US 5,347,271 A · Network switching contorol method and system

Abstract

A network switching control met:hod controls switching from an active route to a protection route when a failure has occurred in any of nodes of a communications network or any of transmission paths connecting the nodes so that the communications network is formed. Route switching is performed quickly and efficiently. The protection route is formed via n nodes among the plurality of nodes where n is an integer larger than or equal to 2. The method includes the step of generating, at a first node which is one of the n nodes, a switching control instruction which includes information for requesting each of n-1 nodes other than the first node to form the protection route. The switching control instruction includes address information concerning the nodes forming the protection route. The method includes the step of sending the switching control instruction, without including other management information at that time, from the first node to a second node which is one of the n-1 nodes adjacent to the first node. The method includes the step of generating, at each ith node where i=2, 3, . . . , n-1, where n is greater than or equal to 4, a switching control instruction to be transferred to a first adjacent node in the protection route. The switching control instruction is transferred in response to receipt of information indicating an address of the ith node included in a switching control instruction transferred from a second adjacent node in the protection route. The method includes the step of transferring the switching control instruction generated by the above step to the first adjacent node from the ith node.

Claims19

Dependent claims

A network switching control method in a communications network having plural nodes and plural transmission paths connecting the plural nodes for controlling switching from an active route, formed by one of the plural transmission paths, to a protection route, formed by another of the plural transmission paths and comprising n nodes of the plural nodes where n is an integer larger than or equal to 2, when a failure has occurred in any of the plural nodes or any of the plural transmission paths connecting the respectively corresponding nodes, said network switching control method comprises the steps of:

(a) determining the active route through the plural nodes and the protection route through the plural nodes;
(b) generating, at a first node which is one of the n nodes, a switching control instruction which includes information for requesting each of n-1 nodes, other than the first node, to form the protection route, said switching control instruction including address information concerning the nodes forming the protection route;
(c) sending the switching control instruction from the first node to a second node, which is one of the n-1 nodes other than, and adjacent to, the first node;
(d) generating, at each ith node of the plural nodes where i=2, 3, . . . , n-1 and n is greater than or equal to 4, a switching control instruction to be transferred to a respective, first adjacent node in the protection route in response to receipt of information indicating an address of the ith node included in a switching control instruction transferred from a respective, second adjacent node in the protection route;
and
(e) transferring the switching control instruction generated in the step (d) by the ith node to the respective, first adjacent node.

3 more elements

A network switching control system comprising:

a plurality of nodes forming a network, each node having a respective, first adjacent node and a respective, second adjacent node;
a plurality of transmission routes, formed by the nodes and comprising communications channels between each of the plurality of nodes, including an active route and a protection route, said active route formed by a first subset of the plurality of nodes, and said protection route formed by a second subset of the plurality of nodes;
and
network management means, operatively coupled to the nodes, for managing the network formed by the nodes connected to the transmission routes by determining the active route and the protection route,
wherein each one of the plurality of nodes comprises:
switch means for selectively coupling incoming communications channels and outgoing communications channels with one another to selectively form one of the plurality of transmission routes;
first means for generating a switching control instruction which requests the second subset of nodes instead of the first subset of nodes in response to the switching control instruction transferred from the respective, first adjacent node in the protection route;
and
second means, operatively coupled to said switch means and said first means, for transferring the switching control instruction generated by said first means to the respective, second adjacent node in the protection route via said switch means.

6 more elements

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.

Network switching contorol method and system

Life of this patent

Network switching contorol method and system

Life of this patent

Abstract

Claims19