Method and apparatus for designing backup communication path, and computer product

• US 7,852,752 B2
• Filed: 06/28/2004
• Issued: 12/14/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 11/20/2003
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Fujitsu Limited
• Original Assignee: Fujitsu Limited
• Inventors: Kano, Shinya
• Primary Examiner(s): Ngo; Ricky
• Assistant Examiner(s): Sinkantarakorn; Pao
• Application Number:
  US10/878,085
• Publication Number:
  US 20050111350A1
• Time in Patent Office: 2,360 Days
• Field of Search: 370216-228
• US Class Current: 370/221
• 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 14/0284 WDM mesh architectures
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 45/00 Routing or path finding of packets in data switching networks routing or path finding in wireless networks H04W40/00
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 45/22 Alternate routing
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 45/28 using route fault recovery
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 45/62 Wavelength based optical switching H04Q11/0062

Abstract

A communication node selecting unit selects a communication node where a time for transferring a failure notification message from a plurality of failure detected communication nodes which detect a plurality of failures on an active communication path to be protected is within a predetermined time, and a backup communication path designing unit searches, based on the selected communication nodes, for a common backup communication path which bypasses the failures.

Claims

1. A backup communication path design method in which backup communication path information is previously registered in each communication node of a communication network having a plurality of communication nodes, when a communication link failure or communication node failure occurs, a failure-detected communication node transmits a failure notification message containing failure portion information to the each communication node and a communication node which has received the failure notification message set up a backup communication path in parallel, comprising:

selecting first communication nodes which receive the failure notification message sent by second communication nodes on a segment of an active communication path to be protected within a predetermined time which satisfies required recovery time; and

searching for a backup communication path that bypasses the failures on the segment, whose starting node, intermediate node and ending node are selected among the first communication nodes.

2. The method according to claim 1, wherein the selecting includes calculating a time for transferring a failure notification message based on a propagation delay time when the transferred failure notification message passes through a communication link and a time for which the transferred failure notification message is input/output in each communication node.

3. The method according to claim 1, wherein the searching includes searching for, using the communication nodes selected, a backup communication path where a distance between a start communication node and an end communication node on the active communication path is maximum.

4. The method according to claim 1, wherein the searching includes searching for, using the communication nodes selected, a backup communication path where a distance between a start communication node and an end communication node on the active communication path is minimum.

5. The method according to claim 1, wherein the searching includes searching for a backup communication path where a distance to be bypassed is minimum.

6. The method according to claim 1, wherein the searching includes searching for a backup communication path where a preliminary communication capacity saved for failure bypassing is minimum.

7. The method according to claim 1, wherein the selecting includes extracting a communication node where a time for transferring the failure notification message from any one of a plurality of failure-detected communication nodes that detect a single failure on an active communication path to be protected is within a predetermined time for each failure, and selecting a communication node contained in the communication nodes extracted for each failure.

8. The method according to claim 1, wherein the searching includes searching for the backup communication path which bypasses the failures on an active communication path to be protected using the communication node selected by dividing the backup communication path into a plurality of segments.

9. The method according to claim 8, wherein the searching includes, when setting each segment of the backup communication path, adding adjacent communication nodes to set a segment where the number of communication nodes between a start communication node and an end communication node in the segment on the backup communication path is maximum.

10. The method according to claim 9, wherein the searching includes sequentially adding adjacent communication nodes from the start communication node on the active communication path to be protected to set the segments.

11. The method according to claim 9, wherein the searching includes sequentially adding adjacent communication nodes from the end communication node on the active communication path to be protected to set the segments.

12. The method according to claim 9, wherein the searching includes sequentially adding adjacent communication nodes from both the start communication node and the end communication node on the active communication path to be protected to set the segments.

13. The method according to claim 9, wherein the searching includes, when a backup communication path for a communication link failure is searched for, setting a plurality of segments such that a communication link on an active communication path to be protected is not overlapped with other segment.

14. The method according to claim 9, wherein the searching includes, when a backup communication path for a communication node failure is searched for, setting a plurality of segments where any one of the start communication node and the end communication node in each segment on the backup communication path is protected by other segment.

15. The method according to claim 1, wherein the selecting includes selecting a communication node where a time for transferring the failure notification message via a control signal communication path that transmits a control signal from a plurality of failure-detected communication nodes on an active communication path to be protected is within a predetermined time, and

the searching includes searching, using the communication nodes selected, for a backup communication path of a data communication path which bypasses a plurality of failures when the failures occur.

16. A backup communication path design method for a communication network having a plurality of communication nodes, wherein backup communication path information is in advance registered in each communication node of the communication network, and when a communication link failure or communication node failure occurs, a failure-detected communication node transmits a failure notification message containing failure portion information to each communication node and a communication node which has received the failure notification message set up a backup communication path in parallel, comprising:

selecting first communication nodes on an active communication path which receives the failure notification message sent by all second communication nodes on a segment of the active communication path to be protected within a predetermined time which satisfies required recovery time; and

searching, for a backup communication path that bypasses the failures on the segment, whose starting node is selected among the first communication nodes.

17. A backup communication path design apparatus in which backup communication path information is previously registered in each communication node of a communication network having a plurality of communication nodes, when a communication link failure or communication node failure occurs, a communication node transmits a failure notification message containing failure portion information to the each communication node and a communication node which has received the failure notification message set up a backup communication path in parallel, comprising:

a selecting unit that selects first communication nodes which receive the failure notification message sent by second communication nodes on a segment of an active communication path to be protected within a predetermined time which satisfies required recovery time; and

a searching unit that searches for a backup communication path that bypasses the failures on the segment, whose starting node, intermediate node and ending node are selected among the first communication nodes.

18. The apparatus according to claim 17, further comprising a path setting signaling unit that transmits a request signal for requesting to set a backup communication path to communication nodes contained in the backup communication path based on information on the backup communication path searched for by the searching unit and performs path setting signaling for requesting to transfer the request signal to adjacent communication nodes of the communication node, wherein the apparatus performs a function, as a communication node, of relaying the communication.

19. The apparatus according to claim 17, further comprising a path setting signaling activating unit that transmits a request signal for requesting to set a backup communication path to communication nodes contained in a backup communication path based on information on the backup communication path searched for by the searching unit and activates path setting signaling for requesting to transfer the request signal to adjacent communication nodes of the communication node in communication nodes, wherein the apparatus performs a function, as a management server, of managing information on the backup communication path set in communication nodes.

20. The apparatus according to claim 17, further comprising a path setting unit that transmits a request signal for requesting to set a backup communication path in each communication node contained in a backup communication path based on information on the backup communication path searched for by the searching unit, and a function, as a management server, of managing information on the backup communication path set in communication nodes.

21. A non-transitory computer readable recording medium having recorded thereon a computer program for realizing on a computer a backup communication path design method in which backup communication path information is previously registered in each communication node of a communication network having a plurality of communication nodes, when a communication link failure or communication node failure occurs, a failure-detected communication node transmits a failure notification message containing failure portion information to the each communication node and a communication node which has received the failure notification message set up a backup communication path in parallel, the computer program executing steps of:

selecting first communication nodes which receive the failure notification message sent by second communication nodes on a segment of an active communication path to be protected within a predetermined time which satisfies required recovery time; and

searching for a backup communication path that bypasses the failures on the segment, whose starting node, intermediate node and ending node are selected among the first communication nodes.