Selective steering of media data streams

• US 10,158,581 B2
• Filed: 11/15/2013
• Issued: 12/18/2018
• Est. Priority Date: 11/15/2013
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Telefonaktiebolaget LM Ericsson
• Original Assignee: Telefonaktiebolaget LM Ericsson
• Inventors: Deaconu, Florin Alexandru
• Primary Examiner(s): Nguyen, Quang N
• Application Number:
  US15/036,493
• Publication Number:
  US 20160308779A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,859 Days
• Field of Search: 709229, 709249, 709203, 709206, 709217, 709219, 709223, 709224, 709226, 709228, 709230, 709232, 709238, 370235, 370252, 370384, 370401, 455436
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 47/122 by diverting traffic away from congested entities
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 47/125 by balancing the load, e.g. traffic engineering
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 47/726 Reserving resources in multiple paths to be used simultaneously by balancing the load H04L47/125
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 47/745 Reaction in network
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 65/103 in the network
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 65/1043 Gateway controllers, e.g. media gateway control protocol [MGCP] controllers
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 65/60 Network streaming of media packets

Abstract

The invention relates to a method, by a control node (100, 150), for selecting one of a plurality of media forwarding elements (200, 250) in a network for forwarding an additional media data stream by the selected media forwarding element, the method comprising the steps of receiving (S21, S31, S100) a load message from one of the media forwarding elements, the load message containing information about a load level of said one media forwarding element and about how media data streams from a first area (300) of the network from which said one media forwarding element receives the media data streams contribute to the load level of said one media forwarding element. The received information is stored in a storage unit (130) of the control node. When a setup request for an additional media data stream is received, the setup request requesting a selection of one of the media forwarding elements for the second media data stream by the control node (100, 150). One of the media forwarding elements is selected for the additional media data stream taking into account the stored information, wherein, for the selection, it is checked based on the stored information whether the set up request for the additional media data stream is relating to a media data stream from the first area (300), wherein, if the second media data stream is relating to a media data stream from the first area (300), said one media forwarding element is excluded (S23, S105) from the selection of the media forwarding element for the additional media data stream.

Claims

1. A method, by a control node, for selecting one of a plurality of media forwarding elements in a network for forwarding an additional media data stream by the selected media forwarding element, the method comprising the steps of:

receiving a load message from one of the media forwarding elements, the load message containing information about a load level of said one media forwarding element and about how media data streams from a first area of the network from which said one media forwarding element receives the media data streams contribute to the load level of said one media forwarding element;

storing the received information in a storage unit of the control node;

receiving a setup request for an additional media data stream, the setup request requesting a selection of one of the media forwarding elements for the additional media data stream by the control node;

selecting one of the media forwarding elements for the additional media data stream taking into account the stored information, wherein, for the selection, it is checked based on the stored information whether the set up request for the additional media data stream is relating to a media data stream from the first area, wherein, if the additional media data stream is relating to a media data stream from the first area, said one media forwarding element is excluded from the selection of the media forwarding element for the additional media data stream.

2. The method according to claim 1, wherein the selection of said one media forwarding element is allowed for the additional media data stream when the setup request is relating to a media data stream from a second area of the network that is different from the first area.

3. The method according to claim 1, further comprising the step of transmitting a reject message to a flow control entity which controls the media data streams transmitted to said one forwarding element from the first area, the reject message instructing the flow control entity to reject further setup requests for further media data streams which would result in a further media data stream to said one media forwarding element from the first area to the area controlled by the control node.

4. The method according to claim 3, wherein a group of media forwarding elements is provided in the network and media data streams in the network from the first area are forwarded by one of the forwarding elements of the group, wherein the reject message is only transmitted to the flow control entity when the load message is received from all media forwarding elements of the group.

5. The method according to claim 3, further comprising the step of monitoring whether a response message is received in response to the transmitted reject message, wherein, when it is detected that no response message is received, said one forwarding element is selected only for a part of the further media data streams from the first area, wherein said one forwarding element is not used for the rest of the further media data streams from the first area.

6. The method according to claim 1, wherein the load message of said one media forwarding element is received continuously or periodically and the stored information is updated continuously or periodically, wherein said one media forwarding element is selected for the additional media data stream from the first area again when the load level of said one media forwarding element is below a predefined threshold.

7. The method according to claim 1 wherein the received load message contains the information how much each media data stream of the media data streams of the first area contributes to the load level, wherein the received information is stored and said one media forwarding element is selected based on the received information.

