Patent ID: 6363334
Filing Date: 2002-03-26
Classification: H04Q

Abstract:
A method for designing an access network for carrying communication traffic between a collection of end nodes and a core network,the method to be carried out in response to input information that describes: end-node locations, a level of demand associated with each end node, available trunk types and capacities associated therewith, and a cost structure, the method comprising: a) solving a linear program subject to a cost structure specified by an overhead charge &sgr; per unit length and a service charge &mgr; per unit length per unit bandwidth for each trunk type, thereby to obtain a provisional solution, wherein: (i) the provisional solution specifies, in terms of continuously valued variables, a set of links for the access network and a set of trunk types composing each link, said links and trunk types defining a network that will theoretically carry the levels of demand associated with the end nodes at a least cost; (ii) the provisional solution comprises a set of continuously valued investment variables xke and further comprises a set of continuously valued usage variables yk,ie; (iii) each investment variable xke specifies a level of investment in a trunk (k,e) of a respective type k on a respective link e; and (iv) each usage variable yk,ie specifies a fraction of the demand from a respective end node i that is to be carried by a trunk of a respective type k on a respective link e; and b) in a rounding phase, rounding the investment variables xke and the usage variables yk,ie to integer values, thereby to specify a practically realizable network design.