Path provisioning on ring-based networks

Claim 3

The method of claim 1 , wherein said step of calculating a current path comprising the following steps performed as an atomic transaction: designating paired gateways at each inter-ring connection site; assigning said inter-ring connection configuration for said paired gateways; and configuring the signal flow at said inter-ring connection site.

Claim 4

The method of claim 1 , wherein steps (b) to (e) are performed as an atomic transaction.

Claim 5

The method of claim 1 , wherein steps (a) to (f) are performed as an atomic transaction.

Claim 6

The method of claim 1 , further comprising the step of displaying said optimal path and path reporting data.

Claim 7

The method of claim 1 , wherein said inter-ring connection configuration is selected from the group consisting of dual feeding (DF) only, matched nodes (MN) only, and MN/DF combined configuration.

Claim 8

The method of claim 6 , wherein the number of paths between said origin (O) and destination (D) nodes is calculated with the equation: N =2 n ×[V ( k ,2)] n−1 ×2 n−1 ×r×f where: “N” is the number of distinct communications paths between “O” and “D”; “n” is the averaged number of rings in a ring sequence; “k” is the averaged number of gateways; V(k,2) is the number of inter-ring paired gateway arrangements; “r” is the number of distinct ring sequences; “f” is the OD rings multiplying factor.

Claim 9

The method of claim 7 , wherein r≦r/s+2 where r/s is the number of rings included in the shortest path.

Claim 10

The method of claim 7 , wherein the number of said gateways is k=2, the outermost gateways are used for said DF configuration, primary gateways are chosen closer to the secondary gateways for said MN configuration, and widely separated gateways are used for said MN/DF combined configuration.

Claim 11

The method of claim 7 , wherein r≦r/s2 where r/s is the number of nodes included in the shortest path, the number of said paired gateways is k=2, the outermost gateways are used for said DF configuration, primary gateways are chosen closer to the secondary gateways for said MN configuration, and widely separated gateways are used for said MN/DF combined configuration.

Claim 12

The method of claim 1 , wherein said optimization factor is a minimum path cost (minC).

Claim 13

The method of claim 1 , wherein said optimization factor is a minimum network unavailability (minU).

Claim 14

The method of claim 1 , wherein said optimization factor is a minimum path cost corresponding to a maximum network unavailability (minC/maxU).

Claim 15

The method of claim 1 , wherein said optimization factor is a minimum network unavailability corresponding to a maximum path cost (minU/maxC).

Claim 16

The method of claim 1 , wherein said optimization factor is used to calculate a Pareto curve for said BLSR network.

Claim 17

A computer-readable medium containing computer executable instructions for efficiently provisioning a communications path between an origin node (O) and a destination node (D) in a bi-directional line switched ring (BLSR) network, said O and D nodes residing in a plurality of OD ring pairs, said computer-readable medium performing the steps of: a) selecting an OD ring pair from said plurality of OD ring pairs; b) selecting a ring sequence from a plurality of valid ring sequences corresponding to said selected OD ring pair; c) calculating a current path associated with said selected ring sequence; d) comparing, based on an optimization factor, said current path with a current best path available from a database and continuously updating said database with the best current path; e) repeating steps (c) and (d) for each inter-ring connection configuration until a first communications path is obtained; f) repeating steps (b) to (e) for each said ring sequence of said plurality of ring sequences until a second communications path is obtained; and g) repeating steps (a) to (f) for each said OD ring pair until an optimal path is found.

Claim 18

A computer-readable medium containing computer executable instructions for efficiently provisioning a communications path between an origin node (O) and a destination node (D) in a bi-directional line switched ring (BLSR) network, said O and D nodes residing in a plurality of OD ring pairs, said computer-readable medium performing the steps of: a) selecting an OD ring pair from said plurality of OD ring pairs; b) selecting a ring sequence from a plurality of valid ring sequences corresponding to said selected OD ring pair; c) calculating a current path associated with said selected ring sequence; d) comparing, based on an optimization factor, said current path with a current best path available from a database and continuously updating said database with the best current path; e) repeating steps (c) and (d) for each inter-ring connection configuration until a first communications path is obtained; f) repeating steps (b) to (e) for each said ring sequence of said plurality of ring sequences until a second communications path is obtained; and g) repeating steps (a) to (f) for each said OD ring pair until an optimal path is found.

