Network protection switching

• US 8,639,113 B2
• Filed: 08/12/2009
• Issued: 01/28/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 08/12/2009
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Original Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Inventors: DeCusatis, Casimer M, Osias, Michael J
• Primary Examiner(s): Curs, Nathan
• Assistant Examiner(s): Alagheband, Abbas H
• Application Number:
  US12/540,091
• Publication Number:
  US 20110038634A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,630 Days
• Field of Search: 398/79, 398/43, 398/57
• US Class Current: 398/43
• CPC Class Codes: H04J 14/0283 WDM ring architectures
• CPC Class Codes: H04J 14/0287 Protection in WDM systems
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 41/0631 using root cause analysis; using analysis of correlation between notifications, alarms or events based on decision criteria, e.g. hierarchy, tree or time analysis
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 7/08 the synchronisation signals recurring cyclically

Abstract

Servers attached to a data communications network, such as a wavelength division multiplexed network, are made aware of events on the network, such as a protection switch for scheduled maintenance to reduce latency and improve performance, etc. Switching data paths on the data communications network is no longer transparent to the server. A message from the network equipment is received and decoded by a holographic enterprise interface coupled to the server and to a virtual network operation centers. The network equipment reports network switch conditions to the holographic enterprise interface and other connected servers. In response to the network switch conditions, the holographic enterprise interface may automatically reprovision data traffic on the network quickly enough to prevent server timeouts and workload interruptions. The switching is then shown in real time in the virtual network operations center.

Claims

1. A method to switch one or more paths of data communications on a network operationally coupled to a server, the network having at least one optical communication channel, the method comprising the steps of:

a holographic enterprise interface receiving a protection switch message from one or more of a plurality of communication channels on the network, the holographic enterprise interface connected between the network and a virtual network operations center, the virtual network operations center implemented on the server;

the holographic enterprise interface decoding a source id of the protection switch message;

the holographic enterprise interface reading a protection action associated with the source id;

the holographic enterprise interface correlating the source id to an id within the server;

the holographic enterprise interface encapsulating the protection switch message in a holographic format understandable by a virtual network operations center implemented on the server;

the holographic enterprise interface transmitting the encapsulated message to the virtual network operations center;

the virtual network operations center providing a virtual three-dimensional representation of a spatial and an operational configuration of the network in real time;

providing an interface on the server to the virtual network operations center;

pausing communications on the one or more plurality of communication channels;

representing the paused communication on the virtual network operations center in real time;

responding to the protection switch message;

representing the response on the virtual network operations center in real time.

2. The method to process switching communications on a network of claim 1, wherein the step of responding to the protection switch message further comprises a computer generated icon or avatar within the virtual network operations center suspending communications on the one or more of the plurality of communication channels transmitting the protection switch message.

3. The method to process switching communications on a network of claim 1, wherein the step of responding to the protection switch message further comprises a computer generated icon or avatar within the virtual network operations center reprovisioning communication to a different pathway on the network.

4. The method to process switching communications on a network of claim 1, wherein the step of responding to the protection switch message further comprises the holographic enterprise interface queuing communications data in a buffer.

5. The method to process switching communications on a network of claim 1, wherein the step of responding to the protection switch message further comprises manually switching pathways using a computer generated icon or avatar within the virtual network operations center.

6. The method to process switching communications on a network of claim 1, wherein the data communications is a wavelength division multiplexed network.

7. The method to process switching communications on a network of claim 1, wherein the protection switch message is a TL1 message.

8. The method to process switching communications on a network of claim 1, wherein the protection switch message is encapsulated in holographic protocol architecture remote procedure call for transmission to the virtual network operations center.

9. The method to process switching communications on a network of claim 3, further comprising representing the different pathway having the reprovisioned communication on the virtual network operations center in real-time.

10. A computer program product that reprovisions data communications on a data communications network operationally coupled to a server, the network having at least one optical communication channel, the computer program product comprising:

tangible computer readable storage device having computer readable program code embodied therewith, the computer readable program code comprising;

first program instructions to receive and read a protection switch message from one or more of a plurality of communication channels on the network;

second program instructions to encapsulate the protection switch message into a holographic protocol understandable by and for transmission to a virtual network operations center on the server;

third program instructions to pause communications on the one or more channels; and

fourth program instructions to respond to the protection switch message,

wherein a response generated by the fourth program instructions is displayed in the virtual network operations center in real time.

11. The computer program product that reprovisions data communications of claim 10, the computer program product comprising:

tangible computer readable storage device having computer readable program code embodied therewith, the fourth program instructions comprising fifth program instructions to suspend communications on the one or more of the plurality of communication channels transmitting the protection switch message,

wherein communications suspended on the one or more plurality of communications channels are displayed in the virtual network operations center in real time.

12. The computer program product that reprovisions data communications of claim 10, the computer program product comprising:

tangible computer readable storage device having computer readable program code embodied therewith, the fourth program instructions comprising sixth program instructions to reprovision communications to a different one or more communications channels on the network,

wherein communications reprovisioned on the different one or more communications channels are displayed in the virtual network operations center in real time.

13. The computer program product that reprovisions data communications of claim 10, the computer program product comprising:

tangible computer readable storage device having computer readable program code embodied therewith, the fourth program instructions comprising seventh program instructions to queue communications data in a buffer coupled to the virtual network operations center.