Operations and provisioning systems for service level management in an extended-area data communications network

• US 6,681,232 B1
• Filed: 05/22/2001
• Issued: 01/20/2004
• Est. Priority Date: 06/07/2000
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: PHX Communications Incorporated
• Original Assignee: Yipes Enterprise Services, Inc.
• Inventors: Sistanizadeh, Kamran, Kamali, Masoud M.
• Primary Examiner(s): Le, Uyen
• Application Number:
  US09/861,887
• Time in Patent Office: 973 Days
• Field of Search: 707/104.1, 707/1, 707/100, 707/102, 707/103, 709/224, 709/226, 709/229, 709/220, 709/223, 709/225, 709/104, 370/258, 713/153
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 41/0213 Standardised network management protocols, e.g. simple network management protocol [SNMP]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 41/046 comprising network management agents or mobile agents therefor
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 41/5009 Determining service level performance parameters or violations of service level contracts, e.g. violations of agreed response time or mean time between failures [MTBF]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 43/00 Arrangements for monitoring or testing data switching networks
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 43/06 Generation of reports
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 43/0811 by checking connectivity
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 43/0817 by checking functioning
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 43/0829 Packet loss
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 43/0852 Delays
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 43/0864 Round trip delays
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 43/087 Jitter
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 43/10 Active monitoring, e.g. heartbeat, ping or trace-route
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 43/12 Network monitoring probes
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 707/99944 Object-oriented database structure
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 707/99945 Object-oriented database structure processing
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 707/99948 Application of database or data structure, e.g. distributed, multimedia, or image

Abstract

An automated service level manager (SLM) provides operations support for wide-area data communication services offered via regional IP-Over Ethernet on fiber networks. The SLM comprises a suite of software components and associated hardware running the software, to communicate with agents throughout the networks, to accumulate various network operations data for reports and alarms and to provide instructions to control network operations. The SLM preferably offers a web server type user interface. This interface enables access by technical personnel of the carrier, for example from a network operations center. This interface also offers access to customers having or seeking service through the network.

Claims

1. A service level manager for operations support in an extended-area data communications network, the service level manager comprising:

at least one network database storing network topology information and arranged to receive and store dynamic service-related operations data from agents in the extended-area data communications network;

a persistence layer module arranged to process data from the at least one network database, to provide data representing a dynamic view of the topology and operations of the extended-area data communications network;

a user interface for providing information to and receiving inputs from users; and

a service level manager application in communication with the persistence layer module and the user interface, for;

(1) monitoring operations of the extended-area data communications network by analyzing semantic transparency or time transparency of data traffic through the network based on the data provided by the persistence layer module,

(2) providing reports to users via the user interface, of the monitored network operations with respect to specific network services, and

(3) interacting with elements of the extended-area data communications network to control service traffic through the extended-area data communications network.

2. A service level manager as in claim 1, wherein the user interfaces comprises a web server accessible to customers and to operations staff for the extended-area data communications network.

3. A service level manager as in claim 1, wherein the service level manager application comprises one or more Enterprise Java Beans.

4. A service level manager as in claim 1, wherein the dynamic service-related operations data received and stored in the database comprises one or more types of data about the aspects of operations of the extended-area data communications network selected from the group consisting essentially of:

network health parameters, latencies through the extended-area data communications network, latencies through the Internet, and dynamic session-related traffic information.

5. A service level manager as in claim 1, wherein the service level manager application comprises:

a) a topology service module for obtaining network or service topology information from the at least one network database, and

b) a monitoring service module communicating with the agents to obtain the dynamic service-related operations data form the agents; and

c) a provisioning service module for converting a service provisioning request into instructions for implementing a service change identified by the request, based at least in part on the network or service topology information obtained by the topology service module, and

d) a measurement service module for computing the reports of the monitored network operations from the data obtained by the monitoring service module.

6. A service level manager as in claim 1, wherein the service level manager application is arranged to interact with the elements of the extended-area data communications network to control the service traffic, in response to an input received via the user interface.

7. A service level management system, for operations support in an extended-area data communications network, the service level management system comprising:

an agent plane, comprising

a) a plurality of first agents at various points in the extended-area data communications network, the first agents for providing information regarding topology of the extended-area data communications network or topology of services provided through the network; and

b) a plurality of second agents at various points in the extended-area data communications network, the second agents for providing information regarding performance of the extended-area data communications network; and

a service level management plane comprising at least one server programmed to automatically implement functions comprising;

1) a topology service for determining a network or a service topology from the information provided by the first agents;

2) a provisioning service for interacting with elements of the extended-area data communications network to control service traffic through the extended-area data communications network based at least in part on the determined topology;

3) a monitoring service for accumulating data from the second agents; and

4) a measurement service for processing the accumulated data to form one or more reports as to dynamic operations of the extended-area data communications network.

