Method and apparatus for optimizing routing through network nodes

US007372816B2

(12) United States Patent

Mannepalli et al.

(io) Patent No.: (45) Date of Patent:

US 7,372,816 B2 *May 13, 2008

(54) METHOD AND APPARATUS FOR

OPTIMIZING ROUTING THROUGH
NETWORK NODES

(75) Inventors: Rao Y. Mannepalli, Sayreville, NJ

(US); Vedha Ramanujam, Ocean, NJ
(US); Yuh-mei Marie Liou, Holmdel,
NJ (US)

(73) Assignee: Lucent Technologies Inc., Murray Hill, NJ (US)

( * ) Notice: Subject to any disclaimer, the term of this patent is extended or adjusted under 35 U.S.C. 154(b) by 622 days.

This patent is subject to a terminal disclaimer.

(21) Appl. No.: 10/974,333

(22) Filed: Oct. 27, 2004

(65) Prior Publication Data

US 2005/0060400 Al Mar. 17, 2005

Related U.S. Application Data

(63) Continuation of application No. 09/503,386, filed on Feb. 14, 2000, now Pat. No. 6,842,425.

(58) Field of Classification Search 370/238,

370/255,351,252; 709/241,238 See application file for complete search history.

(56) References Cited

U.S. PATENT DOCUMENTS

5,495,479 A * 2/1996 Galaand et al 370/404

5,781,624 A 7/1998 Mitra et al 379/244

5,848,145 A 12/1998 Gallagher et al 379/220

5,854,903 A 12/1998 Morrison et al 395/200.79

6,351,641 B2* 2/2002 Verkama 455/426.1

6,842,425 Bl * 1/2005 Mannepalli et al 370/238

FOREIGN PATENT DOCUMENTS

EP 0 673 135 Al 9/1995

EP 0 868 097 A2 3/1998

* cited by examiner

Primary Examiner—Min Jung

(57) ABSTRACT

A method for reducing the problem space associated with determining intra-network circuit provisioning paths within a large communications network by selecting only a sub-set of the total network nodes, including the start-node and end-node of a communication path by bounding, using one of a plurality of predefined shapes having an appropriate size, and calculating the best path using only the network elements included within the sub-set of total nodes.

10 Claims, 9 Drawing Sheets