The present disclosure relates to optical access-networks, and more specifically, relates to a system and a method for optical access-network operations.
BACKGROUND
[0002] In the last few years, changing infrastructure and business requirements are forcing enterprises to reassess their networks. Enterprises are looking for network infrastructures that increase network efficiency, flexibility, and cost reduction. In this context, optical networks such as passive optical networks (PONs) are one of the best next-generation access network candidates utilizing point-to-multipoint topology that can meet the increasing bandwidth demand of end-users with reduced cost and improved flexibility. The PONs provide connectivity between a central office of a service provider (hub) and premises of the end-users using an optical line terminal (OLT) and optical network units (ONUs). The OLT resides in the central office that couples the PONs to an Internet Service Provider (ISP) or a local exchange carrier and the ONUs couple with home networks of the end-users through customer-premises equipment (CPE).
[0003] To reduce OPEX (operation expense), minimize network downtime and boost network, various performance monitoring and management systems have been implemented in the PONs till date. However, the existing performance monitoring and management systems are not automated and still require human/administrative interventions to diagnose and take corrective measures and actions in case of, for example, optical power fluctuation and other faults. That is, the problems, like optical power fluctuation and other faults, impact the Quality of Experience of services offered to the end-users, and the existing mechanism offers the ability to detect these phenomena, but depends on human/administrative intervention to take the corrective actions. Some fault scenarios are, for example, a transmitter i.e., laser of an ONU may transmit optical signals with an optical power that is either very high or very low in comparison

with defined product performance, or maybe stuck on or leaking power during a non-transmission window or stuck off and fail to transmit during the active transmission window.
[0004] These phenomena need human/administrative intervention to diagnose and take corrective actions. Due to the need for human interventions, often the timeliness of these problems are not maintained, and that leads to a more negative impact of Quality of Experience for the end-users (subscribers), sometimes these issues also disrupt services for end-users. As the timeliness and accuracy of corrective actions become dependent on human skills, their availability, attention to the details and absence of some of these could become an issue for taking proper corrective action.
[0005] Some of the prior art references are given below:
[0006] US8483562B2 discloses an approach for integrating one or more fiber switches in a passive optical network. A platform generates a command signal to control a splitter hub of a passive optical network, the splitter hub being configured to communicate with a plurality of optical network terminals that respectively serve a plurality of customer premises. The splitter hub includes a fiber switch configured to provide switching between one of a plurality of input ports and one of a plurality of output ports of the splitter hub.
[0007] US20130251362A1 provides a system for performance monitoring in a passive optic network (PON). The system includes an optical line terminal (OLT) and an optical network unit (ONU). The OLT includes an optical transceiver configured to transmit optical signals to and receive optical signals from the ONU, and a performance monitoring mechanism configured to monitor the performance of the PON based on received optical signals.
[0008] The optical network system structure of CN1798054A comprises referring to Fig. 1: comprises network level webmaster module, intelligent network management module, traditional network management module, intelligent object, conventional optical network functional module and interface module. Wherein the interface module comprises a human-machine interface module and Network Management Equipment interface module. Network level

webmaster module is carried out with unified management to the overall optical network, comprises all functions of conventional optical network webmaster, as plans the end-to-end route, fault and alarming processing etc., and issues teleservice to intelligent network management module and/or traditional network management module.
[0009] US20150063797A1 teaches a system for fault recovery in an optical network that may include an initial loading equipment (ILE) apparatus configured to supply power to a set of channels over a first communications link of the optical network, the set of channels including data channels and spare channels, and a control system configured to detect an optical power level over the data channels of the first communications link and determine whether a Q-factor corresponding to the data channels of the first communications link is below an error correction threshold, the control system configured to alert the ILE apparatus to adjust its optical power output over the spare channels upwardly based on the determination that the Q-factor is below the error correction threshold to increase the Q-factor.
[0010] TWI474669B discloses that to provide low-cost and high-bandwidth reliable services to users, PONs must maintain a reliable and low-cost method. PON maintenance ideally provides proactive and continuous monitoring of network connectivity quality without disrupting service and performs optical transceivers. Fault diagnosis of common faults of optical transceiver modules and optical distribution networks (ODN) fiber segments and passive diverging components.
[0011] While the prior arts and prevalent industry's practice offer diagnosis and control capabilities, but requires human intervention to comprehend the diagnostics result and identify suitable control actions. The prior arts cover diagnosis methods like, fiber switch, BER (Bit Error Rate) analysis, Q-Factor monitoring. Some prior arts are even disclosing automated corrective actions but none of them are providing an effective solution of automated pre-emptive and reactive diagnosis for the issue, the localization and correlation method. In light of

