Patent ID: 6237034
Filing Date: 2001-05-22
Classification: H04L

Abstract:
In a network comprising a plurality of AGE's (alarm generating entity) which generates alarms and a plurality of interconnected SME's (surveillance management entities) each AGE in direct communication with a respective one of the SME's, for each {SME,AGE} pair a direction of communication towards the AGE being defined as upstream for that {SME,AGE} pair and a direction of communication away from the AGE being defined as downstream for that {SME,AGE} pair, a method of acknowledging alarms comprising the steps of in respect of each alarm generated by a respective AGE:a) a particular SME generating an alarm acknowledgement to the alarm and passing this to a single SME upstream for the {particular SME, respective AGE} pair;b) in respect of each alarm acknowledgement to the alarm received by an SME, the SME preforming the steps of:recording the alarm acknowledgement;forwarding the alarm acknowledgement upstream to a single SME upstream for the {SME, respective AGE} pair unless the SME is the SME in direct communication with the respective AGE in which case forwarding the alarm acknowledgement upstream to the respective AGE;sending to all SME's which are downstream for the {SME, respective AGE }pair which are interested in the alarm an alarm notification that an alarm acknowledgement has been sent;c) in response to receiving an alarm notification received by an SME:the SME recording the alarm notification; andthe SME sending an alarm notification to all SME's which are downstream for the {SME, respective AGE} pair which are interested in the alarm.