Multiplex communications – Fault recovery – Bypass an inoperative switch or inoperative element of a...
Reexamination Certificate
1999-05-05
2003-11-04
Cangialosi, Salvatore (Department: 2661)
Multiplex communications
Fault recovery
Bypass an inoperative switch or inoperative element of a...
C370S218000, C370S248000
Reexamination Certificate
active
06643254
ABSTRACT:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to an ATM (Asynchronous Transfer Mode) network in the field of a network management operated by an operation company coupled to an information communication network, or a network management operated within a company. In particular, the present invention relates to an operation of the network management having a rerouting function in response to a fault of a structural component (a network element) provided on a PVC (Permanent Virtual Connection) route.
Further, the present invention relates to a method of managing a plurality of network elements in an ATM exchange network formed of a plurality of ATM exchanges, transfer units, routers, bridges, computers, etc. connected to each other through networks.
Still further, the present invention relates to a method of manually or automatically switching to another PVC route when a fault occurs at any one of network elements provided in the PVC route, as the operation from the network management system.
2. Description of the Related Art
There are common services to be improved, i.e., an improvement in the efficiency of an operator's work in order to manage each domain of a network, and an improvement of service to an end user who utilizes the network. These common subjects should be solved in the network management system. Accordingly, the present invention aims to improve efficiency of the operation of the network management in the service field. On the other hand, an action to realize network standardization, for example, ITU-T Recommendation, ISO, etc., has been developed by network operation companies or by network equipment vendors.
For a fault of a line interface, it is possible to switch the faulty line interface to an alternate line interface based on an APS function provided in an ATM exchange. Conventional alternation systems provided in the ATM exchange have been disclosed, for example, in the Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication (Kokai) No. 8-242240, the Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication (Kokai) No. 5-160851 and the Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication (Kokai) No. 7-74747.
These documents, however, disclose an alternation system which can be utilized only for a faulty ATM exchange itself or only for a network element adjacent to the faulty ATM exchange. That is, the conventional alternation system cannot be applied to a PVC route from one end to the other end including the faulty ATM and network element.
In actuality, when the fault occurs in the ATM exchange so that it is necessary to provide a route which is alternate to the faulty ATM exchange, or when one of doubled VOD servers is faulty so that it is necessary to switch the faulty VOD server to the other VOD server, it is possible to solve the above switching process based on only operation from the network management system from the viewpoint of the whole of the network.
Further, as another conventional method, there is a method of searching another route just after the fault occurred, and determining an alternate route based on a result of search. However, a lot of time is required in this method so that it is very difficult to utilize this method in actual use.
Still further, when handling a very large network system, for example, an ATM network which is operated by a communication company, network elements themselves become very large and complicated, the amount of managing data and kinds which are held in each network element becomes large, and the number of network elements becomes also very large.
In the above case, in the network management system which handles managing data of network elements having such very large scale, many kinds and very large amount, when resolving a fault by using an alternation system when the fault occurs on the communication network, a lot of time is required for detecting the alternate route in real-time for each network element. Further, in the alternation function only for each network element, it is impossible to resolve the fault if the network element itself was broken down.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
The primary object of the present invention is to provide a rerouting method which can quickly provide an alternate route when the fault occurs in an ATM network, in a network managing operation for each network.
Another object of the present invention is to provide a network management system which can quickly determine the alternate route and execute the rerouting process for the alternate route when the fault occurs on the PVC routes.
In accordance with one aspect of the present invention, there is provided a method of rerouting a PVC route on an ATM network, including steps of: previously defining an alternate route for the PVC route which is managed in an ATM network managing system; and switching the PVC route to a previously defined alternate route when a fault occurs in a network element forming the PVC route.
In a preferred embodiment, the method of rerouting the PVC route further includes step of determining an order of relief for a plurality of PVC routes in accordance with information of importance in which each PVC route previously holds when the fault occurs, and a step of rerouting the PVC route based on the order of relief.
In another preferred embodiment, the method of rerouting the PVC route further includes step of executing check of situation of the alternate route when the defined route cannot be used as the alternate route due to the fault or when a route is not defined as the alternate route, and step of notifying the situation.
In still another preferred embodiment, the method of rerouting the PVC route further includes step of notifying whether an alternation route should be returned to a previous route before alternation when the previous route is recovered during use of the defined alternate route, and step of returning to the previous route.
In still another preferred embodiment, the method of rerouting the PVC route further includes steps of, when defining the alternate route or at any time, comparing the alternate route with the previous route before alternation for each structural element of the PVC route on the alternate route defined when executing an actual switching process; sorting an element necessary for newly preparing in the alternate route after alternation with an element which can utilize the present element before alternation; and previously defining an effective switching order so as to omit a decision process when executing switching process.
In still another preferred embodiment, the method of rerouting the PVC route further includes steps of previously setting the alternate route for each segment, and re-setting the alternate route for only the segment which is disconnected, and making the alternate route which reroutes between only faulty segments on the PVC route which includes a plurality of segments.
In still another preferred embodiment, the method of rerouting the PVC route further includes steps of determining whether a present VP/VC on the alternate route can be utilized or not as the alternate route at registration of the same; executing registration as the alternate route for the VP/VC which was determined as the alternate route which can be utilized; and diverting an element VP/VC of another PVC route which exists on the alternate route.
In still another preferred embodiment, the method of rerouting the PVC route further includes steps of providing an interactive unit for a maintenance operator when executing alternate route switching process; providing a relief order information of a faulty PVC route, an attribute information of the faulty PVC route, and a candidate information of changeable PVC route to the maintenance operator; and determining the alternate route based on the maintenance operator's decision.
In still another preferred embodiment, the method of rerouting the PVC route further includes step of, when there are a plurality of alternate routes, designating a priority order of change of the route in an alternate route list for each route, at registration by t
Abe Hiroaki
Arai Toshimasa
Harada Asuro
Jimbo Kazuya
Kajitani Yuki
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