Methods and systems for automatically rerouting logical circuit data

1. A method of automatically rerouting logical circuit data, the method comprising:

identifying a failure of a dedicated logical circuit in a packet-based network, the dedicated logical circuit having a first logical circuit identifier assigned prior to identifying the failure, and the dedicated logical circuit connecting a host device to a remote device to communicate data that originates and terminates only at the host device and the remote device;

selecting a logical failover circuit comprising an alternate communication path for communicating the data;

when the first logical circuit identifier of the dedicated logical circuit does not match a second logical circuit identifier of the logical failover circuit:

renaming the second logical circuit identifier of the logical failover circuit to identify the logical failover circuit using the first logical circuit identifier of the dedicated logical circuit when the logical failover circuit is a dedicated logical failover circuit used to communicate only when the dedicated logical circuit fails, and

renaming the dedicated logical circuit to identify the dedicated logical circuit using the second logical circuit identifier of the logical failover circuit when the logical failover circuit is used to communicate regardless of the failure of the dedicated logical circuit; and

rerouting the data to the logical failover circuit without manual intervention.

2. The method of claim 1 , wherein the packet-based network is a multiprotocol label switching standard network.

3. The method of claim 1 , further comprising, upon identifying the failure of the dedicated logical circuit and prior to rerouting the data, making a real-time offer to a customer of the dedicated logical circuit to reroute the data.

4. The method of claim 1 , wherein the dedicated logical circuit traverses a first local access and transport area, a first inter-exchange carrier, and a second local access and transport area.

5. The method of claim 4 , wherein the logical failover circuit traverses a second inter-exchange carrier, a third local access and transport area, a third inter-exchange carrier, and the second local access and transport area, wherein rerouting the data to the logical failover circuit comprises rerouting the data via the second inter-exchange carrier, the third local access and transport area, and the third inter-exchange carrier to bypass the first inter-exchange carrier.

6. The method of claim 4 , wherein identifying the failure of the dedicated logical circuit comprises identifying the failure via a network management system in communication with the first and second local access and transport areas via management trunks and separate from switches of the dedicated logical circuit used to communicate the data.

7. The method of claim 1 , wherein the first and second logical circuit identifiers are at least one of virtual path identifiers or virtual circuit identifiers.

8. A system to automatically reroute logical circuit data, the system comprising:

a database to store a first logical circuit identifier of a dedicated logical circuit in a packet-based network and a second logical circuit identifier of a logical failover circuit; and

a network management module having a processor, and a memory storing instructions executable by the processor to perform operations comprising:

identifying a failure of the dedicated logical circuit, the dedicated logical circuit having the first logical circuit identifier assigned prior to identifying the failure, and the dedicated logical circuit connecting a host device to a remote device to communicate data that originates or terminates only at the host device or the remote device;

selecting the logical failover circuit comprising an alternate communication path for communicating the data;

when the first logical circuit identifier of the dedicated logical circuit does not match the second logical circuit identifier:

renaming the logical failover circuit to identify the logical failover circuit using the first logical circuit identifier of the dedicated logical circuit when the logical failover circuit is a dedicated logical failover circuit used to communicate only when the dedicated logical circuit fails, and

renaming the dedicated logical circuit to identify the dedicated logical circuit using the second logical circuit identifier of the logical failover circuit when the logical failover circuit is used to communicate regardless of the failure of the dedicated logical circuit; and

rerouting the data to the logical failover circuit without manual intervention.

9. The system of claim 8 , wherein the packet-based network is a multiprotocol label switching standard network.

10. The system of claim 8 , wherein the operations further comprise, upon identifying the failure of the dedicated logical circuit and prior to rerouting the data, making a real-time offer to a customer of the dedicated logical circuit to reroute the data.

11. The system of claim 8 , wherein the dedicated logical circuit traverses a first local access and transport area, a first inter-exchange carrier, and a second local access and transport area.

12. The system of claim 11 , wherein the logical failover circuit traverses a second inter-exchange carrier, a third local access and transport area, a third inter-exchange carrier, and the second local access and transport area, wherein the network management module is to reroute the data to the logical failover circuit to reroute the data via the second inter-exchange carrier, the third local access and transport area, and the third inter-exchange carrier to bypass the first inter-exchange carrier.

13. The system of claim 11 , further comprising a logical element module in communication with the first and second local access and transport areas via management trunks and separate from switches of the dedicated logical circuit used to communicate the data, the logical element module to store status information generated by the switches, wherein the network management module is further to request the status information from the logical element module and to identify the failure of the dedicated logical circuit based on the status information.

14. The system of claim 8 , wherein the first and second logical circuit identifiers are at least one of virtual path identifiers or virtual circuit identifiers.

15. A tangible computer readable storage device or storage disc having instructions stored thereon that, when executed, cause a machine to perform operations comprising:

identifying a failure of a dedicated logical circuit in a packet-based network, the dedicated logical circuit having a first logical circuit identifier assigned prior to identifying the failure, and the dedicated logical circuit connecting a host device to a remote device to communicate data that originates or terminates only at the host device or the remote device;

selecting a logical failover circuit comprising an alternate communication path for communicating the data;

when the first logical circuit identifier of the dedicated logical circuit does not match a second logical circuit identifier of the logical failover circuit:

changing the second logical circuit identifier of the logical failover circuit to identify the logical failover circuit using the first logical circuit identifier of the dedicated logical circuit when the logical failover circuit is a dedicated logical failover circuit used to communicate only when the dedicated logical circuit fails, and

changing the first logical circuit identifier of the dedicated logical circuit to identify the dedicated logical circuit using the second logical circuit identifier of the logical failover circuit when the logical failover circuit is used to communicate regardless of the failure of the dedicated logical circuit; and

rerouting the data to the logical failover circuit without manual intervention.

16. The tangible computer readable storage device or storage disc of claim 15 , wherein the packet-based network is a multiprotocol label switching standard network.

17. The tangible computer readable storage device or storage disc of claim 15 , wherein the operations further comprise, upon identifying the failure of the dedicated logical circuit and prior to rerouting the data, making a real-time offer to a customer of the dedicated logical circuit to reroute the data.

18. The tangible computer readable storage device or storage disc of claim 15 , wherein the dedicated logical circuit traverses a first local access and transport area, a first inter-exchange carrier, and a second local access and transport area.

19. The tangible computer readable storage device or storage disc of claim 18 , wherein the logical failover circuit traverses a second inter-exchange carrier, a third local access and transport area, a third inter-exchange carrier, and the second local access and transport area, and wherein instructions stored on the computer readable medium, when executed, cause the machine to reroute the data to the second inter-exchange carrier, the third local access and transport area, and the third inter-exchange carrier to bypass the first inter-exchange carrier.

20. The tangible computer readable storage device or storage disc of claim 18 , wherein the operations further comprise identifying the failure via a network management system in communication with the first and second local access and transport areas via management trunks and separate from switches of the dedicated logical circuit used to communicate the data.