Method and apparatus for identifying restoral routes in a network
AssigneeMCI Communications Corporation
InventorWilliam D. Croslin
Life of this patent
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Abstract
A method and apparatus analyzes network topology data of a telecommunications network. Each physically diverse path in the network is assigned a unique path identifier. Trunks along each path, and ports at nodes through which the trunks are routed, are assigned the corresponding path identifier. If a trunk fails, the ports facing the point of failure issue alarms that include the corresponding path identifier for the trunk. A computer or other system compares the path identifiers of the alarming trunks with the path identifiers of restoral routes, such as other trunks extending between end nodes at opposite ends of the failure. Only those trunks having path identifiers differing from the path identifier of the alarming trunk are selected as possible restoral routes for the failure.
Claims33
In a telecommunication network having a plurality of nodes interconnected by links, each link having one or more trunks traversing two or more nodes, a computer-implemented method for determining restoration routes in response to failures within the network, the method comprising the steps of:
- receiving a plurality of alarms from several nodes in the network, each of the alarms indicating a failure impacting one or more trunks within the network;
- determining path identifiers for each of the plurality of alarms, each path identifier identifying a unique physical path traversed by at least a portion of one or more trunks;
- identifying a set of restoration routes for the failure, each restoration route in the set of restoration routes having a corresponding path identifier;
- comparing the path identifiers for each of the plurality of alarms with the path identifiers of the restoration routes in the set of restoration routes;
- and
- selecting at least one restoration route from the set of restoration routes, the at least one restoration route having a path identifier which differs from the path identifiers for each of the plurality of alarms.
The method of claim I wherein each node in the network includes a plurality of ports, each port being directed toward a single segment of one of the plurality of trunks, and wherein the step of receiving a plurality of alarms from several nodes in the network includes the step of receiving alarms from all ports directed toward the failure.
In a network having a plurality of transmission systems coupling a plurality of nodes, each transmission system having one or more channels traversing two or more nodes, a computer-implemented method for determining a restoration route for a failure within the network, the failure causing a plurality of alarms to be issued, the method comprising the steps of:
- determining path identifiers for at least some of the plurality of alarms, each path identifier identifying a unique path traversed by at least a portion of one or more channels;
- comparing the path identifiers for the at least some of the plurality of alarms with path identifiers corresponding to restoration routes in a set of restoration routes;
- selecting at least one restoration route from the set of restoration routes, the at least one restoration route having a path identifier that differs from the path identifiers for at least most of the plurality of alarms;
- and
- outputting data of the at least one restoration route.
In a network having a plurality of transmission systems coupling a plurality of nodes, each transmission system having one or more channels traversing two or more nodes, an apparatus for determining a restoration route for a failure within the network, the failure causing a plurality of alarms to be issued, the apparatus comprising:
- a storage device having stored therein restoration routes for the network, including a set of restoration routes having path identifiers, each path identifier identifying a unique path traversed by at least a portion of one or more channels;
- and
- a computer system coupled to the storage device and coupled to receive the plurality of alarms, the computer system (a) determining path identifiers for at least some of the plurality of alarms, (b) comparing the path identifiers for the at least some of the plurality of alarms with the path identifiers for the set of restoration routes, and (c) selecting at least one restoration route from the set of restoration routes, the at least one restoration route having a path identifier that differs from the path identifiers for at least most of the plurality of alarms.
In a telecommunication network having a plurality of nodes interconnected by links and a plurality of trunks, each link having one or more trunks traversing two or more nodes through ports at the nodes, a computer-implemented method for analyzing the network, the method comprising the steps of:
- analyzing the plurality of links interconnecting the plurality of nodes in the network;
- determining physically diverse paths in the network based on the analyzed plurality of links;
- assigning a unique path identifier to each physically diverse path;
- identifying which trunks or portions of trunks in the plurality of trunks traverse each physically diverse path;
- and
- assigning path identifiers to ports at the nodes, each path identifier assigned to each port at the nodes corresponding to one of the identified trunks or portions of trunks.
In a network having a plurality of transmission systems coupling a plurality of nodes, each transmission system having one or more channels traversing two or more nodes, a computer-implemented method for analyzing the network, the method comprising the steps of:
- determining physically diverse paths in the network based on the plurality of nodes in the network;
- assigning at least one path identifier to the one or more channels extending along one of the corresponding physically diverse paths, each path identifier corresponding to only one physically diverse path;
- and
- outputting data of the assigned at least one path identifier.
In a network having a plurality of transmission systems coupling a plurality of nodes, each transmission system having one or more channels traversing two or more nodes, an apparatus for analyzing the network, the apparatus comprising:
- a storage device having stored therein topology data for the network;
- and
- a computer system coupled to the storage device, the computer system (a) determining physically diverse paths in the network based on the topology data for the network, and (b) assigning at least one path identifier to each channel extending along one of the corresponding physically diverse paths, each path identifier corresponding to only one physically diverse path.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.