Systems and methods for policy-enabled communications networks

• US 20060039364A1
• Filed: 10/13/2005
• Published: 02/23/2006
• Est. Priority Date: 10/19/2000
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: AT&T Intellectual Property I LP (AT&T, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: AT&T Intellectual Property I LP (AT&T, Inc.)
• Inventors: Wright, Steven A.
• Application Number:
  US11/250,076
• Publication Number:
  US 20060039364A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 370/352
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 2012/6443 Network Node Interface, e.g. Routing, Path finding
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 2012/6445 Admission control
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 41/0213 Standardised network management protocols, e.g. simple network management protocol [SNMP]
• 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 45/50 using label swapping, e.g. multi-protocol label switch [MPLS]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 47/10 Flow control; Congestion control
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 47/20 Traffic policing
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 3/2263 Network management

Abstract

Embodiments of the present invention relate to systems and methods for policy-based management of a multiprotocol label switching (“MPLS”) network. In an embodiment, a system includes a policy-based network administration system, and the policy-based network administration system includes a plurality of policies. The system also includes an MPLS network, which is coupled to the policy-based network administration system.

Claims

1. A system for policy-based management of a label switching network, the system comprising:

a policy-based network administration system, the policy-based network administration system including a plurality of policies; and

the label switching network that is, coupled to the policy-based network administration system.

2. The system of claim 0, wherein the plurality of policies include a plurality of network operation policies.

3. The system of claim 2, wherein the plurality of network operation policies include a virtual private network policy.

4. The system of claim 2, wherein the plurality of network operation policies include a voice traffic policy.

5. The system of claim 2, wherein the plurality of network operation policies include a first quality of service policy and a second quality of service policy, the first quality of service policy being different from the second quality of service policy.

6. The system of claim 2, wherein:

the policy-based management system includes a policy decision point; and

the label switching network includes a policy enforcement point, the policy enforcement point being coupled to the policy decision point.

7. The system of claim 6, wherein the policy-based management system includes a policy repository, the policy repository coupled to the policy decision point.

8. The system of claim 7, wherein the policy-based management system includes a policy management console, the policy management console coupled to one or more of the policy decision point and the policy repository.

9. The system of claim 6, wherein the policy enforcement point is a label switch router.

10. The system of claim 9, wherein the label switch router is an edge label switch router.

11. The system of claim 10, wherein the edge label switch router is part of a label switched path.

12. A system for policy-based control of a label switching network carrying one or more of voice and data traffic, the system comprising:

a central office, the central office including a trunk gateway;

the label switching network, being coupled to the trunk gateway of the central office; and

a network administration system, the network administration system including a plurality of policies, each policy of at least a subset of the plurality of policies to control at least in part operation of the label switching network.

13. The system of claim 12, wherein the gateway is one of a line gateway, a trunk gateway, and a service gateway.

14. The system of claim 12, wherein the central office includes class five central office equipment.

15. The system of claim 12, wherein the network administration system includes one or more of traffic management information and device provisioning information.

16. The system of claim 12, wherein the plurality of policies include a plurality of traffic management policies.

17. The system of claim 12, further comprising a call control complex, the call control complex coupled to the network administration system and the label switching network.

18. The system of claim 17, wherein the call control complex is to send voice service traffic data to the network administration system.

19. The system of claim 18, wherein the network administration system is to send voice service label switched path provisioning policies to the label switching network.

20. The system of claim 18, wherein the network administration system is to send virtual private network provisioning policies to the label switching network.

21. The system of claim 17, wherein the label switching network is a multiprotocol label switching (“

MPLS”

), the system further comprising an SS7/AIN network coupled to the call control complex.

22. The system of claim 21, wherein the SS7/AIN network and the MPLS network are part of a regional telecommunications company network.

23. A method for policy-based control of a label switching network, the method comprising:

storing a policy to control operation of at least a portion of the label switching network;

retrieving the policy in response to a control input;

sending the policy to the label switching network; and

operating the label switching network based at least in part on the policy.

24. The method of claim 23, wherein the policy is a network operation policy.

25. The method of claim 24, wherein the network operation policy is a voice traffic policy.

26. The method of claim 24, wherein the network operation policy is a virtual private network policy.

27. The method of claim 24, wherein the network operation policy is a quality of service policy.

28. The method of claim 23, wherein storing the policy to control operation of at least a portion of the label switching network includes storing the policy in a policy repository.

29. The method of claim 23, wherein the control input is received from a network device of the label switching network.

30. The method of claim 23, wherein the control input is received from a policy management console.

31-36. -36. (canceled)

37. A system for policy-based management of a label switching network, the system comprising:

the label switching network; and

means for policy-based management of the label switching network, the means for policy-based management of the label switching network coupled to the label switching network.

38. The system of claim 0, wherein:

the means for policy-based management of the label switching network includes a policy decision point; and

the label switching network includes a policy enforcement point.

39. The system of claim 0, wherein the means for policy-based management of the label switching network includes a policy repository.

40. The system of claim 0, wherein the means for policy-based management of the label switching network includes one or more of a voice traffic policy, a virtual private network policy, and a quality of service policy.

41-42. -42. (canceled)

43. A computer-readable medium storing a plurality of instructions to be executed by a processor for policy-based control of a label switching network, the plurality of instructions comprising instructions to:

store a policy to control operation of at least a portion of the label switching network;

retrieve the policy in response to a control input; and

send the policy to the label switching network.

45. The computer-readable medium of claim 43, wherein the plurality of instructions further comprise instructions to monitor operations of the label switching network, the label switching network operating based at least in part on the policy.

46. The computer-readable medium of claim 43 wherein the label switching network is a multiprotocol label switching (“

MPLS”

) network.

47. The computer-readable medium of claim 43, wherein the plurality of instructions further comprise instructions for operating at least a portion of the label switching network based at least in part on a first policy by operating at least a portion of the label switching network as one or more voice trunks based at least in part on a first voice traffic policy.

48. The computer-readable medium of claim 43, wherein the plurality of instructions further comprise instructions for operating at least a portion of the label switching network based at least in part on a first policy by operating at least a portion of the label switching network as one or more virtual private networks based at least in part on a first virtual network policy.

44. The computer-readable medium of claim 0, wherein the policy is selected from the group consisting of a voice traffic management policy, a virtual private network management policy, and a quality of service management policy.