System and method for providing event hysteresis in network management systems

A method of managing an event toggling between first and second event states in a network management system, said method comprising:

• listing said event and a last state change time of said event in a hysteresis table, if said event is not already listed in said hysteresis table;
• reporting said event as having said first state;
• monitoring, by a processor, said event to determine if said event maintains said second state for a predetermined amount of time, wherein:
• if said last state change time of said event plus said predetermined amount of time is not less than current time, then said event is deemed unstable and remains listed in said hysteresis table;
• and
• if said last state change time plus said predetermined amount of time is less than the current time, then said event is deemed stable and is removed from said hysteresis table;
• and
• reporting said event as having said second state only after said second state is maintained for said predetermined amount of time, wherein said reporting said event as having said second state comprises reporting said event has achieving said second state at said last state change time of said event.

A machine-readable medium whose contents cause a network management system to perform a method of managing an event toggling between first and second event states, said method comprising:

• listing said event and a last state change time of said event in a hysteresis table, if said event is not already listed in said hysteresis table;
• determining if said event maintains one of said first and second states for a predetermined amount of time, wherein:
• if said last state change time of said event plus said predetermined amount of time is not less than current time, then said event is deemed unstable and remains listed in said hysteresis table;
• and
• if said last state change time plus said predetermined amount of time is less than the current time, then said event is deemed stable and is removed from said hysteresis table;
• and
• reporting said event as having one of said first and second states only after said one of said first and second states is maintained for said predetermined amount of time, wherein said reporting said event as having said one of said first and second states comprises reporting said event as achieving said one of said first and second states at said last state change time of said event.

A network management system comprising:

• a machine-readable medium whose contents cause said system to perform a method of managing an event toggling between first and second event states, the method comprising:
• listing said event and a last state change time of said event in a hysteresis table, if said event is not already listed in said hysteresis table;
• determining if said event maintains one of said first and second states for a predetermined amount of time, wherein:
• if said last state change time of said event plus said predetermined amount of time is not less than current time, then said event is deemed unstable and remains listed in said hysteresis table;
• and
• if said last state change time plus said predetermined amount of time is less than the current time, then said event is deemed stable and is removed from said hysteresis table;
• and
• reporting said event as having one of said first and second states only after said one of said first and second states is maintained for said predetermined amount of time, wherein said reporting said event as having said one of said first and second states comprises reporting said event as achieving said one of said first and second states at said last state change time of said event.

An optical communication system comprising:

• at least one transmitter for transmitting an optical signal to a receiver through an optical information channel, at least one of said transmitter, said receiver and said optical information channel comprising at least one apparatus for reporting an event;
• and
• a network management system coupled to the optical communication system for receiving said report of said event, said network management system comprising a machine-readable medium whose contents cause said network management system to perform a method of managing an event toggling between first and second event states, the method comprising:
• listing said event and a last state change time of said event in a hysteresis table, if said event is not already listed in said hysteresis table;
• determining if said event maintains one of a first and a second state for a predetermined amount of time, wherein:
• if said last state change time of said event plus said predetermined amount of time is not less than current time, then said event is deemed unstable and remains listed in said hysteresis table;
• and
• if said last state change time plus said predetermined amount of time is less than the current time, then said event is deemed stable and is removed from said hysteresis table;
• and
• reporting said event as having one of said first and second states only after said one of said first and second states is maintained for said predetermined amount of time, wherein said reporting said event as having said one of said first and second states comprises reporting said event as achieving said one of said first and second states at said last state change time of said event.