Abstract: A method for identifying service critical faults in a communications network and a network management system employing the method are provided. A service provisioning tool associated with the network management system and operating in accordance with the method, performs operations on a multitude of managed entity instances stored in a containment hierarchy associated with the network management system, the managed entity instances corresponding to managed field installed equipment. Received alarm information is used to ascribe operational states to corresponding managed entities in the containment hierarchy. Operating in accordance with the presented method, the service provisioning tool inspects low-level managed entities in the containment hierarchy and, if each managed entity of a group of low-level managed entities which provide a unitary function is “unavailable”, then the operational state of a corresponding high-level managed entity is set to the “unavailable” state.

Abstract: A Packet Switch Network Link (PSNL) serves as an abstraction of a Multi-Protocol Label Switch (MPLS) core in a multi-services networking infrastructure. The networking infrastructure provides end to end connectivity between end networks that may be, for example ATM networks. The PSNL exists in a layer 2 network manager and allows a service provider to transport a customer's call over it as the same manner as it would over a physical link.

Abstract: A method for identifying service critical faults in a communications network and a network management system employing the method are provided. A service provisioning tool associated with the network management system and operating in accordance with the method, performs operations on a multitude of managed entity instances stored in a containment hierarchy associated with the network management system, the managed entity instances corresponding to managed field installed equipment. Received alarm information is used to ascribe operational states to corresponding managed entities in the containment hierarchy. Operating in accordance with the presented method, the service provisioning tool inspects low-level managed entities in the containment hierarchy and, if each managed entity of a group of low-level managed entities which provide a unitary function is “unavailable”, then the operational state of a corresponding high-level managed entity is set to the “unavailable” state.