Method and system for deriving tunnel path information in MPLS networks

1. A method for deriving a path of a traffic engineering tunnel in a network using Multi Protocol Label Switching, MPLS, traffic engineering and a Management Information Base, MIB, describing managed objects of the network, the method comprising:

obtaining node connectivity information from the MIB;

obtaining network connectivity information from a network node manager; and

deriving tunnel path information based on the node connectivity information and the network connectivity information, wherein the tunnel path information is obtained from at least one of a first object describing actual hops traversed by a path between nodes of the network and a second object describing computed hops traversed by a path between nodes of the network, wherein deriving tunnel path connectivity information comprises:

determining if the second object is present in the MIB; and

if it is determined that the second object is present in the MIB, obtaining information from the second object in preference to obtaining information from the first object.

2. A method according to claim 1 , wherein at least one of the first and second objects is an MPLS tunnel hop table according to the Structure of Management Information, SMI, standard.

3. A method according to claim 1 , wherein the network connectivity information comprises layer-two, L2, connectivity information regarding the data link layer of the network.

4. A method according to claim 1 , wherein the step of deriving tunnel path information comprises combining information from different sources in the network.

5. A network management system adapted to derive a path of a traffic engineering tunnel in a network using Multi Protocol Label Switching, MPLS, traffic engineering and a Management Information Base, MIB, describing managed objects of the network, the network management system comprising:

a network node manager providing network connectivity information, wherein tunnel path information is derived based on the network connectivity information and node connectivity information obtained from the MIB, and the tunnel path information is obtained from at least one of a first object describing actual hops traversed by a path between nodes of the network and a second object describing computed hops traversed by a path between nodes of the network, wherein deriving tunnel path connectivity information comprises:

determining if the second object is present in the MIB; and

if it is determined that the second object is present in the MIB, obtaining information from the second object in preference to obtaining information from the first object.

6. A network management system according to claim 5 , wherein the managed objects of the MIB are defined according to SMI standard.

7. A network management system according to claim 5 , wherein the MIB is implemented at the head end of the network.

8. A computer program stored on a non-transitory computer readable storage medium having instructions that, when executed by a computing platform, result in execution of a method comprising:

obtaining node connectivity information from a Management Information Base, MIB, describing managed objects of a network using Multi Protocol Label Switching, MPLS, traffic engineering;

obtaining network connectivity information from a network node manager; and

deriving tunnel path information based on the node connectivity information and the network connectivity information, wherein the tunnel path information is obtained from at least one of a first object describing actual hops traversed by a path between nodes of the network and a second object describing computed hops traversed by a path between nodes of the network, wherein deriving tunnel path connectivity information comprises:

determining if the second object is present in the MIB; and

if it is determined that the second object is present in the MIB, obtaining information from the second object in preference to obtaining information from the first object.