8. A method, by a media forwarding element, for forwarding an additional media data stream through a network, the method comprising the steps of:

identifying at least a first area of the network from which media data streams are received;

identifying a load level of the media forwarding element;

identifying how the media data streams from the first area contribute to the load level of the media forwarding element; and

transmitting a load message to a control node which selects the media forwarding elements for the different media data streams in the network, wherein the load message contains the information about the load level of the media forwarding element and about how the media data streams from the first area of the network contribute to the load level of the media forwarding element.

9. The method according to claim 8, wherein the at least one IP source address or other information element able to identify a source node, from which the media data streams are received, is identified and transmitted in the load message to the control node.

10. A control node configured to select one of a plurality of media forwarding elements in a network for forwarding an additional media data stream by the selected media forwarding element, the control node comprising:

a receiver configured to receive a load message from one of the media forwarding elements, the load message containing information about a load level of said one media forwarding element and about how media data streams from a first area of the network from which said one media forwarding element receives the media data streams contribute to the load level of said one media forwarding element, the receiver being further configured to receive a setup request for an additional media data stream, the set up request requesting a selection of one of the media forwarding elements for the additional media data stream by the control node;

a storage unit configured to store the received information; and

processing circuitry operative as a forwarding element selecting module configured to select the media forwarding elements for different media data streams in the network;

wherein, when the receiver receives the set up request for the additional media data stream, the forwarding element selecting module is configured to select one of the media forwarding elements for the additional media data stream taking into account the stored information, wherein for the selection the forwarding element selecting module checks based on the stored information whether the set up request for the additional media data stream is relating to a media data stream from the first area, wherein, if the additional media data stream is relating to a media data stream from the first area, the forwarding element selecting module is configured to exclude said one media forwarding element from the selection of the media forwarding element for the additional media data stream.

11. The control node according to claim 10, wherein the forwarding element selecting module is configured to allow the selection of said one media forwarding element for the additional media data stream if the setup request is relating to media data stream from a second area of the network that is different from the first area.

12. The control node according to claim 10, wherein the receiver is configured to receive the source address or other information element able to identify a source node from which said one forwarding element receives the media data streams, and wherein the storage unit is configured to store the received source address or other information element able to identify the source node.

13. The control node according to claim 10, wherein the receiver is configured to receive a reject message from a flow control entity which controls the media data streams received from one of the forwarding elements controlled by the control node, said one of the forwarding elements transmitting media data streams to an area controlled by the flow control entity, the reject message instructing the control node to reject further setup requests for further media data streams which would result in a further media data stream of said one media forwarding element to the area controlled by the flow control entity, the control node comprising a transmitter configured to transmit an acknowledgment message to the flow control entity, and wherein the receiver is configured to reject the further setup requests for further media data streams.

14. A media forwarding element configured to forward a media data stream through a network, the media forwarding element comprising:

processing circuitry operative as a source identification module configured to identify at least a first area of the network from which media data streams are received;

processing circuitry operative as a load identification module configured to identify a load level of the media forwarding element and configured to identify how the media data streams from the first area contribute to the load level of the media forwarding element; and

a transmitter configured to transmit a load message to a control node which selects the media forwarding elements for the different media data streams in the network, wherein the load message contains the information about the load level of the media forwarding element and about how the media data streams from a first area of the network contribute to the load level of the media forwarding element.

15. The media forwarding element according to claim 14, wherein the media forwarding element is configured to forward media data streams from different areas of the network, wherein the load identification module is configured to identify how much each corresponding media data stream from the different areas contribute to the load level of the forwarding element, the transmitter being configured to transmit a list in the load message to the control node, the list indicating how much each of the media data streams from the different areas contributes to the load level of the forwarding element.

16. A non-transitory computer-readable medium storing a computer program comprising program instructions that, when executed by processing circuitry in a control node associated with a network having a plurality of media forwarding elements, configures the control node for selecting one of the plurality of media forwarding elements, said computer program comprising program instructions to configure the control node to:

receive a load message from one of the media forwarding elements, the load message containing information about a load level of said one media forwarding element and about how media data streams from a first area of the network from which said one media forwarding element receives the media data streams contribute to the load level of said one media forwarding element;

store the received information in a storage unit of the control node;

receive a setup request for an additional media data stream, the setup request requesting a selection of one of the media forwarding elements for the additional media data stream by the control node; and

select one of the media forwarding elements for the additional media data stream taking into account the stored information, wherein, for the selection, it is checked whether the set up request for the additional media data stream is relating to a media data stream from the first area, wherein, if the additional media data stream is relating to a media data stream from the first area, said one media forwarding element is excluded from the selection of the media forwarding element for the additional media data stream.