Communication system with cost based protection

• US 7,536,101 B1
• Filed: 08/02/2004
• Issued: 05/19/2009
• Est. Priority Date: 08/02/2004
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Sprint Communications Company LP (Deutsche Telekom AG)
• Original Assignee: Sprint Communications Company LP (Deutsche Telekom AG)
• Inventors: Jones, Mark Loyd, Norman, Charles William
• Primary Examiner(s): Leung; Christina Y
• Application Number:
  US10/909,885
• Time in Patent Office: 1,751 Days
• Field of Search: 398/1, 398/2, 398/3, 398/4, 398/5, 398/6, 398/7, 398/8, 370/228
• US Class Current: 398/5
• CPC Class Codes: H04J 14/0227 Operation, administration, maintenance or provisioning [OAMP] of WDM networks, e.g. media access, routing or wavelength allocation
• CPC Class Codes: H04J 14/0241 Wavelength allocation for communications one-to-one, e.g. unicasting wavelengths
• CPC Class Codes: H04J 14/0283 WDM ring architectures
• CPC Class Codes: H04J 14/0284 WDM mesh architectures
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 41/0663 Performing the actions predefined by failover planning, e.g. switching to standby network elements
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 43/0811 by checking connectivity
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 43/0852 Delays
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 43/0882 Utilisation of link capacity
• CPC Class Codes: H04Q 11/0062 Network aspects
• CPC Class Codes: H04Q 2011/0081 Fault tolerance; Redundancy; Recovery; Reconfigurability

Abstract

A communication system comprises a first communication device coupled to a first optical switch by a first link, a second communication device coupled to a second optical switch by a second link, and a third link and back-up links coupling the first and second optical switches. During normal operation, the optical switches connect the third link to the first and second links. The back-up links have various costs and latencies. In response to a fault on the third link, the first optical switch and the second optical switch automatically select an available one of the back-up links having a lowest cost and an acceptable latency, and in response to the selection, automatically disconnect the first link and the second link from the third link and automatically connect the first link and the second link to the selected back-up link.

Claims

1. A communication system comprising:

a first communication device and a second communication device;

a first optical switch and a second optical switch;

a first link coupling the first communication device to the first optical switch, and a second link coupling the second communication device to the second optical switch;

a third link coupling the first optical switch to the second optical switch, wherein during normal operation, the first optical switch connects the first link to the third link and the second optical switch connects the third link to the second link;

a plurality of back-up links coupling the first optical switch to the second optical switch, wherein the back-up links have various monetary costs and latencies; and

in response to a fault on the third link, the first optical switch and the second optical switch are configured to automatically select an available one of the back-up links having a lowest monetary operating cost and an acceptable latency, and in response to the selection, to automatically disconnect the first link and the second link from the third link and automatically connect the first link and the second link to the selected back-up link;

wherein the first communication device is configured to provide Open Systems Interconnect (OSI) layer 2/3 protection in response to a carrier delay timer time-out, wherein the carrier delay timer is set based on a time period that allows the first optical switch and the second optical switch to detect the fault and implement the selected back-up link; and

wherein the time period comprises a detection time period to detect the fault, a switch time period to select the selected back-up link, and a restoration time period for a signal to propagate over the selected back-up link.

2. The communication system of claim 1 wherein the links comprise optical wavelengths.

3. The communication system of claim 1 wherein the first communication device and the second communication device comprise Internet routers.

4. The communication system of claim 1 wherein the first communication device and the second communication device comprise tier one Internet routers.

5. The communication system of claim 1 wherein the first communication device comprises a first Internet router and the second communication device comprises a second Internet router, and further comprising a third Internet router that forms a first mated pair with the first Internet router and a fourth Internet router that forms a second mated pair with the second Internet router.

6. The communication system of claim 1 wherein the first communication device and the second communication device comprise asynchronous transfer mode systems.

7. The communication system of claim 1 wherein the first communication device and the second communication device comprise multi-protocol label switching systems.

8. The communication system of claim 1 wherein the acceptable latency is specified by a service level agreement.

9. A method of operating a communication system, the method comprising:

providing a first communication device and a first optical switch with a first link coupling the first communication device to the first optical switch;

providing a second communication device and a second optical switch with a second link coupling the second communication device to the second optical switch;

providing a third link coupling the first optical switch to the second optical switch, wherein during normal operation, the first optical switch connects the first link to the third link and the second optical switch connects the third link to the second link;

providing a plurality of back-up links coupling the first optical switch to the second optical switch, wherein the back-up links have various monetary costs and latencies; and

in response to a fault on the third link, automatically selecting an available one of the back-up links having a lowest monetary operating cost and an acceptable latency; and

in the first optical switch and the second optical switch, automatically disconnecting the first link and the second link from the third link and automatically connecting the first link and the second link to the selected back-up link;

wherein the first optical switch is configured to provide Open Systems Interconnect (OSI) Layer 1 protection in response to a loss of signal, the first communication device is configured to provide OSI layer 2/3 protection in response to a carrier delay timer time-out, and further comprising setting the carrier delay timer based on a time period that allows the OSI layer 1 protection to complete; and

wherein the time period comprises a detection time period to detect the fault, a switch time period to select the selected back-up link, and a restoration time period for a signal to propagate over the selected back-up link.

10. The method of claim 9 wherein the links comprise optical wavelengths.

11. The method of claim 9 wherein the first communication device and the second communication device comprise Internet routers.

12. The method of claim 9 wherein the first communication device and the second communication device comprise tier one Internet routers.

13. The method of claim 9 wherein the first communication device comprises a first Internet router and the second communication device comprises a second Internet router, and wherein the communication system comprises a third Internet router that forms a first mated pair with the first Internet router and a fourth Internet router that forms a second mated pair with the second Internet router.

14. The method of claim 9 wherein the first communication device and the second communication device comprise asynchronous transfer mode systems.

15. The method of claim 9 wherein the first communication device and the second communication device comprise multi-protocol label switching systems.

16. The method of claim 9 wherein the acceptable latency is specified by a service level agreement.