Resource reservation protocol based guaranteed quality of service internet protocol connections over a switched network

• US 20040022250A1
• Filed: 07/31/2002
• Published: 02/05/2004
• Est. Priority Date: 07/31/2002
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: AT&T Knowledge Ventures, L.P. (AT&T, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: AT&T Knowledge Ventures, L.P. (AT&T, Inc.)
• Inventors: Allen, Keith Joseph, Chen, Weijing
• Granted Patent: US 7,301,951 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 370/395.43
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 12/5692 Selection among different networks
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 47/16 in connection oriented networks, e.g. frame relay
• 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 47/785 among multiple network domains, e.g. multilateral agreements
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 47/805 QOS or priority aware
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 47/825 Involving tunnels, e.g. MPLS

Abstract

A method and system for establishing a guaranteed quality of service (QoS) Internet protocol (IP) connection between an first bridging device and a second bridging device through a switched transport network. The second bridging device receives a first signaling message from the first bridging device through an IP network, the first signaling message containing at least one parameter defining a predefined quality of service. In response, the second bridging device associates the first bridging device'"'"'s switched transport network address and IP address, without communicating with an address server. The second bridging device directs a second signaling message to the switched transport network of address of the first bridging device, which establishes the IP connection between the first bridging device and the second bridging device through the switched transport network. The IP connection is in accordance with the at least one quality of service parameter contained in the second signaling message.

Claims

1. A method for establishing a guaranteed quality of service Internet protocol (IP) connection between an first bridging device and a second bridging device through a switched transport network, the first bridging device and the second bridging device interfacing with the switched transport network and an IP network, the method comprising:

associating a switched transport network address of the first bridging device with an IP address of the first bridging device, without communicating with an address server, in response to a first signaling message received by the second bridging device through the IP network, the first signaling message containing at least one parameter defining a predefined quality of service; and

establishing the IP connection between the first bridging device and the second bridging device through the switched transport network, in response to a second signaling message directed to the switched transport network address of the first bridging device, the IP connection being in accordance with the at least one quality of service parameter contained in the second signaling message.

2. The method for establishing the guaranteed quality of service IP connection according to claim 1, the at least one quality of service parameter comprising a bandwidth.

3. The method for establishing the guaranteed quality of service IP connection according to claim 1, the switched transport network comprising an asynchronous transfer mode (ATM) network.

4. The method for establishing the guaranteed quality of service IP connection according to claim 3, the IP connection comprising a switched virtual circuit connection.

5. The method for establishing the guaranteed quality of service IP connection according to claim 1, the switched transport network comprising a multi-protocol label switching (MPLS) network.

6. The method for establishing the guaranteed quality of service IP connection according to claim 1, the first signaling message comprising a resource reservation protocol path message.

7. The method for establishing the guaranteed quality of service IP connection according to claim 1, the second signaling message comprising a user-to-network interface protocol message.

8. A method for providing a guaranteed quality of service Internet protocol (IP) session between an originating host and a destination host, through an originating bridging device and a destination bridging device, respectively, the originating bridging device and the destination bridging device interfacing with an IP network and a switched transport network, the method comprising:

inserting a switched transport network address of the originating bridging device into a first signaling message, which contains at least one parameter defining a requested quality of service for the IP session;

forwarding the first signaling message from the originating bridging device to the destination bridging device through at least one router in the IP network, the at least one router passing the first signaling message without modifying the address of the originating bridging device;

forwarding a second signaling message from the destination signaling device to the originating signaling device, in response to the first signaling message, through at least one switching device in the switched transport network, based on the unmodified originating bridging device address, the second signaling message containing the at least one quality of service parameter provided by the first signaling message;

establishing a connection between the originating bridging device and the destination bridging device through the switching network in response to the second signaling message, the connection guaranteeing the requested quality of service defined by the at least one quality of service parameter; and

implementing the IP session between the originating host and the destination host over the guaranteed quality of service connection.

9. The method for providing the guaranteed quality of service IP session according to claim 8, the at least one quality of service parameter comprising a bandwidth.

10. The method for providing the guaranteed quality of service IP session according to claim 8, the forwarding to the destination bridging device comprising default routing.

11. A method for providing a guaranteed quality of service Internet protocol (IP) session between an originating end-system and a destination end-system through a first interworking function (IWF) device and a second IWF device, respectively, the first IWF device and the second IWF device communicating with an IP network and an asynchronous transfer mode (ATM) network, the method comprising:

receiving a resource reservation protocol (RSVP) path message from the originating end-system at the first IWF device, the path message including at least one parameter defining the quality of service;

inserting an ATM address of the first IWF device into the path message;

forwarding the path message through the IP network by default routing to the second IWF device, without modifying the extension object;

caching the ATM address of the first IWF device in association with an IP address of the originating end-system at the second IWF device and forwarding the path message to the destination end-system;

receiving a responsive RSVP reservation request message from the destination end-system at the second IWF device directed to the originating end-system, the reservation request message including the at least one quality of service parameter;

launching a setup message through the ATM network based on the cached ATM address of the first IWF device and the IP address of the originating end-system, the setup message including the reservation request message;

receiving the setup message at the first IWF device and establishing a switched virtual circuit (SVC) connection between the first IWF device and the second IWF device according to the at least one quality of service parameter;

forwarding the reservation request message to the originating end-system; and

shifting the IP session between the originating end-system and the destination end-system to the SVC connection.

12. The method for providing the guaranteed quality of service Internet session, according to claim 11, in which the default routing comprises best effort routing among IP routers.

