Abstract:
A method and apparatus providing a network topology management of a wireless communication network are disclosed. The method discovers network topology data of the wireless communication network, wherein the wireless communication network comprises a self-healing capability, and identifies a difference between the network topology data that is discovered against a stored network topology data of the wireless communication network. The method updates the stored network topology data with the difference that is identified.

Description:
The present disclosure relates generally to communication network and, more particularly, to a method and apparatus for providing Long Term Evolution (LTE) network topology management in a wireless communication network. 
     BACKGROUND 
     In a 3GPP Long Term Evolution (LTE) network, service outages and degradation can be difficult to detect (e.g., a sleeping cell) and will require considerable manual effort for troubleshooting. These service outages or degradations are difficult to detect because of the self-healing aspect of certain cellular network, e.g., the LTE network. For example, services in a failed cell site can be automatically covered by neighboring cell sites. Hence, the failed or degraded cell site can remain in a failed or degraded state without being noticed for a period of time. The LTE network topology changes dynamically due to the self healing capability when a cell site enters into or goes out of service. This requires that the network topology data, used by the wireless service provider, to be updated accordingly in order to provide effective fault and performance correlation as well as service impact analysis. 
     SUMMARY 
     In one embodiment, the present method and apparatus provide a network topology management of a wireless communication network. The method discovers network topology data of the wireless communication network, wherein the wireless communication network comprises a self-healing capability, and identifies a difference between the network topology data that is discovered against a stored network topology data of the wireless communication network. The method updates the stored network topology data with the difference that is identified. 
    
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
       The teaching of the present disclosure can be readily understood by considering the following detailed description in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, in which: 
         FIG. 1  illustrates an exemplary LTE network related to the present disclosure; 
         FIG. 2  illustrates a flow chart of a method for network topology management in an LTE network of the present disclosure; 
         FIG. 3  illustrates an exemplary LTE object model of the present disclosure; 
         FIG. 4  illustrates an exemplary object diagram showing the relationship between the node, card, and port object classes, between node and location object classes, and of the circuit topology related to the present invention; 
         FIG. 5  illustrates an exemplary pool of MMEs related to the present disclosure; 
         FIG. 6  illustrates an exemplary eNodeB and MME pool relationship of the present disclosure; 
         FIG. 7  illustrates an exemplary object diagram showing the connection level and the circuit level topology between an eNodeB and a plurality of MMEs, between an eNodeB and an SGW, between an SIAD and a plurality of MSNs, and between a node and a cell site related to the present disclosure; 
         FIG. 8  illustrates a high level block diagram of a general purpose computer suitable for use in performing the functions described herein; and 
         FIG. 9  illustrates another exemplary LTE object model of the present disclosure; 
     
    
    
