SS7 network planning tool
First Claim
1. A system for planning a Signaling System 7 (SS7) network for a sequence of study periods, the SS7 network comprising a plurality of signal transfer points (STPs) interconnected by links to form a core network, each STP having at least one element from a set comprising signal switching points (SSPs), points-of-presence (POPs), and network databases (DBs), the system comprising:
- at least one planning database comprising information on network traffic, network component locations, and network component connectivity;
a load module in communication with each of the at least one database, the load module operable to determine peak loads for each STP in the core network based on network traffic, component locations, and component connectivity and operative to store the determined peak loads in one of the at least one planning database;
a forecast module in communication with the at least one planning database, the forecast module operative to determine equipment capacity exhaustion for each STP, network DB, and core network link during each study period and to determine network costs based on determined peak loads and an alternative network design provided by a user; and
a graphical user interface in communication with the forecast module and at least one of the at least one planning database, the graphical user interface operable to guide the user through a sequence of design steps, each step having to be correctly completed before the next step in the sequence can be started, thereby producing the alternative network design.
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Accused Products
Abstract
Planning alternative SS7 networks is a complex task requiring assistance from an intelligent planning tool. The tool includes at least one planning database containing information on network traffic, component locations, and component connectivity. A load module determines peak load for each STP in the core network. A forecast module determines equipment capacity exhaustion for each STP, network database, and core link during each study period and determines network costs based on peak loads and an alternative network design provided by a user. A graphical user interface guides the user through a sequence of design steps, each step having to be correctly completed before the next step in the sequence is started. The sequence of steps may include permitting changes to the core network, permitting changes to the number of POPs and DBs, rehoming elements left disconnected from STPs, assigning SSPs to POPs, assigning SSPs to DBs, and permitting voluntary rehomes.
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Citations
5 Claims
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1. A system for planning a Signaling System 7 (SS7) network for a sequence of study periods, the SS7 network comprising a plurality of signal transfer points (STPs) interconnected by links to form a core network, each STP having at least one element from a set comprising signal switching points (SSPs), points-of-presence (POPs), and network databases (DBs), the system comprising:
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at least one planning database comprising information on network traffic, network component locations, and network component connectivity;
a load module in communication with each of the at least one database, the load module operable to determine peak loads for each STP in the core network based on network traffic, component locations, and component connectivity and operative to store the determined peak loads in one of the at least one planning database;
a forecast module in communication with the at least one planning database, the forecast module operative to determine equipment capacity exhaustion for each STP, network DB, and core network link during each study period and to determine network costs based on determined peak loads and an alternative network design provided by a user; and
a graphical user interface in communication with the forecast module and at least one of the at least one planning database, the graphical user interface operable to guide the user through a sequence of design steps, each step having to be correctly completed before the next step in the sequence can be started, thereby producing the alternative network design. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3)
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4. A method for planning a Signaling System 7 (SS7) network for a sequence of study periods, the SS7 network comprising a plurality of signal transfer points (STPS) interconnected by links to form a core network, each STP having at least one element from a set comprising signal switching points (SSPs), points-of-presence (POPs), and databases (DBs), the method comprising:
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obtaining network traffic information from the network;
determining current peak loads for each STP based on the network traffic information;
specifying an alternative network through a sequence of design steps, each step having to be correctly completed before the next step in the sequence can be started;
forecasting peak loads for each STP during each study period based on the current peak loads for each STP;
determining equipment capacity exhaustion for each STP, network DB, and core network link during each study period for the alternative network based on the forecasted peak loads; and
determining costs for the alternative network for each study period. - View Dependent Claims (5)
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Specification