DESC:FORM 2
THE PATENTS ACT, 1970 (39 OF 1970)
&
THE PATENT RULES, 2003
COMPLETE SPECIFICATION
(See section 10 and rule 13)

SYSTEM AND METHOD FOR MONITORING MISSING DATA INSTANCES IN A COMMUNICATION NETWORK

Jio Platforms Limited, an Indian company, having registered address at Office -101, Saffron, Nr. Centre Point, Panchwati 5 Rasta, Ambawadi, Ahmedabad - 380006, Gujarat, India

The following specification particularly describes the invention and the manner in which it is to be performed.
TECHNICAL FIELD
[0001] The embodiments of the present disclosure generally relate to the field of wireless communication networks and systems. More particularly, the present disclosure relates to a system and a method for monitoring missing data instances from Element Management Systems (EMSs) deployed in a communication network.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
[0002] The subject matter disclosed in the background section should not be assumed or construed to be prior art merely because of its mention in the background section. Similarly, any problem statement mentioned in the background section or its association with the subject matter of the background section should not be assumed or construed to have been previously recognized in the prior art.
[0003] In the field of telecommunications, efficient network management is crucial to ensure uninterrupted service delivery and optimal network performance. Network operators rely on Element Management System(s) (EMSs) to provide essential data and updates, and to manage and monitor individual Network Elements (NEs) deployed across communication networks. The data may include configuration files, performance reports, software updates, alarms, and other critical information necessary for network operations. An EMS corresponds to a system responsible for managing and monitoring individual components or elements of a communication network, including tasks such as fault management, configuration management, and performance monitoring. The EMSs are responsible for critical functions, including the fault management, the performance monitoring, and configuration updates for their respective NEs deployed by service providers, ensuring optimal network operation. An NE refers to a physical or logical component within the communication network, such as a router, a switch, or a base station, which are monitored and managed by the EMS.
[0004] Typically, the EMSs are capable of managing internal functions and capabilities of the NEs but lacks the ability to manage traffic flow and interconnections between different NEs in the communication network. To support management of the traffic between the EMS and other NEs, the EMS needs to communicate with higher-level Network Management Systems (NMSs) via standardized interfaces for instance, North Bound Interfaces (NBIs). An NMS refers to a higher-level system that oversees the entire communication network, management coordination between multiple EMSs and ensuring overall network health and performance. An NBI refers to a standardized interface or a protocol that allows communication between lower-level management systems, such as the EMS and the higher-level management systems, such as the NMS, facilitating data exchange between the two.
[0005] To this end, 3rd Generation Partnership Project (3GPP) standards introduced enhancements and specifications related to network management functionalities, including the EMSs which defined protocols and interfaces for the EMS integration within a telecommunication network, ensuring interoperability and compatibility across different vendors and equipment. Specifically, the EMSs are integrated with service provider’s NBIs to facilitate data exchange between the EMSs and the NMSs.
[0006] The integration of the EMSs with the service provider’s NBI enables the EMSs to capture Fault, Configuration, Accounting, Performance, and Security (FCAPS) data comprehensively, covering fault management, configuration management, accounting management, performance management, and security management aspects of network operations within the telecommunication network. By periodically transmitting performance statistics and alarm messages to the NBI, the EMSs may contribute to overall NMS, enabling the service providers to monitor health and performance of the telecommunication network, proactively.
[0007] However, despite integration of the EMSs with service provider’s NBIs, conventional NBIs follow manual processes to identify missing data instances. In a large telecommunication network with numerous EMSs managing millions of nodes, it is a cumbersome process to identify EMS wise missing data instances manually, since conventional process in the NBIs relies on reactive measures rather than proactive identification and resolution of issues. Such manual processes have added complexity in identification of the missing data instances from the multiple EMSs deployed in the telecommunication network. Since the EMSs caters to millions of nodes, any missing data instance may have an impact on data sanity, which again may provide an inaccurate visualization of the Key Performance Metrics (KPMs) to operations team of the vendor. The KPMs correspond to qualitative indicators that are used to assess the performance and health of the communication network, such as data throughput, latency, and network availability.
[0008] Therefore, there lies a need for a solution that can efficiently and timely monitor missing data instances from the EMSs deployed in the communication network, while overcoming the above-mentioned shortcomings related to the conventional EMSs.
SUMMARY
[0009] The summary is provided to introduce aspects and embodiments related to techniques for generating ingestion alerts corresponding to one or more missing data instances. Particularly, this section is provided to introduce a selection of concepts in a simplified format that is further described in the detailed description of the invention. This summary is not intended to identify key or essential inventive concepts of the disclosed subject matter nor is it intended for use in determining or limiting the scope of the disclosed subject matter.
[0010] According to an aspect of the present disclosure, disclosed herein is a method for monitoring one or more missing data instances in a communication network. The method comprises receiving, by a receiver from one or more Element Management System(s) (EMSs), statistical data associated with a plurality of nodes monitored by the one or more EMSs. The method further comprises determining, by a determination module, based on the statistical data, whether a count of received data instances from each EMS of the one or more EMSs is less than a predetermined count of data instances. Furthermore, the method comprises identifying, by the determination module, based on a result of determination that the count of received data instances is less than the predetermined count of data instances, a set of EMSs from the one or more EMSs. Each EMS of the set of EMSs has missing data instances. Thereafter, the method comprises determining, by the determination module, a time stamp associated with each of the missing data instances for each EMS of the identified set of EMSs and generating, by a generation module, an ingestion alert for a corresponding EMS among the identified set of EMSs. The ingestion alert comprises the time stamp associated with each of the missing data instances.
[0011] In one or more implementations, the method comprises sending, by a transmitter, the ingestion alert as a notification to a user device.
[0012] In one or more implementations, the statistical data comprises Fault, Configuration, Accounting, Performance, and Security (FCAPS) data associated with the plurality of nodes.
[0013] In one or more implementations, the FCAPS data comprises one or more of configuration files, performance reports, software updates, configured alarms, and critical information associated with the plurality of nodes.
[0014] In one or more implementations, the identifying, by the determination module, the set of EMSs from the one or more EMSs comprises determining whether a count of arrived files from the one or more EMSs is lesser than a predetermined count of files, and determining the set of EMSs based on the determination that the count of arrived files from each EMS of the set of EMSs is lesser than the predetermined count of files. The predetermined count of files corresponds to a count of files expected to be delivered within a configurable period.
[0015] In one or more implementations, the method comprises configuring, by an execution module, thresholds for file delivery delays based on one or more of file priority, frequency of delivery of the files, and operational requirements. Furthermore, the method comprises comparing, by the determination module, based on the configured thresholds, the count of arrived files with the predetermined count of files.
[0016] In one or more implementations, the ingestion alerts are generated periodically or in real time.
