Administering a communication network

• US 20060020694A1
• Filed: 07/14/2005
• Published: 01/26/2006
• Est. Priority Date: 07/28/2000
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Winterspring Digital LLC
• Original Assignee: Prominence Networks, Inc
• Inventors: Nag, Siddhartha, Patel, Rakesh, D'Souza, Alfred, Alam, Neveed
• Granted Patent: US 8,032,646 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 709/223
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 41/0213 Standardised network management protocols, e.g. simple network management protocol [SNMP]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 41/0806 for initial configuration or provisioning, e.g. plug-and-play
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 41/0896 Bandwidth or capacity management, i.e. automatically increasing or decreasing capacities flow or congestion control using dynamic resource allocation, e.g. in-call renegotiation, H04L47/76
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 41/12 Discovery or management of network topologies
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 41/145 involving simulating, designing, planning or modelling of a network
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 41/147 for predicting network behaviour
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 41/20 Network management software packages
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 41/22 comprising specially adapted graphical user interfaces [GUI]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 41/34 Signalling channels for network management communication
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 65/1069 Session establishment or de-establishment
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 65/1101 Session protocols
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 65/1106 Call signalling protocols; H.323 and related
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 65/80 Responding to QoS
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 7/0081 Network operation, administration, maintenance, or provisioning

Abstract

Methods and apparatus are provided for administering a communication network. In one embodiment, a first interface screen depicts nodes within a network. The nodes include a pair of media aggregation managers providing multiplexing/demultiplexing of media traffic associated with multiple application sessions between a pair of communities onto a preallocated reservation protocol session between the media aggregation managers. The media aggregation managers are visually distinguishable from other nodes. A second interface screen depicts potential paths through the network. Each potential path is capable of transferring media packets between the media aggregation managers. Via the second user interface screen, a network administrator is capable of initiating (1) path-level configuration of routers that are part of a selected potential path to cause the routers to route media packets exchanged between the pair of communities over the selected path, and (2) establishment of the preallocated reservation protocol session between the media aggregation managers.

Claims

1. A computer-implemented method comprising:

displaying a first user interface screen that graphically depicts a plurality of nodes within a network, the plurality of nodes including at least a pair of media aggregation managers configured to provide multiplexing/demultiplexing of media traffic associated with a plurality of application sessions between a pair of communities onto a preallocated reservation protocol session between the pair of media aggregation managers, and wherein the pair of media aggregation managers are visually distinguishable from other nodes on the network; and

displaying a second user interface screen that graphically depicts a plurality of potential paths through the network, each potential path of the plurality of potential paths representing a path over which media packets are capable of being transferred between the pair of media aggregation managers, wherein a network administrator is capable of initiating (1) path-level configuration of a set of routers of the plurality of nodes that are part of a selected path of the plurality of potential paths to cause the set of routers to route media packets exchanged between terminals of the pair of communities over the selected path via the pair of media aggregation managers, and (2) establishment of the preallocated reservation protocol session between the pair of media aggregation managers.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein one or both of the first user interface screen and the second user interface screen displays an identification table for presenting characteristics of a selected node of the plurality of nodes.

3. A method of claim 1 further comprising:

receiving information identifying the selected path; and

responsive to receiving the information identifying the selected path, provisioning the set of routers that are part of the selected path to route media packets exchanged between the first media aggregation manager and the second media aggregation manager over the selected path without requiring the administrator to provide information regarding router control parameters for each router in the set of routers during the provisioning.

4. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

prior to said displaying a first user interface screen, discovering the plurality of nodes within the network, the plurality of nodes including a plurality of routers, including the set of routers, and a plurality of communities, including the pair of communities;

prior to said displaying a second user interface screen, receiving an indication identifying a first media aggregation manager of the pair of media aggregation managers that will front one or more terminals associated with a first community of the pair of communities and serve as a reservation protocol session proxy for the one or more terminals associated with the first community;

prior to said displaying a second user interface screen, receiving an indication identifying a second media aggregation manager of the pair of media aggregation managers that will front one or more terminals associated with a second community of the pair of communities and serve as a reservation protocol session proxy for the one or more terminals associated with the second community;

responsive to a configuration request relating to the selected path, configuring the set of routers to route media packets exchanged between the first community and the second community over the selected path; and

establishing a single reservation protocol session between the first media aggregation manager and the second media aggregation manager onto which all media packets associated with a plurality of application sessions among the one or more terminals of the first community and the one or more terminals of the second community will be multiplexed.

5. The method of claim 4, wherein the network comprises a Voice over Internet Protocol (VoIP) network.

6. The method of claim 4, wherein the single reservation protocol session comprises a ReSerVation Protocol (RSVP) session.

7. The method of claim 4, wherein a first terminal of the one or more terminals associated with the first community and a second terminal of the one or more terminals associated with the second community are running an Internet telephony application and wherein an application session established between the first terminal and the second terminal utilizes bandwidth reserved for the single reservation protocol session to exchange voice transmissions between the first terminal and the second terminal.

8. The method of claim 4, wherein each potential path of the plurality of potential paths are displayed in a prioritized fashion based upon one or more predetermined factors.

9. The method of claim 8, wherein the one or more predetermined factors include one or more of:

a number of nodes in the potential path;

total available bandwidth for the potential path;

available communications bandwidth on the potential path;

propagation speed between nodes that make up the potential path; and

physical length of travel between nodes that make up the potential path.