the above-stated discussion, there is a need to overcome the above stated disadvantages.
OBJECT OF THE DISCLOSURE
[0012] A principal object of the present disclosure is to provide a system and a method for optical network operations.
[0013] Another object of the present disclosure is to provide an integrated and automated method and system for pre-emptive or reactive fault diagnosis, correlation, and preventive or corrective actions taken over an FTTx (Fiber to the x).
[0014] Another object of the present disclosure is to provide closed-loop automated remote support for FTTx Rx/Tx (receiver/transmitter) optical power fluctuation for ONUs/ONTs (Optical Network Units/ Optical Network Terminals).
SUMMARY
[0015] Accordingly, a system and a method for optical network operations are disclosed.
[0016] In an aspect, the method of (for) network operations comprises monitoring a predefined set of network parameter combinations associated with a network component in a network, wherein each network parameter combination is associated with a network performance issue. The network is an FTTX (fiber to the x) network including all types of optical fiber based infrastructures and the network component is at least one of an Optical Network Unit (ONU) and an Optical Network Terminal (ONT).
[0017] Further, the method includes comparing the measured predefined set of network parameter combinations with predefined threshold combinations and altering one or more network parameters associated with the network when the measured predefined set of network parameter combinations exceeds the predefined threshold combinations. One or more network parameters are optical parameters and electrical parameters of the network component.

[0018] The method diagnoses the network performance issue based on the comparison of the measured predefined set of network parameter combinations with the predefined threshold combinations. The network performance relates to the fault and performance of the network component.
[0019] In another aspect, the system of self-correcting, pre-emptive or reactive fault diagnosis of an optical network operation comprises a plurality of optical network units (ONUs) and an optical line terminal (OLT) coupled to the plurality of ONUs via a passive optical splitter/combiner. The OLT comprises an optical transceiver configured to transmit optical signals to and receive optical signals from the plurality of ONUs and a monitoring and control unit. The monitoring and control unit is configured to monitor a predefined set of network parameter combinations associated with each of the plurality of ONUs, compare the measured predefined set of network parameter combinations with predefined threshold combinations and alter one or more network parameters associated with a network when the measured predefined set of network parameter combinations exceeds the predefined threshold combinations. Each network parameter combination is associated with a network performance issue. The monitoring and control unit is configured to measure the optical power of the optical signals received from each of the plurality of optical network units (ONUs).
[0020] In the first and the second aspects, the monitoring and control unit residing in the plurality of ONUs generates alarms that indicate at least one of network connectivity failure and monitoring failure within a threshold stored or the predefined threshold combinations. The monitoring and control unit localizes a pre-emptive or reactive fault in the network by segregating the plurality of ONUs (and/or ONTs) and the OLT into a plurality of macro and sub-macro zones by listing a faulty ONU (or ONT) with all possible impacts. Localization of the pre-emptive or reactive fault may be based on identification of a location of the pre-emptive or reactive fault in each of the plurality of ONUs (and/or ONTs) and source of the pre-emptive or reactive fault.
[0021] Further, the monitoring and control unit performs automated corrective or preventive actions through remote operation(s) for the pre-emptive

or reactive fault triggering in the network, evaluates consequences of the performed automated corrective or preventive actions, insures about duplicate entries for an issue flagging into the list for the network running on various policy instances and resolves the issue into each of the plurality of ONUs (or ONTs) by at least one of: filtering configurations, changing configurations, updating configurations by consecutive attempts. The remote operation(s) into the consecutive attempts are at least one of: enabling a particular port, disabling a particular port, remote reboot, updating a particular OMCI ME (ONU Management and Control Interface Managed Entity), updating a particular configuration profile at the OLT as supported.
[0022] These and other aspects herein will be better appreciated and understood when considered in conjunction with the following description and the accompanying drawings. It should be understood, however, that the following descriptions are given by way of illustration and not of limitation. Many changes and modifications may be made within the scope of the invention herein without departing from the spirit thereof.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF FIGURES
[0023] The invention is illustrated in the accompanying drawings, throughout which like reference letters indicate corresponding parts in the drawings. The invention herein will be better understood from the following description with reference to the drawings, in which:
[0024] FIG. 1 illustrates an optical network.
[0025] FIG. 2 illustrates a system for optical network operations.
[0026] FIG. 3 is a flowchart illustrating the first method for network operation.
[0027] FIG. 4 is a flowchart illustrating a second method for network operation.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION
[0028] In the following detailed description of the invention, numerous specific details are set forth in order to provide a thorough understanding of the invention. However, it will be obvious to a person skilled in the art that the invention may be practiced with or without these specific details. In other instances, well known methods, procedures and components have not been described in detail so as not to unnecessarily obscure aspects of the invention.
[0029] Furthermore, it will be clear that the invention is not limited to these alternatives only. Numerous modifications, changes, variations, substitutions and equivalents will be apparent to those skilled in the art, without parting from the scope of the invention.
[0030] The accompanying drawings are used to help easily understand various technical features and it should be understood that the alternatives presented herein are not limited by the accompanying drawings. As such, the present disclosure should be construed to extend to any alterations, equivalents and substitutes in addition to those which are particularly set out in the accompanying drawings. Although the terms first, second, etc. may be used herein to describe various elements, these elements should not be limited by these terms. These terms are generally only used to distinguish one element from another.
[0031] FIG. 1 illustrates an optical network 100. In general, an optical network is a communication infrastructure that utilizes light signals to exchange information between two or more points using optical fibers, switches, splitters or other components. The optical network 100 (or passive optical network) is preferably an FTTX (Fiber to the X) network, which is a fiber network (optical fiber based infrastructure) with low latency and high bandwidth, for which pre-emptive or reactive fault diagnosis, correlation, and preventive or corrective actions are performed (discussed below).
[0032] The FTTX network or fiber in the loop is a generic term for any broadband network architecture using optical fiber to provide all or part of the local loop used for last mile telecommunications. With its high bandwidth potential, FTTx has been closely coupled with services related to voice, video and