[0017] According to another aspect of the present disclosure, disclosed is a system for monitoring one or more missing data instances in a communication network. The system comprises a receiver, a determination module, and a generation module. The receiver is configured to receive, from one or more Element Management System(s) (EMSs), statistical data associated with a plurality of nodes monitored by the one or more EMSs. The determination module is configured to determine, based on the received statistical data, whether a count of received data instances received from each EMS of the one or more EMSs is less than a predetermined count of data instances. Furthermore, the determination module is configured to identify, based on a result of determination that the count of received data instances is less than the predetermined count of data instances, a set of EMSs from the one or more EMSs. Each EMS of the set of EMSs has missing data instances. The determination module is further configured to determine a time stamp associated with each of the missing data instances for each EMS of the identified set of EMSs. The generation module is configured to generate an ingestion alert for a corresponding EMS among the identified set of EMSs. The ingestion alert comprises the time stamp associated with each of the missing data instances.
[0018] In one or more implementations, the transmitter is configured to send the ingestion alert as a notification to a user device.
[0019] In one or more implementations, to identify the set of EMSs from the one or more EMSs, the determination module is configured to determine whether a count of arrived files from the one or more EMSs is lesser than a predetermined count of files, and determine the set of EMSs based on the determination that the count of arrived files from each EMS of the set of EMSs is lesser than the predetermined count of files. The predetermined count of files corresponds to a count of files expected to be delivered within a configurable period.
[0020] In one or more implementations, the system comprises an execution module configured to configure thresholds for file delivery delays based on one or more of file priority, frequency of delivery of the files, and operational requirements.
[0021] In one or more implementations, the determination module is configured to compare, based on the configured thresholds, the count of arrived files with the predetermined count of files.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF DRAWINGS
[0022] Various embodiments disclosed herein will become better understood from the following detailed description when read with the accompanying drawings. The accompanying drawings constitute a part of the present disclosure and illustrate certain non-limiting embodiments of inventive concepts. Further, components and elements shown in the drawings are not necessarily to scale, emphasis instead being placed upon clearly illustrating the principles of the present disclosure. For consistency and ease of understanding, similar components and elements are annotated by reference numerals in the exemplary drawings.
[0023] FIG. 1 illustrates a block diagram depicting a communication environment of a multi-vendor network, in accordance with an embodiment of the present disclosure.
[0024] FIG. 2 illustrates a block diagram depicting a system for monitoring missing data instances in a communication network, in accordance with an embodiment of the present disclosure.
[0025] FIG. 3 illustrates a flowchart depicting a method for monitoring the missing data instances in the communication network, in accordance with an embodiment of the present disclosure.
[0026] FIG. 4 illustrates a schematic architecture diagram depicting a computing system, in accordance with an embodiment of the present disclosure.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION
[0027] Inventive concepts of the present disclosure will now be described more fully hereinafter with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which examples of one or more embodiments of inventive concepts are shown. Inventive concepts may, however, be embodied in different forms and should not be construed as limited to the embodiments set forth herein. Further, the one or more embodiments disclosed herein are provided to describe the inventive concept thoroughly and completely, and to fully convey the scope of each of the present inventive concepts to those skilled in the art. Furthermore, it should be noted that the embodiments disclosed herein are not mutually exclusive concepts. Accordingly, one or more components from one embodiment may be tacitly assumed to be present or used in any other embodiment.
[0028] The following description presents various embodiments of the present disclosure. The embodiments disclosed herein are presented as teaching examples and are not to be construed as limiting the scope of the present disclosure. The present disclosure should in no way be limited to the illustrative implementations, drawings, and techniques illustrated below, including the exemplary design and implementation illustrated and described herein, but may be modified, omitted, or expanded upon without departing from the scope of the present disclosure.
[0029] The following description contains specific information pertaining to embodiments in the present disclosure. The detailed description uses the phrases “in some embodiments” or “some implementations” which may each refer to one or more or all of the same or different embodiments or implementations. The term “some” as used herein is defined as “one, or more than one, or all.” Accordingly, the terms “one,” “more than one,” “more than one, but not all” or “all” would all fall under the definition of “some.” In view of the same, the terms, for example, “in an embodiment” or “in an implementation” refers to one embodiment or one implementation and the term, for example, “in one or more embodiments” refers to “at least one embodiment, or more than one embodiment, or all embodiments”. Further, the term, for example, “in one or more implementations” refers to “at least one implementation, or more than one implementation, or all implementations”.
[0030] The term “comprising,” when utilized, means “including, but not necessarily limited to;” it specifically indicates open-ended inclusion in the so-described one or more listed features, elements in a combination, unless otherwise stated with limiting language. Furthermore, to the extent that the terms “includes,” “has,” “have,” “contains,” and other similar words are used in either the detailed description, such terms are intended to be inclusive in a manner similar to the term “comprising.”
[0031] In the following description, for the purposes of explanation, various specific details are set forth to provide a thorough understanding of embodiments of the present disclosure. It will be apparent, however, that embodiments of the present disclosure may be practiced without these specific details. Several features described hereafter may each be used independently of one another or with any combination of other features.
[0032] The description provided herein discloses exemplary embodiments only and is not intended to limit the scope, applicability, or configuration of the present disclosure. Rather, the foregoing description of the exemplary embodiments will provide those skilled in the art with an enabling description for implementing any of the exemplary embodiments. Specific details are given in the following description to provide a thorough understanding of the embodiments. However, it may be understood by one of the ordinary skilled in the art that the embodiments disclosed herein may be practiced without these specific details.
[0033] The terminology used herein is for the purpose of describing particular embodiments only and is not intended to be limiting of the disclosure. As used herein the description, the singular forms "a", "an", and "the" include plural forms unless the context of the invention indicates otherwise.
[0034] The terminology and structure employed herein are for describing, teaching, and illuminating some embodiments and their specific features and elements and do not limit, restrict, or reduce the scope of the present disclosure. Accordingly, unless otherwise defined, all terms, and especially any technical and/or scientific terms, used herein may be taken to have the same meaning as commonly understood by one having ordinary skill in the art.
[0035] The present invention relates to a system and a method for generating ingestion alerts corresponding to missing data instances from Element Management System(s) (EMS) deployed in a communication network. In terms of a vendor EMS deployed in the communication network, an ingestion alert mechanism for the missing data instances refers to a notification management mechanism that detects the missing data instances when one or more expected files sent from the vendor's EMS are not received to an end user within a pre-determined timeframe. Such ingestion alerts are crucial for ensuring smooth operation of network management and maintenance processes in the telecommunication network. An aspect of the present disclosure is to provide a system and a method for monitoring the missing data instances in the communication network, thereby enabling easy identification and timely fixing of issues due to the missing data instances by monitoring a count of performance data files in real time.
