Class-based bandwidth allocation and admission control for virtual private networks with differentiated service

• US 20040165528A1
• Filed: 02/26/2003
• Published: 08/26/2004
• Est. Priority Date: 02/26/2003
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: WSOU Investments, LLC (WSOU Holdings, LLC)
• Original Assignee: Lucent Technologies, Inc. (Nokia Corporation)
• Inventors: Paul, Sanjoy, Li, Xue
• Granted Patent: US 7,577,161 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 370/230
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 12/4641 Virtual LANs, VLANs, e.g. virtual private networks [VPN] LAN interconnection over a bridge based backbone H04L12/462; encapsulation techniques H04L12/4633; routing of packets H04L45/00; packet switches H04L49/00; virtual private networks for security H04L63/0272
• 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 47/724 at intermediate nodes, e.g. resource reservation protocol [RSVP]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 47/745 Reaction in network
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 47/805 QOS or priority aware
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 47/821 Prioritising resource allocation or reservation requests
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 47/822 Collecting or measuring resource availability data
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 47/825 Involving tunnels, e.g. MPLS

Abstract

A method and for establishing a virtual private network (VPN) session for a priority request. The method and apparatus includes identifying a priority request from a plurality of VPN session request classes. Reserved bandwidth is allocated to the priority request if a nominally allocated bandwidth is insufficient to satisfy the priority request. Once the allocated bandwidth is assigned, admission control is applied to the priority request.

Claims

1. A method for establishing a virtual private network (VPN) session for a priority request, comprising:

identifying a priority request from a plurality of VPN session request classes;

allocating reserved bandwidth to said priority request if a nominally allocated bandwidth is insufficient to satisfy said priority request; and

applying admission control to said priority request.

2. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

accepting said request for bandwidth in an instance where there is allocated bandwidth to satisfy said request.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein said reserved bandwidth is drawn from a pool of bandwidth formed by statistically reserving a fixed portion of bandwidth for each priority class.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein said VPN session request classes comprise at least two of best effort requests, assured forwarding requests, and expedited forwarding requests.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein bandwidth sufficiency to fulfill said priority request comprises:

determining available bandwidth (B_avail) from total link bandwidth (B_total) less previous allocated bandwidth (B_i) for each class, and less reserved bandwidth (B_res,i) for each priority class.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein said applying admission control comprises:

applying parameter-based admission control.

7. The method of claim 6, wherein said parameter-based admission control comprises admitting a new bandwidth request for a particular class in an instance where total bandwidth previously requested plus said new bandwidth request does not exceed allocated bandwidth for said particular class.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein said applying admission control comprises:

applying measurement-based admission control.

9. The method of claim 8, wherein said measurement-based admission control comprises:

admitting a new bandwidth request for a particular class in an instance where said new requested bandwidth plus a measured total load of existing VPN sessions does not exceed a load bound of allocated bandwidth for said particular class.

10. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

reallocating bandwidth from said request for bandwidth after said VPN session is terminated.

11. The method of claim 10, further comprising:

reallocating said requested bandwidth to available bandwidth.

12. The method of claim 10, further comprising:

reallocating said requested bandwidth to reserved bandwidth.

13. The method of claim 10, further comprising:

reallocating said requested bandwidth to an over-subscribed class.

14. The method of claim 13, wherein said reallocated bandwidth is assigned to an oversubscribed class.

15. The method of claim 14, wherein said reallocated bandwidth is assigned to an oversubscribed class having a high priority.

16. The method of claim 12, wherein said reallocated bandwidth is assigned to reserved bandwidth of a particular class.

17. The method of claim 16, wherein said reallocated bandwidth assigned to said reserved bandwidth of said particular class is reallocated to a predefined threshold of said reserved bandwidth of said particular class.

18. The method of claim 17, wherein said reallocated bandwidth exceeding said predefined threshold is assigned to available bandwidth.

19. Apparatus for establishing a virtual private network (VPN) session for a priority request, comprising:

means for identifying a priority request from a plurality of VPN session request classes;

means for assigning reserved bandwidth to said priority request if a nominally allocated bandwidth is insufficient to satisfy said priority request; and

means for applying admission control to said priority request.

20. The apparatus of claim 19, further comprising:

means for accepting said request for bandwidth in an instance where there is allocated bandwidth to satisfy said request.

21. The apparatus of claim 19, wherein said applying admission control comprises:

means for applying measurement-based admission control.

22. The apparatus of claim 19, further comprising:

means for reallocating bandwidth from said request for bandwidth after said VPN session is terminated.