Managing packet voice networks using a virtual switch approach

• US 20070008958A1
• Filed: 09/14/2006
• Published: 01/11/2007
• Est. Priority Date: 08/24/2001
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Hector Trevino, L Clemm, Poon Leung, Prakash Bettadapur
• Original Assignee: Hector Trevino, L Clemm, Poon Leung, Prakash Bettadapur
• Inventors: Bettadapur, Prakash, Trevino, Hector, Leung, Poon, Clemm, L.
• Granted Patent: US 7,821,965 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 370/352
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 41/0631 using root cause analysis; using analysis of correlation between notifications, alarms or events based on decision criteria, e.g. hierarchy, tree or time analysis
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 41/0806 for initial configuration or provisioning, e.g. plug-and-play
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 41/0873 Checking configuration conflicts between network elements
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 41/0895 Configuration of virtualised networks or elements, e.g. virtualised network function or OpenFlow elements
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 41/22 comprising specially adapted graphical user interfaces [GUI]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 41/40 using virtualisation of network functions or resources, e.g. SDN or NFV entities
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 43/0811 by checking connectivity
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 3/22 Arrangements for supervision, monitoring or testing
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 7/1245 where a network other than PSTN/ISDN interconnects two PSTN/ISDN networks
• CPC Class Codes: H04Q 3/0062 Provisions for network management

Abstract

A method for managing packet voice networks using a virtual switch approach and abstract information model approach is disclosed. A virtual switch object represents a virtual switch having a media gateway controller and one or more associated media gateways. User input specifies a configuration operation on the virtual switch and one or more parameter values. One or more configuration instructions are automatically issued to both the media gateway controller and the media gateway, resulting in configuring both the media gateway controller and the media gateway as specified in the user input. As a result, a user can configure or operate on a virtual switch as an atomic entity, for example, in a network management application, without involvement in complicated details of the actual network devices that provide a particular packet voice service.

Claims

1. A computer-readable medium storing one or more sequences of instructions for managing packet voice networks using a virtual switch approach, which instructions, when executed by one or more processors, cause the one or more processors to carry out the steps of:

creating and storing a virtual switch object, wherein the virtual switch object is an instantiation of a class and represents a virtual switch, in a packet-switched voice network, having a media gateway controller and one or more associated media gateways, wherein the virtual switch object comprises programmatic objects representing the media gateway controller, the one or more media gateways, and associations between the one or more media gateways and the media gateway controller;

receiving user input that specifies a configuration operation on the virtual switch and one or more parameters; and

automatically issuing one or more configuration instructions to both the media gateway controller and the media gateway that cause configuring both the media gateway controller and the media gateway as specified in the user input.

2. A computer-readable medium as recited in claim 1, wherein:

the virtual switch object is created as part of a network management application computer program;

the network management application is communicatively coupled to an operational support system and to one or more element management systems; and

execution of the one or more sequences of instructions by one or more processors further causes the one or more processors to perform the step of issuing one or more configuration requests to one or more of the element management systems as part of the step of automatically issuing configuration instructions.

3. A computer-readable medium as recited in claim 1, wherein:

the virtual switch object is created as part of a network management application computer program that generates a graphical user interface that displays an icon representation of the virtual switch; and

the step of receiving user input comprises receiving user input dragging the icon representation and dropping the icon representation in a data entry field.

4. A computer-readable medium as recited in claim 3, wherein execution of the one or more sequences of instructions by one or more processors further causes the one or more processors to perform the step of displaying the icon representation in an object holding area of the graphical user interface when the media gateway associated with the object is not then currently associated with a media gateway controller.

5. A computer-readable medium as recited in claim 3, wherein the graphical user interface comprises a tree view of the virtual switch and each media gateway or media gateway controller associated therewith, a topology map of a network topology that includes the virtual switch, and an object holding area that displays un-associated network elements.

6. A computer-readable medium as recited in claim 1, wherein configuration operation of the step of receiving user input is selected from among the set consisting of:

associate/disassociate a media gateway from a virtual switch;

add or remove or modify parameters of a primary rate interface (PRI) backhaul service;

add or remove or modify a trunk, a trunk group, routes, or route lists;

add or remove or modify a customer;

or turn up or tear down or modify service for a customer.

7. A computer-readable medium as recited in claim 1, wherein the virtual switch object comprises programmatic objects representing:

a media gateway controller;

a media gateway;

associations between the media gateway and media gateway controller;

one or more connection termination points of the media gateway controller and the media gateway;

one or more virtual trunks; and

one or more physical resources.

