Abstract: Span protection has advantages in speed, locality of action and simplicity but requires that the failed span be located in real time. Recent work proposed rapid fault-localization via monitoring cycles (m-cycles). Span-protecting structures (such as p-cycles) operate and are designed separately from the monitoring cycles in this architecture. We have invented a method of designing survivable networks wherein a span protecting p-cycle network inherently includes the properties of a set of fault localizing m-cycles at zero or minimal additional network design cost. Results show that this can be achieved with the same localization effectiveness as separately designed m-cycle solutions, at little or no extra cost.

Abstract: Span protection has advantages in speed, locality of action and simplicity but requires that the failed span be located in real time. Recent work proposed rapid fault-localization via monitoring cycles (m-cycles). Span-protecting structures (such as p-cycles) operate and are designed separately from the monitoring cycles in this architecture. We have invented a means of designing survivable networks wherein a span protecting p-cycle network inherently includes the properties of a set of fault localizing m-cycles at zero or minimal additional network design cost. Results show that this can be achieved with the same localization effectiveness as separately designed m-cycle solutions, at little or no extra cost.