Call admission control in voip systems

• US 20060251050A1
• Filed: 05/16/2003
• Published: 11/09/2006
• Est. Priority Date: 05/16/2003
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Unwired Planet LLC (JP Morgan Chase & Co)
• Original Assignee: Unwired Planet LLC (JP Morgan Chase & Co)
• Inventors: Karlsson, Nils
• Granted Patent: US 8,971,308 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 370/352
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 12/6418 Hybrid transport
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 47/10 Flow control; Congestion control
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 47/15 in relation to multipoint traffic arrangements for broadcast or multicast in data networks H04L12/18
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 47/70 Admission control; Resource allocation
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 47/745 Reaction in network
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 47/788 Autonomous allocation of resources
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 47/822 Collecting or measuring resource availability data
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 47/826 Involving periods of time
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 65/103 in the network
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 65/104 in the network
• 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
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 7/1285 Details of finding and selecting a gateway for a particular call

Abstract

A method of controlling call admission within a system comprising a plurality of media gateways (8, 9) interconnected by a packet switched backbone (5). The method comprises, at least one media gateway (8, 9), monitoring the level of congestion suffered by incoming packets to that gateway from each other media gateway over said backbone. Following receipt of a request for a media gateway (8, 9) to terminate a bearer extending over said backbone (5) from a peer media gateway, making a decision on the admissibility of that request based upon the previously monitored level of congestion suffered by incoming packets from that peer media gateway.

Claims

1. A method of controlling call admission within a system comprising a plurality of media gateways interconnected by a packet switched backbone, the method comprising the steps of:

at least one media gateway, monitoring the level of congestion suffered by incoming packets to that gateway from other media gateways or groups of media gateways over said backbone; and

following receipt of a request for said at least one media gateway to terminate a bearer extending over said backbone from a “

peer”

media gateway, making a decision on the admissibility of that request based upon the previously monitored level of congestion suffered by incoming packets from that peer media gateway or a group of media gateways containing the peer gateway.

2. The method according to claim 1, wherein the step of monitoring the level of congestion suffered by incoming packets to a one of a plurality of media gateways comprises

examining packets received at that gateway to determine whether or not they contain a congestion notification flag.

3. The method according to claim 1, wherein the step of monitoring the level of congestion suffered by incoming packets to the one of a plurality of media gateways further comprising

monitoring the rate at which packets are dropped.

4. The method according to claim 3, wherein the step of monitoring the level of congestion suffered by incoming packets to the one of a plurality of media gateways further comprising

monitoring the rate at which packets are dropped by the backbone and

examining packets received at the one of a plurality of media gateways gateway to determine whether or not they contain a congestion notification flag.

5. The method according to claim 1, wherein the step of monitoring the level of congestion suffered by incoming packets to the one of a plurality of media gateways comprises

associating incoming packets or packet sequences with an originating gateway based upon source addresses or parts of source addresses.

6. The method according to claim 1, wherein said packet switched backbone is an Internet Protocol (IP) backbone.

7. The method according to claim 1, wherein said step of making a decision on the admissibility of a request for a media gateway to terminate a bearer, further comprises making the decision at the media gateway.

8. The method according to claim 1, wherein the decision on the admissibility of a request for a media gateway to terminate a bearer is made at the media gateway controller controlling said at least one media gateway, and monitored congestion levels are signalled to the media gateway controller by the media gateway.

14. The computer program product according to claim 1, wherein the instructions for monitoring the level of congestion suffered by incoming packets to one of a plurality of media gateways comprises

examining packets received at that gateway to determine whether or not they contain a congestion notification flag.

9. A media gateway arranged to control call admission within a system comprising a plurality of media gateways interconnected by a packet switched backbone, the media gateway comprising:

means for monitoring the level of congestion suffered by incoming packets to that gateway from other media gateways or groups of media gateways over said backbone;

means for receiving a request for that media gateway to terminate a bearer extending over said backbone from a “

peer”

media gateway; and

means coupled to the monitoring means and the receiving means for making a decision on the admissibility of that request based upon the previously monitored level of congestion suffered by incoming packets from that peer media gateway or a group of media gateways containing the peer gateway.

10. A media gateway controller arranged to control call admission within a system comprising a plurality of media gateways interconnected by a packet switched backbone, the media gateway controller comprising:

an interface towards at least one media gateway;

means for receiving monitored congestion levels from each media gateway to which the media gateway controller has an interface, the monitored congestion levels being indicative of the congestion suffered by incoming packets to the respective gateways from other media gateways or groups of media gateways over said backbone;

means for receiving a call request requiring that a media gateway terminate a bearer extending over said backbone from a “

peer”

media gateway; and

means coupled to both the receiving means for making a decision on the admissibility of that request based upon the congestion level suffered by incoming packets from that peer media gateway or a group of media gateways containing the peer gateway.

11. (canceled)

12. (canceled)

13. A computer program product within a computer usable medium for controlling call admission within a system comprising a plurality of media gateways interconnected by a packet switched backbone, the computer program comprising instructions within the computer usable medium for:

monitoring the level of congestion suffered by incoming packets to at least one media gateway from other media gateways or groups of media gateways over said backbone; and

following receipt of a request for said at least one media gateway to terminate a bearer extending over said backbone from a “

peer”

media gateway, making a decision on the admissibility of that request based upon the previously monitored level of congestion suffered by incoming packets from that peer media gateway or a group of media gateways containing the peer gateway.

15. The computer program product according to claim 13, wherein the instructions for monitoring the level of congestion suffered by incoming packets to the one of a plurality of media gateways further comprise

monitoring the rate at which packets are dropped.

16. The computer program product according to claim 13, wherein the instructions for monitoring the level of congestion suffered by incoming packets to the one of a plurality of media gateways further comprise

monitoring the rate at which packets are dropped by the backbone and

examining packets received at the one of a plurality of media gateways gateway to determine whether or not they contain a congestion notification flag.

17. The computer program product according to claim 13, wherein the instructions for monitoring the level of congestion suffered by incoming packets to the one of a plurality of media gateways comprises

associating incoming packets or packet sequences with an originating gateway based upon source addresses or parts of source addresses.

18. The computer program product according to claim 13, wherein said packet switched backbone is an Internet Protocol (IP) backbone.

19. The computer program product according to claim 13, wherein said instructions for making a decision on the admissibility of a request for a media gateway to terminate a bearer, further comprises making the decision at the media gateway.

20. The computer program product according to claim 13, wherein instructions for the decision on the admissibility of a request for a media gateway to terminate a bearer is made at the media gateway controller controlling said at least one media gateway, and monitored congestion levels are signaled to the media gateway controller by the media gateway.