INTELLIGENT TRAFFIC QUOTA MANAGEMENT

• US 20130148668A1
• Filed: 12/09/2011
• Published: 06/13/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 12/09/2011
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Telefonaktiebolaget LM Ericsson
• Original Assignee: Brian Kean, Suraj Jaiswal, Swapna Yelamanchi
• Inventors: KEAN, BRIAN, JAISWAL, SURAJ, YELAMANCHI, SWAPNA
• Granted Patent: US 8,948,191 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 370/401
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 12/1435 volume-based
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 12/1467 involving prepayment
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 41/50 Network service management, e.g. ensuring proper service fulfilment according to agreements
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 47/70 Admission control; Resource allocation

Abstract

A network element acts as a gateway to a data network for a subscriber end station. The network element includes control plane operable to communicate with a first network processing unit (NPU) and a second NPU, which are operable to communicate with the subscriber end station. The control plane includes a quota management module, which determines a quota amount to be assigned to the first NPU and the second NPU. The quota management module assigns a portion of the quota amount to the first NPU and another portion of the quota amount to the second NPU. The quota management module may determine to change the distribution of an unconsumed quota amount between the first NPU and the second NPU, determine the unconsumed quota amount, and assign a portion of the unconsumed quota amount to the first NPU and another portion of the unconsumed quota amount to the second NPU.

Claims

1. A network element, which is to be coupled between a data network and a subscriber end station, to act as a gateway to the data network for the subscriber end station and perform intelligent quota management of one or more subscriber flow quotas that limit the amount of traffic sent between the data network and the subscriber end station, the network element comprising:

a first network processing unit (NPU) operable to communicate with the subscriber end station;

a second NPU operable to communicate with the subscriber end station;

a control plane operable to communicate with the first NPU and second NPU, comprising a quota management module operable to;

determine a quota amount associated with one of one or more traffic flows to be assigned to the first NPU and second NPU,

assign a first portion of the quota amount to the first NPU and a second portion of the quota amount to the second NPU,

determine to change the distribution of an unconsumed quota amount between the first NPU and the second NPU,

determine the unconsumed quota amount, and

assign a portion of the unconsumed quota amount to the first NPU and another portion of the unconsumed quota amount to the second NPU.

2. The network element of claim 1, wherein the quota management module is further operable to communicate with a remote quota server, wherein the quota management module is to determine the quota amount to be assigned to the first NPU and second NPU based upon a quota provision message received from the remote quota server, wherein the quota provision message includes a provisioned quota amount.

3. The network element of claim 1, wherein a ratio of the first portion of the quota amount to the second portion of the quota amount is proportional to an historic NPU usage ratio, wherein the historic NPU usage ratio indicates a ratio of an amount of quota for the one of the one or more traffic flows that was consumed by the first NPU during all communications with the subscriber end station to another amount of quota for the one of the one or more traffic flows that was consumed by the second NPU during all communications with the subscriber end station.

4. The network element of claim 1, wherein the quota management module is to determine to change the distribution of the unconsumed quota amount between the first NPU and the second NPU upon receipt of a quota exhausted message from the first NPU, and wherein the quota exhausted message signifies that the first NPU has consumed an amount of its assigned quota amount.

5. The network element of claim 4, wherein the quota management module is to determine the unconsumed quota amount by:

sending a quota consumed query message to the second NPU, wherein the quota consumed query message is to indicate a request for an amount of the portion of the quota amount that has been consumed by the second NPU;

receiving a quota consumed report message from the second NPU, wherein the quota consumed report message comprises a consumed amount, and wherein the consumed amount is the amount of the portion of the quota amount that has been consumed by the second NPU; and

determining the amount of the unconsumed quota amount based on the quota consumed report message.

6. The network element of claim 4, wherein the quota management module is to determine the unconsumed quota amount by:

sending a quota available query message to the second NPU, wherein the quota available query message is to indicate a request for an amount of the portion of the quota amount that has not been consumed by the second NPU;

receiving a quota available report message from the second NPU, wherein the quota available report message comprises an available amount, and wherein the available amount is the amount of the portion of the quota amount that has not been consumed by the second NPU; and

determining the amount of the unconsumed quota amount based on the quota available report message.

7. The network element of claim 1, wherein the quota management module is further operable to send a quota consumed report message to a remote quota server, wherein the quota consumed report message includes a consumed quota amount, and wherein the consumed quota amount is to indicate an amount of the quota amount that has been consumed by the first NPU and the second NPU.

8. The network element of claim 7, wherein the control module further comprises a quota tracking module operable to track a quota consumed amount, wherein the quota consumed amount is a portion of the quota amount that has been consumed by the first NPU and the second NPU, and wherein sending the quota consumed report message to the remote quota server is to occur in response to the quota consumed amount exceeding a request threshold, wherein the request threshold is to indicate a fraction of the quota amount that is to be consumed before sending the quota consumed report message to the remote quota server.

