Resource Management

• US 20080052718A1
• Filed: 08/21/2004
• Published: 02/28/2008
• Est. Priority Date: 08/21/2004
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Telefonaktiebolaget LM Ericsson
• Original Assignee: Telefonaktiebolaget LM Ericsson
• Inventors: Hundscheidt, Frank
• Granted Patent: US 8,572,620 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 718/104
• 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 47/72 using reservation actions during connection setup
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 47/781 Centralised allocation of resources
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 47/822 Collecting or measuring resource availability data
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 47/823 Prediction of resource usage
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 47/83 based on usage prediction
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 65/1101 Session protocols
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 65/80 Responding to QoS
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 69/28 Timers or timing mechanisms used in protocols
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2215/2026 Wireless network, e.g. GSM, PCS, TACS
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 28/18 Negotiating wireless communication parameters
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/24 Accounting or billing

Abstract

The invention relates to a method, device and system for management of resource in a communication network having a resource owner (RO) providing the resource and at least one resource user (RU) using the resource. According to the present invention a resource broker is introduced between the resource owner and the at least one resource user. Said broker is arranged to perform a management procedure for deciding whether to perform an allocation, keeping or release of resource. In order to take a decision a resource usage measure (TTL) is used. In accordance with the present invention said measure is updated when user'"'"'s usage measure (Keep Alive, InterestMsg) informing about the expected usage of the resource by a resource user is obtained. The update is performed by means of a cumulative algorithm taking into account current and past values of the resource usage measure (TTL).

Claims

1. Method for management of a resource for a communication network having a resource owner (RO) providing the resource, at least one resource user (RU) using the resource and a resource broker (RB) for managing the resource, characterized in that

the resource broker (RB) performs the following steps:

initiating a resource usage measure (TTL) controlling a reservation of the resource,

obtaining a user'"'"'s usage measure (Keep Alive, Interest Msg) informing about the estimated usage of the resource by the at least one resource user,

performing an update procedure for updating the resource usage measure (TTL) with the user'"'"'s usage measure (Keep Alive, Interest Msg) by means of a cumulative algorithm averaging the resource usage measure and calculating a new resource usage measure by taking into account current and past values of the resource usage measure (TTL) and the user'"'"'s usage measure

performing a checking procedure for comparing the resource usage measure with a pre-determined value indicating the necessity to perform a resource management action, and

performing the resource management action according to the result of the checking procedure.

2. Method according to claim 1, characterized in that the resource is embodied as a sequentially shared resource, wherein only one resource user accesses the resource at the same time or the resource is embodied as a simultaneously shared resource, wherein multiple resource users may access the resource at the same time.

3. Method according to claim 1 or 2 characterised in that the resource usage measure is initiated with a value being estimated from at least one parameter received from the resource owner.

4. Method according to claim 1 or 2 characterised in that the resource usage measure is initiated with a value being determined at the resource broker.

5. Method according to one of the claims 1 to 4 characterised in that the initiation step includes providing of an association between the resource and information related to said resource.

6. Method according to one of the claims 1 to 5 characterised in that the resource usage measure is set to a value defining time for keeping the resource open.

7. Method according to claim 1 characterised in that the user'"'"'s usage measure is being received periodically from the at least one resource user.

8. Method according to claim 7 characterised in that the user'"'"'s usage measure is being received from the at least one resource user on demand depending on the resource user'"'"'s needs.

9. Method according to claim 1 characterised in that the user'"'"'s usage measure is calculated in the resource broker.

10. Method according to one of the claims 1 to 9 characterised in that a recognition procedure is performed in the resource broker in order to recognise a relation between the at least one resource user and the corresponding resource, its owner and the management procedure.

11. Method according to claim 1 characterised in that a Leaky Bucket algorithm or a CUSUM algorithm is used as cumulative algorithm.

12. Method according to claim 1 characterised in that the resource management action is allocating of the resource, keeping of the resource or release of the resource.

13. Method according to claim 1 characterised in that the checking procedure is performed by comparing the resource usage measure with an action condition.

14. Method according to one of the claims 1 to 13 characterised in that said method uses additional information received over a first interface placed between resource broker and resource owner.

15. Method according to one of the preceding claims 1 to 14 characterised in that a timer is set to the resource usage measure and said timer is started to count down time, wherein said timer is checked for necessity to perform release of the resource.

16. Method according to one of the preceding claims 1 to 14 characterised in that the resource measure indicates interest of the at least one resource user to perform allocation of the resource.

17. Method according to one of the claims 1 to 16 characterised in that an additional interface is introduced to exchange information with a charging entity wherein the resource broker provides the resource usage measure to the charging entity for charging (page 13 lines 9-10).

18. Method according to claim 17 characterised in that for the charging, time is estimated in that a resource has been reserved but not really used.

19. Method according to claim 17 or 18 characterised in that for the charging information about number of multiple resource users sharing a resource is estimated.

20. Method according to claim 1 characterised in that a real resource traffic goes via said resource broker.

25. System for management of resource for a communication network having a resource owner (RO) providing the resource and at least one resource user (RU) using the resource, wherein

said system comprises a resource broker (RB) according to claim 21 being introduced between the resource owner (RO) and the at least one resource user (RU) and a first communication interface between said resource broker (RB) and the resource owner (RO) and a second communication interface between said resource broker (RB) and the at least one resource user (RU)

characterised in that

the resource broker is adapted to perform the method according to claim 1.

26. System according to claim 25 characterised in that said system includes a charging unit and a third communication interface between resource broker and said charging unit.

21. Resource broker arranged to perform management of a resource for a communication network having a resource owner (RO) providing the resource and at least one resource user (RU) using the resource characterized in that said resource broker comprises

initiation means for initiation of a resource usage measure (TTL) controlling a reservation of the resource;

and

an obtaining controller for obtaining user'"'"'s usage measure (Keep Alive, InterestMsg) informing about the estimated usage of the resource by the at least one resource user;

an update controller for updating the resource usage measure (TTL) with the user'"'"'s usage measure (Keep Alive, InterestMsg) by means of a cumulative algorithm averaging the resource usage measure and calculating a new resource usage measure by taking into account current and past values of the resource usage measure (TTL) and the user'"'"'s usage measure;

a checking monitor for comparing the resource usage measure with a pre-determined value indicating the necessity to perform a resource management action; and

resource management action means for performing resource management action according to the result of the checking monitor.

22. Resource broker according to claim 21 characterised in that said resource broker has a first communication means for interaction with a first communication interface being placed between said broker and the resource owner and a second communication means for interaction with a second communication interface being placed between said broker and the at least one resource user.

23. Resource broker according to claim 21 or 22 characterised in that said resource broker has a third communication means for interaction with a third communication interface being placed between said broker and a charging unit.

24. Resource broker according to one of the claims 21 to 23 characterised in that said resource broker is adapted to provide unreliable resources for brokering.