Automated rules based proactive alarm analysis and response

A computer system for automated proactive alarm analysis and response comprising:

• memory containing codified rules and a rules based program for running procedures that automatically respond to a normalized event, wherein the normalized event is a report file that is used to support multiple different types of monitored problems;
• means for receiving an alarm as the normalized event in the rules based program, the alarm being an indicator of a problem in a virtual private network (VPN) access path;
• means for determining, based on the codified rules associated with the normalized event, information concerning the type of alarm and equipment associated with the alarm, an interface test, and an isolation test;
• means for running the interface test initiated by a first request from the rules based program to a centralized test platform which connects to the VPN access path to obtain a status of the VPN access path associated with the alarm;
• means for running, based on the status, the isolation test initiated by a second request from the rules based program to the centralized test platform to determine a location of the problem to within customer premises equipment (CPE) or a local exchange carrier (LEC) equipment, or within network provider equipment;
• and
• means for generating a trouble ticket customized to reflect said information, said status, and said location of the problem.

A computer readable medium whose contents cause a computer system to perform automated proactive alarm analysis and response comprising:

• receiving an alarm in a rules based system as a normalized event that supports multiple types of monitored problems, the alarm being an indicator of a problem in a virtual private network (VPN) access path;
• determining, based on codified rules associated with the normalized event, information concerning the type of alarm and equipment associated with the alarm, an interface test, and an isolation test;
• running the interface test initiated by a first request from the rules based system to a centralized test platform which connects to the VPN access path to obtain a status of the VPN access path associated with the alarm;
• running, based on the status, the isolation test initiated by a second request to the rules based system to the centralized test platform to determine a location of the problem to within customer premises equipment (CPE) or a local exchange carrier (LEC) equipment, or within network provider equipment;
• and
• generating a trouble ticket customized to reflect said information, said status, and said location of the problem.