Hierarchical Processing and Propagation of Partial Faults in a Packet Network

• US 20080186865A1
• Filed: 02/07/2007
• Published: 08/07/2008
• Est. Priority Date: 02/07/2007
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Futurewei Technologies Incorporated (Huawei Investment & Holding Co., Ltd.)
• Original Assignee: Futurewei Technologies Incorporated (Huawei Investment & Holding Co., Ltd.)
• Inventors: YONG, Lucy, DUNBAR, Linda, SULTAN, Robert
• Granted Patent: US 8,767,530 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 370/244
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 41/0893 Assignment of logical groups to network elements
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 41/0894 Policy-based network configuration management
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 45/28 using route fault recovery
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 47/10 Flow control; Congestion control
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 47/70 Admission control; Resource allocation
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 47/746 Reaction triggered by a failure
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 47/76 using dynamic resource allocation, e.g. in-call renegotiation requested by the user or requested by the network in response to changing network conditions

Abstract

A communications network component comprising a processor configured to implement a method comprising sending a fault message including degradation data, wherein the degradation data indicates a bandwidth reduction associated with a partial fault is disclosed. Also disclosed is a method comprising receiving a fault message comprising degradation data associated with a fault, determining whether an available bandwidth is less than a bandwidth reserved for a plurality of connections associated with the fault, and modifying the bandwidth reserved for the connections if the available bandwidth is less than the bandwidth reserved for the connection.

Claims

1. A communications network component comprising:

a processor configured to implement a method comprising sending a fault message comprising degradation data, wherein the degradation data indicates a bandwidth reduction associated with a partial fault.

2. The component of claim 1 wherein the degradation data further indicates the location of the partial fault.

3. The component of claim 1 wherein the method further comprises detecting the partial fault in a connection transporting a plurality of service instances.

4. The component of claim 3 wherein the partial fault is detected by analyzing the frames received on an ingress port.

5. The component of claim 3 wherein the partial fault is detected by receiving a second fault message from another node associated with the connection, the second fault message comprising the degradation data.

6. The component of claim 5 wherein the second fault message is an alarm indication signal.

7. The component of claim 1 wherein the fault message is a remote defect indication.

8. A method comprising:

receiving a fault message comprising degradation data associated with a fault;

determining whether an available bandwidth is less than a bandwidth reserved for a plurality of connections associated with the fault; and

modifying the bandwidth reserved for the connections if the available bandwidth is less than the bandwidth reserved for the connection.

9. The method of claim 8 wherein modifying the connections comprises proportionately reducing the bandwidth reserved for the connections on a percentage basis.

10. The method of claim 8 wherein modifying the connections comprises proportionately reducing the bandwidth reserved for the connection on a capacity basis.

11. The method of claim 8 wherein modifying the connections comprises prioritizing the connections, and reducing the bandwidth reserved for the lowest priority connection.

12. The method of claim 8 wherein modifying the connections comprises reducing the bandwidth reserved for one of the connections without reducing the bandwidth reserved for the other connections.

13. The method of claim 8 wherein modifying the connections comprises shutting down one of the connections without reducing the bandwidth reserved for the other connections.

14. The method of claim 8 wherein modifying the connections comprises shutting down one of the connections and reducing the bandwidth reserved for the other connections.

15. The method of claim 8 wherein modifying the connections comprises transferring at least some of the frames associated with one of the connections onto a protection path.

16. The method of claim 8 further comprising leaving the connections unmodified if the available bandwidth is not less than the bandwidth reserved for the connections.

17. The method of claim 8 further comprising sending a second fault message to a node associated with one of the connections.

18. The method of claim 17 wherein the fault message is an alarm indication signal and the second fault message is a remote defect indication.

19. The method of claim 8 wherein one of the connections exists within another one of the connections.

20. A network comprising:

a plurality of at least partially interconnected nodes;

an aggregated link connecting two of the nodes;

a first tunnel comprising at least some of the nodes and the aggregated link, the first tunnel configured to transport a plurality of service instances; and

a second tunnel comprising at least some of the nodes but not the aggregated link, the second tunnel configured to transport the service instances,

wherein some of the service instances are rerouted from the first tunnel to the second tunnel when a fault occurs.