System and method for designing diverse communications circuits

• US 6,802,044 B2
• Filed: 12/13/2000
• Issued: 10/05/2004
• Est. Priority Date: 09/13/2000
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Agile Software Corporation (Oracle Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Metasolv Software, Inc. (Oracle Corporation)
• Inventors: Campbell, David C., Westervelt, Mary Kim
• Primary Examiner(s): Thompson, A. M.
• Assistant Examiner(s): Kik, Phallaka
• Application Number:
  US09/736,903
• Publication Number:
  US 20020073382A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,392 Days
• Field of Search: 716/2, 716/3, 716/5, 716/7, 370/236, 370/254, 709/220, 709/225, 709/229, 713/100
• US Class Current: 716/126
• CPC Class Codes: H04Q 3/0025 Provisions for signalling
• CPC Class Codes: H04Q 3/0079 involving restoration of networks, e.g. disaster recovery, self-healing networks

Abstract

A system (10) for designing diverse communications circuits (36) includes a diversity set (14) identifying at least one circuit (36) that is to be diverse from one or more other circuits (36) in the diversity set (14). The system (10) further includes one or more diversity rules (16) applicable to one or more circuits (36) belonging to the diversity set (14). A diversity engine (12) validates the assignment of at least one circuit element to a circuit (36) in the diversity set (14), according to the diversity rules (16), such that the circuit (36) is diverse from at least one other circuit (36) in the diversity set (14) with respect to that circuit element. The diversity engine (12) may generate one or more diversity violations (18) if the assignment of the circuit element fails to comply with the diversity rules (16) and may associate the diversity violations (18) with the circuit (36) and its diversity set (14) to indicate a possible need to modify the assignment.

Claims

1. A system for designing diverse communications circuits, comprising:

a diversity set identifying at least one circuit that is to be diverse from one or more other circuits in the diversity set;

one or more diversity rules applicable to one or more circuits in the diversity set; and

a diversity engine operable to validate an assignment of at least one circuit element to a circuit in the diversity set, according to the diversity rules, such that the circuit is diverse from at least one other circuit in the diversity set with respect to the circuit element.

2. The system of claim 1, wherein the diversity engine is further operable to automatically assign at least one circuit element to each circuit in the diversity set, according to the diversity rules, such that all the circuits in the diversity set are diverse from one another with respect to the assigned circuit elements.

3. The system of claim 1, wherein:

the circuits in the diversity set comprise SS7 links; and

at least one circuit in the diversity set is excluded from the diversity rules, such that the excluded circuit need not be diverse from other circuits in the diversity set.

4. The system of claim 1, wherein the circuit element is a member of a hierarchy and the diversity engine is operable to validate the assignment of the circuit element according to a position of the circuit element in the hierarchy and a position in the hierarchy at which a common point of failure is shared between the circuit element and another circuit element.

5. The system of claim 4, wherein the hierarchy is selected from a group consisting of:

a facility hierarchy;

a plant hierarchy; and

an equipment hierarchy.

6. The system of claim 1, wherein the circuit element is selected from a group consisting of:

a facility or facility type;

a location or location type;

a plant element or plant element type;

an environment;

a piece of equipment or an equipment type; and

an electronic component or component type.

7. The system of claim 1, wherein the diversity engine is operable to validate the assignment of the circuit element in connection with initial design of the circuit, re-design of the circuit, or maintenance affecting the circuit.

8. The system of claim 1, wherein the system allows the user to modify the diversity set after the validation of the assignment of the circuit element, the diversity engine further operable to re-validate the assignment of the circuit element in response to modification of the diversity set.

9. The system of claim 1, wherein the system allows a user to modify the diversity rules after the validation of the assignment of the circuit element, the diversity engine further operable to re-validate the assignment of the circuit element in response to modification of the diversity rules.

10. The system of claim 1, wherein the diversity engine is further operable to re-validate the assignment of the circuit element in response to a modification associated with the circuit element or another circuit element becoming available for assignment.

