System, apparatus and method for supporting constraint based routing for multi-protocol label switching traffic engineering in policy-based management

• US 20040218535A1
• Filed: 08/05/2003
• Published: 11/04/2004
• Est. Priority Date: 04/30/2003
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: RPX Corporation
• Original Assignee: Nokia Corporation
• Inventors: Liong, Yin-Ling, Barnes, Roberto, Li, Man
• Granted Patent: US 7,539,741 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 370/238
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 12/4633 Interconnection of networks using encapsulation techniques, e.g. tunneling
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 41/0893 Assignment of logical groups to network elements
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 41/0894 Policy-based network configuration management
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 45/00 Routing or path finding of packets in data switching networks routing or path finding in wireless networks H04W40/00
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 45/50 using label swapping, e.g. multi-protocol label switch [MPLS]

Abstract

A policy server is arranged to construct device-neutral policies for configuring CBR for MPLS traffic engineering across a network. The policy server translates the device-neutral policies into device-specific commands (e.g. link attribute definitions and affinity profiles). The policy server defines the link attributes, assigns the link attributes to network interfaces, establishes affinity profiles and attaches the affinity profiles to MPLS tunnels. The link attribute definitions and affinity profiles are shared across the network to construct the policies such that IP operators can configure CBR easily across a network.

Claims

1. A system for configuring constraint based routing (CBR) in multi-protocol label switching (MPLS) traffic engineering with a policy-based management approach across a network, comprising:

network interfaces that are arranged to have link attribute definitions set;

affinity profiles that relate to preferred link attributes; and

a policy server that is arranged to attach the affinity profiles to a MPLS tunnel such that the affinity profiles and the link attribute definitions are shared across the network to construct service and network policies.

2. The system of claim 1, wherein the affinity profiles are device-neutral and wherein the policy server is further arranged to translate the affinity profiles into device-specific commands.

3. The system of claim 1, wherein the policy server is further arranged to assign the link attributes to the network interfaces by determining the current configuration of a router, configuring the router, and issuing new commands based on the set of link attributes to be assigned.

4. The system of claim 1, wherein the policy server comprises a user interface that allows an operator to configure the service and network policies.

5. The system of claim 1, wherein the policy server is further arranged to configure the MPLS tunnels such that an operator can create an MPLS tunnel by specifying end-point routers and inter-connecting topology.

6. The system of claim 1, further comprising a database for storing the affinity profiles, the link attribute definitions and the link attributes of each network interface.

7. The system of claim 1, further comprising a link attribute definition object that is arranged to define the semantics of the link attributes and the affinity profiles.

8. The system of claim 7, wherein the link attribute definition object is further arranged to describe a policy target by defining a representation for each attribute bit and for each affinity bit in the affinity profile.

9. The system of claim 8, wherein the representation comprises at least one of a bit position, an attribute name and a category.

10. An apparatus for configuring CBR in MPLS traffic engineering with a policy-based management approach across a network, comprising:

a service application that is arranged to have policies configured;

a central processing facility that is arranged to translate the policies into device-neutral policy parameters; and

a policy consumer that is arranged to translate the device-neutral policies into device-specific commands, and that is further arranged to deploy the device-specific commands to policy targets, such that the policies are constructed across the network.

11. The apparatus of claim 10, further comprising a database for storing the policy parameters.

12. The apparatus of claim 10, wherein the service application comprises a MPLS object that is arranged to configure MPLS tunnels such that an MPLS tunnel can be created by specifying end-point routers and inter-connecting topology.

13. The apparatus of claim 10, wherein the service application comprises a devices object and a network policies object, the devices object assigning role names to network interfaces, the network policies object deploying the policies to the policy targets based on the assigned role names such that the network interfaces having the same role names receive the same policy.

14. The system of claim 10, wherein the service application further comprises a link attribute definition object that is arranged to define the semantics of link attributes, affinity profiles, and attribute bits such that a representation is defined for each affinity bit in an affinity profile to choose a network interface.

15. The system of claim 14, wherein the representation comprises at least one of a bit position, an attribute name and a category.

16. A method for supporting CBR for MPLS traffic engineering across a network, comprising:

defining link attributes;

assigning the link attributes to network interfaces;

establishing affinity profiles that specify preferred traffic engineering attributes; and

attaching the affinity profiles to MPLS tunnels such that service and network policies are constructed across the network.

17. The method of claim 16, further comprising storing the affinity profiles, the link attribute definitions and the link attributes of each network interface in a database.

18. The method of claim 16, further comprising translating the affinity profiles into device-specific commands

19. The method of claim 16, further comprising storing device-neutral information associated with the affinity profiles in a database.

20. The method of claim 16, wherein assigning the link attributes to network interfaces further comprises:

determining the command configuration of a router;

configuring the router; and

issuing new commands to the router based on the link attributes to be assigned.

21. An apparatus for configuring CBR in MPLS traffic engineering with a policy-based management approach across a network, comprising:

a means for defining link attributes;

a means for assigning the link attributes to network interfaces;

a means for establishing affinity profiles that specify preferred traffic engineering attributes; and

a means for attaching the affinity profiles to MPLS tunnels such that service and network policies are constructed across the network.

22. The method of claim 21, further comprising a means for translating the affinity profiles into device-specific commands.