Route on failure method and apparatus for automatic rerouting network traffic through a reconfigurable, intelligent signal multiplexer upon failures of multiplexer components or of network spans

• US 7,180,854 B2
• Filed: 04/10/2002
• Issued: 02/20/2007
• Est. Priority Date: 04/10/2002
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: CoastCom, Inc. (Astound Broadband LLC)
• Original Assignee: CoastCom, Inc. (Astound Broadband LLC)
• Inventors: Cambron, Keith
• Primary Examiner(s): Kizou; Hassan
• Assistant Examiner(s): Ahmed; Salman
• Application Number:
  US10/119,272
• Publication Number:
  US 20030198180A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,777 Days
• Field of Search: 370/216, 370/218, 370/229, 370/241, 370/442, 370/441, 370/423, 370/463, 370/250, 370/360, 370/437, 370/535, 370/539, 370/541, 370/227, 370/228, 370/408, 370/345, 709/221, 709/233, 709/278, 709/220, 709/321, 709/222, 709/250, 709223-230, 714/7, 714 1- 5
• US Class Current: 370/227
• CPC Class Codes: H04J 3/14 Monitoring arrangements for SDH/SONET rings H04J3/085
• 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 41/0663 Performing the actions predefined by failover planning, e.g. switching to standby network elements
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 41/22 comprising specially adapted graphical user interfaces [GUI]
• CPC Class Codes: H04Q 3/0079 involving restoration of networks, e.g. disaster recovery, self-healing networks

Abstract

A modular, reconfigurable, intelligent signal multiplexer for telecommunications purposes includes multiple feature cards. Each feature card contains an embedded microprocessor with associated RAM memory and flash ROM. The signal multiplexer processes digital inputs from a wide range of user equipment for transmission over digital facilities, including T1 and T3 lines. The system employs an Advanced Intelligent Multiplexer Network software package to perform network configuration and the establishment of maps. The maps including alternate maps, which in an embodiment include time-of-day-specific alternate routes. The functions of the signal multiplexers of a network are controlled by a mapping scheme. A map change alters the circuit-to-time slot assignments.

Claims

1. A network node comprising:

at least one controller;

at least one network interface, where each network interface is coupled to the at least one controller, has at least one network port and wherein there are a plurality of network ports;

at least a first and a second channel elements selected from the group consisting of network ports, channel sources, and channel sinks, the channel elements capable of passing traffic to network ports of the plurality of network ports;

a memory system associated with the at least one controller, the memory system storing a configuration of the node, the configuration of the node comprising at least

at least one map, capable of representing

at least a first and a second primary route designator, and

at least a first-secondary route designator,

where each route designator associates at least one channel element with a network port of the plurality of network ports, and where each route designator is associated with a priority;

where the first primary route designator and the first secondary route designator associate at least one common channel element with different network ports of the plurality of network ports;

where a map is designated an active map,

where in a first mode the network node is configured to pass traffic according to the first and second primary route designators of the active map, and in a second mode the network node is configured to pass traffic according to the first secondary route designator of the active map; and

wherein the network node transitions from the first mode to the second mode when a failure prevents passing traffic according to the first primary route designator, thereby providing redundancy for traffic from the common channel element.

2. The network node of claim 1, wherein:

the active map further comprises at least a first tertiary route designator;

the first primary route designator and the first tertiary route designator associate at least one common channel element with different network ports of the plurality of network ports;

there is a third mode wherein the network node is configured to pass traffic according to the first tertiary route designator; and

wherein the network node transitions from the first mode to the third mode when a failure prevents passing traffic according to the first primary route designator and a failure prevents passing traffic according to the firstsecondary route designator, thereby providing additional redundancy for traffic from the common channel element; and

wherein the network node transitions from the second mode to the third mode when a failure prevents passing traffic according to the firstsecondary route designator.

3. The network node of claim 2, wherein the network node is capable of detecting repairs and wherein transitions from the third mode to a mode selected from the group consisting of the first mode and the second mode when a repair is detected that permits passing traffic according to a route designator selected from the group consisting of the first route designator and the second route designator.

4. The network node of claim 1, wherein the first primary route designator has a higher priority than the second primary route designator, and wherein a transition from the first mode to the second mode is capable of bumping traffic routed according to the second primary route designator.

5. The network node of claim 4, where the network ports comprise ports compatible with links selected from the group consisting of T1 links and T3 links.

6. The network node of claim 4, wherein the at least one controller comprises a plurality of controllers coupled in a failover configuration.

7. The network node of claim 1, wherein the active map further comprises a second secondary route designator;

wherein the first secondary route designator and the second primary route designator share a common network node, and wherein when a failure prevents passing traffic according to the first primary route designator, that traffic is rerouted according to the first secondary route designator, and traffic routed according to the first secondary route designator is rerouted according to the second secondary route designator.

