System for supply chain management of virtual private network services

• US 7,684,321 B2
• Filed: 12/17/2002
• Issued: 03/23/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 12/21/2001
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Ent Services Development Corporation LP (DXC Technology Company)
• Original Assignee: Hewlett-Packard Development Company, L.P. (HP Inc.)
• Inventors: Muirhead, Charles S., Page, David J.
• Primary Examiner(s): Pham; Chi H
• Assistant Examiner(s): HYUN, SOON D
• Application Number:
  US10/322,322
• Publication Number:
  US 20030123446A1
• Time in Patent Office: 2,653 Days
• Field of Search: None
• US Class Current: 370/230
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 12/4641 Virtual LANs, VLANs, e.g. virtual private networks [VPN] LAN interconnection over a bridge based backbone H04L12/462; encapsulation techniques H04L12/4633; routing of packets H04L45/00; packet switches H04L49/00; virtual private networks for security H04L63/0272
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 41/00 Arrangements for maintenance, administration or management of data switching networks, e.g. of packet switching networks
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 41/08 Configuration management of networks or network elements address allocation H04L61/50
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 41/0895 Configuration of virtualised networks or elements, e.g. virtualised network function or OpenFlow elements
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 41/145 involving simulating, designing, planning or modelling of a network
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 41/40 using virtualisation of network functions or resources, e.g. SDN or NFV entities
• 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 41/5077 wherein the managed service relates to simple transport services, i.e. providing only network infrastructure
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 45/50 using label swapping, e.g. multi-protocol label switch [MPLS]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 49/205 Quality of Service based
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 49/25 Routing or path finding in a switch fabric
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 49/351 for local area network [LAN], e.g. Ethernet switches
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 49/354 for supporting virtual local area networks [VLAN]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 49/555 Error detection
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 49/602 Multilayer or multiprotocol switching, e.g. IP switching
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/0272 Virtual private networks
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/1408 by monitoring network traffic monitoring network traffic per se H04L43/00
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/51 Discovery or management thereof, e.g. service location protocol [SLP] or web services

Abstract

The system for the supply chain management of network services, preferably virtual private network services, provides hardware, processes and application tools useful in configuring and/or delivering substantially measurable virtual private network services.

Claims

1. A method for providing substantially measurable network service comprising:

capturing by a processor one or more of a user'"'"'s network service requirements in one or more data structures stored in a computer readable medium;

outputting one or more design solutions in substantial compliance with the user'"'"'s captured network service requirements;

provisioning network devices configured to implement a selected one of the outputted design solutions, which is modifiable and which comprises at least one of network infrastructure and network services;

activating said provisioned design solution for use by the user;

monitoring by the processor said activated design solution for variation in at least one of delivery performance and usage, said monitoring being of the network devices used in said activated design solution;

maintaining by the processor performance metrics data on said activated design solution in one or more data structures stored in a computer readable medium;

comparing by the processor said performance metrics with the user'"'"'s captured network service requirements to determine whether delivery of said activated design solution, is in substantial compliance with the user'"'"'s captured network service requirements; and

modifying the activated design solution if the delivery of said activated design solution is not in substantial compliance with the user'"'"'s captured network service requirements.

2. A requirement planning system for providing managed network service, said system comprising:

a network infrastructure comprising one or more network devices communicatively connecting a plurality of service providers;

a management module comprising a suite of applications and hardware for managing a collection of functions directed to delivery of substantially measurable network service, the management module further comprising a gateway, a logical structure, a modeling tools platform, network transformation programs and a workflow engine; and

a communications network for interfacing said network infrastructure with said management module, said communication network enabling the management module to obtain performance metrics data on said network infrastructure from the one or more network devices after activating said network infrastructure.

3. A system for providing performance-based network service, said system comprising:

a portal allowing access to said system;

a modeling tools engine for modeling one or more network designs;

a network transformation programs engine, in communication with said modeling tools engine, for providing network support of a network design;

a logical structure for storing and integrating information from said modeling tools engine and said network transformation programs engine involved in producing a network design; and

a workflow engine for managing the processing of aid modeling tools engine, said network transformation programs engine and said logical structure, in order to facilitate implementation of the network design.

4. The system according to claim 3, said modeling tools engine comprising one or more applications useful in assisting the development of desired modeling activities.

