Multicast flow accounting

• US 20050129017A1
• Filed: 12/11/2003
• Published: 06/16/2005
• Est. Priority Date: 12/11/2003
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Alcatel SA (Nokia Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Alcatel SA (Nokia Corporation)
• Inventors: Cuervo, Fernando, Jansen, Arnold, Cornet, Jerome, Guingo, Pierrick
• Application Number:
  US10/732,529
• Publication Number:
  US 20050129017A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 370/390
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 12/14 Charging , metering or billing arrangements for data wireline or wireless communications
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 12/185 with management of multicast group membership
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 41/00 Arrangements for maintenance, administration or management of data switching networks, e.g. of packet switching networks
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 41/0681 Configuration of triggering conditions
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 41/12 Discovery or management of network topologies
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 43/00 Arrangements for monitoring or testing data switching networks
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 43/0882 Utilisation of link capacity
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 45/02 Topology update or discovery
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 45/16 Multipoint routing
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 45/48 Routing tree calculation
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 45/70 Routing based on monitoring results

Abstract

A methods of implementing event based distributed multicast flow accounting are presented. Multicast-enabled routers request, and aggregate traffic flow measurement information from downstream multicast-enabled routers participating in dependent multicast sub-trees. Records are kept by the multicast-enabled router regarding changes to the underlying multicast tree topology. The aggregate traffic flow measurements and topology information are reported to multicast-enabled routers upstream. Advantages are derived from the ability to accurately compute multicast content transport costs within a communications service provider'"'"'s network.

Claims

1. A method of deriving resource utilization information regarding a multicast flow at a multicast-enabled router participating in a multicast tree, the method comprising steps of:

a. detecting a triggering event;

b. aggregating topology information regarding downstream dependent sub-tree portions of the multicast tree;

c. aggregating traffic flow measurements regarding content conveyed in the dependent sub-tree portions of the multicast tree downstream of the router; and

d. reporting the aggregated topology and traffic flow measurement information upstream along the multicast tree.

2. The method claimed in claim 1, further comprising a step of:

correlating the topology information to the traffic flow measurement information.

3. The method claimed in claim 1, wherein detecting the triggering event comprises one of:

receiving a join request, receiving a leave announcement, receiving an announcement of an availability of a periodic traffic measurement, receiving a resource utilization update request, receiving a periodic resource utilization update request, receiving an announcement regarding a multicast tree topology change, receiving an announcement regarding a counter rollover, and detecting a change content characteristics.

4. The method claimed in claim 1, wherein respect of each triggering event, the method further comprises a step of:

forwarding a resource utilization update request via interfaces associated with dependent sub-tree portions.

5. The method claimed in claim 4, further comprising a step of:

receiving a resource utilization report via an interface associated with a dependent sub-tree portion.

6. The method claimed in claim 5, wherein a resource utilization report in not received in respect of a resource utilization update request in respect of an interface associated with a dependent multicast tree portion, the method further comprises a step of:

a. asserting the multicast-enabled router as an egress router in respect of the interface; and

b. obtaining a traffic flow measurement in respect of content conveyed via the interface.

7. The method as claimed in claim 6, wherein obtaining a traffic flow measurement, the method further comprises a step of:

associating a time stamp with the traffic flow measurement.

8. The method claimed in claim 1, further comprising a step of:

storing topology information and traffic flow measurement information in storage associated with the multicast-enabled router.

9. The method claimed in claim 8, wherein storing topology information and traffic flow measurement information, the method further comprises a step of:

associating a time stamp with the stored topology information and traffic flow measurement information, enabling historical tracking of resource utilization information.

10. The method claimed in claim 1, further comprising steps of:

a. determining that multicast flow content is being forwarded via a local access link associated with a destination content consumer node;

b. asserting the multicast-enabled router as an egress router in respect of an interface corresponding to the local access link; and

c. obtaining a traffic flow measurement in respect of content conveyed via the interface.