9. The network element of claim 7, wherein the control module further comprises a quota tracking module operable to track a redistribution count, wherein the redistribution count is the number of times the quota amount has been redistributed between the first NPU and the second NPU, wherein sending the quota consumed report message to the remote quota server occurs in response to the redistribution count being equal to a redistribution limit, wherein the redistribution limit is to indicate the number of times the quota amount is to be redistributed before sending the quota consumed report message to the remote quota server.

10. A method in a network element acting as a gateway in a communications network for intelligent quota management of a set of one or more subscriber flow quotas associated with a subscriber end station, each of the set of quotas for limiting the amount of traffic travelling between the network element and the subscriber end station in one or more traffic flows, the method comprising the steps of:

assigning a first quota portion to a first network processing unit (NPU), wherein the first quota portion is a portion of one of the set of quotas associated with one of the one or more traffic flows;

assigning a second quota portion to a set of one or more other NPUs, wherein the second quota portion is another portion of the one of the set of quotas;

determining to change the distribution of an unconsumed quota amount of the one of the set of quotas;

determining the unconsumed quota amount of the one of the set of quotas;

assigning a third quota portion to the first NPU, wherein the third quota portion is a portion of the unconsumed quota amount of the one of the set of quotas; and

assigning a fourth quota portion to the set of other NPUs, wherein the fourth quota portion is another portion of the unconsumed quota amount of the one of the set of quotas.

11. The method of claim 10, further comprising the steps of:

receiving a quota provision message for the one of the set of quotas from a remote quota server, wherein the quota provision message includes a provisioned quota amount indicating a quota amount for the one of the set of quotas; and

determining the one of the set of quotas based on the provisioned quota amount.

12. The method of claim 10, wherein the first quota portion and the second quota portion are assigned in proportion to an historic NPU usage ratio, wherein the historic NPU usage ratio indicates an amount of the one of the set of quotas consumed by each NPU during all communications with the subscriber end station.

13. The method of claim 10, wherein the third quota portion and the fourth quota portion are assigned in proportion to an NPU usage ratio, wherein the NPU usage ratio indicates an amount of the one of the set of quotas consumed by the first NPU in relation to another amount of the one of the set of quotas consumed by the set of other NPUs.

14. The method of claim 10, wherein determining to change the distribution of the unconsumed quota amount of the one of the set of quotas comprises receiving a quota exhausted message from the first NPU, the quota exhausted message indicating that the first NPU has consumed an amount of the first quota portion.

15. The method of claim 14, wherein the quota exhausted message indicates that the first NPU has consumed the first quota portion.

16. The method of claim 14, wherein determining the unconsumed quota amount of the one of the set of quotas comprises the steps of:

sending a quota consumed query message to each of the set of other NPUs, wherein each quota consumed query message indicates a request for an amount of the portion of the one of the set of quotas that has been consumed by a corresponding one of the set of other NPUs;

receiving one or more quota consumed report messages from the set of other NPUs, the quota consumed report messages comprising a consumed amount, wherein the consumed amount is the amount of the portion of the one of the set of quotas consumed by a corresponding one of the set of other NPUs; and

determining the amount of the one of the set of quotas that is unconsumed based on the one or more quota consumed report messages.

17. The method of claim 14, wherein determining the unconsumed quota amount of the one of the set of quotas comprises the steps of:

sending a quota available query message to each of the set of other NPUs, wherein the quota available query message indicates a request for an amount of the portion of the one of the set of quotas that has not been consumed by a corresponding one of the set of other NPUs;

receiving one or more quota available report messages from the set of other NPUs, the quota available report message comprising an available amount, wherein the available amount is the amount of the portion of the one of the set of quotas not consumed by a corresponding one of the set of other NPUs; and

determining the amount of the one of the set of quotas that is unconsumed based on the one or more quota available report messages.

18. The method of claim 10, further comprising the step of sending a quota consumed report message for the one of the set of quotas to a remote quota server, wherein the quota consumed report message includes a consumed quota amount, wherein the consumed quota amount indicates an amount of the one of the set of quotas that has been consumed by the first NPU and the set of other NPUs.

19. The method of claim 18, wherein the step of sending the quota consumed report message for the one of the set of quotas to the remote quota server occurs when a quota consumed amount exceeds a request threshold, wherein the quota consumed amount is a portion of the one of the set of quotas that has been consumed by the first NPU and the set of other NPUs since a last quota provision message for the one of the set of quotas was received from the remote quota server, wherein the quota provision message includes a quota provision amount, the quota provision amount indicating a quota amount to be added to the one of the set of quotas, and wherein the request threshold indicates a fraction of the quota amount that is to be consumed before sending the quota consumed report message to the remote quota server.

20. The method of claim 18, wherein the step of sending the quota consumed report message for the one of the set of quotas occurs if a redistribution count is equal to a redistribution limit, wherein the redistribution count is the number of times the determination to change the distribution of the one of the set of quotas has occurred since a last quota provision message for the one of the set of quotas was received from the remote quota server, wherein the quota provision message includes a quota provision amount, the quota provision amount indicating a quota amount to be added to the one of the set of quotas, and wherein the redistribution limit is a defined number of times the amount of the one of the set of quotas that is unconsumed is to be redistributed to a set of one or more NPUs before sending the quota consumed report message to the remote quota server.