5. The system according to claim 3, said modeling tools engine facilitating a mapping of one or more network design requirements with one or more network providers operative of meeting a design requirement.

6. The system according to claim 3, said modeling tools engine further comprising a supplier qualification module for facilitating supplier feasibility determination.

7. The system according to claim 3, said modeling tools engine further comprising a supplier contract agreement module for facilitating contract preparation.

8. The system according to claim 3, said network transformation programs engine further comprising an assess module fur providing an initial assessment of network requirements.

9. The system according to claim 8, said assess module providing a cost benefit analysis of said network requirements.

10. The system according to claim 3, said network transformation programs engine further comprising a design module for providing a solution design.

11. The system according to claim 10, wherein said solution design comprises a network design configuration.

12. The system according to claim 10, wherein said solution design comprises a network supply chain topology.

13. The system according to claim 12, said network supply chain topology having one or more target site-to-site connectivity matrices and one or more corresponding service level agreements.

14. The system according to claim 10, wherein said solution design comprises one or more performance parameters.

15. The system according to claim 10, said design module employing a supplier qualification module for providing potential network supplier feasibility and cost.

16. The system according to claim 10, said design module employing a contract agreement module for providing a service level agreement associated with a design solution.

17. The system according to claim 3, said network transformation programs engine further comprising an implement module for generating service orders in fulfillment of a solution design.

18. The system according to claim 17, said implement module employing a service acceptance module for providing testing of said solution design.

19. The system according to claim 17, said implement module managing coordinating of implementation of said solution design.

20. The system according to claim 3, said network transformation programs engine further comprising an assure module for ensuring delivery of network service as designed.

21. The system according to claim 3, said network transformation programs engine further comprising an assure module for ensuring delivery of network service as contracted.

22. The system according to claim 20, said assure module providing incident management when network performance falls outside one or more performance parameters.

23. The system according to claim 20, said assure module providing real-time reporting of service monitoring and incident management activity.

24. The system according to claim 20, said assure module generating statistical performance information on substantially all aspects of a network.

25. The system according to claim 3, said logical structure operative for manipulating data from each of said modeling tools engine, network transformation programs engine and workflow engine, into information in a desired business usable format.

26. The system according to claim 3, said logical structure operative for storing data to populate a design module of said network transformation programs module.

27. The system according to claim 26, said data pertaining to at least one of network requirements, design topology, quality of service scheme, service provider capability and performance metrics.

28. The system according to claim 3, said logical structure operative for storing data to populate an implement module of said network transformation programs module.

29. The system according to claim 28, said data pertaining to at least one of a target solution design, supplier feasibility and contractual agreement.

30. A method for delivery of a measurable network service, comprising:

designing an end-to-end network service solution based on requirements of a subscriber store in one or more data structures in a computer-readable medium, the network service solution comprising network services from a plurality of network service suppliers, each network service supplier providing network services according to a service level agreement;

implementing the network service solution by enabling communications between network service suppliers through one or more monitoring devices configured to detect performance metric data for each of the network service suppliers;

activating the implemented network service solution for use by the subscriber to communicate data through the implemented network;

monitoring by a processor the activated network service solution using the performance metric data received from the monitoring devices; and

determining by the processor variations in the performance metric data relating to the network services and usage by the subscriber.

31. The method of claim 30, further comprising billing the subscriber if the activated network service solution satisfies the requirements of the subscriber.

32. The method of claim 30, further comprising:

designing a corrective network service solution based on the usage by the subscriber if the usage by the subscriber exceeds the requirements of the subscriber; and

replacing the implemented network service solution with an implemented corrective network service solution.

33. The method of claim 30, further comprising:

providing one or more service credits to the subscriber if the usage by the subscriber is within the limits of the requirements of the subscriber and if the network services do not conform to the service level agreements;

designing a corrective network service solution based on the requirements of the subscriber and the performance metric data for the plurality of network service suppliers;

replacing the implemented network service solution with an implemented corrective network service solution.

34. The method of claim 30, wherein determining variations in perform metric data comprises:

determining in real-time whether data traversing a path related to a service level agreement exceeds an amount of data defined in the service level agreement; and

reporting the determination if the data traversing the path exceeds the amount of data defined in the service level agreement.