Patent ID: 6223219
Filing Date: 2001-04-24
Classification: H04J,H04L,H04Q,Y10S

Abstract:
A method of managing a plurality of communications trails each comprising a transport entity for the simultaneous transfer of information in opposite directions between respective inputs and outputs, said method comprising:maintaining a database describing said plurality of trails in which each said trail is represented by a corresponding respective trail data describing at least one of a plurality of states applicable to said trail; andchecking consistency for ensuring consistency of trails with the trail data stored in said databasewherein the trail data is capable of modification so as to transition between the states,wherein said state applicable to a trail is selected from a set consisting of:a state representing a condition in which said trail is provisioned in a network;a state representing a condition in which said trail is un-provisioned in a network;a state representing a condition in which said trail is supporting at least one client trail; anda state representing a condition in which said trail is present in a network, but which has not been accepted or rejected by a network management system.