Alcatel Canada Inc.

Newbridge Networks Corporation

Mike Holloway

Satvinder Singh Bawa

Bruce Brown

Felix Katz

Mark Tooker

Wade Neville

Arnold German

Glenn Brauen

Mark Grice

Rob Craig

Methods of considering bandwidth load or load balancing in the selection of an optimal path for routing calls through a switched digital network are described. The described methods are applicable to both new calls and existing connected calls. Algorithms that take into consideration selection criteria such as route cost, number of link hops in the route in addition to bandwidth load are presented.

Bandwidth load consideration in network route selection

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

A method of assigning effective bandwidth to a physical or logical link for propagating multiple virtual paths through a switched digital communications network is described. Switching nodes within the network have more than one interconnecting link in order to provide redundancy in the event of link failure. The effective bandwidth is assigned to each link according to dual multipliers or booking factors. The first booking factor is used for provisioning the link on set up and the second booking factor is for re-routing in the event of link failure.

Use of booking factors to redefine available bandwidth

A method of determining whether a requested parameter reconfiguration of a connected call in a switched digital communication network complies with system constraints is described. Bandwidth related parameters, in particular, are subject to reconfiguration after a call is provisioned in order to optimize utilization of network resources. The implementation of a bandwidth reconfiguration involves an assessment of bandwidth utilization by the logical or physical links routing the connected call so that the reconfigured bandwidth does not negatively impact on the connected call. Once the reconfigured parameter is determined to be acceptable the reconfiguration data is propagated to the relevant network elements.

Parameter reconfiguration of connected calls

A data transmission network includes a plurality of data processing devices for connection to local data sources. The data processing devices assemble data packets from the local sources into frame relay packets. A plurality of interconnected network nodes are connected to the data processing devices. Point-to-point frame relay links (FRLs) are established between nodes of the network. Frame relay switches installed at the nodes for switch frame relay packets between successive frame relay links through the network. Frame relay paths (FRPs) are established between endpoints of the network using a plurality of successive established frame relay links.

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Mike Holloway