Methods and systems for automatically rerouting logical circuit data in a data network

• US 8,750,102 B2
• Filed: 05/18/2012
• Issued: 06/10/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 12/23/2003
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Rakuten Group, Inc.
• Original Assignee: AT&T Intellectual Property I LP (AT&T, Inc.)
• Inventors: Hollingsworth, John, Taylor, William, Massengill, David
• Primary Examiner(s): Ngo, Ricky
• Assistant Examiner(s): KAO, WEI PO ERIC
• Application Number:
  US13/475,577
• Publication Number:
  US 20120266015A1
• Time in Patent Office: 753 Days
• Field of Search: 370216-228
• US Class Current: 370/228
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 12/5601 Transfer mode dependent, e.g. ATM
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 2012/5627 Fault tolerance and recovery
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 41/0663 Performing the actions predefined by failover planning, e.g. switching to standby network elements
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 41/0668 by dynamic selection of recovery network elements, e.g. replacement by the most appropriate element after failure
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 45/00 Routing or path finding of packets in data switching networks routing or path finding in wireless networks H04W40/00
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 45/22 Alternate routing
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 45/28 using route fault recovery
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 45/76 Routing in software-defined topologies, e.g. routing between virtual machines

Abstract

Determining a failure of a logical connection in a logical circuit identified by a logical circuit identifier, the logical circuit comprising variable communication paths in at least one of a first or a second logical telecommunications network and a fixed communication path between the first and second logical telecommunications networks, and the failed logical connection being between the first and second logical telecommunications networks; identifying a logical failover circuit comprising an alternate communication path in a failover network that is separate from the logical circuit, the failover network reserved to provide failover circuits to communicate data rerouted from failed logical circuits, and the logical failover circuit identified by a second logical circuit identifier; renaming the logical circuit identifier of the logical circuit to the second logical circuit identifier of the logical failover circuit; and rerouting the data from the logical circuit to the logical failover circuit without manual intervention.

Claims

1. A method comprising:

determining a failure of a logical connection in a logical circuit identified by a logical circuit identifier, the logical circuit comprising (1) variable communication paths in at least one of a first logical telecommunications network and a second logical telecommunications network, and (2) a fixed communication path between the first and second logical telecommunications networks, and the failed logical connection being between the first and second logical telecommunications networks;

identifying a logical failover circuit comprising an alternate communication path in a failover network that is separate from the logical circuit, the failover network being reserved to provide failover circuits to communicate data rerouted from failed logical circuits, and the logical failover circuit identified by a second logical circuit identifier;

renaming the logical circuit identifier of the logical circuit to the second logical circuit identifier of the logical failover circuit; and

rerouting data from the logical circuit to the logical failover circuit without manual intervention.

2. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

after rerouting the data to the logical failover circuit, determining whether the failure in the logical circuit has been corrected; and

if the failure in the logical circuit has been corrected, then rerouting the data from the logical failover circuit to the logical circuit without manual intervention.

3. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

after determining the failure in the logical circuit and before rerouting the data to the logical failover circuit, offering a failover service in real time to a customer associated with the logical circuit; and

performing the rerouting of the data to the logical failover circuit in response to receiving acceptance of the failover service by the customer.

4. The method of claim 1, further comprising after determining the failure in the logical circuit, performing the rerouting of the data to the logical failover circuit based on a customer subscription to a failover service, the data to be rerouted for a time period defined in the customer subscription.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein the first logical telecommunications network is operated by a first carrier different from a second carrier of the second logical telecommunications network.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein the logical connection comprises a network-to-network interface.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein the logical circuit identifier is one of a virtual path/virtual circuit identifier (VPI/VCI) and a data link connection identifier (DLCI).

8. The method of claim 1, wherein the logical failover circuit is a permanent virtual circuit.

9. The method of claim 8, wherein the logical failover circuit is a switched virtual circuit.

10. A system comprising:

a memory having machine readable instructions stored thereon; and

a processor to execute the instructions to;

determine a failure of a logical connection in a logical circuit identified by a logical circuit identifier, the logical circuit comprising (1) variable communication paths in at least one of a first logical telecommunications network and a second logical telecommunications network, and (2) a fixed communication path between the first and second logical telecommunications networks, and the failed logical connection being between the first and second logical telecommunications networks;

identify a logical failover circuit comprising an alternate communication path in a failover network that is separate from the logical circuit, the failover network being reserved to provide failover circuits to communicate data rerouted from failed logical circuits, and the logical failover circuit identified by a second logical circuit identifier;

rename the logical circuit identifier of the logical circuit to the second logical circuit identifier of the logical failover circuit; and

reroute data from the logical circuit to the logical failover circuit without manual intervention.

11. The system of claim 10, wherein the processor is further to:

when the logical circuit is failed and before rerouting the data to the logical failover circuit, offer a failover service in real time to a customer associated with the logical circuit; and

reroute the data to the logical failover circuit in response to receiving acceptance of the failover service by the customer.

12. The system of claim 10, wherein the processor is further to, when the logical circuit is failed, reroute the data to the logical failover circuit based on a customer subscription to a failover service, the data to be rerouted for a time period defined in the customer subscription.

13. The system of claim 10, wherein the processor is separate from switches over which the data is communicated through the logical circuit and the logical failover circuit.

14. The system of claim 10, wherein the first logical telecommunications network is operated by a first carrier different from a second carrier of the second logical telecommunications network.

15. The system of claim 10, wherein the logical failover circuit comprises an unused logical connection comprising a network-to-network interface.

16. The system of claim 10, wherein the first logical circuit identifier is one of a virtual path/virtual circuit identifier (VPI/VCI) and a data link connection identifier (DLCI).

17. A machine readable storage device having instructions stored thereon which, when executed, cause a machine to perform a method comprising:

determining a failure of a logical connection in a logical circuit identified by a logical circuit identifier, the logical circuit comprising (1) variable communication paths in at least one of a first logical telecommunications network and a second logical telecommunications network, and (2) a fixed communication path between the first and second logical telecommunications networks, and the failed logical connection being between the first and second logical telecommunications networks;

identifying a logical failover circuit comprising an alternate communication path in a failover network that is separate from the logical circuit, the failover network being reserved to provide failover circuits to communicate data rerouted from failed logical circuits, and the logical failover circuit identified by a second logical circuit identifier;

renaming the logical circuit identifier of the logical circuit to the second logical circuit identifier of the logical failover circuit; and

rerouting data from the logical circuit to the logical failover circuit without manual intervention.

18. The machine readable storage device of claim 17, wherein the method further comprises:

when the logical circuit is failed and before rerouting the data to the logical failover circuit, offering a failover service in real time to a customer associated with the logical circuit; and

rerouting the data to the logical failover circuit in response to receiving acceptance of the failover service by the customer.

19. The machine readable storage device of claim 17, wherein the method further comprises, when the logical circuit is failed, rerouting the data to the logical failover circuit based on a customer subscription to a failover service, the data to be rerouted for a time period defined in the customer subscription.

20. The machine readable storage device of claim 17, wherein the first logical telecommunications network is operated by a first carrier different from a second carrier of the second logical telecommunications network.