System and method for dispatching commands to switching elements within a communications network

• US 6,137,774 A
• Filed: 07/31/1997
• Issued: 10/24/2000
• Est. Priority Date: 07/31/1997
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Verizon Patent and Licensing Incorporated (Verizon Communications Inc.)
• Original Assignee: MCI Communications Corporation (Verizon Communications Inc.)
• Inventors: Pauls, Barbara A., Commerford, Gerard L.
• Primary Examiner(s): Patel, Ajit
• Assistant Examiner(s): Phunkulh, Bob A.
• Application Number:
  US08/903,611
• Time in Patent Office: 1,181 Days
• Field of Search: 370/217, 370/218, 370/219, 370/220, 370/241, 370/242, 370/244, 370/250, 370/216, 395/180, 395/181, 395/182.01, 395/182.02, 714/4, 714/5, 714/10
• US Class Current: 370/216
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 2012/5627 Fault tolerance and recovery
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 49/255 Control mechanisms for ATM switching fabrics
• CPC Class Codes: H04Q 11/0478 Provisions for broadband connections

Abstract

A system and method for dispatching commands to switching elements within a network in response to an outage comprising a control computer and a plurality of instructions resident on a memory device for operating the control computer, the plurality of instructions including a code segment for receiving and organizing connect and disconnect commands for the switching elements, a code segment for sending connect and disconnect commands to the switching elements, and a code segment for analyzing responses from the switching elements to determine whether communications are restored are disclosed.

Claims

1. A system for dispatching commands to switching elements within a network in response to an outage comprising:

a control computer; and

a plurality of instructions resident on a memory device coupled to a real-time database to receive real-time network topology information for operating said control computer, said plurality of instructions including a code segment response to said real-time network topology information for receiving and organizing connect and disconnect commands for said switching elements, a code segment responsive to said receiving and organizing connect and disconnect commands for grouping said connect and disconnect commands for each of said switching elements, a code segment response to said grouping code segment for sending connect and disconnect commands to said switching elements, a code segment responsive to receive analyzing responses from said switching elements to determine whether communications are restored, a code segment for normalizing said network if said code segment for analyzing responses from said switching elements determines communications are not restored and a code segment for normalizing said network after the cause of said outage is corrected.

2. The system as recited in claim 1 wherein said connect and disconnect commands for said switching elements are dynamically generated by said control computer in response to said real-time network topology information.

3. The system as recited in claim 1 wherein said connect and disconnect commands for said switching elements are received from a pre-plan database.

4. The system as recited in claim 1 wherein said code segment for normalizing said network further includes normalizing said network without disrupting communications within said network.