     To facilitate understanding, identical reference numerals have been used, where possible, to designate identical elements that are common to the figures. 
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION 
     As discussed above, in a 3GPP Long Term Evolution (LTE) network, the self-healing aspect of the LTE network causes the network topology to change dynamically when a cell site enters into or goes out of service. This requires that the network topology data, used by the wireless service provider, to be updated accordingly in order to provide effective fault and performance correlation as well as service impact analysis. 
     To address this criticality, the present method and apparatus enable a wireless communication service provider to manage the topology of the LTE network and obtain accurate network topology and configuration data to keep track of dynamic changes in the LTE network. Using the accurate network topology and configuration data, the wireless service provider can accurately and effectively correlate fault scenarios and alarms from the LTE network. For example, the method performs network topology discovery and updates the network topology data when the network topology has changed, wherein the updated network topology data is used by the service provider to correlate a plurality of alarms from a plurality devices down to a single device which is the root cause of a service trouble in the LTE network. 
     Broadly defined, an eNodeB is a radio base transceiver station (RBS) as per the 3GPP standards (or simply referred to as a base station). An eNodeB provides the LTE air interface and performs radio resource management for wireless access. 3GPP is a global effort to define a wireless communication system specification. In 3GPP release 8, LTE is a set of enhancements to the Universal Mobile Telecommunications System (UMTS) which focuses on adopting 4th Generation (4G) mobile communication&#39;s technology including an all-Internet Protocol (IP) end-to-end networking architecture. 
       FIG. 1  illustrates an exemplary LTE network  100  related to the present disclosure. In one embodiment, the LTE network  100  comprises an access network  102  (e.g., an evolved Universal Terrestrial Radio Access Network (eUTRAN)), a core network  103  (e.g., an Evolved Packet Core (EPC) network), a metro-Ethernet network  140 , and a topology management system (TMS)  104  supported by a wireless service provider. User Equipment (UE)  101  accesses wireless services via an eNodeB, e.g., eNodeB  111  in the eUTRAN  102 . UE  101  can be a smart phone, a computer or laptop, or any endpoint devices equipped with 4G wireless capabilities. An eNodeB, such as eNodeB  111 , provides wireless interfaces to one or more UE devices. It should be noted that an eUTRAN, e.g., eUTRAN  102 , comprises one or more eNodeBs, e.g.,  111  and  112 . All eNodeBs in the eUTRAN  102  are connected to the EPC network  103  via one or more integrated access device  105  (e.g., a Smart Integrated Access Device (SIAD)). Broadly, an integrated access device is capable of integrating both voice and data services within a single device. In eUTRAN  102 , eNodeB  111  supports wireless services covered by cell site  121  and eNodeB  112  supports wireless services covered by cell site  122 . 
     In one embodiment, eUTRAN  102  is connected to the EPC network  103  via metro-Ethernet network  140  serving as a transport network. In particular, SIAD  105  in eUTRAN  102  is connected to Multi-service Node (MSN)  106  in EPC network  103  via metro-Ethernet network  140 . An EPC network provides key functions that support wireless services in the LTE environment. In one embodiment, an EPC network is an Internet Protocol (IP) packet core network that supports both real-time and non-real-time service delivery across a LTE network, e.g., as specified by the 3GPP standards. 
     In one embodiment, the SIAD is a device that provides wireless traffic aggregation and backhaul from a cell site to an EPC network. An MSN provides layer 2 and layer 3 networking functions for wireless service between one or more SIADs and the EPC network and the eUTRAN is the air interface of the 3GPP&#39;s Long Term Evolution (LTE) specifications for mobile networks. Namely, the eUTRAN comprises a radio access network standard that will replace previous generations of air interface standards. 
     In EPC network  103 , network devices Mobility Management Entity (MME)  107  and Serving Gateway (SGW)  108  support key functions as part of the LTE network  100 . MME  107  is the control node for the LTE access-network. It is responsible for UE (User Equipment) tracking and paging (e.g., such as retransmissions), bearer activation and deactivation process, selection of the SGW, and authentication of a user. SGW  108  routes and forwards user data packets, while also acting as the mobility anchor for the user plane during inter-eNodeB handovers and as the anchor for mobility between LTE and other wireless technologies, such as 2G and 3G wireless networks. 
     In addition, in EPC network  103 , the Home Subscriber Server (HSS)  191  contains subscription-related information (e.g., subscriber profiles), performs authentication and authorization of a wireless service user, and provides information about the subscriber&#39;s location. The Policy Charging and Rule Function (PCRF)  192  supports accesses to subscriber databases and specialized functions of a charging system. The Public Data Network Gateway (PDN GW)  193  is a gateway that provides access between the EPC network  103  and the public data network. 
     In one embodiment, the TMS  104  comprises a collection of modules that provides topology management of dynamic changes occurring in an LTE network. For example, the TMS  104  comprises a Topology Discovery Engine (TDE)  131 , a Configuration Management System (CMS)  132 , a Topology Builder and Trouble Domain and Classification Engine (TBTDCE)  133 , a Network Management System (NMS)  134 , a Network Topology and Configuration Inventory Database (NTCID)  136 , and an Element Management System (EMS)  137 . The functions performed by these modules will be described below. 
     In one embodiment, the TDE  131  supports the discovery functions of dynamic changes in the LTE network. For example, TDE  131  uses information collected from devices in eUTRAN  102 , EPC network  103 , and EMS  137  as inputs to support dynamic topology change discovery in the LTE network. 
     In  FIG. 1 , X 2  interface flow  151  is used to communicate between two eNodeBs, e.g., between eNodeB  111  and eNodeB  112 ; S 1  interface flow  152  is used to communicate between an eNodeB, such as eNodeB  111 , and a device in EPC network  103 , such as MME  107  and SGW  108 . Note that the S 1  and X 2  interfaces are standard interfaces defined by the 3GPP standard. 
     In one embodiment, the CMS  132  receives inputs from TDE  131  and performs the appropriate configuration data consolidation and update. For instance, CMS  132  receives newly discovered LTE network topology and configuration change data discovered by TDE  131  and updates those data in EMS  137  and NTCID  136  accordingly. 
     In one embodiment, TBTDCE  133  generates a LTE network topology view as well as supports network alarm correlation functions. The generated network topology and alarm correlation information will be sent to NMS  134  for further processing. 
     In one embodiment, the NMS  134  performs network level management of the LTE network  100 . 
     In one embodiment, the NTCID  136  contains the inventory of all network topology and configuration data of the LTE network  100 . 
     In one embodiment, the EMS  137  is a module that provides management of one or more specific types of network elements, e.g., eNodeBs, SIADs, MMEs etc., in the LTE network  100 . 
       FIG. 2  illustrates a flow chart of a method  200  for network topology management in an LTE network of the present disclosure. For example, one or more steps of method  200  can be implemented by the TMS  104 . Method  200  starts in step  205  and proceeds to step  210 . 
     In step  210 , a TDE discovers the topology of the LTE network, e.g., retrieves network topology, configuration and connectivity data from one or more network devices (e.g., a SIAD in an eUTRAN or a MME in an EPC network) in or from an EMS having the data for the one or more network devices associated with an LTE network. Given that the LTE network has the ability to self-heal, the topology of the LTE network may change, e.g., an eNodeB interacting with a different SIAD in support of another sleeping eNodeB. Such change may be dynamically implemented without the knowledge of the network. Over time, the “current” network topology may have changed to such a degree that it no longer matches a “stored” topology as noted by the network. As such, when a fault isolation function is implemented on the “stored” topology, inconsistent results may result. Thus, discovery of the topology may need to be implemented, e.g., on a periodic schedule (e.g., daily, weekly, and so on). 
     In one embodiment, the retrieval can be performed through various standard protocols or interfaces including, but not limited to, File Transfer Protocol (FTP), Simple Network Management Protocol (SNMP), Common Object Request Broker Architecture (CORBA), Web service, and Application Programming Interface (API). For example, the TDE uses the ping command to validate the IP addresses of the network devices and adds the validated IP addresses to a validated list. The TDE may also use the traceroute command sent to these network devices to determine the network connectivity of these devices. 
     In step  215 , the TDE determines if a stored pre-provisioned network topology data and the discovered post-deployment network topology and configuration data are in sync. If the data are in sync, the method proceeds to step  235 ; otherwise, the method proceeds to step  220 . 
     In step  220 , the CMS consolidates the newly discovered network topology data that are different from the stored network topology data using the validated list from step  210  and then updates the appropriate systems in the LTE network. For instance, the CMS loads the newly discovered network topology data that are different from the stored network topology data to an EMS system and updates the newly discovered network topology data that are different from the stored network topology data to the NTCID. The CMS creates objects in a hierarchical manner in the order of location, node, card, port, circuit, logical connection, pool, cell, and sector objects to reflect changes, e.g., a network device that has entered into service, in the LTE network. 
     Note that an object is created only if the object does not already exist and the required components associated with the primary key exist. For instance, a port object for an eNodeB can only be created if both the eNodeB device object and the card object associated with the eNodeB exist. 
     If an object already exists, the object table fields containing the pre-provisioned data will be modified using the updated post-installation data fed by the TDE. The last-update-time of the modified object will be updated with the current timestamp. 
       FIG. 3  illustrates an exemplary LTE object model  300  of the present disclosure. The figures shows the relationships between the various objects including the location, node, card, port, circuit, logical connection, pool, cell, and sector object classes. It should be noted that the LTE object model  300  is only illustrative and should not be interpreted as a limitation to the present disclosure. 
     In one embodiment, the location object class represents a physical network location that contains network equipment. Location types are “Cell Site”, “Data Center”, “MTSO”, “NOC”, and etc., where “MTSO” represents Metropolitan Servicing Office and “NOC” represents Network Operations Center. The location object class has an aggregation relationship with the cell object class. For instance, multiple cell objects can be aggregated within a location object. Similarly, the location object class has an aggregation relationship with the node object class. 
     Table 1 illustrates an exemplary location object class table related to the present disclosure. In Table 1, the LOCATION_OBJ_ID field is of number type and is the primary key of the table. 
     
