Method of providing services in a network management system having an open system architecture and also a service object, a request object and a request manager therefor

The present invention relates to a method of providing services, in particular in a network management system having an open system architecture, and also to a service object, a request object and a request manager therefor. In the method, at least a first and a second object name are assigned to the service object. The request object transmits to the service object a request message in which the first or the second object name is specified as address information for the service object. The service object provides at least a first or a second service depending on the first or second object name used in the respective request message.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION FIG. 1 shows a telecommunications network NW comprising servers SV 2 and SV 1 of a network management system NMS having an open system architecture and also network devices SW 1 , SW 2 and SW 3 , which are, for example, switching centres, routers or service computers for providing intelligent network (IN) services. The network devices SW 1 , SW 2 and SW 3 are each managed, maintained and operated by the network management system NMS. The telecommunications network NW also comprises further devices that are not shown, for example, further network devices or terminals operated by the network devices SW 1 , SW 2 and SW 3 . The network devices SW 1 , SW 2 and SW 3 are represented by so-called managed objects VO 1 , VO 2 and VO 3 , respectively. The managed objects VOl, VO 2 , VO 3 are in the present case processes or groups of processes whose program code is executed by the server SV 2 and that pre-process the items of event information transmitted by the network devices SW 1 , SW 2 and SW 3 to the network management system NMS. Furthermore, the network devices SW 1 , SW 2 and SW 3 can be controlled via the managed objects VO 1 , VO 2 , VO 3 . The managed objects VO 1 , VO 2 , VO 3 are, for example, so-called proxy agents that simulate, so to speak, the network devices SW 1 , SW 2 and SW 3 for the network management system NMS at least in regard to predetermined characteristics. A proxy agent converts the instructions transmitted by the network management system NMS in such a way that they are understood by the managed network devices SW 1 , SW 2 and SW 3 . The managed objects VOl, VO 2 , VO 3 may also represent only certain characteristics of the network devices SW 1 , SW 2 and SW 3 , for example their alarms. However, it is also possible that separate managed objects are provided in each case for controlling the network devices SW 1 , SW 2 and SW 3 and for processing their items of event information. Further objects similar to the managed objects VO 1 , VO 2 , VO 3 could be provided in order to represent a network service or another resource in the telecommunications network NW. Furthermore, a plurality of managed objects could be assigned to a resource and represent the latter in various ways. For example, the managed object VO 1 could represent the alarms of the network device SW 1 and the managed object VO 2 its measurements or its currently loaded configuration data. The managed objects VO 1 , VO 2 , VO 3 could also be formed directly by the network devices SW 1 , SW 2 and SW 3 , respectively, or be processes performed by the latter. Provided to manage, operate and maintain the managed objects VO 1 , VO 2 , VO 3 are management objects MO 1 , MO 2 that are designed as processes or groups of processes performed by the server SV 1 . It is also possible that the server SV 1 forms a management object itself or that each of the management objects MO 1 , MO 2 is a process performed by a separate computer of the network management system. Provided, furthermore, in the server SV 1 is a user interface UI via which events reported by the network devices SW 1 , SW 2 and SW 3 , for example the violation of a limit value or activation of freshly loaded configuration data, are outputted on a display device, for example a monitor, and, optionally, also audibly. Via the user interface Ul, a user may also transmit commands for controlling the network devices SW 1 , SW 2 and SW 3 to the latter, for example activate or deactivate a connection. The servers SV 1 and SV 2 , not shown in greater detail, are computers or computer networks that are operated by a UNIX operating system or a Windows NT operating system. The servers SV 1 and SV 2 have transmitting and receiving means, for example LAN or WAN interface cards, modems or the like, with which data can be transmitted or received. Furthermore, memory means, for example hard disks and RAM chips, and also control means, for example a processor in each case or a cluster of processors, are provided. Such a control means performs instructions of an operating system that is stored in the memory means. Furthermore stored in the memory means are program code sequences of program modules that are carried out by the control means and control the functions of the servers SV 1 and SV 2 . Such program modules in the server are the management objects MO 1 and MO 2 and the user interface UI, and also the managed objects VO 1 to VO 3 in the server SV 2 . The transmitting and receiving means, control means and memory means of the servers SV 1 and SV 2 and their respective internal