Network management system, its method and storage medium recording program for the method

Description: TECHNICAL FIELD [Detailed description of the invention]

【0001】

[Technical field to which the invention belongs]

The present invention manages a network device via a monitoring network, and when an abnormality is detected, automatically notifies the maintenance person through the communication network, so that the maintenance person can perform maintenance operations via the Internet. It relates to a system, a network management method, and a storage medium on which a program of the method is recorded.

【0002】

[Conventional technology]

Conventionally, in order to perform maintenance when an abnormality is detected in a network device, a maintenance person performs each device or each district based on an instruction from a network management system provided for managing the network. A method is adopted in which the network is maintained via the network management device by performing the required operation on the maintenance terminal. Such maintenance terminals are usually installed in a network management center or the like provided in a place away from the station building where network equipment is installed, and are configured to operate by dedicated software. ing. Then, when the maintenance person is always waiting at a predetermined seat in front of each maintenance terminal and is notified of the occurrence of a failure from the network management device via the maintenance terminal, it is displayed on the maintenance terminal. Based on the trouble information to be performed, the required maintenance operation was performed on the maintenance terminal. In addition, if the maintenance person is away from the maintenance terminal for some reason, he / she can be assigned to the designated department by calling the maintenance person from the network management system using a pager or a mobile phone. Was the general method.

【0003】

[Problems to be Solved by the Invention]

However, it is a mental and physical burden on individual maintenance personnel that the maintenance person always waits in front of the maintenance terminal to monitor the maintenance terminal in order to receive instructions from the network management system. Was big. Further, since it is necessary to always assign one maintenance person to each maintenance terminal, there is a problem that the labor cost tends to increase. In addition, maintenance terminals usually require dedicated software and are installed in the network management center, but the network management center and the station building where the network equipment is installed are located in separate locations. Therefore, in order to perform maintenance work, it is necessary to proceed with the work while keeping in touch between the maintenance person of the network management center and the maintenance person of the network equipment installation station building, which makes workability poor and takes time. There was a problem that it took. In addition, when a network failure occurs, the network management device unilaterally notifies the maintenance person via a pager, mobile phone, etc., when the radio wave propagation state is poor, or when the pager or mobile phone There was a problem that the notification from the network management system might not be received when the power was turned off or when the maintenance person was taking a nap. Furthermore, in the past, the maintenance work of the network management center was used to back up the database of the network management device and restore it in the event of a failure, but software for realizing the functions of the network management system is common. There is a problem that the maintainer cannot concentrate on the maintenance work of the network because the maintenance and operation of the software is more difficult than that of the software. Further, the conventional network management system often manages a single network or a small number of networks, but the network management system is generally expensive and has a problem that the initial introduction cost is high.

【0004】

The present invention has been made in view of the above circumstances, and since the maintenance person does not need to be seated in front of the maintenance terminal at all times, the burden on the maintenance person can be reduced and the number of maintenance persons can be reduced. In addition, if the maintenance person does not respond to the notification of the occurrence of a failure, the maintenance person with the next priority is automatically selected and notified, so maintenance is surely performed. Furthermore, by connecting the maintenance terminal via the Internet, the maintenance person can perform the work anywhere, so that the workability can be improved, and the maintenance person can further perform the work. It is an object of the present invention to provide a storage medium in which a network management system, a network management method, and a program of the method are recorded, which does not require maintenance of the network management device and is cost-effective.

【0005】

[Means for solving problems]

In order to solve the above problem, the invention according to claim 1 relates to a network management system, monitors a monitoring control target device composed of network devices via a monitoring network, and receives a failure occurrence notification from the monitoring control target device. At that time, referring to the maintenance person information in the database and the device configuration information of the above network equipment, the maintenance person is called according to the priority via the communication means connected to the public network, and the maintenance person responds by receiving a normal response. Is determined, the determined maintenance person is notified of the failure information, and the network management device that performs the required maintenance operation in response to the operation request from the maintenance person via the Internet, the network management device, and the Internet. It is characterized in that the maintenance person who is connected and determined above comprises a maintenance terminal that makes an operation request corresponding to the failure to the network management device in response to the failure information.