11. The system of claim 1, wherein the diversity engine is further operable to:

generate one or more diversity violations if assignment of the circuit element fails to comply with the diversity rules; and

associate the diversity violations with the circuit and with its diversity set to indicate a possible need to modify the assignment.

12. The system of claim 11, wherein the diversity engine is operable to allow a user to override a diversity violation based on its severity and on a security profile associated with the user.

13. The system of claim 1, wherein the diversity engine is operable to automatically as sign t he circuit element during design of the circuit in response to a user specifying endpoints of the circuit.

14. A system for designing diverse communications circuits, comprising:

a diversity set identifying at least one circuit that is to be diverse from one or more other circuits in the diversity set;

one or more diversity rules applicable to one or more circuits in the diversity set; and

a diversity engine operable to;

validate assignment of at least one circuit element in a hierarchy to a circuit in the diversity set based on particular diversity rules selected according to a position of the circuit element in the hierarchy and a position in the hierarchy at which a common point of failure is shared between the circuit element and another circuit element, such that the circuit is diverse from at least one other circuit in the diversity set with respect to the circuit element;

generate one or more diversity violations if assignment of the circuit element to the circuit fails to comply with one or more diversity rules;

associate the diversity violations with the circuit and with its diversity set to indicate a possible need to modify the assignment of the circuit element to the circuit; and

allow a user to override a diversity violation based on its severity and on a security profile associated with the user.

15. A system for designing diverse communications circuits, comprising:

means for accessing a diversity set identifying at least one circuit that is to be diverse from one or more other circuits in the diversity set;

means for accessing one or more diversity rules applicable to one or more circuits in the diversity set; and

means for validating assignment of at least one circuit element to a circuit in the diversity set, according to the diversity rules, such that the circuit is diverse from at least one other circuit in the diversity set with respect to the circuit element.

16. A software interface for designing diverse communications circuits, the software interface operable to:

provide access to a diversity set identifying at least one circuit that is to be diverse from one or more other circuits in the diversity set;

provide access to one or more diversity rules applicable to one or more circuits in the diversity set; and

in response to user input, initiate automatic validation of an assignment of at least one circuit element to a circuit in the diversity set, according to the diversity rules, such that the circuit is diverse from at least one other circuit in the diversity set with respect to the circuit element.

17. The interface of claim 16, further operable, in response to user input, to initiate assignment of at least one circuit element to each circuit in the diversity set, according to the diversity rules, such that all the circuits in the diversity set are diverse from one another with respect to the assigned circuit elements.

18. The interface of claim 16, wherein:

the circuits in the diversity set comprise SS7 links; and

the interface allows the user to exclude at least one circuit in the diversity set from the diversity rules, such that the excluded circuit need not be diverse from other circuits in the diversity set.

19. The interface of claim 16, wherein:

the circuit element is a member of a hierarchy; and

the validation of the assignment is performed according to a position of the circuit element in the hierarchy and a position in the hierarchy at which a common point of failure is shared between the circuit element and another circuit element.

20. The interface of claim 19, wherein the hierarchy is selected from a group consisting of:

a facility hierarchy;

a plant hierarchy; and

an equipment hierarchy.

21. The interface of claim 16, wherein the circuit element is selected from a group consisting of:

a facility or facility type;

a location or location type;

a plant element or plant element type;

an environment;

a piece of equipment or an equipment type; and

an electronic component or component type.

22. The interface of claim 16, wherein validation of the assignment is initiated in connection with initial design of the circuit, re-design of the circuit, or maintenance affecting the circuit.

23. The interface of claim 16, further operable to:

allow the user to modify the diversity set after the assignment of the circuit element; and

initiate a re-validation of the assignment in response to modification of the diversity set.

24. The interface of claim 16, further operable to:

allow the user to modify the diversity rules after assignment of the circuit element; and

initiate a re-validation of the assignment in response to modification of the diversity rules.

25. The interface of claim 16, further operable to initiate, in response to user input, re-validation of the assignment in response to a modification associated with the circuit element or another circuit element becoming available for assignment to the circuit.