interconnections are not shown in FIG. 1 . The network devices SW 1 and SW 2 transmit items of event information to the managed objects VO 1 and VO 2 via connections VS 11 and VS 12 , respectively. The network devices SW 2 and SW 3 transmit items of event information to the managed objects VO 2 and VO 3 via connections VS 2 and VS 3 , respectively. At the same time, the network devices SW 1 , SW 2 and SW 3 report, for example, limit value violations, their current system load or traffic loads of connections in the telecommunications system NW. The items of event information are forwarded, for example, as structured data, for example, with the aid of the basic encoding rules BER in accordance with the definitions of the International Telecommunication Union. The items of event information between the network devices SW 1 , SW 2 and SW 3 and the managed objects VO 1 , VO 2 , VO 3 may, however, also be so-called object request broker objects (ORB), for example, in accordance with the CORBA specification (CORBA&equals;common object request broker architecture) of the OMG (object management group) or the DCOM specification of Microsoft. The connections VS 11 , VS 12 , VS 2 , VS 3 are shown only diagrammatically and are preferably routed via a separate management network, for example via a WAN (wide area network). Items of event information transmitted by the network devices SW 1 , SW 2 and SW 3 are received by the managed objects VO 1 , VO 2 , VO 3 via transmitting and receiving means TRV and stored in a memory means MEMV. The transmitting and receiving means TRV and the memory means MEMV are in the present case performed as corresponding program functions of the managed objects VO 1 , VO 2 , VO 3 . Consequently, an image or a mirror MIRV of the events that have occurred in the network devices SW 1 , SW 2 and SW 3 are stored in each case in the managed objects VO 1 , VO 2 , VO 3 . The managed objects VO 1 , VO 2 , VO 3 report the respective items of event information as event information objects via connections W 11 , W 12 and W 2 , W 3 to discriminator objects DO 1 and DO 2 , respectively, that are designed in the present case likewise as processes or agents performed by the server SV 2 . The discriminator objects DO 1 , DO 2 receive the items of event information via transmitting and receiving means TRD and filter the items of event information on the basis of filtering citeria K 11 , K 12 , K 21 , K 22 with the aid of filtering means FILD. The transmitting and receiving means TRD and also the filtering means FILD are designed in the present case as corresponding program functions of the discriminator objects DO 1 , DO 2 , DO 3 and form service providing means for providing services for the management objects MO 1 , MO 2 . For example, the discriminator object DO 1 filters the items of event information intended for the management object MO 1 and originating from the managed object VO 1 on the basis of filtering criteria K 11 and the items of event information intended for the management object MO 2 and originating from the managed object VO 2 on the basis of the filtering criteria K 12 . The filtering criteria K 11 , K 12 and K 21 , K 22 are attributes of the discriminator objects DO 1 and DO 2 , respectively, and are described, for example, as discriminator constructs. The filtering criteria K 11 , K 12 and K 21 , K 22 specify the conditions which the items of event information transmitted by the managed objects VO 1 , VO 2 , VO 3 must fulfil if they are to be transmitted to the management objects MO 1 , MO 2 . The filtering criteria K 11 , K 12 , K 21 , K 22 may be designed, for example, as test tables to be applied by the filtering means FILD or as test functions to be invoked by the filtering means FILD. In any case, the respective items of event information relating to events that are irrelevant for the management objects MO 1 , MO 2 are filtered out by the filtering means FILD, in which process, for example, a noncritical limit value violation or a cyclically reported measured value is separated out, whereas a critical malfunction or any other alarm is passed on. The discriminator objects DO 1 and DO 2 transmit items of event information not filtered out via connections VD 1 or VD 21 , VD 22 , respectively, to a request manager RM, which conveys the items of event information via connections VR 1 and VR 2 to the management objects MO 1 and MO 2 , respectively. The discriminator object DO 1 only enters a logic address of the management objects MO 1 , MO 2 into the items of event information it transmits, whereas a forwarding object EFD 1 , for example an event forwarding discriminator EFD in accordance with ITU recommendation X.734 (ITU&equals;International Telecommunication Union), upstream of the discriminator object DO 1 in the direction of the request manager RM enters a physical address assigned to the respective logic address in the respective items of event information. The discriminator object DO 2 , on the other hand, already enters the necessary physical addresses without the cooperation of a forwarding object. For the discriminator object DO 1 , provision may, for example, be made that it passes on to the forwarding object EFD 1 all the items of event information, that is to say not only those intended for forwarding but also those intended for filtering out, but adds to the latter attributes “forward” or “do not forward” determined on