Patent ID: 8566634

Claim:
A method for masking defects within a network, comprising: detecting by a plurality of service entities defects within a network, the plurality of service entities included in a network component of the network, each service entity generating a defect alarm to the network component, wherein the network component is included within a network element that comprises network interfaces, each network interface comprises a logical interface, each logical interface comprises ports, and each port comprises one or more of the plurality of service entities, wherein at least one of the ports is coupled to another port of another network element via a transmission medium; determining by the network component a number of defects detected by the service entities included in the network component; generating by the network component a summary alarm if the number of detected defects within the network is greater than a first threshold, the summary alarm representing the defect alarms generated by the service entities; and clearing by the network component the defect alarms generated by the service entities if a summary alarm is generated.