Distributed operating system for controlling network element in a data or telecomunication network

• US 6,757,745 B1
• Filed: 06/13/2000
• Issued: 06/29/2004
• Est. Priority Date: 10/19/1998
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Siemens AG
• Original Assignee: Siemens AG
• Inventors: Rieken, Ralf, Bhavsar, Umesh, Werner, Thomas, Hamann, Jan
• Primary Examiner(s): Lim, Krisna
• Application Number:
  US09/581,448
• Time in Patent Office: 1,477 Days
• Field of Search: 709/201, 709/223, 709/250, 370/464, 370/469
• US Class Current: 709/250
• CPC Class Codes: H04Q 3/0062 Provisions for network management

Abstract

A distributed operating system for controlling network elements in a data or telecommunication network in which the operating system controls a data and communication network consisting of various underlying physical base networks. These base networks consist of network elements that provide various network (basic) services and network functions and can be controlled by system-specific calls. Accordingly, there exist higher-ranking network elements that are equipped with specific operating system components and execute basic functions independent of the physical subnetworks, such as accessing the physical base networks, distributing the calls of basic services, and converting the calls into the corresponding system-specific formats.

Claims

1. A method for controlling a layered network architecture having network elements in a network of at least one of physical data networks and communication networks, the method comprising the steps of:

connecting one or more higher-ranking network elements in the network that provide network functions and services; and

providing a distributed network having system-independent interfaces, the distributed network integrating the network functions and services and basic services from lower-ranking physical data networks via the one or more higher-ranking network elements and making the network functions and services and basic services available to an uppermost layer via the system-independent interfaces.

2. The method as claimed in claim 1, wherein at least one of the physical data networks and communication network are dynamically expanded by inserting at least one of additional higher-ranking network elements and additional physical data networks.

3. The method as claimed in claim 1, wherein operating system components contained in one different higher-ranking network elements work with one another according to a client-server principle, where the operating system components enable a higher-ranking network element to function as both client and server dependent on whether the higher-ranking network element is requesting or executing network functions and services.

4. The method as claimed in claim 1, further comprising the step of:

dividing applications into network function calls and network service calls, which are processed by at least one higher-ranking network element, the function calls and network service calls being different with respect to the basic function of the at least one higher-ranking network element.

5. The method as claimed in claim 1, further comprising the steps of:

routing network function calls and network service calls to their corresponding higher-ranking network elements in the network;

translating the network function calls and network service calls within the corresponding higher-ranking network elements into calls of network functions and services that correspond to respective physical data networks; and

transmitting the translated calls of network function and services to higher-ranking network elements that have required basic services and functions for those calls and processing the calls by the corresponding higher-ranking network elements.

6. The method as claimed in claim 1, wherein an operating system is provided that is subdivided into three functional layers respectively comprised of an application layer, a service development layer and a network element function layer.

7. The method as claimed in claim 6, wherein the service development layer fulfils at least one of conversion of applications into network function and network service calls via corresponding interfaces, forwarding network function and service calls according to a prescribed manner, managing resources, billing services, processing collected billing data for rating, safety management, processing error messages, monitoring transactions, and managing information.

8. The method as claimed in claim 6, wherein the service development layer provides functions for at least one of the following tasks in a higher-ranking network element that functions as a server:

control of received function and service calls, execution of received function and service calls and monitoring of received function and service calls.

9. The method as claimed in claim 6, wherein the service development layer performs at least one of the following tasks in a higher-ranking network element that functions as a client:

operating an interface, providing frequently needed basic services, providing at least one server-specific transport mechanism and providing a standard transport mechanism.

10. The method as claimed in claim 9, wherein the operation of the interface includes the following functions:

providing system-independent interfaces of the service development layer to the application layer, receiving application calls and converting them into system-specific function and service calls, distributing the system-specific function and service calls according to information that is stored in the higher-ranking network elements about distribution of the functions to processing higher-ranking network elements, dynamically updating the information about distribution of the functions and services to the individual network elements and corresponding path selection information and producing internal connections to system-specific transport mechanisms.

11. The method as claimed in claim 9, wherein a server-specific transport mechanism converts function and service calls that are transferred to the server-specific transport mechanism into a system-specific format corresponding to allocated lower-ranking network elements and forwards the function and service calls or corresponding higher-ranking network elements.

12. The method as claimed in claim 9, wherein a standard transport mechanism converts the function and service calls that are transferred to the standard transport mechanism into a specific format corresponding to neighboring higher-ranking network elements and forwards said function and service calls to the neighboring higher-ranking network elements.

13. The method as claimed in claim 9, further comprising the steps of:

guaranteeing dynamically updating of the information contained in the higher-ranking network elements about services or functions that are available in the network by an updating mechanism in which, subsequent to an introduction of a new function or a new service, corresponding higher-ranking network elements update the information of the transport mechanism that respectively pertains to the corresponding higher-ranking elements;

distributing the information to neighboring higher-ranking network elements and lower-ranking network elements that use the transport mechanisms; and

updating additional information in the network elements.

14. The method as claimed in claim 1, further comprising:

providing a functional layer in each the higher-ranking network elements that guarantees that transfer and execution of received function and service calls by appropriate basic functions and basic services is performed.

15. The method as claimed in claim 1, further comprising the step of:

dividing the network into functional network domains comprised of core network elements and standard network elements.

16. The method as claimed in claim 15, wherein the core network elements execute application requests and function and service calls and ensure that execution of the application requests and function and service calls is accomplished using at least one of a requested and required quality of service.

17. The method as claimed in claim 16, wherein the standard network elements perform at least one of detection of function and service calls, classification of function and service class, process function at service calls to the extent that such processing cannot be performed by core network elements and forwarding function and service calls.