Discovery of physically adjacent neighbor devices using a unidirectional in-band process coupled with an out-of-band follow-up process

• US 20070201383A1
• Filed: 02/27/2006
• Published: 08/30/2007
• Est. Priority Date: 02/27/2006
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Ciena Corporation
• Original Assignee: Ciena Corporation
• Inventors: Ong, Lyndon, Razdan, Rajender
• Granted Patent: US 7,633,952 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 370/254
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 41/12 Discovery or management of network topologies
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 41/344 Out-of-band transfers
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 45/02 Topology update or discovery

Abstract

Equipment generates a discovery message containing its address/node identification (ID) and/or other information. Adjacent equipment (e.g., physically adjacent equipment) monitors control overhead bytes (section trace (J0) bytes, Data Communication Channel (DCC) control overhead, General Communication Channel (GCC) control overhead, etc.) for this message, but does not generate a corresponding response message as called for in the standards/implementation agreements. Rather, it records the address/node ID and/or other information in order to identify its neighbor, and uses an alternative mechanism to either record the adjacency separately (e.g., at a Network Management System (NMS) in order to populate or verify its topology database) or communicate an out-of-band control message to the neighbor (e.g., using the received address/node ID as the destination address for the out-of-band control message, which carries its own address/node ID and link information). Such automated population and/or verification of node and/or NMS topology databases improves the speed and accuracy of network resource allocation.

Claims

1. A unidirectional in-band and out-of-band follow-up method for discovering physically adjacent neighbor devices in a telecommunications network, the method comprising:

at a first device, generating an in-band discovery message comprising identification information related to the first device;

at a second device, receiving the in-band discovery message comprising the identification information related to the first device and recognizing the first device as a neighbor device; and

from the second device, communicating the identification information related to the first device to a network management system via an out-of-band communication.

2. The method of claim 1, further comprising, from the second device, communicating identification information related to the second device to the network management system via an out-of-band communication.

3. The method of claim 2, further comprising, from the network management system, communicating the identification information related to the second device to the first device via an out-of-band communication.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the in-band discovery message comprising the identification information related to the first device comprises one of section trace (J0) bytes, Data Communication Channel (DCC) control overhead, and General Communication Channel (GCC) control overhead.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein the second device comprises a tunable filter and a receiver collectively operable for selectively receiving the in-band discovery message comprising the identification information related to the first device.

6. The method of claim 1, further comprising, at the network management system, populating a topology database with the information related to the first device.

7. The method of claim 1, further comprising, from the network management system, communicating one or more of the identification information related to the first device and identification information related to the second device to one or more other devices via one or more out-of-band communications.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein the identification information related to the first device comprises one or more of a contact address, node identification information, node capability information, and link connectivity information.

9. The method of claim 2, wherein the identification information related to the second device comprises one or more of a contact address, node identification information, node capability information, link connectivity information, and an out-of-band discovery message.

10. The method of claim 3, further comprising, at the first device, receiving the identification information related to the second device and recognizing the second device as a neighbor device.

11. The method of claim 2, further comprising, at the network management system, populating a topology database with the information related to the second device.

12. A unidirectional in-band and out-of-band follow-up method for discovering physically adjacent neighbor devices in a telecommunications network, the method comprising:

at a first device, generating an in-band discovery message comprising identification information related to the first device;

at a second device, receiving the in-band discovery message comprising the identification information related to the first device and recognizing the first device as a neighbor device;

from the second device, communicating the identification information related to the first device to a network management system via an out-of-band communication;

from the second device, communicating identification information related to the second device to the network management system via an out-of-band communication;

from the network management system, communicating the identification information related to the second device to the first device via an out-of-band communication; and

at the first device, receiving the identification information related to the second device and recognizing the second device as a neighbor device.

13. The method of claim 12, wherein the in-band discovery message comprising the identification information related to the first device comprises one of section trace (J0) bytes, Data Communication Channel (DCC) control overhead, and General Communication Channel (GCC) control overhead.

14. The method of claim 12, wherein the second device comprises a tunable filter and a receiver collectively operable for selectively receiving the in-band discovery message comprising the identification information related to the first device.

15. The method of claim 12, further comprising, at the network management system, populating a topology database with the information related to the first device.

16. The method of claim 12, further comprising, from the network management system, communicating one or more of the identification information related to the first device and identification information related to the second device to one or more other devices via one or more out-of-band communications.

17. The method of claim 12, wherein the identification information related to the first device comprises one or more of a contact address, node identification information, node capability information, and link connectivity information.

18. The method of claim 12, wherein the identification information related to the second device comprises one or more of a contact address, node identification information, node capability information, link connectivity information, and an out-of-band discovery message.

19. The method of claim 12, further comprising, at the network management system, populating a topology database with the information related to the second device.

20. A unidirectional in-band and out-of-band follow-up system for discovering physically adjacent neighbor devices in a telecommunications network, the system comprising:

a first device operable for generating an in-band discovery message comprising identification information related to the first device; and

a second device operable for receiving the in-band discovery message comprising the identification information related to the first device and recognizing the first device as a neighbor device,

wherein the second device is further operable for communicating the identification information related to the first device to a network management system via an out-of-band communication.

21. The system of claim 20, wherein the second device is further operable for communicating identification information related to the second device to the network management system via an out-of-band communication.

22. The system of claim 21, wherein the network management system is operable for communicating the identification information related to the second device to the first device via an out-of-band communication.

23. The system of claim 20, wherein the in-band discovery message comprising the identification information related to the first device comprises one of section trace (J0) bytes, Data Communication Channel (DCC) control overhead, and General Communication Channel (GCC) control overhead.

24. The system of claim 20, wherein the second device comprises a tunable filter and a receiver collectively operable for selectively receiving the in-band discovery message comprising the identification information related to the first device.

25. The system of claim 20, wherein the network management system is operable for populating a topology database with the information related to the first device.

26. The system of claim 20, wherein the network management system is operable for communicating one or more of the identification information related to the first device and identification information related to the second device to one or more other devices via one or more out-of-band communications.

27. The system of claim 20, wherein the identification information related to the first device comprises one or more of a contact address, node identification information, node capability information, and link connectivity information.

28. The system of claim 21, wherein the identification information related to the second device comprises one or more of a contact address, node identification information, node capability information, link connectivity information, and an out-of-band discovery message.

29. The system of claim 22, wherein the first device is further operable for receiving the identification information related to the second device and recognizing the second device as a neighbor device.

30. The system of claim 21, wherein the network management system is operable for populating a topology database with the information related to the second device.