System and method for managing a network to sustain the quality of voice over internet protocol communications

• US 20020110112A1
• Filed: 12/14/2000
• Published: 08/15/2002
• Est. Priority Date: 12/14/2000
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Nokia Technologies Oy (Nokia Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Nokia Networks (Nokia Corporation)
• Inventors: Tuomi, Jukka
• Granted Patent: US 6,965,562 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 370/352
• 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 65/1101 Session protocols
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 65/80 Responding to QoS
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 3/2227 Quality of service monitoring
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 7/006 Networks other than PSTN/ISDN providing telephone service, e.g. Voice over Internet Protocol (VoIP) , including next generation networks with a packet-switched transport layer H04L65/00 takes precedence; aspects not specific to the type of network H04M3/00; special services in those networks H04M3/42
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 7/0096 Trunk circuits

Abstract

A method and computer program to manage the load on a packet switched network so that the quality of VoIP transmission does not degrade with the addition of a new VoIP calls. This method and computer program determines the carrying capacity of the communications lines based on the bandwidth and TRAU frames per packet. Further, this method and computer program may determine the state of the network based on round trips times to nodes or computer gateways on the network. In either case calls are admitted only when doing do would not cause the quality of all VoIP calls to degrade.

Claims

1. A method of VoIP load management to assure voice quality in a packet switched network, comprising:

determining a number of VoIP calls currently active in the packet switched network;

determining the maximum number of VoIP calls the packet switched network can facilitate without the loss of voice quality;

allowing the admission of a new VoIP call when the addition of the new VoIP would not exceed the maximum number of VoIP calls; and

blocking the admission of a new VoIP call when the addition of the new VoIP would exceed the maximum number of VoIP calls.

2. The method recited in claim 1, wherein determining the maximum number of VoIP calls the packet can facilitate without the loss of voice quality, further comprises:

determining the bandwidth for a plurality of communications links between a plurality of gateway pools;

determining the number of TRAU frames per packet used to transmit data in the packet switched network; and

generating a capacity table indicating the maximum number of VoIP calls permitted for the plurality of communications links based on the bandwidth of each communications link and the TRAU frames per packet.

3. The method recited in claim 2, further comprising:

accessing the capacity table whenever a new VoIP call requests entry to the packet switched network.

4. The method recited in claim 2, wherein packet switched network further comprises:

a plurality of gateway pools, wherein each gateway pool would have a plurality of communication devices connected to a gateway computer.

5. The method recited in claim 4, wherein the plurality of gateway pools further comprises:

at least one of the plurality of gateway pools having a gateway keeper.

6. The method recited in claim 5, wherein the gateway keeper resolves IP addresses and manages access of VoIP calls to the packet switched network.

7. A computer program embodied on a computer readable medium and executable by a computer for VoIP load management to assure voice quality in a packet switched network, comprising:

determining a number of VoIP calls currently active in the packet switched network;

determining the maximum number of VoIP calls the packet can facilitate without the loss of voice quality;

allowing the admission of a new VoIP call when the addition of the new VoIP would not exceed the maximum number of VoIP calls; and

blocking the admission of a new VoIP call when the addition of the new VoIP would exceed the maximum number of VoIP calls.

8. The computer program recited in claim 7, wherein determining the maximum number of VoIP calls the packet can facilitate without the loss of voice quality, further comprises:

determining the bandwidth for a plurality of communications links between a plurality of gateway pools;

determining the number of TRAU frames per packet used to transmit data in the packet switched network; and

generating a capacity table indicating the maximum number of VoIP calls permitted for the plurality of communications links based on the bandwidth of each communications link and the TRAU frames per packet.

9. The computer program recited in claim 8, further comprising:

accessing the capacity table whenever a new VoIP call requests entry to the packet switched network.

10. The computer program recited in claim 8, wherein packet switched network further comprises:

a plurality of gateway pools, wherein each gateway pool would have a plurality of communication devices connected to a gateway computer.

11. The computer program recited in claim 10, wherein the plurality of gateway pools further comprises:

at least one of the plurality of gateway pools having a gateway keeper.

12. The computer program recited in claim 11, wherein the gateway keeper resolves IP addresses and manages access of VoIP calls to the packet switched network.

14. The method recited in claim 13, wherein the round trip time is an average of two round trips to and from the originating gateway and the destination gateway.

15. The method recited in claim 13, wherein the round trip time is a second round trip time of two round trips to and from the originating gateway and the destination gateway.

16. The method recited in claim 15, further comprising:

blocking the new VoIP call when the round trip time exceeds the predetermined value.

18. The computer program recited in claim 17, wherein the round trip time is an average of two round trips to and from the originating gateway and the destination gateway.

19. The computer program recited in claim 17, wherein the round trip time is a second round trip time of two round trips to and from the originating gateway and the destination gateway.

20. The computer program recited in claim 19, further comprising:

blocking the new VoIP call when the round trip time exceeds the predetermined value.

13. A method of VoIP load management to assure voice quality in a packet switched network, comprising:

transmitting a ping request to an originating gateway by a gatekeeper;

transmitting a ping IP address to a destination gateway by the originating gateway;

echoing a reply to the originating gateway by the destination gateway;

determining a round trip time for the transmitting and echoing of the reply; and

allowing access of a new VoIP call to the packet switched network when the round trip time is less than a predetermined value.

17. A computer program embodied on a computer readable medium and executable by a computer program for VoIP load management to assure voice quality in a packet switched network, comprising:

transmitting a ping request to an originating gateway by a gatekeeper;

transmitting a ping IP address to a destination gateway by the originating gateway;

echoing a reply to the originating gateway by the destination gateway;

determining a round trip time for the transmitting and echoing of the reply; and

allowing access of a new VoIP call to the packet switched network when the round trip time is less than a predetermined value.