Performance-based optimization of QoS factors

• US 10,506,558 B2
• Filed: 02/03/2015
• Issued: 12/10/2019
• Est. Priority Date: 08/30/2012
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: T-Mobile USA, Inc. (Deutsche Telekom AG)
• Original Assignee: T-Mobile USA, Inc. (Deutsche Telekom AG)
• Inventors: Zhang, Ting, Pandey, Sudhanshu, Tapia, Pablo
• Primary Examiner(s): Taylor, Nicholas R
• Assistant Examiner(s): Li, Michael
• Application Number:
  US14/612,962
• Publication Number:
  US 20150146675A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,771 Days
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 41/0816 the condition being an adaptation, e.g. in response to network events
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 41/082 the condition being updates or upgrades of network functionality
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 41/0886 Fully automatic configuration
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 41/16 using machine learning or artificial intelligence
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 41/20 Network management software packages
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 41/22 comprising specially adapted graphical user interfaces [GUI]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 41/5009 Determining service level performance parameters or violations of service level contracts, e.g. violations of agreed response time or mean time between failures [MTBF]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 41/5032 Generating service level reports
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 43/0829 Packet loss
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 43/0858 One way delays
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 43/087 Jitter
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 43/0888 Throughput
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 72/20 Control channels or signalling for resource management
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 72/543 based on requested quality, e.g. QoS
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 84/18 Self-organising networks, e.g. ad-hoc networks or sensor networks

Abstract

Described herein are one or more self-organizing network (SON) components configured to determine QoS factors associated with QoS classes for a node of a telecommunication network based at least in part on performance metrics, network configuration, or network fault information. The one or more SON components may receive the performance metrics, network configuration, or network fault information from the node, and the performance metrics, network configuration, or network fault information may be associated with communication of traffic of the QoS classes by the node. Upon determining the QoS factors, the one or more SON components may transmit indications of the QoS factors to the node.

Claims

1. A computer-implemented method comprising:

receiving, from a node of a telecommunication network by one or more self-organizing network (SON) components of a SON device, quality-of-service (QoS) information for a plurality of QoS classes of traffic handled by the node that are associated with different applications, different data types, or different service classes, the QoS information for a particular QoS class indicating a QoS the node is providing for traffic of the particular QoS class, wherein the QoS information for the particular QoS class indicates performance metrics associated with the traffic of the particular QoS class, a network configuration associated with the traffic of the particular QoS class, or network fault information associated with the traffic of the particular QoS class;

determining, by the one or more SON components, updated QoS factors associated with the plurality of QoS classes for the node based at least in part on the QoS information, the updated QoS factors being weights, delay budgets, maximum bit rates, or minimum bitrates associated with individual ones of the plurality of QoS classes; and

transmitting, by the one or more SON components to the node, indications of the updated QoS factors,

wherein the indications of the updated QoS factors instruct the node to adjust, based on the updated QoS factors, how the node prioritizes allocations of network resources for traffic of different ones of the plurality of QoS classes, and

wherein the node is an access network node, a backhaul node, or a core network node.

2. The computer-implemented method of claim 1, wherein the determining comprises determining different updated QoS factors for different times of day or different network conditions.

3. The computer-implemented method of claim 1, wherein the determining includes determining the updated QoS factors based further on a type of the node.

4. The computer-implemented method of claim 3, wherein the determining the updated QoS factors based on the type of the node comprises determining different updated QoS factors for different types of nodes.

5. The computer-implemented method of claim 1, wherein the QoS information includes at least one of throughput, delay, scheduling delay, queuing delay, jitter, packet loss, number of users, or latency.

6. The computer-implemented method of claim 1, further comprising changing the particular QoS class associated with a particular type of traffic.

7. The computer-implemented method of claim 1, further comprising repeatedly performing the receiving, the determining, and the transmitting to incrementally change how the node prioritizes allocations of network resources for traffic of different ones of the plurality of QoS classes based on incrementally different updated QoS factors.

