IP Library Granted Patent US 7,974,183
Granted Patent B2
US 7,974,183 · App. 12/634,740 · Granted Jul 5, 2011

Method for restoration and normalization in a mesh network

Assignee: AT&T Intellectual Property II, LP
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Quick Facts
Patent No.
US 7,974,183
App. No.
12/634,740
Granted
Jul 5, 2011
Kind
B2
Abstract

The present invention is directed to methods for signaling that enable bandwidth reservation, path restoration, path normalization, and path removal in a mesh network that supports shared mesh restoration.

Claims (34)

1. A method for restoration in a mesh telecommunication network comprising:

sending a label switched path request to a plurality of nodes along a computed restoration path, wherein the label switched path request is sent from a predetermined node in the mesh telecommunication network in response to a determination that a label switched path has been switched to a computer service path;

wherein a plurality of shared resources along the computed restoration path are reserved without allocation; and

wherein the label switched path request is an rsvp-te protocol request comprising a shared reservation flag configured to cause a release of the computed restoration path resource allocation without causing a release of reserved resources associated with the computed restoration path and without causing a removal of the computed restoration path.

2. The method of claim 1 , wherein the label switched path request comprises service path information, and wherein the service path information comprises a list of links used along the computer service path.

3. The method of claim 2 , wherein the service path information comprises a list of shared risk link groups traversed by the computer service path.

4. The method of claim 1 , wherein the label switched path request is an rsvp path message.

5. The method of claim 1 , wherein the mesh telecommunication network is an optical network.

6. The method of claim 1 , further comprising removing the reservation of shared resources along the computed restoration path responsive to an error message flag indicating that the computed restoration path could not be setup.

7. The method of claim 1 , further comprising reserving the resources along the computed restoration path if and only if the label switched path request comprises the shared reservation flag, wherein the shared reservation flag is indicative of whether other flags are needed to support restoration.

8. The method of claim 1 , further comprising allocating the shared resources along the computed restoration path.

9. The method of claim 1 , wherein the label switched path request comprises a bit flag indicative of whether the label switched path is the computer service path or the computed restoration path.

10. The method of claim 1 , wherein the label switched path request comprises a secondary bit indicative that the computed restoration path is a backup path for the computer service path.

11. A method for restoration in a mesh telecommunication network comprising:

halting transmissions along a restoration path and sending a message to a destination node confirming that a restored connection is normalized, wherein the transmissions are halted and the message is sent by a predetermined node in the mesh telecommunication network in response to a confirmation that the destination node has bridged and rolled a service path and the restoration path along the restored connection;

wherein the confirmation is an rsvp-te protocol message comprising an object that comprises a code;

wherein a first possible value of the code is indicative that bridging has been completed;

wherein a second possible value of the code is indicative that a roll/bridge has been completed; and

wherein a third possible value of the code is indicative that a roll has been completed.

12. The method of claim 11 , wherein the confirmation is an rsvp message.

13. The method of claim 11 , further comprising verifying the service path.

14. The method of claim 11 , further comprising verifying the service path using link management protocol.

15. A method for restoration in a mesh telecommunication network comprising:

sending a confirmation to a source node confirming that a service path and a restoration path have been bridged and rolled, wherein the confirmation is sent from a predetermined node in the mesh telecommunication network in response to a request to normalize a restored connection;

wherein the restoration path comprises reserved shared resources;

wherein the confirmation is an rsvp-te protocol message comprising an object that comprises a code;

wherein a first possible value of the code is indicative that bridging has been completed;

wherein a second possible value of the code is indicative that a roll/bridge has been completed; and

wherein a third possible value of the code is indicative that a roll has been completed.

16. The method of claim 15 , wherein the confirmation is an rsvp message.

17. The method of claim 15 , further comprising verifying the service path.

18. The method of claim 15 , further comprising verifying the service path using link management protocol.

19. The method of claim 15 , further comprising resolving a determined label contention associated with normalizing the connection via a downstream label assignment for a uni-directional label switched path.

20. The method of claim 15 , further comprising resolving a determined label contention associated with normalizing the connection via a higher node identification label assignment for a bi-directional label switched path.

Assignments (4)
ASSIGNMENT OF ASSIGNOR'S INTEREST Recorded Oct 24, 2017
From: AT&T PROPERTIES, LLC
To: AT&T INTELLECTUAL PROPERTY II, L.P.
Reel/Frame 043940/0473 →
CORRECTIVE ASSIGNMENT TO CORRECT THE ASSIGNEE'S NAME PREVIOUSLY RECORDED AT REEL: 026327 FRAME: 0957. ASSIGNOR(S) HEREBY CONFIRMS THE ASSIGNMENT. Recorded Oct 19, 2017
From: AT&T CORP.
To: AT&T PROPERTIES, LLC
Reel/Frame 044510/0890 →
ASSIGNMENT OF ASSIGNOR'S INTEREST Recorded Oct 19, 2017
From: KALMANEK, CHARLES ROBERT, JR.; LI, GUANGZHI; WANG, DONGMEI; YATES, JENNIFER
To: AT&T CORP.
Reel/Frame 043903/0537 →
ASSIGNMENT OF ASSIGNOR'S INTEREST Recorded May 24, 2011
From: AT&T CORP.
To: AT&T INTELLECTUAL PROPERTY II, LP
Reel/Frame 026327/0957 →
Continuity (3)
Continuation 10064251 · Jun 25, 2002
Provisional Application 60300769 · Jun 25, 2001
Related Publication 20100091647A1 · Apr 15, 2010