Method of allocating bandwidth in an optical network

• US 20060251419A1
• Filed: 09/27/2005
• Published: 11/09/2006
• Est. Priority Date: 01/15/1999
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Cisco Technology, Inc. (Cisco Systems, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Cisco Technology, Inc. (Cisco Systems, Inc.)
• Inventors: Adler, John Conlon, Parsi, Vahid, Baghdasarian, Zareh, Zadikian, Haig Michael, Saleh, Ali Najib
• Granted Patent: US 7,602,807 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 398/51
• 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 14/0228 Wavelength allocation for communications one-to-all, e.g. broadcasting wavelengths
• CPC Class Codes: H04J 14/0241 Wavelength allocation for communications one-to-one, e.g. unicasting wavelengths
• CPC Class Codes: H04J 14/0282 WDM tree architectures
• CPC Class Codes: H04J 14/0283 WDM ring architectures
• CPC Class Codes: H04J 14/0284 WDM mesh architectures
• CPC Class Codes: H04J 14/0294 Dedicated protection at the optical channel (1+1)
• CPC Class Codes: H04J 14/0295 Shared protection at the optical channel (1:1, n:m)
• CPC Class Codes: H04J 14/0297 Optical equipment protection
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 47/15 in relation to multipoint traffic arrangements for broadcast or multicast in data networks H04L12/18
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 47/70 Admission control; Resource allocation
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 47/741 Holding a request until resources become available
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 47/743 Reaction at the end points
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 47/746 Reaction triggered by a failure
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 47/748 Negotiation of resources, e.g. modification of a request
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 47/805 QOS or priority aware
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 47/822 Collecting or measuring resource availability data
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 47/825 Involving tunnels, e.g. MPLS
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 47/826 Involving periods of time
• CPC Class Codes: H04Q 11/0005 Switch and router aspects
• CPC Class Codes: H04Q 11/0062 : Network aspects
• CPC Class Codes: H04Q 2011/0058 : Crossbar; Matrix
• CPC Class Codes: H04Q 2011/0081 : Fault tolerance; Redundancy; Recovery; Reconfigurability
• CPC Class Codes: H04Q 2011/0084 : Quality of service aspects
• CPC Class Codes: H04Q 2011/0086 : Network resource allocation, dimensioning or optimisation
• CPC Class Codes: H04Q 2011/0088 : Signalling aspects

Abstract

A method is provided to allocate bandwidth from a first node to a second node in a optical network. The method begins by accepting a request from an end-user, who requests a virtual path between the first node and the second node. The first and second nodes are ones of a number of such nodes. Each one of the nodes is coupled to at least one other node by at least one of a number of optical links. The nodes and links form the optical network. The virtual path has a bandwidth requirement associated therewith. Next, the service provider determines an amount of bandwidth available between the first and the second nodes. The service provider then allocates at least a portion of the amount of bandwidth available between the first and second nodes equal to the bandwidth requirement, so long as the bandwidth requirement is not greater than the amount of bandwidth available between the first and second nodes.

Claims

1-20. -20. (canceled)

21. A method comprising:

in response to receiving a request from an entity, determining an amount of bandwidth available for each one of a first plurality of optical links, wherein

said network comprises a plurality of nodes,

each one of said plurality of nodes is coupled to at least one other of said nodes by at least one of a second plurality of optical links, and

said second plurality of optical links comprises said first plurality of optical links; and

providing at least a portion of said amount of said bandwidth for said each one of said first plurality of optical links to said entity, if each of said at least said portion of said amount of said bandwidth for said each one of said first plurality of optical links are sufficient to meet a requested amount of bandwidth requested by said request.

22. The method of claim 21, wherein

said request is configured to request a requested amount of bandwidth for each one of said first plurality of optical links

23. The method of claim 22, wherein

said requested amount of bandwidth for each one of said first plurality of optical links is given in units of a number of optical wavelengths.

24. The method of claim 21, wherein

said request indicates a requested virtual wavelength path, wherein

said requested virtual wavelength path is between a first node and a second node of said plurality of nodes, and

said requested virtual wavelength path comprises said first plurality of optical links.