8. The network node of claim 1, further comprising a graphical user interface network manager for configuring the at least one map, and wherein the graphical user interface network manager is capable of generating suggested alternate routes for selection by a user for configuration as secondary routes.

9. The network node of claim 8, wherein the graphical user interface network manager for configuring the at least one map is capable of storing a priority with each primary route designator, and wherein the suggested alternate routes are generated according to the priorities of primary route designators and other network information.

10. The network node of claim 8, wherein the graphical user interface network manager for configuring the at least one map is capable of configuring the at least one map with route designators having at least two levels of alternate routes for each primary route designator.

11. A graphical user interface network manager for configuring network nodes, the graphical user interface network manager capable of constructing a plurality of maps for configuring the network nodes, each network node having a plurality of network ports and a plurality of channel elements selected from the group consisting of network ports, channel sources, and channel sinks, the network node capable of passing network traffic from the plurality of channel elements to network ports of the plurality of network ports, wherein the graphical user interface network manager is capable of configuring each map with a plurality of route designators comprising at least:

a primary association of at least one channel element with a network port of the plurality of network ports for passing traffic,

a priority,

a first alternate association of at least one channel element with a network port of the plurality of network ports for passing traffic upon inability of the network node to pass traffic according to the primary association, and

a second alternate association of at least one channel element with a network port of the plurality of network ports for passing traffic upon inability of the network node to pass traffic according to the primary association;

wherein the graphical user interface network manager is capable of presenting iconic representations of intelligent multiplexers at each node of a network together with representations of spans of the network, and permits a user to modify the equipment at each node during the process of laying out the spans of the network.

12. The graphical user interface network manager for configuring network nodes of claim 11, wherein the graphical user interface network manager is capable of suggesting at least one alternate association based upon the priorities of route designators and other information of the map.

13. The graphical user interface network manager for configuring network nodes of claim 12, wherein the graphical user interface network manager is capable of entering a third alternate association of at least one channel element with a network port of the plurality of network ports for passing traffic upon inability of the network node to pass traffic according to the primary and secondary associations.

14. A network comprising:

a plurality of network nodes,

each network node comprising at least one controller and having a plurality of network ports,

where each network node is capable of passing traffic between network ports and channel elements selected from the group consisting of traffic sources, traffic sinks, and network ports;

a plurality of spans, each span coupled to pass traffic between a network port of a network node of the plurality of network nodes, and a network port of a different network node of the plurality of network nodes, wherein each network port coupled to a span has a status comprising a failure indicator that indicated whether traffic can be passed through the network port over the span;

wherein the at least one controller of each network node has a memory system which enables the RoF associated therewith, the memory system storing a configuration of the node, the configuration comprising at least one map capable of representing

at least a first and a second primary route designator, and

at least a first alternate route designator associated with the first primary route designator,

at least a second alternate route designator associated with the first primary route designator,

where each route designator associates at least one channel element with a network port of the plurality of network ports, and

where a map of the at least one map is designated an active map;

where each network node passes traffic according to the first and second primary route designators of its active map if all network ports of the node have failure indicators that do not indicate failure;

where each network node passes traffic according to its first alternate route designator associated with the first primary route designator if a failure indicator of a network port associated by the first primary route designator indicates failure, and where traffic passed according to the second primary route designator is bumped if the second route designator associates a network port associated by the first alternate route designator and traffic is passed according to the first alternate route designator; and

where each network node passes traffic according to its second alternate route designator associated with the first primary route designator if a failure indicator of network ports associated by both the first primary route designator and the first alternate route designator indicates failure.

15. The network of claim 14, where the spans comprise spans selected from the group consisting of T1 spans and T3 spans.

16. The network of claim 14, wherein the at least one controller of at least one network node comprises a plurality of controllers coupled in a fail-over configuration.

17. The network of claim 16,

wherein the at least one map of at least one network node of the plurality of network nodes further comprises:

a plurality of maps, wherein each map further comprises a schedule block, and

a real time clock; and

wherein maps of the plurality of maps of the at least one network node are made active according to correspondence of the real time clock with time-of-day information and day-of-week stored in the schedule block.

18. The network of claim 17, further comprising a graphical user interface network manager for configuring the at least one map of each network node, and wherein the graphical user interface network manager is capable of generating suggested alternate routes for selection by a user for configuration as alternate routes.

19. The network of claim 18, wherein the graphical user interface network manager for configuring the at least one map of each network node is capable of storing a priority with each primary route designator, and wherein the suggested alternate routes are generated according to the priorities of primary route designators and other network information.

20. The network of claim 19, wherein the graphical user interface network manager for configuring the at least one map of each network node is capable of configuring the at least one map of each network node with route designators comprising at least two levels of alternate routes for each primary route designator.