System and method for supporting automatic protection switching between multiple node pairs using common agent architecture

• US 20040001449A1
• Filed: 06/28/2002
• Published: 01/01/2004
• Est. Priority Date: 06/28/2002
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: BWA Technology Incorporated
• Original Assignee: BWA Technology Incorporated
• Inventors: Day, W. Carl, Wenger, Eric J., Rostron, Andy E.
• Application Number:
  US10/183,489
• Publication Number:
  US 20040001449A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 370/282
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 11/1489 through recovery blocks
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 11/20 using active fault-masking, e.g. by switching out faulty elements or by switching in spare elements
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 11/2007 using redundant communication media
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 11/2025 using centralised failover control functionality
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 41/046 comprising network management agents or mobile agents therefor
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 41/0654 using network fault recovery ring fault isolation or reconfiguration in loop networks without recovery actions by a network management system H04L12/437
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 41/40 using virtualisation of network functions or resources, e.g. SDN or NFV entities

Abstract

An apparatus and method for a computer system is used for implementing an extended distributed recovery block fault tolerance scheme. The computer system includes a supervisory node, an active node and a standby node. Each of the nodes has a primary routine, an alternate routine and an acceptance test for testing the output of the routines. Each node also includes a device driver, a monitor and a node manager for determining the operational configuration of the node. The supervisory node coordinates the operation of the active and standby nodes. The primary and alternate routines are implemented with an application task through a plurality of agent objects operating as finite state machines. A reliable data link extends between the monitors of the active and standby nodes.

Claims

1. A communication system with an active node and a standby node forming a node pair, each node with a node agent, the improvement comprising a reliable datalink between the heartbeat monitors of the node pair.

2. The system of claim 1 wherein the node agents include line interface status and external APS commands filters

3. The method of claim 2 wherein the active node initiates the APS commands.

4. The system of claim 1, wherein the reliable datalink is a lightweight thread

5. The system of claim 1, wherein the reliable datalink transmits a heartbeat message.

6. The system of claim 5, wherein the heartbeat message comprises an address field.

7. The system of claim 6, wherein the heart beat message further comprises a data link control field establishing and relinquishing link control.

8. The system of claim 6, wherein the heart beat message further comprises supervisory fields to perform data link supervisory control functions.

9. The system of claim 8, wherein the supervisory control functions comprises acknowledge I frames, request retransmission of I frames, or request temporary suspension of transmission of I frames.

10. The system of claim 6, wherein the heartbeat message further comprises heartbeat information fields to perform information transfer between the node pair.

11. The system of claim 1, wherein the communication system is a time division duplex communication system.

12. The system of claim 11, wherein the communication system is adaptive.

13. The system of claim 12, wherein the communication system is for broadband short distance radio communication of bursty data from one computer network to another computer network.

14. A communication system with at least one active node and at least one standby node, forming a node set each node with a node agent and a heartbeat monitor, the improvement comprising a reliable data link between the heartbeat monitor of each node and the heartbeat monitor of each of the other nodes in the node set.

15. The system of claim 14 wherein the node agents include line interface status and external APS commands filters

16. The method of claim 15 wherein the at least one active node initiates the APS commands.

17. The system of claim 14, wherein the reliable datalink is a lightweight thread

18. The system of claim 14, wherein the reliable datalink transmits a heartbeat message.

19. The system of claim 18, wherein the heartbeat message comprises an address field.

20. The system of claim 19, wherein the heart beat message further comprises a data link control field establishing and relinquishing link control.

21. The system of claim 19, wherein the heart beat message further comprises supervisory fields to perform data link supervisory control functions.

22. The system of claim 21, wherein the supervisory control functions comprises acknowledge I frames, request retransmission of I frames, or request temporary suspension of transmission of I frames.

23. The system of claim 19, wherein the heartbeat message further comprises heartbeat information fields to perform information transfer between the nodes in the node set.

24. The system of claim 14, wherein the communication system is a time division duplex communication system.

25. The system of claim 24, wherein the communication system is adaptive.

26. The system of claim 25, wherein the communication system is for broadband short distance radio communication of bursty data from one computer network to another computer network.

27. In a communication system with an active node and a standby node forming a node pair, each node with a node agent, the improvement of supporting automatic protection switching between multiple node pairs using common Agent architecture.

28. The method of claim 27 wherein the node agents filter line interface status and external APS commands

29. The method of claim 28 wherein the APS commands are initiated from the active node.

30. The method of claim 29, wherein the communication system includes a recovery agent, the recovery agent capable of directing or over riding transition of nodes between active and standby.

31. The method of claim 30, wherein upon failure of a card forming the node, the reliable data link breaks and the standby node transitions to active.

32. The method of claim 30, wherein upon failure of a line of the node the active node signals the standby node to transition to active.

33. In a communication system with at least one active node and at least one standby node forming a node set, each node with a node agent, the improvement of supporting automatic protection switching between multiple node sets using common Agent architecture.

34. The method of claim 33 wherein the node agents filter line interface status and external APS commands

35. The method of claim 34 wherein the APS commands are initiated from the active node.

36. The method of claim 35, wherein the communication system includes a recovery agent, the recovery agent capable of directing or over riding transition of nodes between active and standby.

37. The method of claim 36, wherein upon failure of a card forming the node, the reliable data link breaks and the standby node transitions to active.

38. The method of claim 36, wherein upon failure of a line of the node the active node signals the standby node to transition to active.