Setting signal-power thresholds on nodes in a communications network

• US 8,355,406 B1
• Filed: 06/12/2009
• Issued: 01/15/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 06/12/2009
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: T-Mobile Innovations LLC (Deutsche Telekom AG)
• Original Assignee: Sprint Communications Company LP (Deutsche Telekom AG)
• Inventors: Shimamoto, Andrew Y.
• Primary Examiner(s): Wilson, Robert
• Assistant Examiner(s): Zhao, Wei
• Application Number:
  US12/483,534
• Time in Patent Office: 1,313 Days
• Field of Search: 370/400, 398/38
• US Class Current: 370/400
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 41/0816 the condition being an adaptation, e.g. in response to network events
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 41/145 involving simulating, designing, planning or modelling of a network

Abstract

Systems and media for setting signal-power-received threshold values on nodes of a communications network. A segment on a route of a communications network transmission route is identified. A number of spans in the segment and a number of channels transmitted over a segment is determined. Based on design specifications, a signal-power-received threshold value is calculated. The signal-power-received threshold value may be adjusted to accommodate for segment performance. The signal-power-received threshold value is communicated to and set on one or more nodes on the segment.

Claims

1. Non-transitory computer-readable media having computer-executable instructions embodied thereon that, when executed, perform a method in a communications network for setting signal-power-received threshold values on one or more nodes in the communications network, the method comprising:

via a computing device, calculating a transmit-power level for a segment of the communications network based on design specifications for the communications network;

determining a maximum and a minimum signal-power-received threshold for the segment using the transmit-power level;

specifying an alarm condition for performance of the segment based on the maximum and minimum signal-power-received thresholds for the segment;

adjusting a sensitivity of the alarm condition based on the performance of the segment by expanding a range of the maximum and minimum signal-power-received thresholds when actual performance of the communications network is better than expected based on the design specifications or decreasing a range of the signal-power-received thresholds when actual performance of the communications network is poorer than expected based on the design specifications;

via the computing device, setting the signal-power-received thresholds for the segment on one or more nodes in the segment;

detecting a change to one of the plurality of nodes in the segment, now an altered segment;

automatically calculating new signal-power-received thresholds for the altered segment; and

setting the new signal-power-received thresholds on the altered segment.

2. The media of claim 1, further comprising;

receiving a selection of a communications route in a communications network;

communicating with a route-terminating node to identify one or more nodes on the route, wherein the route-terminating node is a node at an endpoint of the route;

receiving a selection of one of the one or more nodes on the route;

identifying the segment of the route that contains the node, wherein the segment is a portion of the route that includes two nodes that are segment-terminating nodes and all nodes therebetween, and wherein the segment-terminating node is a node at an endpoint of the segment; and

presenting a list of one or more nodes included in the segment.

3. The media of claim 2, further comprising;

via the computing device, calculating a number of spans between the one or more nodes included in the segment, wherein the span is a direct connection between two of the nodes; and

via the computing device, calculating a number of channels transmitted over the segment.

4. The media of claim 3, wherein calculating the transmit-power level is also based on the number of spans and the number of channels.

5. The media of claim 2, further comprising;

collecting one or more current signal power input and output levels from the one or more nodes on the segment; and

presenting the one or more current signal power input and output levels from the one or more nodes on the segment to a user.

6. The media of claim 1, wherein the communications network is a fiber-optics communications network and the signal-power-received threshold is a light-power-received threshold.

7. The media of claim 1, wherein the segment includes communications in two directions and a signal-power-received threshold is calculated for each direction.

8. The media of claim 1, wherein the segment includes a primary and a secondary set of two or more nodes connected in series, and wherein the signal-power-received threshold is calculated, adjusted, and set for each of the primary and secondary sets of two or more nodes connected in series.

9. The media of claim 1, wherein the signal-power-received threshold is automatically updated on a periodic basis.

10. The media of claim 1, wherein setting the signal-power-received threshold for the segment on one or more nodes in the segment comprises communicating the signal-power-received threshold to each of the one or more nodes in the segment via a telecommunications network (Telnet) connection.

