Claims
- 1. A method of operating an internet protocol (IP) network comprising a plurality of routers, each router further comprising a plurality of interfaces, the method comprising the steps of:
connecting a spare interface on a first router in the IP network to a re-configurable transport network which provides connectivity to a spare interface on a second router in the IP network; upon detection of a pre-designated condition in the IP network, switching traffic designated for a primary interface at the first router to the spare interface at the first router in the IP network, thereby causing the traffic to flow across spare capacity on the re-configurable transport network between the spare interface on the first router and the spare interface on the second router in the IP network.
- 2. The method of claim 1 wherein the pre-designated condition is a failure in the primary interface at the first router in the IP network.
- 3. The method of claim 2 wherein the primary interface provided connectivity to the re-configurable transport network before failure and wherein the spare interface provides 1:N interface protection.
- 4. The method of claim 2 wherein the primary interface provided connectivity over a direct point-to-point link and wherein the spare interface provides dynamic establishment of a new IP link in response to the failure.
- 5. The method of claim 1 wherein the pre-designated condition is a surge in traffic across the primary interface at the first router in the IP network.
- 6. The method of claim 1 wherein the re-configurable transport network comprises a plurality of optical cross-connects.
- 7. A device-readable medium storing program instructions for performing a method of operating a router in an Internet Protocol (IP) network, the router further comprising a routing table and a plurality of interfaces including a spare interface providing connectivity through a re-configurable transport network to a spare interface on a second router in the IP network, the method comprising the steps of:
receiving a signal indicating a pre-designated condition in the IP network; reconfiguring the routing table in the router so as to switch traffic designated for a primary interface at the router to the spare interface at the router, thereby causing the traffic to flow across spare capacity on the re-configurable transport network between the spare interface on the router and the spare interface on the second router in the IP network.
- 8. The device-readable medium of claim 7 wherein the pre-designated condition is a failure in the primary interface at the first router in the IP network.
- 9. The device-readable medium of claim 8 wherein the primary interface provided connectivity to the re-configurable transport network before failure and wherein the spare interface provides 1:N interface protection.
- 10. The device-readable medium of claim 8 wherein the primary interface provided connectivity over a direct point-to-point link and wherein the spare interface provides dynamic establishment of a new IP link in response to the failure.
- 11. The device-readable medium of claim 7 wherein the pre-designated condition is a surge in traffic across the primary interface at the first router in the IP network.
- 12. An Internet Protocol (IP) router comprising:
a plurality of interfaces including at least one primary interface and a spare interface providing connectivity through a re-configurable transport network to a spare interface on a second router in an IP network; a routing table that, upon receipt at the router of a signal indicating a pre-designated condition in the IP network, is reconfigured so as to switch traffic designated for a primary interface at the router to the spare interface at the router, thereby causing the traffic to flow across spare capacity on the re-configurable transport network between the spare interface on the router and the spare interface on the second router in the IP network.
- 13. The router of claim 12 wherein the pre-designated condition is a failure in the primary interface at the first router in the IP network.
- 14. The router of claim 13 wherein the primary interface provided connectivity to the re-configurable transport network before failure and wherein the spare interface provides 1:N interface protection.
- 15. The router of claim 13 wherein the primary interface provided connectivity over a direct point-to-point link and wherein the spare interface provides dynamic establishment of a new IP link in response to the failure.
- 16. The device-readable medium of claim 12 wherein the pre-designated condition is a surge in traffic across the primary interface at the first router in the IP network.
CROSS REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS
[0001] This application is a nonprovisional of U.S. Provisional Application “METHOD FOR NETWORK LAYER RESTORATION USING SPARE INTERFACES CONNECTED TO A RECONFIGURABLE TRANSPORT NETWORK,” Serial No. 60/319,421, filed on Jul. 23, 2002, the contents of which are incorporated by reference herein.
Provisional Applications (1)
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Number |
Date |
Country |
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60319421 |
Jul 2002 |
US |