Management of tiered communication services in a composite communication service

• US 20070078970A1
• Filed: 10/04/2005
• Published: 04/05/2007
• Est. Priority Date: 10/04/2005
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: WSOU Investments, LLC (WSOU Holdings, LLC)
• Original Assignee: Alcatel SA (Nokia Corporation)
• Inventors: Zhang, Chi, Zabihi, Attaullah, Morse, Stephen, Calippe, Joel
• Granted Patent: US 7,487,236 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 709/224
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 1/22 using redundant apparatus to increase reliability
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 12/4633 Interconnection of networks using encapsulation techniques, e.g. tunneling
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 12/4641 Virtual LANs, VLANs, e.g. virtual private networks [VPN] LAN interconnection over a bridge based backbone H04L12/462; encapsulation techniques H04L12/4633; routing of packets H04L45/00; packet switches H04L49/00; virtual private networks for security H04L63/0272
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 41/22 comprising specially adapted graphical user interfaces [GUI]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 41/5058 Service discovery by the service manager
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 41/508 based on type of value added network service under agreement

Abstract

Techniques for managing tiered communication services in a composite communication service are disclosed. Component communication services for providing a composite communication service are arranged into tiers in a structure of the composite communication service. The tiers and order facilitate visualization of composite communication services and assessment of the effects of events which impact a portion of a composite communication service on other portions of the composite communication service, for example. Related data structures and user interfaces are also disclosed.

Claims

1. A system comprising:

a composite communication service detector adapted to detect a plurality of communication services, supported in a communication system, for providing a composite communication service; and

a composite communication service manager operatively coupled to the detector and adapted to determine for each detected communication service an associated communication service tier in a structure of the composite communication service, the composite communication service comprising a plurality of communication service tiers having an order in the structure, and to provide a representation of the composite communication service, the representation comprising an indication of each detected communication service and the tier order.

2. The system of claim 1, wherein the manager is adapted to determine the communication service tier for a detected communication service by performing one or more of:

determining the communication service tier of the plurality of communication service tiers to which a detected communication service has been assigned; and

determining that a detected communication service has been newly added to the composite communication service and assigning the added communication service to a communication service tier of the plurality of communication service tiers.

3. The system of claim 1, wherein the plurality of communication service tiers comprises tiers associated with respective sets of one or more types of communication service.

4. The system of claim 1, wherein at least some communication services of the plurality of communication services are configured for operation with each other to provide the composite communication service by one or more service connectors, each service connector specifying a logical association between communication services, wherein the detector is further adapted to detect a service connector of the composite communication service, and wherein the representation further comprises an indication of the detected service connector.

5. The system of claim 4, wherein the manager is further adapted to determine an extent to which an event directly affecting a portion of the composite communication service affects other portions of the composite communication service through any detected service connectors, and to include in the representation an indication of one or more of:

the event, the directly affected portion of the composite communication service, and whether the event affects the other portions of the composite communication service.

6. The system of claim 5, wherein the manager is further adapted to determine whether a communication service in a communication service tier is affected by the event directly or through a service connector to a communication service in another communication service tier;

where the communication service is affected by the event through a service connector, to determine whether the composite communication service includes a redundant service connector associating the communication service in the communication service tier with a communication service in the other communication service tier through a portion of the composite communication service which is not affected by the event; and

to identify the communication service in the communication service tier as an affected communication service where the communication service is directly affected by the event, or the communication service is affected by the event through a service connector and the composite communication service does not include a redundant service connector associating the communication service with a communication service in the other communication service tier through a portion of the composite communication service which is not affected by the event.

7. The system of claim 6, wherein the manager is adapted to detect as a redundant service connector one or more of:

a service connector associating the communication service in the communication service with another communication service in the communication service tier which is associated by a further service connector with a communication service in the other communication service tier through a portion of the composite communication service which is not affected by the event; and

a service connector associating the communication service in the communication service tier with another communication service in the other communication service tier.

8. The system of claim 6, wherein the manager is further adapted to determine whether an identified affected communication service is associated with another communication service of the composite communication service by a service connector, and if so, to determine whether the other communication service is an affected communication service.

9. The system of claim 5, wherein the manager is further adapted to include in the representation an indication of an effect of the event on one or more of:

a communication service directly affected by the event, a service connector directly affected by the event, a communication service affected by the event through one or more service connectors, and a service connector associating a communication service that is affected by the event, directly or through one or more service connectors, with another communication service.

