×

Method and apparatus for rapidly restoring a communication network

  • US 5,146,452 A
  • Filed: 10/26/1990
  • Issued: 09/08/1992
  • Est. Priority Date: 10/26/1990
  • Status: Expired due to Term
First Claim
Patent Images

1. The method of re-establishing communication between a given pair of nodes of a network having an arbitrary number of uniquely identified nodes and an arbitrary number of spans interconnecting said nodes, each said span having working circuits between nodes designated for transmitting actual communications traffic and many of said spans having spare circuits between nodes capable of, but not designated for, transmitting actual communications traffic, each working and spare circuit having a network unique identifier and each node being connected in a communication loop with all other nodes in the network, said method comprising the steps of:

  • a) monitoring the spare circuit node interconnection structure of the network and initiating a preneed alternate multinode connection plan between said pair of nodes whenever there is a change in network capacity affecting previously planned alternate circuit interconnections between said nodes;

    b) establishing the route for at least one multinode alternate communication path between said pair of nodes as part of said preneed plan by,1) a predetermined one SENDER, of said pair of nodes sending separate path search requests out over spare channels, other than those directly connecting said pair nodes, to other network nodes for each working channel between said pair of nodes needing protection, directed utimately to the other, CHOOSER, of said pair of nodes, each of the separate search requests having a unique "signature" identifier,2) each node, other than the CHOOSER node, receiving a search request forwarding same on at least one further spare channel while incrementing a "hop" count associated with the request to indicate the number of nodes the search has traversed,3) each node receiving multiple search requests having the same "signature" selecting only the one of said multiple having the lowest "hop" count for forwarding to other nodes,4) the CHOOSER node selecting the search request having the lowest "hop" count for each "signature" and returning information to the SENDER as to the internode route and specific spare channels used for each search request,5) storing information gathered as a result of the sending of the search requests as a preneed plan in each of said SENDER and CHOOSER nodes for use in the event of a loss of direct communications between said pair of nodes; and

    c) implementing said preneed plan upon detection of a loss of direct communications between said pair of nodes.

View all claims
  • 2 Assignments
Timeline View
Assignment View
    ×
    ×