Telefonaktiebolaget Lm Ericsson (publ)

Other

Francesco Fondelli

Daniele Ceccarelli

Diego Caviglia

Paolo Rebella

Giulio Bottari

Gianmarco Bruno

Antonio D'Errico

Raoul Fiorone

Riccardo Martinotti

Enrico Dutti

A method in a physical network controller () for configuring physical resources to provide a physical layer connection in a communications network (). The physical layer connection provides physical connectivity for a higher layer network connection controlled by a higher layer network controller () in a hierarchical arrangement with the physical network controller (). The method comprising the physical network controller () receiving () an indication for a minimum traffic capacity for the physical layer connection. The physical network controller configuring () physical resources according to the received indication.

Physical path control in hierarchical networks

In one example aspect, a method is provided for tearing down a label switched path (LSP) through a communications network. The method comprises sending a first message towards an egress node of the LSP informing nodes of the LSP and the egress node of a tear down of the LSP, determining that one of the nodes of the LSP has not forwarded the first message along the LSP, and sending a second message to a controller of the communications network to cause the controller to communicate directly with one of the nodes to inform the one of the nodes of the tear down of the LSP.

Tearing down a label switched path through a communications network

A method of providing state synchronization between a controller and a switch in a communications network, wherein the controller provides flow data for routing flows through the switch and transmits, in flow modification messages, the flow data to the switch for storage in flow tables, the state synchronization comprising ensuring that flow data in the flow tables of the switch are consistent with the flow data provided by the controller. The method comprises, by the controller (19), providing (21) an identifier in each flow modification message. The method further comprises, upon reestablishment of communications (22) between the controller and the switch after a loss of connectivity receiving (23) a resynchronization message from the switch, wherein the resynchronization message comprises an identifier indication capable of being used to identify an identifier of a most recently received message, determining (24) if all transmitted messages have been received by the switch by comparing the identifier indication with an identifier of a most recently transmitted flow modification message, identifying (25) flow modification messages transmitted after the most recently received message as 'un-received' messages and retransmitting (26) un-received messages.

State synchronization between a controller and a switch in a communications network

A method and a network node for managing allocation of network resources in restoration of traffic in a connection oriented network are disclosed. The method comprises restoring a first traffic from a first path on an alternative path if the first path is affected by a first failure and assigning a reserved status to resources of the first path no longer used for carrying the first traffic. If a second path is affected by a second failure the method comprises restoring a second traffic from the second path, wherein the restoration of the second traffic does not use the resources having the reserved status.

Method and network node for managing resource allocation in traffic restoration

The present invention relates to configuring the quality of service in a label switched network. In particular, the invention relates to configuring quality of service for the return path of a bi-directional label switched path in a label switched network. The invention provides a method of configuring quality of service for a return path of a bi-directional label switched path within a network, the bi-directional label switched path having a forward path and a return path. A label information context for a quality of service configuration of the return path of a label switched path is configured separately from a quality of service configuration for the forward path. Path set up messages are formed containing a return path quality of service object indicating the quality of service configuration for the return path separately from a quality of service configuration for the forward path.

Method and apparatus for configuring quality of service

A connection-oriented network has a first working path (W) and a second working path (W). A node (E) receives signalling to allocate resources for a part of a recovery path (R) for the first working path (W). The resources are shared by the recovery path (R) for the first working path and a recovery path (R) for the second working path (W). The node (E) stores an association between the shared resources and a node (A) on the first working path, identified in the signalling, which should be notified when the shared resources are used by the recovery path (R) for the second working path (W). An RSVP-TE &#x3c;NOTIFY_REQUEST&#x3e; object in the signalling carries an address of the node to be notified. The node (E) sends an RSVP-TE Notify message to a node (A) on the first working path (W) which indicates that the shared resources are in use.

Shared path recovery scheme

In a connection-oriented network a point-to-multipoint working path is established between a source node and a plurality of destination nodes using a number of working path intermediate nodes. A point-to-multipoint protection path is established for possible points of failure in the working path. Each protection path connects a first working path intermediate node upstream of a point of failure and destination nodes of the working path downstream of the first working path intermediate node. The point-to-multipoint protection path only connects to destination nodes of the working path and working path intermediate nodes which must be transited to reach the destination nodes of the working path.

P2MP traffic protection in MPLS-TP ring topology

A label switched path through a network of nodes, is torn down by sending a message along the path from an ingress node. If there is a fault along the path, a path error message () is sent back along the path to the ingress node. The ingress node uses a different route bypassing the fault to alert () a further one of the nodes (NE, NE) on that path beyond the indicated fault, to cause that further node to continue the tearing down for other nodes on that path beyond the indicated fault by sending a further message () along the portion of the path beyond the indicated fault, to indicate to the other nodes to continue the tear down. This enables the ingress node to clean up the rest of the path beyond the fault, to avoid leaving unused capacity unavailable for reuse, and to avoid time consuming manual clean up.

Message passing to assure deletion of label switched path

Aspects of the present disclosure relate to a method and a device for creating a data packet with discard eligible information and to a method and device for receiving a data packet with discard eligible information. Specifically, one aspect of the present disclosure provides a method for creating a data packet, containing a data payload and at least one label determining onward routing for the data packet, for onward transmission in a data communication system, a machine readable medium for implementing the method, and a corresponding device. In a first step a discard eligibility associated with the data packet is determined. In a second step, discard eligible information is encoded in a label determining onward routing for the data packet. In a third step an outgoing data packet including the label is generated.

Method and device for creating and for receiving a data packet with discard eligible information

In a method of configuring quality of service for a return path of a bi-directional label switched path within a network a label information context for a quality of service configuration of the return path of a label switched path is configured separately from a quality of service configuration for the forward path. Path set up messages are formed containing a return path quality of service object indicating the quality of service configuration for the return path separately from a quality of service configuration for the forward path.

Method of and apparatus for configuring quality of service

Control of a label switched path established in a network is transferred between a management plane and a control plane of the network. A node (e.g., node C) receives a message indicating a change in control of the label switched path, the message identifying the label switched path by a cross-connection identifier corresponding to an entry in the control data stored at the node which identifies data plane ingress and egress segments cross-connected at the node. Control data at the node is updated based on the identified label switched path. The message includes a list of cross-connection identifiers for nodes (e.g., nodes C, E, and F) along the label switched path. The cross-connection identifier can be an mplsXCIndex.

Ownership transfer of a label switched path

Setting up a label switched path (LSP) for traffic between nodes of a network, involves sending a request message requesting reservation of resources for the requested LSP, from an ingress node () via intermediate nodes () and returning an acknowledgement message to an upstream node along the path. Absence of an acknowledgement from the downstream node, that the request message was received, is detected. Whether the given node should react to the detected absence can be determined from an indication (R) in the request message. Thus other nodes can react more quickly to take remedial action, to reroute or to remove the resource reservations without a long wait for a time out or a refresh message from the waiting ingress node, to enable more efficient use of the resources.

Growing community of inventors

Calcinaia, Italy

Francesco Fondelli