Method for routing information over a network

• US 20050135234A1
• Filed: 02/09/2005
• Published: 06/23/2005
• Est. Priority Date: 01/15/1999
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Ali Najib Saleh, Haig Michael Zadikian, Vahid Parsi, Zareh Baghdasarian
• Original Assignee: Ali Najib Saleh, Haig Michael Zadikian, Vahid Parsi, Zareh Baghdasarian
• Inventors: Parsi, Vahid, Baghdasarian, Zareh, Zadikian, Haig Michael, Saleh, Ali Najib
• Granted Patent: US 7,633,854 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 370/218
• CPC Class Codes: H04J 14/0284 WDM mesh architectures
• CPC Class Codes: H04J 14/0295 Shared protection at the optical channel (1:1, n:m)
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 45/02 Topology update or discovery
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 45/04 Interdomain routing, e.g. hierarchical routing
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 45/22 Alternate routing
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 45/28 using route fault recovery
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 45/32 Flooding denial of service attacks H04L63/1458
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 45/62 Wavelength based optical switching H04Q11/0062
• CPC Class Codes: H04Q 11/0062 Network aspects
• CPC Class Codes: H04Q 2011/0081 Fault tolerance; Redundancy; Recovery; Reconfigurability
• CPC Class Codes: H04Q 2011/0098 Mesh

Abstract

A method of operating an optical network is described. The network includes a number of nodes connected by a number of links. A method according to the present invention provisions a virtual path between a first and a second one of the plurality of nodes by: identifying the first and the second nodes, discovering a physical path from the first node to the second node, and establishing the virtual path. The method discovers a physical path from the first node to the second node by automatically identifying nodes forming the physical path. The method establishes the virtual path by configuring a set of connections between the nodes forming the physical path.

Claims

1-13. -13. (canceled)

14. A method comprising:

restoring a virtual path between a first node of an optical network and a second node of said optical network, comprising

discovering an alternate physical path between said first node and said second node by automatically identifying nodes of said alternate physical path, wherein

said optical network comprises a plurality of nodes coupled by a plurality of optical links,

said nodes comprise said nodes of said alternate physical path, and

said virtual path is provisioned on a physical path between said first and said second node; and

re-establishing said virtual path by configuring a set of connections between said nodes of said alternate physical path.

17. The method of claim 14, wherein said discovering and said re-establishing are performed in less than about 50 ms.

18. The method of claim 14, wherein said virtual path is restored in response to a failure along said physical path.

19. The method of claim 18, further comprising:

detecting said failure, wherein said detecting, said discovering, and said re-establishing are performed automatically.

20. The method of claim 19, wherein

said detecting, said discovering, and said re-establishing are performed in less than 50 ms.

21. The method of claim 19, further comprising:

for each one of said nodes, obtaining information regarding neighboring ones of said nodes.

38. The method of claim 21, further comprising:

maintaining a database on each one of said nodes using said information, wherein said database represents a topology of said optical network; and

using at least one of said databases in said discovering said alternate physical path.

39. The method of claim 38, further comprising:

determining if a one of said neighboring ones of said nodes have failed by sending a message to said one of said neighboring ones of said nodes.

40. The method of claim 39, wherein said sending said message allows said each one of said nodes to obtain said information such that each one of said nodes is able to maintain said database representing said topology of the network.

41. The method of claim 14, wherein

said nodes of said alternate physical path comprise said first node, said second node, and one or more intermediary nodes, and

said nodes of said alternate physical path are coupled to one another by a plurality of intermediary optical links, wherein said optical links comprise said intermediary optical links.

42. The method of claim 41, wherein

said configuring said set of connections is accomplished using said intermediary optical links.

43. The method of claim 41, further comprising:

testing said virtual path by testing each one of said intermediary nodes and said intermediary optical links as a single circuit.

44. The method of claim 41, wherein said re-establishing comprises:

allocating said intermediary optical links between said first, said second and said intermediary nodes.

45. The method of claim 44, further comprising:

terminating said virtual path by automatically deallocating said intermediary optical links.

46. The method of claim 45, wherein said intermediary optical links are available for re-use subsequent to said automatically deallocating.

47. The method of claim 44, further comprising:

terminating said virtual path by sending a termination message from a one of said first and said second nodes to the other of said first and said second nodes, wherein

said termination message is sent along said alternate physical path, and

each one of said intermediary optical links is deallocated by a respective one of said nodes of said alternate physical path, as said termination message is sent to each of said nodes of said alternate physical path.

