Network-triggered quality of service (QoS) reservation

• US 20070206617A1
• Filed: 03/06/2007
• Published: 09/06/2007
• Est. Priority Date: 03/06/2006
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Cisco Technology, Inc. (Cisco Systems, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Cisco Technology, Inc. (Cisco Systems, Inc.)
• Inventors: Rosenberg, Jonathan, Andreasen, Flemming, Iyer, Jayaraman, Panda, Biswaranjan
• Granted Patent: US 7,643,411 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 370/401
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/102 Bill distribution or payments
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 12/14 Charging , metering or billing arrangements for data wireline or wireless communications
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 12/1403 Architecture for metering, charging or billing
• 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 41/5029 Service quality level-based billing, e.g. dependent on measured service level customer is charged more or less
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 41/5061 characterised by the interaction between service providers and their network customers, e.g. customer relationship 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 47/15 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 47/724 at intermediate nodes, e.g. resource reservation protocol [RSVP]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 47/805 QOS or priority aware
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 47/824 Applicable to portable or mobile terminals
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 61/5014 using dynamic host configuration protocol [DHCP] or bootstrap protocol [BOOTP]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/08 for authentication of entities cryptographic mechanisms or cryptographic arrangements for entity authentication H04L9/32
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/0892 by using authentication-authorization-accounting [AAA] servers or protocols
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/102 Entity profiles
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/162 at the data link layer
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 65/1016 IP multimedia subsystem [IMS]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 65/1104 : Session initiation protocol [SIP]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/141 : Setup of application sessions admission control or resource allocation in data switching networks H04L47/70
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 69/14 : Multichannel or multilink protocols
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 69/24 : Negotiation of communication capabilities
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 12/06 : Authentication
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 12/08 : Access security
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 28/18 : Negotiating wireless communication parameters
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 36/0033 : with transfer of context information
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 36/12 : Reselecting a serving backbone network switching or routing node
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 36/144 : over a different radio air interface technology
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 48/14 : using user query or user detection
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 60/00 : Affiliation to network, e.g. registration; Terminating affiliation with the network, e.g. de-registration
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 8/04 : Registration at HLR or HSS [Home Subscriber Server]
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 8/26 : Network addressing or numbering for mobility support
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 80/04 : Network layer protocols, e.g. mobile IP [Internet Protocol]
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 80/10 : adapted for application session management, e.g. SIP [Session Initiation Protocol] connection management H04W76/00; arrangements for session management H04L67/14
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 92/02 : Inter-networking arrangements

Abstract

A method includes a network originating a QoS reservation message and communicating the network-originated QoS message through a radio access network (RAN) from an access gateway (AGW) to an access terminal (AT). The network-originated reservation message does not cause any network resource reservation by itself, but causes the AT to initiate a network resource reservation according to one or more parameters in the network-originated QoS reservation message. Accordingly, an existing network infrastructure supporting AT-originated QoS reservation may support network-originated QoS reservation (or proxied QoS) without any updates to an access-network infrastructure, such as the RAN. The method includes, in response to the network-initiated QoS reservation message, communicating a reservation confirmation through the RAN from the AT to the AGW. The reservation confirmation whether that the QoS reservation was successful.

Claims

1. A method comprising:

generating at an access gateway (AGW) a reservation message for an access terminal (AT), the reservation message comprising quality of service (QoS) reservation parameters, the QoS reservation parameters comprising at least one or more traffic filter templates (TFTs) and a QoS;

communicating the reservation message from the AGW to the AT;

attempting to reserve QoS according to the QoS reservation parameters in the reservation message from the AGW, the attempt to reserve QoS comprising one or more processes originating at the AT;

determining at the AT a result of the attempt to reserve QoS;

generating at the AT a reservation confirmation message indicating the result of the attempt to reserve QoS; and

communicating the reservation confirmation message from the AT to the AGW.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein:

communicating the reservation message from the AGW to the AT comprises communicating the reservation message from the AGW to the AT via a radio access network (RAN); and

communicating the reservation confirmation message from the AT to the AGW comprises communicating the reservation confirmation message from the AT to the AGW via the RAN.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the AGW comprises an Internet Protocol (IP) gateway.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the AT is a personal digital assistant (PDA).

5. The method of claim 1, wherein each of the TFTs specifies one or more of:

a source comprising a source Internet Protocol (IP) address and a source port;

a destination comprising a destination IP address and a destination port;

a protocol for communication between the source and the destination;

or

one or more security parameter indices (SPIs).

6. The method of claim 1, wherein the QoS reservation parameters derive from interaction between the AGW and either a policy manager or an application manager.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein each of the TFTs specifies one or more of:

a source comprising a source Internet Protocol (IP) address, a source port, or both, the source IP address, the source port, or both being identified by one or more specific values or one or more wildcards;

a destination comprising a destination IP address, a destination port, or both, the destination IP address, the destination port, or both being identified by one or more specific values or one or more wildcards;

a protocol for communication between the source and the destination;

or

one or more security parameter indices (SPIs).

8. The method of claim 1, wherein a first one of the TFTs comprises a forward TFT and a second one of the TFTs comprises a reverse TFT.

9. The method of claim 1, wherein the QoS reservation parameters further comprise a flow identifier (ID) comprising a number identifying a unique instantiation of a communication session between a source and a destination according to a particular protocol.

10. The method of claim 1, wherein the QoS reservation parameters further comprise a flow identifier (ID) identifying a unidirectional Internet Protocol (IP) flow.

11. The method of claim 1, wherein the QoS reservation parameters further comprise a flow identifier (ID) and a mapping of the flow ID to the TFT for the QoS reservation.

