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

• US 9,338,051 B2
• Filed: 09/24/2015
• Issued: 05/10/2016
• Est. Priority Date: 04/22/2004
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Bellsouth Intellectual Property Corporation (AT&T, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: AT&T Intellectual Property I LP (AT&T, Inc.)
• Inventors: Taylor, William S., Massengill, David, Hollingsworth, John
• Primary Examiner(s): SHIVERS, ASHLEY L
• Application Number:
  US14/864,177
• Publication Number:
  US 20160013970A1
• Time in Patent Office: 229 Days
• Field of Search: None
• US Class Current: 1/1
• 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: G06F 11/3466 Performance evaluation by tracing or monitoring
• 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 41/0663 Performing the actions predefined by failover planning, e.g. switching to standby network elements
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 41/22 comprising specially adapted graphical user interfaces [GUI]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 41/5003 Managing SLA; Interaction between SLA and QoS
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 41/5051 Service on demand, e.g. definition and deployment of services in real time
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 41/509 wherein the managed service relates to media content delivery, e.g. audio, video or TV
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 43/0811 by checking connectivity
• 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 49/557 Error correction, e.g. fault recovery or fault tolerance

Abstract

An example method involves providing, with a network management module of a network management system, current reroute statistics in a data structure based on the rerouting of the data from a logical circuit that has failed to a logical failover circuit in the network. The current reroute statistics include a committed information rate corresponding to the logical circuit in the network. The logical circuit is identified by a first logical circuit identifier. The logical failover circuit is identified by a second logical circuit identifier. The first and second logical circuit identifiers are renamed until the logical circuit has been restored from failure. Updated reroute statistics are provided, with the network management module, based on a change in a status of the logical circuit resulting from the committed information rate having been exceeded.

Claims

1. A method to automatically track rerouting of data in a network, the method comprising:

providing, with a network management module of a network management system, current reroute statistics in a data structure based on the rerouting of the data from a logical circuit that has failed to a logical failover circuit in the network, the current reroute statistics including a committed information rate corresponding to the logical circuit in the network, the logical circuit identified by a first logical circuit identifier, the logical failover circuit identified by a second logical circuit identifier, the first and second logical circuit identifiers renamed until the logical circuit has been restored from failure; and

providing, with the network management module, updated reroute statistics based on a change in a status of the logical circuit resulting from the committed information rate having been exceeded.

2. The method of claim 1, further including generating a billing report including the updated reroute statistics.

3. The method of claim 1, further including generating the updated reroute statistics based on restoration of the logical circuit from the failure.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the current reroute statistics and the updated reroute statistics include the first logical circuit identifier for the logical circuit and the second logical circuit identifier for the logical failover circuit.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein the current reroute statistics include a current utilization of the logical failover circuit.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein the current reroute statistics include a number of hops taken by the logical failover circuit.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein the current reroute statistics include a quality of service parameter for the logical failover circuit.

8. The method of claim 7, wherein the quality of service parameter is at least one of an unspecified bit rate, a variable bit rate, and a committed bit rate.

9. An apparatus to automatically track rerouting of data in a network, the apparatus comprising:

a network management module of a network management system, the network management module having a processor; and

a memory to store machine readable instructions that, when executed, cause the processor to perform operations including;

providing current reroute statistics in a data structure based on the rerouting of the data from a logical circuit that has failed to a logical failover circuit in the network, the current reroute statistics including a committed information rate corresponding to the logical circuit in the network, the logical circuit identified by a first logical circuit identifier, the logical failover circuit identified by a second logical circuit identifier, the first and second logical circuit identifiers renamed until the logical circuit has been restored from failure; and

providing updated reroute statistics in the data structure, the updated reroute statistics based on a change in a status of the logical circuit resulting from the committed information rate having been exceeded.

10. The apparatus of claim 9, wherein the operations further include generating a billing report including the updated reroute statistics.

11. The apparatus of claim 9, wherein the updated reroute statistics are generated based on restoration of the logical circuit from the failure.

12. The apparatus of claim 9, wherein the current reroute statistics include the first logical circuit identifier for the logical failover circuit and the second logical circuit identifier for the logical failover circuit.

13. The apparatus of claim 9, wherein the current reroute statistics include a current utilization of the logical failover circuit.

14. The apparatus of claim 9, wherein the current reroute statistics include a number of hops taken by the logical failover circuit.

15. The apparatus of claim 9, wherein the current reroute statistics include a quality of service parameter for the logical failover circuit.

16. The apparatus of claim 15, wherein the quality of service parameter is at least one of an unspecified bit rate, a variable bit rate, and a committed bit rate.

17. A machine accessible storage device comprising instructions which, when executed, cause a machine to perform operations comprising:

providing, with a network management module of a network management system, current reroute statistics in a data structure based on rerouting of data from a logical circuit that has failed to a logical failover circuit in a network, the current reroute statistics including a committed information rate corresponding to the logical circuit in the network, the logical circuit identified by a first logical circuit identifier, the logical failover circuit identified by a second logical circuit identifier, the first and second logical circuit identifiers renamed until the logical circuit has been restored from failure; and

providing, with the network management module, updated reroute statistics in the data structure, the updated reroute statistics based on a change in a status of the logical circuit resulting from the committed information rate having been exceeded.

18. The machine accessible storage device of claim 17, wherein the operations further include generating a billing report including the updated reroute statistics.

19. The machine accessible storage device of claim 17, wherein the updated reroute statistics are generated based on restoration of the logical circuit from the failure.

20. The machine accessible storage device of claim 17, wherein the current reroute statistics include the first logical circuit identifier for the logical circuit and the second logical circuit identifier for the logical failover circuit.