data. With different network destinations, the FTTx can be categorized into several terminologies, such as FTTH, FTTN, FTTC, FTTB, FTTP, etc. The following parts introduce the above terms at length:
[0033] FTTH: FTTx is commonly associated with residential FTTH (fiber to the home) services, and FTTH is certainly one of the fastest growing applications worldwide. In an FTTH deployment, optical cabling terminates at the boundary of the living space to reach the individual home and business office where families and officers can both utilize the network in an easier way.
[0034] FTTN: In an FTTN (fiber to the node) deployment, the optical fiber terminates in a cabinet which may be as much as a few miles from the customer premises. And the final connection from the street cabinet to customer premises usually uses copper. FTTN is often an interim step toward full FTTH and is typically used to deliver advanced triple-play telecommunications services.
[0035] FTTC: In an FTTC (fiber to the curb) deployment, optical cabling usually terminates within 300 yards of the customer premises. Fiber cables are installed or utilized along the roadside from the central office to the home or office. Using the FTTC technique, the last connection between the curb and home or office can use the coaxial cable. It replaces the old telephone service and enables the different communication services through a single line.
[0036] FTTB: In an FTTB (fiber to the building) deployment, optical cabling terminates at the buildings. Unlike FTTH which runs the fiber inside the subscriber's apartment unit, FTTB only reaches the apartment building's electrical room. The signal is conveyed to the final distance using any non-optical means, including twisted pair, coaxial cable, wireless, or power line communication. FTTB applies for the dedicated access, thus the client can conveniently enjoy the 24-hour high speed Internet by installing a network card on the computer.
[0037] FTTP: FTTP (fiber to the premise) is a North American term used to include both FTTH and FTTB deployments. Optical fiber is used for an optical distribution network from the central office all the way to the premises occupied by the subscriber. Since the optical fiber cable can provide a higher bandwidth

than copper cable over the last kilometre, operators usually use FTTP to provide voice, video, and data services.
[0038] Now referring to FIG. 1, the optical network 100 may comprise a plurality of optical network units (ONUs) 110, a passive optical splitter/combiner
120 and an optical line terminal (OLT) 130. An ONU (110a or 110b or 1 lOn)
is a component of the optical network 100 that is located around customer's/end-user's premise, that is, the ONU couples with the home network of the end-user through a customer-premises equipment (CPE). Though it is not shown in FIG. 1, one or more ONTs (Optical Network Terminals) may also be connected to the OLT 130 in the optical network 100, where the ONTs are located at the customer's premise (residential or commercial), which may be a separate box that connects the optical network 100 to TV sets, telephones, computers, a wireless router, for example. The terms ONU and ONT may interchangeably be used throughout the disclosure. The ONU converts optical signals to electrical signals via a fiber cable. Further, the ONU organizes and optimizes different types of data coming from the customer(s) to efficiently send it upstream to the OLT 130 via the passive optical splitter/combiner 120. The OLT 130 resides in a central office that couples the optical network 100 to an Internet Service Provider (ISP) or a local exchange carrier and serves as the ISP's endpoint of the optical network 100. The passive optical splitter/combiner 120 splits and distributes downstream optical signals to the customer(s) from the OLT 130 and combines upstream optical signals from the customer(s) to the OLT 130.
[0039] Further, as shown in FIG. 1, the OLT 130 comprises a transceiver (Tx/Rx) 132 configured to transmit optical signals to and receive optical signals
from a plurality of transceivers (Tx/Rx), for example 112a, 112b 112n
associated with the plurality of ONUs (110a or 110b or HOn) (or ONTs)
respectively. The transceivers may be optical transceivers.
[0040] FIG. 2 illustrates a system 200 for optical network operations such as FTTX network operations. The system 200 may monitor and manage the operations of the optical network 100 by performing pre-emptive or reactive fault diagnosis, correlation, and preventive or corrective actions thus may be called as

