Protection switch logging methods and systems

An event logging system for logging detected events which affect a protection system in communication equipment, the event logging system comprising:

• an input for receiving an indication that an event has been detected;
• and
• an event logger coupled to the input and configured to determine whether a detected event itself or in combination with a previous detected event provides information relating to a protection switching operation and a cause of the protection switching operation, to determine whether the information relating to a protection switching operation indicates that the protection switching operation has occurred, where a detected event itself or in combination with a previous detected event provides information relating to a protection switching operation and a cause of the protection switching operation, to record in an event log a log entry associated with the protection switching operation including at least a portion of the information relating to the cause of the protection switching operation where the detected event itself or in combination with a previous detected event provides information relating to a protection switching operation and a cause of the protection switching operation and the information relating to the protection switching operation indicates that a protection switching operation has occurred, and to clear a log entry for the previous detected event where the detected event in combination with the previous detected event provides information relating to a protection switching operation and a cause of the protection switching operation and the information relating to the protection switching operation indicates that a protection switching operation has not occurred.

A machine-implemented method of logging detected events which affect a protection system in communication equipment, the method comprising:

• recording in an event log a log entry associated with a protection switching operation;
• determining whether a detected event is associated with the protection switching operation;
• updating the log entry to include information related to the detected event where the detected event is associated with the protection switching operation;
• recording a log entry for the detected event in the event log where the detected event is not associated with the protection switching operation;
• repeating the operations of determining and updating for a subsequent detected and
• where the subsequent detected event is not associated with the protection switching operation:
• determining whether the subsequent detected event itself or in combination with the detected event provides information relating to a further protection switching operation and a cause of the further protection switching operation;
• determining whether the information relating to a further protection switching operation indicates that the further protection switching operation has occurred, where the subsequent detected event itself or in combination with the detected event provides information relating to a further protection switching operation and a cause of the further protection switching operation;
• recording in the event log a log entry associated with the further protection switching operation including at least a portion of the information relating to the cause of the further protection switching operation where the subsequent detected event itself or in combination with the detected event provides information relating to a further protection switching operation and a cause of the further protection switching operation and the information relating to the further protection switching operation indicates that a further protection switching operation has occurred;
• and
• clearing the log entry for the detected event where the subsequent detected event in combination with the detected event provides information relating to a further protection switching operation and a cause of the further protection switching operation and the information relating to the further protection switching operation indicates that a further protection switching operation has not occurred.

An event logging system for logging detected events which affect a protection system in communication equipment, the event logging system comprising:

• an input for receiving indications that protection switching operations and events have been detected;
• and
• an event logger coupled to the input and configured to record in an event log a log entry associated with a detected protection switching operation, to determine whether a detected event is associated with the detected protection switching operation, to update the log entry to include information related to the detected event where the detected event is associated with the detected protection switching operation, to record a log entry for the detected event in the event log where the detected event is not associated with the protection switching operation;
• to determine whether a subsequent detected event is associated with the detected protection switching operation, to update the log entry to include information related to the subsequent detected event where the subsequent detected event is associated with the detected protection switching operation, and, where the subsequent detected event is not associated with the protection switching operation:
• to determine whether the subsequent detected event itself or in combination with the detected event provides information relating to a further protection switching operation and a cause of the further protection switching operation;
• to determine whether the information relating to a further protection switching operation indicates that the further protection switching operation has occurred, where the subsequent detected event itself or in combination with the detected event provides information relating to a further protection switching operation and a cause of the further protection switching operation;
• to record in the event log a log entry associated with the further protection switching operation including at least a portion of the information relating to the cause of the further protection switching operation where the subsequent detected event itself or in combination with the detected event provides information relating to a further protection switching operation and a cause of the further protection switching operation and the information relating to the further protection switching operation indicates that a further protection switching operation has occurred;
• and
• to clear the log entry for the detected event where the subsequent detected event in combination with the detected event provides information relating to a further protection switching operation and a cause of the further protection switching operation and the information relating to the further protection switching operation indicates that a further protection switching operation has not occurred.