8. A service level management system as in claim 7, wherein the second agents comprise agents selected from one or more categories in the group consisting essentially of:

Simplified Network Management Protocol (SNMP) Agents, Remote Monitor Protocol (RMON) Agents, System Agents, Latency Measurement Agents, Utilization Agents, and traffic analysis agents.

9. A service level management system as in claim 7, further comprising one or more databases storing information received from the first and second agents.

10. A service level management system as in claim 7, wherein the service level management plane further comprises a user interface for receiving user inputs including at least one provisioning request for the provisioning service and for outputting the one or more reports from the measurement service.

11. A service level management system as in claim 10, wherein the user interface comprises a web server.

12. A service level management system as in claim 7, wherein the service level management plane comprises one or more Enterprise Java Beans running as programs in the at least one server for implementing the topology service, the provisioning service, the monitoring service, and the measurement service.

13. A service level management system as in claim 12, further comprising one or more relational databases storing information received from the first and second agents, wherein the service level management plane further comprises a Java Database Connectivity (JDBC) driver to enable the one or more Enterprise Java Beans to access information in the one or more relational databases.

14. A service level management system as in claim 7, further comprising a work order management system coupled to obtain information from the service level management plane and to provide provisioning orders to the provisioning service.

15. A software product for a service level manager for operations support in an extended-area data communications network, the software product comprising:

at least one machine readable medium;

programming code, carried by the at least one machine readable medium, for execution by a programmable computer, coupled for management communication with elements of the extended-area data communications network and having a user interface, wherein execution of the programming code causes the programmable computer to perform the following steps;

1) determining topology of the extended-area data communications network or topology of services provided through the network, from information provided by agents at various points in the extended-area data communications network;

2) interacting with elements of the extended-area data communications network to control service traffic through the extended-area data communications network based at least in part on the determined topology;

3) accumulating data information regarding performance of the extended-area data communications network from agents at various points in the extended-area data communications network; and

4) processing the accumulated data to form one or more reports as to dynamic operations of the extended-area data communications network.

16. A software product as in claim 15, wherein the programming code comprises Enterprise Java Beans.

17. A software product as in claim 15, further comprising a database carried by the at least one machine readable medium, the database comprising topology information and dynamic network performance information compiled from the information provided by the agents.

18. A software product as in claim 17, wherein the database comprises two or more types of data about the aspects of operations of the extended-area data communications network selected from the group consisting essentially of:

network topology, service topology, network health parameters, utilization parameters, latencies through the extended-area data communications network, latencies through the Internet, and dynamic session-related traffic information.

19. A method for providing service level management in an extended-area data communications network, the method comprising:

determining topology of the extended-area data communications network or topology of services through the network from information provided by agents at various points in the extended-area data communications network;

interacting with elements of the extended-area data communications network to control service traffic through the extended-area data communications network based at least in part on the determined topology;

accumulating information regarding performance of the extended-area data communications network from agents at various points in the extended-area data communications network; and

processing the accumulated data to form one or more reports as to dynamic operations of the extended-area data communications network.

20. A method as in claim 19, further comprising outputting at least one report to a terminal at a network operations center.

21. A method as in claim 19, further comprising outputting at least one report to a terminal of a customer.

22. A method as in claim 19, further comprising outputting at least one report as a web page.

23. A method as in claim 19, wherein the step of interacting with elements of the network to control service traffic is responsive to user input of a provisioning request.

24. A method as in claim 23, wherein the provisioning request is received from a terminal at a network operations center.

25. A method as in claim 23, wherein the provisioning request is received from a customer terminal.

26. A method as in claim 23, wherein the provisioning request is received via a web interface.

27. A method as in claim 19, wherein the accumulated information regarding performance of the extended-area data communications network comprises data relating to one or more metrics selected from the group consisting essentially of:

network availability, service availability and reachability.

28. A method as in claim 27, wherein the accumulated information regarding performance of the extended-area data communications network further comprises data regarding latencies effecting data traffic transported through the extended-area data communications network.

29. A method as in claim 27, wherein the accumulated information regarding performance of the extended-area data communications network further comprises session-related information regarding specific services through the extended-area data communications network.

