Alcatel Lucent

Alcatel Canada Inc.

Nokia of America Corporation

Alcatel-lucent Canada Inc.

Felix Katz

Kevin Scott Cutler

Fernando Cuervo

Kalyan Premchand Siddam

Denis A Proulx

Chuong Ngoc Ngo

Attaullah Zabihi

Susan Patricia Ackerman

David Wing-Chung Chan

Steve Rock

Ajay Kirit Pandya

Katha Kulasingam

Ehsan Rezaaifar

Stephen Edgar Ellis

Michael Tofinetti

Mike Holloway

Andrew W Stone

Denis Proulx

Matthew Yee

Wayne Wall

Craig Ellirt Timmerman

Afshan Zabihi

Darren Helmer

Macmohana Singh Virdy

Attaullah Zabihi-Seissan

Johanne Mayer

Gregory Francis Soprovich

Micaela Giuhat

Arnold German

Mark Grice

Rob Craig

Margaret Rachinowski

Margaret Rachniowski

Jane Zhan

Dan Falkenham

Jizong Li

Trevor Dale Janes

Christopher (Warren) Murray

Manish Gulyani

Kevin Edgar Daniel Landry

Denis Armand Proulx

Craig Ellirt Timmermann

Trevor James

Attallah Zabihi

This disclosure generally discloses a bidirectional constrained path search mechanism. The bidirectional constrained path search mechanism may be configured to determine bidirectional paths between a pair of nodes, subject to one or more constraints, such that the bidirectional paths share a common set of resources. The bidirectional constrained path search mechanism may be configured to determine bidirectional paths between a pair of nodes, subject to one or more constraints, by determining a forward path that satisfies a set of forward path constraints associated with the forward path and determining a reverse path that satisfies a set of reverse path constraints associated with the reverse path. The bidirectional constrained path search mechanism may be configured to determine bidirectional paths between a pair of nodes in a single path search iteration, such as via a traversal of a weighted directed graph, thereby improving performance.

Bidirectional constrained path search

Various exemplary embodiments relate to a method and related network node and machine-readable storage medium including a policy and charging rules node (PCRN) receiving a plurality of related service requests from different devices. The PCRN may establish a Session Binding Identifier (SBI) for each message received. The SBI may include one or more subscriber IDs. Upon receipt of a message, the PCRN may compare the included subscriber IDs against information included in a subscriber database to match with a specific subscriber profile. The PCRN may use the subscriber profile to determine whether existing established sessions are associated with the same subscriber profile, and may bind the sessions together when they are associated with a common subscriber profile.

Session binding using subscriber identification

A method of exchanging a rules engine decision tree cache is disclosed. The method provides for provision accepting a command to build a replacement rules engine decision tree cache, replacing the existing cache if the decision tree creation process is successful, retaining the existing cache if the decision tree creation process is not successful, and providing specific error messages in the event that the replacement fails. The method allows an network operator to change the rules for the rule engine without disruption of real-time service and allows for a level of error checking prior to provisioning the new decision tree.

Method for loading a rule set in a rule engine

Various exemplary embodiments relate to a method and related network node and machine-readable storage medium including a policy and charging rules node (PCRN) receiving a plurality of related service requests from different devices. The PCRN may proceed to generate a policy and charging control (PCC) rule based on at least one service request and other information stored in the PCRN if a mate service request does not arrive during the duration of a waiting timer. If the mate service request arrives subsequent to the expiry of the waiting timer, the PCRN may then generate a subsequent PCC rule to replace the previously generated rule, with the new PCC rule incorporating information from both of the mate service requests.

Diverse source message association

Various exemplary embodiments relate to a method and related network node including one or more of the following: receiving, at a policy and charging rules node (PCRN) from a requesting entity, a message including a request associated with at least one service data flow (SDF); extracting a subscriber identifier and a first identifier from the message; retrieving a subscription record associated with the subscriber identifier, wherein the subscription record is associated with a first plurality of subrecords; identifying an first subrecord from the plurality of subrecords based on the first identifier; and conditionally fulfilling the request based on a first value stored in the first subrecord.

Method and system for authorizing sessions using subscriber database

A system and method for simplifying management information discovery in a Triple Play provider network involves configuring an element management system (EMS) database to store DHCP information, and configuring the EMS to serve the information to a subscriber service controller or other operations support services component.

Triple play subscriber and policy management system and method of providing same

Various exemplary embodiments relate to a method and related network node including one or more of the following: receiving, at the policy and charging rules node from a requesting entity, a message including a request associated with at least one service data flow (SDF), wherein the request includes at least one requested bandwidth; extracting at least one subscriber identifier from the message; retrieving a subscription record associated with the at least one subscriber identifier; determining whether the request should be fulfilled by performing at least one comparison of the at least one requested bandwidth for the SDF against at least one field of the subscription record; if the request should be fulfilled, establishing the SDF; and if the request should not be fulfilled: generating a response message that indicates that the request was rejected, and transmitting the response message to the requesting entity.

