Service selection in a shared access network using policy routing

• US 20020023171A1
• Filed: 03/20/2001
• Published: 02/21/2002
• Est. Priority Date: 03/20/2000
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: AT&T Corporation (AT&T, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: AT&T Corporation (AT&T, Inc.)
• Inventors: Nguyen, Han Q., Ramakrishnan, Kadangode K., Kalmanek, Charles Robert Jr., Garrett, John W., Murphy, Lawrence E.
• Granted Patent: US 7,065,578 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 709/238
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 12/2801 Broadband local area networks
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 12/2856 Access arrangements, e.g. Internet access asynchronous transfer mode networks H04L12/5601; broadband local area networks H04L12/2801; optical access or distribution networks H04Q11/0067; access to open networks H04L12/5691; digital subscriber line end-user equipment and bit-level processing of data on a PSTN-based network H04M11/00; home network gateways H04L12/2834; wireless access networks H04W
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 12/2859 Point-to-point connection between the data network and the subscribers encapsulation H04L12/4633; virtual LANs H04L12/4641; routing of packets H04L45/00
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 12/2861 Point-to-multipoint connection from the data network to the subscribers
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 12/2872 Termination of subscriber connections
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 12/2874 Processing of data for distribution to the subscribers
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 12/2876 Handling of subscriber policies group policies management H04L41/0893
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 12/4633 Interconnection of networks using encapsulation techniques, e.g. tunneling
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 12/5692 Selection among different networks
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 45/302 Route determination based on requested QoS
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 45/306 Route determination based on the nature of the carried application
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 47/10 Flow control; Congestion control
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 47/20 Traffic policing
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 61/00 Network arrangements, protocols or services for addressing or naming
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 61/10 of different types
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 61/5014 using dynamic host configuration protocol [DHCP] or bootstrap protocol [BOOTP]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 61/5084 Providing for device mobility network addressing or numbering for mobility support in wireless networks H04W8/26; mobile IP H04W80/04
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 61/58 Caching of addresses or names
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/0236 Filtering by address, protocol, port number or service, e.g. IP-address or URL
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/0807 using tickets, e.g. Kerberos cryptographic mechanisms or cryptographic arrangements for entity authentication using tickets or tokens H04L9/3213
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/0869 : for achieving mutual authentication cryptographic mechanisms or cryptographic arrangements for mutual authentication H04L9/3273
• 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 67/01 : Protocols
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/1001 : for accessing one among a plurality of replicated servers
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/51 : Discovery or management thereof, e.g. service location protocol [SLP] or web services
• 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 69/22 : 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

Abstract

It is an object of the invention to enable multiple services or service providers to share the facilities of an access network infrastructure providing physical connectivity to subscribers. A network access device advantageously may be used in communication network services with a service or service provider that is separate from the operator of the access network infrastructure.

Claims

1. A method of operating a router in an access network infrastructure connected to a plurality of service networks, comprising the steps of:

receiving an incoming packet with a source address;

comparing the source address of the incoming packet to network addresses allocated to subscribers of services provided by a service network; and

if the source address matches a network address allocated to subscribers of services provided by the service network, forwarding the packet to a router in the service network.

2. The invention of claim 1 wherein the source address of the incoming packet is assigned to a network access device associated with the subscriber of services provided by the service network.

3. The invention of claim 1 wherein the service networks utilize the Internet Protocol and wherein the addresses are Internet Protocol addresses.

4. The invention of claim 3 wherein the plurality of service networks are operated by different Internet Service Providers.

5. The invention of claim 3 wherein the plurality of service networks offer access to different Internet Protocol-based services.

6. The invention of claim 3 wherein the access network infrastructure comprises a hybrid fiber coaxial network.

7. The invention of claim 6 wherein the source address of the incoming packet identifies a network access device attached to the hybrid fiber coaxial network with a cable modem.

8. A method of operating an access network infrastructure comprising a plurality of routers and connected to a plurality of service networks, comprising the steps of:

using destination-based routing at the routers in the access network infrastructure except at one or more managed access point routers having connections to routers in the plurality of service networks;

using policy-based routing at the managed access point routers so that packets having a source address allocated to subscribers of services provided by a service network will be forwarded to a router in the service network.

9. The invention of claim 8 wherein packets between network access devices connected to the access network infrastructure are routed in the access network infrastructure using destination-based routing without being forwarded to a service network.

10. The invention of claim 8 wherein the access network infrastructure provides access to local services.

11. The invention of claim 10 wherein packets associated with the local services are routed in the access network infrastructure using destination-based routing without being forwarded to a service network.

12. The invention of claim 8 wherein the source address of the incoming packet is assigned to a network access device associated with the subscriber of services provided by the service network.

13. The invention of claim 8 wherein the service networks utilize the Internet Protocol and wherein the addresses are Internet Protocol addresses.

14. The invention of claim 13 wherein the plurality of service networks are operated by different Internet Service Providers.

15. The invention of claim 13 wherein the plurality of service networks offer access to different Internet Protocol-based services.