【0006】

The invention according to claim 2 relates to the network management system according to claim 1, and is characterized in that the communication means includes a mobile phone.

【0007】

The invention according to claim 3 relates to the network management system according to claim 1, and is characterized in that the communication means includes a pager and a telephone.

【0008】

The invention according to claim 4 relates to the network management system according to any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein the network management device is operated by a network management company.

【0009】

Further, the invention according to claim 5 relates to a network management method, in which a network management device monitors a monitoring control target device composed of network devices via a monitoring network and receives a failure occurrence notification from the monitoring control target device. At that time, the maintenance person information in the database and the device configuration information of the above network equipment are referred to, and the maintenance person is called according to the priority via the communication means connected to the public network, and maintenance is performed by receiving a normal response. The person is determined, the determined maintenance person is notified of the failure information, and the maintenance person causes the failure to the network management device from the maintenance terminal connected to the network management device via the Internet. By making a corresponding operation request, the network management device performs a required maintenance operation in response to the operation request.

【0010】

The invention according to claim 6 relates to the network management method according to claim 5, and is characterized in that the network management device is operated by a network management company.

【0011】

The invention according to claim 7 is characterized in that a program for executing the network management method according to claim 5 or 6 is recorded with respect to a computer-readable recording medium.

【0012】

[Action]

In the configuration of the present invention, when the network management device monitors the monitoring and controlling target device consisting of network devices via the monitoring network and receives a failure occurrence notification from the monitoring and controlling target device, the maintainer information and the network in the database. The maintenance person is called through the communication means connected to the public network according to the priority by referring to the device configuration information of the device, and the maintenance person is determined based on the normal response. Then, by notifying the determined maintenance person of the failure information, the maintenance person makes an operation request corresponding to the failure to the network management device from the maintenance terminal connected to the network management device via the Internet. Since the network management device performs the required maintenance operation in response to the operation request, the maintenance person does not have to sit in front of the maintenance terminal at all times, thus reducing the burden on the maintenance person and reducing the number of maintenance persons. can do. Further, when the calling maintenance person does not respond, the maintenance person of the next rank is automatically called, so that maintenance can be performed reliably. Furthermore, since the maintenance terminal is connected via the Internet, there are no restrictions on the work place of the maintenance person, and workability can be improved. Moreover, since the network management device is operated by the network management company, the maintenance person can concentrate on the maintenance of the network. Further, since the network of a plurality of network operators can be managed by a single network management device or a small number of network management devices, the initial introduction cost of the network management device can be reduced, and the network management service can be provided at a low cost.

【0013】

BEST MODE FOR CARRYING OUT THE INVENTION

Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. The description will be specifically given using examples. First Example FIG. 1 is a diagram showing a network management system according to a first embodiment of the present invention, FIG. 2 is a diagram illustrating the contents of maintainer information, and FIG. 3 is a diagram illustrating the contents of device configuration information, FIG. 4 Is a flowchart showing the flow of device monitoring operation in this embodiment, FIG. 5 is a flowchart showing the flow of maintenance person determination operation in this embodiment, and FIG. 6 is a connection of a maintenance person to a network management system in this embodiment. It is a flowchart which shows the flow of operation.

【0014】

As shown in FIG. 1, the network management system of this example includes a network management device 10, a monitoring network 14, monitoring and control target devices 151 to 153, a public network 16, mobile phones 171,172, the Internet 18, and maintenance. It is roughly composed of terminals 191, 192. Further, the network management device 10 is composed of a database 11, a management processing unit 12, a public network access unit 131, and an Internet access unit 132. Further, the database 11 includes the maintenance person information 111, the device configuration information 112, and the device failure information 113. In this example, the network management device 10 belongs to the network management company, and is installed in the facility of the network management company as a network management facility, and the network management company includes the network management device 10 for network management. Equipment shall be maintained. In addition, the monitoring and control target devices 151,152,153 are installed in the facilities of the network operator that operates the network, and are maintained by the network operator. In this case, the number of network operators managed by the network management system is not necessarily one, and a single network management system may manage the networks of a plurality of network operators.

