METHOD AND SYSTEM FOR PROVIDING A SHARED DEMARCATION POINT TO MONITOR NETWORK PERFORMANCE

• US 20130315579A1
• Filed: 05/25/2012
• Published: 11/28/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 05/25/2012
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Verizon Patent and Licensing Incorporated (Verizon Communications Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Verizon Patent and Licensing Incorporated (Verizon Communications Inc.)
• Inventors: XIA, Tiejun J., WELLBROCK, Glenn A.
• Application Number:
  US13/480,571
• Publication Number:
  US 20130315579A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 398/5
• CPC Class Codes: H04J 14/0204 Broadcast and select arrangements, e.g. with an optical splitter at the input before adding or dropping
• CPC Class Codes: H04J 14/0205 Select and combine arrangements, e.g. with an optical combiner at the output after adding or dropping
• CPC Class Codes: H04J 14/0212 using optical switches or wavelength selective switches [WSS]
• CPC Class Codes: H04J 14/0267 Optical signaling or routing
• CPC Class Codes: H04Q 11/0001 using optical switching
• CPC Class Codes: H04Q 11/0062 Network aspects
• CPC Class Codes: H04Q 2011/0073 Provisions for forwarding or routing, e.g. lookup tables

Abstract

An approach for detecting an error associated with a routing network coupled to a transport network comprising a plurality of optical communication nodes, switching, by an optical communication node, to a troubleshooting channel associated with the transport network using one or more router counterpart cards, and troubleshooting the error using the one or more router counterpart cards.

Claims

1. A method comprising:

detecting an error associated with a routing network coupled to a transport network comprising a plurality of optical communication nodes;

switching, by an optical communication node, to a troubleshooting channel associated with the transport network using one or more router counterpart cards; and

troubleshooting the error using the one or more router counterpart cards.

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

generating a test signal between the routing network and a router counterpart card; and

troubleshooting the error based on the test signal,

wherein the router counterpart card is a shared demarcation point within the transport network.

3. A method according to claim 2, wherein the test signal is generated by the router counterpart card, a node on the routing network, or a combination thereof.

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

generating a test signal between two router counterpart cards; and

troubleshooting the error based on the test signal.

5. A method according to claim 4, wherein the two router counterpart cards are sequentially arranged along the transport network.

6. A method according to claim 1, wherein the optical communication nodes include a reconfigurable optical add/drop module.

7. A method according to claim 1, wherein the transport network includes a fiber optic network.

8. A system comprising:

a management platform; and

a plurality of optical communication nodes forming a transport network coupled to a routing network,

wherein the management platform is configured to detect an error associated with the transport network, instruct an optical communication node to switch to a troubleshooting channel associated with the transport network using one or more router counterpart cards, and troubleshoot the error using the one or more router counterpart cards.

9. A system according to claim 8, wherein the management platform is configured to cause a generation of a test signal between the routing network and a router counterpart card, and troubleshoot the error based on the test signal.

10. A system according to claim 8, wherein the router counterpart card, a communication node on the routing network, or a combination thereof generate the test signal.

11. A system according to claim 8, wherein a first router counterpart card is configured to generate a test signal between the first router counterpart card and a second router counterpart card, and the management platform is configured to troubleshoot the error based on the test signal.

12. A system according to claim 11, wherein the first router counterpart card and the second router counterpart card are sequentially arranged along the transport network.

13. A system according to claim 8, wherein the optical communication nodes include a reconfigurable optical add/drop module.

14. A system according to claim 8, wherein the transport network includes a fiber optic network.

15. A system according to claim 8, wherein the one or more router counterpart cards include a multi-rate optical transmitter and a multi-rate optical receiver.

16. A system according to claim 8, wherein the one or more router counterpart cards include two or more optical transmitters of varying transmission rates.

17. A system according to claim 8, wherein the plurality of optical communication nodes include loop-back modules.

18. A system according to claim 8, wherein endpoint optical communication nodes at an egress and ingress of the transport network include the one or more router counterpart cards, and non-endpoint optical communication nodes include the loop-back module.

19. A system according to claim 18, wherein the optical communication module is a reconfigurable optical add/drop module and the loop-back module is applied to an add/drop module.

20. A system according to claim 18, wherein the loop-back module is applied to a network direction of the optical communication node.