ODUflex Bandwidth Resize via SBR Suppression in Optical Transport Networks

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Solution Overview

Problem

The existing Hitless Adjustment of ODUflex(GFP) (HAO) protocol struggles to effectively resize the bandwidth of a protection path in optical transport networks, which is essential for protection switching, as it requires executing both Link Connection Resize (LCR) and Bandwidth Resize (BWR) protocols on both working and protection paths, but the protocol information is not transmitted via the protection path, hindering the resize procedure.

Innovation Solution

The method involves executing only the LCR protocol on the protection path by adding Suppress Bandwidth Resize (SBR) information to the LCR protocol overhead, preventing the initiation of the BWR protocol, allowing the network connection to be resized without affecting the protection path's bandwidth, thus enabling seamless protection switching.

Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles

VSEngineering Contradiction Analysis

1Adaptability or versatility

If both LCR and BWR protocols are executed on the protection path, then the bandwidth of the protection path can be resized, but the protocol information cannot be transmitted via the protection path, hindering the resize procedure

Engineering Contradiction:

Improvebandwidth resize capabilityVSAvoidprotocol execution complexity

Core Design Contradiction:

Adaptability or versatilityVSDevice complexity

Solution Approach 1:

The patent extracts the BWR protocol execution from the protection path by introducing SBR information in the LCR protocol overhead. This allows the protection path to only execute the LCR protocol while the BWR protocol is suppressed, resolving the contradiction between needing bandwidth resize capability and avoiding protocol execution complexity on the protection path.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #2Taking out (Extraction)

Solution Approach 2:

The patent applies different protocol execution strategies to different paths: the working path executes both LCR and BWR protocols for full bandwidth adjustment, while the protection path executes only the LCR protocol with SBR information to suppress BWR. This local differentiation resolves the contradiction by tailoring protocol behavior to path-specific requirements.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #3Local quality

2Adaptability or versatility

If the BWR protocol is executed on the protection path, then the bandwidth can be adjusted, but it affects the protection path's bandwidth and complicates protection switching

Engineering Contradiction:

Improvebandwidth adjustment flexibilityVSAvoidprotection switching reliability

Core Design Contradiction:

Adaptability or versatilityVSReliability

Solution Approach 1:

The patent extracts the BWR protocol from the protection path execution by using SBR information to suppress it. This ensures that only the LCR protocol runs on the protection path, maintaining its bandwidth unchanged and preserving protection switching reliability while still allowing bandwidth adjustment on the working path.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #2Taking out (Extraction)

Solution Approach 2:

The patent segments the protocol execution: LCR protocol executes on both paths for connection resize, while BWR protocol executes only on the working path for bandwidth adjustment. This segmentation isolates bandwidth changes to the working path, preventing them from affecting protection switching reliability.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #1Segmentation

3Reliability

If LCR protocol is executed on the protection path without BWR protocol, then the protection path bandwidth remains unchanged, but the network connection resize operation becomes incomplete

Engineering Contradiction:

Improveprotection path bandwidth stabilityVSAvoidnetwork connection resize efficiency

Core Design Contradiction:

ReliabilityVSProductivity

Solution Approach 1:

The LCR protocol is enhanced with multi-functionality by incorporating SBR information that can suppress BWR protocol execution. This allows the same LCR protocol to serve dual purposes: executing on the protection path to maintain bandwidth stability, and executing on the working path to enable bandwidth adjustment, thus resolving the contradiction between reliability and productivity.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #6Universality (Multi-functionality)

Data Source

PatentUS9136940B2Method for resizing network connection in the optical transport network supporting protection switching

Publication Date: 2015.09.15 ELECTRONICS & TELECOMM RES INST

AI summary

There is provided a method for resizing a network connection in an optical transport network that supports protection switching and receives a flexible Optical channel Data (ODUflex(GFP)) signal. In addition, Hitless Adjustment of ODUflex(GFP) (HAO) procedure includes Suppress Bandwidth Resize (SBR) information that prevents a Bandwidth Resize (BWR) protocol from being initiated. Based on the SBR information, only the LCR protocol is executed at nodes located on a protection path for protection switching, except for the BWR protocol. On the other hand, both the LCR protocol and the BWR protocol are executed at nodes located on a working path.