Patent ID: 9660868
Date: 2017-05-23
CPC Classifications: H04L

Claim:
1. A system, comprising: memory storing an inventory database, the inventory database storing a network inventory comprising information representative of a plurality of modeled entities, where each of the modeled entities represents one or more of a device of a communications network, topology data of a communications network, and service data of a communications network; a processor coupled to the memory, the processor executing an inventory update component for: receiving a plurality of change requests from a plurality of different network management applications of the system, the plurality of different network management applications including a network design application, a network resource management application, a network planning application, a service provisioning application, and a reporting application, and each of the change requests specifying a modification to be made to the communications network; modifying one or more of the plurality of modeled entities stored in the network inventory by the inventory update component in response to the change requests; and outputting to a network implementation component a plurality of change records including a first change record and a second change record based on the modification made to the network inventory in response to the change requests, where each of the plurality of change records defines a change made within the network inventory to one of the plurality of modeled entities responsive to the change requests, and where: the network implementation component for: accumulating the plurality of change records; processing the accumulated change records responsive to a predefined event, the predefined event being the plurality of change records having a threshold number of change records, and the processing including generating at the network implementation component a set of network configuration actions that correspond to the plurality of change records, the set of network configuration actions including configuration commands for the first modeled entity, the generating including: combining the first change record and the second change record into a single network configuration action based on a determination that both the first change record and the second change record are associated with the first modeled entity, where the single network configuration action includes specific instructions in a predetermined format specific to the device of the communications network to be implemented by the device for configuring the device of the communications network; transmitting the set of network configuration actions to the communications network; implementing the set of network configuration actions at the communications network, including carrying out the specific instructions associated with the device of the communications network to perform one or more changes to the device of the communications network and in response to carrying out the specific instructions, transmitting an acknowledgement from the device to the network implementation component that the specific instructions were received including: (i) when the one or more changes to the device are successfully completed by the device, the acknowledgement indicating that the one or more changes to the device were successfully completed, and (ii) when the one or more changes to the device are not successfully completed by the device, the acknowledgement indicating that the one or more changes to the device were not completed; and awaiting receipt by the network implementation component that the specific instructions were received and that the one or more changes to the device were successfully completed before proceeding with further network configuration actions that include modifications that are dependent on the one or more changes; wherein utilization of network resources in the communications network is analyzed, and changes to the communications network are planned in dependence on the outcome of the analysis.