Expert and data base system and method for communications network

• US 5,175,800 A
• Filed: 08/07/1991
• Issued: 12/29/1992
• Est. Priority Date: 03/23/1987
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Case Group PLC
• Original Assignee: Case Group PLC
• Inventors: Page, Stuart, Richardson, Malcolm, Galis, Alexandru, Devani, Shailen
• Primary Examiner(s): MacDonald, Allen R.
• Application Number:
  US07/742,577
• Time in Patent Office: 510 Days
• Field of Search: 364/513, 364/200, 364/900, 364/402, 364/407, 340/825.3, 395/50, 395/909, 395/908, 395/51
• US Class Current: 706/45
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 41/0803 Configuration setting
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 41/0856 by backing up or archiving configuration information
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 41/16 using machine learning or artificial intelligence
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 69/00 Network arrangements, protocols or services independent of the application payload and not provided for in the other groups of this subclass networks security protocols H04L9/40; wireless communication networks H04W
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 706/908 Electronic or computer, internal or network, circuit
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 706/909 Communication

Abstract

A configuration expert system and a configuration database system which provides the means for a complete (re) configuration task for communications networks. The present invention allows a human user to define and maintain a communications network requirements database for (re) configuration of a communications network. Further, the present invention allows a human user to define and maintain a network configuration database for the physical and logical layers of a network. The present invention generates a communications network configuration database and produces network loadable configuration data for the communications network. Upload communications network configuration data means are provided between the network and for transferring communications network (re)configuration information to the present invention. The expert system of the present invention validates the human user'"'"'s requirements or changes to requirements for the communications network and produces an expert configuration data set of options for the full and partial configuration tasks of a communications network.

Claims

1. An expert computer system for use with a communication network, which comprises:

means for storing a requirement database comprising desired usage data relating to the desired usage of the communications network;

means for storing a configuration database comprising relationship data relating to the relationship between the physical and logical networks of communications network; and

expert means, connected to said requirement database and to said configuration database, for producing said relationship data from said desired usage data.

2. An expert system for operation on desired usage data and relationship data of a land-based communications network, which expert system comprises:

means for producing said relationship data from said desired usage data to assist in the configuration of the communication network, said means comprising;

a working memory;

a knowledge base having at least one chunk of knowledge relating to the configuration of the communication network and one module means for storing said chunk of knowledge according to logical constraints, said module means including means for partial configuration of the communications network; and

inference engine means, connected to said working memory and said knowledge base, for firing said chunk of knowledge in response to said desired usage data to produce said relationship data.

3. An expert system for operation on desired usage data and relationship data of a land-based communications network, which expert system comprises:

means for producing said relationship data from said desired usage data to assist in the configuration of the communications network, said means comprising;

a working memory;

a knowledge base having at least one chunk of knowledge relating to the configuration of the communications network and one module means for storing said chunk of knowledge according to logical constraints, said module means including means for assigning channel cards numbers; and

inference engine means, connected to said working memory and said knowledge base, for firing said chunk of knowledge in response to said desired usage data to produce said relationship data.

4. An expert system for operation on desired usage data and relationship data of a land-based communications network, which expert system comprises:

means for producing said relationship data from said desired usage data to assist in the configuration of the communications network, said means comprising;

a working memory;

a knowledge base having at least one chunk of knowledge relating to the configuration of the communications network and one module means for storing said chunk of knowledge according to logical constraints, said module means including means for producing a link sizing device map; and

inference engine means, connected to said working memory and said knowledge base, for firing said chunk of knowledge in response to said desired usage data to produce said relationship data.

5. An expert system for operation on desired usage data and relationship data of a land-based communications network, which expert system comprises:

means for producing said relationship data from said desired usage data to assist in the configuration of the communications network, said means comprising;

a working memory;

a knowledge base having at least one chunk of knowledge relating to the configuration of the communications network and one module means for storing said chunk of knowledge according to logical constraints, said module means including means for creating and allocation records; and

inference engine means, connected to said working memory and said knowledge base, for firing said chunk of knowledge in response to said desired usage data to produce said relationship data.

