Patent ID: 6349325
Filing Date: 2002-02-19
Classification: H04Q

Abstract:
A telecommunications performance management system having a plurality of performance agents connected in a hierarchical structure in which performance agents at a lower level of the hierarchy transmit performance data to performance agents higher up in the hierarchy, at least one performance agent being connected to a user interface, each performance agent comprising:means for capturing the performance data from a traffic machine of the system; means for processing the performance data by assigning a priority indicator of relative importance for a subscription signal received from a performance agent higher up in the hierarchy; means for analyzing the performance data by calculating performance metrics from received event information, determining the severity of the event information, comparing the performance metrics against pre-defined thresholds, and analyzing trends in the performance data; prioritizing means for assigning a relative weighted characteristic to subordinate performance agents at a same level in the hierarchy, wherein each assigned relative weighted characteristic is combined with respective calculated performance metrics to bias the respective performance metrics in favor of metrics received from subordinate performance agents having assigned relative weighted characteristics of greater priority; means for generating exception events based on the biased performance metrics; means for correlating the exception events with the performance data, to provide metric values having associated severity functions; a filter for accepting the metric values and associated severity functions of the analysis, the filter including means for deciding what metric values and associated severity functions are to be transmitted to a next performance agent higher up in the hierarchy based on information included in the subscription signal; and a controller for controlling the operation of the system.