Patent ID: 7743139

Claim:
A method of provisioning a packet network for handling incoming traffic demands, said packet network comprising record collectors that generate ingress and egress files which are used to determine traffic patterns for routing flows from a source to a destination in the packet network, the method comprising the steps of: receiving configuration files from a capacity planning server, said configuration files comprising parameters in which flow records are to be analyzed during a measurement interval; receiving flow records from access routers; processing the flow records based on the parameters provided in the configuration files; generating ingress and egress files for each flow record received during the measurement interval; periodically notifying the capacity planning server when ingress and egress files for the measurement interval are available for upload; uploading the ingress and egress files to the capacity planning server; and determining whether the packet network has adequate capacity based on the traffic patterns established from the uploaded ingress and egress files; and if the capacity is not adequate, rerouting future flows through the packet network in order to establish adequate capacity.