【0015】

In the network management device 10, the database 11 stores the maintainer information 111 that stores information about the maintainer, the device configuration information 112 that stores information about the configuration of the monitored device, and the device that stores information about the failure of the monitored device. It is composed of the failure information 113, and the management processing unit 12 can read and write this information. As shown in FIG. 2, the maintenance person information 111 includes information such as the name, ID number, password, mobile phone number, charge device name, charge district name, and work schedule of each maintenance person. As shown in FIG. 3, the device configuration information 112 includes information such as the device name, ID number, installation station building name, responsible district name, and setting parameters for the device of the network device including the device to be monitored and controlled. I'm out. The device failure information 113 includes detailed information on past and present failures of each device. The management processing unit 12 monitors the occurrence of a failure of the monitored and controlled device via the monitoring network 14, collects the failure information, updates the device failure information 113, and uses the public network access unit 131 to use the public network 16 The mobile phone is called to notify the occurrence of the failure, the failure information is transmitted, and the operation request corresponding to the failure is received from the maintenance terminal via the Internet 18 using the Internet access unit 132.

【0016】

The public network access unit 131 has a function of connecting the management processing unit 12 and the mobile phones 171, 172 via the public network 16. The Internet access unit 132 has a function of connecting the management processing unit 12 and the maintenance terminals 191, 192 via the Internet 18. The monitoring network 14 is composed of, for example, a dedicated line or the like, and connects the network management device 10 and the monitoring control target devices 151,152,153. The monitoring and control target devices 151, 152, 153 are network devices, are under the control of the management processing unit 12, and have a function of notifying the management processing unit 12 of the occurrence of a failure when a failure occurs. The public network 16 is composed of a public telephone line or the like, and connects the network management device 10 and mobile phones 171,172. The Internet 18 consists of a communication network in which a large number of host computers are interconnected, and connects the network management device 10 and maintenance terminals 191, 192. The maintenance terminals 191, 192 have a function of connecting to the Internet 18 and browsing the Web, and access the management processing unit 12 via the Internet access unit 132 to obtain network configuration information, failure information, performance information, and the like. collect.

【0017】

More specifically, the management processing unit 12 has various functions as follows. That is, when a failure occurs in any of the monitoring and controlling target devices 151 to 153, the management processing unit 12 collects the failure information via the monitoring network 14, updates the device failure information 113, and updates the device failure information 113, and also updates the device failure information 113 and the public network. Using the access unit 131, the mobile phone 171 or 172 is called via the public network 16 to notify the outline of the failure content by voice or short mail, and the maintenance person performs the necessary maintenance processing on the maintenance terminal. Encourage them to do it. At this time, the management processing unit 12 refers to the maintenance person information 111 and the device configuration information 112 to determine the mobile phone to be notified with priority. In addition, the management processing unit 12 is the maintainer who called by using the public network access unit 131 to receive a response by a specific dial tone (DTMF) from the mobile phone that notified the failure occurrence. recognize. If the maintainer did not answer the call from the management processing unit 12 or answered with an incorrect dial tone, the management processing unit 12 tried the call again and still did not receive a normal response. At that time, the management processing unit 12 refers to the maintenance person information 111 and tries to call another maintenance person having the same work schedule or another maintenance person in charge of the same area, and a normal response is obtained. Repeat the call until there is. Further, the management processing unit 12 uses the Internet access unit 132 to obtain the ID number and password of the responding maintainer obtained from the maintenance terminal 191 or 192, and the ID number and password obtained by referring to the maintenance person information 111. If they match, the maintenance person at the maintenance terminal is given access rights, and network configuration information, past and present detailed failure information, performance information, etc. can be obtained using an interface similar to the Web. provide.

【0018】

Hereinafter, the operation of the network management system of this example will be described with reference to FIGS. 1 to 6. First, the procedure for starting the monitoring operation in the network management system of this example will be described with reference to FIG. The network management company starts the management processing unit 12 in advance to enable the network management system (step A1), and then registers the maintenance person information (step A2). As shown in FIG. 2, the maintenance person information 111 includes the maintenance person's name, ID number, password, mobile phone number, device name in charge, district name in charge, work schedule, and the like as input items. Next, the device configuration information is registered. As shown in FIG. 3, the device configuration information 112 includes device names, ID numbers, installation station building names, responsible district names, other parameters, and the like as input items. The parameters may be input separately by the network operator. Next, monitoring and control of the device is started (step A4). As a result, communication is started between the management processing unit 12 shown in FIG. 1 and the monitoring and control target devices 151,152,153 via the monitoring network 14.