6. An expert and database system architecture for use with a multiplexer communications network, which system architecture comprises:

(1) requirement means for providing desired usage data based on human user input;

(2) an expert system connected to said requirement means which comprises;

(a) a working memory;

(b) a knowledge base having at least a chunk of knowledge relating to the configuration of the multiplexer communications network; and

(c) inference engine means, connected to said working memory and to said knowledge base, for firing said chunk of configuration knowledge in response to said desired usage data to produce relationship data; and

(3) configuration means for storing said relationship data from said expert system, said relationship data used to configure the multiplexer communications network.

7. The system architecture of claim 6, wherein the configuration means comprises reconfiguration means used to reconfigure the multiplexer communications network.

8. The system architecture of claim 6, wherein the configuration means comprises partial configuration means used to partially configure the multiplexer communications network.

9. The system architecture of claim 6, wherein said multiplexer communications network is based on the statistical multiplexing technique.

10. The system architecture of claim 6, wherein said multiplexer communications network is substantially based on a CASE Communications PLC type multiplexer communications network.

11. The system architecture of claim 6, wherein said multiplexer communications network is substantially based on a T1, T2, T3 or T4 type of time division multiplex communications network.

12. The system architecture of claim 6, wherein said requirements means utilizes an UNIFY™

type of relational database management approach.

13. The system architecture of claim 6, wherein said requirements means utilizes a relational database management system.

14. The system architecture of claim 6, wherein said configuration means utilizes an UNIFY™

type of relational database management approach.

15. The system architecture of claim 6, wherein said configuration means utilizes a relational database management system.

16. The system architecture of claim 6, wherein said expert system uses an OPS-83 expert system.

17. The system architecture of claim 6, wherein said expert system uses a production rule base system development tool.

18. The system architecture of claim 6, further comprises man-machine interface means for allowing communication between a human operator and said working memory.

19. The system architecture of claim 18, further comprises means for connecting said man-machine interface means to said requirements means.

20. The system architecture of claim 18, further comprises means for connecting said man-machine interface means to said configuration means.

21. The system architecture of claim 18, further comprises means for connecting said man-machine interface means to said expert system.

22. A human user controlled expert system operational method and an expert and database system architecture for use with a multiplexer communications network, which comprises:

requirements means for producing desired usage of the multiplexer communications network adapted to allow the human user to maintain said desired usage;

expert system means connected to said requirements means for allowing the human user to control and maintain the operation of said expert system means for configuring of the multiplexer communications network to produce relationship data from said desired usage data; and

configuration means for storing said relationship data from the expert system means and adapted to allow the human user to maintain said relationship data.

23. The system architecture and operational method of claim 22, wherein said requirements means comprises a relational database containing said desired usage.

24. The system architecture and operational method of claim 22, wherein said expert system comprises means for allowing the human user to control and/or fine tune said relationship data.

25. The system architecture and operational method of claim 22, wherein said expert system means utilizes a the rule base system architecture based on the configuration knowledge of the multiplexer communications network.

26. The system architecture and operational method of claim 22, wherein said relationship data means comprises a relational database containing said relationship data.

27. The system architecture and operational method of claim 26, wherein said relational database can be defined, modified, updated, or maintained by the human user.

28. The system architecture and operational method of claim 22, wherein said expert systems means includes man-machine interface means for allowing the human user to control said requirement means or said configuration means.

29. The system architecture and operational method of claim 28, wherein said man-machine interface means is operated by the human user using a menu-driven strategy.

30. The system architecture and operational method of claim 28, wherein said man-machine interface means is operated by the human user using graphical interface.

31. The system architecture and operational method of claim 28, wherein said man-machine interface means is operated by the human user using an icon-based interface.

32. The system architecture and operational method of claim 28, wherein said man-machine interface means is operated by the human user using a window-driven interface.