       
         
               
               
               
               
               
             
           
               
                 TABLE 1 
               
               
                   
               
               
                   
                   
                   
                 Primary 
                   
               
               
                   
                   
                   
                 Foreign 
               
               
                 FIELD NAME 
                 Data Type 
                 FIELD DESCRIPTION/VALUE 
                 Key 
                 Example 
               
               
                   
               
             
             
               
                 LOCATION_OBJ_ID 
                 Number 
                 Location object DB key 
                 P 
                   
               
               
                 LocationID 
                 String 
                 Granite Location ID 
                   
                 NJNJXX-RCPK02 
               
               
                 LocationType 
                   
                 Cell Site, Data Center, HUB, 
                   
                 Cell Site, Data 
               
               
                   
                   
                 MTSO, NOC 
                   
                 Center, HUB, 
               
               
                   
                   
                   
                   
                 MTSO, NOC 
               
               
                 LocationCLLI 
                 String 
                 8 characters CLLI 
                   
                 RCPKNJ02 
               
               
                 ParentLocation 
                 Number 
                 PARENT_SITE_INST_ID 
                   
                 NYC 
               
               
                 CITY 
                 String 
                   
                   
                 New York 
               
               
                 STATE 
                 String 
                   
                   
                 NY 
               
               
                 MARKET 
                   
                 SITE GENERAL INFO 
                   
                 NYC 
               
               
                 ED_MARKET 
                   
                 SITE GENERAL INFO 
                   
                 NYC/NNJ 
               
               
                 REGION 
                   
                 SITE GENERAL INFO 
                   
                 NORTHEAST 
               
               
                 TICKETING SYSTEM 
                   
                 SITE INTERFACE INFO 
                   
                 LC00045807 
               
               
                 LOCATION ENTRYID 
               
               
                 TECHNOLOGY 
                   
                 GSM, LTE, UMTS Served by 
               
               
                   
                   
                 Ethernet, Served by Fiber 
               
               
                 CITY 
                 String 
                   
                   
                 New York 
               
               
                 STATE 
                 String 
                   
                   
                 NY 
               
               
                   
               
             
          
         
       
     
     The node object class represents a network element or device. A node contains equipment objects of racks, shelves, slots, cards, and ports. The node types in an LTE network includes, but are not limited to, eNodeB, MME, SWG, SIAD, and MSN etc. The node object class has a composition relationship with the card object class. For instance, a node object can be composed of a card object. 
     Table 2 illustrates an exemplary node object class table related to the present disclosure. In Table 2, the NODE_OBJ_ID field is of number type, which represents the record database key, and a primary key of the table. The NodeType field is of variable length character type and provides the type of network element or device associated with the node. The NodeName field is of variable length character type and provides an eleven characters Common Language Location Identifier (CLLI) code of the node. The VENDOR field is of variable length character type and provides the manufacturer of the associated node network element or device. The MODEL field is of variable length character type and provides the equipment model of the associated node network element or device. The REV field is of variable length character type and provides the revision of the associated node network element or device. The ParentLocation field is of number type and provides the parent location object referencing the node object. The ParentLocation field serves as a foreign key to the table. This field also serves as the foreign key, to the location object, of the location table. The IP_ADDRESS field is of variable length character type and provides the IP address of the node. The PoolID field is of string type and provides the identification of the MME pool object associated with an eNodeB. The PoolID field serves as a foreign key to the table. An eNodeB can have one Pool ID and a MME can be assigned to a MME pool. Each MME pool can have multiple MME as its members. For an eNodeB node object, the table can also contain eNB-ID, which is unique for all eNodeBs. The PrimarySecondary field is of character type and provides the flag to distinguish the node&#39;s role, e.g., a primary or a secondary node. 
     The card object class comprises the ports on a network element or device that communicate with other ports in other network elements or devices. A card can also contain sub-slots that again contain other cards. The card object class has a composition relationship with the port object class. For instance, a card object can be composed of a port object. 
     
       
         
               
               
               
               
               
             
           
               
                 TABLE 2 
               
               
                   
               
               
                   
                   
                   
                 Primary 
                   
               
               
                   
                   
                   
                 Foreign 
               
               
                 FIELD NAME 
                 Data type 
                 FIELD DESCRIPTION/VALUE 
                 Key 
                 Example 
               
               
                   
               
             
             
               
                 NODE_OBJ_ID 
                 NUMBER 
                 Node object DB key 
                 P 
                   
               
               
                 NodeID 
                 String 
                 Granite Node ID 
                   
                 BSC21-01 BMG01 
               
               
                 NodeType 
                 String 
                 BTS, BSC, MSC, SGSN, GGSN, 
                   
                 BTS, BSC, MSC, 
               
               
                   
                   
                 NodeB, RNC, ENodeB, RRH, 
                   
                 SGSN, GGSN, 
               
               
                   
                   
                 MME, SGW, PGW, PCRF, 
                   
                 NodeB, RNC, 
               
               
                   
                   
                 DACS, MSN, SIAD, NTE 
                   
                 ENodeB, RRH, MME, 
               
               
                   
                   
                   
                   
                 SGW, PGW, PCRF, 
               
               
                   
                   
                   
                   
                 DACS, MSN, SIAD, 
               
               
                   
                   
                   
                   
                 NTE 
               
               
                 NodeCLLI 
                 STRING 
                 11 characters CLLI 
               
               
                 eNB-ID 
                 NUMBER 
                   
                   
                 From NDR input 
               
               
                 VENDOR 
                 STRING 
                   
                   
                 Nokia 
               
               
                 MODEL 
                 STRING 
                   
                   
                 DX 200 BSC2I 
               
               
                 REV 
                 STRING 
               
               
                 DESCR 
                 STRING 
               
               
                 PoolID 
                 String 
                 Contained in MME_Pool (for 
                 F(Pool 
               
               
                   
                   
                 MME &amp; eNB nodes only) 
                 Table) 
               
               
                 ParentLocation 
                 NUMBER 
                 Parent LOCATION_OBJ_ID 
                 F(Location 
               
               
                   
                   
                   
                 Table) 
               
