# US 12,191,981 B2 · Alarm correlation and ticketing for Open reconfigurable optical add/drop multiplexer networks

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- Number: US 12,191,981 B2
- Document ID: US12191981B2
- Status: Granted
- Kind: B2
- Application number: 17/975,869
- Filed: 2022-10-28
- Published: 2024-05-02
- Granted: 2025-01-07
- Earliest claimed: 2022-10-28
- Assignees: AT&T Intellectual Property I, L.P.
- Applicants: AT&T Intellectual Property I, L.P.
- Inventors: Qingyun Liu; Balagangadhar Bathula
- Web page: https://patentgrep.com/patent/US12191981B2

## CPC

- H04J 14/02126: {Multicast switch arrangements}
- H04J 14/0212: {using optical switches or wavelength selective switches [WSS]}
- H04Q 11/0005: {Switch and router aspects}
- H04Q 2011/0009: {using wavelength filters}
- H04Q 2011/0016: {using wavelength multiplexing or demultiplexing}
- H04J: MULTIPLEX COMMUNICATION (transmission in general H04B; peculiar to transmission of digital information H04L5/00; systems for the simultaneous or sequential transmission of more than one television signal H04N7/08; in exchanges H04Q11/00; stereophonic systems H04S)
- H04Q: SELECTING (switches, relays, selectors H01H; wireless communication networks H04W)

## Abstract

The concepts and technologies disclosed herein are directed to alarm correlation and ticketing for reconfigurable optical add/drop multiplexer (“ROADM”) networks. According to one aspect disclosed herein, a ROADM controller can create, based upon data associated with a plurality of ROADM network elements operating in a ROADM network, a graph of the plurality ROADM network elements. The ROADM controller can retrieve a plurality of alarms from at least a portion the plurality of ROADM network elements, associate the plurality of alarms with at least the portion of the plurality of ROADM network elements, and associate a direction of each alarm with a corresponding service direction. The ROADM controller can eliminate any alarms with a time stamp outside of a same time window. The ROADM controller can then determine that any remaining alarms are associated with a root cause of a failure within the ROADM network.

## Claims

### Claim 1

A method comprising:
creating, by a reconfigurable optical add/drop multiplexer (“ROADM”) controller comprising a processor, based upon data associated with a plurality of ROADM network elements operating in a ROADM network, a graph of the plurality of ROADM network elements, wherein creating the graph of the plurality of ROADM network elements comprises creating, by the ROADM controller, based upon the data associated with the plurality of ROADM network elements operating in the ROADM network, a hierarchical dimension of the graph, wherein the hierarchical dimension of the graph represents hierarchical relationships between containing entities and contained entities among the plurality of ROADM network elements;
retrieving, by the ROADM controller, a plurality of alarms from at least a portion the plurality of ROADM network elements;
associating, by the ROADM controller, the plurality of alarms with at least the portion of the plurality of ROADM network elements;
associating, by the ROADM controller, a direction of each alarm of the plurality of alarms with a corresponding service direction;
eliminating, by the ROADM controller, any alarms of the plurality of alarms with a time stamp outside of a same time window; and
determining, by the ROADM controller, that any remaining alarms of the plurality of alarms are associated with a root cause of a failure within the ROADM network.

### Claim 2 (depends on 1)

The method of claim 1, further comprising:
monitoring, by the ROADM controller, the plurality of ROADM network elements operating in the ROADM network; and
acquiring, by the ROADM controller, the data from the plurality of ROADM network elements.

### Claim 3 (depends on 2)

The method of claim 2, wherein monitoring, by the ROADM controller, the plurality of ROADM network elements comprises monitoring, by the ROADM controller, the plurality of ROADM network elements via an application programming interface.

### Claim 4 (depends on 1)

The method of claim 1, wherein creating, by the ROADM controller, based upon the data associated with the plurality of ROADM network elements operating in the ROADM network, the graph of the plurality of ROADM network elements further comprises creating, by the ROADM controller, based upon the data associated with the plurality of ROADM network elements operating in the ROADM network, a horizontal dimension of the graph, wherein the horizontal dimension of the graph represents supporting relationships between a supported logical circuit, path, or link and an ordered list of supporting ports, interfaces, logical connections, and links.

### Claim 5 (depends on 4)

The method of claim 4, wherein the plurality of ROADM network elements comprise a plurality of ROADMs and a plurality of xponders.

### Claim 6 (depends on 5)

The method of claim 5, wherein the ROADM controller and the plurality of ROADM network elements are configured in accordance with Open ROADM multi-source agreement.

