Method and apparatus for determining impact of faults on network service

A method and apparatus is provided for reporting the impact on services in a network caused by node and network faults or outages. As a method, the operator of a specified network device is provided with notice of the impact of a network fault on one or more services running in association with the specified device. The method includes the steps of discovering one or more devices in the network that are respectively connected to the specified device, to assist in performing an intended task, and then discovering each service that is configured to run on each of the discovered devices, likewise in support of task performance. The method further comprises monitoring the status of respective discovered devices at prespecified intervals, in order to detect the occurrence of a fault in the network. Upon detecting a fault, an alert is generated, to indicate the impact of the detected fault on respective discovered services.