the system 200 of self-correcting, pre-emptive, or reactive fault diagnosis for FTTX network operations that comprises the optical network 100 of FIG. 1 and a monitoring and control unit 210. However, the components of the system 200 are not limited to the above-described example, and for example, the system 200 may include more or fewer components than the illustrated components. Further, although the monitoring and control unit 210 is shown as a separate entity, however, the monitoring and control unit 210 may be deployed/integrated within the optical network 100, for example, in ONUs/ONTs or within the OLT 130 or in a server or computing hardware (not shown). In a preferred implementation, a part of the monitoring and control unit 210 is integrated with the ONUs/ONTs and the OLT 130 and remaining part of the monitoring and control unit 210 resides in the server or computing hardware.
[0041] The monitoring and control unit 210 may be configured for self-correcting, pre-emptive, or reactive fault diagnosis of the optical network 100. The monitoring and control unit 210 may be a remote unit that utilizes closed-loop automation, enabling the monitoring and control unit 210 to continuously assess real-time network conditions, resource availability and traffic demands to discover the best placement of traffic for optimal quality of service and resource utilization according to operator-defined policies. The closed-loop refers to a feedback loop of interaction between the monitoring, identifying, adjusting and optimizing network performance, resulting in a self-optimized and self-driving network. The monitoring and control unit 210 may be configured to have network automation and management capabilities that monitor and assess network occurrences such as faults and congestion and take corrective measures to correct any issues.
[0042] The monitoring and control unit 210 may act as automated remote support for monitoring and resolving network faults that may lead to malfunction or crash. The monitoring and control unit 210 may be configured to monitor/measure a predefined set of network parameter combinations associated with a network component in the FTTX network (or interchangeably "network") 100. Each network parameter combination may be associated with a network performance issue. The network performance may relate to fault and performance

of a network component such as the Optical Network Unit, the Optical Network Terminal (ONU/ONT) etc.
[0043] The monitoring and control unit 210 may have storage capabilities that store predefined threshold combinations. Once the monitoring and control unit 210 has measured the predefined set of network parameter combinations, it may compare the measured predefined set of network parameter combinations with the predefined threshold combinations. Based on the comparison, the monitoring and control unit 210 may diagnose the network performance issue. For example, if the measured predefined set of network parameter combinations exceeds the predefined threshold combinations, that means the network performance is not up to mark or the network may crash and if the measured predefined set of network parameter combinations does not exceed the predefined threshold combinations, that means the network 100 is in the safe zone.
[0044] In case if the measured predefined set of network parameter combinations exceeds the predefined threshold combinations, the monitoring and control unit 210 may be configured to alter one or more network parameters associated with the network. The one or more network parameters may be associated with the network component such as the ONU and the ONT that may refer to optical and electrical parameters, for example.
[0045] Additionally, the monitoring and control unit 210 may act as an optical power monitor that may be configured to measure the optical power of the optical signals received from the respective ONUs. The monitoring and control unit 210 may perform pre-emptive, or reactive fault diagnosis in the condition of optical power fluctuations, or any other faults that may lead to network performance degradation and service disruption.
[0046] The monitoring and control unit is not limited to aforesaid functions only. The monitoring and control unit 210 may utilize closed-loop automation for self-correction or automated correction, where the monitoring and control unit may monitor a plurality of set of network parameters, wherein each set of network parameters may be associated with one or more potential faults and proactively diagnose a potential fault when at least one parameter of a set of

network parameters is beyond a threshold. Thereafter, the monitoring and control unit 210 may identify one or more hardware or software modules associated with the diagnosed potential fault. Once the monitoring and control unit 210 has identified the source i.e., the one or more hardware or software modules that have been diagnosed with the potential fault, the monitoring and control unit 210 may correct or prevent at least one parameter thereby avoiding the fault by allowing the system 200 to automatically carry out necessary administrative or maintenance operations by closed-loop automation over the FTTx network.
[0047] For example, the monitoring and control unit 210 may monitor parameters like optical power of the optical signals received at and transmitted from the ONUs or ONTs through the respective transceivers (Tx/Rx), for example
112a, 112b 112n periodically and detect configured threshold breach condition
(indicating possible fault) by comparing the received parameter with the threshold stored. Further, the monitoring and control unit 210 may detect faults and alarms arising related to the optical power, such as optical power fluctuation as well as may detect alarm sources or sources of the ONUs/ONTs. In short, the monitoring and control unit 210 residing in the plurality of ONUs 110 (and/or ONTs) may generate alarms that indicate at least one of network connectivity failure and monitoring failure within the threshold stored or the predefined threshold combinations.
[0048] Based on the detection, the monitoring and control unit 210 may localize across various ports and splitters of the optical network 100 and confirm the source of the issue, that is, the monitoring and control unit may specify the actual issue point such as specific ONU/ONT with faults and trigger configured remote operation for the specific/particular ONU/ONT by ensuring that no other provisioned automated engines are acting upon the particular situation. The remote operation may be automated corrective actions that include remote reboot, for example for the specific ONU/ONT.
[0049] The monitoring and control unit 210 may localize a pre-emptive or reactive fault in the optical network 100 by segregating the plurality of ONUs 110 (and/or ONTs) and the OLT 130 into a plurality of macro and sub-macro zones by

