Mapping Inter-Layer Relationships for Transport Network Utilization
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Solution Overview
Problem
Current tools lack the ability to provide insight into the actual data traffic carried by transport network circuits and wavelengths, limiting transport network planners' visibility and making it challenging to efficiently manage bandwidth in core networks.
Innovation Solution
A system and method for mapping higher-layer circuits, connections, links, and flows to transport network elements to determine utilization based on carried packet-based traffic, using a network observation server that collects data from various layers and performs direct or indirect mapping to calculate physical layer utilization.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Loss of information
If transport network planners use traditional capacity planning tools, then they can manage circuit capacity, but they lack visibility into actual packet traffic utilization
Solution Approach 1:
The patent introduces a mapping system as an intermediary layer that connects higher-layer network elements (circuits, connections, links) to lower-layer transport network elements. This mediator collects data from multiple layers and performs correlation analysis to establish relationships between traffic patterns and physical infrastructure utilization, thereby providing visibility without requiring direct monitoring of every packet at the physical layer.
Solution Approach 2:
The system segments the network monitoring function across different layers by collecting data independently from higher layers (circuits, connections, links) and lower layers (transport network elements), then correlating these segmented data sets. This allows complex utilization calculation to be broken down into manageable data collection and processing stages.
2Measurement precision
If service providers use modeling tools to predict traffic growth, then they can request network capacity, but they cannot determine actual utilization of transport network elements
Solution Approach 1:
The system implements feedback mechanisms by continuously collecting actual traffic data from higher layers and physical layer data from transport network elements, then using this feedback to calculate and update utilization metrics. This enables service providers to compare predicted traffic growth against actual utilization patterns, allowing for more accurate capacity planning decisions.
Solution Approach 2:
The mapping system serves multiple functions simultaneously: it collects data from various network layers, performs correlation analysis, calculates utilization metrics, and provides visibility into traffic patterns. This multi-functional approach consolidates what would otherwise require separate systems into a single unified platform.
3Loss of information
If transport network planners look at circuit capacity, then they can plan bandwidth, but they have no visibility into packet traffic utilizing the capacity
Solution Approach 1:
The system dynamically updates utilization calculations by continuously collecting new traffic data and recalculating metrics based on current network conditions. This dynamic approach allows bandwidth management to adapt to changing traffic patterns in real-time, making the system more responsive to actual usage requirements rather than relying on static capacity plans.
Data Source
AI summary
Embodiments provide systems, methods, and computer program products for mapping higher-layer circuits, links, flows, and services to lower layer circuit and connection elements to determine utilization of the lower layer circuit elements based on the high-layer traffic. Higher layer configuration data and lower layer configuration data are imported to populate a model. An inter-layer relationship is either directly or indirectly mapped from the higher layers to the lower layer. Once the inter-layer relationship is established, the higher-layer circuits, links, flows, and services are inspected using the lower layer circuit and connection elements. Circuit and packet-based utilization is determined for the lower layer elements based on the higher-layer traffic flows.