### Claim 7

A reconfigurable optical add/drop multiplexer (“ROADM”) controller comprising:
a processor; and
a memory comprising instructions that, when executed by the processor, cause the processor to perform operations comprising
creating, based upon data associated with a plurality of ROADM network elements operating in a ROADM network, a graph of the plurality of ROADM network elements, wherein creating the graph of the plurality of ROADM network elements comprises creating, based upon the data associated with the plurality of ROADM network elements operating in the ROADM network, a hierarchical dimension of the graph, wherein the hierarchical dimension of the graph represents hierarchical relationships between containing entities and contained entities among the plurality of ROADM network elements,
retrieving a plurality of alarms from at least a portion the plurality of ROADM network elements,
associating the plurality of alarms with at least the portion of the plurality of ROADM network elements,
associating a direction of each alarm of the plurality of alarms with a corresponding service direction,
eliminating any alarms of the plurality of alarms with a time stamp outside of a same time window, and
determining that any remaining alarms of the plurality of alarms are associated with a root cause of a failure within the ROADM network.

### Claim 8 (depends on 7)

The ROADM controller of claim 7, wherein the operations further comprise:
monitoring the plurality of ROADM network elements operating in the ROADM network; and
acquiring the data from the plurality of ROADM network elements.

### Claim 9 (depends on 8)

The ROADM controller of claim 8, wherein monitoring the plurality of ROADM network elements comprises monitoring the plurality of ROADM network elements via an application programming interface.

### Claim 10 (depends on 7)

The ROADM controller of claim 7, wherein creating, based upon the data associated with the plurality of ROADM network elements operating in the ROADM network, the graph of the plurality of ROADM network elements further comprises creating, based upon the data associated with the plurality of ROADM network elements operating in the ROADM network, a horizontal dimension of the graph, wherein the horizontal dimension of the graph represents supporting relationships between a supported logical circuit, path, or link and an ordered list of supporting ports, interfaces, logical connections, and links.

### Claim 11 (depends on 10)

The ROADM controller of claim 10, wherein the plurality of ROADM network elements comprise a plurality of ROADMs and a plurality of xponders.

### Claim 12 (depends on 11)

The ROADM controller of claim 11, wherein the ROADM controller and the plurality of ROADM network elements are configured in accordance with Open ROADM multi-source agreement.

### Claim 13

A computer-readable storage medium comprising computer-executable instructions that, when executed by a processor, cause the processor to perform operations comprising:
creating, based upon data associated with a plurality of ROADM network elements operating in a ROADM network, a graph of the plurality of ROADM network elements, wherein creating the graph of the plurality of ROADM network elements comprises creating, based upon the data associated with the plurality of ROADM network elements operating in the ROADM network, a hierarchical dimension of the graph, wherein the hierarchical dimension of the graph represents hierarchical relationships between containing entities and contained entities among the plurality of ROADM network elements;
retrieving, by the ROADM controller, a plurality of alarms from at least a portion the plurality of ROADM network elements;
associating, by the ROADM controller, the plurality of alarms with at least the portion of the plurality of ROADM network elements;
associating a direction of each alarm of the plurality of alarms with a corresponding service direction;
eliminating any alarms of the plurality of alarms with a time stamp outside of same time window; and
determining that any remaining alarms of the plurality of alarms are associated with a root cause of a failure within the ROADM network.

### Claim 14 (depends on 13)

The computer-readable storage medium of claim 13, wherein the operations further comprise:
monitoring the plurality of ROADM network elements operating in the ROADM network; and
acquiring the data from the plurality of ROADM network elements.

### Claim 15 (depends on 14)

The computer-readable storage medium of claim 14, wherein monitoring the plurality of ROADM network elements comprises monitoring the plurality of ROADM network elements via an application programming interface.

### Claim 16 (depends on 13)

The computer-readable storage medium of claim 13, wherein creating, based upon the data associated with the plurality of ROADM network elements operating in the ROADM network, the graph of the plurality of ROADM network elements further comprises creating, based upon the data associated with the plurality of ROADM network elements operating in the ROADM network, a horizontal dimension of the graph, wherein the horizontal dimension of the graph represents supporting relationships between a supported logical circuit, path, or link and an ordered list of supporting ports, interfaces, logical connections, and links.

### Claim 17 (depends on 16)

The computer-readable storage medium of claim 16, wherein the plurality of ROADM network elements comprise a plurality of ROADMs and a plurality of xponders.