30. A distributed network, for providing data communications services in a plurality of separated regions, comprising:

a plurality of regional networks, each regional network comprising;

(a) a plurality of access ring networks, each access ring network comprising;

i) a plurality of edge-point of presence (E-POP) switches,

ii) data links from the E-POP switches to individual customer locations,

iii) at least one mega-point of presence (M-POP) switch, and

iv) an optical fiber access ring interconnecting the E-POP switches and the at least one M-POP switch;

(b) an optical fiber backbone ring interconnecting the M-POP switches of the access ring networks; and

(c) at least one giga-point of presence (G-POP) switch coupled to the optical fiber backbone ring, for providing data communication to the Internet and for providing data communication to and from at least one other of the regional networks via the Internet; and

an operations support system comprising;

a plurality of agents at various points in each of the regional networks for providing information regarding performance of the regional networks; and

a service level management system comprising;

(1) at least one database, for storing information regarding topology of the distributed network or topology of services provided through the distributed network and for storing the performance information provided by the agents; and

(2) an application server having access to the database and a user interface, wherein;

i) the application server is for interacting with of a plurality of the POP switches in the regional networks to control service traffic through the distributed network based at least in part on the topology information in the database, and

ii) the application server is for processing the performance information in the database to form one or more reports as to dynamic operations of the extended-area data communications network for output via the user interface.

31. A network as in claim 30, further comprising a network operations center with one or more user terminals coupled for access to the application server through the user interface, for instructing the application server to implement control of a service and for receiving the one or more reports from the application server.

32. A network as in claim 31, further comprising an out of band network connected to the application server and the network operations center and to at least the G-POP switches in the regional networks.

33. A network as in claim 32, wherein the out of band network comprises a wide area data network and dial-up links through the public switched telephone network.

34. A network as in claim 30, wherein the E-POP switches and the M-POP switches are configured to utilize elements of a local area networking protocol as layer 1 and layer 2 protocols for transport of end user communications throughout the regional networks.

35. A distributed network, for providing data communications services in a plurality of separated regions, comprising:

a plurality of regional networks, each regional network comprising;

(a) a plurality of access ring networks, each access ring network comprising

i) a plurality of edge-point of presence (E-POP) switches,

ii) data links from the E-POP switches to individual customer locations,

iii) at least one mega-point of presence (M-POP) switch, and

iv) an optical fiber access ring interconnecting the E-POP switches and the at least one M-POP switch;

(b) an optical fiber backbone ring interconnecting the M-POP switches of the access ring networks; and

(c) at least one giga-point of presence (G-POP) switch coupled to the optical fiber backbone ring, for providing data communication to the Internet and for providing data communication to and from at least one other of the regional networks via the Internet; and

an operations support system comprising;

(1) a plurality of operations support agents at various points in each of the regional networks, including agents at the G-POP switches for monitoring and control of the G-POP switches;

(2) an operations and support management system server; and

(3) an out of band signaling system, comprising;

i) a first router coupled to the operations and support management system server;

ii) a plurality of second routers coupled to the agents at the G-POP switches; and

iii) a communication network, separate from the regional networks, connected between the routers, for providing data communications between the operations and support management system server and the agents at the G-POP switches.

36. A distributed network as in claim 35, wherein the out-of-band signaling network comprises a wide area data network operating independently of the regional networks.

37. A distributed network as in claim 36, wherein the wide area data network comprises a frame relay network.

38. A distributed network as in claim 36, wherein the out-of-band signaling network further comprises dial-up links connecting the routers to the public switched telephone network.

39. A distributed network as in claim 35, wherein the at least one operations and support management system comprises a network operations center.

40. A distributed network as in claim 35, wherein the at least one operations and support management system comprises an order management system.

41. A distributed network as in claim 35, wherein the E-POP switches and the M-POP switches are configured to utilize elements of a local area networking protocol as layer 1 and layer 2 protocols for transport of end user communications throughout the regional networks.

42. A distributed network as in claim 35, wherein the at least one operations and support management system comprises:

a database, for storing information regarding performance of the regional networks obtained and provided by a plurality of the agents; and

an application server having access to the database and a user interface.

43. A distributed network as in claim 42, wherein the application server is for interacting with elements of a plurality of the POP switches in the regional networks to control service traffic through the distributed network based at least in part on topology information stored in the database.

44. A distributed network as in claim 42, wherein the application server is for processing the performance information in the database to form one or more reports as to dynamic operations of the extended-area data communications network for output via the user interface.