METHOD AND SYSTEM FOR PROVIDING FAULT RECOVERY USING COMPOSITE TRANSPORT GROUPS

• US 20110255859A1
• Filed: 06/30/2011
• Published: 10/20/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 03/28/2008
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: MCI Communications Services Incorporated (Verizon Communications Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Verizon Patent and Licensing Incorporated (Verizon Communications Inc.)
• Inventors: So, Ning
• Granted Patent: US 8,958,691 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 398/5
• CPC Class Codes: H04J 14/021 Reconfigurable arrangements, e.g. reconfigurable optical add/drop multiplexers [ROADM] or tunable optical add/drop multiplexers [TOADM]
• CPC Class Codes: H04J 14/0227 Operation, administration, maintenance or provisioning [OAMP] of WDM networks, e.g. media access, routing or wavelength allocation
• CPC Class Codes: H04J 14/0246 using one wavelength per ONU
• CPC Class Codes: H04J 14/025 using one wavelength per ONU, e.g. for transmissions from-ONU-to-OLT or from-ONU-to-ONU
• CPC Class Codes: H04J 14/0267 Optical signaling or routing
• CPC Class Codes: H04J 14/0268 Restoration of optical paths, e.g. p-cycles
• CPC Class Codes: H04J 14/0269 using tables for routing
• CPC Class Codes: H04J 14/0283 WDM ring architectures
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 45/04 Interdomain routing, e.g. hierarchical routing
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 45/22 Alternate routing
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 45/245 Link aggregation, e.g. trunking
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 45/28 using route fault recovery
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 45/62 Wavelength based optical switching H04Q11/0062
• CPC Class Codes: H04Q 11/0062 Network aspects
• CPC Class Codes: H04Q 2011/0081 Fault tolerance; Redundancy; Recovery; Reconfigurability
• CPC Class Codes: Y02D 30/50 in wire-line communication networks, e.g. low power modes or reduced link rate

Abstract

An approach is provided for performing fault recovery using composite transport groups (CTGs). A first logical channel is established within a composite transport group, wherein the first logical channel is established over a first link associated with a first service provider to a customer premise equipment (CPE) node configured to transport packets. A second logical channel is established within the composite transport group, wherein the second logical channel is established over a second link associated with a second service provider to an optical node. Packets are received over the first logical channel. Packets are received over the second logical channel if the first logical channel experiences a fault condition, wherein switching to the second logical channel is transparent to the CPE node.

Claims

1. A method comprising:

detecting a failure condition of a first logical channel between a first autonomous system and a second autonomous system; and

initiating transparent routing of traffic to a secondary logical channel, wherein the first logical channel and the second logical channel are a part of a common composite transport group.

2. A method according to claim 1, wherein the first autonomous system includes a customer premise equipment (CPE) node, and the second autonomous system includes a first optical node and a second optical node.

3. A method according to claim 2, wherein the composite transport group provides transport of the traffic from the CPE node either directly to the first optical node without passing through the second optical node or directly to the second optical node.

4. A method according to claim 2, wherein the optical nodes include reconfigurable optical add/drop multiplexers, and the CPE node includes a router.

5. A method according to claim 2, wherein the logical channels are established according to topology associated with the CPE node and the optical nodes.

6. A method according to claim 1, further comprising:

generating a fault detection message in response to the detection of the failure condition for transmission from an ingress point to an egress point;

receiving a fault notification message from the egress point in response to the fault detection message; and

determining to mark the first logical channel as being unavailable.

7. A method according to claim 1, further comprising:

maintaining a table relating to the first logical channel and the second logical channel, wherein the table includes status information, load information, maximum bandwidth information, status information, or a combination thereof.

8. An apparatus comprising:

at least one processor; and

at least one memory including computer program code for one or more programs,

the at least one memory and the computer program code configured to, with the at least one processor, cause the apparatus to perform at least the following,

detect a failure condition of a first logical channel between a first autonomous system and a second autonomous system, and

initiate transparent routing of traffic to a secondary logical channel, wherein the first logical channel and the second logical channel are a part of a common composite transport group.

9. An apparatus according to claim 8, wherein the first autonomous system includes a customer premise equipment (CPE) node, and the second autonomous system includes a first optical node and a second optical node.

10. An apparatus according to claim 9, wherein the composite transport group provides transport of the traffic from the CPE node either directly to the first optical node without passing through the second optical node or directly to the second optical node.

11. An apparatus according to claim 9, wherein the optical nodes include reconfigurable optical add/drop multiplexers, and the CPE node includes a router.

12. An apparatus according to claim 9, wherein the logical channels are established according to topology associated with the CPE node and the optical nodes.

13. An apparatus according to claim 8, wherein the apparatus is further caused to:

generate a fault detection message in response to the detection of the failure condition for transmission from an ingress point to an egress point;

receive a fault notification message from the egress point in response to the fault detection message; and

determine to mark the first logical channel as being unavailable.

14. An apparatus according to claim 8, wherein the apparatus is further caused to:

maintain a table relating to the first logical channel and the second logical channel, wherein the table includes status information, load information, maximum bandwidth information, status information, or a combination thereof.

15. A system comprising:

a first optical node residing within a first autonomous system and being configured to directly communicate with a node that is resident within a second autonomous system; and

a second optical node residing within the first autonomous system and being configured to directly communicate with the node,

wherein a plurality of component connections of a composite transport group are established among the node, the first optical node, and the second optical node, one of the component connections being designated as a primary link and another one of the component connections being designated as a secondary link for fault recovery,

wherein traffic is routed, transparent to the node, to the secondary link upon detection of a fault condition.

16. A system according to claim 15, wherein the optical nodes include reconfigurable optical add/drop multiplexers, and the node includes a router.

17. A system according to claim 15, wherein the component connections are established according to topology associated with the node and the optical nodes.

18. A system according to claim 15, wherein the first autonomous system is associated with a first service provider and the second autonomous system is associated with a second service provider.

19. A system according to claim 15, wherein the failure condition stems from either a link failure or equipment failure.

20. A system according to claim 15, further comprising:

a database configured to store a table relating to the component connections, wherein the table includes status information, load information, maximum bandwidth information, status information, or a combination thereof.