Patent ID: 7885193

Claim:
A method for augmenting a telecommunications network by adding a network element to an existing network, comprising: determining network services affected by the augmenting; determining a temporary route for transmitting network services determined as affected by the augmenting via the temporary route, wherein the temporary route is an alternative route in the existing network; determining a new route through the network with the augmenting, wherein the new route is a route in the network with the augmenting; determining a spanning tree corresponding to the new route for the network services determined as affected by the augmenting; configuring memberships of a virtual local area network (VLAN) in ports of network elements of the temporary route; changing cost factors at these ports to direct, based on the changed cost factors, the network services determined as affected by the augmenting through the temporary route; calculating a VLAN membership for each of a plurality of ports in the new route for a network service that passes through the network with the augmenting; re-calculating the new route through the network with the augmenting based on the spanning tree determined for the new route; and deleting VLAN memberships in a plurality of ports of network elements which are not part of the new route.