Communication system management apparatus, methods, and interfaces

Abstract

Communication system management apparatus, methods, and interfaces are disclosed. A group of objects that are associated with different types of communication system components in a representation of a communication system are configured in a group. A further representation of the objects of the group is provided, and includes an indication of component operational status for one or more communication system components respectively associated with one or more of the objects of the group. The further representation of the objects of the group may also or instead provide access to the objects of the group, so that information associated with the objects may be more easily displayed, for example. The communication system representation and the group representation are provided in a Graphical User Interface (GUI) in some embodiments.

1 - 12 . (canceled) 
     
     
         13 . A method comprising:
 identifying objects that are associated with different types of communication equipment components in a displayed representation of a communication system, and that have been selected for inclusion in an object group;   determining a component operational status for each of multiple communication equipment components respectively associated with multiple identified objects;   displaying in a further representation of the identified objects in the object group indications of component operational status for the multiple communication equipment components respectively associated with the multiple identified objects, the indications being displayed simultaneously in the further representation;   receiving user inputs, the user inputs comprising one or more of: an add object input to add an object to the object group, and a remove object input to remove an object from the object group;   determining whether the component operational status for a communication equipment component associated with an object has changed; and   updating the component operational status indication for the object in the further representation where the component operational status has changed.   
     
     
         14 . A method comprising:
 identifying objects that are associated with different types of communication equipment components in a displayed representation of a communication system, and that have been selected for inclusion in an object group;   determining a component operational status for each of multiple communication equipment components respectively associated with multiple identified objects;   displaying in a further representation of the identified objects in the object group indications of component operational status for the multiple communication equipment components respectively associated with the multiple identified objects, the indications being displayed simultaneously in the further representation; and   receiving user inputs, the user inputs comprising one or more of: an add object input to add an object to the object group, and a remove object input to remove an object from the object group,   
       wherein displaying comprises displaying the further representation in a Graphical User Interface (GUI). 
     
     
         15 . A non-transitory machine-readable medium storing instructions which when executed perform a method comprising:
 identifying objects that are associated with different types of communication equipment components in a displayed representation of a communication system, and that have been selected for inclusion in an object group;   determining a component operational status for each of multiple communication equipment components respectively associated with multiple identified objects;   displaying in a further representation of the identified objects in the object group indications of component operational status for the multiple communication equipment components respectively associated with the multiple identified objects, the indications being displayed simultaneously in the further representation; and   receiving user inputs, the user inputs comprising one or more of: an add object input to add an object to the object group, and a remove object input to remove an object from the object group.   
     
     
         16 - 20 . (canceled)