System and method for designing a customized switched metro Ethernet data network

• US 20060062211A1
• Filed: 09/22/2004
• Published: 03/23/2006
• Est. Priority Date: 09/22/2004
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Sbc Knowledge Ventures, L.P.
• Original Assignee: Sbc Knowledge Ventures, L.P.
• Inventors: Sahasrabuddhe, Laxman, Manthoulis, Orestis, Blackburn, Stuart Lynch
• Granted Patent: US 7,958,208 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 370/386
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/067 Enterprise or organisation modelling
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 12/42 Loop networks
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 41/12 Discovery or management of network topologies
• CPC Class Codes: H04Q 2213/13389 LAN, internet

Abstract

A method for automatically designing a switched metro Ethernet data is provided. During execution of the method, data network information, customer demand information, equipment information, and at least one design constraint is received. Based thereon, a potential topology design for the switched metro Ethernet data network is automatically established. The potential topology for the switched metro Ethernet data network can be a tree topology that is rooted at a predetermined hub node and that has a plurality of leaves. Each leaf is located at a customer location. In a particular embodiment, an aggregation node is placed at the hub node. Further, an aggregation node is placed at a predetermined redundant hub node. Additionally, an aggregation node is placed at another location in the tree topology.

Claims

1. A method for automatically designing a switched metro Ethernet data network, the method comprising:

receiving data network information;

receiving customer demand information;

receiving equipment information;

receiving at least one design constraint;

automatically establishing a potential topology design for the switched metro Ethernet data network at least partially based on the data network information, the customer demand information, the equipment information, the at least one design constraint, or a combination thereof.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the potential topology for the switched metro Ethernet data network is a tree topology that is rooted at a predetermined hub node and that has a plurality of leaves, each leaf being located at a customer location.

3. The method of claim 2, further comprising:

placing an aggregation node at the hub node.

4. The method of claim 3, further comprising:

placing an aggregation node at a predetermined redundant hub node.

5. The method of claim 4, further comprising:

placing an aggregation node at at least one other location in the tree topology.

6. The method of claim 5, wherein the placement of an aggregation node at the at least one other location in the tree topology is determined by:

determining a first cost of placing an aggregation node at the at least one other location in the tree topology;

determining a second cost of connecting the at least one other location in the tree topology to the parent node of an aggregation node that could potentially be placed at the at least one other location; and

placing an aggregation node at the at least one other location in the tree topology when the second cost is greater than the first cost.

7. The method of claim 5, further comprising:

computing an availability value for each aggregation node in the tree topology other than the hub node and the redundant hub node; and

adding a redundant path from the aggregation node to the hub node when the availability value is less than a predetermined threshold.

8. The method of claim 7, wherein the redundant path is added by:

determining a first path from a particular node to the parent node of the particular node; and

connecting the particular node to a next closest node other than the parent node by a second path that is different from the first path.

9. The method of claim 7, further comprising:

sizing an aggregation node-to-aggregation node link by dividing an aggregate customer bandwidth by a concentration ratio.

10. The method of claim 9, further comprising:

determining a detailed configuration of each aggregation node.

11. The method of claim 10, further comprising:

determining a cost of the potential topology of the switched metro Ethernet data network.

12. The method of claim 11, further comprising:

outputting the cost of the potential topology.

13. A method for designing a switched metro Ethernet data network, the method comprising:

establishing a non-redundant tree topology for a switched metro Ethernet data network at least partially within a set of existing nodes; and

at least partially based on an availability constraint, adding at least one redundant connection to the non-redundant tree topology.

14. The method of claim 13, wherein the non-redundant tree topology is located based on data network information, customer demand information, equipment information, at least one design constraint, or a combination thereof.

15. The method of claim 14, wherein the data network information includes at least one of the following:

a number of spare nodes, distance information between nodes, locations of core nodes, location of aggregation nodes, configurations of core nodes, configurations of aggregation nodes, port-level connection information, and a list of central offices that can be used for aggregation nodes.

16. The method of claim 14, wherein the customer demand information includes an aggregate bandwidth of customers for at least one serving wire center.

17. The method of claim 14, wherein the equipment information can include at least one of the following:

configuration information, cost information, and model information.

18. The method of claim 14, wherein the at least one design constraint is at least one of the following:

a distance between two aggregation nodes and an amount of data traffic through a particular aggregation node.

