Patent ID: 7697440

Claim:
A method for selective alarm suppression in a data communication network, comprising: storing a plurality of reachability relationships between a first maintenance point at a first maintenance level and a respective plurality of second maintenance points at the first maintenance level in response to a respective plurality of first management packets, wherein the reachability relationships associates maintenance points at a second lower maintenance level connected between the first maintenance point and the plurality of second maintenance points; detecting by the first maintenance point a first loss of continuity respecting a maintenance point at the second lower maintenance level; detecting by the first maintenance point a second loss of continuity respecting one of the plurality of second maintenance points at the first maintenance level; and determining by the first maintenance point whether to raise an alarm respecting the second loss of continuity based at least in part on whether the maintenance point at the second lower maintenance level resides between the one of the plurality of second maintenance points and the first maintenance point through referencing the plurality of reachability relationships.