Switch device for relayin G cells or packets on demand

• US 6,359,909 B1
• Filed: 05/09/1997
• Issued: 03/19/2002
• Est. Priority Date: 05/09/1996
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Fujitsu Limited
• Original Assignee: Fujitsu Limited
• Inventors: Ogawa, Tomomi, Moriyama, Shigetaka, Ito, Jun
• Primary Examiner(s): Rao, Seema S.
• Assistant Examiner(s): Tsegaye, Saba
• Application Number:
  US08/854,213
• Time in Patent Office: 1,775 Days
• Field of Search: 370/217, 370/218, 370/219, 370/220, 370/395, 370/389, 370/522, 370/524, 370/469, 370/410, 714/1, 714/2, 714/3, 714/4
• US Class Current: 370/522
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 2012/563 Signalling, e.g. protocols, reference model
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 2012/5634 In-call negotiation
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 49/20 Support for services
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 49/254 Centralised controller, i.e. arbitration or scheduling
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 49/255 Control mechanisms for ATM switching fabrics
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 49/3009 Header conversion, routing tables or routing tags
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 49/3081 ATM peripheral units, e.g. policing, insertion or extraction
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 49/50 Overload detection or protection within a single switching element
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 49/552 by ensuring the integrity of packets received through redundant connections
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 49/557 Error correction, e.g. fault recovery or fault tolerance
• CPC Class Codes: H04Q 11/0478 Provisions for broadband connections

Abstract

There is provided a switch device in a communication system in which a relay service of a cell or packet is provided on demand. A layer-3 communication controller performs a signaling control of a call set-up/release requested by a user terminal in accordance with a layer-3 communication protocol. A layer-3 communication restart controller can be connected to the user terminal in accordance with the layer-3 communication protocol and is connected to controllers in the switch device via a given interface. The layer-3 communication restart controller requests a call release process for a call managed by the layer-3 communication controller in accordance with a restart request for a call from the user terminal, and requests a restart process to the user terminal in accordance with a call release process issued in the switch device.

Claims

1. A switch device in a communication

a communication controller which performs a signaling control of respective signaling messages including a cell set-up and a call release requested by a terminal handling a fixed length cell in accordance with communication protocol;

and

a restart controller which performs a call release process for a call using a virtual path and a virtual channel managed by the communication controller in accordance with a restart request for a new call,

wherein the communication restart controller includes a connection analysis controller interposed between the user terminal and the switch device; and

when the connection analysis controller receives the restart request from the user terminal, the connection analysis controller determines whether information concerning a connection included in the restart request indicates an intolerable connection, and accepts the restart request if a determination result is negative, and

wherein the connection analysis controller selectively makes a first decision to a permanent virtual circuit, a second decision to a signaling ink, and/or a third decision to the permanent virtual circuit and the signaling link.

2. A switch device in a communication system comprising:

a communication controller which performs a signaling control of respective signaling messages including a call set-up and a call release requested by a terminal handling a fixed length cell in accordance with communication protocol; and

a restart controller which performs a call release process for a call using a virtual path and a virtual channel managed by the communication controller in accordance with a restart request for a new call,

wherein;

the communication restart controller includes a protection controller interposed between the user terminal and the switch device, and a process state management controller which holds user notification restart process management information used to manage the restart process executed by the switch device and directed to the user terminal in response to the restart request from the user terminal; and

when the protection controller receives the restart request from a user terminal, the protection controller determines whether the restart process is being executed in response to another restart request from the user terminal by searching the user notification restart process management information in the process state management part, and accepts the restart request if a determination result is negative.

3. A switch device in a communication system comprising:

a communication controller which performs a signaling control of respective signaling messages including a call set-up and a call release requested by a terminal handling a fixed length cell in accordance with communication protocol; and

a restart controller which performs a call release process for a cell using a virtual path and a virtual channel managed by the communication controller in accordance with a restart request for a new call,

wherein;

the communication restart controller includes a protection controller interposed between the user terminal and the switch device, and a process state management part which holds user notification restart process management information used to manage a restart process executed by the switch device and directed to the user terminal in response to the restart request from the user terminal; and

when the protection controller receives the restart request from one of the controllers in the switch device, the protection controller determines whether the user terminal is executing the restart process by searching the switch device notification restart management information in the process state management part, and accepts a restart process if a determination result is negative.

4. The switch device as claimed in claim 4, wherein when the determination result is affirmative, the protection controller discards the restart request, holds and executes all restart requests in a requesting order, or executes a restart request which is held for the last time after the restart process being executed is completed.

5. The switch device as claimed in claim 4, wherein an operation of the protection controller to be executed when the determination result is affirmative can be selected by the user terminal.

