Patent ID: 8514725

Claim:
A method of operating network entities in a communications system, where the network entities are in a first hierarchical level of a management network of the communications system, comprising: determining at least one receiving network entity among the network entities to send fault and/or performance management related data, based on a configuration management relationship with a transmitting network entity included in the network entities, the configuration management relationship defining a handover relationship between the transmitting network entity and the receiving network entity used by the network entities to interact with each other for performing a handover operation in respect of a communication, the handover operation being between a first cell and a second cell, the first and second cells being respectively under the control of the transmitting and receiving network entities; and sending fault and/or performance management related data from the transmitting network entity to the at least one receiving network entity in order to establish an alternative notification path to provide notification of the fault and/or performance management related data to a manager of the at least one receiving network entity being in a second hierarchical level of the management network higher than the first hierarchical level of the management network via the at least one receiving network entity instead of notification of the fault and/or performance management related data to the manager of the at least one receiving network entity via a manager of the transmitting network entity being in a hierarchical level in common with the manager of the at least one receiving network entity, wherein the transmitting network entity initiates at least one first fault and/or performance management related function in the communications system, and the at least one receiving network entity initiates at least one second fault and/or performance management related function using the fault and/or performance management related data received from the transmitting entity via the alternative notification path.