26. The interface of claim 16, further operable to:

indicate to the user one or more diversity violations if the assignment of the circuit element fails to comply with the diversity rules; and

indicate association of the diversity violations with the circuit and its diversity set to indicate a possible need to modify the assignment.

27. The interface of claim 26, further operable to:

receive security information from the user; and

allow the user to override a diversity violation based on its severity and the security profile associated with the user.

28. The interface of claim 16, further operable to:

receive endpoints of the circuit from the user; and

in response to receiving the endpoints, initiate an automatic assignment of the circuit element during design of the circuit.

29. A method for designing diverse communications circuits, comprising:

accessing a diversity set identifying at least one circuit that is to be diverse from one or more other circuits in the diversity set;

accessing one or more diversity rules applicable to one or more circuits in the diversity set; and

validating assignment of at least one circuit element to a circuit in the diversity set, according to the diversity rules, such that the circuit is diverse from at least one other circuit in the diversity set with respect to the circuit element.

30. The method of claim 29, further comprising assigning at least one circuit element to each circuit in the diversity set, according to the diversity rules, such that all the circuits in the diversity set are diverse from one another with respect to the assigned circuit elements.

31. The method of claim 29, wherein:

the circuits in the diversity set comprise SS7 links; and

at least one circuit in the diversity set is excluded from the diversity rules, such that the excluded circuit need not be diverse from other circuits in the diversity set.

32. The method of claim 29, wherein:

the circuit element is a member of a hierarchy; and

the assignment of the circuit element is validated according to a position of the circuit element in the hierarchy and a position in the hierarchy at which a common point of failure is shared between the circuit element and another circuit element.

33. The method of claim 32, wherein the hierarchy is selected from a group consisting of:

a facility hierarchy;

a plant hierarchy; and

an equipment hierarchy.

34. The method of claim 29, wherein the circuit element is selected from a group consisting of:

a facility or facility type;

a location or location type;

a plant element or plant element type;

an environment;

a piece of equipment or an equipment type; and

an electronic component or component type.

35. The method of claim 29, wherein assignment of the circuit element is validated in connection with initial design of the circuit, re-design of the circuit, or maintenance affecting the circuit.

36. The method of claim 29, further comprising:

allowing a user to modify the diversity set after the assignment of the circuit element; and

re-validating the assignment of the circuit element in response to modification of the diversity set.

37. The method of claim 29, further comprising:

allowing a user to modify the diversity rules after assignment of the circuit element; and

re-validating the assignment of the circuit element in response to modification of the diversity rules.

38. The method of claim 29, further comprising re-validating assignment of the circuit element in response to either a modification associated with the circuit element or another circuit element becoming available for assignment.

39. The method of claim 29, further comprising:

generating one or more diversity violations if the assignment of the circuit element fails to comply with the diversity rules; and

associating the diversity violations with the circuit and with its diversity set to indicate a possible need to modify the assignment.

40. The method of claim 39, further comprising allowing a user to override a diversity violation based on its severity and a security profile associated with the user.

41. The method of claim 29, further comprising assigning the circuit element automatically during design of the circuit in response to a user specifying endpoints of the circuit.

42. A method for designing diverse communications circuits, comprising:

accessing a diversity set identifying at least one circuit that is to be diverse from one or more other circuits in the diversity set;

accessing one or more diversity rules applicable to one or more circuits in the diversity set; and

validating assignment of at least one circuit element within a hierarchy to a circuit in the diversity set based on particular diversity rules selected according to a position of the circuit element in the hierarchy and a position in the hierarchy at which a common point of failure is shared between the circuit element and another circuit element, such that the circuit is diverse from at least one other circuit in the diversity set with respect to the circuit element;

generating one or more diversity violations if the assignment of the circuit element to the circuit fails to comply with one or more diversity rules;

associating the diversity violations with the circuit and with its diversity set to indicate a possible need to modify the assignment of the circuit element to the circuit; and

allowing a user to override a diversity violation based on its severity and on a security profile associated with the user.