6. A switch device in a communication system comprising:

a communication controller which performs a signaling control of respective signaling messages including a call set-up and a call release requested by a terminal handling a fixed length cell in accordance with communication protocol; and

a restart controller which performs a signaling control of respective signaling messages including a call set-up and a call release requested by a terminal handling a fixed length cell in accordance with communication protocol; and

the communication restart controller includes a protection controller interposed between the user terminal and the switch device, and a process state management controller which holds user notification restart process management information used to manage the restart process executed by the switch device and directed to the user terminal in response to the restart request from the user terminal; and

when the protection controller receives the restart request from a user terminal, the protection controller determine whether the restart process is being executed in response to another restart request from the user terminal by searching the user notification restart process management information in the process state management part, and accepts the restart request if a determination result is negative,

wherein

when a counter determination result is obtained, the response or the restart request is discarded and the user terminal is notified that the response or the restart request is discarded and that the response or the restart request has an error.

7. A switch device in a communication system comprising:

a communication controller which performs a signaling control of respective signaling messages including a call set-up and a call release requested by a terminal handling a fixed length cell in accordance with communication protocol; and

a restart controller which performs a call release process for a call using a virtual path and a virtual channel managed by the communication controller in accordance with a restart request for a new call,

wherein;

the communication restart controller includes a preservation controller connected to a system management control part which manages the control part in the switch device, a control memory management part which holds process state management information for managing a state transition of a restart process in the communication restart controller; and

when the preservation controller receives a notification of a restart from the system management controller, the preservation controller extracts a call which is subjected to the restart process by the communication restart controller by searching the process state management part, and executes the restart process for the call if ensuring the restart process is requested.

9. The switch device as claimed in claim 7, wherein when the determination result is affirmative, the protection controller discards the restart request, holds and executes all restart requests in a requesting order, or executes a restart request which is held for the last time after the restart process being executed is completed.

8. A switch device in a communication system comprising:

a communication controller which performs a signaling control of respective signaling messages including a call set-up and a call release requested by a terminal handling a fixed length cell in accordance with communication protocol; and

a restart controller which performs a call release process for a call using a virtual path and a virtual channel managed by the communication controller in accordance with a restart request for a new call,

wherein the communication restart controller includes;

a preservation controller connected to a system management control part which manages controllers in the switch system;

a control memory management part which holds process state management information for managing a state transition of the restart process in the communication restart controller; and

a process state management part which holds user notification restart process management information used to manage a restart process executed by the switch device and directed to the user terminal in response to the restart request from the user terminal, and wherein;

when the preservation controller receives a notification of a restart from the system management control part, the preservation controller extracts a call which is subjected to the restart process by the communication restart controller by searching the process state management part on the basis of the restart process management information of the process stage management part, and executes the restart process for the call if ensuring the restart process is requested.

10. A switch device in a communication system comprising:

a communication controller which performs a signaling control of respective signaling messages including a call set-up and a call release requested by a terminal handling a fixed length cell in accordance with communication protocol; and

a restart controller which performs a call release process for a call using a virtual path and a virtual channel managed by the communication controller in accordance with a restart request for a new call,

wherein;

the communication restart controller includes an enquiry controller interposed between a lower layer controller and the switch device; and

if the enquiry controller detects a link reset/interlink fault in a signaling link, or if the enquiry controller receives a notification of a fault relating to the lower layer, the enquiry controller obtains a call process state of a call which encounters a fault from a call process management table managed by the communication controller, and enquires, by itself, of the user terminal a state of the call which encounters the fault in order to confirm whether the communication sequence is normally executed by the communication controller.

11. A switch device in a communication system comprising:

a communication controller which performs a signaling control of respective signaling messages including a call set-up and a call release requested by a terminal handling a fixed length cell in accordance with communication protocol; and

a restart controller which performs a call release process for a call using a virtual path and a virtual channel managed by the communication controller in accordance with a restart request for a new call,

wherein;

the communication restart controller includes an enquiry controller interposed between a lower layer controller and the switch device; and

if the enquiry controller detects a link reset/interlink fault in a signaling link, or if the enquiry controller receives a notification of a fault relating to the lower layer, the enquiry controller obtains a call process state of a call which encounters a fault from a call process management table managed by the communication controller, and enquires, by itself, of the user terminal a state of the call which encounters the fault in order to confirm whether the communication sequence is normally executed by the communication controller.

12. A switch device in a communication system comprising:

a communication controller which performs a signaling control of respective signaling messages including a call set-up and a call release requested by a terminal handling a fixed length cell in accordance with communication protocol; and

a restart controller which performs a call release process for a call using a virtual path and a virtual channel managed by the communication controller in accordance with a restart request for a new call,

wherein;

the communication restart controller includes an announcement controller interposed between a lower layer controller and the switch device; and

when the communication restart controller receives a restart request from the user terminal and detects a situation in which a resource necessary for the restart control cannot be obtained or a process inconsistency occurs in the communication restart controller, so that the restart process cannot continue, the announcement controller notifies the user terminal which issues the restart request that the restart process is stopped.

