Simplified uniform network provisioning and restoration
First Claim
1. A method for use in automatically provisioning communication special services between locations in a network that has predetermined network facilities, the method comprising the steps of:
- receiving requirements for a particular customer-specified special service, said customer-specified special service being a dedicated communication capability selected from a plurality of predefined special service types that is provided through said network for the exclusive use of said customer;
monitoring on an ongoing basis an immediate availability status for each facility in said network and developing in response thereto an inventory that lists facilities of said network that are immediately available to be interconnected to provide special services;
analyzing said requirements for said particular special service to extract its technical characteristics;
identifying a set of facilities having said technical characteristics that are to be employed in providing said particular special service from facilities that are listed in said inventory; and
generating control signals to cause said facilities of said set to be interconnected to provide said particular special service.
1 Assignment
0 Petitions
Accused Products
Abstract
A unified and automated system for providing, restoring and optimizing special services is continually aware of the state of all the equipment and facilities in the network. The unified system responds automatically to a request for a special service by 1) designing a circuit required to support the requested special service, 2) identifying network facilities and configurations for implementing the designed circuit, 3) assigning those facilities to the circuit, 4) causing the various equipment providing the facilities to be interconnected to implement the service, 5) verifying the integrity of the special service, and 6) delivering the service to the customer. In accordance with an aspect of the invention, if at any point in the process of providing a special service it is determined that there are no available direct transport facilities in the inventory of network facilities at the level required to provide the special service between the particular points in the network that must be interconnected to provide the special service, the system will employ procedures for further identifying or developing transport facilities, in accordance with a predetermined hierarchical plan. The identified or developed transport facilities are delivered, as a unit, as a new inventory facility at the required level. In accordance with an aspect of the invention, if an indirect connection is used at any level, the new inventory unit is marked as a candidate for optimization to be performed in the future. Thereafter the process of providing the special service can proceed as previously described.
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Citations
27 Claims
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1. A method for use in automatically provisioning communication special services between locations in a network that has predetermined network facilities, the method comprising the steps of:
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receiving requirements for a particular customer-specified special service, said customer-specified special service being a dedicated communication capability selected from a plurality of predefined special service types that is provided through said network for the exclusive use of said customer; monitoring on an ongoing basis an immediate availability status for each facility in said network and developing in response thereto an inventory that lists facilities of said network that are immediately available to be interconnected to provide special services; analyzing said requirements for said particular special service to extract its technical characteristics; identifying a set of facilities having said technical characteristics that are to be employed in providing said particular special service from facilities that are listed in said inventory; and generating control signals to cause said facilities of said set to be interconnected to provide said particular special service. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12)
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13. A system for use in automatically provisioning customer-specified communication special services, which are dedicated communications capabilities selected from a plurality of predefined special service types that are provided for the exclusive use of said customer, in a network that has predetermined network resources, each of said resources belonging to a particular level of a predetermined plurality of levels of a transmission hierarchy and each of said special services being provided over a special service circuit made up of said resources and also belonging to a level from said predetermined plurality of levels, said system comprising:
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means for making a determination if a special service circuit can be provisioned from network resources that are currently listed in an inventory of network resources that are available at the level of said special service circuit, said means for making a determination being responsive to at least both i) the network resources listed in said inventory and ii) the resources required to make up the special service circuit, an identification of said resources required having been derived in response to a request for a special service that specifies requirements which are particular to said special service, said determination being such that said special service circuit can be provisioned only if there is listed in said inventory sufficient network resources to meet said requirements of said special service request; means, responsive to said determination, for adding to said inventory additional resources at said level of said special service circuit if the available network resources in said inventory are insufficient to support said special service circuit, said additional resources being obtained from a level higher than said level; and means for controlling and sequencing the operations of said means for making and said means for adding until sufficient inventory to provision said special service is available at said level or no further resources are available at any level higher than said level. - View Dependent Claims (14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20, 21, 22, 23)
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24. In a communications network having predetermined network resources, each of said network resources being assigned to a particular one of a plurality of predetermined levels of a transmission hierarchy, a system for automatically provisioning or restoring communication special services comprising:
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means for receiving special service requirements and ascertaining a type of special service required, said required special service being a customer-specified dedicated communication capability selected from a plurality of predefined special service types that is provided through said network for the exclusive use of said customer; means responsive to said ascertained type of special service for designing a special service circuit employing said network resources that will support said ascertained type of special service; means, responsive to i) actual immediate usage of said network resources and ii) said special service circuit, for determining which of said network resources are to be assigned to said special service circuit if there are sufficient network resources available in an inventory of network resources at the level of said special service circuit; means for obtaining new inventory at said level of said special service circuit from available inventory at levels of inventory higher than said level if said means for determining determines that said available network resources in said inventory at of network resources at said level are insufficient to support said special service circuit; means for controlling and sequencing the operations of said means for determining and said means for obtaining until sufficient inventory to provide said ascertained type of special service is available at said level or no further inventory is available at any level; and means for assigning said determined network resources to said special service circuit if sufficient inventory to provide said special service circuit is available at said level. - View Dependent Claims (25, 26)
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27. In a communications network having predetermined network resources, each of which is assigned to a particular one of a plurality of predetermined levels of a transmission hierarchy, a method for automatically optimizing communication special services including the steps of:
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a. determining a type of special service required, said required special service being a customer-specified dedicated communication capability selected from a plurality of predefined special service types that is provided through said network for the exclusive use of said customer; b. if said type of special service is being provided by a special service circuit that is not optimum, determining if a new special service circuit can be designed from available inventory that can support said type of special service and is closer to optimum than the current special service circuit; c. if a new circuit that is closer to optimum can be designed from available inventory, reserving those of said network resources that are needed to implement the new circuit such that the new circuit is as close to optimum as can be obtained with the resources in said inventory; d. scheduling a time for special service reroute such that a minimal impact on the special service provided will result; e. rerouting from the old special service circuit to the new special service circuit.
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Specification