the basis of the filtering criteria K 11 and K 12 . It is also possible that a discriminator object duplicates some of the items of event information transmitted by managed objects and forwards them repeatedly to management objects assigned to it. For example, the discriminator object DO 1 transmits items of event information reported by the managed objects VO 1 , VO 2 to each of the two management objects MO 1 , MO 2 . The discriminator object DO 1 receives the items of event information, for example, as input objects and determines, on the basis of the filtering criteria K 11 and K 12 , which of the input objects are to be sent to the management object MO 1 and which to the MO 2 . If necessary, the discriminator object DO 1 copies such an input object in order to transmit it both to the management object MO 1 and to the management object MO 2 . In any case, the discriminator object DO 1 adds the logic addresses of the management objects MO 1 , MO 2 in each case as attributes to the input objects and then feeds them to the forwarding object EFD 1 . The management objects MO 1 , MO 2 receive the items of event information transmitted by the discriminator objects DO 1 and DO 2 via transmitting and receiving means TRM and store the items of event information, for example, in event mirrors MIRM that are provided in their memory means MEMO. In the exemplary embodiment, the management objects MO 1 , MO 2 store the items of event information additionally in a database DB of the server SV 1 . Furthermore, the management objects MO 1 , MO 2 forward the items of event information, for example, via internal connections VM 1 , VM 2 provided in the server SV 1 and preferably designed as interprocess connections to the user interface UI for outputting to the user. The transmitting and receiving means TRM, and also the memory means MEMO are designed in the present case as corresponding program functions of the management objects MO 1 , M 02 . The connections VR 1 and VR 2 are routed, for example, via a LAN (local area network) connecting the servers SV 1 and SV 2 . The connections W 11 , W 12 , W 2 , W 3 and also VD 1 , VD 21 , VD 22 are internal connections in the server SV 2 that are routed via physical, but in particular, via logical transmission channels and are made, for example, via known interprocess communication mechanisms provided, for example, by the operating system of the server SV 2 . For the purpose of data transmission over the connections VR 1 and VR 2 , for example, the CMIP protocol (common management information protocol) of the OSI (open systems interconnection) or the TCP/IP-based simple network management protocol (&equals;SNMP; TCP/IP&equals;transmission control protocol/Internet protocol) are used, which are all suitable for transporting items of management information. Insofar as the spontaneous transmission described of items of event information proceeds without fault through the network devices SW 1 , SW 2 and SW 3 to the management objects MO 1 , MO 2 , the event states of the network devices SW 1 , SW 2 and SW 3 are known in the server SV 1 . If, however, the connections VR 1 , VR 2 , for example, are lost for a short time owing to a line fault, items of event information spontaneously reported by the network devices SW 1 , SW 2 and SW 3 are possibly lost. If the management objects MO 1 , M 02 , receive, for example, a report from a monitoring process, not shown, of the server SV 1 that such a line fault is “outgoing”, that is to say no longer present, it transmits request messages to interrogate the event states of the managed objects VO 1 , VO 2 , VO 3 to the discriminator objects DO 1 and DO 2 in order, for example, thereby to update its event mirror MIRM and the database DB. In this case, the discriminator objects DO 1 and DO 2 form service objects and the management objects MO 1 , MO 2 form request objects, under which circumstances the service objects provide services for the request objects. The management objects MO 1 , MO 2 could also be described as managers, and the discriminator objects DO 1 and DO 2 as agents. It is also possible for commands to be transmitted from the user interface UI to the management objects MO 1 , MO 2 that initiate request messages addressed to the discriminator objects DO 1 and DO 2 . Furthermore, the discriminator objects DO 1 and DO 2 and/or the managed objects VO 1 , VO 2 , VO 3 could also report to the management objects MO 1 , MO 2 that a divergence has occurred between the respective event mirrors MIRV and MIRM, respectively, whereupon the management objects MO 1 , MO 2 then transmit appropriate request messages to the discriminator objects DO 1 and DO 2 to interrogate the event state. Furthermore, a time-controlled control program provided in the server SV 1 and/or in the server SV 2 could transmit request messages. The time-controlled control program transmits the request messages at predetermined points in time, for example once an hour or on some weekdays, to the discriminator objects DO 1 and DO 2 . The timecontrolled control program could be a so-called external scheduler designed as a separate process or, alternatively, an internal scheduler that is, for example, incorporated in the management object MO 1 or in the discriminator object DO 1 as a program function. A first variant of the processing of such request messages will be described using the example of request messages AN 1 and