FLEXIBLE AND SCALABLE METHOD AND APPARATUS FOR DYNAMIC SUBSCRIBER SERVICES CONFIGURATION AND MANAGEMENT

• US 20090157852A1
• Filed: 12/14/2007
• Published: 06/18/2009
• Est. Priority Date: 12/14/2007
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Ericsson AB (Telefonaktiebolaget LM Ericsson)
• Original Assignee: Ericsson AB (Telefonaktiebolaget LM Ericsson)
• Inventors: Krupkin, Michail, Chinnaswamy, Sudhagar
• Granted Patent: US 9,313,108 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 709/220
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 15/177 Initialisation or configuration control processor initialisation G06F9/4405
• 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

Abstract

A method and apparatus is described for configuring a network element for providing services for subscribers by dynamically generating a set of one or more internal network attributes based on a set of relatively simple attributes passed from a server.

Claims

1. A method comprising:

configuring a network element to provide services over a network for a plurality of subscribers including performing the following for each subscriber;

receiving a set of one or more service attributes from a server;

accessing a service profile corresponding to the received service attributes, the service profile configured to store service information not visible to the server, the service information associated with the network services to be provided;

dynamically generating a set of one or more internal attributes based on the stored service information, the internal attributes to be stored internal to the network element and to configure the network element for services for the subscriber; and

applying the set of dynamically generated internal attributes to a set of one or more components of the network element to configure the network element for the services to be provided.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the service information at least includes a service profile name and dynamic service attributes, the dynamic service attributes corresponding to at least one of the received service attributes from the server.

3. The method of claim 2, wherein the service information further includes service parameters, the service parameters having values received with the service attributes passed from the server.

4. The method of claim 3, wherein the service information further includes static service attributes, the static service attributes associated with the services to be provided, wherein the static service attributes are predefined and are to configure the network element for services without dynamic generation.

5. The method of claim 4, wherein the dynamically generating includes expanding the dynamic service attributes by substituting the values of the received service parameters into the corresponding service parameter values within the dynamic service attributes in the accessed service profile, the values being converted into a data type of the particular dynamic service attribute.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein the set of service attributes are user-defined.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein applying the set of dynamically generated internal attributes to the set of components of the network element includes sending the generated internal attributes to the set of components, the set of components to configure the network element for services by enforcing network policies on a set of one or more network packet processors.

8. The method of claim 7, further comprising sending service accounting information associated with the services to be provided to the set of components to configure service accounting for the subscriber.

9. The method of claim 8, further comprising downloading the generated internal attributes directly to the set of one or more packet processors, each of the set of packet processors to perform service accounting at regular intervals and to provide notification when a network volume limit associated with the subscriber is reached.

10. The method of claim 9, wherein the generated internal attributes include a service interim accounting interval attribute and a service volume limit attribute.

11. The method of claim 9, wherein a service activation includes the following additional operations:

receiving a service activation request accompanying the received service attributes over the network;

provisioning the generated internal attributes to the set of components, the components to configure the set of packet processors for services;

provisioning the generated internal attributes to the set of packet processors directly;

receiving a response from the set of components, the response including an attribute provision status;

generating a service start packet if the attribute provision status confirms the generated internal attributes are provisioned; and

sending the service start packet to the server over the network.

12. The method of claim 9, wherein a service deactivation includes the following additional operations:

receiving a service deactivation request accompanying the received service attributes over the network;

locating all services to be deactivated;

un-provisioning the internal attributes associated with the services to be deactivated from the set of components;

un-provisioning the internal attributes associated with the services to be deactivated from the set of packet processors;

receiving final accounting counters for the services to be deactivated if accounting is enabled for the services;

generating a service accounting stop packet, the service accounting stop packet including a service duration; and

sending the service accounting stop packet to the server over the network.

13. The method of claim 1, further including providing response packets to the server including caching of the response packets in a cache memory.

14. A computer-readable storage medium implemented in computer hardware that provides instructions, which when executed by the computer, cause the computer to perform a method, the method comprising:

receiving a set of one or more service attributes from a server;

accessing a service profile corresponding to the received service attributes, the service profile configured to store service information not visible to the server, the service information associated with the network services to be provided;

dynamically generating a set of one or more internal attributes based on the stored service information, the internal attributes to be stored internal to the network element and to configure the network element for services for the subscriber; and

applying the set of dynamically generated internal attributes to a set of one or more components of the network element to configure the network element for the services to be provided.

15. The medium of claim 14, wherein the service information at least includes a service profile name and dynamic service attributes, the dynamic service attributes corresponding to at least one of the received service attributes from the server.

16. The medium of claim 15, wherein the service information further includes service parameters, the service parameters having values received with the service attributes passed from the server.

17. The medium of claim 16, wherein the service information further includes static service attributes, the static service attributes associated with the services to be provided, wherein the static service attributes are predefined and are to configure the network element for services without dynamic generation.

18. The medium of claim 17, wherein the dynamically generating includes expanding the dynamic service attributes by substituting the values of the received service parameters into the corresponding service parameter values within the dynamic service attributes in the accessed service profile, the values being converted into a data type of the particular dynamic service attribute.

19. A network element comprising:

a dynamic service attribute generator including;

a set of one or more service profiles, each service profile corresponding to a network service to be configured on the network element, the set of service profiles each to provide a placeholder to store service information associated with the service;

a service profile parser to receive a set of one or more attributes from a server and the service profile parser including;

a profile access component to detect service attributes from the set of received attributes and to access the service profile corresponding to the detected service attributes and to pass the service information associated with the service to be configured stored within the service profile; and

a service parameter expander to receive the passed service information associated with the service to be configured and to dynamically generate a set of one or more internal attributes from the service information, the internal attributes to configure the network element to provide the network services.

20. The network element of claim 19, further comprising a local per-subscriber memory to store the dynamically generated internal attributes.

21. The network element of claim 20, wherein the service information is not visible to the server and at least includes a service profile name and dynamic service attributes, the dynamic service attributes corresponding to at least one of the received service attributes from the server.

22. The network element of claim 21, wherein the service information further includes service parameters, the service parameters having values received with the service attributes passed from the server.

23. The network element of claim 22, wherein the service information further includes static service attributes, the static service attributes associated with the service to be provided, wherein the static service attributes are predefined and are to configure the network element for services without dynamic generation.

24. The network element of claim 23, wherein the set of internal attributes are dynamically generated by expanding the dynamic service attributes, the expanding comprising substituting the values of the received service parameters into the corresponding service parameter values within the dynamic service attributes in the accessed service profile, the values being converted into a data type of the particular dynamic service attribute.