【0019】

Next, with reference to FIG. 5, the procedure for determining the maintenance person when a failure occurs will be described. In the following, it will be described as if a failure has occurred in the monitoring and controlling target device 151. When a failure occurs, the monitoring and control target device 151 transmits a failure occurrence notification to the management processing unit 12 via the monitoring network 14 (step B1). When the management processing unit 12 receives the failure occurrence notification, it updates the device failure information 113 (step B2) and determines the maintenance person by referring to the maintenance person information 111 and the device configuration information 112 (step B3). ). When resending to the same maintenance person, the retransmission shall be performed within the predetermined number of retransmissions. Now, it is assumed that the maintenance person has a mobile phone 171. The management processing unit 12 makes a call to the mobile phone 171 using the public network access unit 131 in order to connect with the maintenance person (step B4). As a result, the maintenance person turns off the mobile phone 171 to check the short mail or voice failure notification, and then dials a specific dial tone to respond (step B7). If there is no response within the predetermined time, the management processing unit 12 considers it as a timeout (step B5-Yes), returns to step B3, and redetermines the maintenance person. On the other hand, if there is a response within the specified time (step B5-No), the ID number received from the mobile phone 171 is compared with the ID number referenced from the maintenance person information 111, and if they match, the response is normal. It is regarded as (step B6-Yes), the call processing is terminated, and if they do not match, it is regarded as an abnormal response (step B6-No), and the process returns to step B3 to redetermine the maintainer. The management processing unit 12 calls and determines the maintenance person by repeating such a procedure.

【0020】

Next, the procedure of the maintenance operator's operation on the maintenance terminal will be described with reference to FIG. In the following, it is assumed that the maintenance person connects to the management processing unit 12 from the maintenance terminal 191. The maintenance person connects to the Internet 18 using the maintenance terminal 191 and issues a login request to the network management system to the management processing unit 12 via the Internet access unit 132 (step C6). The management processing unit 12 starts authentication of the maintenance terminal (step C1), and the ID number and password entered by the maintenance person from the maintenance terminal 191 match the ID number and password registered in the maintenance person information 111. If so, it is considered that the authentication is successful (step C2-Yes), and a login success notification is sent to the maintenance terminal 191 (step c3). If the authentication fails (step C2-No), logout processing is performed immediately (step C5), and the processing ends. After the login is successful, the maintenance person issues an operation request to the network management system from the maintenance terminal 191 to the management processing unit 12 (step C7). The management processing unit 12 performs the required maintenance operation corresponding to the operation request, and then transmits the operation response of the network management system to the maintenance terminal 191 (step C4). After that, the operation of step C7 and the operation of step C4 are paired and repeated until all the operations of the maintainer are completed. When all the operations of the maintenance person are completed, the maintenance person issues a logout request from the network management system to the management processing unit 12 from the maintenance terminal 191 (step C8), ends the processing, and thereby the management processing. Part 12 performs logout processing for the maintenance terminal 191 (step C5), and ends the processing.

【0021】

As described above, according to the network management system of this example, the maintenance person does not need to be seated in front of the maintenance terminal at all times, so that the burden on the maintenance person can be reduced and the number of maintenance persons can be reduced. It becomes possible. Further, when the maintenance person does not respond to the failure occurrence notification, the next maintenance person can be selected and notified based on the priority, so that the network maintenance can be surely performed. Further, since the maintenance terminal is connected to the network management device via the Internet, the maintenance person can perform the work anywhere, and therefore the workability can be improved. Furthermore, since the management company operates and maintains the network management system, the maintainer is freed from backing up the database of the network management device and recovery work in the event of a failure, and can concentrate on network maintenance. In addition, since the networks of multiple operators can be managed collectively by a single network management device or a small number of network management devices, the equipment cost is cheaper and cheaper than each network operator having its own network management system. Become able to provide network management services.

