Alcatel Lucent

Alcatel Canada Inc.

Neeraj Chandra

Gerardo Martin Espinosa

Lay Been Tan

Patricia Michaud

Benhong Li

Robert Steven Poitras

Adel Houssari

Kirby Koster

This invention provides the ability to load balance calls in a communications network using a certain criterion, such as a user-specified call priority, or the call service category. The method is applied when selecting a route for a new call or for re-balancing the calls across a network. When the user-specified call priority is used, the aggregated number of calls with the same priority or service category is calculated for all possible routes the new call may use. The aggregated number of calls is then divided by the number of hops in the respective routes; the route with the smallest ratio is selected for the new call. Re-balancing is performed by re-routing the calls in such a way as to obtain a similar number of calls of the same priority, or service category along all possible routes.

Multiple criteria based load balancing

This invention provides the ability to load balance calls in a communications network using a certain criterion, such as a user-specified call priority, or the call class of service. The method is applied when selecting a route for a new call or for re-balancing the calls across a network. When the user-specified call priority is used, the aggregated number of calls with the same priority or class of service is calculated for all possible routes the new call may use. The aggregated number of calls is then divided by the number of hops in the respective routes; the route with the smallest ratio is selected for the new call. Re-balancing is performed by re-routing the calls in such a way as to obtain a similar number of calls of the same priority, or class of service, along all possible routes.

Prioritized call load balancing

A method and system for implementing Multiple Endpoint Paths (MEP) for Point to Multipoint (P2MP) calls over Soft Permanent Virtual Connections (SPVC) are provided. When a condition is detected that requires a particular endpoint to be switched to an alternate endpoint, all calls of the P2MP group that used the particular endpoint are torn down in sequence, in accordance with SPVC procedures. Once all of the calls are torn down, any calls that are enabled for MEP are re-established using the alternate endpoint to replace the particular endpoint.

Multiple endpoint paths for point-to-multipoint (P2MP) SPVC

A multiple endpoint path for providing endpoint redundancy is described. Selected active end nodes in a digital communications network are configured by a network management system to have compatible alternate endpoint paths. When one of the selected active endpoint paths fails, the network management system automatically switches the endpath from the previously active endpoint to the alternate end point path.

Growing community of inventors

Ottawa, Canada

Neeraj Chandra