               
                 LINEUP 
                 STRING 
                   
                   
                 0106 
               
               
                 FRAME 
                 STRING 
                   
                   
                 10 
               
               
                 SHELF 
                 STRING 
               
               
                 CLEI 
                 STRING 
               
               
                 TICKETING SYSTEM 
                   
                 EQUIPMENT GENERAL INFO 
                   
                 BMG01 
               
               
                 COMMON ID 
               
               
                 TICKETING SYSTEM 
                   
                 EQUIPMENT GENERAL INFO 
                   
                 MTGMALIRBSC0001 
               
               
                 EQUIPMENT ID 
               
               
                 TICKETING SYSTEM 
                   
                 EQUIPMENT GENERAL INFO 
                   
                 MONTGOMERY 
               
               
                 EQUIPMENT NAME 
                   
                   
                   
                 MTSO BSC2I-01 
               
               
                 TICKETING SYSTEM 
                   
                 EQUIPMENT GENERAL INFO 
               
               
                 OLD COMMON ID 
               
               
                 TICKETING SYSTEM 
                   
                 EQUIPMENT GENERAL INFO 
               
               
                 OLD EQUIPMENT NAME 
               
               
                 TICKETING SYSTEM 
                   
                 EQUIPMENT GENERAL INFO 
                   
                 BMG01 
               
               
                 PARENT ID 
               
               
                 TICKETING SYSTEM 
                   
                 EQUIPMENT GENERAL INFO 
               
               
                 PARENT NAME 
               
               
                 TECHNOLOGY 
                   
                 EQUIPMENT GENERAL INFO 
                   
                 GSM 
               
               
                 TICKETING SYSTEM 
                   
                 EQUIPMENT INTERFACE INFO 
                   
                 ECMW00000146253 
               
               
                 EQUIPMENT ENTRYID 
               
               
                 Force TICKETING 
                   
                 EQUIPMENT INTERFACE INFO 
               
               
                 SYSTEM Transmit 
               
               
                 SENT TO TICKETING 
                   
                 EQUIPMENT INTERFACE INFO 
               
               
                 SYSTEM 
               
               
                 IP_ADDRESS 
                 STRING 
                 Device DNS IP Address 
               
               
                 ADDRESS_HEX_NBR 
                 STRING 
               
               
                 PrimarySecondary 
                 Char 
                   
                   
                 P, S 
               
               
                   
               
             
          
         
       
     
     Table 3 illustrates an exemplary card object class table related to the present disclosure. In Table 3, the CARD_OBJ_ID is of number type and is the primary key of the table. The Node field is of string type and provides the node object referencing the card object. The Node field serves as a foreign key to the table. The Card field is of number type and provides parent card object referencing the card object if the card object is a sub-card. The Card field serves as a foreign key to the table. The PrimarySecondary field is of character type and provides the flag to distinguish the card&#39;s role, e.g., a primary or a secondary card. 
     The port object class represents the interface between network devices and circuits (or network links). A port is associated with one end of a circuit or network link. A port usually resides on a card. But a port also may exist on a device (called device port). A high-bandwidth port (e.g., a DS3 port) can contain a set of low-bandwidth ports (e.g., DS1 port). 
     
       
         
               
               
               
               
               
             
           
               
                 TABLE 3 
               
               
                   
               
               
                   
                   
                   
                 Primary 
                   
               
               
                   
                   
                   
                 Foreign 
               
               
                 FIELD NAME 
                 Data Type 
                 FIELD DESCRIPTION/VALUE 
                 Key 
                 Example 
               
               
                   
               
             
             
               
                 CARD_OBJ_ID 
                 NUMBER 
                 Card object DB key 
                 P 
                   
               
               
                 CardID 
                 STRING 
                 FRAME-SHELF-SLOT 
               
               
                   
                   
                 (build by GFP) 
               
               
                 CardType 
                   
                   
                   
                 DS1 INTFC 
               
               
                 CardName 
                 STRING 
               
               
                 Node 
                 STRING 
                 NODE_OBJ_ID 
                 F (Node 
               
               
                   
                   
                   
                 Table) 
               
               
                 Card 
                 NUMBER 
                 CARD_OBJ_ID (Parent 
                 F (Card 
               
               
                   
                   
                 Card Object ID, if this 
                 Table) 
               
               
                   
                   
                 is a sub-card) 
               
               
                 PortCount 
                 NUMBER 
                   
                   
                 4 
               
               
                 FRAME 
                 STRING 
                 Frame Number 
                   
                 02 
               
               
                 SHELF 
                 STRING 
                 Shelf Number 
               
               
                 SLOT 
                 STRING 
                 Slot Number; 
                   
                 0E 
               
               
                 DESCR 
                 STRING 
                   
                   
                 ET2A CARD 
               
               
                 PrimarySecondary 
                 Char 
                   
                   
                 P, S 
               
               
                   
               
             
          
         
       
     
     Table 4 illustrates an exemplary port object class table related to the present disclosure. In Table 4, the PORT_OBJ_ID is of number type and is the primary key of the table. The ParentPort field is of number type and provides the parent port object referencing the port object. The ParentPort field serves as a foreign key to the table. The Node field is of number type and provides the node object referencing the port object. The Node field serves as a foreign key to the table. The Card field is of number type and provides card object referencing the port object. The Card field serves as a foreign key to the table. The Location field is of number type and provides the location object referencing the port object. The Location field serves as a foreign key to the table. The Circuit field is of number type and provides the circuit object referencing the port object. The Circuit field serves as a foreign key to the table. The PrimarySecondary field is of character type and provides the flag to distinguish the port&#39;s role, e.g., a primary or a secondary port. 
     The circuit object class represents a logical connection of certain bandwidth provided by the physical network of nodes and links. A circuit has two end ports: an A-end port and a Z-end port. It has a specified transmission speed or bandwidth capacity. Circuits are assembled in layers. A circuit may be divided into channels or time-slots, which can be allocated to the underlying child circuits. In this case, the parent circuit is carrying those low-bandwidth child circuits. The highest level of circuit is carried by a physical link. An end-to-end circuit layout starts with the A-end port. It may travel through multiple parent circuits, and ends with the Z-end port. The circuit object class has an association relationship with the port object class. For instance, a circuit object has two termination points, the A and Z ends, and each of the termination points is associated with a port object. 
     
