Patent ID: 7769847
Filing Date: 2010-08-03
Classification: H04L

Abstract:
1. A method for comprehensively managing a communications environment, wherein the communications environment comprises a plurality of network domains, each network domain comprising a separately managed communications network having intra-domain management components, the intra-domain management components comprising: an intra-domain data management component that manages the network domain; an intra-domain event correlation component that receives events from the intra-domain data management component, maps the events into one or more of alarms or actions, and transmits the alarms or actions to the intra-domain data management component; and an intra-domain service level management component that receives service data relating to levels of service provided by the network domain from the intra-domain data management component, formulates intra-domain service instructions using the service data, and transmits the intra-domain service instructions to the intra-domain data management component, the method comprising: receiving, at an inter-domain data collection module, domain-specific data from the intra-domain management components of two or more network domains of the plurality of network domains, wherein the domain-specific data includes service data and event data, wherein event data includes data relating to one or more of events or alarms mapped from events; receiving, at an inter-domain event correlation module, event data relating to the at least two network domains from the inter-domain data collection module; determining, at the inter-domain event correlation module, whether to generate one or more inter-domain events based on the received event data; receiving, at an inter-domain service level management module, service data relating to the at least two network domains from the inter-domain data collection module; comparing, at the inter-domain service level management module, the received service data with one or more predefined service levels; generating, at the inter-domain service level management module, one or more inter-domain service management actions based on the comparison; receiving, at a business process management module, one or more of the service data relating to the at least two network domains or the generated one or more inter-domain service management actions from the inter-domain service level management module; and determining, at the business process management module, whether one or more predefined business objectives are met using one or more of the service data or the inter-domain service management actions.