Process and routing system for dynamic traffic control in a communication network

• US 5,930,249 A
• Filed: 01/31/1997
• Issued: 07/27/1999
• Est. Priority Date: 08/03/1994
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Nokia Siemens Networks GmbH & Company KG (Nokia Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Siemens AG
• Inventors: Gehlhaus, Karl, Stademann, Rainer
• Primary Examiner(s): TON, DANG T
• Application Number:
  US08/776,561
• Time in Patent Office: 907 Days
• Field of Search: 370/351, 370/216, 370/217, 370/218, 370/221, 370/225, 370/227, 370/228, 370/407, 370/408, 370/411, 370/352, 370/389, 340/827, 340/825.01, 395/181, 379/221
• US Class Current: 370/351
• CPC Class Codes: H04Q 2213/13141 Hunting for free outlet, circuit or channel
• CPC Class Codes: H04Q 2213/13164 Traffic (registration, measurement,...)
• CPC Class Codes: H04Q 2213/13166 Fault prevention
• CPC Class Codes: H04Q 2213/13332 Broadband, CATV, dynamic bandwidth allocation
• CPC Class Codes: H04Q 2213/13344 Overflow
• CPC Class Codes: H04Q 3/66 Traffic distributors

Abstract

The dynamic routing of a communication network is to adapt itself to the respective traffic load in the network in a way which optimizes network throughput. The routing according to the invention solves this problem by a route fan for holding alternate routes for the overflow traffic, an alternate route previously contained in the route fan being removed from the route fan without replacement as soon as it is established that it is no longer available.

Claims

1. A process for dynamic traffic control in a communication network, comprising the steps of:

initially offering calls between an origin switching node of the communication network and a destination switching node of the communication network to at least one planned route;

offering calls, in the event that none of the at least one planned route is available, to alternate routes, which are contained in a route fan, based on a predetermined selection scheme;

removing an alternate route, previously contained in the route fan, from the route fan as soon as it is established that said alternate route is no longer available;

reinitializing the route fan if the number of alternate routes contained in the route fan drops below a value;

removal of the alternate route from the route fan not being restricted to an individual time for this alternate route; and

reinitializing the route fan if a predetermined time condition is satisfied.

2. The process as claimed in claim 1, wherein the route fan is reinitialized in response to a command from a network-centralized traffic management system or a network operator.

3. The process as claimed in claim 1, wherein, during an initialization or re-initialization, the route fan is assigned all possible alternate routes.

4. The process as claimed in claim 1, wherein, during an initialization or re-initialization, the route fan is assigned a subset of possible alternate routes, which is determined based on one of a criterion of traffic loading or free capacity of the alternate routes by one of the origin switching node or a network-centralized traffic management system.

5. The process as claimed in claim 1, wherein a call is offered only to a single alternate route before the call is terminated because of non-availability of the single alternative route.

6. The process as claimed in claim 1, wherein a call is offered to a plurality of alternate routes before the call is terminated because of non-availability of the plurality of alternative routes.

7. The process as claimed in claim 1, wherein said predetermined selection scheme consists in that the alternate routes are selected from the route fan in one of a randomly controlled or pseudorandomly controlled or cyclically rotating manner.

8. The process as claimed in claim 1, wherein each alternate route selected from the route fan for overflow traffic is offered a given number of overflowing calls before moving on to a next alternate route according to the selection scheme.

9. A routing system for dynamic traffic control in a switching node processor of a communication network, the routing system having a structure comprising:

the system offering calls between an origin switching node and a destination switching node of the communication network initially to at least one planned route;

the system offering, in the event that none of the at least one planned route is available, calls to at least one alternate route, which are contained in a route fan, based on a specific selection scheme;

the system removing the alternate route previously contained in the route fan from said route fan as soon as the alternate route is no longer available;

the system reinitializing the route fan if the number of alternate routes contained in the route fan drops below a predetermined number;

the system not restricting removal of an alternate route from the route fan to an individual time for this alternate route;

also the system reinitializing the route fan if a predetermined time condition is satisfied.

10. The routing system as claimed in claim 9, wherein the system reinitializes the route fan in response to one of a command from a network-centralized traffic management system or a network operator.

11. The routing system as claimed in claim 9, wherein the system, during an initialization or reinitialization, assigns the route fan all possible alternate routes.

12. The routing system as claimed in claim 9, wherein the system, during an initialization or reinitialization, assigns the route fan a subset of possible alternate routes, which is determined based on a criterion of one of traffic loading or free capacity of the alternate routes by one of the routing system itself or a network-centralized traffic management system.

13. The routing system as claimed in claim 9, wherein the system offers a call to a single alternate route before the call is terminated in case of non-availability of the single alternative route.

14. The routing system as claimed in claim 9, wherein the system offers a call to a plurality of alternate routes before the call is terminated in case of non-availability of the plurality of alternative routes.

15. The routing system as claimed in claim 9, wherein said predetermined selection scheme consists in that the alternate routes are selected from the route fan in one of a randomly controlled or pseudorandomly controlled or cyclically rotating manner.

16. The routing system as claimed in claim 9, wherein the system offers each alternate route selected from the route fan for overflow traffic a given number of overflowing calls before the system offers the next alternate route according to the selection scheme.