Routes and paths management

• US 6,570,867 B1
• Filed: 04/09/1999
• Issued: 05/27/2003
• Est. Priority Date: 04/09/1999
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: RPX Clearinghouse LLC (RPX Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Nortel Networks Limited (Nortel Networks Corporation)
• Inventors: Franko, Larry A., Robinson, Mark C.
• Primary Examiner(s): Vu, Huy D.
• Assistant Examiner(s): PHAN, MAN U
• Application Number:
  US09/288,565
• Time in Patent Office: 1,509 Days
• Field of Search: 370/238,240,248,229,230,235,241,233,401 709/203,224,230,240,241,238,223 707/103,201,207 379/133,137,197,220,221
• US Class Current: 370/351
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 41/0213 Standardised network management protocols, e.g. simple network management protocol [SNMP]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 41/22 comprising specially adapted graphical user interfaces [GUI]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 41/5003 Managing SLA; Interaction between SLA and QoS
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 41/5012 determining service availability, e.g. which services are available at a certain point in time
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 43/08 Monitoring or testing based on specific metrics, e.g. QoS, energy consumption or environmental parameters
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 43/16 Threshold monitoring
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 45/00 Routing or path finding of packets in data switching networks routing or path finding in wireless networks H04W40/00

Abstract

The invention provides a new cost-effective and efficient framework for network management of telecommunications networks by monitoring the network-level concepts of routes and paths. The invention is embodied in a route and path management (RPM) system which includes a data collector for collecting data from the individual network elements, a management server for processing the routing data collected into manageable route and path objects and a graphical unit interface (GUI) for allowing a user to manage and monitor routes and paths in the IP network. By monitoring routes and paths, the RPM provides network managers with the added capability of troubleshooting, performance monitoring, service level planning and provisioning packet forwarding paths between any source-destination endpoints in a network.

Claims

1. A route and path management (RPM) system for a communication network comprising a plurality of network elements whereby the network elements form multiple sets of paths, each set of paths being associated with a respective route in the communication network, the RPM comprising:

a data collector for collecting data from the plurality of network elements whereby the data collected relates to at least one route and an associated set of paths formed in the communication network;

a management server connected to the data collector to receive the data collected for monitoring the at least one route and the associated set of paths formed in the communication network; and

a user interface connected to the management server for specifying the at least one route to monitor and reporting the routing performance and path changes associated therewith;

wherein for monitoring the at least one route and the associated set of paths defined in the communication network, the management server is comprised of;

a path trace and logic unit connected to the user interface for receiving the at least one route to monitor and performing historical and real-time monitoring of the path changes of the associated set of paths; and

a performance monitor logic unit connected to the user interface for receiving the at least one route to monitor and for monitoring the performance of the at least one route and the associated set of paths historically and in real-time; and

wherein for performing historical and real-time monitoring of path changes of the associated set of paths, the path trace and monitor logic unit is comprised of;

a trace handler for receiving the at least on route specified from the user interface;

a path objects assemble for assembling the set of paths associated with the at least on route specified; and

a path change monitor logic unit for monitoring changes in the set of paths associated with the at least on route specified.

5. The RPM system of claim 1 wherein the data collector is operable with simple network management protocol (SNMP).

6. The RPM system of claim 1 wherein the data collector is comprised of a trap gatherer for gathering the generated by network elements of the communication network.

7. The RPM system of claim 6 wherein the management server further has a trap handler connected to the trap gatherer for handling the traps generated and notifying the user interface of significant events.

8. The RPM system of claim 1 wherein the RPM system is operable with integrated network management (INM).

9. The RPM system of claim 1 in combination with a database for storing the routing performance results of the at least one route and the path changes associated therewith.

10. The RPM system of claim 9 in combination with a management information base (MIB) for providing SNMP access to the at least one route and the associated set of paths monitored.

12. The method of claim 1 wherein the step of assembling each one of the set of paths comprises the steps of:

at each of the source endpoint and subsequent intermediate points located between the source endpoint and the destination endpoint, collecting routing information for assembling the at least one forward path of the set of paths; and

at each of the destination endpoint and subsequent intermediate points located between the destination endpoint and the source endpoint, collecting routing information for assembling the at least one backward path of the set of paths.