25. The method of claim 24, wherein said determining said amount of bandwidth available for each one of said first plurality of optical links comprises:

determining if a physical path between said first and said second nodes has an amount of bandwidth available sufficient to meet said requested amount of bandwidth requested by said request.

26. The method of claim 25, further comprising

allocating said physical path, if said physical path has said amount of bandwidth available sufficient to meet said requested amount of bandwidth requested by said request.

27. The method of claim 26, further comprising:

determining whether said physical path will be available in the future, if said amount of bandwidth available over said physical path is insufficient to meet said requested amount of bandwidth requested by said request.

28. The method of claim 24, wherein

determining a quality-of-service requirement, wherein said quality-of-service requirement is required for allocation of said requested virtual path;

and

determining whether said physical path meets said quality-of-service requirement.

29. The method of claim 24, further comprising:

determining a metric requirement, wherein said metric requirement is required for allocation of said requested virtual path; and

determining whether said physical path meets said metric requirement.

30. The method of claim 29, wherein said metric requirement relates to at least one of a latency associated with said requested virtual path, a physical distance from said first node to said second node, and a cost of service associated with said requested virtual path.

31. A method comprising:

in response to receiving a request from an entity, determining an amount of bandwidth available for each one of a first plurality of optical links, wherein

said network comprises a plurality of nodes,

each one of said plurality of nodes is coupled to at least one other of said nodes by at least one of a second plurality of optical links, and

said second plurality of optical links comprises said first plurality of optical links; and

providing at least a portion of said amount of said bandwidth for said each one of said first plurality of optical links to said entity, if each of said at least said portion of said amount of said bandwidth for said each one of said first plurality of optical links are sufficient to meet a requested amount of bandwidth requested by said request.

32. The method of claim 31, wherein

said request indicates a requested virtual wavelength path, wherein

said requested virtual wavelength path is between a first node and a second node of said plurality of nodes, and

said requested virtual wavelength path comprises said first plurality of optical links.

33. The method of claim 32, wherein said determining said amount of bandwidth available for each one of said first plurality of optical links comprises:

determining if a physical path between said first and said second nodes has an amount of bandwidth available sufficient to meet said requested amount of bandwidth requested by said request.

34. The method of claim 33, further comprising

allocating said physical path, if said physical path has said amount of bandwidth available sufficient to meet said requested amount of bandwidth requested by said request.

35. The method of claim 34, further comprising:

determining whether said physical path will be available in the future, if said amount of bandwidth available over said physical path is insufficient to meet said requested amount of bandwidth requested by said request.

36. A method comprising:

allocating bandwidth in a network, wherein

said network comprises a plurality of nodes,

each one of said nodes is coupled to at least one other of said nodes by at least one of a plurality of optical links, and

said allocating comprises

determining an available link bandwidth for at least one of said optical links using an automatic provisioning protocol, wherein said determining is performed in response to receiving a bid from at least one entity.

37. The method of claim 36, wherein said at least one entity is one of a plurality of entities, and said providing comprises:

accepting said bid from each one of a number of said plurality of entities for at least one of a plurality of subsets of said plurality of bandwidth units.

38. The method of claim 37, wherein providing further comprises:

selecting a winning bid for said at least one of a plurality of subsets of said plurality of bandwidth units.

39. The method of claim 36, wherein said allocating further comprises:

dividing said available link bandwidth for each of said at least one of said optical links into a plurality of bandwidth units; and

providing at least one of said plurality of bandwidth units to said at least one entity.

40. The method of claim 39, wherein said providing further comprises:

allocating at least one of a plurality of possible paths using at least one of said plurality of bandwidth units, wherein ones of said plurality of nodes along said at least one of a plurality of possible paths are capable of allocating and de-allocating said at least one of a plurality of possible paths at a rate that allows said provision of said bandwidth units.

41. The method of claim 39, wherein said available link bandwidth is one of bandwidth available at a given quality-of-service level and bandwidth available with a given metric.

42. The method of claim 39, wherein said each one of said plurality of bandwidth units is defined by:

a bandwidth amount,

a duration, and

a start time.

43. The method of claim 39, wherein said at least one entity is one of a plurality of entities and said providing comprises:

operating a market for sale of said plurality of bandwidth units, said at least one entity purchasing said at least one of said plurality of bandwidth units on said market.