listing a faulty ONU (or ONT) with all possible impacts, wherein localization of the pre-emptive or reactive fault may be based on identification of a location of the pre-emptive or reactive fault in each of the plurality of ONUs 110 (and/or ONTs) and source of the pre-emptive or reactive fault (explained below in detail).
[0050] Further, the monitoring and control unit 210 may perform automated corrective or preventive actions through the remote operation(s) for the pre-emptive or reactive fault triggering in the optical network 100, may evaluate consequences of the performed automated corrective or preventive actions, may insure about duplicate entries for an issue flagging into the list for the optical network 100 running on various policy instances and may resolve the issue into each of the plurality of ONUs 110 (or ONTs) by at least one of: filtering configurations, changing configurations, updating configurations by consecutive attempts. The remote operation(s) into the consecutive attempts are at least one of: enabling a particular port, disabling a particular port, remote reboot, updating a particular OMCI ME (ONU Management and Control Interface Managed Entity), updating a particular configuration profile at the OLT 130 as supported. In general, the OMCI provides ONU firmware maintenance, alarms, and performance monitoring, QoS (Quality of Service) management (explained below in detail).
[0051] The faults may be diagnosed using the pre-emptive diagnosis method or reactive diagnosis method.
[0052] During pre-emptive diagnosis, the monitoring and control unit 210, for a configurable periodicity, may retrieve Rx/Tx optical power measurement from the ONUs/ONTs from each PON Port, retrieve Rx/Tx optical power measurement from PON Port of the OLT, compute the Rx/Tx optical power Loss/Gain against each ONU/ONT and OLT connectivity, compare Loss/Gain threshold against configured Loss/Gain threshold, identify threshold breach situation and store all measured retrieved and measured computed parameters against a particular timestamp. Further, the monitoring and control unit 210 may compare stored Rx/Tx optical power and power loss values of each timestamp with previous timestamp values of configured numbers and identify fluctuations

of optical power and loss values over time to further identify threshold breach situations. Based on which, the monitoring and control unit 210 may raise Preemptive Notification for every identified threshold breach situation.
[0053] Similarly, during reactive diagnosis, the monitoring and control unit 210 may receive Rx/Tx optical power fault(s) received from the ONUs/ONTs and receive Rx/Tx optical power fault(s) received from the PON ports of the OLT and accordingly raise reactive notifications for every received fault(s).
[0054] Localization and correlation are followed by modelling procedures. During modelling, the optical (distribution) network covered by the OLT is segregated into Macro Zones, Zones, and Sub-Zones in the following ways -
[0055] ODN-Area-OLTX corresponds to a single OLT
[0056] ODN-Macro-ZoneX_Ml to Mn corresponds to Macro-Zone 1 to n, which are subsets of ODN-Area-OLTX
[0057] ODN-ZoneX_Mn_Zl to Zn' corresponds to Zone 1 ton', which are subsets of ODN-Macro-ZoneX_Mn
[0058] ODN-Sub-ZoneX_Mn_Zn'_Sl to Sn" corresponds to Sub-Zone 1 to n", which are subsets of ODN-ZoneX_Zn'
[0059] Where n, n', and n" are any positive integers as per the actual segregation possibility of the network infrastructure, and x represents a unique number of particular OLT.
[0060] Thus, the relationship can be represented as -
[0061] ODN-Area-OLTX c ODN-Macro-ZoneX_Ml to Mn c ODN-ZoneX_Mn_Zl to Zn' c ODN-Sub-ZoneX_Mn_Zn'_Sl to Sn"
[0062] Post modelling, for every detection of preemptive/reactive issue of Rx/Tx optical power of a particular ONU/ONT, the monitoring and control unit performs the following localization and correlation method:
[0063] Evaluate, if the particular ONU is the only entity facing the issue within ODN-Sub-ZoneX_Mn_Zn'_Sn". If Yes, add the particular ONU into a "Suspected_Faulty_ONUs/ONTs" list. If not, measure what percentage of the total ONUs within the ODN-Sub-ZoneX_Mn_Zn'_Sn" facing the issue, and add all the impacted ONUs into the list "Suspected_Faulty_ONUs/ONTs".