11. The method claimed in claim 10, wherein the step of obtaining the traffic flow measurement is responsive to the triggering event.

12. The method claimed in claim 10, wherein obtaining the traffic flow measurement, the method further comprises a step of:

associating a time stamp with the traffic flow measurement.

13. The method claimed in claim 10, further comprising a step of:

storing traffic flow measurement information in storage associated with the egress router node.

14. The method claimed in claim 10, further comprising a step of:

performing computations on traffic flow measurements providing distributed multicast flow report processing.

15. The method claimed in claim 1, further comprising steps of:

a. determining that multicast flow content is being received via a local access link associated with a source broadcast content provider node; and

b. asserting the multicast-enabled router as an ingress router in respect of an interface corresponding to the local access link.

16. The method claimed in claim 15, further comprising a step of:

generating a resource utilization update request in respect of the multicast flow.

17. The method claimed in claim 15, further comprising a step of:

forwarding the aggregated topology and traffic flow measurement information to a network management function.

18. The method claimed in claim 1, wherein reporting the aggregated topology and traffic flow measurement information upstream, the method further comprises a step of:

encapsulating the aggregated topology and flow measurement information into a resource utilization report.

19. The method claimed in claim 18, further comprising a step of:

directing the resource utilization report towards one of a next hop parent multicast-enabled router in the multicast tree, and an ingress router.

20. A multicast-enabled router providing support for multicast flow accounting, the router comprising:

a. a multicast topology discovery module interfacing with processes implementing a multicast transport protocol to obtain topology information regarding multicast tree changes in respect of a tracked multicast flow;

b. a messaging module for conveying messages tracking resource utilization in respect of the multicast flow; and

c. a multicast traffic accounting manager module employing the messaging module to request resource utilization updates from dependent sub-tree portions of the multicast tree, the multicast traffic accounting manager further correlating the topology information with traffic flow measurements provided thereto via resource utilization reports.

21. The multicast-enabled router claimed in claim 20, wherein the multicast-enabled router is associated with a local access link conveying content to a destination broadcast content consumer node, the multicast-enabled router further comprising:

a flow measurement module employed in obtaining traffic flow measurements in respect of multicast flow content conveyed to the destination broadcast content consumer node.

22. The multicast-enabled router claimed in claim 21, wherein obtaining traffic flow measurements, the flow measurement module further employs a flow measurement means from any of:

Real Time Flow Meter (RTFM), Internet Protocol Flow Information export (IPFIX), Packet Sampling (PSAMP) and Internet Protocol Performance Measurement (IPPM).

23. The multicast-enabled router claimed in claim 20, wherein the multicast-enabled router is associated with a local access link receiving content from a source broadcast content provider node, the multicast traffic accounting manager module further employing the messaging module to provide correlated resource utilization reports regarding the multicast tree to a management function.

24. The multicast-enabled router claimed in claim 23, the multicast traffic accounting manager module further employing the messaging module to issue a resource utilization update request subsequent to the occurrence of a triggering event.

25. The multicast-enabled router claimed in claim 24, wherein the triggering event comprises one of a:

a join request, a leave announcement, an announcement of an availability of a periodic traffic measurement, a resource utilization update request, a periodic resource utilization update request, an announcement regarding a multicast tree topology change, a counter rollover, and a change content characteristics.

26. The multicast-enabled router claimed in claim 20, further comprising a database storing resource utilization information.

27. The multicast-enabled router claimed in claim 26, wherein the resource utilization information stored in the database further comprises topology information regarding dependent sub-tree portions.

28. The multicast-enabled router claimed in claim 26, wherein the resource utilization information stored in the database further comprises traffic flow measurements regarding dependent sub-tree portions.

29. The multicast-enabled router claimed in claim 26, wherein the resource utilization information stored in the database further comprises correlated topology information regarding the multicast tree and traffic flow measurements regarding dependent sub-tree portions.

30. The multicast-enabled router claimed in claim 26, wherein the resource utilization information stored in the database further comprises a time stamp.