Patent ID: 6915350

Claim:
In a communication network, a method of allocating a second path of communication for use as a protection path for a first communication path, wherein the allocation is made in accordance with a chosen risk level definition, which method comprises: (i) providing data corresponding to physical and geographical deployment of a plurality of communication path segments belonging to the communication network; (ii) selecting N number of risk levels based on predefined criteria; (iii) for each of said N number of risk levels, assigning said plurality of communication path segments to a plurality of SRGs, where an SRG is a Shared Risk Group of communication path segments selected by predefined criteria so that all communication path segments belonging to any specific SRG are at risk of being damaged by a single damage event, where the probability of occurrence of such an event is represented by the risk level assigned to the specific SRG; (iv) choosing a first path of communication comprising a first group of communication path segments selected from among said plurality of communication path segments belonging to the communication network; (v) defining a risk level R which represents the highest risk level to be prevented; and (vi) selecting a second group of communication path segments from among said plurality of communication path segments belonging to said communication network to establish said second communication path, wherein said second group of communication path segments satisfies the following conditions: one of the selected segments of said second group starts at the starting point of the first path of communication; one of the selected segments of said second group ends at the end point of the first path of communication; all communication path segments belonging to the second group comprise one continuous path starting at the starting point of the first path and ending at the end point of the first path; and there is no SRG to which the risk level R or lower was assigned, that contains both a communication segment belonging to the first communication path and a communication segment belonging to the second communication path.