Telephonic communications – Special services – Service trigger
Reexamination Certificate
1998-11-24
2001-05-01
Smith, Creighton (Department: 2742)
Telephonic communications
Special services
Service trigger
C379S201060, C379S229000
Reexamination Certificate
active
06226374
ABSTRACT:
TECHNICAL FIELD
The present invention relates to capacity sizing of elements in advanced intelligent networks.
BACKGROUND ART
An AIN provides at least one service control point (SCP) along with a service provisioning and creation environment (SPACE) system. The SCP contains the logic to control how AIN services are performed. The SPACE system contains call processing records (CPRs) which include the logic building blocks assembled for each service and specified for a given customer. Intelligent service peripherals (ISPs) provide input and output services to users. Each ISP is connected to one SCP. Users are connected to the AIN through signal switching points (SSPs). Each SSP accesses an ISP through primary rate interface (PRI) trunks.
One benefit of AIN is the ability to provide users with a variety of services such as remote access forwarding, select call routing, do not disturb, single number service, and wireless extension. Loads generated by services vary as a function of time and as a function of city within the region covered by the AIN. The degree to which services affect components in the AIN can be expressed by processor utilization in components such as SCPS, ISPs, and SPACE systems, and capacity overload in components such as PRI trunks.
What is needed is a capacity provisioning for an AIN that can support a mix of services from different geographic locations served by multiple SCPs. The affect on databases and services as well as CPU utilization should be determined.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
It is an object of the present invention to determine CPU utilization in AIN components including SCPs, ISPS, and SPACE systems.
Another object of the present invention is to calculate overload of PRI trunk groups connected to ISPs.
Still another object of the present invention is to indicate when various thresholds have been reached on AIN nodes.
Yet another object of the present invention is to allow users to trace the CPU utilization to the services and cities responsible for generating the load resulting in CPU utilization.
A further object of the present invention is to allow new components to be modeled, loads redistributed, and impacts assessed.
A still further object of the present invention is to allow the loads from different peak hours of different services from cities in different time zones to be added.
In carrying out the above objects and other objects and features of the present invention, a method is provided for determining existing service and new service provisioning capacity. The method includes automatically acquiring existing service demand and component usage information from the AIN, specifying service demand and component usage information for each ISP, updating a configuration description for each SCP having a modified configuration, specifying a call processing record for each new service, and specifying time of day usage for each service. For each city in the region covered by the AIN, demand forecasts for each new service in the city is determined. Utilization is determined for components such as SCPs, ISPs, and SPACE systems, the utilization indicative of provisioning capacity.
In one embodiment, the method further comprises selecting at least one service to be used in determining utilization and specifying a time range over which utilization will be determined.
In another embodiment, acquiring existing service demand and component usage information from the AIN includes periodically extracting and storing time usage data from each SPACE system, periodically extracting and storing calls per customer data from each SCP, and loading the stored time usage data and the stored calls per customer data.
In yet another embodiment, determining utilization includes normalizing time in each city to compensate for time differences across the more than one time zone.
In a further embodiment, the method of the present invention includes storing changes to service demands and to time of day usage in a change log.
In a preferred embodiment, all of the above embodiments are included.
A system is also provided in accordance with the present invention for capacity provisioning. The system includes an application tool database, an acquisition module to periodically acquire existing service demand data and component usage data from the AIN and to store the data in the application tool database, and at least one modeling station. Each modeling station can load data from the application tool database, permit ISP demand and usage to be updated, permit a configuration description to be updated for each SCP, permit a call processing record to be specified for each new service if any new service exists, and permit a time of day usage to be specified for each service. For each city in the region spanned by the AIN, a demand forecast is determined for each new service. Utilization is determined for at least one network component, the utilization indicative of provisioning capacity.
The above objects and other objects, features, and advantages of the present invention are readily apparent from the following detailed description of the best mode for carrying out the invention when taken in connection with the accompanying drawings.
REFERENCES:
patent: 5241588 (1993-08-01), Babson, III
patent: 5771273 (1998-06-01), McAllister et al.
patent: 5771279 (1998-06-01), Cheston, III et al.
patent: 5802146 (1998-09-01), Dulman
patent: 5958016 (1999-09-01), Chang et al.
patent: 6161128 (2000-12-01), Smyk
Choey Mark
Howell Robert B.
Lu Xiaojiang
Mitchell Jeffrey C.
Nelson Neil K.
Brooks & Kushman P.C.
Qwest Communications International Inc.
Smith Creighton
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