DEVICE AND SYSTEM FOR SELECTIVE FORWARDING

• US 20100325309A1
• Filed: 07/01/2010
• Published: 12/23/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 01/02/2008
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Media Network Services AS
• Original Assignee: Media Network Services AS
• Inventors: Cicic, Tarik, Bryhni, Haakon
• Granted Patent: US 9,455,924 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 709/238
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 12/66 Arrangements for connecting between networks having differing types of switching systems, e.g. gateways
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 43/00 Arrangements for monitoring or testing data switching networks
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 45/02 Topology update or discovery
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 45/306 Route determination based on the nature of the carried application
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 47/2441 relying on flow classification, e.g. using integrated services [IntServ]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 9/40 Network security protocols

Abstract

A system and method of operating equipment and services to allow enhanced global transport of IP packets is presented. A global virtual network with guaranteed capacity is used to transport said IP packets. A number of application-specific forwarding devices are deployed to detect and forward selected traffic types to the virtual network. The application-specific selective forwarding devices can be implemented based on the IP packets analysis, or by deploying enhanced control protocols like SIP/H.323.

Claims

1. An application-specific selective data packet forwarding device forwarding selected data packets with any destination address to the address of a retransmission device in a dedicated transport network, wherein the address of the retransmission device is determined by a mapping from the incoming packet header or packet content, and wherein the forwarding device communicates with control servers providing admission control to the transport network.

2. An application-specific selective data packet forwarding device according to claim 1, where the device redirects latency and bandwidth-sensitive traffic to a dedicated transport network with sufficient capacity.

3. An application-specific selective data packet forwarding device according to claim 1, where the forwarding device uses tunnels to forward packets to the re-transmission device.

4. An application-specific selective data packet forwarding device according to claim 1, where the forwarding device uses proxy mechanism to forward packets to the re-transmission device.

5. An application-specific selective data packet forwarding device according to claim 1, where the address of the re-transmission device is an IP address.

6. An application-specific selective data packet forwarding device according to claim 1, where the address of the re-transmission device is a SIP URI address.

7. An application-specific selective data packet forwarding device according to claim 1, where the address of the re-transmission device is an H.323 URI address.

8. An application-specific selective data packet forwarding device according to claim 1, where the mapping is done in the device using a packet analyzer.

9. An application-specific selective data packet forwarding device according to claim 1, where the device asks the server whether the packet with a specific header field combination should be transported using the dedicated network or not.

10. An application-specific selective data packet forwarding device according to claim 1, where the mapping is based on BGP information from another network.

11. An application-specific selective data packet forwarding device according to claim 1, where the mapping is based on network load information from the dedicated network.

12. An application-specific selective data packet forwarding device according to claim 1, where the selected re-transmission device in the dedicated network selected in the mapping is the re-transmission device closest to the destination address.

13. An application-specific selective data packet forwarding device according to claim 1, where the selected re-transmission device in the dedicated network selected in the mapping is the re-transmission device closest to the source address.

14. An end-to-end application-specific selective transport network (ASSTN) comprising a transport network, with re-transmission devices at multiple points of presence, internally connected by guaranteed bandwidth channels, connected to multiple ISPs,

further comprising:

a centralized or distributed server function, implementing a mapping function between an address space and the address of re-transmission device within the transport network, and

an application-specific selective forwarding device according to any of the preceding claims.

15. An end-to-end application-specific selective transport network according to claim 14, where the re-transmission device is an IP router.

16. An end-to-end application-specific selective transport network according to claim 14, where the re-transmission device is a SIP media proxy.

17. An end-to-end application-specific selective transport network according to claim 14, where the re-transmission device is an H.323 media proxy.

18. An end-to-end application-specific selective transport network according to claim 14, where the control server manages the routing configuration in the transport network.

19. An end-to-end application-specific selective transport network according to claim 14, where the communication between the control server and the application-specific selective forwarding device is encrypted.

20. An end-to-end application-specific selective transport network according to claim 19, where the control server selectively instructs the re-transmission devices to select a transit connection instead of re-transmitting packets in the transport network where the selection is based on network load.

21. An end-to-end application-specific selective transport network (ASSTN), comprising local networks, a transport network, with re-transmission devices at multiple points of presence, internally connected by guaranteed bandwidth channels, connected to multiple ISPs, wherein said transport network has guaranteed capacity dedicated to authorized users, and where admission control to the transport network is provided by control servers, and further comprising an application-specific selective forwarding device, redirecting selected latency and bandwidth-sensitive traffic, addressed to any destination to the address of a re-transmission device in the transport network, where said re-transmission device address is determined by a mapping between an address space and the addresses of the re-transmission devices within the transport network.

22. An end-to-end application-specific selective transport network according to claim 21, where at least one local network comprises said application-specific selective forwarding device.

23. An end-to-end application-specific selective transport network according to claim 21, where said application-specific selective forwarding device is located in a terminal with an endpoint control system.

24. An end-to-end application-specific selective transport network according to claim 21, where said re-transmission device address is determined by a mapping between the packet header or packet content and the addresses of the re-transmission device within the transport network.

25. An end-to-end application-specific selective transport network according to claim 21 where said mapping is controlled by a centralized or distributed server, implementing a mapping function between an address space and the addresses of re-transmission device within the transport network.

26. An end-to-end application-specific selective transport network according to claim 21 where said address of the re-transmission device is an IP address.

27. An end-to-end application-specific selective transport network according to claim 21, wherein the said mapping is based on BGP routing information from the transport network.

28. An end-to-end application-specific selective transport network according to claim 21, where the mapping is based on the current network load in the transport network.

29. An end-to-end application-specific selective transport network according to claim 21, where the selected re-transmission device in the transport network selected in the mapping function is the retransmission device closest to the destination address.

30. An end-to-end application-specific selective transport network according to claim 21, where the selected re-transmission device in the transport network selected in the mapping is the re-transmission device closest to the source address.

31. An end-to-end application-specific selective transport network according to claim 21, where the control server manages the routing configuration in the dedicated transport network.

32. An end-to-end application-specific selective transport network according to claim 21, where the communication between the control server and the application-specific selective forwarding device is encrypted.

33. An end-to-end application-specific selective transport network according to claim 21, where the forwarding device uses tunnels to forward packets to the re-transmission device.

34. An end-to-end application-specific selective transport network according to claim 21, where the forwarding device uses proxy mechanism to forward packets to the re-transmission device.

35. An end-to-end application-specific selective transport network according to claim 21, where the endpoint control system uses TURN to forward packets to the re-transmission device.

36. An application-specific selective forwarding device, adapted to

redirect selected latency and bandwidth-sensitive traffic addressed to any destination to the address of a re-transmission device in a transport network,

determine the re-transmission device IP address by a mapping between an address space and the addresses of the re-transmission devices within the transport network, and

communicate with control servers providing admission control to the transport network, the transport network having guaranteed capacity dedicated to authorized users.

37. An application-specific selective forwarding device according to claim 36, where the said mapping is determined by a SIP proxy which informs the calling terminal to use said re-transmission device for communication with the called terminal, and inform the called terminal to use the said re-transmission device for communication with the caller.

38. An application-specific selective forwarding device according to claim 36, where the said mapping is determined by a control server.

39. An application-specific selective forwarding device according to claim 36, where the retransmission device is a TURN server.

40. An application-specific selective forwarding device according to claim 36, where the said forwarding device is located in an enterprise network.

41. An application-specific selective forwarding device according to claim 36, where the said forwarding device is located on the Internet.