       
         
               
               
               
               
               
             
           
               
                 TABLE 4 
               
               
                   
               
               
                   
                   
                   
                 Primary 
                   
               
               
                   
                   
                   
                 Foreign 
               
               
                 FIELD NAME 
                 Data Type 
                 FIELD DESCRIPTION/VALUE 
                 Key 
                 Example 
               
               
                   
               
             
             
               
                 PORT_OBJ_ID 
                 NUMBER 
                 Port object DB Key 
                 P 
                   
               
               
                 PortID 
                 String 
               
               
                 PortType 
                 String 
                 BANDWIDTH 
               
               
                 ParentPort 
                 NUMBER 
                 PORT_OBJ_ID 
                 F(Port 
               
               
                   
                   
                   
                 Table) 
               
               
                 Card 
                 NUMBER 
                 CARD_OBJ_ID 
                 F(Card 
               
               
                   
                   
                   
                 Table) 
               
               
                 Node 
                 NUMBER 
                 NODE_OBJ_ID 
                 F(Node 
               
               
                   
                   
                   
                 Table) 
               
               
                 Location 
                 NUMBER 
                 LOCATION_OBJ_ID 
                 F(Location 
               
               
                   
                   
                   
                 Table) 
               
               
                 DESCRIPTION 
                 STRING 
               
               
                 CONNECTOR_TYPE 
                 STRING 
                   
                   
                 RJ-48C 
               
               
                 DIRECTION 
                 STRING 
               
               
                 CIRCUIT 
                 NUMBER 
                 CIRCUIT_OBJ_ID 
                 F(Circuit 
               
               
                   
                   
                   
                 Table) 
               
               
                 PARENT_PORT_CHAN 
                 NUMBER 
               
               
                 VIRTUAL_PORT 
                 CHAR 
               
               
                 PORT_ACCESS_ID 
                 STRING 
                 Port AID 
               
               
                 PATH_CHAN_ID 
                 NUMBER 
               
               
                 IP_ADDRESS 
                 STRING 
                 Interface IP Address 
               
               
                 PrimarySecondary 
                   
                   
                   
                 P, S 
               
               
                   
               
             
          
         
       
     
     Table 5 illustrates an exemplary circuit object class table related to the present disclosure. In Table 5, the CIRCUIT_OBJ_ID is of number type and is the primary key of the table. The A-end_Port field is of number type and provides the A-end port object referencing the circuit object. The A-end Port field serves as a foreign key to the table. The A-end_Node field is of number type and provides the A-end node object referencing the circuit object. The A-end_Node field serves as a foreign key to the table. The A-end_Location field is of number type and provides the A-end location object referencing the circuit object. The A-end_Location field serves as a foreign key to the table. The Z-end_Port field is of number type and provides the Z-end port object referencing the circuit object. The Z-end Port field serves as a foreign key to the table. The Z-end_Node field is of number type and provides the Z-end node object referencing the circuit object. The Z-end_Node field serves as a foreign key to the table. The Z-end_Location field is of number type and provides the Z-end location object referencing the circuit object. The Z-end_Location field serves as a foreign key to the table. The PrimarySecondary field is of character type and provides the flag to distinguish the circuit&#39;s role, e.g., a primary or a secondary circuit. 
     The logical connection object class provides an LTE inter-node end-to-end communication protocol to support LTE functions. The logical connection types for LTE project are: S 1 -MME, S 1 -U, S 3 , S 4 , S 5 , S 6   a , S 7 , S 10 , S 11 , S 12 , and X 2  (which are interface types defined by the 3GPP standard). The logical connection object class has an association relationship with the node object class. For instance, a logical connection object has two termination points, the A and Z ends, and each of the termination points is associated with a node object. The logical connection object class also has an association relationship with the circuit object class. For instance, a logical connection object is associated with a particular circuit object. 
     
       
         
               
               
               
               
               
             
           
               
                 TABLE 5 
               
               
                   
               
               
                   
                   
                   
                 Primary 
                   
               
               
                   
                   
                   
                 Foreign 
               
               
                 FIELD NAME 
                 Data Type 
                 FIELD DESCRIPTION/VALUE 
                 Key 
                 Example 
               
               
                   
               
             
             
               
                 CIRCUIT_OBJ_ID 
                 NUMBER 
                 Circuit object DB key 
                 P 
                   
               
               
                 CircuitID 
                 String 
                 Granite Circuit ID 
                   
                 NRCSGAJTPN7/MTGMA 
               
               
                   
                   
                   
                   
                 LIRBMG001/DS1/00001 
               
               
                 CircuitType 
                 ENUM 
                 Indicating Circuit 
                   
                 EVC, Ethernet, 1GIGE, 
               
               
                   
                   
                 Type and Bandwidth 
                   
                 10GIGE, DS1, DS1C, 
               
               
                   
                   
                   
                   
                 DS3, DS3C, STS1, STS3, 
               
               
                   
                   
                   
                   
                 STS12, OC48, OC48C, 
               
               
                   
                   
                   
                   
                 OC12, OC12C, OC192, 
               
               
                   
                   
                   
                   
                 OC192C, WDMn (n = 4, 8, 
               
               
                   
                   
                   
                   
                 16, 40, 80), Wavelength, 
               
               
                   
                   
                   
                   
                 Optical, MWnDS3 (n = 1, 2, 
               
               
                   
                   
                   
                   
                 3, 4, 8) 
               
               
                 CircuitCLFI 
                 String 
                 CLFI 
               
               
                 InterfaceType 
                 String 
                 Indicating the 
               
               
                   
                   
                 underlined 
               
               
                   
                   
                 connection 
               
               
                   
                   
                 type (in Logical 
               
               
                   
                   
                 Connection 
               
               
                   
                   
                 Table) 
               
               
                 A-end_Port 
                 NUMBER 
                 A-end 
                 F(Port 
               
               
                   
                   
                 PORT_OBJ_ID 
                 Table) 
               
               
                 A-end_Node 
                 NUMBER 
                 A-end 
                 F(Node 
               
               
                   
                   
                 NODE_OBJ_ID Nod 
                 Table) 
               
               
                 A-end_Location 
                 NUMBER 
                 A-end 
                 F(Location 
               
               
                   
                   
                 LOCATION_OBJ_ID 
                 Table) 
               
               
                 Z-end_Port 
                 NUMBER 
                 Z-end 
                 F(Port 
               
               
                   
                   
                 PORT_OBJ_ID 
                 Table) 
               
               
                 Z-end_Node 
                 NUMBER 
                 Z-end 
                 F(Node 
               
