Communication network and communication node used in such network

• US 6,671,254 B1
• Filed: 12/10/1999
• Issued: 12/30/2003
• Est. Priority Date: 12/11/1998
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: OKI Electric Industry Company Limited
• Original Assignee: OKI Electric Industry Company Limited
• Inventors: Nakahira, Yoshihiro
• Primary Examiner(s): CANGIALOSI, SALVATORE A
• Application Number:
  US09/457,761
• Time in Patent Office: 1,481 Days
• Field of Search: 370/217, 370/229, 370/232, 370/392, 359/110, 359/118, 359/123, 359/124, 359/135, 359/139, 398/5, 398/25, 398/45, 398/82, 398/175
• US Class Current: 370/229
• CPC Class Codes: H04Q 11/0005 Switch and router aspects
• CPC Class Codes: H04Q 11/0071 Provisions for the electrical-optical layer interface
• CPC Class Codes: H04Q 2011/0073 Provisions for forwarding or routing, e.g. lookup tables
• CPC Class Codes: H04Q 2011/0083 Testing; Monitoring
• CPC Class Codes: H04Q 2011/0086 Network resource allocation, dimensioning or optimisation

Abstract

A network system comprises nodes, a network management system and a plurality of user terminals. Each of the nodes established on the network system comprises an optical cross connect and a packet switch. The packet switch accommodates a plurality of terminals. Each of the nodes monitors traffic transferring in the packet switch thereof. Alternatively, each of the nodes monitors start and end of an application of each of the terminals included therein. Alternatively, each of the nodes measures delay time between the nodes. Then, each of the nodes reports the packet flow, the start and the end of the application, or the delay time between nodes to the network management system. The network management system establishes an optical path between each of the nodes based on the packet flow, the start and the end of the application, or the delay time between nodes monitored by each of the nodes.

Claims

1. A network system including a plurality of nodes and at least a network management system, an optical path being established between two of the plurality of nodes, wherein:

the network system comprises a monitor associated with each node for monitoring a packet flow of the optical path as an electrical signal; and

an additional optical path between the nodes is established based on the packet flow monitored by the monitor.

2. A network system as set forth in claim 1, wherein:

the network system comprises a threshold monitor having a threshold of a packet flow predetermined for each path; and

the additional optical path between the nodes is established when the packet flow is judged to exceed the threshold.

3. A network system as set forth in claim 1, wherein:

the network system comprises a threshold monitor having a threshold of a packet flow to be output to a specific node; and

the additional optical path between the nodes is established when the packet flow is judged to exceed the threshold.

4. A network system as set forth in claim 1, wherein:

the network system comprises a threshold monitor having a threshold of a packet flow transferring in a communication path between one of the nodes and the nodes adjacent to the one of the nodes; and

the additional optical path between the nodes is established when the packet flow is judged to exceed the threshold.

32. A network system as set forth in claim 1, wherein the network management system comprises an optical path status table storing a number of optical paths, a route of each optical path, and an occupied bandwidth of each optical path.

5. A network system including a plurality of nodes and at least a network management system, an optical path being established between two of the plurality of nodes, wherein:

the network system comprises an application monitor associated with each node for monitoring as an electrical signal a start and end of an application at the nodes; and

an additional optical path between the nodes is established based on a status of the application.

33. A network system as set forth in claim 5, wherein the network management system comprises an optical path status table storing a number of optical paths, a route of each optical path, and an occupied bandwidth of each optical path.

6. A network system including a plurality of nodes and at least a network management system, an optical path being established between two of the plurality of nodes, wherein:

the network system comprises means for measuring a delay time generated between one of the plurality of nodes and the other one of the nodes, the delay time being measured as an electrical signal at each node; and

an additional optical path between the nodes is established based on the delay time.

7. A network system as set forth in claim 6, wherein:

the network system comprises a threshold monitor having a threshold of a delay time predetermined for each path; and

the additional optical path between the nodes is established when the delay time is judged to exceed the threshold.

8. A network system as set forth in claim 6, wherein:

the network system comprises a threshold monitor having a threshold of a delay time predetermined for each connection between the nodes; and

the additional optical path between the nodes is established when the delay time is judged to exceed the threshold.

34. A network system as set forth in claim 6, wherein the network management system comprises an optical path status table storing a number of optical paths, a route of each optical path, and an occupied bandwidth of each optical path.

9. A network system including a plurality of nodes and at least a network management system, an optical path being established between two of the plurality of nodes, wherein:

each node comprises a packet switch comprising a plurality of terminals, an optical cross connect, and a monitor for monitoring a data packet flow in the optical path as an electrical signal; and

an additional optical path between the nodes is established based on the packet flow monitored by the monitor in the network system.

10. A network system as set forth in claim 9, wherein:

the network management system comprises means for inquiring the data packet flow in the optical path to the monitor;

the monitor comprises means for reporting the data packet flow in the optical path to the network management system in response to the inquiry; and

the network management system establishes the additional optical path between the nodes based on the packet flow.

