Method and system for improving network performance by utilizing path selection, path activation, and profiles

• US 20020010792A1
• Filed: 07/12/2001
• Published: 01/24/2002
• Est. Priority Date: 07/21/2000
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Hughes Network Systems LLC (Echostar Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Hughes Network Systems LLC (Echostar Corporation)
• Inventors: Border, John, Butehorn, Matthew
• Granted Patent: US 6,993,584 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 709/238
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 7/18582 Arrangements for data linking, i.e. for data framing, for error recovery, for multiple access
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 7/18584 Arrangements for data networking, i.e. for data packet routing, for congestion control data switching networks H04L12/00
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 12/2854 Wide area networks, e.g. public data networks
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 12/4604 LAN interconnection over a backbone network, e.g. Internet, Frame Relay
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 12/66 Arrangements for connecting between networks having differing types of switching systems, e.g. gateways
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 41/046 comprising network management agents or mobile agents therefor
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 41/06 Management of faults, events, alarms or notifications
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 41/083 for increasing network speed
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 41/0873 Checking configuration conflicts between network elements
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 41/0896 Bandwidth or capacity management, i.e. automatically increasing or decreasing capacities flow or congestion control using dynamic resource allocation, e.g. in-call renegotiation, H04L47/76
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 41/5022 by giving priorities, e.g. assigning classes of service
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 43/00 Arrangements for monitoring or testing data switching networks
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 43/0811 by checking connectivity
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 45/00 Routing or path finding of packets in data switching networks routing or path finding in wireless networks H04W40/00
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 45/22 Alternate routing
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 45/24 Multipath
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 45/28 using route fault recovery
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 45/30 Routing of multiclass traffic
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 45/306 Route determination based on the nature of the carried application
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 45/308 Route determination based on user's profile, e.g. premium users
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 47/10 : Flow control; Congestion control
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 47/193 : at the transport layer, e.g. TCP related
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 47/2408 : for supporting different services, e.g. a differentiated services [DiffServ] type of service
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 47/2433 : Allocation of priorities to traffic types
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 47/2491 : Mapping quality of service [QoS] requirements between different networks
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 47/40 : using split connections
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 47/50 : Queue scheduling
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 49/90 : Buffering arrangements
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 49/901 : using storage descriptor, e.g. read or write pointers
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 49/9042 : Separate storage for different parts of the packet, e.g. header and payload
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 49/9094 : Arrangements for simultaneous transmit and receive, e.g. simultaneous reading/writing from/to the storage element
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/0281 : Proxies
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/0428 : wherein the data content is protected, e.g. by encrypting or encapsulating the payload
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/1466 : Active attacks involving interception, injection, modification, spoofing of data unit addresses, e.g. hijacking, packet injection or TCP sequence number attacks
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/2871 : Implementation details of single intermediate entities
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/563 : Data redirection of data network streams
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/566 : Grouping or aggregating service requests, e.g. for unified processing
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/59 : Providing operational support to end devices by off-loading in the network or by emulation, e.g. when they are unavailable
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/61 : taking into account QoS or priority requirements
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/63 : Routing a service request depending on the request content or context
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 69/14 : Multichannel or multilink protocols
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 69/16 : Implementation or adaptation of Internet protocol [IP], of transmission control protocol [TCP] or of user datagram protocol [UDP]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 69/161 : Implementation details of TCP/IP or UDP/IP stack architecture; Specification of modified or new header fields
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 69/163 : In-band adaptation of TCP data exchange; In-band control procedures
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 69/165 : Combined use of TCP and UDP protocols; selection criteria therefor
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 69/18 : Multiprotocol handlers, e.g. single devices capable of handling multiple protocols
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 69/22 : Parsing or analysis of headers
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 69/329 : in the application layer [OSI layer 7]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 9/40 : Network security protocols
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 28/10 : Flow control between communication endpoints
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 28/18 : Negotiating wireless communication parameters
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 40/02 : Communication route or path selection, e.g. power-based or shortest path routing
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 8/04 : Registration at HLR or HSS [Home Subscriber Server]
• CPC Class Codes: Y02D 30/70 : in wireless communication networks

Abstract

A communication system having a proxy architecture is disclosed. The system includes a platform that provides performance enhancing functions. The platform includes a path selection/activation apparatus that routes information within a communication system. The path selection/activation apparatus receives path selection and path activation parameters from the platform and maintains the current parameters in one or more path selection/activation profiles. The path selection/activation apparatus routes packets of information throughout the communication system based on the path selection and/or path activation profile. The above arrangement has particular applicability to a bandwidth constrained communication system, such as a satellite network.

Claims

1. A method for routing information in a communication system that includes a platform and a path selection/activation apparatus configured to perform a plurality of performance enhancing functions, the method comprising:

receiving the information from the platform and receiving at least one of path selection parameters and path activation parameters, wherein the path selection/activation apparatus maintains a profile that contains the at least one of the path selection and path activation parameters; and

routing the information in accordance with the profile.

2. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

determining a path that the information takes to reach its destination based on the profile.

3. The method of claim 2, further comprising:

determining the path by applying path selection rules.

4. The method of claim 3, wherein the path selection rules permit failure to N alternate paths, where N is an integer greater than one.

5. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

determining whether the information should be forwarded using an alternate path and

determining which portions of the information should be dropped when one or more paths fail.

6. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

receiving the at least one of path selection parameters and path activation parameters as a data structure from the platform.

7. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

receiving at least one of path selection parameters and path activation parameters from the platform at start-up or when the platform receives updated path selection or path activation parameters.

8. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

applying rules to ensure all packets of information related to the common traffic flow take a common path.

9. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

applying rules which allow packets of information from the same traffic flow to travel via different paths.

10. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

applying multiple path selection or path activation rules using boolean operators.

11. A communication system comprising:

a platform configured to provide performance enhancing functions, the platform supplying information and at least one of path selection and path activation parameters;

a path selection/activation apparatus communicating with the platform, the path selection/activation apparatus being configured to receive the information and the at least one of path selection and path activation parameters from the platform, wherein the path selection/activation apparatus has a profile that specifies at least one of path selection and path activation parameters, wherein the communication system is configured to rout the information in accordance with the profile.

12. The communication system of claim 11, wherein the path selection/activation apparatus determines a path that the information takes to reach its destination.

13. The communication system of claim 12, wherein the path selection/activation apparatus determines the path by applying path selection rules.

14. The communication system of claim 13, wherein the path selection rules permit failure to N alternate paths, where N is an integer greater than one.

15. The communication system of claim 11, wherein the path selection/activation apparatus determines whether the information should be forwarded using an alternate path and which portions of the information should be dropped when one or more paths fail.

16. The communication system of claim 11, wherein the path selection/activation apparatus receives the at least one of path selection parameters and path activation parameters as a data structure from the platform.

17. The communication system of claim 11, wherein the path selection/activation apparatus receives at least one of path selection parameters and path activation parameters from the platform at start-up or when the platform receives updated path selection or path activation parameters.

18. The communication system of claim 11, wherein the path selection/activation apparatus implements rules to ensure all packets of information related to the common traffic flow take a common path.

19. The communication system of claim 11, wherein the path selection/activation apparatus applies rules which allow packets of information from the same traffic flow to travel via different paths.

20. The communication system of claim 11, wherein the path selection/activation apparatus can apply multiple path selection or path activation rules, combined using boolean operators.

21. A path selection/activation apparatus for routing information in a communication system that includes a platform configured to perform a plurality of performance enhancing functions, the apparatus comprising:

means for receiving the information and at least one of path selection and path activation parameters,

means for maintaining a profile containing the at least one of path selection and path activation parameters; and

means for routing the information in accordance with the profile.

22. The path selection/activation apparatus of claim 21, wherein the path selection/activation apparatus determines a path that the information takes to reach its destination.

23. The path selection/activation apparatus of claim 22, wherein the path selection/activation apparatus determines the path by applying path selection rules.

24. The path selection/activation apparatus of claim 23, wherein the path selection rules permit failure to N alternate paths, wherein N is an integer greater than one.

25. The path selection/activation apparatus of claim 21, wherein the path selection/activation apparatus determines whether the information should be forwarded using an alternate path and which portions of the information should be dropped when one or more paths fail.

26. The path selection/activation apparatus of claim 21, wherein the path selection/activation apparatus receives the at least one of path selection parameters and path activation parameters as a data structure from the platform.

27. The path selection/activation apparatus of claim 21, wherein the path selection/activation apparatus receives at least one of path selection parameters and path activation parameters from the platform at start-up or when the platform receives updated path selection or path activation parameters.

28. The path selection/activation apparatus of claim 21, wherein the path selection/activation apparatus implements rules to ensure all packets of information related to the common traffic flow take a common path.

29. The path selection/activation apparatus of claim 21, wherein the path selection/activation apparatus applies rules which allow packets of information from the same traffic flow to travel via different paths.

30. The path selection/activation apparatus of claim 21, wherein the path selection/activation apparatus can apply multiple path selection or path activation rules, combined using boolean operators.

31. A computer-readable medium carrying one or more sequences of one or more instructions for routing information in a communication system that includes a platform and a path selection/activation apparatus configured to perform a plurality of performance enhancing functions, the one or more sequences of one or more instructions including instructions which, when executed by one or more processors, cause the one or more processors to perform the steps of:

receiving the information from the platform and receiving at least one of path selection parameters and path activation parameters, wherein the path selection/activation apparatus maintains a profile that contains the at least one of the path selection and path activation parameters; and

routing the information in accordance with the profile.

32. The computer-readable medium of claim 31, further comprising:

determining a path that the information takes to reach its destination based on the profile.

33. The computer-readable medium of claim 32, further comprising:

determining the path by applying path selection rules.

34. The computer-readable medium of claim 33, wherein the path selection rules permit failure to N alternate paths, where N is an integer greater than one.

35. The computer-readable medium of claim 31, further comprising:

determining whether the information should be forwarded using an alternate path and

determining which portions of the information should be dropped when one or more paths fail.

36. The computer-readable medium of claim 31, further comprising:

receiving the at least one of path selection parameters and path activation parameters as a data structure from the platform.

37. The computer-readable medium of claim 31, further comprising:

receiving at least one of path selection parameters and path activation parameters from the platform at start-up or when the platform receives updated path selection or path activation parameters.

38. The computer-readable medium of claim 31, further comprising:

applying rules to ensure all packets of information related to the common traffic flow take a common path.

39. The computer-readable medium of claim 31, further comprising:

applying rules which allow packets of information from the same traffic flow to travel via different paths.

40. The computer-readable medium of claim 31, further comprising:

applying multiple path selection or path activation rules using boolean operators.