10. A method comprising:

defining a plurality of communication service tiers to include communication services, supported in a communication system, for providing a composite communication service, each communication service tier of the plurality of communication service tiers having a set of one or more criteria for assignment of communication services to the communication service tier; and

defining a relative order of the plurality of communication service tiers in a structure of the composite communication service.

11. The method of claim 10, wherein the criteria include criteria based on one or more of:

a communication service type, a communication service tier of another communication service with which a communication service has been configured for operation, and an input specifying a communication service tier of the plurality of communication service tiers.

12. The method of claim 11, wherein determining comprises one or more of:

determining the communication service tier of the plurality of communication service tiers to which a detected communication service has been assigned; and

determining that a detected communication service has been newly added to the composite communication service and assigning the added communication service to a communication service tier of the plurality of communication service tiers.

13. The method of claim 10, further comprising:

detecting relationships between communication services which provide a composite communication service;

assessing, based on the detected relationships, an extent to which an event directly affecting a portion of the composite communication service affects other portions of the composite communication service; and

providing a representation of the composite communication service, the representation including an indication of a result of the assessing.

14. The method of claim 13, wherein assessing further comprises assessing one or more of:

a type of a communication service of the composite communication service, a topology of the composite communication service, and a topology of a communication service of the composite communication service.

15. The method of claim 13, wherein the composite communication service further comprises one or more service connectors specifying the relationships between detected communication services, and wherein detecting relationships comprises detecting the one or more service connectors.

16. The method of claim 15, wherein the assessing further comprises:

determining whether a communication service in a communication service tier is affected by the event directly or through a service connector to a communication service in another communication service tier;

where the communication service is affected by the event through a service connector, determining whether the composite communication service includes a redundant service connector specifying a relationship between the communication service in the communication service tier and a communication service in the other communication service tier through a portion of the composite communication service which is not affected by the event; and

identifying the communication service in the communication service tier as an affected communication service where the communication service is directly affected by the event, or the communication service is affected by the event through a service connector and the composite communication service does not include a redundant service connector specifying a relationship between the communication service in the communication service tier and a communication service in the other communication service tier through a portion of the composite communication service which is not affected by the event.

17. The method of claim 16, further comprising:

for an identified affected communication service, determining whether a service connector specifying a relationship between the affected communication and another communication service of the composite communication service is affected by the event; and

repeating the assessing for the other communication service where a service connector specifying a relationship between the affected communication and another communication service of the composite communication service is affected by the event.

18. The method of claim 13, further comprising:

determining that an assessment trigger condition has been satisfied, the assessment trigger condition comprising one or more of;

detection of an event in the communication system, detection of an input to invoke assessment of an event in the communication system, and receiving an indication of an event from a communication service of the plurality of the communication services or from a service connector specifying a relationship between communication services of the composite communication service,

wherein the assessing is performed responsive to the assessment trigger condition being satisfied.

19. A machine-readable medium storing instructions which when executed perform the method of claim 10.

20. A machine-readable medium storing a data structure, the data structure comprising:

information identifying a plurality of communication services, supported in a communication system, for providing a composite communication service; and

information indicating respective communication service tiers, of a plurality of communication service tiers arranged in an order to define a structure of the composite communication service, to which each of the plurality of communication services has been assigned.

21. The medium of claim 20, wherein the data structure comprises a plurality of communication service data records, each data record comprising:

information identifying a communication service of the plurality of communication services; and

information indicating a communication service tier of the plurality of communication service tiers to which the communication service has been assigned.

22. A user interface comprising:

respective visual elements representing a plurality of communication services for providing a composite communication service in a communication system, each visual element being displayed at a position, relative to other visual elements, indicative of a communication service tier to which the communication service represented by the visual element has been assigned and an order of the communication service tiers in a structure of the composite communication service.

23. The user interface of claim 22, further comprising one or more of:

respective visual elements representing logical associations, if any, between communication services of the plurality communication services;

indications of operational states of the plurality of communication services;

indications of operational states of interconnections between communication services of the plurality of communication services; and

indications of events affecting the composite communication service.

24. The user interface of claim 22, wherein visual elements representing communication services assigned to a communication service tier of the plurality of communication service tiers are displayed along a common vertical level on a display screen.

25. The user interface of claim 24, wherein moving of a visual element from a current vertical level is allowed or blocked, and wherein a user input received through the user interface to move a visual element from a current vertical level causes the communication service represented by the visual element to be reassigned to a different communication service tier when moving of the visual element from a current vertical level is allowed.