[0036] Another aspect of the present disclosure is to generate the ingestion alerts that ensures data sanity, thereby giving an accurate visualization of the Key Performance Metrics (KPMs) to an operations team of vendor(s) to take remedial action based on the identification of the missing data instances.
[0037] Another aspect of the present disclosure is to facilitate the operations team of the vendor(s) to proactively identify the missing data instances and assist in quick resolution of the same with almost zero impact on data integrity.
[0038] In the present disclosure, various embodiments are described using terms used in some communication standards (e.g., 3rd Generation Partnership Project (3GPP), but these are merely examples for description. Various embodiments of the disclosure may also be easily modified and applied to other communication systems.
[0039] In order to facilitate an understanding of the disclosed invention, a number of terms are defined below.
[0040] An EMS corresponds to a management system that handles a specific subset of network functions, focusing on management of individual Network Elements (NEs). The EMS is responsible for fault management, configuration management, performance monitoring, and security management within the scope of its associated NEs. The EMS operates below a Network Management System (NMS) in network management hierarchy.
[0041] A Network Element (NE) refers to any individual device or logical entity within a telecommunication network, such as a router, a switch, or a base station, which are monitored and managed by the EMS. The NE is the lowest manageable unit in a network and supports execution of specific network functions.
[0042] A Network Management System (NMS) refers to a higher-level management system that coordinates and monitors overall operations of the telecommunication network. The NMS integrates multiple EMSs to manage the entire network infrastructure and provides end-to-end fault, configuration, and performance management.
[0043] A North Bound Interface (NBI) refers to a standardized interface that allows communication between lower-level management systems, such as the EMS and the higher-level management systems, such as the NMS, facilitating data exchange between the two. The NBI defines the protocols and data models that enable data exchange and control, ensuring interoperability between systems from different vendors.
[0044] Key Performance Metrics (KPMs) correspond to quantitative metrics that are used to assess performance, reliability, and health of the communication network. The KPMs include data such as throughput, latency, packet loss, call drop rates, and network availability, used to monitor and optimize the network operations.
[0045] The vendors may include service providers who are responsible for fulfilling operational and technological requirements and host services including but not limited thereto, invoicing, streamlining a company’s wireless services, and providing seamless internet access. The vendors may also include supplier or manufacturer of telecommunications equipment or software that provides NEs, EMSs or related solutions to network operators. The vendors may also correspond to entities responsible for ensuring that their systems comply with 3GPP standards for interoperability in a multi-vendor network environment.
[0046] A multi-vendor network refers to a network architecture comprising various network equipment, software and devices associated with different vendors to fulfil diverse operational and technological requirements.
[0047] A communication protocol is a standardized set of rules, procedures, and formats that enable devices or systems to exchange information effectively and reliably over a network. In the context of 3GPP standards, communication protocols like Simple Network Management Protocol (SNMP), Hypertext Transfer Protocol (HTTP), Representational State Transfer (REST), Network Configuration Protocol (NETCONF) and Common Object Request Broker Architecture (CORBA) are commonly employed to facilitate interactions between the EMS, the NMS and other network components. These protocols ensure consistency in data exchange, error handling, and command execution across various systems.
[0048] The missing data instances refer to gaps or unrecorded entries in expected data flow between the EMS and the higher-level systems such as the NMS. These gaps may occur due to transmission failures, system errors, or delay in processing. In a telecommunication network, the missing data instances can adversely affect the accuracy of the KPMs, leading to incomplete or unreliable network monitoring and analysis.
[0049] An ingestion alert refers to a notification or a signal generated by a system to indicate anomalies, delays, or failures in a process of receiving and integrating data into a central system or database. In context of EMS-NMS communication, the ingestion alerts may notify the network operators of issues such as incomplete data transfer, format mismatches, or the missing data instances, ensuring proactive resolution and maintaining the integrity of the network operations.
[0050] Fault, Configuration, Accounting, Performance, and Security (FCAPS) data refers to categories of management information exchanged between the NEs and management systems to ensure efficient operation, monitoring, and maintenance of telecommunication networks.
[0051] Embodiments of the present disclosure will be described below in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings. FIG. 1 through FIG. 4, discussed below, and the one or more embodiments used to describe the principles of the present disclosure are by way of illustration only and should not be construed in any way to limit the scope of the present disclosure. Those skilled in the art will understand that the principles of the present disclosure may be implemented in any suitably arranged system or device.
[0052] FIG. 1 illustrates a block diagram depicting a communication environment 100 of a multi-vendor network 110, in accordance with an embodiment of the present disclosure. The communication environment 100 shown in FIG. 1 is for illustration only. The communication environment 100 includes vendor associated EMSs 101’, 102’, 103’ and 104’ i.e., vendor associated EMSs 101’ through 104’ (hereinafter also referred to as the vendor EMSs 101’ through 104’ or ‘the EMSs 101’ through 104’), nodes 101”, 102”, 103” and 104” i.e., nodes 101” through 104”, and an NBI 130.
[0053] The multi-vendor network 110 includes the various network equipment and devices associated with the different vendors. These devices and equipment operate on different technologies and communication protocols. The network architecture ensures that the devices and the equipment from the different vendors can coexist and communicate efficiently without manual intervention. For instance, a telecommunication service provider may deploy a plurality of routers corresponding to a first vendor, switches corresponding to a second vendor, and access points corresponding to a third vendor within its network architecture.
[0054] The multi-vendor network 110 may be configured to communicate with the vendor EMSs 101’ through 104’ via a vendor specific or a standard interface 120. Each of the vendor EMSs 101’ through 104’ may communicate with the NMS (not shown in FIG. 1) via the NBI 130.
[0055] Each of the vendor EMSs 101’ through 104’ may be configured to monitor, manage, and control individual NEs i.e., the nodes 101” through 104” within the communication network. The EMSs 101’ through 104’ are configured to collect and preprocess raw data from the nodes 101” through 104” and standardize vendor specific data formats into a common format for upstream communication. The EMSs 101’ through 104’ may be further configured to configure the NEs, perform the fault management, and optimize the performance of the communication network to ensure smooth network operations. The EMSs 101’ through 104’ are configured to implement localized configurations and corrective measures based on predefined thresholds or policies, such as rerouting traffic locally. Each of the vendor EMSs 101’ through 104’ acts as an intermediary layer between the nodes 101” through 104” and the centralized NBI 130 and may be controlled by servers (hereinafter referred to as EMS server(s)). Further, an EMS server by way of an example block diagram is shown in FIG. 2, which will be described later in the forthcoming paragraphs.