               
                   
                   
                 NODE_OBJ_ID Node 
                 Table) 
               
               
                 Z-end_Location 
                 NUMBER 
                 Z-end 
                 F(Location 
               
               
                   
                   
                 LOCATION_OBJ_ID 
                 Table) 
               
               
                 TRUNK_GROUP 
                 STRING 
                 CIRC_PATH_INST 
               
               
                 NBR_CHANNELS 
                 NUMBER 
                 CIRC_PATH_INST 
               
               
                 TOPOLOGY 
                 CHAR 
                 CIRC_PATH_INST 
               
               
                 APPLICATION 
                   
                 PATH INFO 
                   
                 LTE, UMTS 
               
               
                   
                   
                 PATH 
               
               
                   
                   
                 APPLICATION 
               
               
                 PrimarySecondary 
                   
                   
                   
                 P, S 
               
               
                   
               
             
          
         
       
     
     Table 6 illustrates an exemplary logical connection object class table related to the present disclosure. In TABLE 6, the CONNECTION_OBJ_ID is of number type and is the primary key of the table. The A-end_Port field is of number type and provides the A-end port ID of the circuit object referencing the logical connection object. The A-end Port field serves as a foreign key to the table. The A-end_NodeID field is of number type and provides the A-end node ID of the circuit object referencing the logical connection object. The A-end_NodeID field serves as a foreign key to the table. The A-end_NodeType field is of number type and provides the A-end node type of the node object referencing the logical connection object. The A-end_NodeType field serves as a foreign key to the table. 
     The Z-end_Port field is of number type and provides the Z-end port ID of the circuit object referencing the logical connection object. The Z-end Port field serves as a foreign key to the table. The Z-end_NodeID field is of number type and provides the Z-end node ID of the circuit object referencing the logical connection object. The Z-end_NodeID field serves as a foreign key to the table. The Z-end_NodeType field is of number type and provides the Z-end node type of the node object referencing the logical connection object. The Z-end_NodeType field serves as a foreign key to the table. 
     The TransportCircuit field is of number type and provides the circuit object referencing the logical connection object. The TransportCircuit field serves as a foreign key to the table. 
     The pool object is a collection of node objects. A MME pool is a collection of MME nodes. A SWG pool is a collection of SGW nodes. All nodes in a pool will support fail-over protection and load balancing functions. The pool object class has an aggregation relationship with the node object class. For instance, multiple node objects can be aggregated within a pool object. 
     
       
         
               
               
               
               
             
           
               
                 TABLE 6 
               
               
                   
               
               
                   
                 Data 
                   
                   
               
               
                 FIELD NAME 
                 Type 
                 FIELD DESCRIPTION/VALUE 
                 PK/FK 
               
               
                   
               
             
             
               
                 Connection_OBJ_ID 
                 Number 
                 Logical connection DB Key 
                 P 
               
               
                 ConnectionID 
                 String 
                 CIRC_PATH_HUM_ID 
               
               
                 ConnectionType 
                 String 
                 A, Abis, D, lub, luCS, 
               
               
                   
                   
                 luPS, Gn, Gi, Gr, Gc, 
               
               
                   
                   
                 S1-MME, S1-U, S3, S4, S5, 
               
               
                   
                   
                 S6a, S7, S11, X2 
               
               
                 A-end_NodeID 
                 String 
                 From a NodeB device 
                 F(Circuit 
               
               
                   
                   
                   
                 Table) 
               
               
                 A-end_NodeType 
                 String 
                   
                 Node Type 
               
               
                   
                   
                   
                 in Node 
               
               
                   
                   
                   
                 Table 
               
               
                 A-end_Port 
                   
                   
                 F(Circuit 
               
               
                   
                   
                   
                 Table) 
               
               
                 Z-end_NodeID 
                 String 
                 To a RNC device 
                 F(Circuit 
               
               
                   
                   
                   
                 Table) 
               
               
                 Z-end_NodeType 
                   
                   
                 Node Type 
               
               
                   
                   
                   
                 in Node 
               
               
                   
                   
                   
                 Table 
               
               
                 Z-end_Port 
                   
                   
                 F(Circuit 
               
               
                   
                   
                   
                 Table) 
               
               
                 Transport Circuit 
                 Number 
                 Carrier transport circuit 
                 F (Circuit 
               
               
                   
                   
                   
                 Table) 
               
               
                   
               
             
          
         
       
     
     Table 7 illustrates an exemplary pool object class table related to the present disclosure. In Table 7, the Pool_ID field is of String type and represents the MME Pool Identifier (or Name), as well as serves as a primary key of the table. The PoolType field is of String type and represents pool type, e.g., MME or SGW pool. The Node field is of String type and provides the node object ID associated with the pool, as well as serves as a foreign key, referencing the node table, of the pool object class table. Multiple network elements can logically compose a pool. For instance, a MME pool is composed of multiple MMEs and a SGW pool is composed of multiple SGWs. Also, multiple eNodeBs can be logically associated with a pool, e.g., a MME pool or a SGW pool. If a MME pool is composed of 4 MMEs and an eNodeB is associated with one active MME in a MME Pool, then the other three MMEs serve as stand-by MMEs. In the case that the active MME fails, one of the stand-by MMEs will take over the operations of the failed MME. The eNodeB has link connectivity and link checking to all 4 MMEs at the same time. 
     The cell object represents the logical functions of cell site equipment, such as the functions of an eNodeB. A cell site is further partitioned into multiple sectors. The cell object class has a composition relationship with the sector object class. For instance, a cell object can be composed of a sector object. The cell object class also has an association relationship with the node object class. For instance, a cell object is associated with a particular node object. 
     
       
         
               
               
               
               
               
             
           
               
                 TABLE 7 
               
               
                   
               
               
                   
                   
                   
                 Primary 
                   
               
               
                   
                   
                   
                 Foreign 
               
               
                 FIELD NAME 
                 Data Type 
                 FIELD DESCRIPTION/VALUE 
                 Key 
                 Example 
               
               
                   
               
             
             
               
                 PoolID 
                 String 
                 MME Pool Identifier (or 
                 PK 
                   
               
               
                   
                   
                 Name) 
               
               
                 PoolType 
                 String 
                 MME or SGW 
               
               
                 Node 
                 String 
                 node object ID 
                 FK(Node 
               
               
                   
                   
                   
                 Table) 
               
               
                   
               
             
          
         
       
     
     Table 8 illustrates an exemplary cell object class table related to the present disclosure. In Table 8, the EUTRANCELL_OBJ_ID is of number type and is the primary key of the table. The eNodeB field is of number type and provides the eNodeB node object referencing the cell object. The eNodeB field serves as a foreign key to the table. The CellSite field is of number type and provides the cell site ID of the location object referencing the cell object. The CellSite field serves as a foreign key to the table. 
     The sector object represents a subset of cell site logical functions. A sector is allocated with transceiver equipment of an eNodeB device. The sector object class has an association relationship with the port object class. For instance, a sector object is associated with a particular port object. 
     
