Remote Network Fault Management based on the GSM Short Message Service

In this work we describe the design and implementation of a system, which uses the wireless GSM Short Message Service data transfer technology, in order to give network managers access to services on remote network equipment, via a cellular phone. First, we present the mechanism and discuss the features and restrictions of the Short Message Service, as well as the limitations of current cellular phones’ user interfaces to this service. Next, we define the requirements and propose a distributed architecture for a system, which uses the Short Message Service, in order to interact with one, or more services, running on one or more remote network nodes, or servers. We also present in detail the design and implementation of the proposed system, which can receive Mobile Originated short messages, parse and execute the commands contained in them, and send the replies to the issued commands via Mobile Terminated short messages. We conclude by reporting our experiences with using the system, and proposing future directions for this work. Key-Words: Network fault management, wireless, GSM, SMS