Broadband system with QOS based packet handling

• US 20020075805A1
• Filed: 09/13/2001
• Published: 06/20/2002
• Est. Priority Date: 09/22/2000
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: PhyFlex Networks, Inc. (Ciena Corporation)
• Original Assignee: PhyFlex Networks, Inc. (Ciena Corporation)
• Inventors: Gupta, Dev V., Dravida, Subrahmanyam, Rege, Kiran, Peralta, Frederick, Tandon, Manas, Narayan, Sriram, Gupta, Satya V.
• Application Number:
  US09/952,322
• Publication Number:
  US 20020075805A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 370/235
• 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 12/2876 Handling of subscriber policies group policies management H04L41/0893
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 12/4641 Virtual LANs, VLANs, e.g. virtual private networks [VPN] LAN interconnection over a bridge based backbone H04L12/462; encapsulation techniques H04L12/4633; routing of packets H04L45/00; packet switches H04L49/00; virtual private networks for security H04L63/0272
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 2012/5605 Fibre
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 2012/5606 Metallic
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 2012/561 Star, e.g. cross-connect, concentrator, subscriber group equipment, remote electronics
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 2012/5651 Priority, marking, classes
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 2012/5679 Arbitration or scheduling
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 41/08 Configuration management of networks or network elements address allocation H04L61/50
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 41/12 Discovery or management of network topologies
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 41/34 Signalling channels for network management communication
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 41/344 Out-of-band transfers
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 41/5022 by giving priorities, e.g. assigning classes of service
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 47/10 Flow control; Congestion control
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 47/15 in relation to multipoint traffic arrangements for broadcast or multicast in data networks H04L12/18
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 47/20 Traffic policing
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 47/24 Traffic characterised by specific attributes, e.g. priority or QoS
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 47/2416 Real-time traffic
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 47/2425 : for supporting services specification, e.g. SLA
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 47/2433 : Allocation of priorities to traffic types
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 47/2441 : relying on flow classification, e.g. using integrated services [IntServ]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 47/2491 : Mapping quality of service [QoS] requirements between different networks
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 47/32 : by discarding or delaying data units, e.g. packets or frames
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 47/70 : Admission control; Resource allocation
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 47/724 : at intermediate nodes, e.g. resource reservation protocol [RSVP]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 47/788 : Autonomous allocation of resources
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 47/801 : Real time traffic
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 47/805 : QOS or priority aware
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 47/822 : Collecting or measuring resource availability data
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 47/829 : Topology based
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 61/5007 : Internet protocol [IP] addresses
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 61/5014 : using dynamic host configuration protocol [DHCP] or bootstrap protocol [BOOTP]
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/6118 : involving cable transmission, e.g. using a cable modem
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/6168 : involving cable transmission, e.g. using a cable modem
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 7/10 : Adaptations for transmission by electrical cable H04N7/12 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 7/17309 : Transmission or handling of upstream communications
• CPC Class Codes: H04Q 3/0045 : involving hybrid, i.e. a mixture of public and private, or multi-vendor systems

Abstract

Hybrid fiber/coax networks employ the existing cable plant used for cable TV and transmit data signals in a frequency bandwidth above that which is used for cable TV. As this cable plant was deployed in a tree and branch topology, data transmissions may be susceptible to noise, variable transmission loss and frequency dispersion, particularly in the upstream direction. Further, due to the tree and branch topology, homes at the far end of the network experience much greater loss than do the homes that are near to the headend/ONU. The present system, which uses point-to-point data links between intelligent network elements located in the feeder/distribution network to provide reliable, secure, bi-directional broadband access. Digital signals are terminated at the intelligent network elements, switched and regenerated for transmission across additional upstream or downstream data links as needed to connect a home to a headend or router. The intelligent network elements can be co-located with or replace the standard network elements to take advantage of existing network configurations. The standard network elements can be selectively replaced by the intelligent network elements in an incremental approach. Communication through the access network includes receiving a packet from an end user device and identifying a quality of service (QoS) class associated with the packet. A QoS indicator is inserted into the packet indicating the identified QoS class. The augmented packet is sent through at least one intermediate network elements to a first network element at a service level according to the QoS indicator. The QoS indicator is removed from the augmented packet at the first network element to provide a restored packet. In this manner, the data links are made over relatively short runs of coax cable, which can provide greater bandwidth than the typical end-to-end feeder/distribution connection between a home and the headend or optical network unit.

Claims

1. In an access network having a first network element connected through plural intermediate network elements to plural second network elements each having plural end user devices connected thereto, a method of communicating through the access network comprising:

receiving a packet from an end user device of one of the plural second network elements;

identifying a quality of service (QoS) class associated with the packet;

inserting into the packet a QoS indicator indicating the identified QoS class to provide an augmented packet;

sending the augmented packet through at least one of the intermediate network elements to the first network element at a service level according to the QoS indicator;

removing the QoS indicator from the augmented packet at the first network element to provide a restored packet.

2. The method of claim 1 wherein identifying includes extracting a flow identifier from the packet and comparing the extracted flow identifier with a list associating flow identifiers with QoS indicators to determine a matching entry.

3. The method of claim 1 wherein the plural network elements are interconnected using point-to-point data links over a tree and branch network.

4. In an access network having a first network element connected through plural intermediate network elements to plural second network elements each having plural end user devices connected thereto, apparatus for communicating through the access network comprising:

means for receiving a packet from an end user device of one of the plural second network elements;

means for identifying a quality of service (QoS) class associated with the packet;

means for inserting into the packet a QoS indicator indicating the identified QoS class to provide an augmented packet;

means for sending the augmented packet through at least one of the intermediate network elements to the first network element at a service level according to the QoS indicator;

means for removing the QoS indicator from the augmented packet at the first network element to provide a restored packet.

5. The apparatus of claim 4 wherein means for identifying includes means for extracting a flow identifier from the packet and comparing the extracted flow identifier with a list associating flow identifiers with QoS indicators to determine a matching entry.

6. The apparatus of claim 4 wherein the plural network elements are interconnected using point-to-point data links over a tree and branch network.

7. A computer program product including computer program code for communicating comprising:

computer program code for receiving a packet from an end user device of one of plural second network elements;

computer program code for identifying a quality of service (QoS) class associated with the packet;

computer program code for inserting into the packet a QoS indicator indicating the identified QoS class to provide an augmented packet;

computer program code for sending the augmented packet through at least one of the intermediate network elements to the first network element at a service level according to the QoS indicator;

computer program code for removing the QoS indicator from the augmented packet at the first network element to provide a restored packet.