METHOD AND SYSTEM FOR PLANNING AND INSTALLING COMMUNICATION NETWORKS

A method is disclosed for use in cooperation with a computer having memory in a Synchronous Optical Network (SONET) for generating an optimized transition plan for the placement of Self-Healing Rings (SHR) and the routing of point-to-point demand in accordance with projected customer demand over a selected multi-period time interval. By determining the number of nodes within a SONET, the demand therebetween over selected time interval as well as the discounted add-drop cost for a plurality of selected Add-Drop Multiplexers (ADMs), a set of logical rings as well as a set of physical rings and detailed routing information may be obtained and graphically illustrated. Logical rings may be determined by optimizing discounted fixed and interconnection costs for the plurality of ADMs in accordance with a selected mixed integer program to generate a corresponding electrical signal for receipt by the computer memory. Thereafter, the placement of physical self-healing rings, the cash flow out and optimal traffic routing may be determined in accordance with a second selected mixed integer program whereupon a second electrical signal may be generated corresponding thereto. Utilizing a heuristic approach, where the number of nodes under study is high, logical rings may be determined through an iterative process of randomly generating new proposed rings or, in the alternative, randomly expanding existing proposed rings until all demand has been satisfied.