US6151305A
Expired / Lapsed
US
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Method and apparatus for planning an ATM network for an area of concentrated demand for transport bandwidth
Assignee: RPX Clearinghouse LLC
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Filing: 1997-11-14
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Granted: 2000-11-21
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Expires: 2017-11-14
Abstract
Abstract A method and apparatus for ATM network planning is described. ATM network planning involves designing an ATM network to support traffic demands, which may include voice, data, image and video traffic. It is desirable to design a backbone network for a metropolitan area which minimizes the total network cost. The design process includes the determination of network topology, location and configuration of switches, dimensioning of all links, etc. A heuristic method is described which provides a near-optimal lowest cost network design with the cost reasonably certain to be close to the optimal solution. The advantage is a versatile method which can reliably produce a lowest cost network plan in a reasonable time.
Inventors
- 👤 Jiang Chen
Bibliographic Details
Application Number
—
Jurisdiction
US
Data Source
google_patents
Last Synchronized
2026-11-03 20:47
CPC Classifications
H; H04; H04Q; H04Q11/00; H04Q11/04; H04Q11/0428; H04Q11/0478; H04L; H04L12/00; H04L12/54; H04L12/56; H04L12/5601; H04L2012/5619; H04L2012/5623; H04L2012/5625; H04L2012/5626
Claims Analysis
Total Claims: 12
Claim 1
Independent Claim
90 words
A method of planning an ATM network for an area of concentrated demand for bandwidth, comprising: configuring homes in the network into a star topology having a single hub; and linking together with direct links all pairs of homes having at least a predefined minimum of inter-nodal traffic, wherein the type of link used for links in the network is governed by two constraints, namely: a) a threshold for upgrading link-type k is Δ k; and b) at most two consecutive link types can be used to dimension a trunk.
Claim 2
Independent Claim
90 words
A method of planning an ATM network for an area of concentrated demand for bandwidth, comprising: configuring homes in the network into a star topology having a single hub; and linking together with direct links all pairs of homes having at least a predefined minimum of inter-nodal traffic, wherein the type of link used for links in the network is governed by two constraints, namely: a) a threshold for upgrading link-type k is Δ k; and b) at most two consecutive link types can be used to dimension a trunk.
Claim 3
Dependent Claim
24 words
The method of planning an ATM network as claimed in claim 1 wherein the area of concentrated demand for bandwidth is a metropolitan area.
Claim 4
Dependent Claim
73 words
The method of planning an ATM network as claimed in claim 1 wherein a least cost network design is computed by; a) designating each home (1, . . . n, where n is the number of homes in the network) as the hub and computing a total cost for a resulting network plan (1, . . . n) times; and b) selecting a least cost network plan from among the n network plans.
Claim 5
Independent Claim
250 words
A method of planning an ATM network for an area of concentrated demand for transport bandwidth, the network plan being a near optimal lowest cost solution, comprising the steps of: a) determining a number of homes required to terminate customer traffic to the ATM network; b) determining an aggregated projected customer demand between homes in the network; c) designating one of the homes as the home at which a hub for the network is to be located; d) determining a number of direct links for interconnecting homes having a predefined minimum of projected inter-nodal customer traffic, and determining a size of inter-nodal links required between the homes; e) determining a total volume of customer traffic from each home to the hub and from the hub to each home; f) determining a link size between each home and the hub without regard to interface termination requirements on the hub or the homes; g) determining each home access switch and hub gateway switch configuration given all link sizes; h) computing a total cost for the network plan and storing the cost in a memory along with a unique network plan identifier; i) designating another home which has not been designated as a hub for the network and repeating steps d)-h) until all homes have been designated as hub; and j) examining the memory to select a lowest cost from among the costs stored in the memory and identifying the lowest cost plan using the unique plan identifier associated with the lowest cost.
Claim 6
Independent Claim
250 words
A method of planning an ATM network for an area of concentrated demand for transport bandwidth, the network plan being a near optimal lowest cost solution, comprising the steps of: a) determining a number of homes required to terminate customer traffic to the ATM network; b) determining an aggregated projected customer demand between homes in the network; c) designating one of the homes as the home at which a hub for the network is to be located; d) determining a number of direct links for interconnecting homes having a predefined minimum of projected inter-nodal customer traffic, and determining a size of inter-nodal links required between the homes; e) determining a total volume of customer traffic from each home to the hub and from the hub to each home; f) determining a link size between each home and the hub without regard to interface termination requirements on the hub or the homes; g) determining each home access switch and hub gateway switch configuration given all link sizes; h) computing a total cost for the network plan and storing the cost in a memory along with a unique network plan identifier; i) designating another home which has not been designated as a hub for the network and repeating steps d)-h) until all homes have been designated as hub; and j) examining the memory to select a lowest cost from among the costs stored in the memory and identifying the lowest cost plan using the unique plan identifier associated with the lowest cost.
