function as one embodiment of the present invention.

7 is a block diagram showing the configuration of a network management system having a route / number verification function as an embodiment of the present invention.

8 is a block diagram showing the configuration of a network management system as another embodiment according to the present invention.

In order to achieve the above object, a system for managing a network with network devices according to the present invention includes a TMN subsystem for collecting resources of network equipment represented by a modeling object; Receive a notification message including the modeling object from the TMN subsystem, and if the notification message is a message that needs to be stored for a long time, it is expressed in a form suitable for storage, and if the message requires real-time processing, it is expressed in a form suitable for a graphical user interface. A message processing unit; A database subsystem for receiving and storing a message to be stored for a long time from the message processing unit; And a terminal receiving a message to be processed in real time from the message processing unit and expressing a modeling object included in the message in a graphic form by a graphic user interface.

In order to achieve the above object, another system for managing a network having network devices according to the present invention includes a TMN subsystem for collecting resources of network equipment represented by a modeling object; A message collector which receives a notification message including the modeling object from the TMN subsystem and expresses the message as a message file; A message file storage unit for temporarily storing the message file; A database subsystem for storing messages that require long time storage; A database load unit for storing a message in a format suitable for storing a message requiring long-term storage among the messages included in the message file stored in the message file storage unit in the database subsystem; A real time data processor for expressing a message requiring real time processing among messages included in the message file stored in the message file storage unit in a form suitable for a graphic user interface and a form suitable for a user interface on the web; An aggregator configured to periodically aggregate data regarding network performance among data stored in the database subsystem and store the data in the database subsystem again; A report generator for generating a report represented by a user interface on the web and a report represented by a graphical user interface by data stored in the database subsystem; Receives a message to be processed in real time from the real-time data processing unit and a report from the report generator and displays it by a graphical user interface, and receives a control command from the operator to control each network device provided in the network to the TMN subsystem. Graphic terminal for transmitting; And a web terminal receiving a message to be processed in real time from the real time data processor and a report from the report generator and displaying the message from a user interface on the web.

In order to achieve the above another object, the method for managing a network having a plurality of network devices according to the present invention comprises the steps of: (a) modeling resources managed by the network devices as a modeling object in an object-oriented programming language; (b) collecting the modeling objects via a TMN subsystem; (c) storing the modeling objects in a file form; (d) displaying modeling objects requiring real-time processing among the modeling objects stored in the file form by using a graphic user interface and a user interface on the web; (e) storing the modeling objects that need to be stored for a long time among the modeling objects stored in the file format in the form of a database; (f) periodically aggregating modeling objects related to network performance among modeling objects stored in the form of the database; And (g) creating a report from the data stored in the database and displaying the report by a graphical user interface and a user interface on the web.

Hereinafter, the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings.

1, a network management system according to the present invention is a PCS (PCS Exchange) 12, a base station controller (Base Station) for providing a service for a PCS terminal (hereinafter referred to as PCS) terminal 15 A controller (BSC) 13, a base transceiver controller (BTS) 14, a home location register (HLR) 11, and the like are systems for managing interconnected PCS networks. Resources managed by the switch 12, the base station controller 13, and the subscriber information recorder 11 connected to the PCS network are transferred to the network management system 10 by the operation preservation network. And managed by the operation management network to the network management system 10.

Referring to FIG. 2, the basic structure of network management according to the present invention is T.M.N provided by International Telecommunication Union-Telecommunication Standardization Sector (ITU-T) M.3100. (Hereinafter referred to as TMN). According to the TMN structure, the managed system 20 includes software called an agent 22 so that all managed resources such as communication lines, boards, and processes existing in the managed system are written in an object-oriented programming language. The modeling objects are delivered in accordance with the Common Management Interface Protocol (CMIP) by software called the manager 26 installed in the management system 24.

According to FIG. 3, the network management system as an embodiment of the present invention includes a TMN subsystem 30, a message processing unit 31, a database subsystem 32, and a terminal 33.

The TMN subsystem 30 sets up the operation security network with resources represented as modeling objects from the devices constituting the PCS network, that is, the switch 12, the base station controller 13, the base station 14, and the subscriber information recorder 11. Collect through.

The message processing unit 31 receives a notification message including a modeling object from the TMN subsystem 30, and expresses the notification message in a form suitable for storage if the notification message is a message that needs to be stored for a long time. Express in a form suitable for the user interface.

The database subsystem 32 receives and stores a message to be stored for a long time from the message processing unit 31.

The terminal 33 receives a message to be processed in real time from the message processing unit 31 and expresses a modeling object included in the message in a graphic form by a graphic user interface. In the present invention, X / MOTIF is used as the graphical user interface.