Claim 19

The computer-readable medium of claim 16 , wherein said step of calculating a current path comprising the following steps performed as an atomic transaction: designating paired gateways at each inter-ring connection site; assigning said inter-ring connection configuration for said paired gateways; and configuring the signal flow at said inter-ring connection site.

Claim 20

The computer-readable medium of claim 16 , wherein steps (b) to (e) are performed as an atomic transaction.

Claim 21

The computer-readable medium of claim 16 , wherein steps (a) to (f) are performed as an atomic transaction.

Claim 22

The computer-readable medium of claim 16 , further comprising the step of displaying said optimal path and path reporting data.

Claim 23

The computer-readable medium of claim 16 , wherein said connection configuration is selected from the group consisting of dual feeding (DF) only, matched nodes (MN) only, and MN/DF combined configuration.

Claim 24

The computer-readable medium of claim 21 , wherein the number of paths between said origin (O) and destination (D) nodes is calculated with the equation: N =2 n ×[V ( k ,2)] n−1 ×2 n−1 ×r×f where: “N” is the number of distinct communications paths between “O” and “D”; “n” is the averaged number of rings in a ring sequence; “k” is the averaged number of gateways; V(k,2) is the number of inter-ring paired gateway arrangements; “r” is the number of distinct ring sequences; “f” is the OD rings multiplying factor.

Claim 25

The computer-readable medium of claim 22 , wherein r≦r/s+2 where r/s is the number of rings included in the shortest path.

Claim 26

The computer-readable medium of claim 22 , wherein the number of said gateways is k=2, the outermost gateways are used for said DF configuration, primary gateways are chosen closer to the secondary gateways for said MN configuration, and widely separated gateways are used for said MN/DF combined configuration.

Claim 27

The computer-readable medium of claim 22 , wherein r≦r/s+2 where r/s is the number of nodes included in the shortest path, the number of said paired gateways is k=2, the outermost gateways are used for said DF configuration, primary gateways are chosen closer to the secondary gateways for said MN configuration, and widely separated gateways are used for said MN/DF combined configuration.

Claim 28

The computer-readable medium of claim 16 , wherein said optimization factor is a minimum path cost (minC).

Claim 29

The computer-readable medium of claim 16 , wherein said optimization factor is a minimum network unavailability (minU).

Claim 30

The computer-readable medium of claim 16 , wherein said optimization factor is a minimum path cost corresponding to a maximum network unavailability (minC/maxU).

Claim 31

The computer-readable medium of claim 16 , wherein said optimization factor is a minimum network unavailability corresponding to a maximum path cost (minU/maxC).

Claim 32

The computer-readable medium of claim 16 , wherein said optimization factor is used to calculate a Pareto curve for said BLSR network.

Claim 35

The apparatus of claim 31 , wherein said means for calculating a current path comprising: means for designating paired gateways at each inter-ring connection site; means for assigning said inter-ring connection configuration for said paired gateways; and means for configuring the signal flow at said inter-ring connection site.

Claim 36

The apparatus of claim 31 , wherein said optimal path comprising an optimal ring sequence between nodes O and D, designated gateways, and optimal inter-ring connection configuration.

Claim 37

The apparatus of claim 31 , wherein said path reporting data comprising an O-D node pair, a path cost ĉ value, a network unavailability (U) value, a selected path searching strategy, a selected optimization factor, a period of elapsed time.

Claim 38

The apparatus of claim 31 , wherein said inter-ring connection configuration is selected from the group consisting of dual feeding (DF) only, matched nodes (MN) only, and MN/DF combined configuration.

Claim 39

The apparatus of claim 31 , wherein said path searching strategy includes ring sequence reduction (RS-R).

Claim 40

The apparatus of claim 31 , wherein said path searching strategy includes path construction reduction (PC-R).

Claim 41

The apparatus of claim 31 , wherein said path searching strategy includes ring sequence and path construction reduction (PC/RS-R).

Claim 42

The apparatus of claim 31 , wherein said optimization factor is a minimum path cost (minC).

Claim 43

The apparatus of claim 31 , wherein said optimization factor is a minimum network unavailability (minU).

Claim 44

The apparatus of claim 31 , wherein said optimization factor is a minimum path cost corresponding to a maximum network unavailability (minC/maxU).

Claim 45

The apparatus of claim 31 , wherein said optimization factor is a minimum network unavailability corresponding to a maximum path cost (minU/maxC).

Claim 46

The apparatus of claim 31 , wherein said optimization factor is used to calculate a Pareto curve for said BLSR network.