Method and system for managing quality of service by feeding information into the packet network

• US 20030152028A1
• Filed: 04/02/2003
• Published: 08/14/2003
• Est. Priority Date: 06/30/2000
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Nokia Technologies Oy (Nokia Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Nokia Corporation
• Inventors: Pessi, Pekka, Suoknuuti, Marko, Raisanen, Vilho
• Granted Patent: US 7,835,283 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 370/235
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 12/40065 Bandwidth and channel allocation home automation networks H04L12/2803; flow control H04L47/10
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 12/6418 Hybrid transport
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 2012/6472 Internet
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 2012/6481 Speech, voice
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 41/5025 by proactively reacting to service quality change, e.g. by reconfiguration after service quality degradation or upgrade
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 43/026 using flow identification

Abstract

The invention relates to a method for managing Quality of Service (QoS) in a packet network (10). The method comprises feeding a predetermined information flow into the packet network. (10) for measurement purposes and measuring the characteristics of said information flow by means of a continual measurement for producing QoS information. Said Qos information is used to control communications traffic in the packet network (10) in order to manage the Quality of Service (QoS) of the packet network (10). The invention further relates to a system for managing Quality of Service (QoS) in the packet network (10).

Claims

1. A method for managing Quality of Service (QoS) in a packet network (10), the method comprising the steps of

feeding a particular information flow into the packet network (10) for purpose of measurement;

measuring the characteristics of said information flow in a continual measurement for producing QoS information, characterized in that the method further comprises;

controlling communications traffic in the packet network (10) on the basis of said QoS information in order to manage the Quality of Service (QoS) in the packet network, wherein

the packet network comprises at least two access nodes (E, F, G, H) through which communications traffic is relayed to and from said packet network (10), and that there is a plurality of communications traffic routes between said access nodes,

wherein said continual measurement is carried out on a route that goes through said access nodes, and wherein

said controlling of communication traffic is performed by controlling said plurality of communications traffic routes.

2. A method according to claim 1, characterized in that said information flow emulates the information flow produced by a real codec.

3. A method according to claim 1, characterized in that said packet network carries both real-time traffic and best-effort traffic and that the method further comprises the step of

maintaining the Quality of Service (QoS) experienced by the real-time traffic on a predetermined level.

4. A method according to claim 3, characterized in that the method further comprises the step of

guaranteeing a minimum bandwidth for best-effort traffic.

5. A method according to claim 1, characterized in that communications traffic in said packet network is controlled by controlling the amount of communications traffic entering the network on the basis of said QoS information.

6. A method according to claim 5, characterized in that both real-time traffic and best-effort traffic enters said packet network and that the amount of communications traffic entering said packet network is controlled by controlling the amount of the best-effort traffic on the basis of said QoS information.

7. A method according to claim 3, characterized in that in the method the deterioration of the QoS situation in the packet network is detected on the basis of said measurement and that

in response to the deterioration of the QoS situation, action is taken to improve the Quality of Service (QoS) experienced by the real-time traffic.

8. A method according to claim 7, characterized in that said action involves restricting the bandwidth of the best-effort traffic in order to maintain the Quality of Service (QoS) experienced by the real-time traffic at a predetermined level.

9. A method according to claim 1, characterized in that said packet network comprises a QoS manager and that

the results of said continual measurement are transmitted to the QoS manager and that

the QoS manager stores said results into the memory as QoS information and that

the QoS manager controls the amount of best-effort traffic coming to said packet network by controlling in a central manner at least one of said access nodes on the basis of the QoS information.

10. A method according to claim 1, characterized in that a connection set-up request is received in the packet network and the connection set-up request is accepted or rejected on the basis of the QoS information.

11. A method according to claim 10, characterized in that the connection set-up request is accepted on the basis of said QoS information and a route is assigned for the connection on the basis of the QoS information.

12. A method according to claim 1, characterized in that said plurality of traffic routes is controlled using the MPLS technique (Multi Protocol Label Switching).

13. A method according to claim 1, characterized in that between the predetermined first access node and the second access node there are a particular first route and a particular second route and that

said first route carries both real-time traffic and best-effort traffic and that

on the basis of said QoS information at least some of the best-effort traffic is re-routed to the second route between said first access node and said second access node in order to balance the QoS situation in the packet network and to maintain the Quality of Service (QoS) experienced by the real-time traffic at the predetermined level.

14. A method according to any one of the preceding claims, characterized in that said packet network is an IP-based (Internet Protocol) packet network.

15. A system, for managing Quality of Service (QoS) in a packet network (10), the packet network comprising means for transferring information in a packet format, the system comprising

means (A, B, C, D, MCU, 801-803, 811-813) for feeding a particular information flow into the packet network for purpose of measurement;

measuring means (A, B, C, D, MCU, 801, 804-805, 811, 814-815) for measuring the characteristics of said information flow by using a continual measurement for producing QoS information, characterized in that the system comprises;

means (QM) for controlling communications traffic in the packet network on the basis of said QoS information to manage the Quality of Service (QoS) of the packet network, wherein

the packet network comprises at least two access nodes (E, F, G, H) through which communications traffic is relayed to and from said packet network (10), and that there is a plurality of communications traffic routes between said access nodes, the system comprising;

said measuring means for carrying out continual measurement on a route that goes through said access nodes, wherein

said means (QM) for controlling communications traffic are adapted to perform said controlling of communications traffic by controlling said plurality of communications traffic routes.

16. A system according to claim 15, characterized in that the predetermined information flow the system is arranged to feed into the packet network is an information flow emulating the information flow produced by a real codec.

17. A system according to claim 15, characterized in that said system further comprises

means (808, 818) for transferring said QoS information from the measuring means to a QoS manager (QM).