One embodiment of the network management system according to the present invention supports a failure maintenance / maintenance function, a performance analysis function, a traffic monitoring / control function, and a route / number verification function.

Hereinafter, the configuration and operation of the above functions will be described.

In one embodiment of the present invention, the fault maintenance function includes minor functions for finding abnormal operations from each device constituting the network and handling the error. According to FIG. 4, the network management system having a fault maintenance / maintenance function includes a TMN subsystem 30, a warning message collecting unit 40, a database subsystem 32, a fault ticket generating unit 41, and a warning report generating unit. 42, an X / MOTIF terminal 43, and a web terminal 44. As shown in FIG.

The warning message collecting unit 40 receives a warning message including a modeling object regarding a failure of network devices among the notification messages from the TMN subsystem 30, classifies the network message by the type of the network device, and then sends the warning message to the database subsystem 32. Save it. In addition, the warning message collection unit 40 expresses the warning message in a form suitable for X / MOTIF and delivers it to the terminal of the operator. The warning message collecting unit 40 is provided in the message processing unit 31 of FIG. 3.

The X / MOTIF terminal 43 displays the location of the network device that generated the alert through a user interface expressing the network topology, and generates a preset warning sound according to the specific gravity and cause of the alert for each network device.

The trouble ticket generating unit 41 receives an emergency warning message indicating a warning about a serious failure or a warning about a special equipment among the warning messages from the warning message collecting unit 40. When the trouble ticket generation unit 41 receives the emergency warning message, the trouble ticket generation unit 41 generates a trouble ticket and delivers the trouble ticket to an operator who is responsible for failure recovery through a graphic user interface on the web.

The alert report generator 42 calculates statistical values for the alert messages stored in the database subsystem 32 and generates an alert report represented by a user interface on the web.

Web terminal 44 then presents a trouble ticket or warning report by a user interface on the web. The operator who has obtained the details of the trouble ticket through the web terminal 44 takes an action on the warning and then inputs the measures through the web terminal 44.

In one embodiment of the present invention, the performance analysis function is a function of collecting and analyzing data on traffic and performance generated by the switch 12, the base station controller 13, and the base station 14. According to FIG. 5, the network management system having a performance analysis function includes a TMN subsystem 30, a performance message collecting unit 50, a database subsystem 32, an aggregation unit 51, a performance report generator 52, and the like. Web terminal 54 is included.

The performance message collector 50 is a modeling object of the performance of the network devices in the notification message from the TMN subsystem 30, that is, all kinds of statistics generated by the switch 12, the base station controller 13, and the base station 14; The performance message including the modeling object is received, processed into a form suitable for long-term storage, and stored in the database subsystem 32. The performance message collecting unit 50 is provided in the message processing unit 31 of FIG.

Performance messages stored in the database subsystem 32 are aggregated or summarized by the aggregation unit 51 at intervals such as time units, daily units, or monthly units according to the type of performance messages, and are stored in the database subsystem 32. .

The performance report generator 52 prepares and transmits the performance report to the web terminal 53 to be represented by a user interface on the web using values aggregated or summarized by the aggregation unit 51, and the web terminal 53. Displays the performance report on the web. Performance reports are categorized by time, message type, and network device. By using the user interface on the web, the operator can easily check the performance report if the web terminal has a web browser capable of accessing the Internet or the Internet.

In one embodiment of the present invention, the traffic monitoring / control function on the network is a function of monitoring traffic and controlling traffic in real time. According to FIG. 6, the network management system having a traffic monitoring / control function includes a TMN subsystem 30, a traffic statistics message collecting unit 60, a database subsystem 32, a shape change message collecting unit 61, and X /. MOTIF terminal 62 is included.

The traffic statistics message collecting unit 60 receives the traffic statistics message including the modeling object related to the real-time traffic statistics of the network devices among the notification messages from the TMN subsystem 30 and expresses it in a form suitable for the graphical user interface. Such traffic statistics include exchange station traffic statistics generated by the switch 12, traffic statistics by destination, traffic statistics by route, and base station traffic statistics generated by the base station controller 13.

The X / MOTIF terminal 62 allows the operator to check the overall network traffic status according to the geographic area, such as city, city, side, railway, highway, etc., the switch 12, the base station controller 13, the base station 14 Provides X / MOTIF to monitor detailed traffic data of specific network devices such as and information on the cause of call failure. In addition, the X / MOTIF terminal 62 efficiently utilizes network performance, copes with demand fluctuations on the network, and maintains network performance so as not to fall into an urgent state. And X / MOTIF having a function of receiving a command for controlling the traffic flow of 12) and delivering it to the TMN server system 30.

