At&t Intellectual Property I, L.p.

At+t Corp.

At&t Bell Laboratories

Moshe Segal

Gagan Choudhury

Wai Sum Lai

William G Lester

David Frederick Lynch

Arunabha Guha

Jian Li

Robert Duncan Doverspike

Guangzhi Li

Dongmei Wang

John Gregory Klincewicz

Promod Kumar Bhagat

Andre Benjamin Bondi

Yuval V Lirov

Martin Eisenberg

David Matthews

Mary Klavetter Florence

Sharon Gauert

Kenneth S Wonnell

Methods, apparatus and articles of manufacture (e.g., physical storage media) to perform centralized route determination in communication networks (e.g., such as software defined networks) are disclosed. Example methods for route determination disclosed herein include accessing, with a controller of a software defined network, a first set of constraints specifying whether route splitting is permissible for respective ones of a set of flows in the software defined network. Such disclosed example methods also include accessing, with the controller, a second set of constraints specifying respective bandwidth demands for the respective ones of the set of flows in the software defined network. Such disclosed example methods further include determining, with a linear programming model implemented by the controller, a set of routes based on the first and second sets of constraints, wherein the set of routes is to route the set of flows in the software defined network.

Centralized route determination in communication networks

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

A communication system includes a plurality of devices, such as cable modems, in communication with a station, such as a cable modem termination system, that provides efficient upstream bandwidth sharing.

Network having bandwidth sharing

A model is provided for optimizing an optical network wherein single links carry multiple signals by using multiple color channels. The routes in the optimized network minimize mid-route color changeovers, reducing the number of nodes requiring optical-electric-optical signal conversion. In the model, the minimized objective function includes terms representing total color miles, terms penalizing changeovers, and terms representing total nodes passed by routes.

Assignment of channel colors in optical networks

A methodology for optimizing the cost associated with access charges incurred by network service providers when leasing communications facilities from a local service provider has been developed that incorporates physical reconfiguration of the access network topology as a cost-saving measure, where and when appropriate. The methodology identifies opportunities to reduce access charges by performing the following functions: (1) moving Tfacilities from one hub location to another; (2) moving Tfacilities from one Tfacility to another (at the same hub location) in order to disconnect unneeded Tfacilities; and (3) adding new Tfacilities in order to reduce overall access expenses and/or to provide new capacity for future growth, including adding potential new hub locations. The methodology is appropriate for use with various types of network facilities, Tand Tbeing considered as exemplary only.

Access network optimization methodology for leased switched and dedicated facilities

A methodology for optimizing the access charges paid by a long distance carrier involves the use of a 'sizing' operation to determine the optimal balance between direct trunks and access tandems (on a per LATA basis) so as to provide minimal access charges. Once the sizing has been completed, a mixed integer program is used to find the optimal MUX assignments for each LATA. The sizing operation is then re-visited, based on the MUX assignments, to determine if adjustments are required to reduce costs. Any changes in the sizing are then reviewed in the MUX assignment mixed integer program. The end result is a definition of the quantity of direct trunks, access tandem trunks and overflow minutes-of-use charges for each end office, as well as the number of high capacity facilities required for each MUX.

Switched-access network optimization methodology

A method and apparatus for assigning nodes to CMTS cards in a communication system. In order to avoid bottlenecks and to efficiently use resources of the cards in a hybrid fiber-coax architecture, the nodes are assigned to the cards using linear programming techniques so as to distribute the traffic load and minimize the unused capacity of each card. The number of households, nodes and cards are determined and used to establish a model which is then implemented using linear programming techniques to determine an optimal solution.

Method and apparatus for assigning communication nodes to CMTS cards

An embodiment of the system and method of the present invention organizes the recovery of a communications network to minimize the interference between the recovering nodes and thus allows for a faster recovery. A metered rate is calculated at which nodes recover from a major network failure; when nodes recover at the metered rate, the network recovers quickly but without performance degrading interference. A measure of the interference between recovering nodes may be created; the interference measure may be used to partition the network, where the nodes within each partition set interfere minimally with each other during recovery and each set recovers separately. Recovering items (nodes or sets) may be sequenced so that each item recovers substantially separately in time, but where adjacent sequence items recover with some temporal overlap. Alternate embodiments may organize any system of items such as objects or devices competing for resources to minimize interference; a metered rate or measure of interference may be created, and the items may be partitioned and sequenced.

Network disaster recovery and analysis tool

An apparatus and method for routing calls to communication processing centers based on an optimal destination plan. Calls are allocated on the basis of area codes, regions, or other predetermined categories to particular communication processing centers. Each communication processing center's free capacity is calculated for all time intervals and this result is used to ascertain the smallest free capacity of any time interval for each communication processing center. The calls are then reallocated through linear programming methods such that the amount of smallest free capacity is maximized in order to determine the optimal call allocation scheme.

Method and apparatus for assigning incoming communications to communications processing centers

An arrangement is disclosed for allocating a constrained common resource among a plurality of demands for the resource. The arrangement includes generating a set of patterns as candidates for a recommended solution, setting goals or constraints for a pattern to meet before the pattern becomes a candidate for the recommended solution, searching the set of patterns and determining those patterns that meet the goals, and appending those patterns that meet the goals to the recommended solution. A random distribution based on the demand for the resource over a multi-dimension space can be generated. Responsive to the random distribution, a plurality of feasible patterns can be generated. Responsive to the feasible patterns, a multiplicity ratio may be generated. Responsive to a multiplicity ratio and to its corresponding feasible pattern, the plurality of feasible patterns may be reduced to a single feasible pattern, which can be included in the recommended solution. The generating and reducing can be repeated until the goals are met whereupon the resultant multiplicity ratios and feasible patterns can be provided as the recommended solution, and, responsive to the recommended solution, the common resource can be allocated among the plurality of demands.

Growing community of inventors

Tinton Falls, NJ, United States of America

Moshe Segal