CONTROL MANAGEMENT OF VOICE-OVER-IP PARAMETERS

• US 20100296397A1
• Filed: 08/04/2009
• Published: 11/25/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 05/20/2009
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Accenture Global Services Limited (Accenture PLC)
• Original Assignee: Accenture Global Services GmbH (Accenture PLC)
• Inventors: D'Aleo, Marco, Forlano, Luigi, Fraccalvieri, Donato
• Granted Patent: US 7,983,161 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 370/230.1
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 41/0631 using root cause analysis; using analysis of correlation between notifications, alarms or events based on decision criteria, e.g. hierarchy, tree or time analysis
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 41/14 Network analysis or design
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 43/12 Network monitoring probes
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 47/10 Flow control; Congestion control
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 47/225 Determination of shaping rate, e.g. using a moving window
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 47/25 with rate being modified by the source upon detecting a change of network conditions
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 47/29 using a combination of thresholds

Abstract

A control management system for managing voice-over-IP parameters includes a network traffic shaping control state model for a network traffic shaping control. The network traffic shaping control state model defines state sets that contain states. The state sets may include a pending state set, a running state set, a terminated state set, a finished state set, and a stopped state set. The network traffic shaping control state model also defines intra-state transitions, which are transitions within a state set, and inter-state transitions, which are transitions between state sets. The intra-state and inter-state transitions may be associated with a condition, and the network traffic shaping control changes state according to the intra-state or inter-state transition when the associated condition is satisfied. The associated condition may be satisfied when one or more network event identifiers are generated by the control management system.

Claims

1. A computer implemented method for shaping voice-over-internet protocol traffic, the method comprising:

defining in a computer-readable medium;

network performance thresholds; and

multiple-state control logic;

launching network traffic shaping controls, each network traffic shaping control comprising a separate instantiation of the multiple-state control logic;

generating network event identifiers responsive to analysis of network performance measurements with respect to the network performance thresholds;

driving state transitions in the control logic in the traffic shaping controls using the network event identifiers, where the state transitions include;

a first state transition from a pending state defined in the multiple-state control logic to a running state defined in the multiple-state control logic; and

a second state transition from the running state to at least one of a finished state, terminated state, and a stopped state.

2. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

correlating a network event identifier with a network node status identifier; and

launching the network traffic shaping control where the network event identifier satisfies a network node status condition associated with the network node status identifier.

3. The method of claim 2, wherein the network node status condition is satisfied when an input critical threshold is exceeded.

4. The method of claim 2, wherein the network node status condition is satisfied when an input warning threshold is exceeded and a network performance measurement warning threshold is exceeded.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein the control logic defines:

a terminated state set that identifies when a network traffic shaping control is to be ended at the request of a user;

a finished state set that identifies when a network traffic shaping control is to be ended upon satisfaction of a finishing condition; and

a stopped state set that identifies when a network traffic shaping control is to be ended when a network node has been determined to have stopped responding.

6. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

issuing a control command to a controller that affects the network traffic shaping control; and

wherein the control logic defines;

a wait state that identifies that the network traffic shaping control is in a waiting state until a decision is reached as to whether the controller has acknowledged the control command.

7. The method of claim 6, wherein the controller is determined to not have acknowledged the control command when a predetermined period of time has elapsed after the control command has been issued.

8. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

defining a network traffic shaping control intensity that identifies the intensity of the network traffic shaping control.

9. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

applying the network traffic shaping control to a network traffic flow.

10. The method of claim 9, wherein the network traffic flow is a Session Initiation Protocol network traffic flow.

11. The method of claim 9, wherein the network traffic flow is a signaling network traffic flow.

12. The method of claim 9, wherein the network traffic flow is a media treatment network traffic flow.

13. A computer implemented system for shaping voice-over-internet protocol traffic, the system comprising:

a computer-readable medium that defines;

network performance thresholds; and

multiple-state control logic;

a control manager operative to launch network traffic shaping controls, each network traffic shaping control comprising a separate instantiation of the multiple-state control logic;

a real-time status analyzer operative to generate network event identifiers responsive to analysis of network performance measurements with respect to the network performance thresholds; and

a control management layer operative to drive state transitions in the control logic in the traffic shaping controls using the network event identifiers, where the state transitions include;

a first state transition from a pending state defined in the multiple-state control logic to a running state defined in the multiple-state control logic; and

a second state transition from the running state to at least one of a finished state, terminated state, and a stopped state.

14. The system of claim 13, further comprising:

a real-time event correlator operative to correlate a network event identifier with a network node status identifier; and

wherein;

the control manager is further operative to launch the network traffic shaping control where the network event identifier satisfies a network node status condition associated with the network node status identifier.

15. The system of claim 14, wherein the network node status condition is satisfied when an input critical threshold is exceeded.

16. The system of claim 14, wherein the network node status condition is satisfied when an input warning threshold is exceeded and a network performance measurement warning threshold is exceeded.

17. The system of claim 13, wherein the multiple-state control logic defines:

a terminated state set that identifies when a network traffic shaping control is to be ended at the request of a user;

a finished state set that identifies when a network traffic shaping control is to be ended upon satisfaction of a finishing condition; and

a stopped state set that identifies when a network traffic shaping control is to be ended when a network node has been determined to have stopped responding.

18. The system of claim 13, wherein:

the control management layer is further operative to issue a control command to a controller that affects the network traffic shaping control; and

wherein the multiple-state control logic defines;

a wait state that identifies that the network traffic shaping control is in a waiting state until a decision is reached as to whether the controller has acknowledged the control command.

19. The system of claim 18, wherein the controller is determined to not have acknowledged the control command when a predetermined period of time has elapsed after the control command has been issued.

20. The system of claim 13, wherein the control logic defines:

a network traffic shaping control intensity that identifies the intensity of the network traffic shaping control.

21. The system of claim 13, wherein the control management layer is further operative to communicate the network traffic shaping control to a traffic controller that is operative to enforce the traffic shaping control on a network traffic flow.

22. The system of claim 21, wherein the network traffic flow is a Session Initiation Protocol network traffic flow.

23. The system of claim 21, wherein the network traffic flow is a signaling network traffic flow.

24. The system of claim 21, wherein the network traffic flow is a media treatment network traffic flow.