Claims Analysis
Total Claims: 13
Claim 1
Independent Claim
121 words
A method of operating a network management system, said network management system supporting the operations of an associated network comprising a plurality of network elements interconnected via respective communications paths, said method comprising the steps of responsive to a change in said network, identifying each of said network elements, obtaining from each of the identified network elements information indicative of at least (a) identities of components forming the network element, (b) identities of neighbor network elements and (c) configuration of the network element, and determining from the information obtained from each of the identified network elements the interconnections between network elements and the configuration of said network, in which said network may be one of a plurality of different network configurations.
Claim 2
Dependent Claim
38 words
The method of claim 1 wherein said step of obtaining includes the step of communicating with a gateway network element to obtain said information, and wherein said information includes a cross-connect map associated with a respective data rate.
Claim 3
Dependent Claim
55 words
The method of claim 2 wherein said step of communicating includes the step of supplying a password associated with said gateway and the address of said gateway to said network management system so that said network management system may communicate with said gateway via a communications path connecting said network management system to said gateway.
Claim 4
Dependent Claim
44 words
The method of claim 1 wherein said step of determining includes the step of determining each communications path established via individual ones of said network elements, in which opposite ends of a communications path terminate at port circuits respectively associated with said network elements.
Claim 5
Dependent Claim
25 words
The method of claim 1 further comprising the step of storing said information in memory in association with the identity of the respective network element.
Claim 6
Dependent Claim
30 words
The method of claim 5 further comprising the step of determining which components of an associated one of the identified network elements are idle are which components are in use.
Claim 7
Dependent Claim
47 words
The method of claim 5 further comprising the steps receiving other information indicative of an alarm condition from said network, in which said alarm is associated with one of said network elements, and determining the cause for the alarm condition as a function of said stored information.
Claim 8
Dependent Claim
46 words
The method of claim 1 wherein said step of determining includes the step of building a map defining each communications path established by said network, in which each such path is defined by the addresses of the network elements that establish the path in said network.
Claim 9
Dependent Claim
14 words
The method of claim 1 wherein each said network element is a lightwave multiplexer.
Claim 10
Dependent Claim
19 words
The method of claim 1 wherein said plurality of different network configurations include a hub network and ring network.
Claim 11
Dependent Claim
16 words
The method of claim 1 wherein said information includes cross-connect maps associated with respective data rates.
Claim 12
Dependent Claim
39 words
The method of claim 1 further comprising the step of creating a model of said network, in which said model comprises at least a data record for at least each circuit, transmission channel and network element forming said network.
Claim 13
Dependent Claim
26 words
The method of claim 1 further comprising the step of identifying each transmission path traversing said network via respective ones of the network elements and connections.