Method and apparatus for improving telecommunications system performance

Claim 1

A method for automatically allocating available resources of a telecommunications network to efficiently resolve network problems and improve the performance of said network, said method comprising the steps of: a) collecting in a buffer a plurality of alarm signals, each of said alarm signals representing a fault in the operation of an element of said telecommunications network; b) calculating at least one network performance index for at least one portion of said telecommunications network, said calculating step including assigning to said each alarm signal at least one performance value, said performance value representing an impact on a different aspect of the network performance said fault caused in the operation of the network element associated with said each alarm signal, assigning to said each alarm signal an indicator of a number of cause and effect categories associated with said each alarm signal, each of said cause and effect categories representing the cause and effect said fault has on the operation of the network element associated with said each alarm signal, summing the at least one performance value assigned for said each alarm signal a given number of times as indicated by said indicator assigned to said each alarm signal, and combining the summed performance values of said plurality of alarm signals to produce said one network performance index; c) comparing the value of said one network performance index with at least one predetermined target value for said one network performance index; and d) allocating said available resources to enhance the performance of said telecommunications network, if the value of said one network performance index is less than said at least one target value.

Claim 2

A method for automatically allocating available resources of a telecommunications network to efficiently resolve network problems and improve the performance of said network, said method comprising the steps of: a) collecting in a buffer a plurality of alarm signals, each of said alarm signals representing a fault in the operation of an element of said telecommunications network; b) calculating at least one network performance index for at least one portion of said telecommunications network, said calculating step including assigning to said each alarm signal at least one performance value, said performance value representing an impact on a different aspect of the network performance said fault caused in the operation of the network element associated with said each alarm signal, assigning to said each alarm signal an indicator of a number of cause and effect categories associated with said each alarm signal, each of said cause and effect categories representing the cause and effect said fault has on the operation of the network element associated with said each alarm signal, summing the at least one performance value assigned for said each alarm signal a given number of times as indicated by said indicator assigned to said each alarm signal, and combining the summed performance values of said plurality of alarm signals to produce said one network performance index; c) comparing the value of said one network performance index with at least one predetermined target value for said one network performance index; and d) allocating said available resources to enhance the performance of said telecommunications network, if the value of said one network performance index is less than said at least one target value.

Claim 8

An apparatus for enhancing the performance of a telecommunications network in receipt of a plurality of alarm signals each representing a fault to the operation of a network element of said telecommunications network, said telecommunications network having resources which may be selectively allocated to enhance the performance of said telecommunications network, comprising: means for collecting at a central location said alarm signals; means, coupled to said collecting means, for calculating at least one network performance index for at least one portion of said telecommunications network, including means for assigning to said each alarm signal a plurality of performance values and an indicator of the number of cause and effect categories associated with said each alarm signal, each of said performance values representing an impact to the network performance of the network element association with said each alarm signal caused by said fault, means for summing each respective ones of the plurality of performance values for said each alarm signal for each of said cause and effect categories indicated by said cause and effect category indicators and means for combining the summed performance values of said plurality of alarm signals to produce said network performance index; means, coupled to said calculating means, for comparing the value of said calculated network performance index with a predetermined target value for said network performance index; and means, coupled to said comparing means, for selectively allocating said resources to enhance the performance of said telecommunications network if the value of said network performance index is less than said predetermined target value.

Claim 9

An apparatus for enhancing the performance of a telecommunications network in receipt of a plurality of alarm signals each representing a fault to the operation of a network element of said telecommunications network, said telecommunications network having resources which may be selectively allocated to enhance the performance of said telecommunications network, comprising: means for collecting at a central location said alarm signals; means, coupled to said collecting means, for calculating at least one network performance index for at least one portion of said telecommunications network, including means for assigning to said each alarm signal a plurality of performance values and an indicator of the number of cause and effect categories associated with said each alarm signal, each of said performance values representing an impact to the network performance of the network element association with said each alarm signal caused by said fault, means for summing each respective ones of the plurality of performance values for said each alarm signal for each of said cause and effect categories indicated by said cause and effect category indicators and means for combining the summed performance values of said plurality of alarm signals to produce said network performance index; means, coupled to said calculating means, for comparing the value of said calculated network performance index with a predetermined target value for said network performance index; and means, coupled to said comparing means, for selectively allocating said resources to enhance the performance of said telecommunications network if the value of said network performance index is less than said predetermined target value.

Claim 10

An apparatus for enhancing the performance of a telecommunications network in receipt of a plurality of alarm signals each representing a fault to the operation of a network element of said telecommunications network, said telecommunications network having resources which may be selectively allocated to enhance the performance of said telecommunications network, comprising: means for collecting at g central location said alarm signals; means, coupled to said collecting means, for calculating at least one network performance index for at least one portion of said telecommunications network, including means for repeatedly retrieving a collected alarm signal from said collecting means and for indicating that sufficient alarm signals have been retrieved, means for assigning to said each alarm signal a plurality of performance values and at least one control table region indicator, means for adding said each performance value to a respective one of a plurality of running totals of performance values in every control table region designated by control table region indicators, means for summing the respective running totals for each performance value for all control table regions, and means for combining said running totals to produce said network performance index, means, coupled to said calculating means, for comparing the value of said calculated network performance index with a predetermined target value for said network performance index; and means, coupled to said comparing means, for selectively allocating said resources to enhance the performance of said telecommunications network if the value of said network performance index is less than said predetermined target value.

Claim 11

An apparatus for enhancing the performance of a telecommunications network in receipt of a plurality of alarm signals each representing a fault to the operation of a network element of said telecommunications network, said telecommunications network having resources which may be selectively allocated to enhance the performance of said telecommunications network, comprising: means for collecting at g central location said alarm signals; means, coupled to said collecting means, for calculating at least one network performance index for at least one portion of said telecommunications network, including means for repeatedly retrieving a collected alarm signal from said collecting means and for indicating that sufficient alarm signals have been retrieved, means for assigning to said each alarm signal a plurality of performance values and at least one control table region indicator, means for adding said each performance value to a respective one of a plurality of running totals of performance values in every control table region designated by control table region indicators, means for summing the respective running totals for each performance value for all control table regions, and means for combining said running totals to produce said network performance index, means, coupled to said calculating means, for comparing the value of said calculated network performance index with a predetermined target value for said network performance index; and means, coupled to said comparing means, for selectively allocating said resources to enhance the performance of said telecommunications network if the value of said network performance index is less than said predetermined target value.