A method of distributing fault information from one or more managed network nodes (10, 15, 28) to a higher level network management node via an intermediary level network management node in a network management architecture having a subscribe operation and comprising network nodes (10, 15, 28) and network links (16, 17) under management, wherein the intermediary level network management node receives alarms containing detailed fault information sent by the one or more managed network nodes (10, 15, 28) and stores the detailed fault information received in the alarms, the method comprising the steps of: - the higher level network management node using a subscribe operation to subscribe for the reception of notifyAlarmCount notifications, wherein a notifyAlarmCount notification carries summary alarm information from all or a selected sub-tree of the one or more managed network nodes, and wherein the summary alarm information is determined by the intermediary level network management node from alarms received from all or a selected sub-tree of the one or more managed network nodes; - receiving at the higher level network management node a notifyAlarmCount notification sent by the intermediary level network management node and carrying summary alarm information from all or a selected sub-tree of the one or more managed network nodes (10, 15, 28); - the higher level network management node using a subscribe operation to subscribe to receive at least some detailed fault information, based on the received summary alarm information; and - the higher level network management node receiving subscribed detailed fault information from the intermediary level network management node; wherein the type of information carried in the notifyAlarmCount notification includes at least a number of alarms received by the intermediary level network management node, wherein the number of alarms comprises a count of the existing alarms of all or a selected sub-tree of the managed network nodes. - the higher level network management node using a subscribe operation to subscribe for the reception of notifyAlarmCount notifications, wherein a notifyAlarmCount notification carries summary alarm information from all or a selected sub-tree of the one or more managed network nodes, and wherein the summary alarm information is determined by the intermediary level network management node from alarms received from all or a selected sub-tree of the one or more managed network nodes; - receiving at the higher level network management node a notifyAlarmCount notification sent by the intermediary level network management node and carrying summary alarm information from all or a selected sub-tree of the one or more managed network nodes (10, 15, 28); - the higher level network management node using a subscribe operation to subscribe to receive at least some detailed fault information, based on the received summary alarm information; and - the higher level network management node receiving subscribed detailed fault information from the intermediary level network management node; wherein the type of information carried in the notifyAlarmCount notification includes at least a number of alarms received by the intermediary level network management node, wherein the number of alarms comprises a count of the existing alarms of all or a selected sub-tree of the managed network nodes.