Method and tool for calculating impact of voice traffic on fast packet networks

Abstract

An analysis method provides a bandwidth calculation for employing voice communications over fast packet (FP) networks such as frame relay or ATM. Many companies currently have internal phone systems such as private branch exchange (PBX), which provide for the transmission of voice communication within an enterprise, but also a connection to the public switch telephone network (PSTN). In addition, PBX systems may be interconnected via a system of inter-PBX tie trunks, generally used for internal PBX-PBX communication. If a PBX system employs a private data network utilizing FP technology such as frame relay, it is now possible to route this inter-PBX voice traffic over the data network. In situations where the data network is a FP network such as frame relay or ATM, an analysis is performed to determine whether there is sufficient bandwidth to handle the voice traffic. A software tool uses historical data on the telephone network to calculate an equivalent number of trunks necessary in order to handle the voice traffic. Once this equivalent number of trunks is known, it is combined with other factors in order to calculate a bandwidth.

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.