Method of authorizing AF sessions using external subscriber database

An embodiment of the present invention provides a method for network management that allows the configuration of IP links in one step, via a GUI form, even though the management protocols available at the two end links (routers) may differ. According to one embodiment, the method comprises gathering information from the user, validating this information, and then sending this information to the appropriate router(s). According to one embodiment, the method enables a user to specify various configurations when provisioning an IP link, for example, the type of IP link (Point-to-Point, Point-to-IP, or Point-to-Subnet), the numbering type (Numbered or Unnumbered), the application type (MPLS and/or IP Forwarding), and the sub-layer interfaces to be used (Packet Over Sonet, Asynchronous Transfer Mode, GigEthernet, and others). In addition, according to one embodiment, the method allows the IP link to be associated to existing router interface(s), or the interfaces can be created as part of the IP link creation process.

Method and system for IP link management

A framework for connectivity verification is provided. The framework includes a connectivity verification server performing unattended connectivity verification, and a connectivity verification application, both the connectivity verification server and connectivity verification application operating in a network management context. Connectivity verification jobs are defined via the connectivity verification application and the connectivity verification server is configured accordingly. Connectivity verification jobs can also be scheduled. The connectivity verification application also provides a display of connectivity verification results. The results of each connectivity verification job may be compared against a desired connectivity profile and deviations from the connectivity profile being used to raise alarms. Connectivity verification results, including alarm information, are further used to highlight displayed managed communications network entities on a network map displaying selected connectivity verification results. The advantages are derived from using the connectivity verification framework to automate connectivity verification testing at reduced operational costs.

Centralized internet protocol/multi-protocol label switching connectivity verification in a communications network management context

A network management and administration system provisioning data links in an optical networking environment is provided. The network management and administration system makes use of connectivity information in establishing and monitoring data links. The connectivity information includes data link termination specifications. Data link termination specifications include port and channel specifications. Each port may have a channelized or an unchannelized configuration. A virtual channel having a data transport capacity substantially equal to that of a corresponding unchannelized port is defined therefor. The advantages include a standardized, concise and comprehensive provisioning and presentation of data links.

SONET/SDH data link administration and management

A method of interacting with a managed data network entity is provided. The method includes a sequence of steps. A change in the operational state of the managed data network entity is detected. A CLI dictionary entry is retrieved form a CLI dictionary associated with the data network entity. Based on the retrieved CLI dictionary entry, CLI commands are extracted therefrom to configure the managed data network entity to reflect the detected change in the operational state. A CLI command sequence is built from the extracted CLI commands. Each CLI command in the command sequence is sent to the managed data network entity for execution. CLI command responses are monitored. Based on a successful execution of CLI commands send, subsequent CLI commands in the CLI command sequence are sent for execution. The solution provides automated configuration management of data network entities from different vendors when SNMP is not a viable option. The automation eliminates manual CLI command entry in providing network management and service provisioning solutions, provides support for multi-vendor equipment by processing multiple CLI command vocabulary and grammar specifications in the CLI command dictionary. The solution reduces data network entity management costs, downtime, and training time for analysts. The advantages are derived from the ability to add CLI commands to the CLI dictionary providing support for new types of data network entities with human readable code greatly improving the development and maintenance of the network management and service provisioning solution.

Command line interface processor

A packet switched network includes a network manager for managing resources on the network and a plurality of switch nodes. A congestion indicator threshold is (Cir) for each resource at each switch node and congestion event indicator is forwarded to the network manager immediately upon the congestion level of a monitored resource exceeding its congestion threshold. A congestion status for the monitored resources of each switch node is maintained by the network manager.

Congestion management in managed packet-switched networks

A system and method of distributing information from a central source to network elements in a communications network. The central source or network manager is augmented by a distributor which maintains a record of all table entries or transactions originating at the central source. The distributor also maintains a dynamic record of all network elements including current status information and the last transaction successfully received thereby. Each table entry is assigned a transaction number (NextTN) which is incremented by one with each new transaction. The transaction last received by a network element is assigned a transaction number (LastTN) which is one less than NextTN. If an element has been temporarily out of service, upon its return to service its LastTN is compared with the source's current NextTN and if the difference is greater than one, the entries are update sequentially beginning with the table entry following its LastTN.

Automated network-wide distribution of information in a dynamic network environment

Growing community of inventors

Ottawa, Canada

Felix Katz