Claim 7
Dependent Claim
28 words
A method of planning an ATM network for an area of concentrated demand for transport bandwidth as claimed in claim 4 wherein the area is a metropolitan area.
Claim 8
Dependent Claim
56 words
A method of planning an ATM network for an area of concentrated demand for transport bandwidth as claimed in claim 4 wherein the unique network plan identifier comprises a code used to identify the home in the network which serves as the hub, each home in the network being assigned a unique code in step a).
Claim 9
Dependent Claim
123 words
A method of planning an ATM network for an area of concentrated demand for transport bandwidth as claimed in claim 4 wherein the determination in step e) is expressed as: ##EQU25## Variables: Q j : total traffic for the trunk from home j to the hub; COI h ,j : total traffic demand from hub h to home j (Mbps) COI outside ,h : total traffic demand from outside network to hub h (Mbps); COI j ,h : total traffic demand from home j to hub h (Mbps); COI outside ,j : total traffic demand from outside network to home j (Mbps). Parameters h: network home designated as hub; j: network homes not designated as hub; n: number of homes in the network.
Claim 10
Dependent Claim
179 words
A method of planning an ATM network for an area of concentrated demand for transport bandwidth as claimed in claim 4 wherein the determination in step h) is expressed as: ##EQU26## Variables: C k : cost per link card on access switch; C k : cost per link card on hub switch; Z i ,h*,k : number of link-types for the trunk from home i to the optimal hub h*; n k : number of ports per access switch link card to terminate link-type k; N k : number of ports per hub switch link card to terminate link-type k; A k : fixed cost per unit of link-type k; D i ,h* : distance (in miles) from access switch i to optimal hub h*; T i ,h*,k : variable cost per unit of link-type k between home i and optimal hub h*; C: hub switch starting cost. Parameters i: access node in the network; h*: optimal hub in the network; n: number of homes in the network; k: number of link-types; m: number of different kinds of link-types.
Claim 11
Dependent Claim
296 words
For use in cooperation with a computer having a memory, a system for planning an ATM network for an area of concentrated demand for transport bandwidth, the network plan being a near optimal lowest cost solution, comprising: means for storing codes representative of homes required to terminate customer traffic to the ATM network; means for storing an aggregated projected customer demand between each pair of homes in the network; means for storing an identifier to indicate that a one of the homes is designated as the home at which a hub for the network is to be located; means for determining a number of direct links for interconnecting each pair of homes having a predefined minimum of projected inter-nodal customer traffic, and determining a size of each inter-nodal link required; means for determining a total volume of customer traffic from each home to the hub and from the hub to each home; means for determining a link size between each home and the hub without regard to interface termination requirements on the hub or the homes; means for determining each home access switch and hub gateway switch configuration given all link sizes; means for computing a total cost for the network plan and storing the cost in a memory along with a unique network plan identifier; means for indicating another home as a hub location and recomputing a configuration and total network cost, and storing the total cost for the network plan until all homes have been designated as a hub and a total network cost is computed for each; and means for examining the memory to select a lowest cost from among the total costs stored in the memory and displaying the lowest cost and the unique plan identifier for a user of the apparatus.
Claim 12
Dependent Claim
296 words
For use in cooperation with a computer having a memory, a system for planning an ATM network for an area of concentrated demand for transport bandwidth, the network plan being a near optimal lowest cost solution, comprising: means for storing codes representative of homes required to terminate customer traffic to the ATM network; means for storing an aggregated projected customer demand between each pair of homes in the network; means for storing an identifier to indicate that a one of the homes is designated as the home at which a hub for the network is to be located; means for determining a number of direct links for interconnecting each pair of homes having a predefined minimum of projected inter-nodal customer traffic, and determining a size of each inter-nodal link required; means for determining a total volume of customer traffic from each home to the hub and from the hub to each home; means for determining a link size between each home and the hub without regard to interface termination requirements on the hub or the homes; means for determining each home access switch and hub gateway switch configuration given all link sizes; means for computing a total cost for the network plan and storing the cost in a memory along with a unique network plan identifier; means for indicating another home as a hub location and recomputing a configuration and total network cost, and storing the total cost for the network plan until all homes have been designated as a hub and a total network cost is computed for each; and means for examining the memory to select a lowest cost from among the total costs stored in the memory and displaying the lowest cost and the unique plan identifier for a user of the apparatus.
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USPTO Annuity & Maintenance Windows
| Annuity Stage | Window Opens | Payment Deadline | Surcharge Period Until | Estimated Fee | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 3.5 Years (Year 4) | 2003-11-21 | 2004-05-22 | 2004-11-21 | $2000.00 | Window Closed / Lapsed |
| 7.5 Years (Year 8) | 2007-11-21 | 2008-05-22 | 2008-11-21 | $3760.00 | Window Closed / Lapsed |
| 11.5 Years (Year 12) | 2011-11-21 | 2012-05-22 | 2012-11-21 | $7700.00 | Window Closed / Lapsed |