48. The method of claim 47, wherein said intermediary optical links are deallocated substantially simultaneously upon receipt of a broadcasted termination message by said respective one of said nodes of said alternate physical path.

15. (canceled)

16. (canceled)

22-37. -37. (canceled)

49. A computer program product comprising:

a first set of instructions, executable on a computer system, configured to restore a virtual path between a first node of an optical network and a second node of said optical network, said first set of instructions comprising

a first subset of instructions, executable on said computer system, configured to discover an alternate physical path between said first node and said second node by virtue of being configured to automatically identify nodes of said alternate physical path, wherein

said optical network comprises a plurality of nodes coupled by a plurality of optical links,

said nodes comprise said nodes of said alternate physical path, and

said virtual path is provisioned on a physical path between said first and said second node; and

a second subset of instructions, executable on said computer system, configured to re-establish said virtual path by virtue of being configured to configure a set of connections between said nodes of said alternate physical path; and

computer readable media, wherein said computer program product is encoded in said computer readable media.

50. The computer program product of claim 49, further comprising:

a second set of instructions, executable on said computer system, configured to detect said failure, wherein said first and said second sets of instructions are executed automatically.

51. The computer program product of claim 50, further comprising:

a third set of instructions, executable on said computer system, configured to obtain information regarding neighboring ones of said nodes for each one of said nodes.

52. The computer program product of claim 51, further comprising:

a fourth set of instructions, executable on said computer system, configured to maintain a database on each one of said nodes using said information, wherein said database represents a topology of said optical network; and

a fifth set of instructions, executable on said computer system, configured to use at least one of said databases in said discovering said alternate physical path.

53. The computer program product of claim 52, further comprising:

a sixth set of instructions, executable on said computer system, configured to determine if a one of said neighboring ones of said nodes have failed, said sixth set of instructions comprising a first subset of instructions, executable on said computer system, configured to send a message to said one of said neighboring ones of said nodes.

54. The computer program product of claim 50, further comprising:

a third set of instructions, executable on said computer system, configured to allocate a plurality of intermediary optical links between said first, said second and one or more intermediary nodes, wherein

said nodes of said alternate physical path comprise said first node, said second node, and said intermediary nodes, and

said nodes of said alternate physical path are coupled to one another by said intermediary optical links, wherein said optical links comprise said intermediary optical links.

55. The computer program product of claim 50, further comprising:

a third set of instructions, executable on said computer system, configured to terminate said virtual path, said terminating comprising automatically deallocating one or more intermediary optical links, wherein

said nodes of said alternate physical path comprise said first node, said second node, and one or more intermediary nodes, and

said nodes of said alternate physical path are coupled to one another by a plurality of intermediary optical links, wherein said optical links comprise said intermediary optical links.

56. An apparatus comprising:

means for restoring a virtual path between a first node of an optical network and a second node of said optical network, comprising

means for discovering an alternate physical path between said first node and said second node by automatically identifying nodes of said alternate physical path, wherein

said optical network comprises a plurality of nodes coupled by a plurality of optical links,

said nodes comprise said nodes of said alternate physical path, and

said virtual path is provisioned on a physical path between said first and said second node; and

means for re-establishing said virtual path by configuring a set of connections between said nodes of said alternate physical path.

57. The apparatus of claim 56, further comprising:

means for detecting said failure, wherein said means for detecting, said means for discovering, and said means for re-establishing operate automatically.

58. The apparatus of claim 57, further comprising:

means for obtaining information regarding neighboring ones of said nodes for each one of said nodes.

means for maintaining a database on each one of said nodes using said information, wherein

said database represents a topology of said optical network; and

means for using at least one of said databases in said discovering said alternate physical path.

59. The apparatus of claim 57, wherein said means for re-establishing comprises:

means for allocating a plurality of intermediary optical links between said first, said second and one or more intermediary nodes, wherein

said nodes of said alternate physical path comprise said first node, said second node, and said intermediary nodes, and

said nodes of said alternate physical path are coupled to one another by said intermediary optical links, wherein said optical links comprise said intermediary optical links.

60. The apparatus of claim 57, further comprising:

means for terminating said virtual path, said means for terminating comprising means for automatically deallocating one or more intermediary optical links, wherein

said nodes of said alternate physical path comprise said first node, said second node, and one or more intermediary nodes, and

said nodes of said alternate physical path are coupled to one another by a plurality of intermediary optical links, wherein said optical links comprise said intermediary optical links.