12. The method of claim 1, wherein the QoS reservation comprises a reservation of bandwidth.

13. An apparatus comprising:

an interface operable to communicate with a network;

one or more processors; and

a memory coupled to the processors comprising one or more instructions, the processors operable when executing the instructions to;

receive a reservation message from an access gateway (AGW) in the network, the reservation message comprising quality of service (QoS) reservation parameters, the QoS reservation parameters comprising at least one or more traffic filter templates (TFTs) and a QoS;

attempt to reserve QoS according to the QoS reservation parameters in the reservation message from the AGW, the attempt to reserve QoS comprising one or more processes originating at an AT;

determining at the AT a result of the attempt to reserve QoS;

generate at the AT a reservation confirmation message indicating the result of the attempt to reserve QoS; and

communicate the reservation confirmation message from the AT to the AGW.

14. The apparatus of claim 13, wherein:

receiving the reservation message from the AGW comprises receiving the reservation message from the AGW via a radio access network (RAN); and

communicating the reservation confirmation message from the AT to the AGW comprises communicating the reservation confirmation message from the AT to the AGW via the RAN.

15. The apparatus of claim 13, wherein each of the TFTs specifies one or more of:

a source comprising a source Internet Protocol (IP) address and a source port;

a destination comprising a destination IP address and a destination port;

a protocol for communication between the source and the destination;

or

one or more security parameter indices (SPIs).

16. The apparatus of claim 13, wherein the QoS reservation parameters derive from interaction between the AGW and either a policy manager or an application manager.

17. The apparatus of claim 13, wherein a first one of the TFTs comprises a forward TFT and a second one of the TFTs comprises a reverse TFT.

18. The apparatus of claim 13, wherein the QoS reservation comprises a reservation of bandwidth.

19. An apparatus comprising:

an interface operable to communicate with an access terminal (AT);

one or more processors; and

a memory coupled to the processors comprising one or more instructions, the processors operable when executing the instructions to;

generate at an access gateway (AGW) a reservation message for the AT, the reservation message comprising quality of service (QoS) reservation parameters, the QoS reservation parameters comprising at least one or more traffic filter templates (TFTs) and a QoS;

communicate the reservation message from the AGW to the AT; and

receive a reservation confirmation message at the AGW from the AT, the reservation confirmation message indicating a result of an attempt to reserve QoS according to the QoS reservation parameters in the reservation message from the AGW, the attempt to reserve QoS having comprised one or more processes originating at the AT.

20. The apparatus of claim 19, wherein:

communicating the reservation message from the AGW to the AT comprises communicating the reservation message from the AGW to the AT via a radio access network (RAN); and

receiving the reservation confirmation message from the AT at the AGW comprises receiving the reservation confirmation message from the AT at the AGW via the RAN.

21. The apparatus of claim 19, wherein each of the TFTs specifies one or more of:

a source comprising a source Internet Protocol (IP) address and a source port;

a destination comprising a destination IP address and a destination port;

a protocol for communication between the source and the destination;

or

one or more security parameter indices (SPIs).

22. The apparatus of claim 19, wherein the QoS reservation parameters derive from interaction between the AGW and either a policy manager or an application manager.

23. The apparatus of claim 19, wherein a first one of the TFTs comprises a forward TFT and a second one of the TFTs comprises a reverse TFT.

24. The apparatus of claim 19, wherein the QoS reservation comprises a reservation of bandwidth.

25. A system comprising:

an access gateway (AGW) operable to;

generate a reservation message for an access terminal (AT), the reservation message comprising quality of service (QoS) reservation parameters, the QoS reservation parameters comprising at least one or more traffic filter templates (TFTs) and a QoS; and

communicate the reservation message from the AGW to the AT; and

the AT, operable to;

attempt to reserve QoS according to the QoS reservation parameters in the reservation message from the AGW, the attempt to reserve QoS comprising one or more processes originating at the AT;

determine a result of the attempt to reserve QoS;

generate a reservation confirmation message indicating the result of the attempt to reserve QoS; and

communicate the reservation confirmation message to the AGW.

26. The system of claim 25, wherein:

communicating the reservation message from the AGW to the AT comprises communicating the reservation message from the AGW to the AT via a radio access network (RAN); and

communicating the reservation confirmation message from the AT to the AGW comprises communicating the reservation confirmation message from the AT to the AGW via the RAN.

27. The system of claim 25, wherein each of the TFTs specifies one or more of:

a source comprising a source Internet Protocol (IP) address and a source port;

a destination comprising a destination IP address and a destination port;

a protocol for communication between the source and the destination;

or

one or more security parameter indices (SPIs).

28. The system of claim 25, wherein the QoS reservation parameters derive from interaction between the AGW and either a policy manager or an application manager.

29. The system of claim 25, wherein a first one of the TFTs comprises a forward TFT and a second one of the TFTs comprises a reverse TFT.

30. The system of claim 25, wherein the QoS reservation comprises a reservation of bandwidth.

31. An apparatus comprising:

one or more processors; and

a memory coupled to the processors comprising one or more instructions, the processors operable when executing the instructions to;

using an interface, communicate to an access gateway (AGW) instructions for proxied quality of service (QoS), the instructions prompting the AGW to;

generate a reservation message for the AT, the reservation message comprising QoS reservation parameters, the QoS reservation parameters comprising at least one or more traffic filter templates (TFTs) and a QoS; and

communicate the reservation message from the AGW to the AT to prompt the AT to attempt to reserve QoS according to the QoS reservation parameters, the attempt to reserve QoS comprising one or more processes originating at the AT.

32. The apparatus of claim 31, wherein the interface comprises an extended Ty interface or an extended Gx interface.

33. The apparatus of claim 31, comprising a policy manager.