Method and apparatus for performing admission control in a communication network

• US 20040008627A1
• Filed: 09/30/2002
• Published: 01/15/2004
• Est. Priority Date: 07/12/2002
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Avaya Incorporated
• Original Assignee: Avaya Incorporated
• Inventors: Garg, Sachin, Kappes, Martin
• Granted Patent: US 7,286,474 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 370/235
• 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 47/70 Admission control; Resource allocation
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 47/745 Reaction in network
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 47/765 triggered by the end-points
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 47/801 Real time traffic
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 47/822 Collecting or measuring resource availability data
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 47/824 Applicable to portable or mobile terminals

Abstract

A method and apparatus are disclosed for assessing the available resources in a network and using the assessment for admission control. A VoIP call can be established with a device only if the network has sufficient resources to accommodate the call or it is possible to make such resources available by curtailing ongoing data connections. A network utilization characteristic (NUC) provides a measure of network capacity. The network utilization characteristic of a flow is the fraction of time the network is busy transmitting data for that flow. The sum of the network utilization characteristics of all flows yields the fraction of time the network is busy transmitting data. The difference between one and the sum of all flows indicates the time that the network is idle in the measured time interval. A new flow can be accommodated if the NUC of the new flow is smaller than this difference value.

Claims

1. A method for performing admission control in a communication network, said method comprising the step of:

determining whether to accept a new flow based on a network utilization characteristic for said new flow.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein said network utilization characteristic for said new flow is a fraction of time the communication network is busy transmitting data for that flow.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein said determining step further comprises the step of determining a total network utilization characteristic for all flows.

4. The method of claim 3, wherein said determining step further comprises the step of determining whether said total network utilization characteristic for all flows is below an upper limit.

5. The method of claim 4, wherein said upper limit provides a tolerance for backup capacity.

6. The method of claim 4, wherein said upper limit provides a tolerance for inaccurate data.

7. The method of claim 4, further comprising the step of curtailing one or more existing flows if said total network utilization characteristic for all flows is not below said defined upper limit.

8. The method of claim 1, further comprising the step of classifying said new flow as a voice call.

9. The method of claim 1, further comprising the step of classifying said new flow as a data call.

10. The method of claim 1, wherein said network utilization characteristic is based on a transmission time of a frame.

11. The method of claim 10, wherein said transmission time of a frame includes a time to transmit a data frame.

12. The method of claim 10, wherein said transmission time of a frame includes one or more inter-frame spacing intervals.

13. The method of claim 10, wherein said transmission time of a frame includes one or more acknowledgement intervals.

14. The method of claim 10, wherein said transmission time of a frame includes one or more back-off intervals.

15. A system for performing admission control in a communication network, comprising:

a memory that stores computer-readable code; and

a processor operatively coupled to said memory, said processor configured to implement said computer-readable code, said computer-readable code configured to;

determine whether to accept a new flow based on a network utilization characteristic for said new flow.

16. The system of claim 15, wherein said network utilization characteristic for said new flow is a fraction of time the communication network is busy transmitting data for that flow.

17. The system of claim 15, wherein said wherein said processor is further configured to determine a total network utilization characteristic for all flows.

18. The system of claim 17, wherein said wherein said processor is further configured to determine whether said total network utilization characteristic for all flows is below an upper limit.

19. The system of claim 18, wherein said upper limit provides a tolerance for backup capacity.

20. The system of claim 18, wherein said upper limit provides a tolerance for inaccurate data.

21. The system of claim 18, wherein said processor is further configured to curtail one or more existing flows if said total network utilization characteristic for all flows is not below said defined upper limit.

22. An article of manufacture for performing admission control in a communication network, comprising:

a computer readable medium having computer readable code means embodied thereon, said computer readable program code means comprising;

a step to determine whether to accept a new flow based on a network utilization characteristic for said new flow.