13. A switch device in a communication system comprising:

a communication controller which performs a signaling control of respective signaling messages including a cell set-up and a call release requested by a terminal handling a fixed length cell in accordance with communication protocol; and

a restart controller which performs a call release process for a call using a virtual path and a virtual channel managed by the communication controller in accordance with a restart request for a new call,

wherein;

the communication restart controller includes a restart control sequence control interface controller which provides a communication restart control sequence interface with the user terminal, and a reject controller connected t the restart control sequence control interface controller;

when the restart control sequence control interface controller receives the restart request from the user terminal, the restart control sequence control interface controller checks a format of the received restart request, and provides the reject controller with an analysis result and necessary received information; and

the reject controller discards the restart request in response to receipt of the analysis result and the necessary received information, and edits given notification information based thereon, the given notification information being sent to the user terminal.

14. A switch device in a communication system comprising:

a communication controller which performs a signaling control of respective signaling messages including a call set-up and a call requested by a terminal handling a fixed length cell in accordance with communication protocol; and

a restart controller which performs a call release process for a call using a virtual path and a virtual channel managed by the communication controller in accordance with a restart request for a new call,

wherein;

the communication restart controller includes a notification controller interposed between the communication restart controller and an upper-layer controller or the communication controller;

the notification controller is activated when there is not response from the user terminal in response to the restart request from the communication restart controller, and edits abnormality control on the basis of abnormality information concerning a line, a logical path or a logical connection via which no response is received; and

the notification controller notifies a maintenance person of the abnormality information, or notifies the communication controller of the abnormality information in order to urge a restriction of the call process to the user terminal.

15. The switch device as claimed in claim 14, wherein a range of the restriction of the call process by the layer-3 communication controller is selectable beforehand by the user terminal.

16. The switch device as claimed in claim 14, wherein the layer-3 communication controller releases the restriction of the call process when the user terminal which restricts the call process activates the layer-3 communication controller.

17. The switch device as claimed in claim 16, wherein the connection which subjected to the call process is recovered when the user terminal specifies the above connection and activates the layer-3 communication controller.

18. A switch device in a communication system comprising:

a communication controller which performs a signaling control of respective signaling messages including a call set-up and a call release requested by a terminal handling a fixed length cell in accordance with communication protocol; and

a restart controller which performs a call release process for a call using a virtual path and a virtual channel managed by the communication controller in accordance with a restart request for a new call,

wherein;

the communication restart controller includes an overload controller connected to a system management controller which manages controllers of the switch device;

when the overload controller receives, from the system management control part, a notification of a congestion which occurs in the switch device, the overload controller analyzes a content of the notification and manages an analyzed result for each congestion type; and

the overload controller provides congestion management information in response to an enquiry from the communication restart controller.

19. A switch device in a communication system comprising:

a communication controller which performs a signaling control of respective signaling messages including a call set-up and a call release requested by a terminal handling a fixed length cell in accordance with communication protocol; and

a restart controller which performs a call release process for a call using a virtual path and a virtual channel managed by the communication controller in accordance with a restart request for a new call,

wherein;

the communication restart controller includes an upper-layer interface controller connected to an upper-layer controller; and

a communication restart controller executes the restart process in a switch initiative formation in response to a command that is input via the upper-layer interface controller.

20. A switch device in a communication system comprising:

a communication controller which performs a signaling control of respective signaling messages including a call set-up and a call release requested by a terminal handling a fixed length cell in accordance with communication protocol; and

a restart controller which performs a call release process for a call using a virtual path and a virtual channel managed by the communication controller in accordance with a restart request for a new call,

wherein;

the communication restart controller includes an upper-layer interface controller connected to the communication controller; and

when there is no release response from the user terminal by a call release request by the communication controller, the communication restart controller is informed that there is no release response and executes a restart process in a switch initiative formation.

21. A switch device in a communication system comprising:

a communication controller which performs a signaling control of respective signaling messages including a call set-up and a call release requested by a terminal handling a fixed length cell in accordance with communication protocol; and

a restart controller which performs a call release process for a call using a virtual path and a virtual channel managed by the communication controller in accordance with a restart request for a new call,

administration controllers that are respectively provided to the controllers of the switch device and supervise operating states of the controllers; and

a main administration controller which totally manages the administration controllers;

wherein the main administration controller collects supervisory information from the controllers and issue an indication when the supervisory information satisfies a given condition.