【0022】

Second Example FIG. 7 is a diagram showing a network management system according to a second embodiment of the present invention. As shown in FIG. 7, the network management system of this example includes a network management device 70, a monitoring network 74, a monitoring control target device 751,752 to 75x, a public network 76, a mobile phone 771,772 to 77y, and the Internet 78. , Maintenance terminal 791,792 ~ 79z. The network management device 70 includes a database 71, a management processing unit 72, a public network access unit 731, and an Internet access unit 732. Further, the database 71 includes the maintenance person information 711, the device configuration information 712, and the device failure information 713. Of these, the configurations and functions of the network management device 70, database 71, management processing unit 72, public network access unit 731, Internet access unit 732, monitoring network 74, public network 76, and Internet 78 are shown in FIG. Similar to the network management device 10, the database 11, the management processing unit 12, the public network access unit 131, the Internet access unit 132, the monitoring network 14, the public network 16, and the Internet 18 in the case of the first embodiment, but the monitoring network. The number of monitoring and controlled devices connected to 74, the number of mobile phones connected to the public network 76, and the number of maintenance terminals connected to the Internet 78 are different from those in the first embodiment.

【0023】

The network management system of the invention, in principle, the number of monitored and controlled devices, and mobile phone number, in particular a limit on the maintenance terminal count not to the. Therefore, with respect to the configuration of the first embodiment, the number of monitoring and controlling target devices is expanded to 751,752 to 75x, the number of mobile phones is expanded to 771,772 to 77y, and the number of maintenance terminals. Is extended to maintenance terminals 791,792 ~ 79z, but there is no difference in operation.

【0024】

As described above, the network management system of this example has the same functions as those of the first embodiment, and there is no limit to the number of monitoring and control target devices, the number of mobile phones, and the number of maintenance terminals. It is possible to manage a larger scale or multiple networks.

【0025】

Third Example FIG. 8 is a diagram showing a network management system according to a third embodiment of the present invention, and FIG. 9 is a flowchart showing a flow of a maintainer determination operation in this example. As shown in FIG. 8, the network management system of this example includes a network management device 80, a monitoring network 84, monitoring and control target devices 851 to 853, a public network 86, a pocket bell 871,872, and a telephone (fixed telephone). It is roughly composed of 873,874 and maintenance terminals 891,892. The network management device 80 is composed of a database 81, a management processing unit 82, a public network access unit 831 and an Internet access unit 832. Further, the database 81 includes the maintenance person information 811 and the device configuration information 812, and the device failure information 813. Of these, the configurations and functions of the network management device 80, database 81, management processing unit 82, public network access unit 831, Internet access unit 832, monitoring network 84, public network 86, and Internet 88 are shown in Fig. 1. Similar to the network management device 10, the database 11, the management processing unit 12, the public network access unit 131, the Internet access unit 132, the monitoring network 14, the public network 16, and the Internet 18 in the case of the first embodiment, but the communication means. The difference from the case of the first embodiment is that the pocket bell 871,872 and the telephone 873,874 are connected to the public network 86.

【0026】

In the network management system of this example, the operation when a device failure occurs is partially different from that of the first embodiment, and this will be described below. Hereinafter, with reference to FIG. 9, the procedure for determining the maintainer in the event of a failure in the network management system of this example will be described. In the following, it will be described as if a failure has occurred in the monitoring and controlling target device 151. The monitoring control target device 851 transmits a failure occurrence notification to the management processing unit 82 via the monitoring network 84 (step D1). When the management processing unit 82 receives the failure occurrence notification, it updates the device failure information 813 (step D2) and determines the maintenance person by referring to the maintenance person information 811 and the device configuration information 812 (step D3). ). It is assumed that the maintainer now has a pager 871. The management processing unit 82 operates the vibrator or bell on the pager 871 by making a call to the pager 871 using the public network access unit 831 (step D4) to call the maintenance person (step D4). Step D7). After confirming the content of the message on the pager, the maintenance person dials a predetermined number from the telephone 873 (step D8) and responds with a specific dial tone when connecting (step D9). .. If there is no response within the predetermined time, the management processing unit 82 considers it as a timeout (step D5-Yes), returns to step D3, and redetermines the maintenance person. On the other hand, if there is a response within the specified time (step D5-No), the ID number determined by the received dial tone is compared with the ID number referenced from the maintainer information 811, and if they match, a normal response is obtained. (Step D6-Yes), the process ends, and if they do not match, it is regarded as an abnormal response (Step D6-No), and the process returns to Step D3 to redetermine the maintainer. The management processing unit 82 determines and calls the maintainer by repeating such a procedure.