[0064] Then, if other ONUs belonging to another ONU-Sub-Zone under
the same ODN-ZoneX_Mn_Zn' is being detected for the same issue, add that
ONUs into the list of "Suspected_Faulty_ONUs/ONTs", and add Distribution
Point of ODN-ZoneX_Mn_Zn' into a list for
"Suspected_Faulty_DistributionPoint". Then, if other ONUs belonging to another ONU-Zone under the same ODN-Macro-ZoneX_Mn is being detected for the same issue, add that ONUs into the list of "Suspected_Faulty_ONUs/ONTs", and add the Distribution Point of ODN-Macro-ZoneX_Mn into a list for "Suspected_Faulty_DistributionPoint".
[0065] After localization, the monitoring and control unit 210 provides automated remote operation(s) which are discussed below.
[0066] For every entry of "Suspected_Faulty_ONUs/ONTs", provision an
"Automated_Action_First_Attempt" that could be triggered and carried out
remotely. After a configurable degree of completion is achieved by executing
"Automated_Action_First_Attempt", a preemptive diagnosis method needs to be
triggered to evaluate the consequences of actions performed. If no positive
consequences are achieved, and if there is any
"Automated_Action_Second_Attempt" provisioned, the same needs to be invoked on every entry of either "Suspected_Faulty_ONUs/ONTs" or "Suspected_Faulty_DistributionPoint", whichever has been provisioned for subsequent actions. After a configurable degree of completion is achieved by executing "Automated_Action_Second_Attempt", a preemptive diagnosis method needs to be triggered to evaluate the consequences of actions performed. If no positive consequences are achieved, manual supervision requests to be raised by the system 200.
[0067] The monitoring and control unit 210 may also implement a method for operations reconciliation. Reconciliation method ensures that "Suspected_Faulty_ONUs/ONTs" and "Suspected_Faulty_DistributionPoint" corresponding to ODN-Area-OLTX and associated with Rx/Tx optical power issue are not having duplicate entries into the list, across the scope of this policy instance as well as across the whole system that could be running various policy

instances. Reconciliation method ensures that entries of "Suspected_Faulty_ONUs/ONTs" and "Suspected_Faulty_DistributionPoint" might be changed/filtered/updated between the execution cycles of "Automated_Action_First_Attempt" and "Automated_Action_Second_Attempt" if that is how it needs to be provisioned.
[0068] As mentioned earlier, prevalent industry practice offers diagnosis and control capabilities separately but requires human intervention to comprehend the diagnostics result and identify suitable control actions. The proposed solution automates the diagnosis capabilities, the comprehension of it, and then accordingly decides on the right corrective actions to be taken as could be done as few initial automated steps. Unlike conventional techniques, the solution provides the scope of considering the subject matter knowledge of an expert administrator for a particular FTTx infrastructure and offers provision for setting up the whole automation engine (or monitoring or control unit) offline by the expert administrator as he/she feels suitable and then as per that administrative configuration, or as per default rules, the automation engine defines its scope and coverage of actions, and then trigger a request for human intervention when the situation goes beyond the defined threshold. Further, the solution introduced in the present disclosure establishes the closed-loop automation capability that is non¬existent in today's industry deployments.
[0069] Advantageously, establishing a system defined automated diagnosis and control capability reduces LI support overhead, introduces better timeliness of corrective actions, and in turn reduces negative impact on quality and availability of services (reduced probability of service disruption due to undetected and unattended optical power fluctuation, and thus improved Service Level Agreement), and also reduces the margin of human errors and negligence.
[0070] Additionally, as mentioned earlier, the prior art references are using the diagnosis method like: Fiber switch, BER analysis, Q-Factor monitoring. In the proposed solution, no additional fiber switch at every central office is required, thereby resulting in a cost-effective system and implementation.

[0071] FIG. 3 is a flowchart illustrating the first method for network operation. It may be noted that in order to explain the method steps of the flowchart 300, references will be made to the elements explained in FIG. 1 through FIG. 2.
[0072] At step 302, the method includes monitoring/measuring the predefined set of network parameter combinations associated with the network component in the FTTX network (or interchangeably "network") 100. Each network parameter combination may be associated with the network performance issue. The network performance may relate to fault and performance of the network component such as the Optical Network Unit, the Optical Network Terminal (ONU/ONT) etc.
[0073] At step 304, the method includes comparing the measured predefined set of network parameter combinations with the predefined threshold combinations.
[0074] At step 306, the method includes altering the one or more network parameters associated with the network when the measured predefined set of network parameter combinations exceeds the predefined threshold combinations.
[0075] FIG. 4 is a flowchart illustrating a second method for network operation. It may be noted that in order to explain the method steps of the flowchart 400, references will be made to the elements explained in FIG. 1 through FIG. 2.
[0076] At step 402, the method includes monitoring the plurality of set of network parameters, wherein each set of network parameters may be associated with the one or more potential faults and at step 404, proactively diagnosing the potential fault when at least one parameter of the set of network parameters is beyond the threshold.
[0077] At step 406, the method includes identifying the one or more hardware or software modules associated with the diagnosed potential fault.
[0078] At step 408, the method includes correcting or preventing the at least one parameter thereby avoiding the fault by allowing the system 200 to

