Communication system architecture and a management control agent and operating protocol therefor

• US 6,385,196 B1
• Filed: 12/16/1997
• Issued: 05/07/2002
• Est. Priority Date: 12/16/1997
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: RPX Clearinghouse LLC (RPX Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Nortel Networks Limited (Nortel Networks Corporation)
• Inventors: Evans, Stephen Rhylant, Cable, Julian Frank Barry, Hayball, Clive Colin
• Primary Examiner(s): Jung, Min
• Application Number:
  US08/991,273
• Time in Patent Office: 1,603 Days
• Field of Search: 370/254, 370/351, 370/356, 370/395, 370/401, 370/431, 370/462, 370/466, 370/468, 370/438, 370/463, 370/522
• US Class Current: 370/356
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 2012/5626 Network management, e.g. Intelligent nets
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 2012/563 Signalling, e.g. protocols, reference model
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 2012/5663 Support of N-ISDN
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 41/046 comprising network management agents or mobile agents therefor
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 41/0803 Configuration setting
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 41/0823 characterised by the purposes of a change of settings, e.g. optimising configuration for enhancing reliability for optimising operational conditions of wireless networks H04W24/02
• CPC Class Codes: H04Q 11/0478 Provisions for broadband connections

Abstract

A communication network (300) comprises a call server (302) and several fabric control modules (322, 326, 330-334) coupled to the call server (302) through a fabric application interface (306, 324, 328, 342). The fabric control modules are arranged to control circuit connections (310, 312) within, for example, a narrowband-broadband interface (304) in response to the call server. A management agent (338) coupled to the call server through a dedicated management interface (336) includes a memory (340) for storing network configuration information and a processor (339) arranged to provide the network configuration information to the call server over the dedicated management interface (336) to affect initial establishment of the fabric application interface (306). In this way, the fabric application interface (306) is optimized in relation to available resources and consequently provides a uniform view between the call server and a narrowband-broadband interface (304).

Claims

1. A communication network comprising:

a call server for administering, in use, operational control of connections in the communication network;

a fabric control system comprising a plurality of fabric control modules coupled to the call server through a fabric application interface, the fabric control modules being arranged to control circuit connections within the communication network in response to the call server; and

a management agent coupled to the call server through a dedicated management interface, the management agent including a memory for storing network configuration information for establishing fabric interface connections, the management agent further having means arranged to provide the network configuration information to the call server over the dedicated management interface to effect establishment of a uniform fabric application interface by the call server.

2. The communication network of claim 1, wherein the network configuration information includes information relating to at least one of:

interface protocols of the fabric application interface;

virtual circuit addresses used in the fabric application interface;

port addresses of fabric control modules;

types of fabric control models used in the communication network; and

numbers of fabric control models used in the communication network.

3. The communication network of claim 2, wherein at least some of the plurality of fabric control modules are co-located with one another.

4. The communication network of claim 2, wherein the plurality of fabric control modules are distributed across the network.

5. The communication network of claim 1, wherein the plurality of fabric control modules are located in a fabric control system of a broadband-narrowband interface.

6. The communication network of claim 5, wherein the broadband-narrowband interface interfaces to an ATM network.

7. The communication network of claim 2, wherein the plurality of fabric control modules include at least some of:

connection broker instances;

signalling processor instances;

terminal process controllers;

switch connection circuit instances; and

service circuit resource manager instances.

8. The communication network of claim 1, wherein the dedicated management interface is a permanent connection having a circuit identity known to both the call server and the management agent.

9. The communication network of claim 8, wherein the dedicated management interface forms part of the fabric application interface.

10. The communication network of claim 2, wherein the network configuration information is critical to the establishment of the fabric application interface.

11. The communication network of claim 1, wherein the memory is programmable to receive revised network configuration information and the means arranged to provide the network configuration information is further operational to provide the revised network configuration information to the call server after establishment of an initial fabric application interface.

12. The communication network of claim 1, wherein the plurality of fabric control modules each include a processor arranged to determine and report an operational status of its fabric control module.

13. The communication network of claim 12, wherein the management agent further comprises a management processor, and each processor in each fabric control module is capable of reporting the operational status to the management processor of the management agent.

14. The communication network of claim 13, wherein the management processor of the management agent is coupled to the dedicated management interface and arranged to notify the call server of the operational status of each fabric control module.

15. The communication network of claim 13, wherein the management processor is arranged independently to interrogate each processor in each fabric control module and to report the operational status of each fabric control module to the call server over the dedicated management interface.

16. The communication network of claim 15, wherein the dedicated management interface supports a modified Q.2931-based signalling protocol.

17. The communication network of claim 15, wherein the management processor is arranged only to report changes in the operational status of fabric control modules.

18. A method of establishing a fabric application interface between a call server arranged to administer, in use, operational control of connections in a communication system and a fabric control system comprising a plurality of fabric control modules coupled to the call server through the fabric application interface, the fabric control modules being arranged to control circuit connections within the communication system in response to the call server, the communication system further having a management agent coupled to the call server through a dedicated management interface and wherein the management agent includes a memory, the method comprising the steps of:

storing system configuration information for establishing fabric interface connections in the memory of the management agent;

sending the system configuration information to the call server over the dedicated management interface; and

establishing a uniform fabric application interface by the call server between the call server and the plurality of fabric control modules based upon receipt of the system configuration information by the call server.