【0027】

As described above, in the network management system of this example, the same function as in the case of the first embodiment can be realized when the pager and the telephone are used as the means of communication with the maintenance person.

【0028】

Although the embodiment of the present invention has been described in detail with reference to the drawings, the specific configuration is not limited to this embodiment, and even if there is a design change or the like within a range that does not deviate from the gist of the present invention. Included in the invention. For example, in the present invention, the network management device belongs to the network management company and is installed in the facility of the network management company, but the present invention is not limited to this, and the network operator may install the network management device. Further, in the first embodiment described above, the mobile phones 171,172 are used, and in the second embodiment, the mobile phones 771,772, ..., 77y are used to call the maintenance person. It may be a landline phone. Further, as a method of notifying the maintenance person of the occurrence of a failure from the network management device and the failure information by using a mobile phone or the like via the public network as in the embodiment, the maintenance terminal is notified via the Internet. The above may also be used as a notification, and when the maintenance person is seated on the maintenance terminal, the failure occurrence notification and the failure information notification can be performed more quickly. Alternatively, only the notification of the occurrence of a failure may be given via a public network using a pager or the like, and the response of the maintenance person and the notification of the failure information may be given on the maintenance terminal via the Internet.

【0029】

[Effect of the invention]

As described above, according to the network management system of the present invention, the maintenance person does not need to be seated in front of the maintenance terminal at all times, so that the burden on the maintenance person can be reduced and the number of maintenance persons can be reduced. Can be reduced. Further, when the maintenance person does not respond to the failure occurrence notification, the next maintenance person is determined based on the priority and notified, so that the network maintenance can be surely performed. Further, since the maintenance terminal is connected to the network management device via the Internet, the maintenance person can perform the work anywhere, and therefore the workability can be improved. Furthermore, if the management company performs the operation and maintenance of the network management system, the maintenance person will be freed from backing up the database of the network management device and recovery work in the event of a failure, and will be able to concentrate on network maintenance. .. In addition, if the networks of multiple operators are collectively managed by a single network management device or a small number of network management devices, the equipment cost will be cheaper than if each network operator has its own network management system. Therefore, it becomes possible to provide network management services at low cost.

[Simple explanation of drawings]

[Figure 1]

It is a figure which shows the network management system which is 1st Example of this invention.

[Figure 2]

It is a figure which illustrates the content of maintenance person information.

[Fig. 3]

It is a figure which illustrates the content of the apparatus configuration information.

[Fig. 4]

It is a flowchart which shows the flow of the apparatus monitoring operation in this Example.

[Fig. 5]

It is a flowchart which shows the flow of maintenance person determination operation in this Example.

[Fig. 6]

It is a flowchart which shows the flow of the connection operation to the network management system of the maintenance person in this Example.

[Fig. 7]

It is a figure which shows the network management system which is the 2nd Example of this invention.

[Fig. 8]

It is a figure which shows the network management system which is the 3rd Example of this invention.

[Fig. 9]

It is a flowchart which shows the flow of maintenance person determination operation in this Example.

[Explanation of symbols]

10,70,80 Network management device 11,71,81 database 12,72,82 Management processing department 131,731,831 Public Switched Telephone Network Access Department 132,732,832 Internet Access Department 14,74,84 Surveillance network 151,152,153,751,752, ..., 75x, 851,852,853 Monitoring and control target device 16,76,86 Public switched telephone network 171,172,771,772, ..., 77y Mobile phone (communication means) 871,872 Pager (communication means) 873,874 Telephone (communication means) 18,78,88 internet 191,192,791,792, ..., 79z, 891,892 Maintenance terminal