METHODS AND APPARATUS TO MANAGE NETWORK TRANSPORT PATHS IN ACCORDANCE WITH NETWORK POLICIES

• US 20080144513A1
• Filed: 12/13/2006
• Published: 06/19/2008
• Est. Priority Date: 12/13/2006
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: AT&T Knowledge Ventures, L.P. (AT&T, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: AT&T Knowledge Ventures, L.P. (AT&T, Inc.)
• Inventors: Small, David, Raftelis, Michael T.
• Granted Patent: US 7,787,381 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 370/238
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 41/0806 for initial configuration or provisioning, e.g. plug-and-play
• 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 41/5003 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 41/5077 wherein the managed service relates to simple transport services, i.e. providing only network infrastructure
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 43/00 Arrangements for monitoring or testing data switching networks
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 43/0847 Transmission error
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 43/0852 Delays
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 43/087 Jitter
• 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 47/20 Traffic policing

Abstract

Methods and apparatus to manage network transport paths in accordance with network policies are disclosed. An example apparatus comprises a policy manager to manage a first policy for a first endpoint and a second policy for a second endpoint, and a path manager to provision a transport network path based on the first and second policies.

Claims

1. An apparatus comprising:

a policy manager to manage a first policy for a first endpoint and a second policy for a second endpoint; and

a path manager to provision a transport network path based on the first and second policies.

2. An apparatus as defined in claim 1, wherein the first endpoint is associated with at least one of a user or a user device.

3. An apparatus as defined in claim 1, wherein the path manager is configured to provision the transport network path as a label switched path.

4. An apparatus as defined in claim 3, wherein the first policy is used by the policy manager to control access of the first endpoint to the transport network.

5. An apparatus as defined in claim 1, wherein the second policy also applies to a third endpoint.

6. An apparatus as defined in claim 1, wherein the path manager is to configure one or more elements of a transport network to implement the transport network path.

7. An apparatus as defined in claim 1, wherein the path manager is configured to provision the transport network path to satisfy a constraint associated with operating the transport network path.

8. An apparatus as defined in claim 1, wherein the path manager is configured to provision a second transport network path in response to a network event and based upon the first and second policies.

9. An apparatus as defined in claim 1, wherein the path manager is a module of a policy management system.

10. An apparatus as defined in claim 1, wherein the first policy defines at least one of an access control parameter, a quality of service (QoS) parameter, a bandwidth parameter, or a service parameter for the first endpoint.

11. An apparatus as defined in claim 10, wherein the path manager is configured to provision the transport network path based upon at least one of a time-of-day, a day-of-week, a day-of-year, a usage limit per period, a localization priority, a maintenance event, or a network fault.

12. An apparatus as defined in claim 1, wherein provisioning the transport network path comprises:

provisioning a first path between a first edge device and a core element, the first edge device communicatively coupled to the first endpoint; and

provisioning a second path between the core element and a second edge device.

13. An apparatus as defined in claim 12, wherein the second path includes one or more additional core elements.

14. A method comprising:

selecting a first path through a transport network for a first endpoint based upon a first policy associated with the first endpoint and a second policy associated with a second endpoint; and

provisioning one or more elements of the transport network to implement the first path.

15. A method as defined in claim 14, further comprising selecting a second path through the transport network for the second endpoint based upon the first and second policies, the transport network provisioned to implement the first and second paths.

16. A method as defined in claim 14, wherein the first policy defines at least one of an access control parameter, a quality of service (QoS) parameter, a bandwidth parameter, or a service parameter for the first endpoint.

17. A method as defined in claim 14, further comprising provisioning the first path as a label switched path.

18. A method as defined in claim 14, further comprising configuring one or more elements of a transport network to implement the first path.

19. A method as defined in claim 14, further comprising provisioning the first path to reduce a cost associated with operating the first path.

20. A method as defined in claim 14, further comprising:

receiving an indication of a network event; and

provisioning a second path to replace the first path in response to a network event and based upon the first and second policies.

21. A method as defined in claim 20, wherein the network event is at least one of a time-of-day, a day-of-week, a day-of-year, a usage limit per period, a localization priority, a maintenance event, or a network fault.

22. A method as defined in claim 14, wherein one of the one or more elements of the transport network is at least one of an edge device or a core element.

23. An article of manufacture storing machine readable instructions which, when executed, cause a machine to:

select a first path through a transport network for a first endpoint based upon a first policy associated with the first endpoint and a second policy associated with a second endpoint; and

provision one or more elements of the transport network to implement the first path.

24. An article of manufacture as defined in claim 23, wherein the machine readable instructions, when executed, cause the machine to select a second path through the transport network for the second endpoint based upon the first and second policies, the transport network provisioned to implement the first and second paths.

25. An article of manufacture as defined in claim 23, wherein the first policy defines at least one of an access control parameter, a quality of service (QoS) parameter, a bandwidth parameter, or a service parameter for the first endpoint.

26. An article of manufacture as defined in claim 23, wherein the machine readable instructions, when executed, cause the machine to provision the first path as a label switched path.

27. An article of manufacture as defined in claim 23, wherein the machine readable instructions, when executed, cause the machine to configure one or more elements of a transport network to implement the first path.

28. An article of manufacture as defined in claim 23, wherein the machine readable instructions, when executed, cause the machine to provision the first path to reduce a cost associated with operating the first path.

29. An article of manufacture as defined in claim 23, wherein the machine readable instructions, when executed, cause the machine to:

receive an indication of a network event; and

provision a second path to replace the first path in response to a network event and based upon the first and second policies.

30. An article of manufacture as defined in claim 29, wherein the network event is at least one of a time-of-day, a day-of-week, a day-of-year, a usage limit per period, a localization priority, a maintenance event, or a network fault.

31-35. -35. (canceled)