Segment protection scheme for a network

• US 20030229807A1
• Filed: 05/13/2003
• Published: 12/11/2003
• Est. Priority Date: 05/14/2002
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: The Research Foundation for The State University of New York (State University of New York)
• Original Assignee: The Research Foundation for The State University of New York (State University of New York)
• Inventors: Xiong, Yizhi, Xu, Dahai, Qiao, Chunming
• Granted Patent: US 7,398,321 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 713/200
• CPC Class Codes: H04J 14/0227 Operation, administration, maintenance or provisioning [OAMP] of WDM networks, e.g. media access, routing or wavelength allocation
• CPC Class Codes: H04J 14/0245 for downstream transmission, e.g. optical line terminal [OLT] to ONU
• CPC Class Codes: H04J 14/0249 for upstream transmission, e.g. ONU-to-OLT or ONU-to-ONU
• CPC Class Codes: H04J 14/0284 WDM mesh architectures
• CPC Class Codes: H04J 14/0286 WDM hierarchical architectures
• CPC Class Codes: H04J 14/0287 Protection in WDM systems
• CPC Class Codes: H04J 14/029 Dedicated protection at the optical multiplex section (1+1)
• CPC Class Codes: H04J 14/0291 Shared protection at the optical multiplex section (1:1, n:m)
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 45/02 Topology update or discovery
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 45/22 Alternate routing
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 45/24 Multipath
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 45/28 using route fault recovery
• CPC Class Codes: H04Q 11/0062 Network aspects
• CPC Class Codes: H04Q 2011/0077 Labelling aspects, e.g. multiprotocol label switching [MPLS], G-MPLS, MPAS
• CPC Class Codes: H04Q 2011/0081 Fault tolerance; Redundancy; Recovery; Reconfigurability

Abstract

This invention broadly comprises a novel segment protection scheme (survivability framework) for a network, which we refer to as PROMISE (Protection using MultIple SEgments). It combines the best of existing link and path protection schemes (e.g., bandwidth efficiency and fast recovery). The PROMISE approach divides an active path or AP (along which a survivable connection is established) into several, possibly overlapping active segments or ASs, and then protects each AS with a detour called backup segment or BS (instead of protecting the AP as a whole as in path protection schemes). This facilitates the bandwidth sharing not only among the BSs for different APs, but also among those for the same AP. In addition, recovery time can be shortened due to the limited length of each AS and BS. This technology can be applied to MPLS, ATM, SONET, WDM and other high-speed link layers under the evolving G-MPLS framework.

Claims

1. In a network comprising a plurality of nodes wherein at least two of said nodes define a path and at least two of said nodes define a line, a method of protecting said network, comprising:

emulating a link protection scheme; and

emulating a path protection scheme.

2. The method recited in claim 1, wherein said path protection scheme includes Distributed Partial Information Management (DPIM).

3. The method recited in claim 2, wherein said DPIM includes Active Path First with Potential Backup Cost (APF-PBC).

4. A method of fault recovery from multiple failures in a network comprising:

emulating a link protection scheme; and

emulating a path protection scheme.

5. An apparatus for fault recovery from multiple failures in a network comprising:

a link protection scheme; and

a path protection scheme.