Determining and using value of traffic relying on a given component of a communications network

• US 20040062205A1
• Filed: 09/30/2002
• Published: 04/01/2004
• Est. Priority Date: 09/30/2002
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Ciena Corporation
• Original Assignee: Nortel Networks Limited (Nortel Networks Corporation)
• Inventors: Parry, Simon, Friskney, Robert, Davis, Nigel, Sparks, Adrian
• Granted Patent: US 7,400,583 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 370/252
• 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 41/145 involving simulating, designing, planning or modelling of a network
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 41/5003 Managing SLA; Interaction between SLA and QoS
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 41/5009 Determining service level performance parameters or violations of service level contracts, e.g. violations of agreed response time or mean time between failures [MTBF]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 43/00 Arrangements for monitoring or testing data switching networks
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 43/0882 Utilisation of link capacity

Abstract

A system for monitoring a communications network generates a total value figure, using a store of value information. The system can identify which of the monitored flows of traffic rely on a given one or more of the components of the network, and generate a total value of all the identified flows. This type of value information can be easier for network operators to interpret because the information is more direct, and more explicit. Also, many specific rules/warnings about reconfigurations need not be provided. Values can be sent to remote field workers, or used for network configuration, network planning, and financial reporting.

Claims

1. A system for monitoring a communications network, the network being made up of many components, and being arranged for carrying many flows of telecommunications traffic, having different values, the system being coupled to the components to monitor the flows in the network, and being coupled to a store of value information based on one or more service level agreements relating to at least some of the flows, the value information indicating one or both of a positive revenue from the successful operation of the flow, and a negative revenue if the flow is degraded, the system having:

a flow identifier for identifying which of the monitored flows of traffic rely on a given one or more of the components, and

a valuer arranged to determine a total value of the identified flows from the store of value information relating to the identified flows.

2. The system of claim 1, being coupled to a display and being arranged to display the total value on the display.

3. The system of claim 2, having an interface arranged to receive a request identifying the given or more components and arranged to send the total value to a remote terminal for display.

4. The system of claim 2, having an interface for coupling to a centralized network reconfiguration system, the display being on an operator terminal of the reconfiguration system.

5. The system of claim 1, having an interface for coupling to a centralized network reconfiguration system to enable reconfiguration of the given one or more components only if the total value does not exceed a pre-determined threshold.

6. The system of claim 1, further having a value map generator arranged to determine the total values for many of the components, to create a value map of part or all of the network.

7. The system of claim 1, the network being a wide area optical wavelength division multiplexed transport network.

8. The system of claim 1, having an adjuster arranged to determine if the identified flows have protection paths not relying on the given one or more components, and if any of the flows rely on the given one or more components not for transmission but only for a protection path, and to adjust the total value accordingly.

9. The system of claim 1, having an adjuster arranged to determine an adjusted total value taking into account how long the given component could be degraded.

10. The system of claim 1, having an accuracy determiner arranged to determine a level of accuracy of the total value.

16. A system for determining a cost benefit ratio of a given component of a communications network, the system comprising the monitoring system of claim 1, and having an averager arranged to determine an average of the total value for the given component over a predetermined period of time, and a ratio determiner arranged to combine the average with a component cost.

17. A system for alerting a craftsperson at a remote location of information relating to traffic flows currently flowing through or relying on a given component of a communications network, the system having:

a component identifier arranged to send information identifying the given component to a monitoring system as set out in claim 1, and

a value sender arranged to send the total value generated by the monitoring system to the remote terminal for use by the craftsperson.

18. The system of claim 17, further having an arrangement for automated entry of the information identifying the given component.

19. The system of claim 1 in the form of software.

11. A method of monitoring a communications network, the network being made up of many components, and arranged for carrying many flows of telecommunications traffic having different values, the system being coupled to the components to monitor the flows in the network, and being coupled to a store of value information based on one or more service level agreements relating to at least some of the flows, the value information indicating one or both of a positive revenue from the successful operation of the flow, and a negative revenue if the flow is degraded, the method having the steps of:

identifying which of the flows of traffic rely on a given one or more of the components, and

determining a total value of the identified flows from the store of value information relating to the identified flows.

12. A network management system for configuring paths for flows of traffic in a communications network, the system being arranged to:

access information indicating total values of current flows of traffic at a number of different points in the network, and

configure the paths to provide a more evenly value balanced network.

13. A network management system for configuring protection paths for flows of traffic in a communications network, the system having:

an interface for accessing information indicating total values of current traffic flows at a number of different points in the network, and

a configuration component for configuring the protection paths using the information to bias the configuration to provide better protection for points having higher total values.

14. A method of optimising a network, having the steps of:

accessing information indicating total values of traffic flows at a number of different points in the network, and

providing increased resilience at those points with higher total values.

15. A method of using a value balanced communications network, having the steps of:

a customer agreeing a service level agreement indicating a value or a penalty value of flows of traffic, with an operator of the value balanced network, and

sending one or more traffic flows relating to the agreement over the value balanced network.

20. A system for monitoring a communications network, the network being made up of many components, and being arranged for carrying many flows of telecommunications traffic, having different values, the system being coupled to the components to monitor the flows in the network, and being coupled to a store of value information based on one or more service level agreements relating to at least some of the flows, the value information indicating one or both of a positive revenue from the successful operation of the flow, and a negative revenue if the flow is degraded, the system having:

means for identifying which of the monitored flows of traffic rely on a given one or more of the components, and

means for determining a total value of the identified flows from the store of value information relating to the identified flows.