METHOD TO RE-PROVISION BANDWIDTH IN P-OTN NETWORK BASED ON CURRENT TRAFFIC DEMAND

• US 20140199067A1
• Filed: 06/28/2013
• Published: 07/17/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 01/17/2013
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Infinera Corp.
• Original Assignee: Infinera Corp.
• Inventors: Pan, Ping, Rao, Rajan, Lu, Biao, Ahuja, Satyajeet
• Granted Patent: US 10,455,301 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 398/52
• CPC Class Codes: H04Q 11/0066 Provisions for optical burst or packet networks

Abstract

A method, comprises measuring, by circuitry of a computer system, a first bandwidth of data traffic of a transport path over a time period, the transport path passing through a plurality of nodes and conforming to a protocol using a number of time slots to allocate a second bandwidth to the transport path. The method further includes passing a signal, from the computer system to at least one of the nodes of the transport path, the signal including at least one instruction that when executed by circuitry of the at least one node causes a change to the number of time slots allocated to the transport path.

Claims

1. A method, comprising the steps of:

measuring, by circuitry of a computer system, a first bandwidth of data traffic of a transport path over a time period, the transport path passing through a plurality of nodes and conforming to a protocol using a number of time slots to allocate a second bandwidth to the transport path; and

passing a signal, from the computer system to at least one of the nodes of the transport path, the signal including at least one instruction that when executed by circuitry of the at least one node causes a change to the number of time slots allocated to the transport path.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the computer system is a component of at least one of the nodes of the transport path.

3. The method of claim 2, wherein the circuitry of the computer system is a component of a control plane of the at least one node, and wherein the signal conforms to requirements of a GMPLS message.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the step of passing the signal is responsive to a determination that the first bandwidth differs from the second bandwidth by an amount exceeding a preset threshold.

5. The method of claim 4, wherein the preset threshold is between about 0.1% and about 100%.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein the time period is a first time period, and the method further comprises the step of measuring, by circuitry of the computer system, a third bandwidth of data traffic of the transport path over a second time period, and the step of passing the signal is responsive to a determination that the first bandwidth differs from the third bandwidth by an amount exceeding a preset threshold.

7. The method of claim 6, wherein the preset threshold is between about 0.1% and about 100%.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein the protocol of the transport path includes a requirement for at least one variable bandwidth container, and wherein the step of passing the signal includes the signal having at least one instruction that when executed by the at least one of the nodes of the transport path causes the at least one of the nodes of the transport path to perform at least one of adding at least one timeslot to the at least one variable bandwidth container and removing at least one timeslot from the at least one variable bandwidth container.

9. The method of claim 8, wherein the variable bandwidth container conforms to requirements of an ODUflex container.

10. The method of claim 1, wherein the signal conforms to requirements of a GMPLS message.

11. The method of claim 1, wherein the circuitry of the computer system is a component of a network controller coupled with the at least one node of the plurality of nodes, and wherein the signal conforms to requirements of a GMPLS message.

12. A node, comprising:

an input interface for receiving traffic from a first link;

an output interface for transmitting traffic to a second link;

a switch for communicating the traffic from the input interface to the output interface; and

a control module controlling the input interface, the output interface, and the switch, the control module;

measuring a first bandwidth of data traffic of a transport path over a time period, the transport path passing through a plurality of nodes and conforming to a protocol using a number of time slots to allocate a second bandwidth to the transport path; and

passing a signal, from the node to at least one of the plurality of nodes of the transport path, the signal including at least one instruction that when executed by circuitry of the at least one of the plurality of nodes causes a change to the number of time slots allocated to the transport path.

13. The node of claim 12, wherein the node passes the signal in response to a determination that the first bandwidth differs from the second bandwidth by an amount exceeding a preset threshold.

14. The node of claim 13, wherein the preset threshold is between about 0.1% and about 100%.

15. The node of claim 12, wherein the time period is a first time period, and wherein the control module further measures a third bandwidth of data traffic of the transport path over a second time period, and passes the signal in response to a determination that the first bandwidth differs from the third bandwidth by an amount exceeding a preset threshold.

16. The node of claim 15, wherein the preset threshold is between about 0.1% and about 100%.

17. The node of claim 12, wherein the protocol of the transport path includes a requirement for at least one variable bandwidth container, and wherein the signal includes at least one instruction that when executed by at least one of the plurality of nodes causes the at least one of the plurality of nodes to perform at least one of adding at least one timeslot to the at least one variable bandwidth container and removing at least one timeslot from the at least one variable bandwidth container.

18. The node of claim 17, wherein the variable bandwidth container conforms to requirements of an ODUflex container.

19. The node of claim 12, wherein the signal conforms to requirements of a GMPLS message.

20. The node of claim 12, wherein the control module is a component of a control plane of the node, and wherein the signal conforms to requirements of a GMPLS message.

21. The node of claim 12, wherein the control module is a component of a network controller coupled with the at least one node of the plurality of nodes, and wherein the signal conforms to requirements of a GMPLS message.

22. The node of claim 21, wherein the step of adjusting the bandwidth of the transport path is carried out by the network controller via a control message transmitted to at least one node on the plurality of nodes.