Methods and systems to reroute data in a data network

• US 8,937,856 B2
• Filed: 09/27/2013
• Issued: 01/20/2015
• 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: Taylor, William, Massengill, David, Hollingsworth, John
• Primary Examiner(s): Ngo, Ricky
• Assistant Examiner(s): KAO, WEI PO ERIC
• Application Number:
  US14/040,042
• Publication Number:
  US 20140029417A1
• Time in Patent Office: 480 Days
• Field of Search: 370216-228, 370/229, 370/230, 370/235, 370/241, 370/241.1, 370/242, 370/244, 370/247, 370/249, 370/252, 370/253
• US Class Current: 370/225
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 41/0659 by isolating or reconfiguring faulty entities
• 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 45/10 Routing in connection-oriented networks, e.g. X.25 or ATM
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 45/22 Alternate routing
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 45/28 using route fault recovery
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 45/302 Route determination based on requested QoS
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 45/3065 for real time traffic
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 49/557 Error correction, e.g. fault recovery or fault tolerance

Abstract

An example method involves, when a first quality of service parameter for a failed logical circuit is equal to or less than a second quality of service parameter for a logical failover circuit, rerouting data from the failed logical circuit to the logical failover circuit without requiring authorization from a customer to communicate the data at the second quality of service parameter. When the second quality of service parameter for the logical failover circuit is a lower level of quality than the first quality of service parameter for the failed logical circuit: a customer is prompted for an authorization to communicate the data via the logical failover circuit at the second quality of service parameter; when the authorization is received, the data is rerouted from the failed logical circuit to the logical failover circuit; and when the authorization is denied, the data is not rerouted to the logical failover circuit.

Claims

1. A method to reroute logical circuit data in a data network, the method comprising:

when a first quality of service parameter for a failed logical circuit is equal to or less than a second quality of service parameter for a logical failover circuit, rerouting data from the failed logical circuit to the logical failover circuit without requiring authorization from a customer to communicate the data at the second quality of service parameter; and

when the second quality of service parameter for the logical failover circuit is a lower level of quality than the first quality of service parameter for the failed logical circuit;

prompting the customer for an authorization to communicate the data via the logical failover circuit at the second quality of service parameter;

when the authorization is received, rerouting the data from the failed logical circuit to the logical failover circuit; and

when the authorization is denied, not rerouting the data to the logical failover circuit.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the first quality of service parameter for the failed logical circuit is a traffic descriptor for logical circuit data.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the first quality of service parameter for the failed logical circuit is a variable frame relay real time parameter.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the first quality of service parameter for the failed logical circuit is a variable frame relay non-real time parameter.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein the first quality of service parameter for the failed logical circuit is a constant bit rate parameter.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein the first quality of service parameter for the failed logical circuit is a variable bit rate parameter.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein the first quality of service parameter for the failed logical circuit is an unspecified bit rate parameter.

8. An apparatus to reroute logical circuit data in a data network, the apparatus comprising:

a processor; and

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

when a first quality of service parameter for a failed logical circuit is equal to or less than a second quality of service parameter for a logical failover circuit, rerouting data from the failed logical circuit to the logical failover circuit without requiring authorization from a customer to communicate the data at the second quality of service parameter; and

when the second quality of service parameter for the logical failover circuit is a lower level of quality than the first quality of service parameter for the failed logical circuit;

prompting the customer for an authorization to communicate the data via the logical failover circuit at the second quality of service parameter;

when the authorization is received, rerouting the data from the failed logical circuit to the logical failover circuit; and

when the authorization is denied, not rerouting the data to the logical failover circuit.

9. The apparatus of claim 8, wherein the first quality of service parameter for the failed logical circuit is a traffic descriptor for logical circuit data.

10. The apparatus of claim 8, wherein the first quality of service parameter for the failed logical circuit is a variable frame relay real time parameter.

11. The apparatus of claim 8, wherein the first quality of service parameter for the failed logical circuit is a variable frame relay non-real time parameter.

12. The apparatus of claim 8, wherein the first quality of service parameter for the failed logical circuit is a constant bit rate parameter.

13. The apparatus of claim 8, wherein the first quality of service parameter for the failed logical circuit is a variable bit rate parameter.

14. The apparatus of claim 8, wherein the first quality of service parameter for the failed logical circuit is an unspecified bit rate parameter.

15. The apparatus of claim 8, wherein the logical failover circuit comprises a dedicated failover logical connection in a failover data network.

16. The apparatus of claim 15, wherein the dedicated failover logical connection comprises a network-to-network interface.

17. The apparatus of claim 8, wherein the logical failover circuit is identified by one of a data link connection identifier (DLCI) or a virtual path/virtual circuit identifier (VPI/VCI).

18. A computer readable storage device comprising instructions which, when executed, cause a machine to perform a method comprising:

when a first quality of service parameter for a failed logical circuit is equal to or less than a second quality of service parameter for a logical failover circuit, rerouting data from the failed logical circuit to the logical failover circuit without requiring authorization from a customer to communicate the data at the second quality of service parameter; and

when the second quality of service parameter for the logical failover circuit is a lower level of quality than the first quality of service parameter for the failed logical circuit;

prompting the customer for an authorization to communicate the data via the logical failover circuit at the second quality of service parameter;

when the authorization is received, rerouting the data from the failed logical circuit to the logical failover circuit; and

when the authorization is denied, not rerouting the data to the logical failover circuit.

19. The computer readable storage device of claim 18, wherein the first quality of service parameter for the failed logical circuit is a constant bit rate parameter.

20. The computer readable storage device of claim 18, wherein the first quality of service parameter for the failed logical circuit is a constant bit rate parameter.