18. The computer-implemented method of claim 1, wherein different ones of the plurality of QoS classes of traffic handled by the node are associated with different traffic queues at the node.

8. A non-transitory computer-readable medium having a plurality of programming instructions stored thereon which, when executed by a node of a telecommunication network, cause the node to perform operations comprising:

prioritizing allocation of network resources between a plurality of quality-of-service (QoS) classes of traffic handled by the node that are associated with different applications, different data types, or different service classes, based on QoS factors associated with individual ones of the plurality of QoS classes;

determining QoS information for the plurality of QoS classes, the QoS information for a particular QoS class indicating a QoS the node is providing for traffic of the particular QoS class, wherein the QoS information for the particular QoS class indicates performance metrics associated with the traffic of the particular QoS class, a network configuration associated with the traffic of the particular QoS class, or network fault information associated with the traffic of the particular QoS class;

reporting the QoS information to one or more self-organizing network (SON) components of a SON device connected to the telecommunication network;

receiving, from the SON components, indications of updated QoS factors associated with the plurality of QoS classes from the one or more SON components, the updated QoS factors being weights, delay budgets, maximum bit rates, or minimum bitrates associated with individual ones of the plurality of QoS classes; and

dynamically updating the QoS factors associated with the plurality of QoS classes to match the updated QoS factors based on the received indications, wherein updating the QoS factors to match the updated QoS factors adjusts how the node prioritizes allocations of the network resources for traffic of different ones of the plurality of QoS classes,

wherein the node is an access network node, a backhaul node, or a core network node.

9. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 8, wherein the operations further comprise repeatedly performing the determining, the reporting, the receiving, and the dynamically updating to incrementally change how the node prioritizes the allocations of the network resources for traffic of different ones of the plurality of QoS classes based on incrementally different updated QoS factors.

10. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 8, wherein the QoS information includes at least one of throughput, delay, scheduling delay, queuing delay, jitter, packet loss, number of users, or latency.

11. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 8, wherein the operations further comprise changing the particular QoS class associated with a particular type of traffic.

19. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 8, wherein different ones of the plurality of QoS classes of traffic handled by the node are associated with different traffic queues at the node.

12. A system comprising:

one or more processors;

a consolidation engine configured to be operated by the one or more processors to receive, from a node of a telecommunication network, quality-of-service (QoS) information for a plurality of QoS classes of traffic handled by the node that are associated with different applications, different data types, or different service classes, the QoS information for a particular QoS class indicating a QoS the node is providing for traffic of the particular QoS class, wherein the QoS information for the particular QoS class indicates performance metrics associated with the traffic of the particular QoS class, a network configuration associated with the traffic of the particular QoS class, or network fault information associated with the traffic of the particular QoS class;

a self-organizing network (SON) tool configured to be operated by the one or more processors to determine updated QoS factors associated with the plurality of QoS classes for the node based at least in part on the QoS information, the updated QoS factors being weights, delay budgets, maximum bit rates, or minimum bitrates associated with individual ones of the plurality of QoS classes; and

a parameter configurator configured to be operated by the one or more processors to transmit indications of the updated QoS factors to the node of the telecommunication network,

wherein the indications of the updated QoS factors instruct the node to adjust, based on the updated QoS factors, how the node prioritizes allocations of network resources for traffic of different ones of the plurality of QoS classes, and

wherein the node of the telecommunication network is an access network node, a backhaul node, or a core network node.

13. The system of claim 12, further comprising a SON portal to enable configuration of the SON tool.

14. The system of claim 12, wherein the SON tool comprises multiple SON tools for corresponding multiple types of nodes.

15. The system of claim 12, wherein the SON tool determines different updated QoS factors for different times of day or different network conditions.

16. The system of claim 12, wherein the SON tool determines the updated QoS factors based further on a type of the node.

17. The system of claim 12, wherein the QoS information includes at least one of throughput, delay, scheduling delay, queuing delay, jitter, packet loss, number of users, or latency.

20. The system of claim 12, wherein different ones of the plurality of QoS classes of traffic handled by the node are associated with different traffic queues at the node.