10. The method of claim 4, further comprising prior to said configuring the set of routers to route media packets exchanged between the first community and the second community over the selected path:

receiving a request to analyze the selected path; and

determining a predicted link utilization schedule by combining (1) a predicted increase in bandwidth allocation for each router of the set of routers that are part of the selected path assuming the single reservation protocol session between the first media aggregation manager and the second media aggregation manager is to be established, and (2) a current bandwidth allocation for each router of the set of routers that is part of the selected path representing bandwidth previously allocated.

11. The method of claim 10, further comprising displaying the predicted link utilization schedule for the selected path to the network administrator.

12. The method of claim 11, wherein the displayed predicted link utilization schedule the network administrator to confirm whether utilization of available communication bandwidth for each of the routers of the set of routers that are part of the selected path is within a desired range.

13. The method of claim 4, further comprising displaying a network map including visually distinguishable graphical representations of the plurality of routers, the plurality of communities, a plurality of media aggregation managers, and interconnections among them.

14. A system comprising:

a plurality of nodes on a network including at least a first network device configured to front a first group of terminals and a second network device configured to front a second group of terminals, the first network device and the second network device configured to act as signaling and control proxies with respect to a reservation protocol session onto which media traffic for a plurality of application sessions between the first group of terminals and the second group of terminals are multiplexed;

a first user interface screen that graphically depicts the plurality of nodes, and wherein the first network device and the second network device are distinguishable from other nodes of the plurality of nodes;

a second user interface screen that graphically depicts a plurality of potential paths through the network coupling the first network device and the second network device, each potential path of the plurality of paths representing a potential path over which media packets are capable of being transferred between the first network device and the second network device, wherein an administrator is capable of initiating (1) configuration of a set of routers of the plurality of nodes that are part of a selected path of the plurality of potential paths to route media packets exchanged between terminals of the first group of terminals and terminals of the second group of terminals over the selected path via the first network device and the second network device, and (2) establishment of the reservation protocol session between the first network device and the second network device.

15. The system of claim 14, further comprising a property interface screen capable of displaying to the administrator characteristics of a selected node of the plurality of nodes.

16. The system of claim 15, further comprising a configuration process configured to receive information regarding the selected path and a configuration request and responsive thereto to provision the set of routers to route media packets exchanged between the first group of terminals and the second group of terminals through the selected path without requiring the administrator to provide information regarding router control parameters for each router in the set of routers during provisioning.

17. The system of claim 16, wherein the network comprises a Voice over Internet Protocol (VoIP) network.

18. The system of claim 17, wherein the reservation protocol session comprises a single ReSerVation Protocol (RSVP) session.

19. A computer-implemented method comprising:

a step for discovering a set of nodes within a network, the set of nodes including a plurality of routers and a plurality of groups of terminals;

a step for receiving an indication of a first node of the set of nodes that will serve as a reservation protocol session proxy for one or more terminals associated with a first group of terminals of the plurality of groups of terminals;

a step for receiving an indication of a second node of the set of nodes that will serve as a reservation protocol session proxy for one or more terminals associated with a second group of terminals of the plurality of groups of terminals;

a step for graphically depicting a plurality of paths through the network each representing a potential path over which media packets are capable of being transferred between the first group of terminals and the second group of terminals;

a step for configuring a set of routers of the plurality of routers that are part of a selected path of the plurality of paths to route media packets exchanged between the first group of terminals and the second group of terminals over the selected path; and

a step for establishing a single reservation protocol session between the first node and the second node onto which media packets associated with a plurality of application sessions among the one or more terminals of the first group of terminals and the one or more terminals of the second group of terminals will be multiplexed.

20. A method comprising:

providing a first media aggregation manager at an edge of a first local area network on which a first set of terminals of a first user community of an enterprise reside, the first set of terminals running a first set of local applications on behalf of which the first media aggregation manager is configured to act as a signaling and control proxy;

providing a second media aggregation manager at an edge of a second local area network on which a second set of terminals of a second user community of the enterprise reside, the second set of terminals running a second set of local applications on behalf of which the second media aggregation manager is configured to act as a signaling and control proxy;

displaying on an administrative console associated with an enterprise network a first user interface screen that graphically depicts a plurality of nodes within the enterprise network, the plurality of nodes including at least the first media aggregation manager, the second media aggregation manager, the first user community and the second user community;

displaying on the administrative console a second user interface screen that graphically depicts a plurality of potential paths through the enterprise network, each potential path of the plurality of potential paths representing a path over which media packets are capable of being transferred between the first media aggregation manager and the second media aggregation manager, wherein a network administrator is capable of initiating (1) path-level configuration of a set of routers of the plurality of nodes that are part of a selected path of the plurality of potential paths to cause the set of routers to route media packets exchanged between one or more terminals of the first set of terminals and one or more terminals of the second set of terminals over the selected path via the first media aggregation manager and the second media aggregation manager, and (2) establishment of a reservation protocol session between the first media aggregation manager and the second media aggregation manager;

responsive to a request received from the administrative console, establishing the reservation protocol session over the selected path based upon an estimated usage of the selected path for real-time communication sessions between the first set of local applications and the second set of local applications; and

multiplexing a plurality of application flows associated with real-time communication sessions involving one or more source applications of the first set of local applications and one or more destination applications of the second set of local applications onto the reservation protocol session at the first media aggregation manager.