Policy rule management for QoS provisioning

• US 20060168203A1
• Filed: 12/15/2005
• Published: 07/27/2006
• Est. Priority Date: 11/07/2001
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Alcatel-Lucent SA (Nokia Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Alcatel-Lucent USA, Inc. (Nokia Corporation)
• Inventors: Helmerich, Lawrence, Levillain, Phillippe, Hanson, Raymond
• Granted Patent: US 7,930,376 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 709/224
• 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 41/22 comprising specially adapted graphical user interfaces [GUI]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 41/5003 Managing SLA; Interaction between SLA and QoS
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 41/5054 Automatic deployment of services triggered by the service manager, e.g. service implementation by automatic configuration of network components
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 41/5067 Customer-centric QoS measurements
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 47/10 Flow control; Congestion control
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 47/13 in a LAN segment, e.g. ring or bus
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 47/2408 for supporting different services, e.g. a differentiated services [DiffServ] type of service
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 47/2416 Real-time traffic
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 65/1069 Session establishment or de-establishment
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 65/1101 Session protocols
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 65/80 Responding to QoS

Abstract

Described herein is a policy-based Internet Protocol (IP) network wherein the Quality of Service (QoS) provisioning across various network devices is managed by policy processing via a user interface including a graphic user interface. The user interface incorporates information made available by a server, such as lightweight directory access protocol (LDAP) server, having a repository, and thereby allows for a consistent set up voice-over IP devices, video devices and network data devices with minimal entries by the user. Further, the user interfaces allows for efficient policy creation and editing.

Claims

1. A policy-based Internet Protocol (IP) network comprising:

a plurality of switches;

a plurality of network devices, each having a directory supported by at least one of the plurality of switches, the plurality of network devices being operatively connected to the plurality of switches via a local area network with each of the plurality of switches supporting quality of service (QoS) and policy files for each supported network device;

a server having a repository for policy data and for receiving policy updates; and

a network policy server having policy processing for provisioning quality of service via a user interface, wherein the user interface provides a graphic user interface for a user to set up QoS provisioning across the network devices.

2. The policy-based IP network of claim 1 wherein the network devices further comprise voice-over IP (VoIP) devices wherein the graphic user interface further comprises a VoIP device set up processing.

3. The policy-based IP network of claim 1 wherein the network devices further comprise data processing devices and wherein the graphic user interface further comprises a a data device set up processing.

4. The policy-based IP network of claim 1 wherein the network devices further comprise video devices wherein the graphic user interface further comprises a video device set up processing.

5. The policy-based IP network of claim 1 wherein the network devices further comprise voice-over IP (VoIP) devices, data processing devices and video processing devices and wherein the graphic user interface further comprises a VoIP device set up processing, a data device set up processing, a video device set up processing and a network policy defining and implementing processing.

6. The policy-based IP network of claim 1 wherein the network devices further comprise a network device discovery server for retrieving directory information of each of the plurality of network devices from the respective supporting switch, the network device discovery server being operatively connected to the plurality of switches and the policy server via a network backbone.

7. The policy-based IP network of claim 1 wherein the network further comprise a trap server for receiving at least one device policy table update notice from at least one of the plurality of network devices, the trap server being operatively connected to the plurality of switches and the policy server via a network backbone.

8-19. -19. (canceled)

20. A computer program product for use with a server in a policy-based Internet Protocol network having devices, said computer program product comprising:

a computer usable medium having computer readable program code means embodied in said medium that, when used with the server, causes the server to effect policy processing for provisioning quality of service via a user interface, wherein the user interface provides a graphic user interface for the user to set up quality of service (QoS) provisioning across the network devices;

a computer readable program code means for allowing the user to specify a priority to provision quality of service for data processing network devices via the graphic user interface to policy processing; and

and a computer readable program code means for allowing a user to define and implement network policies for provisioning quality of service via the graphic user interface to the policy processing.

21. The computer program product of claim 20 further comprising a computer readable program code means for allowing the user to specify a priority to provision quality of service for voice-over IP network devices via a graphic user interface to policy processing.

22. The computer program product of claim 20 further comprising a computer readable program code means for allowing the user to specify a priority to provision quality of service for video network devices via a graphic user interface to policy processing.