Alcatel Lucent

Dan Renaud

Michael Tofinetti

Brian Gunther

Mohammad Farook

Eniko Popescu

A method for monitoring a point-to-multipoint unidirectional multicast connection via exchange of OAM messages is presented. The method includes retrieving the connection record of the multicast connection from a network management system repository and determining common parent path points between the root and a selected path branch endpoint. In turning on content conveyance monitoring for a termination other than the root, the termination specific uncommon portion of the transport path is segmented if necessary, OAM compliant managed path segments are identified, and OAM configuration commands to turn on OAM functionality are issued only to uncommon path segment endpoints. In turning off content conveyance monitoring for a termination other than the root, a single OAM configuration command to turn off OAM functionality is issued only for the path branch endpoint, or if the uncommon portion of the transport path associated with the no longer participating termination is segmented, OAM configuration commands to turn off OAM functionality are issued only to uncommon path segment endpoints. Advantages are derived from a centralized multicast connection that is configurable in real-time, and reduced signaling overhead as OAM configuration commands are sent only to relevant uncommon managed path segment endpoints as needed.

Network management system and method provisioning OAM support for multicast communications sessions

Methods and systems for communication network element configuration and connection rerouting are disclosed. For a communication network connection between network elements, one of which supports a local connection rerouting function to detect a loss of continuity on the connection based on continuity check signals and to reroute the connection responsive to the detection and another of which does not support the local connection rerouting function, the non-supporting network element is configured to send continuity check signals to the supporting network element over the connection, and the local connection rerouting function is enabled at the supporting network element. The supporting network element then monitors the connection to detect loss of continuity and reroutes the connection responsive to the detection. A non-supporting network element may also monitor a connection for continuity check signals sent from a supporting network element to detect a loss of continuity on the connection, send a loss of continuity alarm to a remote system responsive to detecting a loss of continuity, and reroute the connection at the first network element responsive to a connection rerouting command from the remote system.

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Ottawa, Canada

Dan Renaud