Sharing IP network resources

• US 20060041682A1
• Filed: 10/28/2005
• Published: 02/23/2006
• Est. Priority Date: 08/23/2000
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Jeremy T. Johnson, Milo S. Medin Jr
• Original Assignee: Jeremy T. Johnson, Milo S. Medin Jr
• Inventors: Medin, Milo S., Johnson, Jeremy T.
• Granted Patent: US 8,463,920 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 709/242
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 12/2856 Access arrangements, e.g. Internet access asynchronous transfer mode networks H04L12/5601; broadband local area networks H04L12/2801; optical access or distribution networks H04Q11/0067; access to open networks H04L12/5691; digital subscriber line end-user equipment and bit-level processing of data on a PSTN-based network H04M11/00; home network gateways H04L12/2834; wireless access networks H04W
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 12/2863 Arrangements for combining access network resources elements, e.g. channel bonding modem pooling H04L25/14; routing of packets H04L45/00; multichannel or multilink protocols H04L69/14
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 45/30 Routing of multiclass traffic
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 45/50 using label swapping, e.g. multi-protocol label switch [MPLS]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 47/787 Bandwidth trade among domains
• CPC Class Codes: Y02D 30/50 in wire-line communication networks, e.g. low power modes or reduced link rate

Abstract

A system and method for sharing access to an internet protocol (IP) network among multiple internet service providers (ISPs) uses multiprotocol label switching (MPLS). End-users are coupled to a broadband customer access network. Each end-user is also associated with at least one of the ISPs. An aggregation router interfaces the customer access network with a network backbone. The network backbone includes a border router for interfacing between the network backbone and the network of an ISP. When the border router is activated, it creates a forwarding equivalency class (FEC) corresponding to the ISP. The border router stores a label for the FEC and the interface for reaching the ISP in an FEC table. The border router advertises the label binding for the FEC to all upstream nodes. An intermediate node receiving the label binding creates its own FEC table, associates a new label with the FEC, and advertises the new label binding to its upstream nodes. The aggregation router receives and builds a FEC table containing the label bindings for all ISPs reachable over the network backbone. When the aggregation router receives a data packet from an end-user, the aggregation router determines the ISP associated with the end-user, labels the data packet with the label corresponding to the FEC for that ISP, and routes the packet on the network backbone. The packet eventually reaches the border router, which pops off the label and passes the packet to the ISP.

Claims

1. A system for sharing bandwidth among a plurality of internet service providers (ISPs) coupled to a backbone network, the system comprising:

a broadband customer access network for coupling a plurality of end-users to the backbone network, wherein each end-user is associated with a particular one of the plurality of ISPs;

a first router coupled to the customer access network and in communication with the network for source-routing data packets output by at least one end-user to the ISP associated with the at least one end-user; and

a second router coupled to the backbone network and at least one of the plurality of ISPs for receiving the data packets source-routed by the first router and passing the data packets to the ISP associated with the at least one end user.

2. The system of claim 1, wherein the first router is an aggregation router coupled to the customer access network and the backbone network, the aggregation router for aggregating data packets received from a plurality of end-user systems on the customer access network onto the backbone network.

3. The system of claim 1, wherein the first router is the headend of a label switched path and the second router is the tailend of the label switched path.

4. The system of claim 3, wherein the first router pushes a label onto each data packet received from the at least one end-user and the second router pops a label off each data packet, further comprising:

at least one intermediate node coupled to the network between the first and second routers, the at least one intermediate node for receiving a data packet from the first router, performing a label swap on the packet, and routing the data packet towards the second router.

5. The system of claim 1, wherein the broadband customer access network is a cable television network.

6. The system of claim 1, wherein the broadband customer access network is a telephone network.

7. A system for sharing bandwidth on a customer access network, to which a plurality of end-users are coupled, among a plurality of internet service providers (ISPs), wherein each end-user is associated with a particular ISP, the system comprising:

a first node coupled to the customer access network and to a backbone network, the first node for receiving data packets from the plurality of end-users, for determining the ISP associated with each end-user, and for routing the data packets from each end-user to the ISP associated with the end-user; and

a second node coupled to the backbone network and to one or more of the ISPs, for receiving the data packets routed by the first node to the one or more ISPs coupled to the second node, and for passing the data packets to the associated ISPs.

8. The system of claim 7, wherein the first node is an aggregation router for aggregating the data packets from the end-users onto the backbone network.

9. The system of claim 7, wherein the first node uses multiprotocol label switching (MPLS) to route data packets to the ISP associated with the end-user.

10. The system of claim 9, wherein the first node uses MPLS over the Network layer of the Open Systems Interconnection network reference model.

11. The system of claim 9, wherein the first node associates a label with a data packet, wherein the label is determined responsive to the end-user providing the packet.

12. The system of claim 7, wherein the first node determines the ISP associated with an end-user by determining an autonomous system number (ASN) of an ISP associated with the end-user.

13. The system of claim 12, wherein the ASN is communicated from the end-user to the first node.

14. The system of claim 12, wherein the first node determines the ASN responsive to an incoming data interface to which the end-user is coupled.

15. A method for sharing bandwidth among a plurality of internet service providers (ISPs) coupled to a backbone network, the method comprising:

coupling a plurality of end-users to the backbone network, wherein each end-user is associated with a particular one of the plurality of ISPs;

source-routing data packets output by at least one end-user to the ISP associated with the at least one end-user; and

receiving the data packets source-routed by the first router and passing the data packets to the ISP associated with the at least one end user.

16. The method of claim 15, wherein source-routing data packets output comprises:

aggregating data packets received from a plurality of end-user systems on the customer access network onto the backbone network.

17. The method of claim 16, wherein source-routing data packet comprises:

using multiprotocol label switching (MPLS) to route data packets to the ISP associated with the end-user.

18. A method for sharing bandwidth on a customer access network, to which a plurality of end-users are coupled, among a plurality of internet service providers (ISPs), wherein each end-user is associated with a particular ISP, the method comprising:

receiving data packets from the plurality of end-users;

determining the ISP associated with each end-user;

routing the data packets from each end-user to the ISP associated with the end-user;

receiving the data packets routed by the first node to the one or more ISPs coupled to the second node; and

passing the data packets to the associated ISPs.

19. The method of claim 18, wherein routing data packets comprises:

aggregating the data packets from the end-users onto the backbone network.

20. The method of claim 18, wherein routing data packets comprises:

using MPLS over the Network layer of the Open Systems Interconnection network reference model.