US 8,015,289 B2Granted

System and method predicting and managing network capacity requirements

AssigneeZiti Technologies Limited Liability Company

InventorsDaron Chris Hill, Jonathan McCormack Landon, Terence Raymond Addison

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Abstract

A system and method for maintaining capacity of a network. Instructions are adapted to define future times at which a capacity of the network is evaluated. In addition, instructions are adapted to determine a total capacity of the network (TNC) and a total demand of users (TUD) for the network at each of the future times. As a function of the total capacity of the network (TNC) and the total demand of users (TUD), instructions are adapted to determine a predicted utilization (PU) of the network at each of the future times. By comparing the predicted utilization (PU) to a defined acceptable utilization of the network at each of the future times, instructions are adapted to determine a change in network capacity (DCNC) to be applied to the network at each of the future times in order to increase or decrease the capacity of the network.

Claims35

Dependent claims

A method of comprising:

determining one or more future times for which a bandwidth capacity of the network is evaluated;
determining total bandwidth capacities of the network for respective future times;
determining total demands of users for the network for respective future times;
determining, by a computing device, predicted utilizations of the network for respective future times as functions of corresponding total demands of users and corresponding total bandwidth capacities of the network;
determining respective maximum acceptable utilizations of the network for the respective future times;
comparing, by the computing device, respective predicted utilizations of the network to corresponding maximum acceptable utilizations of the network for the respective future times;
determining, for respective future times, changes in total network bandwidth capacity to be applied to the network in order to increase the total bandwidth capacity of the network based at least partly on said comparing of respective predicted utilizations of the network to corresponding maximum acceptable utilizations;
determining, for respective future times, lead times for adding one or more products for providing the determined changes in total network bandwidth capacity, wherein the lead times indicate respective amounts of time needed for delivery and installation of the one or more products;
and
initiating the determined changes in total network bandwidth capacity in advance of respective future times by at least the determined corresponding lead times.

7 more elements

A system comprising:

a processor configured to execute computer-executable instructions in order to cause the system to perform operations comprising:
determining a future time for which a bandwidth capacity of the network is evaluated;
determining a total bandwidth capacity of the network for the future time;
determining a total demand for the network for the future time;
determining a predicted utilization of the network for the future time as a function of the total demand and the total bandwidth capacity of the network;
determining a maximum acceptable utilization of the network for the future time;
comparing the predicted utilization of the network to the maximum acceptable utilization of the network for the future time;
determining, for the future time, a change in total network bandwidth capacity to be applied to the network in order to increase the total bandwidth capacity of the network based at least partly on said comparing the predicted utilization of the network to the maximum acceptable utilization;
determining, for the future time, a lead time for adding one or more products to provide the determined change in total network bandwidth capacity to the network, wherein the lead time indicates an amount of time needed for procuring the one or more products;
and
scheduling the procurement of the one or more products in advance of the future time by at least the determined lead time.

8 more elements

A non-transitory computer-readable storage medium having stored thereon computer-executable instructions that, in response to execution by a computing device, cause the computing device to perform operations comprising:

determining a future time for which a bandwidth capacity of the network is evaluated;
determining a total bandwidth capacity of the network for the future time;
determining a total demand for the network for the future time;
determining a predicted utilization of the network for the future time as a function of the total demand and the total bandwidth capacity of the network;
determining a maximum acceptable utilization of the network at the future time;
determining, for the future time, a change in total network bandwidth capacity to be applied to the network in order to increase the total bandwidth capacity of the network, the change based at least partly on a difference between the predicted utilization of the network and the maximum acceptable utilization;
determining a lead time for adding one or more products for providing the determined change in total network bandwidth capacity to the network, the lead time indicating an amount of time needed to procure the one or more products;
and
initiating procurement of the one more products in advance of the future time by at least the determined lead time.

6 more elements

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.

Facts

Application: 10/733,866Filed 11 Dec 2003
Published: US 2005/0132051 A116 Jun 2005
Granted: 6 Sep 2011
Term ends: Not estimatedThe source records don’t support an estimate.

Classification7 codes

H04L 41/147
Network analysis or design: for predicting network behaviour
H04L 41/0896
Configuration management of networks or network elements: bandwidth or capacity management, i.e. automatically increasing or decreasing capacities
H04L 41/149
Network analysis or design: for prediction of maintenance
H04L 43/0888
Network utilisation, e.g. volume of load or congestion level: throughput