The shape change message collection unit 61 receives a shape change message including a modeling object related to shape change of network devices such as a switch shape, a base station shape, and a root shape among the notification messages from the TMN subsystem 30, and the database subsystem. The shape information stored in 32 is updated.

In one embodiment of the present invention, the route / number verification function on the network is a function of verifying whether changes on the communication network are appropriate for the route according to the station number information written in the route / number design sheet. According to FIG. 6, the network management system having a route / number verification function includes a TMN subsystem 30, a route / number message collecting unit 70, a route / number design loader 72, a database subsystem 32, and a network. The apparatus stage verification unit 73, the network stage verification unit 74, and the X / MOTIF terminal 75 are included.

The route / number message collection unit 70 receives an instruction from the X / MOTIF terminal 75 and receives a route / number message including a modeling object regarding a route / number managed by network devices from the TMN subsystem 30. The data is stored in the database server system 32.

The route / number design loader 72 reads from the route / number design sheet 71 a connection route for each telephone station number in the network and stores it in the database server system.

The network device step verification unit 73 receives instructions from the X / MOTIF terminal 75, checks the network devices by comparing the access route for each telephone station number and the route / number message stored in the database server system 32, and checks the result. Expressed in a form suitable for the graphical user interface to the X / MOTIF terminal 75.

The network stage verification unit 74 checks the network route by comparing the access route for each telephone station number and the route / number message stored in the database server system 32, and expresses the result in a form suitable for a graphical user interface to express the X / MOTIF. Transfer to terminal 75.

The X / MOTIF terminal 75 receives the route / number control command from the operator, and controls the operations of the route / number message collecting unit 70, the network device stage verifying unit 73, and the network stage verifying unit 74. , Display the result.

Hereinafter, another embodiment of the present invention will be described.

8, a network management system according to another embodiment of the present invention includes a TMN subsystem 80, a message collector 81, a message file 82, a real-time data processor 83, a graphic terminal 84, and a database loader. It comprises a unit 85, a database subsystem 86, an aggregation unit 87, a report generator 88 and a web terminal 89.

The TMN subsystem 80 establishes an operational preservation network using resources represented by modeling objects from the devices constituting the PCS network, that is, the switch 12, the base station controller 13, the base station 14, and the subscriber information recorder 11. Collect through.

The message collector 31 collects a notification message including a modeling object from the TMN subsystem 80 for a predetermined time, for example, 5 minutes or 10 minutes, and stores the notification message in the form of a message file storage file. As the collected messages are converted into a file and stored, the real-time data processor 83 and the database load unit 85 may receive the necessary messages through a common message collector 31.

The real-time data processor 83 expresses a message that requires real-time processing among the messages included in the message file stored in the message file storage 82 in a form suitable for a graphic user interface and a form suitable for a user interface on the web.

The database load unit 85 stores the message in the database subsystem 86 in a form suitable for storing a message that needs to be stored for a long time among the messages included in the message file stored in the message file storage unit 82.

The aggregation unit 87 periodically aggregates data related to network performance among data stored in the database subsystem 86 and stores the data in the database subsystem 86 again.

The report generator 88 generates a report represented by the user interface on the web and data represented by the graphical user interface by the data stored in the database subsystem 86.

The graphic terminal 84 receives a report represented by a graphic user interface from the report generator 88 and a real time processing message expressed to be suitable for the graphic user interface from the real time data processor 83 and displayed by the graphic user interface. do. In addition, the graphic terminal 84 receives a control command for controlling each network device provided in the network from the operator and transmits the control command to the TMN subsystem 80.

The web terminal 89 receives a report expressed by a real time processing message expressed by the real time data processor 83 and a user interface on the web from the report writer 88 and is presented to suit the user interface on the web. To display.

According to the present invention, it is possible to easily design and maintain a network, to represent a physical network in an efficient manner, and to properly express it when the physical network is changed to a new shape.

Therefore, it is possible to reduce the operating costs and resources required for network management.

