Method and system for real time simultaneous monitoring of logical circuits in a data network

• US 8,031,620 B2
• Filed: 10/30/2009
• Issued: 10/04/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 12/23/2003
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: AT&T Intellectual Property I LP (AT&T, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: AT&T Intellectual Property I LP (AT&T, Inc.)
• Inventors: Taylor, William, Massengill, David, Hollingsworth, John
• Primary Examiner(s): Phung, Luat
• Application Number:
  US12/609,683
• Publication Number:
  US 20100046380A1
• Time in Patent Office: 704 Days
• Field of Search: 370/244, 370216-219, 370/221, 370/242, 370/250, 370/389, 370/395.1, 714/4, 714/43, 714/4.1
• US Class Current: 370/244
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 41/0233 Object-oriented techniques, for representation of network management data, e.g. common object request broker architecture [CORBA]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 43/0817 by checking functioning

Abstract

Methods and systems are provided for real time simultaneous monitoring of logical circuits. In accordance with an example method, first status information is requested for a first logical connection at a host end of a logical circuit comprising the first logical connection. The logical circuit connects a host device to a remote device and traverses a first local access and transport area, an inter-exchange carrier, and a second local access and transport area. The first local access and transport area is at the host end of the logical circuit, and the second local access and transport area is at a remote end of the logical circuit. A logical identifier of the logical circuit is identified based on the first status information. A second logical connection at the remote end of the logical circuit is identified based on the logical identifier of the logical circuit. Second status information for the second logical connection is requested after identifying the second logical connection. An indication of whether the logical circuit has failed is displayed based on the first and second status information.

Claims

1. A method for real time simultaneous monitoring of a logical circuit, the method comprising:

requesting first status information for a first logical connection at a host end of a logical circuit, the first logical connection being between the host end and an input to a network;

requesting second status information for a second logical connection at a terminal end of the logical circuit, the second logical connection being between the terminal end and an output of the network;

identifying a status of a third logical connection between the input of the network and the output of the network, the logical circuit including the first logical connection, the second logical connection, and the third logical connection;

identifying a logical identifier that identifies the logical circuit at the first logical connection, at the second logical connection, and at the third logical connection based on the first status information and the second status information, the logical identifier being the same at the first logical connection, the second logical connection, and the third logical connection; and

displaying whether the logical circuit has failed based on the first and second status information and based on the status of the third logical connection between the input of the network and the output of the network.

2. The method of claim 1, further comprising updating customer data with a reroute status of the logical circuit, the reroute status indicating whether data from the logical circuit is being rerouted.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the third logical connection is a network-to-network interface connecting a last sending switch in a first local access and transport area to a first receiving switch in an inter-exchange carrier.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the first status information for the first logical connection is generated by switches associated with a first carrier network in communication with the first logical connection and communicated to a logical element module for storing therein, and wherein requesting the first status information for the first logical connection comprises requesting, via a network management module, the first status information from the logical element module.

5. The method of claim 4, wherein the logical element module is separate from the switches and in communication with the switches via management trunks.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein the host end and the remote end comprise local area network routers.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein the logical circuit is a packet-based circuit.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein the third logical connection connects the logical circuit between a first network and a second network, the logical circuit further comprising a fourth logical connection connecting the logical circuit between the second network and a third network.

9. A system for real time simultaneous monitoring of a logical circuit, the system comprising:

a network management module to;

request first status information for a first logical connection at a host end of a logical circuit, the first logical connection being between the host end and an input to a network;

request second status information for a second logical connection at a terminal end of the logical circuit, the second logical connection being between the terminal end and an output of the network;

identify a status of a third logical connection between the input of the network and the output of the network, the logical circuit including the first logical connection, the second logical connection, and the third logical connection;

identify a logical identifier that identifies the logical circuit at the first logical connection, at the second logical connection, and at the third logical connection based on the first status information and the second status information, the logical identifier being the same at the first logical connection, the second logical connection, and the third logical connection; and

a terminal in communication with the network management module, the terminal to display whether the logical circuit has failed based on the first and second status information and based on the status of the third logical connection between the input of the network and the output of the network.

10. The system of claim 9, further comprising a database to store customer data associated with the logical circuit, wherein the network management module is further to update the customer data in the database with a reroute status of the logical circuit, the reroute status indicating whether data from the logical circuit is being rerouted.

11. The system of claim 9, wherein the third logical connection is a network-to-network interface connecting a last sending switch in a first local access and transport area to a first receiving switch in an inter-exchange carrier.

12. The system of claim 9, further comprising a logical element module to store the first status information for the first logical connection, wherein the first status information is generated by switches associated with a first carrier network communicatively coupled to the first logical connection and communicated to the logical element module, and wherein the network management module is to request the first status information for the first logical connection from the logical element module.

13. The system of claim 12, wherein the logical element module is separate from the switches and in communication with the switches via management trunks.

14. The system of claim 12, wherein the logical element module is in communication with the network management module via a local area network.

15. The system of claim 9, wherein the logical circuit is a packet-based circuit.

16. A tangible computer readable medium having instructions stored thereon that, when executed, cause a machine to at least:

request first status information for a first logical connection at a host end of a logical circuit, the first logical connection being between the host end and an input to a network;

request second status information for a second logical connection at a terminal end of the logical circuit, the second logical connection being between the terminal end and an output of the network;

identify a status of a third logical connection between the input of the network and the output of the network, the logical circuit including the first logical connection, the second logical connection, and the third logical connection;

identify a logical identifier that identifies the logical circuit at the first logical connection, at the second logical connection, and at the third logical connection based on the first status information and the second status information; and

display whether the logical circuit has failed based on the first status information, the second status information, and the status of the third logical connection between the input of the network and the output of the network.

17. The computer readable medium of claim 16 having instructions stored thereon that, when executed, cause the machine to update customer data with a reroute status of the logical circuit, the reroute status indicating whether data from the logical circuit is being rerouted.

18. The computer readable medium of claim 16, wherein the third logical connection is a network-to-network interface connecting a last sending switch in a first local access and transport area to a first receiving switch in an inter-exchange carrier.

19. The computer readable medium of claim 16 having instructions stored thereon that, when executed, cause the machine to request the first status information for the first logical connection from a logical element module storing the first status information, wherein the first status information is generated by switches associated with a first carrier network communicatively coupled to the first logical connection and communicated to the logical element module for storing therein.

20. The computer readable medium of claim 19, wherein the logical element module is separate from the switches and in communication with the switches via management trunks.

21. The computer readable medium of claim 16, wherein the logical circuit is a packet-based circuit.