       
         
               
               
               
               
               
             
           
               
                 TABLE 8 
               
               
                   
               
               
                   
                   
                 FIELD 
                 Primary 
                   
               
               
                 FIELD NAME 
                 Data Type 
                 DESCRIPTION/VALUE 
                 Foreign Key 
                 Example 
               
               
                   
               
             
             
               
                 EUTRANCELL_OBJ_ID 
                 Number 
                 EutranCell object 
                 P 
                   
               
               
                   
                   
                 DB Key 
               
               
                 EutranCellID 
                 String 
                 NDR Data 
               
               
                 EutranCellName 
                 String 
                 NDR Data 
               
               
                 ENodeB 
                 Number 
                 Parent ENodeB 
                 F(Node 
               
               
                   
                   
                 NODE_OBJ_ID 
                 Table) 
               
               
                 CellSite 
                 Number 
                 Cell Site 
                 F(Location 
               
               
                   
                   
                 LOCATION_OBJ_ID 
                 Table) 
               
               
                   
               
             
          
         
       
     
       FIG. 9  illustrates another alternative exemplary LTE object model  900  of the present disclosure. The figures shows the relationships between the various objects including the location, equipment, node, card, port, connection, customer, service, logical resource, and subnetwork object classes. 
     In  FIG. 9 , equipment object class is an abstract class. The node object class has an inheritance relationship with and inherits from the equipment object class. Similarly, the card object class has an inheritance relationship with and inherits from the equipment object class; the port object class has an inheritance relationship with and inherits from the equipment object class. The node, card, and port object classes have been previously described. 
     The node object class has a composition relationship with the card object class. For instance, a node object can be composed of a card object. 
     The card object class has a composition relationship with the port object class. For instance, a card object can be composed of a port object. 
     The connection object class has an association relationship with the port object class. For instance, a connection object has two termination points, the A and Z ends, and each of the termination points is associated with a port object. 
     The location object class has an aggregation relationship with the equipment object class. For instance, multiple equipment objects can be aggregated within a location object. The details of the location object class has been previously described. 
     Similarly, the subnetwork class object and the service object class both have an aggregation relationship with the equipment object class. 
     The customer object class has an aggregation relationship with the service object class. For instance, multiple customer objects can be aggregated within a service object. 
     The service object class has an aggregation relationship with the logical resource object class. For instance, multiple service objects can be aggregated within a logical resource object. Logical resource includes, but is not limited to, logical devices, protocol, device interface, software, and process etc. 
       FIG. 5  illustrates an exemplary pool  500  of MMEs related to the present disclosure. In  FIG. 5 , eNodeB  501  connects to MME Pool  521  via a set of four (4) different connections and eNodeB  512  connects to MME Pool  521  via another set of four (4) different connections. MME pool  521  comprises MME  511 , MME  512 , MME  513 , and MME  514 . The eNodeB  501  connects to MME  511  using connection S 1 - 1  (which is the current active connection), to MME  512  using connection S 1 - 2 , to MME  513  using connection S 1 - 3 , and to MME  514  using connection S 1 - 4 . The eNodeB  502  connects to MME  511  using connection S 1 - 5 , to MME  512  using connection S 1 - 6 , to MME  513  using connection S 1 - 7  (which is the current active connection), and to MME  514  using connection S 1 - 8 . Connections S 1 - 1  through S 1 - 8  are logical connections based on the S 1  interface specified by the 3GPP standard. Note that eNodeB  501  and eNodeB  502  connect to MME pool  521  via multiple connections for load balancing and failover protection purposes. 
     Returning to  FIG. 2 , in step  225 , the TBTDCE builds or constructs a topology map of LTE equipment associated with physical and logical network connections, a topology map of layer 2 and layer 3 transport network, and a topology map based on service, location, and sub-network. The maps are constructed using network topology and configuration data retrieved from the NTCID. 
       FIG. 4  illustrates an exemplary object diagram  400  showing the relationship between the node, card, and port object classes, between node and location object classes, and of the circuit topology related to the present disclosure. In particular,  FIG. 4  provides an object model that can be used to construct the logical connection level topology between an eNodeB and a MME as shown in  FIG. 5  as well as the circuit (EVC) level topology between an SIAD and a MSN as shown in  FIG. 6  below. 
     For instance,  FIG. 4  illustrates that a node, e.g., eNodeB  401 , is located in a location, cell site  421 . The eNodeB  401  is connected to another node, MME  403 , via a connection, S 1 -MME  402 . MME  403  is located in a location, MTSO  422 . The connection S 1 -MME  402  is carried by a circuit, EVC  404 . 
     The eNodeB  401  is also connected to another node, SGW  406 , via connection, S 1 -U  405 . SGW  406  is located in a location, MTSO  423 . The connection S 1 -U  405  is carried by a circuit, EVC  409 . 
     EVC  409  is terminated at one end at port  410  on card  411  in a node, MSN  412 . EVC  409  is also terminated at another end at port  413  on card  414  in a node, SIAD  415 . 
     In addition, MME  403  is connected to another node, SGW  406 , via connection, S 11   407 . The connection S 11   407  is carried by a circuit, EVC  408 . 