8. A computer-readable medium as recited in claim 1, wherein:

the user input comprises user input selecting a virtual switch and user input selecting an “

Add PRI Signaling Backhaul”

function; and

the configuration instructions instruct the media gateway and media gateway controller, as specified, to;

add a line with TDM endpoints and a CCS channel on the selected media gateway;

add a new trunk group at the media gateway controller and associate it with a customer;

add one or more trunks at the media gateway controller;

associate the trunks with a corresponding endpoint of the media gateway;

verify that a signaling backhaul connection has been set up;

set up a signaling backhaul connection if required;

set up a cross-connect between the CCS channel and the signaling backhaul connection at the media gateway, if required, as determined by the type of media gateway.

9. A computer-readable medium as recited in claim 1, wherein:

the virtual switch object is created as part of a network management application computer program that is interfaced to an operational support system; and

the step of receiving user input comprises receiving user input from an interface to the operational support system that specifies a configuration operation on the virtual switch and one or more parameter values.

10. An apparatus for managing packet voice networks using a virtual switch approach, comprising:

a network interface that is coupled to the data network for receiving one or more packet flows therefrom;

one or more processors;

one or more stored sequences of instructions which, when executed by the one or more processors, cause the one or more processors to carry out the steps of;

creating and storing a virtual switch object, wherein the virtual switch object is an instantiation of a class and represents a virtual switch, in a packet-switched voice network, having a media gateway controller and one or more associated media gateways, wherein the virtual switch object comprises programmatic objects representing the media gateway controller, the one or more media gateways, and associations between the one or more media gateways and the media gateway controller;

receiving user input that specifies a configuration operation on the virtual switch and one or more parameters; and

automatically issuing one or more configuration instructions to both the media gateway controller and the media gateway that cause configuring both the media gateway controller and the media gateway as specified in the user input.

11. An apparatus as recited in claim 10, wherein:

the virtual switch object is created as part of a network management application computer program;

the network management application is communicatively coupled to an operational support system and to one or more element management systems;

execution of the one or more sequences of instructions by one or more processors further causes the one or more processors to perform the steps of issuing one or more configuration requests to one or more of the element management systems as part of the step of automatically issuing configuration instructions.

12. An apparatus as recited in claim 10, wherein:

the virtual switch object is created as part of a network management application computer program that generates a graphical user interface that displays an icon representation of the virtual switch;

the step of receiving user input comprises the step of receiving user input dragging the icon representation and dropping the icon representation in a data entry field.

13. An apparatus as recited in claim 12, wherein execution of the one or more sequences of instructions by one or more processors further causes the one or more processors to perform the steps of displaying the icon representation in an object holding area of the graphical user interface when the media gateway associated with the object is not then currently associated with a media gateway controller.

14. An apparatus as recited in claim 12, wherein the graphical user interface comprises a tree view of the virtual switch and each media gateway or media gateway controller associated therewith, a topology map of a network topology that includes the virtual switch, and an object holding area that displays un-associated network elements.

15. An apparatus as recited in claim 10, wherein the configuration operation is selected from among the set consisting of:

associate/disassociate a media gateway from a virtual switch;

add or remove or modify parameters of a primary rate interface (PRI) backhaul service;

add or remove or modify a trunk, a trunk group, routes, or route lists;

add or remove or modify a customer;

or turn up or tear down or modify service for a customer.

16. An apparatus as recited in claim 10, wherein the virtual switch object comprises programmatic objects representing:

a media gateway controller;

a media gateway;

associations between the media gateway and media gateway controller;

one or more connection termination points of the media gateway controller and the media gateway;

one or more virtual trunks; and

one or more physical resources.

17. An apparatus as recited in claim 10, wherein:

the user input comprises user input selecting a virtual switch and user input selecting an “

Add PRI Signaling Backhaul”

function; and

the configuration instructions instruct the media gateway and media gateway controller, as specified, to;

add a line with Time Division Multiplexed (TDM) endpoints and a Common Channel Signaling (CCS) channel on the selected media gateway;

add a New trunk group at the media gateway controller and associate it with a customer;

add one or more trunks at the media gateway controller;

associate the trunks with a corresponding endpoint of the media gateway;

verify that a signaling backhaul connection has been set up;

set up a signaling backhaul connection if required;

set up a cross-connect between the CCS channel and the signaling backhaul connection at the media gateway, if required, as determined by the type of media gateway.

18. An apparatus as recited in claim 10, wherein:

the virtual switch object is created as part of a network management application computer program that is interfaced to an operational support system; and

the step of receiving user input comprises the step of receiving user input from an interface to the operational support system that specifies a configuration operation on the virtual switch and one or more parameter values.