At&t Intellectual Property I, L.p.

Sbc Knowledge Ventures, L.p.

David Matthews

Jian Li

Canhui Ou

Robert Duncan Doverspike

Guangzhi Li

Dongmei Wang

Orestis Manthoulis

John Gregory Klincewicz

Moshe Segal

Promod Kumar Bhagat

David Frederick Lynch

Yew-Aik Lim

In a tool for use by network planners in designing metropolitan IP aggregation networks, several optimization methods are integrated into a tool. A k-means algorithm is used to choose access packet switch locations. A dual-k-means algorithm is used to choose the backbone switch locations. Each access packet switch is dual homed to two backbone packet switches using two diverse paths. The diverse path configuration is found using a maxflow-mincost algorithm on a modified fiber map topology. The link topology connecting the backbone packet switches to each other is designed using a heuristic that creates a skeleton network topology and then adds express links one by one, testing each link to assure reduced overall network cost. The resulting network topology is then improved upon by local search.

Metropolitan IP aggregation network design tool

Method of augmenting a deployed network to include additional network elements. The method includes instructions for determining whether a deployed network is sufficient for supporting existing customer and future customer demands and generating an augmented network design if the deployed network is insufficient. The augmented network design includes new network nodes such that deployed network is a subset of the augmented network, thereby permitting augmenting of the deployed network without interruption services to the existing customers supported by the deployed network.

Method of augmenting deployed networks

Growing community of inventors

Algonquin, IL, United States of America

David Matthews