System and Method for Service Assurance in IP Networks

• US 20090067423A1
• Filed: 09/12/2008
• Published: 03/12/2009
• Est. Priority Date: 09/12/2007
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Nectar Holdings, Inc.
• Original Assignee: Nectar Services Corp.
• Inventors: Visser, Lance Arnold
• Granted Patent: US 8,780,716 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 370/389
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 2012/5636 Monitoring or policing, e.g. compliance with allocated rate, corrective actions
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 47/10 Flow control; Congestion control
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 47/122 by diverting traffic away from congested entities
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 379/90 Internet, e.g. Internet phone, webphone, internet-based telephony

Abstract

A system and method for providing service assurance in a data network is provided. Resource control points are positioned throughout a data network, such as an IP data network. The resource control points obtain network topology information and correlates that information with information associated with a particular service session. The resource control points utilize the correlated information to generate quality service records and to provide status information regarding the network topology and particular sessions. The resource control points may further retrieve link and utilization information to control sessions during periods of congestion.

Claims

1. A communications network comprising:

a plurality of network elements, each network element configured to route traffic through the respective network element, each network element being communicatively coupled to at least one other network element via a plurality of links; and

a control point communicatively coupled to the plurality of network elements to receive utilization and session information, the resource control point configured to instruct one or more of the network elements to terminate or preempt one or more sessions on a congested link.

2. The communications network of claim 1, wherein the communications network is an IP network.

3. The communications network of claim 1, wherein the control point is a resource control point communicatively coupled to a plurality of resource control points.

4. The communications network of claim 1, wherein the control point obtains some session information from a call setup request.

5. The communications network of claim 4, wherein the control point is configured to passively monitor traffic from a signaling session device for a call setup request.

6. The communications network of claim 4, further comprising a signaling session device configured to transmit to the control point the call setup request.

7. The communications network of claim 1, wherein the congested link is explicitly determined by the control point.

8. The communications network of claim 1, wherein the congested link is implicitly determined by the control point.

9. A computer program product for providing session control in a communications network, the computer program product having a medium with a computer program embodied thereon, the computer program comprising:

computer program code for retrieving utilization information from a plurality of network elements;

computer program code for retrieving session information from the plurality of network elements;

computer program code for determining if a link coupled to one or more of the plurality of network elements is congested; and

computer program code for instructing at least one of the plurality of network elements to preempt or terminate a session if a determination is made that the link carrying the session is congested.

10. The computer program product of claim 9, wherein the computer program code for determining comprises computer program code for extracting from a network element an indication of congestion.

11. The computer program product of claim 9, wherein the computer program code for determining comprises computer program code for implicitly determining if a link is congested.

12. The computer program product of claim 9, further comprising computer program code to instruct the at least one of the plurality of network elements to reinstate the session.

13. The computer program product of claim 9, further comprising computer program code for communicating to a network management node using SNMP.

14. A method of controlling a communications network, the method comprising:

obtaining utilization information from a plurality of network routers;

obtaining session information from the plurality of network routers;

determining a communications link is congested; and

upon determining a communications link is congested, instructing at least one of the plurality of network routers to preempt or terminate one or more sessions utilizing the communications link.

15. The method of claim 14, wherein the determining a communications link is congested is performed at least in part by extracting link congestion information from another network element.

16. The method of claim 15, wherein the other network element comprises a network management system.

17. The method of claim 14, wherein the determining a communications link is congested is performed at least in part by deriving a link congestion condition based upon the session information and link information.

18. The method of claim 14, further comprising, upon determining the communications link is no longer congested, instructing the at least one of the plurality of network routers to reinstate the session.