AN 2 with which the management object MO 1 requests the event states of the managed objects VO 1 and VO 2 from the discriminator object DO 1 . The request messages AN 1 and AN 2 are, for example, so-called “GET” messages, “EVENT-REPORT” messages or “ACTION” messages, which are defined within the framework of the Common Management Information Services (CMIS) or corresponding SNMP request messages. It is also possible that the request messages AN 1 and AN 2 are forwarded by objects in another form, for example, in the form of CORBA objects. To transmit the objects, the Internet InterObjectRequestBroker Protocol (IIOP) defined by the OMG already mentioned may be used and this can be transmitted within the framework of the TCP/IP (TCP/IP&equals;transmission control protocol/Internet protocol). Furthermore, the request messages AN 1 and AN 2 could also be so-called remote procedure calls (RPCs) with which the management object MO 1 invokes the objects VO 1 and VO 2 , designed as processes or “procedures”, in the server SV 2 . The management object MO 1 transmits the request messages AN 1 and AN 2 via the connection VR 1 to the request manager RM, which receives the request messages AN 1 and AN 2 using transmitting and receiving means, not shown in greater detail and designed, for example, as program functions and forwards them to the discriminator object DO 1 . In the request message AN 1 , “DON 1 ” is specified as object name and consequently as addressed information for the discriminator object DO 1 and in the request message AN 2 , “DON2” is specified as object name and address information. The object names DON 1 and DON 2 are assigned to the discriminator object DO 1 and serves to address it logically. From the point of view of the management object MO 1 there exist, under these circumstances, two service objects: a discriminator object designated by DON 1 that interrogates the event state of the managed object VO 1 as a service and a discriminator object designated by DON 2 that interrogates the event state of the managed object VO 2 as a service. The transmitting and receiving means TRM of the management object MO 1 enter the object names DON 1 and DON 2 in the respective request message, depending on the service requested in each case. On the basis of the object names DON 1 and DON 2 , respectively, the request manager RM determines, for example, with the aid of an assignment table of object names-to-service object and/or a predetermined assignment algorithm that the request messages AN 1 and AN 2 are intended for the discriminator object DO 1 . In this connection it is also possible that the request manager RM inserts an additional identifier in the request messages AN 1 and AN 2 on the basis of which the discriminator object DO 1 can determine the service to be provided in each case. The discriminator object DO 1 receives the request messages AN 1 and AN 2 using its transmitting and receiving means TRD. On the basis of the object names DON 1 and DON 2 serving as identifiers, the discriminator object DO 1 recognizes which service it is to provide, namely that it should report the event states of the managed objects VO 1 and VO 2 , respectively, to the management object MO 1 . An appropriate assignment of the object names DON 1 and DON 2 to a service to be provided in each case is advantageously stored in the configuration data of the discriminator object DO 1 . For the purpose of processing the request messages AN 1 and AN 2 , the discriminator object DO 1 transmits an interrogation message in each case via the connections W 11 and W 12 , respectively, in order to interrogate the event state of the managed objects VO 1 and VO 2 , respectively. The latter report the event states, stored in their respective event mirrors MIRV, of the network devices SW 1 and SW 2 , respectively, in individual event-state messages or in a contiguous event-state report to the discriminator object DO 1 . It is also possible that the managed objects VO 1 , VO 2 additionally also forward interrogation messages to the network devices SW 1 , SW 2 in order to interrogate their current event states in each case, for example, to interrogate faults. The discriminator object DO 1 receives the event state messages via its transmitting and receiving means TRD and, with the aid of the filtering means FILD, checks whether the event-state messages relate to events that are relevant to the management object MO 1 . The filtering means could use the filtering criteria K 11 and K 12 in the manner mentioned in order to filter the event-state messages originating from the managed objects VO 1 and VO 2 , respectively. In that case, the object names DON 1 and DON 2 would be the identifiers for determining the filtering criteria K 11 and K 12 that are to be used and that are a component of the configuration data for the discriminator object DO 1 . In the present case, however, identifiers IDK 11 and IDK 12 , respectively, that instruct the discriminator object DO 1 to use the filtering criteria K 11 or K 12 , respectively, for the event-state messages reported by the managed objects VO 1 and VO 2 , respectively, are specifically specified in the request messages AN 1 and AN 2 . In addition, still other filtering criteria K 2 A that are to be used to filter event states are specified in the request message AN 2 . For example, the filtering criteria K 2 A may determine that only alarm states