automatically carry out necessary administrative or maintenance operations by closed-loop automation over the FTTx network.
[0079] It may be noted that the flowcharts 300 and 400 are explained to have above stated process steps; however, those skilled in the art would appreciate that the flowcharts 300 and 400 may have more/less number of process steps which may enable all the above stated implementations of the present disclosure.
[0080] The various actions act, blocks, steps, or the like in the flow chart and sequence diagrams may be performed in the order presented, in a different order or simultaneously. Further, in some implementations, some of the actions, acts, blocks, steps, or the like may be omitted, added, modified, skipped, or the like without departing from the scope of the present disclosure.
[0081] The embodiments disclosed herein can be implemented using at least one software program running on at least one hardware device and performing network management functions to control the elements.
[0082] It will be apparent to those skilled in the art that other embodiments of the invention will be apparent to those skilled in the art from consideration of the specification and practice of the invention. While the foregoing written description of the invention enables one of ordinary skill to make and use what is considered presently to be the best mode thereof, those of ordinary skill will understand and appreciate the existence of variations, combinations, and equivalents of the specific embodiment, method, and examples herein. The invention should therefore not be limited by the above-described embodiment, method, and examples, but by all embodiments and methods within the scope of the invention. It is intended that the specification and examples be considered as exemplary, with the true scope of the invention being indicated by the claims.
[0083] The methods and processes described herein may have fewer or additional steps or states and the steps or states may be performed in a different order. Not all steps or states need to be reached. The methods and processes described herein may be embodied in, and fully or partially automated via, software code modules executed by one or more general purpose computers. The

code modules may be stored in any type of computer-readable medium or other computer storage device. Some or all of the methods may alternatively be embodied in whole or in part in specialized computer hardware.
[0084] The results of the disclosed methods may be stored in any type of computer data repositories, such as relational databases and flat file systems that use volatile and/or non-volatile memory (e.g., magnetic disk storage, optical storage, EEPROM and/or solid-state RAM).
[0085] The various illustrative logical blocks, modules, routines, and algorithm steps described in connection with the embodiments disclosed herein can be implemented as electronic hardware, computer software, or combinations of both. To clearly illustrate this interchangeability of hardware and software, various illustrative components, blocks, modules, and steps have been described above generally in terms of their functionality. Whether such functionality is implemented as hardware or software depends upon the particular application and design constraints imposed on the overall system. The described functionality can be implemented in varying ways for each particular application, but such implementation decisions should not be interpreted as causing a departure from the scope of the disclosure.
[0086] Moreover, the various illustrative logical blocks and modules described in connection with the embodiments disclosed herein can be implemented or performed by a machine, such as a general purpose processor device, a digital signal processor (DSP), an application specific integrated circuit (ASIC), a field programmable gate array (FPGA) or other programmable logic device, discrete gate or transistor logic, discrete hardware components or any combination thereof designed to perform the functions described herein. A general-purpose processor device can be a microprocessor, but in the alternative, the processor device can be a controller, microcontroller, or state machine, combinations of the same, or the like. A processor device can include electrical circuitry configured to process computer-executable instructions. In another embodiment, a processor device includes an FPGA or other programmable device that performs logic operations without processing computer-executable

instructions. A processor device can also be implemented as a combination of computing devices, e.g., a combination of a DSP and a microprocessor, a plurality of microprocessors, one or more microprocessors in conjunction with a DSP core, or any other such configuration. Although described herein primarily with respect to digital technology, a processor device may also include primarily analog components. A computing environment can include any type of computer system, including, but not limited to, a computer system based on a microprocessor, a mainframe computer, a digital signal processor, a portable computing device, a device controller, or a computational engine within an appliance, to name a few.
[0087] The elements of a method, process, routine, or algorithm described in connection with the embodiments disclosed herein can be embodied directly in hardware, in a software module executed by a processor device, or in a combination of the two. A software module can reside in RAM memory, flash memory, ROM memory, EPROM memory, EEPROM memory, registers, hard disk, a removable disk, a CD-ROM, or any other form of a non-transitory computer-readable storage medium. An exemplary storage medium can be coupled to the processor device such that the processor device can read information from, and write information to, the storage medium. In the alternative, the storage medium can be integral to the processor device. The processor device and the storage medium can reside in an ASIC. The ASIC can reside in a user terminal. In the alternative, the processor device and the storage medium can reside as discrete components in a user terminal.
[0088] Conditional language used herein, such as, among others, "can," "may," "might," "may," "e.g.," and the like, unless specifically stated otherwise, or otherwise understood within the context as used, is generally intended to convey those certain alternatives include, while other alternatives do not include, certain features, elements and/or steps. Thus, such conditional language is not generally intended to imply that features, elements and/or steps are in any way required for one or more alternatives or that one or more alternatives necessarily include logic for deciding, with or without other input or prompting, whether these features, elements and/or steps are included or are to be performed in any

particular alternative. The terms "comprising," "including," "having," and the like are synonymous and are used inclusively, in an open-ended fashion, and do not exclude additional elements, features, acts, operations, and so forth. Also, the term "or" is used in its inclusive sense (and not in its exclusive sense) so that when used, for example, to connect a list of elements, the term "or" means one, some, or all of the elements in the list.
[0089] Disjunctive language such as the phrase "at least one of X, Y, Z," unless specifically stated otherwise, is otherwise understood with the context as used in general to present that an item, term, etc., may be either X, Y, or Z, or any combination thereof (e.g., X, Y, and/or Z). Thus, such disjunctive language is not generally intended to, and should not, imply that certain alternatives require at least one of X, at least one of Y, or at least one of Z to each be present.
[0090] While the detailed description has shown, described, and pointed out novel features as applied to various alternatives, it can be understood that various omissions, substitutions, and changes in the form and details of the devices or algorithms illustrated can be made without departing from the scope of the disclosure. As can be recognized, certain alternatives described herein can be embodied within a form that does not provide all of the features and benefits set forth herein, as some features can be used or practiced separately from others.

