Tellabs Operations, Inc.

Dale Alan Scholtens

David Wells

Jonathan B Sadler

Michael J Wurst

Eric Peterson

Michael J Klemm

James K Thomas

Anita Brady Marsh

Eugene F Giszczynski

An intelligent network planning and provisioning tool is provided. The intelligent network planning and provisioning tool includes a forecaster coupled to a network control plane. The forecaster receives an estimate of initial network resources from a user and generates a set of link costs and constraints for use by the network control plane in making routing decisions for a network. The network control plane transmits provisioning experience information, representing network traffic demands received by, and provisioning decisions made by, the network control plane, back to the forecaster. When the forecaster receives the provisioning experience from the network control plane, the forecaster generates a new set of link costs that are transmitted to the network control plane for use in making further provisioning decisions. The forecaster may optionally generate link costs, termed 'smart costs', that may be used to route traffic through the network using preferred links.

Intelligent network planning and provisioning tool

Techniques for performing a continuity check operation include sending a pattern of bits over a packet network connection through a first interface on a packet network to a second interface on the packet network. The first interface is monitored for return of the pattern of bits over the packet network connection. A decision whether the continuity check is successful is based on whether the pattern of bits is detected at the first interface during the monitoring. The techniques can be used for both narrowband as well as broadband calls over the packet network.

Circuit integrity in a packet-switched network

Telephone conversations carried over an internet protocol network or other asynchronous network can be monitored for quality and rerouted if the error rate of data transmission through the network exceeds some predetermined threshold value. One or more counters in a switching system along a pathway records the occurrence of missing, delayed, or out of sequence cells or data packets over time. At some predetermined threshold value, considered to be an excessive error rate, the switching system can be used to trigger a rerouting of the telephone call or subsequent calls to pathways with better error rates and therefore better transmission quality.

Method and apparatus for measuring packet connection quality of service

Techniques for providing communication services include provisioning a packet network connection that has packet channels, each of which is independently capable of carrying narrowband signals so as to emulate a private line circuit. A narrowband private line that traverses the packet network connection using a particular one of the packet channels is established. Delays that might otherwise be introduced as a result of packetizing the narrowband signals can be reduced. Private lines that traverse the packet network connection using other packet channels can be added or removed without adversely affecting the existing lines. Additionally, a narrowband communication line that traverses a channel in a first virtual circuit connection in a packet network can be rolled over to a channel in a second virtual circuit connection in the packet network. The latter technique can improve the use of available bandwidth and can be applied to non-private line applications as well.

Private lines traversing a packet network and re-arrangement of channels among packet network connections

The present invention that provides a network topology for an ATM network. The topology includes a source network element, at least one intermediate network element, and a distributed virtual path connecting the source network element and the intermediate network elements. The distributed virtual path includes a virtual circuit that originates from the source network element and a virtual circuit that originates from at least one of the intermediate network elements. The distributed virtual path originates from the source network element and may terminate on a destination network element or on the source network element (thereby forming a ring). The network elements may be, for example, computers, satellites or other communications devices.

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Stickney, IL, United States of America

Dale Alan Scholtens