| 摘要 |
There is described a method of operating a fault management system for an access network which forms part of a public telecommunications network. In the access network, terminating lines in the form of pairs of copper wires extend from a local switch (10) through a series of nodes to terminal equipment provided for user of the network. The fault management system includes a test head (104) and an access network management system (102). Each night, the test head (104) performs a series of tests on each of the terminating lines. The results of the tests are transmitted to the access network management (102). The test results are then converted into circuit scores, each of which is indicative of the operational quality of the tested circuit. For each node, the circuit scores of the tested circuits passing through the node are combined to produce a node score which is indicative of the operational quality of the node. In order to identify the node having the worst operational quality and therefore most in need of investigation, the nodes are ranked in accordance with their node scores. When a customer reports a fault, the test head (104) performs a series of tests on the customer's line and transmits the results to the management system (102). The management system (102) checks the test results for the presence of a suspected fault and identifies the nodes through which the line passes. Then, for each of the identified nodes, it evaluates a score for each one of a set of factors and combines the scores to produce a combined score representative of the likelihood of the suspected fault being present at the node. In order to assist in identifying the node which is causing the suspected fault, the nodes are then ranked in accordance with their combined scores.
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