Automated installation of network service in a telecommunications network

An automated system for delivering network service in a communications network, the automated system comprising:

• a routing engine finding an optimal route for the network service;
• a provisioning system creating a circuit design of network components for the route and assigning the network components based on network records;
• a service management system configuring and activating network components in the design based on actual network components in the network;
• a command control engine controlling the routing engine, the provisioning system and the service management system to deliver the network service;
• and
• said command control engine, if bad network components are detected during provisioning or configuring, controlling the routing engine, the provisioning system and the service management system to retry delivering the network service with another route and circuit design.

A method for installing network service in a telecommunications network comprising the computer implemented operations of:

• creating a design for a private line through the network to provide the network service;
• validity testing the design against an asset inventory of network records to detect bad ports or segments in the design;
• repeating the creating and validating testing operations if a bad port or segment is detected;
• error testing the design against a live inventory of the network to detect errors in the private line design;
• and
• configuring a private line in the network from the design if no errors are detected in the design;
• and
• restarting the installation method at the creating operation if an error is detected in the design whereby the installation method automatically configures a private line if the design is valid, and automatically retries if the design is not valid.

In a telecommunications network having network components configurable from a network service management system, an installation method for installing a communication line to satisfy a network service request comprising the computer implemented operations of:

• finding an optimal route to satisfy the required capacity in the service request;
• provisioning and assigning the network elements and connections to implement a circuit design according to the optimal route;
• validating the circuit design against an asset inventory of the network and indicating whether or not the circuit design is valid;
• if the circuit design is not valid, marking bad network components in the circuit design and retrying the installation method without the bad network components;
• completing the circuit design if the circuit design is valid;
• configuring an actual circuit in the network to implement the circuit design and thereby install the communication line;
• testing whether there is a failure in the actual circuit in the network and indicating whether the actual circuit has failed;
• and
• if the actual circuit has failed, releasing good segments for use in subsequent circuit designs and retrying the installation method.

Apparatus for delivering network service in a communication network in response to a network service request, the apparatus comprising:

• means for provisioning and assigning network elements and segments of the network to a circuit design for the network service;
• validity means for testing the circuit design and consuming bad ports and bad segments in the circuit design;
• means responsive to said validity means for retrying said means for provisioning and said validity means to provision, assign and test a circuit design that does not contain bad segments and bad ports and is a validated circuit design;
• means responsive to the validated circuit design for configuring network elements and segments to provide the network service.