Cisco Technology, Inc.

Yu-Hsien Li

Sai V Ramamoorthy

A method for decomposing a service activation request (SAR) into sub-requests for specific network resources and classifying the SAR with an adaptive bucket value based on the dynamic performance characteristics of the corresponding network resources. Each SAR has a virtual bucket value whose size is determined by the bucket values of its constituent sub-requests. Over time, as multiple SARs are processed, the bucket values associated with each requested resource are adjusted to reflect system resource loading and availability. If the bucket value of a constituent sub-request is adaptively decreased down to a zero value, for instance due to an overflow condition or an excess of requests for that particular service, any new SAR requesting the same resource will be prevented from decomposition and processing. This will happen even if the sub-request is mature, i.e., due to be executed in the very near-term. This mechanism insures optimal utilization of network resources and provides an efficient, automated handling mechanism for processing complex service activation requests.

Adaptive bucket indexing mechanism to effectively manage service activation requests

An automated method and apparatus for classifying a customer service activation request (SAR) according to whether repeatable, schedulable, or scaleable elements are present. When the request has no repeating elements, a traditional SAR is forwarded and serviced by the network management system according to provisions well-known in the art. In the more complex case, however, a SAR comprises elements that are both repeatable and schedulable and is thus classified as a service activation module (SAM). An automated process first determines the starting quality of service (QoS) level at the beginning of the service life cycle requested by the customer. The process next determines the life cycle ending time as well as the trigger times at which elements repeat or are reinitiated. In some embodiments of the present invention, the SAM is examined for resource availability. If one or more resources are not available during the service life cycle, the process generates a report. In a further alternate embodiment, a set of templates representing various QoS levels are constructed and modified to reflect the fact that certain services are not available. If all resources are available, the elements of the SAM are transmitted to a well-known provisioning process for fulfillment. The present invention thus provides faster and more reliable service provisioning for extremely complex, time-dependent SARs including repeating sub-elements and the necessary scaling to enable expansion and enhancement of customer service.

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Cupertino, CA, United States of America

Yu-Hsien Li