The present invention relates to a method for an automatic initiation of conditional functions in a switching exchange. In exchange systems, the teleoperator has at his disposal an operation and maintenance interface which can be used for controlling the exchange or even several exchanges. As the exchange is delivered, it typically includes approximately 700-800 different commands (DX- 200 system) . MMI commands (Man-Machine-Interface) exist for all tasks that are required during normal operation. That is why it is important that the MMI interface is as user-friendly as possible.

Known command systems include a special kind of command calendar which can be used by the operators at the telecommunications company for initiating various kinds of functions at the exchanges at a predetermined time. The command calendars typically function so that commands of a subscriber interface can be set into the calendar so that they are incorporated with control data by which the command is executed. This control data can be, for example, a predetermined calendar time (date, time of day) , or information on a repeated function of the type "every working day at predetermined time of day", or it can be a repeated function which is repeated n times at regular intervals, etc.

Alarms are common in switching exchanges, and they function as feedback from the system for the personnel. The Nokia DX-200 exchange, for example, has approximately 2000 different kinds of alarms. The exchange usually prints the alarms in text form on a display, to a line printer or a buffer memory, and the alarms can also be stored permanently on tape or hard

disk. It is also known that alarms are reported forward on a PCM line to higher levels of maintenance for statistical purposes and for maintenance planning.

The personnel of the switching exchanges deal with the alarms as they occur. The prior art switching exchanges do not have any automatic recovery, precautionary or replacement systems with the exception of the unit change functions in doubled systems.

The object of this invention is to expand the properties of the command calendar in order that an automatic event chain which is triggered by a certain condition or certain conditions is achieved, which event chain is easily accomplished by normal MMI commands. The method of the invention is characterized in that the conditional functions and their control data are written into a command calendar of the central processing system as commands corresponding to desired functions, or as initiation commands of datafiles comprising commands, so that as an initiation condition of a function is met, the corresponding function is initiated as a command calendar command in a way known per se.

The preferred embodiments of the invention are characterized by what will be set forth in the claims. In the following, the invention will be described by way of examples.

The conditional function of the invention refers to, for example, a certain alarm or a randomly occurring phenomenon: the discontinuing of a certain operation, the discontinuing of a predetermined measurement, the exceeding of a predetermined load limit, etc., which is to trigger a certain function.

In the input of new functions, the user specifies the alarm number (identifier) , the alarming unit and the target. The alarm number acts as the event

which triggers the condition for performing said function.

The invention can effectively be utilized in case something unexpected takes place. As a result of an alarm, for example, there may occur situations in the exchange that cause disturbance to traffic, which situations need to be fast dealt with. These kinds of situations can, according to the invention, be prepared for in advance when the required functions are written in command mode into a command calendar or a datafile, and the command that initiates said datafile is written into the command calendar, and the occurrence of said alarm in the exchange is defined as a condition for their initiation. The command calendar informs the monitoring and alarm system of the triggering condition set for the function. As said condition is eventually met in the system, the monitoring and alarm system of the exchange reports of the occurrence to the command calendar which initiates the commands related to the event to be run from the calendar.

It is obvious for a person skilled in the art that the various embodiments of the invention are not restricted to the examples above, but may vary within the scope of the attached claims.