Claims (18)

A system for managing a network with network devices, the system comprising: A TMN subsystem for gathering resources of network equipments represented by modeling objects; Receive a notification message including the modeling object from the TMN subsystem, and if the notification message is a message that needs to be stored for a long time, it is expressed in a form suitable for storage, and if the message requires real-time processing, it is expressed in a form suitable for a graphical user interface. A message processing unit; A database subsystem for receiving and storing a message to be stored for a long time from the message processing unit; And And a terminal for receiving a message to be processed in real time from the message processing unit and expressing a modeling object included in the message in a graphic form by a graphic user interface. The method of claim 1, wherein the message processing unit An alert message received from the TMN subsystem including a modeling object of a failure of the network devices in the notification message, stored in the database subsystem, and expressed in a form suitable for a graphic user interface to the terminal; Network management system comprising a message collecting unit. The method of claim 2, wherein the message processing unit And a trouble ticket generation unit configured to receive an emergency alert message among the warning messages from the warning message collection unit and generate a trouble ticket represented by a user interface on the web. In claim 2, And a warning report preparation unit for calculating a statistical value for the warning message stored in the database subsystem, and for preparing a warning report represented by a user interface on the web. The method of claim 3 or 4, And a web terminal for presenting the trouble ticket or the warning report by a user interface on the web. The method of claim 1, wherein the message processing unit And a performance message collector configured to receive a performance message including a modeling object related to the performance of the network devices among the notification messages from the TMN subsystem and store the performance message in the database subsystem. In claim 6, And an aggregation unit for storing the performance message stored in the database subsystem periodically in the database subsystem. In claim 7, And a performance report generator for generating a performance report expressed by a user interface on the web periodically, the value of the performance message stored in the database subsystem. In claim 7, And a web terminal for expressing the performance report by a user interface on the web. The method of claim 1, wherein the message processing unit And a traffic statistics message collection unit for receiving a traffic statistics message including a modeling object related to real-time traffic statistics of the network devices among the notification messages from the TMN subsystem, and expressing it in a form suitable for a graphical user interface. Network management system. The message processing unit of claim 10, wherein the message processing unit And a shape change message collector configured to receive a shape change message including a modeling object of shape change of all network devices among the notification messages from the TMN subsystem, and store the shape change message in the database subsystem. . The terminal of claim 11, wherein the terminal And a control graphical user interface for receiving control commands from the operator to control each network device in the network and forwarding the control commands to the TMN subsystem. In claim 1, And a route / number design loader which reads a connection route for each telephone station number in the network from a route / number design sheet and stores it in the database server system. The message processing unit of claim 13, wherein the message processing unit And a route / number message collection unit for receiving a route / number message including a modeling object regarding a route / number managed by the network devices among the notification messages from the TMN subsystem, and storing the route / number message in the database server system. Network management system. The method of claim 14, A network device step verification unit that compares the access route and the route / number message for each telephone station number stored in the database server system and checks the network devices and expresses the result in a form suitable for a graphical user interface; And Network management further comprises a network level verification unit for comparing the network root number and access route and route / number messages stored in the database server system and checks the network route, and expressing the result in a form suitable for a graphical user interface system. The terminal of claim 15, wherein the terminal And a route / number control graphic user interface configured to receive a route / number control command from an operator and control the operation of the route / number message collecting unit, the network device stage verifying unit, and the network stage verifying unit. system. A system for managing a network with network devices, the system comprising: A TMN subsystem for gathering resources of network equipments represented by modeling objects; A message collector which receives a notification message including the modeling object from the TMN subsystem and expresses the message as a message file; A message file storage unit for temporarily storing the message file; A database subsystem for storing messages that require long time storage; A database load unit for storing a message in a format suitable for storing a message requiring long-term storage among the messages included in the message file stored in the message file storage unit in the database subsystem; A real time data processor for expressing a message requiring real time processing among messages included in the message file stored in the message file storage unit in a form suitable for a graphic user interface and a form suitable for a user interface on the web; An aggregator configured to periodically aggregate data regarding network performance among data stored in the database subsystem and store the data in the database subsystem again; A report generator for generating a report represented by a user interface on the web and a report represented by a graphical user interface by data stored in the database subsystem; Receives a message to be processed in real time from the real-time data processing unit and a report from the report generator and displays it by a graphical user interface, and receives a control command from the operator to control each network device provided in the network to the TMN subsystem. Graphic terminal for transmitting; And And a web terminal receiving a message to be processed in real time from the real time data processor and a report from the report generator and displaying the message by a user interface on the web. In the method for managing a network having a plurality of network devices, (a) modeling resources managed by the network devices as a modeling object in an object-oriented programming language; (b) collecting the modeling objects via a TMN subsystem; (c) storing the modeling objects in a file form; (d) displaying modeling objects requiring real-time processing among the modeling objects stored in the file form by using a graphic user interface and a user interface on the web; (e) storing the modeling objects that need to be stored for a long time among the modeling objects stored in the file format in the form of a database; (f) periodically aggregating modeling objects related to network performance among modeling objects stored in the form of the database; And (g) generating a report from the data stored in the database and displaying it by a graphical user interface and a user interface on the web.