A fault handling method performed by a lower-layer fault management system in a communication fault management system, wherein the communication fault management system comprises at least one lower-layer fault management system and at least one higher-layer fault management system, and the method comprises: • Detecting a fault alarm status in a first lower-layer service; • Obtaining, by means of query according to the fault alarm status and a service dependence relationship table stored in the lower-layer fault management system, an affected first higher-layer service; • Sending a fault notification message to a higher-layer fault management system, among the at least one higher-layer fault management system, corresponding to the affected first higher-layer service, wherein the service dependence relationship table is a correspondence between a lower-layer service and a higher-layer service running in dependence on the lower-layer service, • wherein if the fault alarm status is that a fault occurs in the first lower-layer service, the sending the fault notification message to the higher-layer fault management system corresponding to the affected first higher-layer service comprises: ∘ sending a fault generation message to the higher-layer fault management system corresponding to the affected first higher-layer service, wherein the fault generation message carries a higher-layer affected-service identifier, and the higher-layer affected-service identifier is used for indicating the first higher-layer service affected by the first lower-layer service in which a fault alarm occurs, • wherein if the fault alarm status is that the fault of the first lower-layer service is already restored, the sending the fault notification message to the higher-layer fault management system corresponding to the affected first higher-layer service comprises: ∘ sending a fault restoration message to the higher-layer fault management system corresponding to the affected first higher-layer service, wherein the fault restoration message carries the higher-layer affected-service identifier. • Detecting a fault alarm status in a first lower-layer service; • Obtaining, by means of query according to the fault alarm status and a service dependence relationship table stored in the lower-layer fault management system, an affected first higher-layer service; • Sending a fault notification message to a higher-layer fault management system, among the at least one higher-layer fault management system, corresponding to the affected first higher-layer service, wherein the service dependence relationship table is a correspondence between a lower-layer service and a higher-layer service running in dependence on the lower-layer service, • wherein if the fault alarm status is that a fault occurs in the first lower-layer service, the sending the fault notification message to the higher-layer fault management system corresponding to the affected first higher-layer service comprises: ∘ sending a fault generation message to the higher-layer fault management system corresponding to the affected first higher-layer service, wherein the fault generation message carries a higher-layer affected-service identifier, and the higher-layer affected-service identifier is used for indicating the first higher-layer service affected by the first lower-layer service in which a fault alarm occurs, ∘ sending a fault generation message to the higher-layer fault management system corresponding to the affected first higher-layer service, wherein the fault generation message carries a higher-layer affected-service identifier, and the higher-layer affected-service identifier is used for indicating the first higher-layer service affected by the first lower-layer service in which a fault alarm occurs, • wherein if the fault alarm status is that the fault of the first lower-layer service is already restored, the sending the fault notification message to the higher-layer fault management system corresponding to the affected first higher-layer service comprises: ∘ sending a fault restoration message to the higher-layer fault management system corresponding to the affected first higher-layer service, wherein the fault restoration message carries the higher-layer affected-service identifier. ∘ sending a fault restoration message to the higher-layer fault management system corresponding to the affected first higher-layer service, wherein the fault restoration message carries the higher-layer affected-service identifier.