Network-system, management-system, method and computer program product

• US 20030043821A1
• Filed: 06/26/2002
• Published: 03/06/2003
• Est. Priority Date: 06/27/2001
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Alcatel SA (Nokia Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Alcatel SA (Nokia Corporation)
• Inventors: De La Vallee, Paloma, Degrande, Natalie Maria Cornelia, Van Hoey, Gert, Van Den Bosch, Sven Jozef Jeanne, Luyts, Guido August, Deckers, An Maria Irene, Van Bogaert, Jan Martha Romain, Duroyon, Olivier Didier, De Neve, Hans
• Granted Patent: US 7,289,531 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 370/400
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 41/00 Arrangements for maintenance, administration or management of data switching networks, e.g. of packet switching networks

Abstract

Network-systems comprising IP-networks with nodes (label switched routers) and edge-nodes (those routers coupled to a transport-network) and a transport-network (optical network) comprising channel-switches (optical cross connects) and a management-system for managing networks in an overlay environment (where the topology of the transport.network is not known to the management-system) deal with traffic non-optimally. By providing said management-system with a converter for converting IP-traffic-signals into transport-traffic-signals thereby assuming that both IP-networks are coupled via a star-network with said transport-network corresponding to a star of said star-network, and with an optimiser for in response to said converting optimising a use of channels in said transport-network according to an algorithm, network-systems can handle traffic more optimally. Said algorithm is defined by at least several constraints and several objectives. Preferably said management-system comprises an allocator for allocating IP-packet-signals of IP-networks to a channel in said transport network.

Claims

1. Network-system comprising at least a first IP-network comprising first nodes, at least two of these first nodes being first edge-nodes, a second IP-network comprising second nodes, a transport-network comprising channel-switches for switching channels, and a management-system for managing networks in an overlay environment, characterised in that said management-system comprises a converter for converting IP-traffic-signals into transport-traffic-signals thereby assuming that both IP-networks are coupled via a star-network with said transport-network corresponding to a star of said star-network, and an optimiser for in response to said converting optimising a use of channels in said transport-network according to at least one algorithm.

2. Network-system according to claim 1, characterised in that said algorithm is defined by at least several constraints and several objectives.

3. Network-system according to claim 1 or 2, characterised in that said converter converts IP-traffic-signals into transport-traffic-signals by in said first IP-network selecting a first edge-node and optimising IP-traffic.

4. Network-system according to claim 1, 2 or 3, characterised in that said management-system comprises an allocator for allocating at least one IP-packet-signal of at least one IP-network to at least one channel in said transport network.

5. Management-system for use in a network-system comprising at least a first IP-network comprising first nodes, at least two of these first nodes being first edge-nodes, a second IP-network comprising second nodes, a transport-network comprising channel-switches for switching channels, and said management-system for managing networks in an overlay environment, characterised in that said management-system comprises a converter for converting IP-traffic-signals into transport-traffic-signals thereby assuming that both IP-networks are coupled via a star-network with said transport-network corresponding to a star of said star-network, and an optimiser for in response to said converting optimising a use of channels in said transport-network according to at least one algorithm.

6. Management-system according to claim 5, characterised in that said algorithm is defined by at least several constraints and several objectives.

7. Management-system according to claim 5 or 6, characterised in that said converter converts IP-traffic-signals into transport-traffic-signals by in said first IP-network selecting a first edge-node and optimising IP-traffic.

8. Management-system according to claim 5, 6 or 7, characterised in that said management-system comprises an allocator for allocating at least one IP-packet-signal of at least one IP-network to at least one channel in said transport network.

9. Method for use in a network-system comprising at least a first IP-network comprising first nodes, at least two of these first nodes being first edge-nodes, a second IP-network comprising second nodes, a transport-network comprising channel-switches for switching channels, and a management-system for managing networks in an overlay environment, characterised in that said method comprises a first step of converting IP-traffic-signals into transport-traffic-signals thereby assuming that both IP-networks are coupled via a star-network with said transport-network corresponding to a star of said star-network, and a second step of in response to said converting optimising a use of channels in said transport-network according to at least one algorithm.

10. Computer program product for running an algorithm in a management-system for use in a network-system comprising at least a first IP-network comprising first nodes, at least two of these first nodes being first edge-nodes, a second IP-network comprising second nodes, a transport-network comprising channel-switches for switching channels, and said management-system for managing networks in an overlay environment, characterised in that said management-system comprises a converter for converting IP-traffic-signals into transport-traffic-signals thereby assuming that both IP-networks are coupled via a star-network with said transport-network corresponding to a star of said star-network, and an optimiser for in response to said converting optimising a use of channels in said transport-network according to said algorithm, which algorithm is defined by at least several constraints and several objectives, with said computer program product comprising at least several constraint-functions and several objective-functions.