Methods and systems for automatically rerouting logical circuit data from a logical circuit failure to a dedicated backup circuit in a data network

• US 8,509,058 B2
• Filed: 11/30/2012
• Issued: 08/13/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 04/22/2004
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Bellsouth Intellectual Property Corporation (AT&T, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: AT&T Intellectual Property I LP (AT&T, Inc.)
• Inventors: Taylor, William, Massengill, David, Hollingsworth, John
• Primary Examiner(s): Shah, Chirag
• Assistant Examiner(s): SHIVERS, ASHLEY L
• Application Number:
  US13/690,884
• Publication Number:
  US 20130091378A1
• Time in Patent Office: 256 Days
• Field of Search: None
• US Class Current: 370/217
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 11/2002 where interconnections or communication control functionality are redundant flexible arrangements for bus networks involving redundancy H04L12/40176
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 41/0654 using network fault recovery ring fault isolation or reconfiguration in loop networks without recovery actions by a network management system H04L12/437
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 45/10 Routing in connection-oriented networks, e.g. X.25 or ATM
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 45/22 Alternate routing
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 45/28 using route fault recovery

Abstract

An example method involves rerouting a logical circuit from a first set of switches to a second set of switches to communicate data between network devices without breaking the logical circuit. The logical circuit includes variable communication paths, and the second set of switches are to form a route associated with the variable communication paths that is not predefined and that is dynamically defined at a time of automatic rerouting. The example method also involves detecting a failure of the logical circuit based on at least one of a committed information rate or a committed burst size having been exceeded. In addition, the data is rerouted from the logical circuit to a logical failover circuit in the data network in response to detecting the failure of the logical circuit. The logical failover circuit includes an alternative communication path to communicate the data.

Claims

1. A method of rerouting data, comprising:

rerouting a logical circuit from a first set of switches to a second set of switches to communicate data between network devices without breaking the logical circuit, the logical circuit comprising variable communication paths, and the second set of switches to form a route associated with the variable communication paths that is not predefined and that is dynamically defined at a time of automatic rerouting;

detecting a failure of the logical circuit based on at least one of a committed information rate or a committed burst size having been exceeded; and

rerouting the data from the logical circuit to a logical failover circuit in the data network in response to detecting the failure of the logical circuit, wherein the logical failover circuit comprises an alternative communication path to communicate the data.

2. A method as defined in claim 1, wherein the logical circuit comprises variable logical connections.

3. A method as defined in claim 1, wherein the logical failover circuit comprises a dedicated physical circuit and a dedicated logical circuit.

4. A method as defined in claim 1, further comprising determining that the at least one of the committed information rate or the committed burst size has been exceeded by:

receiving a header associated with the data communicated via the logical circuit; and

determining the exceeded committed information rate or the exceeded committed burst size based on threshold information in the header.

5. A method as defined in claim 1, further comprising:

receiving a service order specifying the at least one of the committed information rate or the committed burst size; and

provisioning the logical circuit based on the at least one of the committed information rate or the committed burst size.

6. A method as defined in claim 1, further comprising receiving trap data generated by a network switch, and determining the exceeded committed information rate or the exceeded committed burst size based on the trap data.

7. A method as defined in claim 6, wherein the network switch generates the trap data in response to detecting dropped data.

8. A method as defined in claim 1, further comprising:

communicating a test signal to at least one of a plurality of test points associated with the logical circuit; and

receiving a loop back signal from the at least one of the plurality of test points indicating the exceeded committed information rate or the exceeded committed burst size.

9. A method as defined in claim 1, further comprising determining the exceeded committed information rate or the exceeded committed burst size based on a customer report of a network circuit failure.

10. A system to reroute data, comprising:

a processor; and

a memory storing machine readable instructions that cause the processor to perform a method comprising;

rerouting a logical circuit from a first set of switches to a second set of switches to communicate data between network devices while maintaining the logical circuit, the logical circuit comprising variable communication paths, and the second set of switches to form a route associated with the variable communication paths that is not predefined and that is dynamically defined at a time of automatic rerouting of the variable communication paths;

detecting a failure of the logical circuit based on at least one of a committed information rate or a committed burst size having been exceeded; and

rerouting the data from the logical circuit to a logical failover circuit in the data network in response to detecting the failure of the logical circuit, wherein the logical failover circuit comprises an alternative communication path to communicate the data.

11. A system as defined in claim 10, wherein the method further comprises:

receiving a service order specifying the at least one of the committed information rate or the committed burst size; and

provisioning the logical circuit based on the at least one of the committed information rate or the committed burst size.

12. A system as defined in claim 10, wherein the method further comprises receiving trap data generated by a network switch, and determining the exceeded committed information rate or the exceeded committed burst size based on the trap data.

13. A system as defined in claim 12, wherein the network switch generates the trap data in response to detecting dropped data.

14. A system as defined in claim 10, wherein the method further comprises communicating a test signal to at least one of the plurality of test points, and receiving a loop back signal from the at least one of the plurality of test points, the loop back signal being indicative of the exceeded committed information rate or the exceeded committed burst size.

15. A tangible machine accessible storage device or storage disc comprising instructions that cause a machine to perform a method comprising:

rerouting a logical circuit from a first set of switches to a second set of switches to communicate data between network devices in an absence of a failure of the logical circuit, the logical circuit comprising variable communication paths, and the second set of switches to form a route associated with the variable communication paths that is not predefined and that is dynamically defined at a time at which the variable communication paths are automatically rerouted while maintaining the logical circuit through the second set of switches;

detecting a failure of the logical circuit based on at least one of a committed information rate or a committed burst size having been exceeded; and

rerouting the data from the logical circuit to a logical failover circuit in the data network in response to detecting the failure of the logical circuit, wherein the logical failover circuit comprises an alternative communication path to communicate the data.

16. A tangible machine accessible storage device or storage disc as defined in claim 15, wherein the method further comprises determining the exceeded committed information rate or the exceeded committed burst size by:

receiving a header associated with the data communicated via the logical circuit; and

determining the exceeded committed information rate or the exceeded committed burst size based on threshold information in the header.

17. A tangible machine accessible storage device or storage disc as defined in claim 15, wherein the method further comprises determining the exceeded committed information rate or the exceeded committed burst size by:

communicating a test signal to at least one of a plurality of test points associated with the logical circuit; and

receiving a loop back signal from the at least one of the plurality of test points, wherein the loop back signal is indicative of the exceeded committed information rate or the exceeded committed burst size.

18. A tangible machine accessible storage device or storage disc as defined in claim 15, wherein the method further comprises receiving trap data generated by a network switch, and determining the exceeded committed information rate or the exceeded committed burst size based on the trap data.

19. A tangible machine accessible storage device or storage disc as defined in claim 18, wherein the network switch generates the trap data in response to detecting dropped data.

20. A tangible machine accessible storage device or storage disc as defined in claim 15, wherein the method further comprises determining the exceeded committed information rate or the exceeded committed burst size based on a customer report of a network circuit failure.