but not measurements of the managed objects VO 2 are to be reported to the management object MO 1 . The request messages AN 1 and AN 2 may also contain further information, not explained in greater detail, for example the address of the management object MO 1 , which serves as destination address for feeding back the event states. If an event-state message contains the state of an event that is not relevant for the management object MO 1 , it is filtered out, otherwise the event state is reported to the management object MO 1 via the request manager RM. The respective message is reformatted, if necessary, into a message form that is intelligible for the management object MO 1 by the discriminator object DO 1 . In the present example, the managed objects VO 1 and VO 2 each report only the currently valid event states. In principle, the discriminator object DO 1 could also check whether a reported event state is currently valid. If, for example, measurements are to be transmitted cyclically, it is possible to determine on the basis of time information added to a respective measurement whether a predetermined transmission cycle for the measurement has been kept to. The management object MO 1 receives the event-state messages or the event-state reports from the discriminator object DO 1 via its transmitting and receiving means TRM and updates the respective events in its events mirror MIRM and in the database DB. In this connection, means may be provided in the management object MO 1 for plausibility-checking the events, for example items of time information that are added to a reported event state could be compared with items of time information deposited in a stored event state. Furthermore, the plausibility-checking means could detect a deviation from a state of an event in the event mirror MIRM from an event state reported by the discriminator object DO 1 . If such a deviation occurs, on the one hand, a warning message is, for example, outputted at the user interface UI and, on the other hand, a safety interrogation is transmitted to the management object reporting the event state and/or the discriminator object in which they are instructed to check whether the reported deviation of the event state is correct. A second variant of the processing of request messages transmitted by a request object to a service object will be below explained using the example of request messages AN 3 and AN 4 with which the management object MO 2 requests the event states of the network devices SW 2 and SW 3 , respectively, from the discriminator object DO 2 . The management object MO 2 transmits the request messages AN 3 and AN 4 , in which the object names DON 3 and DON 4 , respectively, are specified as logic addresses, to the request manager RM. From the point of view of the management object MO 2 acting as request object there exist, under these circumstances, two independent service objects DON 3 and DON 4 . Assigned to the logic service objects DON 3 and DON 4 are the connections VD 21 and VD 22 , respectively, as logic transmission channels. The request manager RM finds out, for example on the basis of an object name-to-transmission channel assignment list that he is to transmit the request message AN 3 over the connection VD 21 and the request message AN 4 over the connection VD 22 to the discriminator object DO 2 . From this, the discriminator object DO 2 finds out that it receives the request message AWN 3 over the connection V 21 and that it is to provide a first service for the management object MO 2 , namely the reporting of the event state of the managed object VO 2 . Correspondingly, it transmits an interrogation or request message via the connection W 2 to the managed object VO 2 that the latter answers by means of one or more messages relating to its event state. Said messages are filtered by the discriminator object DO 2 on the basis of the filtering criteria K 21 , which are to be used for request messages received over the connection VD 21 . Similar remarks apply to the request message AN 4 that is received over the connection VD 22 and in which a second service is requested from the discriminator object DO 2 : the interrogation of the event state of the managed object VO 3 . The discriminator object DO 2 therefore interrogates the event state of the latter via the connection W 3 and filters the answer messages received in response thereto with the aid of the filtering criteria K 22 that are assigned to request messages received over the connection VD 22 . The items of event information reported to the management object MO 2 by the discriminator object DO 2 and satisfying the filtering criteria K 21 and K 22 are entered by the management object MO 2 in its event mirror MORM in the manner already mentioned. Solely on the basis of the allocation of one logic transmission channel VD 21 and VD 22 in each case to a service to be provided, the discriminator object DO 2 can detect said service. The request messages AN 3 and AN 4 or request messages derived therefrom could therefore in principle be transmitted to the discriminator object DO 2 by the request manager RM even without the object names DON 3 and DON 4 , respectively, as identifier for the service to be provided. It is also possible for a discriminator object to receive request messages relating to various services and/or request messages relating to various management objects on one transmission