# US 2017/0288973 A1 · Network system, network management method, and network management device > Agents: this data is available as JSON from the patentgrep API and MCP server — see https://patentgrep.com/llms.txt - Number: US 2017/0288973 A1 - Document ID: US20170288973A1 - Status: Published application - Kind: A1 - Application number: 15/471,100 - Filed: 2017-03-28 - Published: 2017-10-05 - Earliest claimed: 2016-03-29 - Assignees: Hitachi, Ltd. - Applicants: Hitachi, Ltd. - Inventors: Toshiaki SUZUKI; Hayato HOSHIHARA; Taro OGAWA - Web page: https://patentgrep.com/patent/US20170288973A1 ## CPC - H04L 41/0896: Bandwidth or capacity management, i.e. automatically increasing or decreasing capacities (flow or congestion control using dynamic resource allocation, e.g. in-call renegotiation, H04L47/76) - H04L 41/12: Discovery or management of network topologies - H04L 45/124: {using a combination of metrics} - H04L: TRANSMISSION OF DIGITAL INFORMATION, e.g. TELEGRAPHIC COMMUNICATION (arrangements common to telegraphic and telephonic communication H04M) ## Abstract A network management device retains path information of paths as a list of node identifying information to identify nodes, the path information including information on paths sharing a link regarding a relation in which one path shares a link with another path. According to the information on paths sharing a link, the network management device determines a path setup timing for a path to be the same for a group of one or more paths that do not share a same link with the path and determines a different path setup timing for a group of one or more paths that share a same link with the path than the timing for the group including the path, and executes path setup via communication devices existing on paths constituting each group of paths as per path setup timing determined for each group. ## Claims ### Claim 1 A network system of a network with communication devices assumed as nodes and connection paths between the communication devices assumed as links, the network system comprising: a network management device that are connected to the communication devices and transmits a path setup message for a path across devices to be interconnected to the communication devices, wherein: the network management device retains path information of the path as a list of node identifying information to identify nodes; the path information including information on paths sharing a link with regard to a relation in which one path shares a link with another path; the network management device retains path setup timing with respect to each path; according to the information on paths sharing a link, the network management device determines a path setup timing for a path to be the same for a group of one or more paths that do not share a same link with the path and determines a different path setup timing for a group of one or more paths that share a same link with the path than the timing for the group including the path; and the network management device executes path setup via communication devices existing on paths constituting each group of paths as per path setup timing determined for each group. ### Claim 2 (depends on 1) The network system according to claim 1, wherein a group of paths is determined such that a path is determined to belong to the group in descending order of the number of nodes belonging to each path. ### Claim 3 (depends on 1) The network system according to claim 1, wherein the network management device calculates inter-path distance between paths and determines a path to belong to the same group in ascending order of the inter-path distance. ### Claim 4 (depends on 3) The network system according to claim 3, wherein inter-path distance between a first path and a second path is a value obtained by: counting the number of intra-network nodes to pass through from a node on the first path to reach the nearest node on the second path with respect to each node on the first path; and summing up the numbers of nodes counted for all nodes on the first path. ### Claim 5 (depends on 1) The network system according to claim 1, wherein timing when setup of paths belonging to a first group has been completed is taken as setup timing of paths belonging to a second group. ### Claim 6 (depends on 5) The network system according to claim 5, wherein the time of timing when setup of the paths has been completed is obtained by getting the sum of time specified as path setup timing for the paths and a value obtained by multiplying the number of nodes on each of the paths by a coefficient. ### Claim 7 (depends on 1) The network system according to claim 1, wherein, additionally, paths that share a node with another path are sorted as another group. ### Claim 8 (depends on 1) The network system according to claim 1, wherein paths are categorized by communication bandwidth of their paths and different setup timings are determined for different categories. ### Claim 9 A network management method for a network with communication devices assumed as nodes and connection paths between the communication devices assumed as links, the network comprising a network management device that is connected to the communication devices and transmits a path setup message for a path across devices to be interconnected to the communication devices, the network management method comprising the following steps which are implemented by the network management device: a step of retaining path information of the path as a list of node identifying information to identify nodes; a step of retaining information on paths sharing a link with regard to a relation in which one path shares a link with another path, as a part of the path information; a step of sorting paths in descending order of the number of nodes belonging to each path; a step of calculating inter-path distance from one path selected according to sorted order to another path; a step of determining a path setup timing for a path, which is selected according to sorted order, to be the same for a group of one or more paths that do not share a same link with the path, determining a different path setup timing for a group of one or more paths that share a same link with the path than the timing for the group including the path, and determining paths to belong to the same group in ascending order of the inter-path distance; and a step of executing path setup via communication devices existing on paths constituting each group of paths as per path setup timing determined for each group. ### Claim 10 (depends on 9) The network management method according to claim 9, wherein timing when setup of paths belonging to a first group has been completed is taken as setup timing of paths belonging to a second group. ### Claim 11 (depends on 9) The network management method according to claim 9, wherein, additionally, paths that share a node with another path are sorted as another group. ### Claim 12 A network management device that manages a network with communication devices assumed as nodes and connection paths between the communication devices assumed as links, wherein: the network management device are connected to the communication devices and transmits a path setup message for a path across devices to be interconnected to the communication devices, the network management device implements the following: retaining path information of the path as a list of node identifying information to identify nodes; the path information including information on paths sharing a link with regard to a relation in which one path shares a link with another path; retaining path setup timing with respect to each path; according to the information on paths sharing a link, determining a path setup timing for a path to be the same for a group of one or more paths that do not share a same link with the path and determining a different path setup timing for a group of one or more paths that share a same link with the path than the timing for the group including the path; and executing path setup via communication devices existing on paths constituting each group of paths as per path setup timing determined for each group. ### Claim 13 (depends on 12) The network management device according to claim 12, wherein: a group of paths is determined such that a path is determined to belong to the group in descending order of the number of nodes belonging to each path; and the network management device calculates inter-path distance between paths and determines a path to belong to the same group in ascending order of the inter-path distance. ### Claim 14 (depends on 12) The network management device according to claim 12, wherein, additionally, paths that share a node with another path are sorted as another group.