METHODS AND SYSTEMS FOR AUTOMATICALLY REROUTING LOGICAL CIRCUIT DATA

• US 20100054122A1
• Filed: 10/30/2009
• Published: 03/04/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 12/23/2003
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Rakuten Group, Inc.
• Original Assignee: AT&T Intellectual Property I LP (AT&T, Inc.)
• Inventors: Taylor, William, Massengill, David, Hollingsworth, John
• Granted Patent: US 8,345,543 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 370/225
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 11/2002 where interconnections or communication control functionality are redundant flexible arrangements for bus networks involving redundancy H04L12/40176
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 11/2007 using redundant communication media
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 11/3006 where the computing system is distributed, e.g. networked systems, clusters, multiprocessor systems multiprogramming arrangements G06F9/46; allocation of resources G06F9/50
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 11/3409 for performance assessment
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 1/22 using redundant apparatus to increase reliability
• 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 41/065 involving logical or physical relationship, e.g. grouping and hierarchies
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 41/0659 by isolating or reconfiguring faulty entities
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 41/0661 by reconfiguring faulty entities
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 43/0817 by checking functioning
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 45/00 Routing or path finding of packets in data switching networks routing or path finding in wireless networks H04W40/00
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 45/22 Alternate routing
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 45/28 using route fault recovery

Abstract

Methods and systems are provided to automatically reroute logical circuit data. In accordance with an example method, a failure of a dedicated logical circuit in a packet-based network is identified. The dedicated logical circuit has a first logical circuit identifier assigned prior to identifying the failure. The dedicated logical circuit connects a host device to a remote device to communicate data that originates and terminates only at the host device and the remote device. A logical failover circuit comprising an alternate communication path for communicating the data is selected. When the first logical circuit identifier of the dedicated logical circuit does not match a second logical circuit identifier of the logical failover circuit, the second logical circuit identifier is renamed to match the first logical circuit identifier. The data is rerouted to the logical failover circuit without manual intervention.

Claims

1. A method of automatically rerouting logical circuit data, the method comprising:

identifying a failure of a dedicated logical circuit in a packet-based network, the dedicated logical circuit having a first logical circuit identifier assigned prior to identifying the failure, and the dedicated logical circuit connecting a host device to a remote device to communicate data that originates and terminates only at the host device and the remote device;

selecting a logical failover circuit comprising an alternate communication path for communicating the data;

when the first logical circuit identifier of the dedicated logical circuit does not match a second logical circuit identifier of the logical failover circuit, renaming the second logical circuit identifier to match the first logical circuit identifier; and

rerouting the data to the logical failover circuit without manual intervention.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the packet-based network is a multiprotocol label switching standard network.

3. The method of claim 1, further comprising, upon identifying the failure of the dedicated logical circuit and prior to rerouting the data, making a real-time offer to a customer of the dedicated logical circuit to reroute the data.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the dedicated logical circuit traverses a first local access and transport area, a first inter-exchange carrier, and a second local access and transport area.

5. The method of claim 4, wherein the logical failover circuit traverses a second inter-exchange carrier, a third local access and transport area, a third inter-exchange carrier, and the second local access and transport area, wherein rerouting the data to the logical failover circuit comprises rerouting the data via the second inter-exchange carrier, the third local access and transport area, and the third inter-exchange carrier to bypass the first inter-exchange carrier.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein identifying the failure of the dedicated logical circuit comprises identifying the failure via a network management system in communication with the first and second local access and transport areas via management trunks and separate from switches of the dedicated logical circuit used to communicate the data.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein the first and second logical circuit identifiers are at least one of virtual path identifiers or virtual circuit identifiers.

8. A system to automatically reroute logical circuit data, the system comprising:

a database to store a first logical circuit identifier of a dedicated logical circuit and a second logical circuit identifier of a logical failover circuit; and

a network management module to;

identify a failure of the dedicated logical circuit in a packet-based network, the dedicated logical circuit having the first logical circuit identifier assigned prior to identifying the failure, and the dedicated logical circuit connecting a host device to a remote device to communicate data that originates and terminates only at the host device and the remote device;

select the logical failover circuit comprising an alternate communication path for communicating the data;

when the first logical circuit identifier of the dedicated logical circuit does not match the second logical circuit identifier, rename the second logical circuit identifier to match the first logical circuit identifier; and

reroute the data to the logical failover circuit without manual intervention.

9. The system of claim 8, wherein the packet-based network is a multiprotocol label switching standard network.

10. The system of claim 8, wherein the network management module is further to, upon identifying the failure of the dedicated logical circuit and prior to rerouting the data, make a real-time offer to a customer of the dedicated logical circuit to reroute the data.

11. The system of claim 8, wherein the dedicated logical circuit traverses a first local access and transport area, a first inter-exchange carrier, and a second local access and transport area.

12. The system of claim 11, wherein the logical failover circuit traverses a second inter-exchange carrier, a third local access and transport area, a third inter-exchange carrier, and the second local access and transport area, wherein the network management module is to reroute the data to the logical failover circuit to reroute the data via the second inter-exchange carrier, the third local access and transport area, and the third inter-exchange carrier to bypass the first inter-exchange carrier.

13. The system of claim 8, further comprising a logical element module in communication with the first and second local access and transport areas via management trunks and separate from switches of the dedicated logical circuit used to communicate the data, the logical element module to store status information generated by the switches, wherein the network management module is further to request the status information from the logical element module and to identify the failure of the dedicated logical circuit based on the status information.

14. The system of claim 8, wherein the first and second logical circuit identifiers are at least one of virtual path identifiers or virtual circuit identifiers.

15. A computer readable medium having instructions stored thereon that, when executed, cause a machine to:

identify a failure of a dedicated logical circuit in a packet-based network, the dedicated logical circuit having a first logical circuit identifier assigned prior to identifying the failure, and the dedicated logical circuit connecting a host device to a remote device to communicate data that originates and terminates only at the host device and the remote device;

select a logical failover circuit comprising an alternate communication path for communicating the data;

when the first logical circuit identifier of the dedicated logical circuit does not match a second logical circuit identifier of the logical failover circuit, rename the second logical circuit identifier to match the first logical circuit identifier; and

reroute the data to the logical failover circuit without manual intervention.

16. The computer readable medium of claim 15, wherein the packet-based network is a multiprotocol label switching standard network.

17. The computer readable medium of claim 15 having instructions stored thereon that, when executed, cause the machine to, upon identifying the failure of the dedicated logical circuit and prior to rerouting the data, make a real-time offer to a customer of the dedicated logical circuit to reroute the data.

18. The computer readable medium of claim 15, wherein the dedicated logical circuit traverses a first local access and transport area, a first inter-exchange carrier, and a second local access and transport area.

19. The computer readable medium of claim 18, wherein the logical failover circuit traverses a second inter-exchange carrier, a third local access and transport area, a third inter-exchange carrier, and the second local access and transport area, and wherein instructions stored on the computer readable medium, when executed, cause the machine to reroute the data to the second inter-exchange carrier, the third local access and transport area, and the third inter-exchange carrier to bypass the first inter-exchange carrier.

20. The computer readable medium of claim 15 having instructions stored thereon that, when executed, cause the machine to identify the failure via a network management system in communication with the first and second local access and transport areas via management trunks and separate from switches of the dedicated logical circuit used to communicate the data.