19. The method of establishing a fabric application interface as claimed in claim 18, further comprising the steps of:

at the call server and in response to receiving the system configuration information, setting up at least one of the following;

interface protocols of the fabric application interface;

virtual circuit addresses used over the fabric application interface;

port addresses used by at least some of the plurality of fabric control modules;

records concerning types of fabric control models used in the communication system; and

records concerning numbers of fabric control models used in the communication system.

20. The method of claim 18, further including the step of altering the fabric application interface by the steps of:

having the management agent notify the call server, over the dedicated management interface, of a system change that effects at least one fabric control module; and

having the call server alter the fabric application interface based on the system changes notified via the management agent.

21. The method of claim 20, further including the step of up-dating the memory with system changes that alter system operation.

22. The method of claim 21, further comprising the step of having the management agent interrogate at least some of the fabric control modules to determine an operational status thereof.

23. The method of claim 22, wherein the step of having the management agent interrogate is responsive to a step of receiving an instruction from the call server.

24. The method of claim 22, wherein the step of having the management agent interrogate is independently actioned by the management agent.

25. A method of altering a fabric control interface between a call server arranged to administer, in use, operational control of connections in a communication network and a fabric control system comprising a plurality of fabric control modules coupled to the call server through the fabric application interface, the fabric control modules being arranged to control circuit connections within the communication network in response to the call server, the communication network further having a management agent including a memory for storing network configuration information for establishing fabric interface connections, said management agent being coupled to the call server through a dedicated management interface, the method comprising the steps of:

having the management agent notify the call server, over the dedicated management interface, of a system change that effects at least one fabric control module; and

having the call server alter the fabric application interface based on the system changes notified by the management agent so as to effect establishment of a uniform fabric application interface by the call server.

26. The method of altering the fabric control interface as claimed in claim 25, wherein the management agent includes an interconnected memory for storing system configuration information and the method further comprises the step of:

up-dating the memory with system changes that alter system operation.

27. The method of altering the fabric control interface as claimed in claim 25, further comprising the step of:

having the management agent interrogate at least some of the fabric control modules to determine an operational status thereof.

28. The method of altering the fabric control interface as claimed in claim 27, wherein the step of having the management agent interrogate is responsive to a step of receiving an instruction from the call server.

29. The method of altering the fabric control interface as claimed in claim 27, wherein the step of having the management agent interrogate is independently actioned by the management agent.

30. A management agent for a communication system comprising a call server arranged to administer, in use, operational control of connections in the communication system, and a fabric control system comprising a plurality of fabric control modules coupled to the call server through a fabric application interface, the fabric control modules being arranged to control circuit connections within the communication system in response to the call server, the management agent containing:

a memory that contains system configuration information critical to the establishment of a uniform fabric application interface by the call server between the call server and the plurality of fabric control modules; and

a processor coupled to the memory and arranged to send the system configuration information to the call server over a dedicated management interface to cause establishment of the fabric application interface by the call server.

31. The management agent of claim 30, wherein the memory stores at least one of the following:

interface protocols of the fabric application interface;

virtual circuit addresses used over the fabric application interface;

port addresses used by at least some of the plurality of fabric control modules;

records pertaining to types of fabric control models used in the communication system; and

records pertaining to numbers of fabric control models used in the communication system.

32. The management agent of claim 30, wherein the processor is arranged to interrogate at least some of the plurality of fabric control modules to determine an operation status thereof and wherein the processor is further arranged to notify the call server, over the dedicated management interface, of a change in operational status that effects at least one fabric control module to instigate alteration of the fabric application interface in response to and based on the change.

33. The management agent of claim 32, wherein the processor up-dates the memory with change in operational status.

34. The management agent of claim 32, wherein the processor interrogates at least some of the plurality of fabric control modules in response to a receiving an instruction from the call server.

35. The management agent of claim 32, wherein the processor interrogates at least some of the plurality of fabric control modules on an independent basis.

36. A method of interrogating communication system entities operationally responsive to a call server arranged to administer, in use, operational control of connections in a communication network, the call server and at least some of the communication system entities coupled to a management agent being arranged to interrogate the at least some of the communication system entities, the method comprising the steps of:

sending a status request message to the management agent from the call server;

in response to receiving the status request message at the call server, having the management agent interrogate at least one of the at least some of the communication system entities to determine an operational status thereof; and

having the management agent communicate the operational status to the call server so as to effect establishment of a uniform fabric application interface by the call server.

37. The method of interrogating communication system entities as claimed in claim 36, further comprising the step of:

in response to receiving the operational status, having the call server change a configuration of the communication network.

38. The method of interrogating communication system entities as claimed in claim 37, wherein the management agent is coupled to the call server over a dedicated management interface.

39. The method of interrogating communication system entities as claimed in claim 38, wherein the communication system entities include a plurality of fabric control modules.

40. The method of interrogating communication system entities as claimed in claim 38, wherein the communication system entities include circuits of the communication network.

41. The method of interrogating communication system entities as claimed in claim 40, wherein the step of interrogating includes the step of interrogating circuits not currently inactive in a call.

42. The method of interrogating communication system entities as claimed in claim 36, wherein the call server is coupled to the communication system entities through a fabric application interface and wherein the communication system entities are arranged to control circuit connections within the communication network in response to the call server, the management agent having both a memory that contains system configuration information critical to the establishment of the fabric application interface between the call server and the plurality of fabric control modules and a processor coupled to the memory, the method further comprising the step of:

prior to the step of interrogating, sending the system configuration information to the call server over the dedicated management interface to cause establishment of the fabric application interface.

43. The method of interrogating communication system entities as claimed in claim 42, the method further including the step of having the call server periodically request a status up-date from the management agent.