Manipulation of trail routes resulting from changes in network topology or operational need

A method of manipulating and reconfiguring a trail comprising a transport entity capable of transferring network management information and extending over a plurality of network elements in a communications network comprising a plurality of network elements controlled by network element controllers and one or more network controllers so as to install and manage a further network element in the network, and to incorporate that further network element in said trail by performing stretch and split operations on that trail, wherein said method comprises the steps of:

• representing the network as a plurality of layers, each said layer containing a plurality of trails and being represented by a respective layer network domain managed object describing that layer across the network, each said trail being represented by a respective trail managed object;
• representing each trail as a plurality of sub-network connection managed objects;
• storing a plurality of objects representing said network elements, said layer network domain managed objects and said trails;
• creating a first trail endpoint at said further network element;
• creating a second trail endpoint at said further network element;
• creating a sub-network connection between said first trail endpoint and said second trail endpoint at said further network element;
• connecting a first link from a first of said plurality of network elements to said further network element;
• and
• connecting a second link between a second one of said plurality of network elements and said further network element.

A method of manipulating and reconfiguring trails in a communications network, each said trail comprising a transport entity capable of transferring network management information, so as to accommodate topology changes in a communications network comprising a plurality of network elements controlled via a plurality of network element controllers and one or more network controllers, each trail comprising a transport entity capable of transferring network management information, wherein before said reconfiguration, a first trail extends over first, second and third network elements in a network, and after said reconfiguration, said first trail extends between said first and third network elements and a new trail extends between said third network element and said second network element, wherein said method comprises the steps of:

• representing the network as a plurality of layers, each said layer containing a plurality of trails and being represented by a respective layer network domain managed object describing that layer across the network, each said trail being represented by a respective trail managed object;
• representing each trail as a plurality of sub-network connection managed objects;
• storing a plurality of objects representing said network elements, said layer network domain managed objects and said trails;
• disconnecting a pair of endpoints supporting said first trail at said third network element;
• modifying said first trail on said third network element;
• and
• creating said new trail between said third network element and said second network element.

A method of manipulating and reconfiguring a trail comprising a transport entity capable of transferring communications network management information and extending over a plurality of network elements from a state in which said trail extends between a first network element and a second network element via a third network element, to a state in which said trail extends between said first and second network elements without traversing said third network element so as to perform shrink and join operations on said trail, said method comprising the steps of:

• representing the network as a plurality of layers, each said layer containing a plurality of trails and being represented by a respective layer network domain managed object describing that layer across the network, each said trail being represented by a respective trail managed object;
• representing each trail as a plurality of sub-network connection managed objects;
• storing a plurality of objects representing said network elements, said layer network domain managed objects and said trails;
• extending a first link connection initially extending between said first network element and said third network element to extend between said first network element and said second network element;
• removing a plurality of end points at said third network element from said trail;
• removing a sub network connection at said third network element from said trail;
• and
• removing a link connection between said third network element and said second network element from said trail.

A method of manipulating and reconfiguring trails each comprising a transport entity capable of transferring network management information and extending over a plurality of network elements in a communications network so as to accommodate a topology change in the network by performing stretch and split operations on said trails, wherein in an initial state, first and second trails extend between first and third network elements and third and second network elements respectively, and in a reconfigured state, said first trail extends between said first and second network elements via said third network element, said method comprising the steps of:

• representing the network as a plurality of layers, each said layer containing a plurality of trails and being represented by a respective layer network domain managed object describing that layer across the network, each said trail being represented by a respective trail managed object;
• representing each trail as a plurality of sub-network connection managed objects;
• storing a plurality of objects representing said network elements, said layer network domain managed objects and said trails;
• making a connection between an endpoint of said first trail at said third network element and an endpoint of said second trail at said second network element;
• and
• adding said connection to said third network element.