11. A system in a communications network for setting signal-power-received thresholds, the system comprising:

a node-identifying component that identifies two or more nodes on a route in the communications network that comprise a segment of the route, and identifies a number of spans between the two or more nodes and a number of channels transmitted over the segment, wherein the segment includes two terminating nodes that comprise endpoints of the segment and all nodes therebetween, and wherein the span is a connection between two consecutive nodes of the segment;

the node-identifying component that detects a change to the one or more nodes in the segment, now an altered segment;

a threshold-calculating engine that calculates a signal-power-received threshold range for the segment based on the number of spans, the number of channels, and one or more design specifications for the segment, the signal-power-received range including a maximum signal-power-received threshold and a minimum signal-power-received threshold;

the threshold-calculating engine that automatically calculates new signal-power-received thresholds for the altered segment;

a threshold-setting tool that sets the signal-power-received threshold range on the one or more nodes in the segment and that automatically periodically updates the signal-power-received threshold range based on performance of the segment, the threshold-setting tool communicating the signal-power-received range to a first node on the segment via a telecommunications network, and the first node communicating the signal-power-received range to one or more remaining nodes on the segment; and

the threshold-setting tool that sets the new signal-power-received thresholds on the altered segment.

12. The system of claim 11, wherein the threshold-calculating engine modifies the maximum and the minimum signal-power-received thresholds by

increasing the maximum signal-power-received threshold and decreasing the minimum signal-power-received threshold when an actual performance of the communications network is better than expected based on the design specifications, or

decreasing the maximum signal-power-received threshold and increasing the minimum signal-power-received threshold when the actual performance of the communications network is poorer than expected based on the design specifications.

13. The system of claim 11, wherein the design specifications include one or more tables that specify signal power transmit levels based on a number of spans and a number of channels, a minimum power loss for a given number of spans, and a maximum power loss for the given number of spans.

14. The system of claim 13, wherein the threshold-calculating engine determines a specified signal power transmit level, a minimum power loss and a maximum power loss for a given segment, and wherein the threshold-calculation engine

subtracts the minimum power loss from the specified signal power transmit level to calculate a maximum signal-power-received threshold, and

subtracts the maximum power loss from the specified signal power transmit level to calculate a minimum signal-power-received threshold.

15. Non-transitory computer-readable media having computer-executable instructions embodied thereon that, when executed, perform a method for setting signal-power-received threshold values in a fiber-optic communications network, the method comprising:

determining a number of spans between terminating nodes of a segment of the fiber-optic communications network, wherein a terminating node is a node at an endpoint of the segment and the span is a connection between two consecutive nodes of the segment;

determining a number of channels being transmitted over the segment;

based on the number of spans, the number of channels, and one or more design specifications of the fiber-optic communications network, identifying a signal transmission power level setpoint;

based on the number of spans and the one or more design specifications of the fiber-optic communications network, identifying a maximum and a minimum allowable signal power loss for the segment;

via a computing device, calculating a maximum and a minimum signal-power-received threshold for the segment, the maximum and minimum signal-power-received thresholds defining an operating range, operation of the segment outside of which results in an alarm;

adjusting the sensitivity of the alarm by adjusting the maximum and minimum signal-power-received thresholds for the segment based on historical performance of the segment;

via the computing device, setting the maximum and minimum signal-power-received thresholds for the segment on a plurality of nodes in the segment using a telecommunications network connection to each of the plurality of nodes in the segment;

detecting a change to one of the plurality of nodes in the segment, now an altered segment;

automatically calculating new signal-power-received thresholds for the altered segment; and

setting the new signal-power-received thresholds on the altered segment.

16. The media of claim 15, wherein adjusting the maximum and minimum signal-power-received thresholds for the segment comprises

increasing the maximum signal-power-received threshold and decreasing the minimum signal-power-received threshold when an actual performance of the communications network is better than expected based on the design specifications, or

decreasing the maximum signal-power-received threshold and increasing the minimum signal-power-received threshold when the actual performance of the communications network is poorer than expected based on the design specifications.

17. The media of claim 15, wherein calculating a maximum and a minimum signal-power-received threshold for the segment comprises

subtracting the minimum allowable signal power loss for the segment from the transmission power level setpoint to calculate the maximum signal-power-received threshold, and

subtracting the maximum allowable signal power loss for the segment from the transmission power level setpoint to calculate the minimum signal-power-received threshold.