UniFAFF: A unified framework for implementing autonomic fault management and failure detection for self-managing networks

Today's network management, as known within the Fault, Configuration, Accounting, Performance, Security (FCAPS) management framework, is moving towards the definition and implementation of 'self-managing' network functions, with the aim of eliminating or drastically reducing human intervention in some of the complex aspects or daunting tasks of network management. The fault management plane of the FCAPS framework deals with the following functions: fault detection, fault diagnosis, localization or isolation, and fault removal. Task automation is at the very heart of self-managing (autonomic) nodes and networks, meaning that all functions and processes related to fault management must be automated as much as possible within the functionalities of self-managing (autonomic) nodes and networks , in order for us to talk about autonomic fault management. At this point in time there are projects calling for implementing new network architectures that are flexible to support on-demand functional composition for context- or situation-aware networking. A number of such projects have started, under the umbrella of the so-called clean-slate network designs. Therefore, this calls for open frameworks for implementing self-managing (autonomic) functions across each of the traditional FCAPS management planes. This paper presents a unified framework for implementing autonomic fault management and failure detection for self-managing networks, a framework we are calling UniFAFF.