[0056] The nodes 101” though 104” may correspond to network devices such as routers, switches, and other infrastructure components. Each node is responsible for handling specific tasks like data routing, traffic management, and operational monitoring. Each node generates performance metrics and operational data, which include key parameters like bandwidth usage, error rates, latency, and uptime statistics. These performance metrics are essential for network health monitoring. The nodes 101” though 104” communicate with their respective EMS using vendor specific protocols, allowing the EMSs 101’ though 104’ to gather, standardize, and preprocess the data.
[0057] The NMS corresponds to a higher-level management component within the communication network, which may be configured to perform network management functions in coordination with the EMS servers. Such network management functions may include, but not limited thereto, aggregating data from the EMSs, and providing information related to network's health and performance to the end user.
[0058] The NBI 130 may be configured to facilitate data exchange between the EMSs 101’ through 104’ and the NMS. The NBI 130 interacts with the EMSs 101’ through 104’ to aggregate, analyze and manage network data. The NBI 130 may correspond to one of an Application Programming Interface (API) or a protocol that allows a lower-level network component such as the EMS to communicate with a higher-level or a more central component such as the NMS. The NBI 130 is configured to consolidate information from the EMSs 101’ through 104’, providing a comprehensive view of the network's performance and health. The NBI 130 is further configured to detect anomalies by analyzing data trends and send alert in case of issues such as device failures, high latency, or packet loss. The NBI 130 is configured to push configuration changes or updates to the EMSs 101’ through 104’, which in turn propagates the configuration changes or the updates to the nodes 101” through 104”. The NBI 130 is designed to handle an increasing number of EMSs and nodes as the network grows, ensuring long term usability.
[0059] Referring to FIG. 1, the nodes 101” though 104” send operational data to their corresponding EMS. The EMSs 101’ through 104’ are configured to standardize and preprocess the data before transmitting the data to the NBI 130. The NBI 130 aggregates the data for centralized monitoring and sends commands or alerts back to the EMSs 101’ through 104’ as needed.
[0060] Although FIG. 1 illustrates one example of the communication environment 100, various changes may be made to FIG. 1. For example, the communication environment 100 may include any number of vendor EMSs and any number of NBIs in any suitable arrangement.
[0061] FIG. 2 illustrates a block diagram depicting a system 200 for monitoring the missing data instances in the communication network, in accordance with an embodiment of the present disclosure. The system 200 comprises an EMS server 210 (hereinafter may be interchangeably referred to as a “server 210”), an EMS 220, a distributed file system 230 and a database 240.
[0062] The EMS server 210 may include a memory 212, a communication interface 214 including a communication circuitry, and a processor 216 communicatively coupled to the memory 212. The communication interface 214 is communicatively coupled with each of the memory 212 and the processor 216.
[0063] The EMS server 210 may communicate with the EMS 220 to manage and monitor the operations of the NEs procured from the different vendors. The EMS server 210 may serve as a central management hub responsible for monitoring and controlling a subset of NEs within the communication network. The NEs may include, but not limited thereto routers, switches, and access points. The subset of the NEs may be interconnected together within the communication network, forming a heterogeneous configuration of hardware and software components. The EMS server 210 may be configured to communicate with each of the associated NEs, facilitating configuration management, performance monitoring, and fault detection.
[0064] The EMS 220 may monitor a plurality of nodes. In an example, but not limited thereto, one or more of the plurality of nodes may correspond to an edge node 220’’. The edge node 220” acts as in localized processing hub closer to the actual nodes. The edge node 220” reduces latency by handling data preprocessing and minor analytics. The edge node 220” aggregates raw data from the nodes 101” through 104” and performs initial filtering, such as discarding duplicate or irrelevant data. The edge node 220” sends the preprocessed data to the EMS server 210 for further analysis.
[0065] The EMS 220 may communicate with the NMS through the NBI 130. Further, the EMS 220 may access each of the distributed file system 230 and the database 240 for the configuration management, the performance monitoring, and the fault detection.
[0066] The memory 212 is communicatively coupled to the processor 216. A part of the memory 212 may include a Random Access Memory (RAM), and another part of the memory 212 may include a Flash memory or Read Only Memory (ROM).
[0067] The memory 212 stores a set of instructions required by the processor 216 of the server 210 for controlling its overall operations. The memory 212 may include non-volatile storage elements. Examples of such non-volatile storage elements may include magnetic hard discs, optical discs, floppy discs, flash memories, or forms of Electrically Programmable Memories (EPROM) or Electrically Erasable and Programmable Memories (EEPROM). In addition, the memory 212 may, in some examples, be considered a non-transitory storage medium. The "non-transitory" storage medium is not embodied in a carrier wave or a propagated signal. However, the term "non-transitory" should not be interpreted as the memory 212 is non-movable. In some examples, the memory 212 may be configured to store larger amounts of information. In certain examples, a non-transitory storage medium may store data that may, over time, change (e.g., in RAM or cache). The memory 212 may be an internal storage unit, or it may be an external storage unit of the EMS server 210, cloud storage, or any other type of external storage.
[0068] The processor 216 may include one or more processing devices that control the overall operation of the EMS server 210. For example, the processor 216 is configured to execute programs and other processes stored in the memory 212. The processor 216 is also configured to store data in the memory 212 or fetch the data from the memory 212 as required by an execution process.
[0069] The processor 216 may include various processing circuitry and communicates with the memory 212 and the communication interface 214. The processor 216 may include the plurality of processors, including a general-purpose processor, such as, for example, and without limitation, a Central Processing Unit (CPU), an Application Processor (AP), a dedicated processor, or the like, a graphics-only processing unit such as a Graphics Processing Unit (GPU), a microcontroller, a Field-Programmable Gate Array (FPGA), a programmable logic device, a discrete hardware component, or any combination thereof. In some cases, the processor 216 may be configured to operate a memory array using a memory controller. In some cases, a memory controller may be integrated into the processor 216. The processor 216 may be configured to execute computer-readable instructions stored in a memory (e.g., the memory 212) to cause the server 210 to perform various functions (e.g., monitoring the missing data instances from the EMSs in the communication network). The processor 216 is configured to execute computational tasks such as data normalization, error detection, and protocol translation. The processor 216 is further configured to handle communication with both the edge node 220” and the NBI 130. The processor 216 is configured to support multithreading to ensure efficient processing of high data volumes.
[0070] In one or more embodiments, the processor 216 may include one or more units/modules selected from any of a receiver 216-1, a determination module 216-2, a generation module 216-3, a transmitter 216-4 and an execution module 216-5. The processor 216 may include, but are not limited to, other modules such as an analytics module, a monitoring module, and the like.
[0071] In an implementation, the processor 216, using the receiver 216-1, is configured to receive, from the EMS 220, statistical data (hereinafter may also be referred to as “data”) associated with the nodes monitored by the EMS 220. The statistical data may include the FCAPS data associated with the nodes 101” through 104”. In one or more implementations, the statistical data may include one or more of a count of data instances, file delivery timelines, missing data patterns, configurable thresholds corresponding to acceptable count of missing data instances, node specific data metrics, and additional metadata associated with each data instance such as file size, format, or type. The FCAPS data may include, but not limited thereto, configuration files, performance reports, software updates, alarm details, and other critical information necessary for the network operations.
