CLASSIFYING CLIENT DEVICES IN A NETWORK

• US 20140310398A1
• Filed: 05/31/2013
• Published: 10/16/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 04/11/2013
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Cellco Partnership, Inc. (Verizon Communications Inc.), Verizon Patent and Licensing Incorporated (Verizon Communications Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Cellco Partnership, Inc. (Verizon Communications Inc.), Verizon Patent and Licensing Incorporated (Verizon Communications Inc.)
• Inventors: Zhou, Jingyi, Zhu, Lily Hui, Venizelos, Paul, Schmidt, Christopher M., Geltner, David, Kamal, Ashfaq, Stansell, Robert Bruce, Tam, Mimi K.
• Granted Patent: US 9,596,154 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 709/224
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 41/085 Retrieval of network configuration; Tracking network configuration history
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 41/0893 Assignment of logical groups to network elements
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 41/0894 Policy-based network configuration management
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 43/08 Monitoring or testing based on specific metrics, e.g. QoS, energy consumption or environmental parameters

Abstract

One or more devices may receive attribute information identifying multiple attributes associated with a client device; classify the client device based on the attribute information; and provide, based on classifying the client device, classification information to a network device to cause the network device to associate a particular policy set, of multiple policy sets, with the client device. The classification information may identify a classification of the client device. The particular policy set may be based on the classification of the client device and may include an instruction used to process a data flow provided to or provided from the client device.

Claims

1. A method comprising:

receiving, by one or more devices, attribute information identifying a plurality of attributes associated with a client device;

classifying, by the one or more devices, the client device based on the attribute information; and

providing, by the one or more devices and based on classifying the client device, classification information to a network device to cause the network device to associate a particular policy set, of a plurality of policy sets, with the client device,

the classification information identifying a classification of the client device,

the particular policy set being based on the classification of the client device,

the particular policy set including an instruction used to process a data flow provided to or provided from the client device.

2. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

receiving a registration request from the client device,

the registration request including identification information to uniquely identify the client device;

authorizing the client device to communicate with the network device based on the identification information; and

providing, based on authorizing the client device, a response to the client device to indicate that the client device is authorized to communicate with the network device,

where receiving the attribute information is based on providing the response to the client device.

3. The method of claim 1, where the plurality of attributes identify at least one of a hardware profile, a software profile, a function, a geographic location, or an internet protocol (IP) address of the client device.

4. The method of claim 1, where the instruction to process the data flow causes the network device to provide the data flow with a particular network resource.

5. The method of claim 1, where the instruction to process the data flow causes the network device to provide the data flow with a particular quality of service (QoS) or a particular service.

6. The method of claim 1, where the classification information includes an identifier of the client device,

the network device associating the client device with the particular policy set further based on the identifier of the client device.

7. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

receiving an acknowledgement from the network device when the network device associates the particular policy set to the client device; and

providing the acknowledgement to the client device to permit the client device to provide or receive the data flow.

8. The method of claim 1, where the client device is a machine-to-machine (M2M) device including at least one of a sensor or an application.

9. A system comprising:

one or more devices to;

receive attribute information identifying a plurality of attributes associated with a client device;

classify the client device based on the attribute information; and

provide, based on classifying the client device, classification information to a network device to cause the network device to associate a particular policy set, of a plurality of policy sets, with the client device,

the classification information identifying a classification of the client device,

the particular policy set being based on the classification of the client device,

the particular policy set including an instruction used to process a data flow provided to or provided from the client device to provide the data flow with a particular network resource, a particular Quality of Service (QoS), or a particular service.

10. The system of claim 9, where the one or more devices are further to:

receive a registration request from the client device,

the registration request including identification information to uniquely identify the client device;

authorize the client device to communicate with the network device based on the identification information; and

provide, based on authorizing the client device, a response to the client device to indicate that the client device is authorized to communicate with the network device,

where when receiving the attribute information, the one or more devices are further to receive the attribute information based on providing the response to the client device.

11. The system of claim 9, where the plurality of attributes identify at least one of a hardware profile, a software profile, a function, a geographic location, or an internet protocol (IP) address of the client device.

12. The system of claim 9, where the classification information includes an identifier of the client device,

the network device associating the client device with the particular policy set further based on the identifier of the client device.

13. The system of claim 9, where the one or more devices are further to:

receive an acknowledgement from the network device when the network device associates the particular policy set to the client device; and

provide the acknowledgement to the client device to permit the client device to provide or receive the data flow.

14. The system of claim 9, where the client device is a machine-to-machine (M2M) device including at least one of a sensor or an application.

15. A computer-readable medium for storing instructions, the instructions comprising:

a plurality of instructions which, when executed by one or more processors, cause the one or more processors to;

receive attribute information identifying a plurality of attributes associated with a client device;

classify the client device based on the attribute information; and

provide, based on classifying the client device, classification information to a network device to cause the network device to associate a particular policy set, of a plurality of policy sets, with the client device,

the classification information identifying a classification of the client device and an identifier of the client device,

the particular policy set being based on the classification of the client device,

the particular policy set including an instruction used to process a data flow provided to or provided from the client device.

16. The computer-readable medium of claim 15, where the plurality of instructions further cause the one or more processors to:

receive a registration request from the client device,

the registration request including identification information to uniquely identify the client device;

authorize the client device to communicate with the network device based on the identification information; and

provide, based on authorizing the client device, a response to the client device to indicate that the client device is authorized to communicate with the network device,

where one or more instructions, of the plurality of instructions, to receive the attribute information, further cause the one or more processors to receive the attribute information based on providing the response to the client device.

17. The computer-readable medium of claim 15, where the plurality of attributes identify at least one of a hardware profile, a software profile, a function, a geographic location, or an internet protocol (IP) address of the client device.

18. The computer-readable medium of claim 15, where the instruction to process the data flow causes the network device to provide the data flow with a particular network resource.

19. The computer-readable medium of claim 15, where the instruction to process the data flow causes the network device to provide the data flow with a particular quality of service (QoS) or a particular service.

20. The computer-readable medium of claim 15, where the client device is a machine-to-machine (M2M) device including at least one of a sensor or an application.