Method and system for provisioning and maintaining a circuit in a data network

• US 7,890,618 B2
• Filed: 12/19/2008
• Issued: 02/15/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 01/21/2003
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: AT&T Intellectual Property I LP (AT&T, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: AT&T Intellectual Property I LP (AT&T, Inc.)
• Inventors: Taylor, William S., June, Thad
• Primary Examiner(s): SALAD, ABDULLAHI ELMI
• Application Number:
  US12/339,426
• Publication Number:
  US 20090103544A1
• Time in Patent Office: 788 Days
• Field of Search: 709/223, 709/224, 370/216, 714/4
• US Class Current: 709/223
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 41/0806 for initial configuration or provisioning, e.g. plug-and-play
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 41/0853 by actively collecting configuration information or by backing up configuration information

Abstract

A method and system are provided for provisioning a circuit in a data network without manual intervention. A network management module receives an order for provisioning the circuit and then, based on the order, transmits a request to a legacy logical element module to configure a logical circuit in one or more network devices in the network. The network device may be a switch. The circuit may be a frame relay circuit or an ATM circuit. A method and system are also provided for maintaining a network circuit in a data network. The network circuit includes both a logical circuit and a physical circuit. A legacy physical element module sends a request for logical circuit data to a legacy logical element module through a network management module in communication with the legacy physical element module and the legacy physical element module. Based on the request, the legacy logical element module retrieves the logical circuit data from one or more network devices in the network and transmits the data to the legacy physical element module through the network management module. Upon receiving the logical circuit data, the legacy physical element module troubleshoots the physical circuit to maintain the network circuit.

Claims

1. A non-transitory computer-readable storage medium, comprising computer instructions that, when executed, cause a machine to at least:

receive a request to provision a network circuit, wherein the network circuit comprising a logical circuit and a physical circuit, wherein the request includes including information defining transmission characteristics of the logical circuit and the physical circuit for assigning physical equipment needed for installing the physical circuit;

transmit the request and instructions to provision the logical circuit to a legacy logical element module without manual intervention, the instructions to be utilized by the legacy logical element module to configure the logical circuit, configuring the logical circuit comprising accessing and programming at least one network device port to send data describing a logical data path to at least one network device in communication with the legacy logical element module; and

obtain logical circuit data for maintaining to maintain the network circuit by;

sending a request to the logical element module to obtain the logical circuit data which retrieves the logical circuit data from the at least one network device having access to the network circuit, and

receiving the logical circuit data from the logical element module.

2. The storage medium of claim 1, wherein the instructions are to configure the logical circuit by sending the data describing a logical data path to at least one network device in communication with the legacy logical element module to provision the network circuit.

3. The storage medium of claim 1, wherein the network circuit is provisioned for frame relay service.

4. The storage medium of claim 1, wherein the network circuit is provisioned for asynchronous transfer mode (ATM) service.

5. The storage medium of claim 1, wherein the information defining the transmission characteristics of the logical circuit includes at least one of an access speed, a committed information rate (CIR), a burst rate, an excess burst rate, or a data link connection identifier.

6. A system, comprising:

a network management module comprising a processor programmed to send a request to provision a network circuit, the request to provision the network circuit including information defining transmission characteristics of a logical circuit and a physical circuit;

a legacy logical element module to receive a request from the network management module, the legacy logical element module to configure a logical circuit based on the request without manual intervention by accessing and programming at least one network device port to send data describing a logical data path to at least one network device in communication with the legacy logical element module; and

a legacy physical element module to obtain logical circuit data of the network circuit from a network management module.

7. The system of claim 6, wherein obtaining logical circuit data for the network circuit from a network management module comprises:

the legacy physical element module to send a request to the network management module to obtain the logical circuit data;

the network management module to request logical circuit data from the legacy logical element module;

the legacy logical element module to retrieve the logical circuit data from the at least one network device having access to the network circuit;

the legacy logical element module to send the logical circuit data to the network management module; and

the legacy physical element module to receive the logical circuit data from the network management module.

8. The system of claim 6, wherein the network device is at least one of a switch or a router.

9. The system of claim 6, wherein the network circuit is a frame relay circuit.

10. The system of claim 6, wherein the network circuit is an ATM circuit.

11. A method, comprising:

sending a request to a network management module to obtain logical circuit data associated with a network circuit comprising a physical circuit and a logical circuit;

at the network management module, requesting the logical circuit data from a legacy logical element module;

receiving the request at the legacy logical element module;

at the legacy logical element module, retrieving the logical circuit data from at least one network device having access to the network circuit, and sending the logical circuit data to the network management module;

receiving the logical circuit data from the network management module;

based on the logical circuit data, determining whether data is being transmitted over the network circuit;

if the network circuit is transmitting data, troubleshooting the logical circuit; and

if the network circuit is not transmitting data, troubleshooting the physical circuit.

12. The method of claim 11, wherein the physical circuit comprises a physical path for the network circuit in the data network.

13. The method of claim 11, wherein the logical circuit comprises data describing a logical data path for the network circuit in the data network, the logical circuit including variable communication paths in the data network.

14. The method of claim 11, wherein the logical circuit data contains local management interface information.

15. The method of claim 14, wherein the local management interface information is used to determine data traffic congestion for the logical circuit.

16. A system, comprising:

a legacy physical element module comprising a processor programmed to obtain logical circuit data associated with a network circuit from a network management module, obtaining logical circuit data for the network circuit from the network management module comprising;

sending a request to the network management module to obtain the logical circuit data;

at the network management module, requesting the logical circuit data from a legacy logical element module;

receiving the request at the legacy logical element module;

at the legacy logical element module, retrieving the logical circuit data from at least one network device having access to the network circuit, and sending the logical circuit data to the network management module; and

receiving the logical circuit data from the network management module; and

the legacy physical element module adapted to;

place the network circuit out of service responsive to detecting from the logical circuit data that the logical circuit has failed; and

troubleshoot the physical circuit based on the logical circuit data.

17. The system of claim 16, further comprising a test module in communication with the legacy physical element module to access a test point in the at least one network device to troubleshoot the physical circuit.

18. The system of claim 16, wherein the network device is a switch.

19. The system of claim 16, wherein the network circuit is a frame relay circuit.

20. The system of claim 16, wherein the network circuit is an ATM circuit.

21. A method, comprising:

receiving a request to provision a network circuit, the network circuit comprising a logical circuit and a physical circuit, and the request including information defining transmission characteristics of the logical circuit and the physical circuit needed for installing the physical circuit;

responsive to the request, provisioning the logical circuit without manual intervention, configuring the logical circuit comprising accessing and programming at least one network device port to send data describing a logical data path to at least one network device having access to the network circuit; and

maintaining the network circuit after it is provisioned by retrieving logical circuit data from the at least one network device having access to the network circuit.

22. The method of claim 21, comprising communicating the information associated with the physical circuit to a technician to make physical connections to establish the physical circuit.

23. The method of claim 21, further comprising:

placing the network circuit out of service responsive to detecting from the logical circuit data that the logical circuit has failed; and

troubleshooting the physical circuit based on the logical circuit data.

24. The method of claim 21, wherein the network device corresponds to at least one of a switch or a router.

25. The method of claim 21, wherein the network circuit corresponds to at least one of a frame relay circuit or an asynchronous transfer mode (ATM) circuit.