[0072] The processor 216, using the determination module 216-2, determines, based on the statistical data, whether a count of received data instances from each of the EMS is less than a predetermined count of data instances. Specifically, the processor 216, using the determination module 216-2, is configured to monitor an arrival of files from the vendor's EMSs 101’ through 104’ and determine whether a count of arrived files is lesser than a predetermined count of files. The predetermined count of files corresponds to a count of files expected to be delivered within a configurable period. In an implementation, the configurable period may either be in hours, days, or the like depending on the count of missing data instances.
[0073] Furthermore, the processor 216, using the determination module 216-2, identifies a set of EMSs, based on a result of determination that the count of received data instances is less than the predetermined count of data instances. Each EMS of the set of EMSs has missing data instances. Thereafter, the processor 216, using the determination module 216-2, determines a time stamp associated with each missing data instances for the identified set of EMSs. The processor 216, using the generation module 216-3 is configured to generate an ingestion alert for a corresponding EMS among the identified set of EMSs. In one or more implementations, the ingestion alert comprises the time stamp associated with each of the missing data instances. The ingestion alerts are generated periodically or in real time.
[0074] The processor 216, using the execution module 216-5, configures thresholds for file delivery delays based on one or more of file priority, frequency of delivery of the files, and operational requirements. The processor 216, using the determination module 216-2, is configured to compare, based on the configured thresholds, the count of arrived files with the predetermined count of files within the configurable period. If any file is not received from any of the vendor EMSs 101’ through 104’ within the configurable period, the processor 216 triggers the ingestion alert based on various parameters. The various parameters for triggering the ingestion alert may vary depending on the criticality of the missing file and its impact on network operations.
[0075] The communication interface 214 includes an electronic circuit specific to a standard that enables wired or wireless communication. The communication interface 214 is configured to facilitate communication internally between internal hardware components and with external devices via one or more networks. The communication interface 214 may include antennas, transceivers, a transmit processing circuitry, and a receive processing circuitry. The communication interface 214 may support communications over any suitable wired or wireless connection(s). The communication interface 214 is configured to provide connectivity between the EMS server 210 and other components such as the edge node 220”, the NBI 130, and the distributed file system 230. The communication interface 214 ensures compatibility with diverse communication protocols, for example, the SNMP, REST Application Programming Interface (REST API), and other proprietary protocols.
[0076] The distributed file system 230 is configured to provide scalable and fault tolerant storage for large volumes of data. The distributed file system 230 ensures data availability by replicating it across multiple storage nodes and accommodates growing data needs without impacting performance.
[0077] The database 240 serves as a central repository for storage of configuration data, historical performance metrics, and operational logs. The database 240 allows fast retrieval of data for reporting and analytics. The database 240 supports query-based access for troubleshooting and decision making.
[0078] Although FIG. 2 illustrates one example of the system 200 for monitoring the missing data instances and generating the ingestion alerts, various changes may be made to FIG. 2. For example, the system 200 may include any number of the EMSs, any number of the EMS servers, any number of memory, any number of processors, any number and type of nodes and any number of NBIs in any suitable arrangement.
[0079] FIG. 3 illustrates a flowchart depicting a method 300 (hereinafter may also be interchangeably referred to as a “process 300”) for monitoring the missing data instances in the communication network, in accordance with an embodiment of the present disclosure. The method 300 comprises a series of operation steps indicated by blocks 302 through 312. Although the method 300 shows example blocks of steps 302 to 312, in some embodiments, the method 300 may include additional steps, fewer steps or steps in different order than those depicted in FIG. 3. In other embodiments, the steps 302 to 312 may be combined or may be performed in parallel. The method 300 starts at block 302.
[0080] At block 302, the receiver 216-1 of the processor 216 receives, from the EMS 220, statistical data associated with the nodes monitored by the EMS 220. The statistical data may include the FCAPS data associated with the nodes 101” through 104”. In one or more implementations, the statistical data may include one or more of a count of data instances, file delivery timelines, missing data patterns, configurable thresholds corresponding to acceptable count of missing data instances, node specific data metrics, and additional metadata associated with each data instance such as file size, format, or type. The FCAPS data may include the configuration files, the performance reports, the software updates, the alarm details, bandwidth utilization, packet loss, latency, uptime, and other critical information necessary for the network operations.
[0081] At block 304, the determination module 216-2 of the processor 216 determines, based on the statistical data, whether the count of received data instances from each of the EMS is less than the predetermined count of data instances. Specifically, the processor 216 monitors the arrival of the expected files from the vendor's EMS system and compares the count of arrived files with the predetermined count of files. Upon a determination that the count of received data instances is greater than the predetermined count of data instances, no further action needs to be taken and the process 300 terminates. On the other hand, upon a determination that the count of received data instances is less than the predetermined count of data instances, the flow of the method 300 proceeds to block 306.
[0082] At block 306, the determination module 216-2 of the processor 216 identifies the set of EMSs with the missing data instances upon the determination that the count of received data instances is less than the predetermined count of data instances. In an implementation, the identification of the set of EMSs may involve querying the EMSs logs or cross referencing expected versus actual received data counts.
[0083] At block 308, the determination module 216-2 of the processor 216 determines the time stamp associated with the missing data instances for each EMS of the identified set of EMSs. The time stamp corresponds to specific time intervals during which the data was not received due to one or more of the reasons such as missing packets, failed transmission attempts, or gaps in data logging. In one or more implementations, the ingestion alert comprises the time stamp associated with each of the missing data instances.
[0084] At block 310, the generation module 216-3 of the processor 216 generates the ingestion alert for the corresponding EMS among the identified set of EMSs. The ingestion alerts are generated periodically or in real time. As shown in block 304, the determination module 216-2 of the processor 216 monitors the arrival of expected files from the vendor's EMS system and compares the expected delivery schedule of files with the actual receipt of files. If any file is not received from any of the vendor EMSs within the configurable period, the generation module 216-3 of the processor 216 triggers the ingestion alert based on the various parameters. The various parameters for triggering the ingestion alert may vary depending on the criticality of the missing file and its impact on the network operations. In an implementation, the ingestion alert may specify the EMSs with the missing data instances, the time stamps, any additional contextual information, recommendations, or automated responses, such as re-establishing communication with the nodes or restarting the EMS.
[0085] The ingestion alerts may be tailored to include varying levels of detail based on intended recipient. For instance, for a network administrator, the ingestion alerts may include detailed logs, node specific data, and potential root causes. Similarly, for an automated system, the ingestion alerts may include predefined actions such as reestablishing communication or reconfiguring the EMS.
[0086] At block 312, the transmitter 216-4 of the processor 216 sends the generated ingestion alert as a notification to the user device. In one or more implementations, the ingestion alerts may be delivers to the user device though multiple channels, such as email notifications, messages, or integration with network management dashboards.
