Dynamic private network

Details Dynamic private network Dynamic private network

2002-06-21

2004-10-19

Hsu, Alpus H. (Department: 2665)

Multiplex communications

Pathfinding or routing

Combined circuit switching and packet switching

C370S401000

Reexamination Certificate

active

06807169

ABSTRACT:

TECHNICAL FIELD
The present invention relates generally to communications, and more particularly to network communications over the present telecommunications infrastructure and emerging self-contained networks using public telephone switching systems, Internet and telephony protocol networks, special service networks, and high capacity networks.
BACKGROUND ART
Currently virtual private network (VPN) is a very popular method for achieving private network connectivity between distributed locations by using public networks, like the Internet, frame relay networks, etc. In VPN, different schemes are implemented to limit the routing of the network packets to destination nodes that are part of the VPN, thereby creating the effect of having a dedicated private network. The use of public packet networks was a natural choice for this, as the cost of deploying packet technology was lower than building dedicated network connections.
Recent developments in fiber optics have resulted in a new reality, however, in which there is excess bandwidth available on backbone network segments with the use of dense wavelength division multiplexing (DWDM). Using this ample availability of bandwidth another method for building private networks can be implemented, one which the present inventor terms “dynamic private network” (DPN). A key principle in DPN is to use well known circuit switching techniques, as used in telephone networks, and to apply these to provide on-demand connections for carrying packet traffic. The present inventor's prior invention, a bandwidth transfer switching system (BTSS), provides one logical framework for implementing DPN.
FIG. 1
(background art) is a block diagram depicting the existing communications infrastructure
10
. Various devices may communicate via this infrastructure
10
, and users today often have and use multiple such devices, like telephones
12
a
, facsimiles
12
b
, modems
12
c
, computers
12
d
, special service devices
12
e
, and local area networks (LAN
12
f
)(representing collections of computers and other network enabled equipment behind a router or switch). Examples of these are shown here connected to a public switched telephone network (PSTN
14
). The telephones
12
a
and facsimiles
12
b
are analog devices which may communicate with respective like devices. The modems
12
c
stylistically depict the still common situation of digital devices producing digital signals that are converted to, from, and generally communicated as analog type signals. In contrast, the computers
12
d
, special service devices
12
e
, and LAN
12
f
here are true digital devices.
While the presence of computers
12
d
and LAN
12
f
in the existing infrastructure
10
is relatively well known, the use of special service devices
12
e
may be less widely appreciated. These are, however, increasingly common today. Some examples include remote monitorable utility meters and alarm systems. Such special service devices
12
e
typically require a much lower data transfer rate than systems like the computers
12
d
and LAN
12
f.
For communications between the respective sets of like devices, the analog “traffic” may travel entirely via the PSTN
14
. In contrast, the digital traffic for the computers
12
d
and particularly the LAN
12
f
may start on the PSTN
14
and then proceed via an Internet protocol network (IP network
16
). Similarly, the digital traffic for the special service device
12
e
may start on the PSTN
14
and then proceed via a signal switching network, like the signaling system 7 network (SS7 network
18
) shown.
FIG. 2
(background art) is a block diagram depicting a more suitable network evolution model. A broadband network
22
and a generalized high capacity network
24
are added here, and video units
12
g
are an added device type. The various communications devices
12
a-g
here connect to an access network
20
, and the access network
20
connects to the PSTN
14
(essentially the major central element already in the existing infrastructure
10
). The access network
20
also connects to the IP network
16
, the SS7 network
18
, a broadband network
22
, and the high capacity network
24
. These collectively form a network matrix
26
in which the PSTN
14
handles analog traffic, the IP network
16
and the SS7 network
18
can handle most digital communications, and the broadband network
22
handles specialized high-bandwidth communications such as digital video.
The high capacity network
24
handles emerging very high-bandwidth digital communications. This is increasingly used as part of a communications “backbone,” typically implemented in SONET/SDH/DSx. The high capacity network
24
is often implemented using fiber optics. But this is not necessarily the case. For example, satellite links are also used.
For this discussion, the scheme depicted in
FIG. 2
can be termed a bandwidth transfer switching system (BTSS
28
). The BTSS
28
is according to a previous invention by the present inventor, and is detailed in International App. No PCT/US00/01039 and U.S. pat. app. Ser. No. 09/622,252, hereby incorporated by reference in their entirety. The BTSS
28
provides an efficient and logical framework for implementing the present invention, but other conventional communications networks may also be used.
FIG. 3
(background art) is a block diagram showing an access network
20
and the linkages therein. Specifically, the access network
20
here is one as would be used in the BTSS
28
. Of course,
FIG. 3
depicts only one “end” of the BTSS
28
, and at least one other instance of the access network
20
(or suitable equivalent) would be connected via the PSTN
14
, the IP network
16
, etc.
The access network
20
includes or is connected to customer premises equipment (CPE
30
). The telephones
12
a
, facsimiles
12
b
, modems
12
c
, computers
12
d
, special service devices
12
e
, and LAN
12
f
of
FIG. 1
are common examples of CPE
30
. The access network
20
further includes an access concentrator
32
, a remote concentrator
34
, a transfer switch
36
, and a central office switch
38
. As covered in detail in the disclosures of BTSS, the access concentrator
32
and remote concentrator
34
are new under BTSS and the transfer switch
36
and central office switch
38
are essentially conventional. Furthermore, in some embodiments the remote concentrator
34
can be dispensed with, and the access concentrators
32
able to directly work with the transfer switches
36
. This will be treated as the case throughout the rest of this discussion.
FIG. 1-3
summarize the existing communications infrastructure
10
and the BTSS
28
extension of it. Within this we find the current situation. Existing data protocols, like TCP/IP, are built for addressing the needs of connecting larger numbers of computers on a peer-to-peer basis (from a network point of view). However, with the widespread deployment and use of computing devices, there are actually three broad types of networking needs. First, there is the need to interconnect and inter operate with distributed network devices (with each network device viewed as a standalone entity from a network perspective). Second, there is the need for a remote device to connect to a group of network devices that form a functional group, i.e., logical networks (a group of network devices that provide a collection of applications and services, e.g., a corporate local area network (LAN)). This situation can be considered to be a special case of the following third case. Third, there is the need for distant logical networks (corporate LANs) to be seamlessly integrated to form a single logical unit (a distributed logical network), even though such may be geographically distributed.
Current Internet protocols were primarily developed to address the first need enumerated above, and this has left the second and third needs much wanting. Accordingly, what is needed is a combination of the best of both packet switching and circuit switching to leverage the existing communication infrastructure and t

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