End-to-end capacity and priority management through multiple packet network segments

• US 20100034197A1
• Filed: 12/30/2008
• Published: 02/11/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 08/08/2008
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Alcatel-Lucent USA, Inc. (Nokia Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Alcatel-Lucent USA, Inc. (Nokia Corporation)
• Inventors: Sathyanath, Ajay, Das, Kamala Prasad
• Application Number:
  US12/317,883
• Publication Number:
  US 20100034197A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 370/352
• 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 47/786 Mapping reservation between domains
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 47/822 Collecting or measuring resource availability data
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 47/83 based on usage prediction

Abstract

Apparatus and method for management of a communications network are provided. An exemplary method includes receiving at a first network a notice of an intended communication to a called party network, wherein the intended communication requires at least one resource for supporting a streaming data protocol between a calling party network and the called party network; verifying resource availability of at least one resource in the first network; and in parallel with said verifying, forwarding the notice of an intended communication to a second network and toward the called party network prior to receiving an indication of resource availability of the at least one resource in the first network required for the intended communication.

Claims

1. A method comprising:

receiving at a first network a notice of an intended communication to a called party network, wherein the intended communication requires at least one resource for supporting a streaming data protocol between a calling party network and the called party network;

verifying resource availability of at least one resource in the first network; and

in parallel with said verifying, forwarding the notice of an intended communication to a second network and toward the called party network prior to receiving an first indication of resource availability of the at least one resource in the first network required for the intended communication.

2. The method of claim 1 wherein the indication of resource availability includes an indicator of resource sufficiency associated with the intended communication.

3. The method of claim 1 wherein verifying resource availability of at least one resource in the first network comprises:

reserving the at least one resource in the first network if the resource is available.

4. The method of claim 1 further comprising:

receiving at the first network a second indication of resource availability of at least one resource at the second network required for the intended communication.

5. The method of claim 4 further comprising:

forwarding a re-invite of the intended communication to the second network and toward the called party network in the event the first indication and the second indication signify resource availability for at least one resource in each network from the calling party network to the called party network.

6. The method of claim 4 further comprising:

forwarding a request to a transit network interposed the first network and the second network for verifying with the transit network a predetermined Service Level Agreement (SLA) and that the SLA assures at least one requirement of the intended communication;

receiving resource availability information for the transit network; and

forwarding a re-invite of the intended communication to the second network and toward the called party network in the event the first indication, the second indication and the resource availability information for the transit network signify resource availability for at least one resource in each network from the calling party network to the called party network.

7. The method of claim 1 further comprising:

in the event of receipt of a ringing message, forwarding a lock message, the lock message instructing that the at least one resource in the first network is to be used.

8. A method of capacity and priority management for use in a system comprising a plurality of networks, each of the networks including a packet network for supporting a streaming data protocol between a calling party network and a called party network, the method comprising:

receiving at a first network a notice of intended communication from a calling party network to a called party network;

determining for the intended communication resource availability information for the first network in response to said receiving;

reserving a resource within the first network in the event of resource availability based on the resource availability information for the first network;

in parallel with said determining and in response to said receiving, forwarding the notice of intended communication to a second network and toward the called party network prior to completion of said determining for the intended communication resource availability information for the first network;

receiving resource availability information for at least one other network associated with the intended communication in the event of resource availability for the at least one other network associated with the intended communication;

forwarding a corresponding resource availability message based on the resource availability information for the first network and the resource availability information for the at least one other network indicating resource availability for the intended communication.

9. The method of claim 8 wherein forwarding a corresponding resource availability message comprises:

forwarding the corresponding resource availability message within the first network.

10. The method of claim 8 wherein forwarding a corresponding resource availability message comprises:

forwarding the corresponding resource availability message to a third network.

11. The method of claim 8 wherein the second network and the third network are the same network.

12. The method of claim 8 wherein determining for the intended communication resource availability information for the first network is performed via at least one of an open loop control and an accounting based control.

13. The method of claim 8 wherein determining for the intended communication resource availability information for the first network comprises:

communicating with a resource access control function (RACF) to verify the resource availability information concerning the first network.

14. The method of claim 8 wherein, wherein determining for the intended communication resource availability information for the first network further comprises

forwarding a request to a transit network interposed the first network and the second network for verifying with the transit network a predetermined Service Level Agreement (SLA) and that the SLA assures at least one requirement of the intended communication;

and

receiving resource availability information for the transit network.

15. The method of claim 8 further comprising

forwarding at least one of a SDPReoffer message or a re-invitation message for the intended communication after forwarding a resource availability message.

16. The method of claim 8 further comprising

receiving a ringing message;

and

locking the resource within the first network that was reserved in response to the ringing message.

17. The method of claim 8 wherein the notice of intended communication includes a priority indicator, the method further comprising,

while determining resource availability for a first intended communication, preventing determining resource availability for a second intended communication having a priority indicator less than or equal to a priority indicator for the first intended communication.

18. An apparatus for managing a first network, the first network including a packet network for supporting a streaming data protocol between a calling party network and a called party network, the apparatus comprising:

a call session control functional element (CSCF) for receiving a notice of an intended communication from a calling party network to a called party network, requesting resource availability information for the first network in response to the notice, and propagating the notice of intended communication toward the called party network prior to receiving corresponding resource availability information for the intended communication; and

a priority service functional element (PSFE) for verifying for the intended communication the resource availability information for the first network in response to a request from the CSCF, receiving resource availability information for at least one other network supporting the intended communication, forwarding the corresponding resource availability information to the CSCF element, and storing resource allocation information;

wherein the PSFE reserves a resource within the first network in response to verifying resource availability for the first network and forwards the corresponding resource availability information to the CSCF in the event the resource availability information for the first network and the resource availability information for the at least one other network indicate resource availability for the intended communication.

19. The apparatus of claim 18, wherein the PSFE supports at least one of an open loop control and an accounting based control.

20. The apparatus of claim 18, wherein the first network further includes a resource access control function (RACF), and wherein the PSFE verifies the resource availability information concerning the first network using the RACF.

21. The apparatus of claim 18, wherein the PSFE forwards the corresponding resource availability information to the CSCF in the event the resource availability information for the first network and the resource availability information for the at least one other network indicate resource availability for each network from the called party network to the first network.

22. The apparatus of claim 18, wherein the CSCF to transmits a re-invite message in the event the corresponding resource availability information indicates resource availability for each network from the calling party network to the called party network.