[0087] FIG. 4 illustrates a schematic architecture diagram depicting a computing system 400, in accordance with an embodiment of the present disclosure. The computing system 400 includes a network 402, a network interface 404, a processor 406 (similar in functionality to the processor 216 of FIG. 2), an Input/Output (I/O) interface 408 and a non-transitory computer readable storage medium 410 (hereinafter may also be referred to as the “storage medium 410” or the “storage media 410”).
[0088] The network interface 404 includes wireless network interfaces such as Bluetooth, Wi-Fi, Worldwide Interoperability for Microwave Access (WiMAX), General Packet Radio Service (GPRS), or Wideband Code Division Multiple Access (WCDMA) or wired network interfaces such as Ethernet, Universal Serial Bus (USB), or Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers-864 (IEEE-864).
[0089] The processor 406 may include various processing circuitry and communicate with the storage medium 410 and the I/O interface 408. The processor 406 is configured to execute instructions stored in the storage medium 410 and to perform various processes. The processor 406 may include an intelligent hardware device including a general-purpose processor, such as, for example, and without limitation, the CPU, the AP, the dedicated processor, or the like, the graphics-only processing unit such as the GPU, the microcontroller, the FPGA, the programmable logic device, the discrete hardware component, or any combination thereof. The processor 406 may be configured to execute computer-readable instructions 410-1 stored in the storage medium 410 to cause the server 210 to perform various functions.
[0090] The storage medium 410 stores a set of instructions i.e., computer program instructions 410-1 (hereinafter may also be referred to as instructions 410-1) required by the processor 406 for controlling its overall operations.
[0091] The storage media 410 may include an electronic storage medium, a magnetic storage medium, an optical storage medium, a quantum storage medium, or the like. For example, the storage media 410 may include, but are not limited to, hard drives, floppy diskettes, optical disks, ROMs, RAMs, EPROMs, EEPROMs, flash memory, magnetic or optical cards, solid-state memory devices, or other types of physical media suitable for storing electronic instructions. In one or more embodiments, the storage media 410 includes a Compact Disk-Read Only Memory (CD-ROM), a Compact Disk-Read/Write (CD-R/W), and/or a Digital Video Disc (DVD).
[0092] In one or more implementations, the storage medium 410 stores computer program code configured to cause the computing system 400 to perform at least a portion of the processes and/or methods. Accordingly, in at least one implementation, the computing system 400 performs the method for monitoring the missing data instances from the EMSs deployed in the communication network.
[0093] Embodiments of the present disclosure have been described above with reference to flowchart illustrations of methods and systems according to embodiments of the disclosure, and/or procedures, algorithms, steps, operations, formulae, or other computational depictions, which may also be implemented as computer program products. In this regard, each block or step of the flowchart, and combinations of blocks (and/or steps) in the flowchart, as well as any procedure, algorithm, step, operation, formula, or computational depiction can be implemented by various means, such as hardware, firmware, and/or software including one or more computer program instructions embodied in computer-readable program code. As will be appreciated, any such computer program instructions may be executed by one or more computer processors, including without limitation a general-purpose computer or special purpose computer, or other programmable processing apparatus to perform a group of operations comprising the operations or blocks described in connection with the disclosed method.
[0094] Further, these computer program instructions, such as embodied in computer-readable program code, may also be stored in one or more computer-readable memory or memory devices (for example, the memory 212 or the storage medium 410) that can direct a computer processor or other programmable processing apparatus to function in a particular manner, such that the instructions 410-1 stored in the computer-readable memory or memory devices produce an article of manufacture including instruction means which implement the function specified in the block(s) of the flowchart(s).
[0095] It will further be appreciated that the term “computer program instructions” as used herein refer to one or more instructions that can be executed by the one or more processors (for example, the processor 216 or the processor 406) to perform one or more functions as described herein. The instructions 410-1 may also be stored remotely such as on a server, or all or a portion of the instructions can be stored locally and remotely.
[0096] Now, referring to the technical abilities and advantageous effect of the present disclosure, operational advantages that may be provided by one or more embodiments may include generating the ingestion alerts corresponding to the missing data instances, thereby enabling easy identification and timely fixing of the missing data instances by monitoring the count of performance data files on the real time basis.
[0097] A further potential advantage of the one or more embodiments disclosed herein may include generating the ingestion alerts that ensures data sanity, thereby giving the accurate visualization of the KPMs to the operations team of the vendor(s) so that the operations team can take remedial actions based on the identified missing data instances.
[0098] Another noteworthy advantage of the present disclosure may include but not limited thereto, generating the ingestion alerts that facilitates the operations team of the vendor(s) to proactively identify the missing data instances and assist in quick resolution with almost zero impact on data integrity.
[0099] Those skilled in the art will appreciate that the methodology described herein in the present disclosure may be carried out in other specific ways than those set forth herein in the above disclosed embodiments without departing from essential characteristics and features of the present invention. The above-described embodiments are therefore to be construed in all aspects as illustrative and not restrictive.
[00100] The drawings and the forgoing description give examples of embodiments. Those skilled in the art will appreciate that one or more of the described elements may well be combined into a single functional element. Alternatively, certain elements may be split into multiple functional elements. Elements from one embodiment may be added to another embodiment. For example, orders of processes described herein may be changed and are not limited to the manner described herein. Any combination of the above features and functionalities may be used in accordance with one or more embodiments.
[00101] In the present disclosure, each of the embodiments has been described with reference to numerous specific details which may vary from embodiment to embodiment. The foregoing description of the specific embodiments disclosed herein may reveal the general nature of the embodiments herein that others may, by applying current knowledge, readily modify and/or adapt for various applications such specific embodiments without departing from the generic concept, and, therefore, such adaptations and modifications are intended to be comprehended within the meaning of the disclosed embodiments. It is to be understood that the phraseology or terminology employed herein is for the purpose of description and is not limited in scope.
LIST OF REFERENCE NUMERALS
[00102] The following list is provided for convenience and in support of the drawing figures and as part of the text of the specification, which describe innovations by reference to multiple items. Items not listed here may nonetheless be part of a given embodiment. For better legibility of the text, a given reference number is recited near some, but not all, recitations of the referenced item in the text. The same reference number may be used with reference to different examples or different instances of a given item. The list of reference numerals is:
100 - Communication Environment
101’-104’ - Vendor EMSs (EMSs)
101”-104” - Nodes
110 - Multi-vendor Network
120 - Interface
130 - NBI
112 - Network
130 - Server
200 - System
210 - EMS Server or Server
212 - Memory
214 - Communication Interface
216 - Processor
216-1 - Receiver
216-2 - Determination Module
216-3 - Generation Module
216-4 - Transmitter
216-5 - Execution Module
220 - EMS
220” - Edge Node
230 - Distributed File System
240 - Database
300 – Method for monitoring missing data instances
400 - Computing System
402 - Network
404 - Network interface
406 - Processor
408 – I/O Interface
410 - Storage Medium
410-1 - Instructions
,CLAIMS:We Claim:

1. A method for monitoring one or more missing data instances in a communication environment, the method comprising:
receiving, by a receiver (216-1), from one or more Element Management System(s) (EMSs) (101’-104’), statistical data associated with a plurality of nodes (101”-104”) monitored by the one or more EMSs (101’-104’);
determining, by a determination module (216-2), based on the received statistical data, whether a count of received data instances from each EMS of the one or more EMSs (101’-104’) is less than a predetermined count of data instances;
identifying, by the determination module (216-2), based on a result of determination that the count of received data instances is less than the predetermined count of data instances, a set of EMSs from the one or more EMSs (101’-104’), wherein each EMS of the set of EMSs has missing data instances;
determining, by the determination module (216-2), a time stamp associated with each of the missing data instances for each EMS of the identified set of EMSs; and
generating, by a generation module (216-3), an ingestion alert for a corresponding EMS among the identified set of EMSs, wherein the ingestion alert comprises the time stamp associated with each of the missing data instances.

2. The method as claimed in claim 1, comprising sending, by a transmitter (216-4), the generated ingestion alert as a notification to a user device.

3. The method as claimed in claim 1, wherein the statistical data comprises Fault, Configuration, Accounting, Performance, and Security (FCAPS) data associated with the plurality of nodes (101”-104”).

4. The method as claimed in claim 3, wherein the FCAPS data comprises one or more of configuration files, performance reports, software updates, configured alarms, and critical information associated with the plurality of nodes (101”-104”).