channel. For example, the discriminator object DO 2 could receive over the connection VD 21 the request messages AN 3 and AN 2 that each relate to an interrogation of the event state of the managed object VO 2 and in which the address of the management object MO 2 or MO 1 , respectively, is specified as source/destination identifier. The discriminator object DO 2 then interrogates in the manner explained the event state of the managed object VO 2 . The items of event information then received are filtered by the discriminator object DO 2 on the basis of the filtering criteria K 21 if they relate to the source/identifier MO 2 , that is to say relate to the management object MO 2 , and on the basis of the filtering criteria K 23 if they relate to the management object MO 1 . Variants and developments of the invention are readily possible: The discriminator objects DO 1 and DO 2 could be provided solely to interrogate event states in the managed objects VO 1 , VO 2 , VO 3 . For spontaneous event reports transmitted by the latter, separate objects or agents could be provided, for example EFDs. The discriminator objects DO 1 and DO 2 serving as service objects could derive the respective service to be provided, in the exemplary embodiment the filtering criteria or the event state reports, also from a source identifier of the management objects MO 1 , MO 2 acting a request objects. If the discriminator object DO 1 receives, for example, a request message from the management object MO 1 , it transmits all the event states relating to the managed object VO 1 , whereas it transmits, in the case of a request message transmitted by the management object MO 2 , possibly having the same address for the discriminator object DO 1 as in the request message transmitted by the management object MO 1 , only a selection of event states, for example particularly critical alarm states. On the other hand, general items of information, for example cyclic measurements, are separated out on the basis of filtering criteria that are not shown. The discriminator objects DO 1 and DO 2 acting as logic service objects could be constructed in each case as a cascade of processes or agents, in which case, for example, a central control process or control agent receives in each case the request messages from the management objects MO 1 , MO 2 acting as request objects and, depending on the service requested, distributes them further to subprocesses or subagents. The discriminator objects DO 1 and DO 2 could be incorporated completely or partly in subfunctions in the managed objects VO 1 , VO 2 , VO 3 . The functions of the discriminator objects DO 1 and DO 2 can be designed as controllable by the management objects MO 1 , MO 2 and/or by the request manager RM. For example, the spontaneous transmission of event reports to the discriminator objects DO 1 and DO 2 could be disabled or enabled by the management objects MO 1 , MO 2 . Furthermore, the discriminator objects DO 1 and DO 2 could report their respective status to the management objects MO 1 , MO 2 and/or the request manager RM. For example, the discriminator objects DO 1 and DO 2 could report their creation, their deletion, their working state (operational or non-operational) or a configuration data or attribute value change. The management objects MO 1 , MO 2 , the request manager RM, the discriminator objects DO 1 and DO 2 and the managed objects VO 1 , VO 2 , VO 3 could each be performed individually or in groups by separate computers spatially remote from one another or by computer networks. Furthermore, different assignments could be provided. For example, the management object MO 1 and the discriminator object DO 2 could be assigned to the server SV 1 and the management object MO 2 and the discriminator object DO 1 to the server SV 2 . To readjust the event states stored in each case in the servers SV 1 and SV 2 , the management object MO 1 could then transmit request messages to the discriminator object DO 2 and the management object MO 2 could transmit request messages to the discriminator object DO 1 . Furthermore, the servers SV 1 and SV 2 could belong to separate, but mutually interconnected network management systems. As distinct from the examples disclosed, in which the management objects, the managed objects and the discriminator objects are each designed as processes or process groups whose program code is performed by a computer or a computer network, the objects could also be formed, so to speak, by hardware. For example, the managed objects VO 1 and VO 2 could be formed by the network devices SW 1 and SW 2 , respectively, and the discriminator object VO 1 by a server assigned to the managed objects VO 1 , VO 2 . It goes without saying that it is not only the management objects and discriminator objects explained in the exemplary embodiment that may serve as request objects or service objects according to the invention. For example, a managed object could also form a service object and, depending on the object name it is addressed under, it could forward, for example, messages comprising cyclic measurements or comprising alarm reports. Furthermore, a service object for a telecommunications network that controls, for example, call diversions in an intelligent network could perform various functions, for example direct call diversions to various destinations depending on the object names with which it is invoked.