13. The method for providing the guaranteed quality of service Internet session, according to claim 11, in which launching the setup message comprises sending a user-to-network interface protocol setup message to an ATM edge switch in the ATM network.

14. A system for establishing a guaranteed quality of service Internet protocol (IP) connection through a switched transport network, comprising:

a first bridging device that sends a first signaling message through an IP network, the first signaling message containing at least one parameter defining a predefined quality of service; and

a second bridging device that receives the first signaling message and associates a switched transport network address of the first bridging device with an IP address of the first bridging device, without communicating with an address server, in response to the first signaling message;

wherein the second bridging device directs a second signaling message, including the at least one quality of service parameter, to the switched transport network address of the first bridging device, the first bridging device establishing the IP connection with the second bridging device through the switched transport network in accordance with the at least one quality of service parameter.

15. The system for establishing the guaranteed quality of service IP connection according to claim 14, the at least one quality of service parameter comprising a bandwidth.

16. The system for establishing the guaranteed quality of service IP connection according to claim 14, the switched transport network comprising an asynchronous transfer mode (ATM) network.

17. The system for establishing the guaranteed quality of service IP connection according to claim 16, the IP connection comprising a switched virtual circuit connection.

18. The system for establishing the guaranteed quality of service IP connection according to claim 14, the switched transport network comprising a multi-protocol label switching (MPLS) network.

19. A system for providing a guaranteed quality of service Internet protocol (IP) session between an originating host and a destination host, the system comprising:

an originating bridging device that inserts its switched transport network address into a first signaling message and transmits the first signaling message through at least one router in an IP network, the first signaling message containing at least one parameter defining a requested quality of service for the IP session; and

a destination bridging device that receives the first signaling message and transmits a second signaling message through at least one switching device in the switched transport network, in response to the first signaling message and based on the originating bridging device address, the second signaling message containing the at least one quality of service parameter provided by the first signaling message;

wherein a connection is established between the originating bridging device and the destination bridging device through the switching network in response to the second signaling message, the connection guaranteeing the requested quality of service defined by the at least one quality of service parameter; and

wherein the IP session between the originating host and the destination host is implemented over the guaranteed quality of service connection.

20. A system for providing a guaranteed quality of service Internet protocol (IP) session between an originating end-system and a destination end-system, through an asynchronous transfer mode (ATM) network, the system comprising:

a first interworking function (IWF) device that inserts its ATM address into an ATM address field of a resource reservation protocol (RSVP) path message received from the originating end-system, the path message including at least one parameter defining the quality of service and an IP address of the originating end-system;

at least one IP router, in an IP network, that forwards the path message received from the first IWF device through the IP network by default routing, without modifying the ATM address field;

a second IWF device that receives the path message, caches the ATM address field in association with the IP address of the originating end-system and forwards the path message to the destination end-system, which generates a responsive RSVP reservation request message, including the at least one quality of service parameter; and

at least one switching device, in the ATM network, that receives a setup message, directed from the second IWF device to the first IWF device'"'"'s ATM address based on the cached ATM address field and IP address of the originating end-system, the setup message including the reservation request message;

wherein the first IWF device receives the setup message and establishes a switched virtual circuit (SVC) connection with the second IWF device through the ATM network, according to the at least one quality of service parameter of the reservation request message; and

wherein the first IWF device forwards the reservation request message to the originating end-system to implement the IP session between the originating end-system and the destination end-system through the SVC connection.

21. The system for providing the guaranteed quality of service Internet session, according to claim 20, in which the default routing comprises best effort routing.

22. The system for providing the guaranteed quality of service Internet session, according to claim 20, in which the setup message comprises a user-to-network interface protocol setup message.

23. Computer data signaling, embodied on a propagation medium, that enables a guaranteed quality of service Internet protocol (IP) connection across a switched transport network between an originating host device and a destination host device, through a first bridging device and a second bridging device, the computer data signaling comprising:

a first path message signal that is received from the originating host device, the first path message signal including an address parameter for the first bridging device, an IP address of the originating host device and at least one parameter defining a predetermined quality of service;

a second path message signal that is forwarded through an IP network without modification to the address parameter, the second path message signal including a switched transport network address of the first bridging device in the address parameter, the IP address of the originating host device and the at least one quality of service parameter;

a reservation request message signal that is received from the destination host device in response to the second path message, the reservation request message signal including the IP address of the originating host device and the at least one quality of service parameter;

a first setup message signal that is forwarded through the switched transport network to the transport network address of the first bridging device, retrieved from the second path message signal, the first setup message signal including the reservation request message signal; and

a second setup message signal that is forwarded to the IP address of the originating host device, the second setup message signal including the reservation request message signal, the IP connection being established in response to the second setup message signal and in accordance with the at least one quality of service parameter.

24. The computer data signaling according to claim 23, wherein the at least one quality of service parameter comprises a bandwidth.

25. The computer data signaling according to claim 23, the first path message signal, the second path message signal and the reservation request message signal further including a reverse charging parameter, wherein accounting data for the IP connection is associated with the originating host device when the reverse charging parameter is activated.

26. The computer data signaling according to claim 25, wherein the accounting data for the IP connection is associated with the destination host device when the reverse charging parameter is not activated.

27. The computer data signaling according to claim 23, first path message signal, the second path message signal and the reservation request message signal complying with a resource reservation protocol (RSVP).

28. The computer data signal according to claim 23, the first setup message signal and the second setup message signal complying with a user-to-network interface (UNI) protocol.

29. The computer data signaling according to claim 27, the switched data transport network comprising an asynchronous transport mode (ATM) network.

30. The computer data signaling according to claim 27, the switched data transport network comprising a multi-protocol label switching (MPLS) network.