       FIG. 7  illustrates an exemplary object diagram  700  showing the connection level and the circuit level topology between an eNodeB and a plurality of MMEs, between an eNodeB and an SGW, between an SIAD and a MSN, and between a node and a cell site related to the present disclosure. In particular,  FIG. 7  is a specific instance of the object diagram  400  detailing the network topology information of  FIG. 6 .  FIG. 6  will be discussed in detail hereafter. 
     In  FIG. 7 , eNodeB  501  and SIAD  611  are located in cell site  601 . The eNodeB  501  is connected to MME  511 , MME  512 , MME  513 , and MME  514  via connections S 1 - 1 , S 1 - 2 , S 1 - 3 , and S 1 - 4 , respectively. The eNodeB  501  is connected to SGW  641  via connection S 1 - 1 U and connected to SGW  642  via connection S 1 - 2 U. 
     SIAD  611  is connected to MSN  621  via circuits EVC- 1 - 1 , EVC- 1 - 2 , and EVC-S 1 - 1 U. The SIAD  611  is connected to MSN  622  via circuits EVC- 2 - 3  and EVC- 2 - 4 . 
     Note that connection S 1 - 1  rides on EVC- 1 - 1 , connection S 1 - 2  rides on EVC- 1 - 2 , connection S 1 - 3  rides on EVC- 2 - 3 , connection S 1 - 4  rides on EVC- 2 - 4 , and connection S 1 - 1 U rides on EVC-S 1 - 1 U. 
     MME  511 , MME  512 , and SGW  641  are located in MTSO  631  and MME  513 , MME  514 , and SGW  642  are located in MTSO  632 . MME  511  through MME  514  belong to the same MME Pool  521 . MSN  621  is located in MTSO  631  and MSN  622  is located in MTSO  632 . 
     Returning to  FIG. 2 , in step  230 , the TBTDCE provides network alarm correlations to identify the root cause of a network trouble. For example, the source network device of a network trouble is identified based on alarm correlations. 
       FIG. 6  illustrates an exemplary eNodeB and MME pool relationship  600  of the present disclosure. Note that relationship  600  is shown in object diagram representation in  FIG. 7 . 
     In  FIG. 6 , eNodeB  501  and SIAD  611  are located in cell site  601 . The eNodeB  502  and SIAD  612  are located in cell site  602 . MSN  621 , MME  511 , MME  512 , and SGW  641  are located in MTSO  631 . The MSN  622 , MME  513 , MME  514 , and SGW  642  are located in MTSO  632 . MME Pool  521  spans two different MTSOs,  631  and  632 , for physical diversity purposes. 
     In one embodiment, cell site  601  and cell site  602  are connected to the MTSO  631  and MTSO  632  via a metro-Ethernet network. In particular, SIAD  611  in cell site  601  is connected to the MSN  621  in the MTSO  631  via Ethernet virtual circuit EVC- 1 - 1 , EVC- 1 - 2 , and EVC-S 1 - 1 U. The SIAD  612  in cell site  602  is connected to the MSN  622  in the MTSO  632  via Ethernet virtual circuit EVC- 4 - 3 , EVC- 4 - 4 , and EVC-S 1 - 2 U. 
     The SIAD  612  in cell site  602  is connected to MSN  621  in the MTSO  631  via Ethernet virtual circuit EVC- 3 - 1  and EVC- 3 - 2 . The SIAD  611  is connected to MSN  622  in the MTSO  632  via Ethernet virtual circuit EVC- 2 - 3 , and EVC- 2 - 4 . 
     Note that logical connections S 1 - 1 , S 1 - 2 , S 1 - 3 , S 1 - 4 , S 1 - 5 , S 1 - 6 , S 1 - 7 , and S 1 - 8  as illustrated in  FIG. 5  are carried over circuits EVC- 1 - 1 , EVC- 1 - 2 , EVC- 2 - 3 , EVC- 2 - 4 , EVC- 3 - 1 , EVC- 3 - 2 , EVC- 4 - 3 , and EVC- 4 - 4  in  FIG. 6  respectively. Note that one or more connections can be carried within a single circuit. 
     Circuit EVC-S 1 - 1 U carries user traffic between eNodeB  501  and SGW  641 . The circuit EVC-S 1 - 2 U carries user traffic between eNodeB  502  and SGW  642 . 
     In one embodiment, when a control card failure occurs in, say, eNodeB  501  as illustrated in  FIG. 6 , eNodeB  501  will trigger and originate a control card failure alarm and an eNodeB unreachable alarm. Upon detecting the failure at eNodeB  501 , MME  511 , MME  512 , MME  513 , and MME  514  will also all originate alarms reporting the same failure. In addition, SGW  641  will also originate an alarm reporting the same failure. The multiple alarms indicating the same control card failure will be correlated by the TBTDCE to identify that eNodeB  501  is the source of the problem. The eNodeB alarm will be treated as the parent alarm and the MME as well as the SGW alarms will be treated as child alarms. The parent alarm identified can be forwarded to the NMS for further actions. The method ends in step  235 . 
     It should be noted that although not explicitly specified, one or more steps of the method  200  described herein may include a storing, displaying and/or outputting step as required for a particular application. In other words, any data, records, fields, and/or intermediate results discussed in the method can be stored, displayed, and/or outputted to another device as required for a particular application. Furthermore, steps or blocks in  FIG. 2  that recite a determining operation, or involve a decision, do not necessarily require that both branches of the determining operation be practiced. In other words, one of the branches of the determining operation can be deemed as an optional step. 
       FIG. 8  depicts a high level block diagram of a general purpose computer suitable for use in performing the functions described herein. As depicted in  FIG. 8 , the system  800  comprises a processor element  802  (e.g., a CPU), a memory  804 , e.g., random access memory (RAM) and/or read only memory (ROM), a module  805  for enabling LTE network topology management, and various input/output devices  806  (e.g., storage devices, including but not limited to, a tape drive, a floppy drive, a hard disk drive or a compact disk drive, a receiver, a transmitter, a speaker, a display, a speech synthesizer, an output port, and a user input device (such as a keyboard, a keypad, a mouse, and the like)). 
     It should be noted that the present disclosure can be implemented in software and/or in a combination of software and hardware, e.g., using application specific integrated circuits (ASIC), a general purpose computer or any other hardware equivalents. In one embodiment, the present module or process  805  for enabling LTE network topology management can be loaded into memory  804  and executed by processor  802  to implement the functions as discussed above. As such, the present process  805  for enabling LTE network topology management (including associated data structures) of the present disclosure can be stored on a non-transitory (e.g., tangible and physical) computer readable storage medium, e.g., RAM memory, magnetic or optical drive or diskette and the like. 
     While various embodiments have been described above, it should be understood that they have been presented by way of example only, and not limitation. Thus, the breadth and scope of a preferred embodiment should not be limited by any of the above-described exemplary embodiments, but should be defined only in accordance with the following claims and their equivalents.