2. A route and path management (RPM) system for a communication network comprising a plurality of network elements whereby the network elements form multiple sets of paths, each set of paths being associated with a respective route in the communication network, the RPM comprising:

a data collector for collecting data from the plurality of network elements whereby the data collected relates to at least one route and an associated set of paths formed in the communication network;

a management server connected to the data collector to receive the data collected for monitoring the at least one route and the associated set of paths formed in the communication network; and

a user interface connected to the management server for specifying the at least one route to monitor and reporting the routing performance and path changes associated therewith;

wherein for monitoring the at least one route and the associated set of paths defined in the communication network, the management server is comprised of;

a path trace and monitor logic unit connected to the user interface for receiving the at least one route to monitor and performing historical and real-time monitoring of the path changes of the associated set of paths; and

a performance monitor logic unit connected to the user interface for receiving the at least one route to monitor and for monitoring the performance of the at least on route and the associated set of paths historically and in real-time; and

wherein for historically monitoring of the performance of the at least one route and the associated set of paths, the performance monitor logic unit is comprised of;

a monitoring queue for receiving the at least one route specified from the user interface and holding identification and performance data related to the at least one route specified and the associated set of paths;

an object performance monitor logic unit connected to the monitoring queue for polling the network elements forming the associated set of paths for new identification and performance data;

a path performance monitor logic unit connected to both the monitoring queue and the object performance monitor logic unit for computing the performance associated with each path of the set of paths;

a route performance monitor logic unit connected to both the monitoring queue and the path performance monitor logic unit for computing the overall performance of the at least one route specified; and

a threshold crossing logic unit connected to the object performance monitor logic unit, the pat performance monitor logic unit and the route performance monitor logic unit for measuring the performance of the at least specified route and the associated set of paths against suitable performance thresholds.

3. A route and path management (RPM) system for a communication network comprising a plurality of network elements whereby the network elements form multiple sets of paths, each set of paths being associated with a respective route in the communication network, the RPM comprising:

a data collector for collecting data from the plurality of network elements whereby the data collected relates to at least one route and an associated set of paths formed in the communication network;

a management server connected to the data collector to receive the data collected for monitoring the at least one route and the associated set of paths formed in the communication network; and

a user interface connected to the management server for specifying the at least on route to monitor and reporting the routing performance and path changes associated therewith;

wherein for monitoring the at least on route and the associated set of paths defined in the communication network, the management server is comprised of;

a path trace and logic unit connected to the user interface for receiving the at least one route to monitor and performing historical and real-time monitoring of the path changes of the associated set of paths; and

a performance monitor logic unit connected to the user interface for receiving the at least on route to monitor and for monitoring the performance of the at least on route and the associated set of paths historically and in real-time; and

wherein for monitoring the performance of the at least one route and the associated set of paths in real-time, the performance monitor logic unit is further comprised of;

an object performance logic unit connected to the monitoring queue for polling the network elements forming the associated set of paths for new identification and performance data;

a path performance logic unit connected to both the monitoring queue and the object performance logic unit for computing the performance associated with each path of the set of paths; and

a route performance logic unit connected to both the monitoring queue and the path performance logic unit for computing the overall performance of the at least one route specified.

4. A route and path management (RPM) system for a communication network comprising a plurality of network elements whereby the network elements form multiple sets of paths, each set of paths being associated with a respective route in the communication network, the RPM comprising:

a data collector for collecting data from the plurality of network elements whereby the data collected relates to at least one route and an associated set of paths formed in the communication network

a management server connected to the data collector to receive the data collected for monitoring the at least one route and the associated set of paths formed in the communication network; and

a user interface connected to the management server for specifying the at least one route to monitor and reporting the routing performance and path changes associated therewith;

wherein for monitoring the at least one route and the associated set of paths defined in the communication network, the management server is comprised of;

a path trace and logic unit connected to the user interface for receiving the at least one route to monitor and performing historical and real-time monitoring of the path changes of the associated set of paths; and

a performance monitor logic unit connected to the user interface for receiving the at least one route to monitor and for monitoring the performance of the at least on route and the associated set of paths historically and in real-time; and

wherein the management server further comprises a historical path and performance broker connected to the user interface for historically analysing the routing performance and the path changes of the at least one route and the associated set of paths, the historical path and performance broker comprising;

a trace handler for receiving the at least one route specified from the user interface;

a path gatherer for retrieving the set of paths associated with the at least one route specified;

an event and performance gatherer for gathering the routing performance data and the path changes of the at least one route and the associated set of paths, and

a solution provider for processing the routing performance data and the path changes of the at least one route and the associated set of paths in a form appropriate for analysis.

11. A method for managing routes and paths in a communication network comprising a plurality of network elements whereby the network elements form multiple sets of paths, each set of paths comprising at least one forward path and one backward path and being associated with a respective route defined by a source endpoint and a destination endpoint in the communication network, the method comprising the steps of:

collecting data from the plurality of network elements whereby the data collected relates to at least one route and an associated set of paths; and

monitoring the at least one route and the associated set of paths;

wherein the step of monitoring the at least one route and the associated set of paths comprises the steps of;

performing historical and real-time monitoring of the path changes of the associated set of paths; and

monitoring of the performance of the at least one route and the associated set of paths historically and in real-time; and

wherein the step of performing historical and real-time monitoring of the path changes of the associated set of paths comprises the steps of;

assembling each one of the set of paths; and

monitoring the path changes of the associated set of paths historically and in real-time.