CLAIMS
We Claim:

1. A method of network operations, the method comprising:
monitoring, by a monitoring and control unit (210), a predefined set of network parameter combinations associated with a network component in a network (100), wherein each network parameter combination is associated with a network performance issue;
comparing, by the monitoring and control unit (210), the measured predefined set of network parameter combinations with predefined threshold combinations; and
altering, by the monitoring and control unit (210), one or more network parameters associated with the network (100) when the measured predefined set of network parameter combinations exceeds the predefined threshold combinations.
2. The method as claimed in claim 1 comprising diagnosing the network performance issue based on the comparison of the measured predefined set of network parameter combinations with the predefined threshold combinations.
3. The method as claimed in claim 1, wherein the network performance relates to fault and performance of the network component.
4. The method as claimed in claim 1, wherein the one or more network parameters are optical parameters and electrical parameters of the network component.
5. The method as claimed in claim 1, wherein the network (100) is an FTTX (fiber to the x) network including all types of optical fiber based infrastructures.

6. The method as claimed in claim 1, wherein the network component is at least one of an Optical Network Unit (ONU) and an Optical Network Terminal (ONT).
7. The method as claimed in claim 1 comprising localizing a pre-emptive or reactive fault in the network (100) by segregating the network component and an optical line terminal (OLT) (130) into a plurality of macro and sub-macro zones by listing a faulty network component with all possible impacts.
8. The method as claimed in claim 7, wherein localizing the pre-emptive or reactive fault is based on identification of a location of the pre-emptive or reactive fault in the network component and source of the pre-emptive or reactive fault.
9. The method as claimed in claim 1 comprising:
performing automated corrective or preventive actions through remote operations for the pre-emptive or reactive fault triggering in the network (100);
evaluating consequences of the performed automated corrective or preventive actions;
insuring about duplicate entries for an issue flagging into the list for the network (100) running on various policy instances; and
resolving the issue into the network component by at least one of: filtering configurations, changing configurations, updating configurations by consecutive attempts,
wherein the remote operations into the consecutive attempts are at least one of: enabling a particular port, disabling a particular port, remote reboot, updating a particular OMCI ME (ONU Management and Control Interface Managed Entity), updating a particular configuration profile at the OLT (130) as supported.

10. The method as claimed in claim 1 comprising generating alarms, wherein the alarms indicate at least one of: network connectivity failure and monitoring failure within the predefined threshold combinations.
11. A system (200) of self-correcting, pre-emptive or reactive fault diagnosis of optical network operation, comprising:
a plurality of optical network units (ONUs) (110); and
an optical line terminal (OLT) (130) coupled to the plurality of optical network units (ONUs) (110) via a passive optical splitter (120), the OLT (130) comprising:
an optical transceiver (132) configured to transmit optical signals to and receive optical signals from the plurality of ONUs (110); and
a monitoring and control unit (210) configured to:
monitor a predefined set of network parameter combinations associated with each of the plurality of optical network units (ONUs) (110), wherein each network parameter combination is associated with a network performance issue;
compare the measured predefined set of network parameter combinations with predefined threshold combinations; and
alter one or more network parameters associated with a network (100) when the measured predefined set of network parameter combinations exceeds the predefined threshold combinations.
12. The system (200) as claimed in claim 12, wherein the monitoring and
control unit (210) is configured to measure optical power of the optical signals
received from each of the plurality of optical network units (ONUs) (110)

13. The system (200) as claimed in claim 12, wherein the monitoring and control unit (210) localizes a pre-emptive or reactive fault in the network (100) by segregating the plurality of ONUs (110) and the OLT (130) into a plurality of macro and sub-macro zones by listing a faulty ONU with all possible impacts, wherein localization of the pre-emptive or reactive fault is based on identification of a location of the pre-emptive or reactive fault in each of the plurality of ONUs (110) and source of the pre-emptive or reactive fault.
14. The system (200) as claimed in claim 12 configured to:
perform automated corrective or preventive actions through remote operations for the pre-emptive or reactive fault triggering in the network (100);
evaluate consequences of the performed automated corrective or preventive actions;
insure about duplicate entries for an issue flagging into the list for the network (100) running on various policy instances; and
resolve the issue into each of the plurality of ONUs (110) by at least one of: filtering configurations, changing configurations, updating configurations by consecutive attempts,
wherein the remote operations into the consecutive attempts are at least one of: enabling a particular port, disabling a particular port, remote reboot, updating a particular OMCI ME (ONU Management and Control Interface Managed Entity), updating a particular configuration profile at the OLT (130) as supported.
The system (200) as claimed in claim 16, wherein the OMCI provides ONU firmware maintenance, alarms, and performance monitoring, QoS (Quality of Service) management.