Evolution of a telecommunications network from ring to mesh structure
DC CAFCFirst Claim
1. A method of providing protection for a telecommunications network against failure of a span or node in the telecommunications network, in which the telecommunications network initially has protection organized in rings of connected protection links, the method comprising the steps of:
- selecting ring nodes for conversion from ring node to mesh node according to a strategy that increases and optimizes demand served by the telecommunications network, wherein the strategy takes into account the cost of conversion of the selected nodes from ring node to mesh node;
breaking connections between protection links at the selected ring nodes; and
connecting the protection links into a mesh network of links of spare capacity, thereby converting each of the selected ring nodes from a ring node to a mesh node.
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Abstract
Ongoing growth in transport demand is served while deferring or eliminating expenditure for additional capacity by reclaiming the protection capacity and inefficiently used working capacity in existing multi-ring network. Reclamation is through re-design of the routing and restoration in the network using mesh principles within the pre-existing ring capacities. The installed working and protection capacity of existing rings is viewed as a sunk investment, an existing resource, to be “mined” and incorporated into a mesh-operated network that serves both existing and ongoing growth. A complete double or even tripling of demand could be supported with little or no additional capacity investment through the period of ring-to mesh conversion by ring-mining. An existing ring set may be converted to a target architecture of “p-cycles” instead of a span-restorable mesh, through placement of straddling span interface units to convert ring ADMs to p-cycle nodal elements.
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Citations
10 Claims
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1. A method of providing protection for a telecommunications network against failure of a span or node in the telecommunications network, in which the telecommunications network initially has protection organized in rings of connected protection links, the method comprising the steps of:
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selecting ring nodes for conversion from ring node to mesh node according to a strategy that increases and optimizes demand served by the telecommunications network, wherein the strategy takes into account the cost of conversion of the selected nodes from ring node to mesh node; breaking connections between protection links at the selected ring nodes; and connecting the protection links into a mesh network of links of spare capacity, thereby converting each of the selected ring nodes from a ring node to a mesh node. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10)
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Specification