11. A network system as set forth in claim 9, wherein:

the nodes comprises a threshold monitor having a threshold of a packet flow predetermined for each path; and

the network management system establishes the additional optical path between the nodes when the packet flow is judged to exceed the threshold.

12. A network system as set forth in claim 9, wherein:

the node comprises a threshold monitor having a threshold of a traffic to be output to a specific node; and

the network management system establishes the additional optical path between the nodes when the traffic is judged to exceed the threshold.

13. A network system as set forth in claim 9, wherein:

the node comprises a threshold monitor having a threshold of a traffic transferring in a communication path between one of the nodes and the nodes adjacent to the one of the nodes; and

the network management system establishes the additional optical path between the nodes when the traffic is judged to exceed the threshold.

14. A network system as set forth in claim 11, wherein:

the threshold monitor comprises means for reporting to the network management system when the packet flow is judged to exceed the threshold; and

the network management system establishes the additional optical path between the nodes based on the report from the threshold monitor.

35. A network system as set forth in claim 9, wherein the network management system comprises an optical path status table storing a number of optical paths, a route of each optical path, and an occupied bandwidth of each optical path.

15. A network system including a plurality of nodes and at least a network management system, an optical path being established between two of the plurality of nodes, wherein:

each node comprises a packet switch comprising a plurality of terminals, an optical cross connect, and an application monitor for monitoring as an electrical signal a status of an application at the terminals; and

the network system establishes the additional optical path between the nodes based on a status of the application.

16. A network system as set forth in claim 15, wherein:

the application monitor is provided in the terminals.

17. A network system as set forth in claim 15, wherein:

the application monitor reports a status of the application to the network management system; and

the network management system establishes the additional optical path between the nodes based on the report from the application monitor.

36. A network system as set forth in claim 15, wherein the network management system comprises an optical path status table storing a number of optical paths, a route of each optical path, and an occupied bandwidth of each optical path.

18. A network system including a plurality of nodes and at least a network management system, an optical path being established between two of the plurality of nodes, wherein:

each node comprises a packet switch comprising a plurality of terminals, an optical cross connect, and a delay monitor for measuring as an electrical signal a delay time between the nodes; and

the network system establishes an additional optical path between the nodes based on the delay time.

19. A network system as set forth in claim 18, wherein:

the delay monitor measures the delay time by sending to and receiving from the other of the nodes a managing packet having time data.

20. A network system as set forth in claim 19, wherein:

the network management system comprises means for inquiring the delay time to the delay monitor;

the delay monitor comprises means for reporting the delay time to the network management system in response to the inquiry; and

the network management system establishes the additional optical path between the nodes based on the delay time.

21. A network system as set forth in claim 18, wherein:

the node comprises a threshold monitor having a threshold of a delay time for each path; and

the network management system establishes the additional optical path between the nodes when the delay time is judged to the threshold.

22. A network system as set forth in claim 18, wherein:

the node comprises a threshold monitor having a threshold of a delay time of a traffic to be output to a specific node;

the network management system establishes the additional optical path between the nodes when the delay time is judged to exceed the threshold.

23. A network system as set forth in claim 18, wherein:

the node comprises a threshold monitor having a threshold of a traffic transferring in a communication path between one of the nodes and the nodes adjacent to the one of the nodes; and

the network management system establishes the additional optical path between the nodes when the delay time is judged to exceed the threshold.

24. A network system as set forth in one of claim 21, wherein:

the delay monitor measures the delay time by sending to and receiving from the other of the nodes a management packet having time data.

25. A network system as set forth in claim 21, wherein:

the threshold monitor comprises means for reporting to the network management system when the packet flow is judged to exceed the threshold; and

the network management system establishes the additional optical path between the nodes based on the report from the threshold monitor.

26. A network system as set forth in claim 22, wherein:

the threshold monitor comprises means for reporting to the network management system when the packet flow is judged to exceed the threshold; and

the network management system establishes the additional optical path between the nodes based on the report from the threshold monitor.

27. A network system as set forth in claim 23, wherein:

the threshold monitor comprises means for reporting to the network management system when the packet flow is judged to exceed the threshold; and

the network management system establishes the additional optical path between the nodes based on the report from the threshold monitor.

28. A network system as set forth in claim 22, wherein:

the delay monitor measures the delay time by sending to and receiving from the other of the nodes a managing packet having time data.

29. A network system as set forth in claim 23, wherein:

the delay monitor measures the delay time by sending to and receiving from the other of the nodes a managing packet having time data.

30. A network system as set forth in claim 22, wherein:

the threshold monitor comprises means for reporting to the network management system when the packet flow is judged to exceed the threshold; and

the network management system establishes the additional optical path between the nodes based on the report from the threshold monitor.

31. A network system as set forth in claim 23, wherein:

the threshold monitor comprises means for reporting to the network management system when the packet flow is judged to exceed the threshold; and

the network management system establishes the additional optical path between the nodes based on the report from the threshold monitor.

37. A network system as set forth in claim 18, wherein the network management system comprises an optical path status table storing a number of optical paths, a route of each optical path, and an occupied bandwidth of each optical path.