Network design method

• US 7,944,859 B2
• Filed: 03/05/2009
• Issued: 05/17/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 03/05/2009
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Alcatel-Lucent USA, Inc. (Nokia Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Alcatel-Lucent USA, Inc. (Nokia Corporation)
• Inventors: Fortune, Steven, Wilfong, Gordon Thomas, Zhao, Zhengxue John, El-Sayed, Mohamed
• Primary Examiner(s): Vu; Thong H
• Application Number:
  US12/398,203
• Publication Number:
  US 20100226285A1
• Time in Patent Office: 803 Days
• Field of Search: 370/256, 370/238, 370/221
• US Class Current: 370/256
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 12/462 LAN interconnection over a bridge based backbone
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 41/145 involving simulating, designing, planning or modelling of a network
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 45/18 Loop-free operations
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 45/22 Alternate routing
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 45/28 using route fault recovery
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 45/48 Routing tree calculation
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 45/70 Routing based on monitoring results

Abstract

A network design method for Ethernet-type networks exhibiting capacities sufficient for operation during normal periods as well those as periods when a single node or link has failed.

Claims

1. A computer implemented network design method comprising the steps of:

inputting to the computer a representation of a network; and

outputting by the computer a set of node and link parameters indicative of how a Spanning Tree Protocol (STP) will perform upon the failure of any given node or link in the network;

determining for each Multiple Spanning Tree Instance (MSTI) the node and link parameters indicative of how the STP will perform;

inputting the representation of the network wherein said representation describes the networks connectivity, link delays and cost functions;

wherein the input network is defined by N=(N,D,P,L,C) where N is the network, C is a set of capacities;

D is a set of demands;

P is a priority function; and

L is a length function; and

wherein the output set of parameters defines a network which is hop-count compliant.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the output set of parameters defines a network which is delay compliant.

3. A network design method comprising the steps of:

inputting a representation of a network N=(N,D,P,L,C) where N is the network, C is a set of capacities;

D is a set of demands;

P is a priority function; and

L is a length function; and

outputting a set of node and link parameters indicative of how a Spanning Tree Protocol (STP) will perform upon the failure of any given node or link in the network;

wherein the set of node and link parameters are used to define an output network,

N′

=(N,D′

,P′

,L′

,C′

) where

D′

=(D′

.sub.1=D.sub.1.orgate. {circumflex over (D)}.sub.1,D.sub.2.orgate. {circumflex over (D)}.sub.2, . . . ,D.sub.t.orgate. {circumflex over (D)}.sub.t),

P′

=(p′

.sub.1( ),p′

.sub.2( ), . . . p′

.sub.t( )),

L′

=(L′

.sub.1( ),L′

.sub.2( ), . . . L′

.sub.t( )), and

C′

=(C′

(v.sub.1), . . . C′

(v.sub.n),C′

(e.sub.1), . . . C′

(e.sub.m))

wherein the output set of parameters defines a network which is hop-count compliant.