5. The method as claimed in claim 1, wherein the identifying, by the determination module (216-2), the set of EMSs from the one or more EMSs (101’-104’) comprises:
determining whether a count of arrived files from the one or more EMSs (101’-104’) is lesser than a predetermined count of files, wherein the predetermined count of files corresponds to a count of files expected to be delivered within a configurable period; and
determining the set of EMSs based on the determination that the count of arrived files from each EMS of the set of EMSs is lesser than the predetermined count of files.

6. The method as claimed in claim 5, comprising:
configuring, by an execution module (216-5), thresholds for file delivery delays based on one or more of file priority, frequency of delivery of the files, and operational requirements; and
comparing, by the determination module (216-2), based on the configured thresholds, the count of arrived files with the predetermined count of files.

7. The method as claimed in claim 1, wherein the ingestion alerts are generated periodically or in real-time.

8. A system (200) for monitoring one or more missing data instances in a communication network, the system (200) comprising:
a receiver (216-1) configured to receive, from one or more Element Management System(s) (EMSs) (101’-104’), statistical data associated with a plurality of nodes (101”-104”) monitored by the one or more EMSs (101’-104’);
a determination module (216-2) configured to:
determine, based on the received statistical data, whether a count of received data instances from each EMS of the one or more EMSs (101’-104’) is less than a predetermined count of data instances;
identify, based on a result of determination that the count of received data instances is less than the predetermined count of data instances, a set of EMSs from the one or more EMSs (101’-104’), wherein each EMS of the set of EMSs has missing data instances; and
determine a time stamp associated with each of the missing data instances for each EMS of the identified set of EMSs; and
a generation module (216-3) configured to generate an ingestion alert for a corresponding EMS among the identified set of EMSs, wherein the ingestion alert comprises the time stamp associated with each of the missing data instances.

9. The system (200) as claimed in claim 8, comprising a transmitter (216-4) 6configured to send the generated ingestion alert as a notification to a user device.

10. The system (200) as claimed in claim 8, wherein the statistical data comprises Fault, Configuration, Accounting, Performance, and Security (FCAPS) data associated with the plurality of nodes (101”-104”).

11. The system (200) as claimed in claim 10, wherein the FCAPS data comprises one or more of configuration files, performance reports, software updates, configured alarms, and critical information associated with the plurality of nodes (101”-104”).

12. The system (200) as claimed in claim 8, wherein to identify the set of EMSs from the one or more EMSs (101’-104’), the determination module (216-2) is configured to:
determine whether a count of arrived files from the one or more EMSs (101’-104’) is lesser than a predetermined count of files, wherein the predetermined count of files corresponds to a count of files expected to be delivered within a configurable period; and
determine the set of EMSs based on the determination that the count of arrived files from each EMS of the set of EMSs is lesser than the predetermined count of files.

13. The system (200) as claimed in claim 12, comprising an execution module (216-5) configured to configure thresholds for file delivery delays based on one or more of file priority, frequency of delivery of the files, and operational requirements.

14. The system as claimed in claim 13, wherein the determination module (216-2) is configured to compare, based on the configured thresholds, the count of arrived files with the predetermined count of files.

15. The system as claimed in claim 9, wherein the ingestion alerts are generated periodically or in real time.