Method and apparatus of adapting an association of physical resources with a summarized resource

• US 10,397,107 B2
• Filed: 09/30/2013
• Issued: 08/27/2019
• Est. Priority Date: 09/30/2013
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Telefonaktiebolaget LM Ericsson
• Original Assignee: Telefonaktiebolaget LM Ericsson
• Inventors: Iovanna, Paola, Di Michele, Francesco, Oriolo, Gianpaolo
• Primary Examiner(s): Tsegaye, Saba
• Application Number:
  US15/024,205
• Publication Number:
  US 20160234109A1
• Time in Patent Office: 2,157 Days
• Field of Search: None
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 41/12 Discovery or management of network topologies
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 41/122 of virtualised topologies, e.g. software-defined networks [SDN] or network function virtualisation [NFV]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 43/08 Monitoring or testing based on specific metrics, e.g. QoS, energy consumption or environmental parameters
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 43/0817 by checking functioning
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 43/0882 Utilisation of link capacity
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 43/16 Threshold monitoring
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 45/02 Topology update or discovery
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 45/04 Interdomain routing, e.g. hierarchical routing
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 45/245 Link aggregation, e.g. trunking
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 45/46 Cluster building
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 45/70 Routing based on monitoring results
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 47/125 by balancing the load, e.g. traffic engineering
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 47/41 by acting on aggregated flows or links

Abstract

A method of adapting an association of physical resources with a summarized resource in a hierarchical routed network. The method comprises monitoring at least one parameter of the physical resources. The method comprises adapting the association of physical resources with the summarized resource, based on the monitoring.

Claims

1. A method of adapting an association of physical resources with a plurality of summarized resources corresponding to a virtual topology of a domain in a hierarchical routed network, the method comprising:

allocating the physical resources to the plurality of summarized resources in the domain;

monitoring a status of the allocated physical resources within the domain, wherein the monitoring comprises monitoring demand for the allocated physical resources associated with each of the plurality of summarized resources within the domain in the hierarchical routed network; and

redistributing the allocation of physical resources among the plurality of summarized resources in dependence on the monitored demand, wherein the redistributing is performed without allocating previously unallocated physical resources to the plurality of summarized resources.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein monitoring the demand comprises monitoring, for each summarized resource, an amount of available physical resources among the allocated physical resources, and wherein redistributing the allocation is responsive to detecting that an amount for at least one summarized resource is at or below a predefined threshold.

3. The method of claim 2, wherein redistributing the allocation responsive to detecting that the amount is at or below the predefined threshold comprises increasing the allocation, at least to an extent that allocable physical resources are available.

4. The method of claim 2, wherein redistributing the allocation comprises rebalancing the allocations in dependence on the respective demands, such that the allocations for summarized resources having higher demands are increased and the allocations for summarized resources having lower demands are decreased, at least when an amount of unallocated physical resources is insufficient for increasing the allocations to the summarized resources having the higher demands.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein monitoring the demand comprises, over a predetermined time interval, counting instances at which an amount of available physical resources among the allocated physical resources for a particular summarized resource falls below a first predetermined threshold, and wherein redistributing the allocation for the particular summarized resource is responsive to the count exceeding a defined value.

6. The method of claim 5, wherein monitoring the demand further comprises detecting when the amount of available physical resources among the allocated physical resources for the particular summarized resource falls below a second predetermined threshold that is lower than the first predetermined threshold, and wherein redistributing the allocation for the particular summarized resource comprises increasing the allocation responsive to the detecting.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein monitoring the demand comprises determining that a demand for a particular summarized resource is underserved by the allocated physical resources, and wherein redistributing the allocation comprises increasing the allocation for the particular summarized resource at least to meet the demand, in response to the determining.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein the monitoring is independent of routing of traffic.

9. The method of claim 1, wherein the physical resources are paths within the domain.

10. The method of claim 1, wherein the domain is one among a plurality of domains comprising the hierarchical routed network, and wherein the method further includes performing said allocating, monitoring, and redistributing on a per-domain basis, and further includes providing a traffic engineering end-to-end routing across the plurality of domains.

11. An apparatus configured for adapting an association of physical resources with a plurality of summarized resources corresponding to a virtual topology of a domain in a hierarchical routed network, the apparatus comprising processing circuitry and associated interface circuitry that are collectively configured to:

allocate the physical resources to the plurality of summarized resources in the domain;

monitor a status of the allocated physical resources within the domain, wherein to monitor the status, the processing circuitry is configured to monitor demand for the allocated physical resources associated with each of the plurality of summarized resources within the domain in the hierarchical routed network; and

redistribute the allocation of physical resources among the plurality of summarized resources in dependence on the monitored demand, wherein the redistribution is performed without allocating previously unallocated physical resources to the plurality of summarized resources.

12. The apparatus of claim 11, wherein the processing circuitry is configured to monitor the demand by monitoring, for each summarized resource, an amount of available physical resources among the allocated physical resources, and to redistribute the allocation responsive to detecting that an amount for at least one summarized resource is at or below a predefined threshold.

13. The apparatus of claim 12, wherein the processing circuitry is configured to redistribute the allocation responsive to detecting that the amount is at or below the predefined threshold by increasing the allocation, at least to an extent that allocable physical resources are available.

14. The apparatus of claim 12, wherein the processing circuitry is configured to redistribute the allocation by rebalancing the allocations in dependence on the respective demands, such that the allocations for summarized resources having higher demands are increased and the allocations for summarized resources having lower demands are decreased, at least when an amount of unallocated physical resources is insufficient for increasing the allocations to the summarized resources having the higher demands.

15. The apparatus of claim 11, wherein the processing circuitry is configured to monitor the demand by, over a predetermined time interval, counting instances at which an amount of available physical resources among the allocated physical resources for a particular summarized resource falls below a first predetermined threshold, and to redistribute the allocation for the particular summarized resource responsive to the count exceeding a defined value.

16. The apparatus of claim 15, wherein the processing circuitry is configured to monitor the demand further by detecting when the amount of available physical resources among the allocated physical resources for the particular summarized resource falls below a second predetermined threshold that is lower than the first predetermined threshold, and to redistribute the allocation for the particular summarized resource by increasing the allocation responsive to the detecting.

17. The apparatus of claim 11, wherein the processing circuitry is configured to monitor the demand by determining that a demand for a particular summarized resource is underserved by the allocated physical resources, and to redistribute the allocation by increasing the allocation for the particular summarized resource at least to meet the demand, in response to the determining.

18. The apparatus of claim 11, wherein the processing circuitry is configured to monitor the demand independent of routing of traffic.

19. The apparatus of claim 11, wherein the physical resources are paths within the domain.

20. The apparatus of claim 11, wherein the domain is one among a plurality of domains comprising the hierarchical routed network, and wherein the apparatus is further configured to perform said allocate, monitor, and redistribute operations on a per-domain basis, and further configured to provide a traffic engineering end-to-end routing across the plurality of domains.