19. The method of claim 18, wherein the non-redundant tree topology is determined by:

initializing the tree topology to contain a predetermined hub node;

locating a first customer node within a set of customer nodes closest to the hub node;

connecting the first customer node to the hub node;

locating a second customer node within the set of customer nodes that is next closest to the hub node; and

connecting the second customer node to the first hub node.

20. The method of claim 13, wherein the at least one redundant connection is added to the non-redundant tree topology by:

determining a first path from a customer node to a parent node of the customer node; and

connecting the customer node to a next closest node other than the parent node by a second path that is different from the first path.

21. A system for designing a switched metro Ethernet data network, the system comprising:

a computer processor;

a computer readable memory accessible to the computer processor; and

a computer program embedded within the memory for designing a switched metro Ethernet data network, the computer program;

instructions to receive one or more user inputs related to the switched metro Ethernet data network;

instructions to generate a non-redundant tree topology for the switched metro Ethernet data network at least partially based on the one or more user inputs;

instructions to add one or more redundant connections to the non-redundant tree topology to create a design; and

instructions to output at least one design output related to the design.

22. The system of claim 21, wherein the user input is at least one of the following:

data network information, customer demand information, equipment information, at least one design constraint, or a combination thereof.

23. The system of claim 22, wherein the data network information includes at least one of the following:

a number of spare nodes, distance information between nodes, locations of core nodes, location of aggregation nodes, configurations of core nodes, configurations of aggregation nodes, and port-level connection information, and a list of central offices that can be used for aggregation nodes.

24. The system of claim 22, wherein the customer demand information includes an aggregate bandwidth of customers for at least one serving wire center.

25. The system of claim 22, wherein the equipment information includes at least one of the following:

configuration information, cost information, and model information.

26. The system of claim 22, wherein the at least one design constraint is at least one of the following:

a distance between two aggregation nodes and an amount of data traffic through a particular aggregation node.

27. The system of claim 21, wherein the at least one design output includes at least one of the following:

a list of line cards for existing aggregation nodes, a list of new aggregation nodes, configuration information for existing and new aggregation nodes, connection information for existing and new aggregation nodes, and cost information.

28. The system of claim 21, wherein the instructions to design a non-redundant tree topology for the switched metro Ethernet data network comprise:

instructions to initialize a tree topology to contain a predetermined hub node;

instructions to locate a first customer node within a set of customer nodes that is proximate to the hub node; and

instructions to connect the first customer node to the hub node.

29. The system of claim 28, wherein the instructions to design a non-redundant tree topology for the switched metro Ethernet data network further comprise:

instructions to locate a second customer node within the set of customer nodes that is next proximate to the hub node; and

instructions to connect the second customer node to the first hub node.

30. The system of claim 21, wherein the instructions to add one or more redundant connections to the non-redundant tree topology comprise:

instructions to determine a first path from a customer node to the parent node of the customer node; and

instructions to connect the customer node to a next closest node other than the parent node by a second path that is different from the first path.

31. A switched metro Ethernet data network, the network comprising:

at least one hub node;

a plurality of customer nodes connected to the hub node to establish a tree topology;

wherein;

a design of the tree topology is generated using a switched metro Ethernet data network design tool, the switched metro Ethernet data network design tool comprising;

instructions to generate a non-redundant tree topology for the switched metro Ethernet data network at least partially based on one or more user inputs; and

instructions to add one or more redundant connections to the non-redundant tree topology to create the design.

32. The data network of claim 31, wherein the design is based on one or more user inputs to the switched metro Ethernet data network design tool.

33. The data network of 32, wherein the switched metro Ethernet data network design tool further comprises:

instructions to initialize a tree topology to contain the at least one hub node;

instructions to locate a first customer node within the plurality of customer nodes that is proximate to the hub node; and

instructions to connect the first customer node to the hub node.

34. The data network of 33, wherein the switched metro Ethernet data network design tool further comprises:

instructions to locate a second customer node within the set of customer nodes that is next proximate to the hub node; and

instructions to connect the second customer node to the first hub node.

35. The data network of 34, wherein the switched metro Ethernet data network design tool further comprises:

instructions to determine a first path from a customer node to the parent node of the customer node; and

instructions to connect the customer node to a next closest node other than the parent node by a second path that is different from the first path.