A Test-oriented Architecture for Network Fault Management

This work proposes a novel architecture for network fault management. The architecture is based on Tests and comprises four main modules: Troubleshooting Server, Topology Server, Operator GUI and Test Designer. Tests are created using a high level visual language, which presents several advantages for fault network management. Our proposal was tested in real network scenarios using the RNP national backbone and in an experimental laboratory network. It was shown to be robust, flexible and general so that it serves for a large variety of faults that may occur in networks. As an example we implemented a test to re-route traffic flows and bypass a congested link (faulty) in a typical traffic engineering procedure.