Dynamic tunneling peering with performance optimization

• US 20040100953A1
• Filed: 10/09/2003
• Published: 05/27/2004
• Est. Priority Date: 10/11/2002
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Nokia Technologies Oy (Nokia Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Nokia Corporation
• Inventors: Li, Xing, Huang, Hui, Liu, Xin, Yan, Cheng, Chen, Maoke
• Granted Patent: US 7,408,889 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 370/389
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 12/4633 Interconnection of networks using encapsulation techniques, e.g. tunneling
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 41/083 for increasing network speed
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 41/12 Discovery or management of network topologies
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 41/122 of virtualised topologies, e.g. software-defined networks [SDN] or network function virtualisation [NFV]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 41/5009 Determining service level performance parameters or violations of service level contracts, e.g. violations of agreed response time or mean time between failures [MTBF]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 43/00 Arrangements for monitoring or testing data switching networks
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 43/0811 by checking connectivity
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 43/0817 by checking functioning
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 43/0829 Packet loss
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 43/0864 Round trip delays
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 43/16 Threshold monitoring
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 45/02 Topology update or discovery
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 45/123 Evaluation of link metrics techniques for monitoring network metrics H04L43/08
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 45/42 Centralised routing
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 45/70 Routing based on monitoring results

Abstract

A method and network system for configuring connections between a plurality of network nodes, wherein each pair of network nodes is connected via virtual direct connections. The invention includes performing quality measurements of the virtual direct connections between each pair of the network nodes, and deciding, based on the results of the quality measurements, whether a virtual direct connection is to be used for conveying data or not, wherein the results of the quality measurements are transmitted to a network configuration control element which performs the deciding step.

Claims

1. A method for configuring connections between a plurality of network nodes (TP0 to TP5), wherein each pair of network nodes is connected via virtual direct connections, the method comprising the steps of:

performing quality measurements of the virtual direct connections between each pair of the network nodes (S4); and

deciding, based on the results of the quality measurements, whether a virtual direct connection is to be used for conveying data or not (S7 to S10),

wherein the results of the quality measurements are transmitted to a network configuration control element (TA) which performs the deciding step.

2. The method according to claim 1, wherein in the deciding step, when it is decided that between two network nodes (TP0, TP3) no virtual direct connection is usable, a route between these two network nodes via at least one other network node (TP1) is determined based on the results of the quality measurements.

3. The method according to claim 1, wherein the network nodes are tunnel-end-points and the virtual direct connection between each pair of the network nodes (TP0 to TP5) are tunnels, the tunnels providing virtual connections between the nodes by encapsulating a first type network protocol within data carried by a second type network.

4. The method according to claim 1, wherein the quality measurements are performed by each network node (TP) with respect to the virtual direct connections to other network nodes (TP0 to TP5).

5. The method according to claim 1, wherein the quality measurements comprise measurement of a delay time on a virtual direct connection between two network nodes.

6. The method according to claim 5, wherein a threshold (M) for a maximum allowable delay time is set, and when a delay time on a virtual direct connection exceeds the threshold, the connection is determined as not being usable.

7. The method according to claim 1, wherein the quality measurements comprise a measurement of a data loss rate on a virtual direct connection between two network nodes.

8. The method according to claim 7, wherein a threshold for a maximum allowable data loss rate (p) is set, and when a data loss rate on a virtual direct connection exceeds the threshold, the virtual connection is determined as not being usable.

9. The method according to claim 7, wherein the quality measurements further comprise measurement of a delay time on a virtual direct connection between the two network nodes, and a result of the delay time measurement and a result of the data loss rate measurement are combined to a single quality measurement result.

10. The method according to claim 9, wherein the result of the delay time measurement and the result of the data loss rate measurement are respectively weighted on combining them.

11. The method according to claim 9, wherein on combining, the delay time measurement result and the packet data loss rate measurement result are normalized, respectively.

12. The method according to claim 9, wherein a threshold (M) for a maximum allowable delay time is set, and when a delay time on a connection exceeds the threshold, the connection is determined as not being usable.

13. The method according to claim 9, wherein the single quality measurement result is converted into an integer value.

14. The method according to claim 1, wherein the measuring and the deciding step are performed every predetermined interval.

15. The method according to claim 1, wherein the measuring and the deciding step are performed upon triggering by an operator of the networks or upon changing the network configuration.

16. The method according to claim 1, wherein the results of the deciding step are sent to the network nodes and the network nodes update routing tables correspondingly.

17. A network system comprising a plurality of network nodes (TP0 to TP5) and a network configuration control element (TA), wherein each pair of network nodes is connected via virtual direct connections,

wherein the network nodes are adapted to perform quality measurements of the virtual direct connections and to send results of the quality measurements to the network configuration control element, and the network configuration control element (TA) is adapted to decide, based on the results of the quality measurements, whether a virtual direct connection is to be used for conveying data or not.

18. The network system according to claim 17, wherein the network configuration element is adapted to determine, when it has decided that between two network nodes (TP0, TP3) no virtual direct connection is usable, a route between these two network nodes via at least one other network node (TP1 ) based on the results of the quality measurements.

19. The network system according to claim 17, wherein the virtual direct connection between each pair of the network nodes (TP0 to TP5) are tunnels, the tunnels providing virtual connections between the nodes by encapsulating a first type network protocol within data carried by a second type network.

20. The system according to claim 17, wherein the quality measurements comprise measurement of a delay time on a virtual direct connection between two network nodes.

21. The system according to claim 20, wherein a threshold (M) for a maximum allowable delay time is set, and the network configuration control element (TA) and/or each network node (TP) is adapted to determine the virtual direct connection as not being usable when a delay time on a virtual direct connection exceeds the threshold.

22. The system according to claim 17, wherein the quality measurements comprise a measurement of a data loss rate on a virtual direct connection between to network nodes.

23. The system according to claim 22, wherein a threshold for a maximum allowable data loss rate (p) is set, and the network configuration control element (TA) and/or each network node (TP) is adapted to determine the virtual direct connection as not being usable when a data loss rate on a virtual direct connection exceeds the threshold.

24. The system according to claim 22, wherein the quality measurements further comprise measurement of a delay time on a tunnel between the two network nodes, and each network node (TP) is adapted to combine a result of the delay time measurement and a result of the data loss rate measurement to a single quality measurement result.

25. The system according to claim 24, wherein each network node (TP) is adapted to weight respectively the result of the delay time measurement and the result of the data loss rate measurement on combining them.

26. The system according to claim 24, wherein each network node (TP) is adapted to normalize respectively the delay time measurement result and the packet data loss rate measurement result.

27. The system according to claim 24, wherein a threshold (M) for a maximum allowable delay time is set, and the network configuration control element (TA) and/or each network node (TP) is adapted to determine the virtual direct connection as not being usable when a delay time on a connection exceeds the threshold.

28. The system according to claim 24, wherein each network node is adapted to convert the single quality measurement result into an integer value.

29. The system according to claim 17, wherein the network configuration control element (TA) is adapted to request the quality measurement and to request the measurement and to perform the decision every predetermined interval.

30. The system according to claim 17, wherein the network configuration control element (TA) is adapted to request the quality measurement and to request the measurement and to perform the decision upon triggering by an operator of the networks or upon changing the network configuration.

31. The system according to claim 17, wherein the network configuration control element is adapted to send the results of the decision to the network nodes, and the network nodes are adapted to update routing tables correspondingly.