Method and apparatus for quality of service management

• US 6,047,322 A
• Filed: 12/29/1997
• Issued: 04/04/2000
• Est. Priority Date: 05/27/1997
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Micro Focus Software, Inc. (Open Text Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Ukiah Software, Inc. (Open Text Corporation)
• Inventors: Bisht, Naveen S., Antur, Anand K., Sawhney, Sanjay, Vaid, Aseem
• Primary Examiner(s): Pan, Daniel H.
• Application Number:
  US08/999,096
• Time in Patent Office: 827 Days
• Field of Search: 709/221, 709/228, 709/203, 709/230, 709/233, 709/224, 709/225, 707/10, 714/38, 714/39, 340/825.52, 370/445, 370/449, 370/231, 712/1
• US Class Current: 709/224
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 1/1854 Scheduling and prioritising arrangements
• 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 41/0896 Bandwidth or capacity management, i.e. automatically increasing or decreasing capacities flow or congestion control using dynamic resource allocation, e.g. in-call renegotiation, H04L47/76
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 41/22 comprising specially adapted graphical user interfaces [GUI]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 41/5048 Automatic or semi-automatic definitions, e.g. definition templates
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 43/00 Arrangements for monitoring or testing data switching networks
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 43/0864 Round trip delays
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 43/0888 Throughput
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 47/11 Identifying congestion
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 47/20 Traffic policing
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 47/2441 relying on flow classification, e.g. using integrated services [IntServ]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 47/283 in response to processing delays, e.g. caused by jitter or round trip time [RTT]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 47/323 Discarding or blocking control packets, e.g. ACK packets
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/0209 Architectural arrangements, e.g. perimeter networks or demilitarized zones

Abstract

A novel method for a network of computers to improve quality of services using a combination of a bandwidth management tool in a firewall. The method includes the steps of providing a network directory services server providing network directory services to a plurality of network servers, each of the plurality of network servers coupled to one of the plurality of network quality of service devices, implementing a quality of service policy for the plurality of network quality of service devices on the network directory services server, and using the network directory services to provide configuration information for the plurality of network quality of service devices, in response to the quality of service policy.

Claims

1. A method for configuring a plurality of network quality of service devices, comprising:

coupling each network quality of service device of the plurality of network quality of service devices to a network and a network server the network quality of service device providing quality of service management services for the network coupled to the network quality of service device;

providing a network directory services server coupled to the plurality of network quality of service devices, the network directory services server providing network directory services to the network servers coupled to the plurality of network quality of service devices;

implementing a quality of service policy for the plurality of network quality of service devices on the network directory services server; and

using the network directory services to provide configuration information for the plurality of network quality of service devices, in response to the quality of service policy.

2. The method of claim 1 wherein configuration information for a first network quality of service device and a second network quality of service device are substantially similar.

3. The method of claim 1 wherein configuration information for a first network quality of service device and a second network quality of service device are different.

4. The method of claim 2 wherein the first network quality of service device is based upon a WindowsNT operating system and the second network quality of service device is based upon a operating system selected from a class comprising Novell NetWare, Novell IntranetWare, and UNIX.

5. The method of claim 3 wherein a network server coupled to the first network quality of service device is based upon a WindowsNT operating system and a network server coupled to the second network quality of service device is based upon an operating system selected from a class comprising of Novell NetWare, Novell IntranetWare, and UNIX.

6. The method of claim 1 wherein the network directory services is selected from a class comprising Novell Directory Services, Light weight Directory Access Protocol, and Microsoft Active Directory Services.

7. The method of claim 1 wherein the network directory services is Novell Directory Services.

8. The method of claim 1 wherein one of the plurality of network quality of service devices comprises a firewall.

9. A method for bandwidth management in a plurality of networks comprising:

providing a plurality of bandwidth management servers coupled to a plurality of networks, each bandwidth management server of the plurality of bandwidth management servers providing bandwidth management for the network coupled to the bandwidth management server;

providing a central network server coupled to the plurality of bandwidth management servers and the plurality of networks, the central network server providing directory services to the plurality of networks;

configuring bandwidth management features for the plurality of networks within the central network server via a remote client; and

using the directory services provided by the central network server to provide the bandwidth management features to the plurality of bandwidth management servers.

10. The method of claim 9 wherein each of the plurality of networks are compliant to the directory services.

11. The method of claim 9 wherein bandwidth management features of a first network from the plurality of networks and bandwidth management features of a second network from the plurality of networks are different.

12. The method of claim 11 wherein the bandwidth management server coupled with the first network is based upon a Novell NetWare operating system, and the bandwidth management server coupled with the second network is based upon an operating system selected from the class comprising WindowsNT, Novell NetWare, Novell IntranetWare, and UNIX.

13. The method of claim 9 wherein the directory services is selected from a class comprising Novell Directory Services, Lightweight Directory Access Protocol, and Microsoft Active Directory Services.

14. The method of claim 9 wherein one of the plurality of networks includes a firewall server and wherein bandwidth management features of the one network comprises firewall configuration data.

15. In a network of trusted network servers providing quality of service management services to a plurality of networks, a central computer system coupled to the network of trusted network servers and configured to provide quality of service features for the network of trusted network servers, the computer system including:

a processor; and

a computer readable media including;

code that directs the processor to provide directory services to the network of trusted network servers;

code that directs the processor to receive quality of service configuration data for the network of trusted network servers from a remote client; and

code that directs the processor to use the directory services to provide each trusted network server of the network of trusted network servers with the quality of service configuration data.

16. The network of claim 15 wherein each trusted network server of the network of trusted network servers is compatible to the directory services.

17. The network of claim 15 wherein quality of service configuration data of a first trusted network server from the network of trusted network servers and quality of service configuration data of a second trusted network server from the network of trusted network servers are different.

18. The network of claim 17 wherein the first trusted network server is based upon a Novell IntranetWare operating system, and the second trusted network server is based upon an operating system selected from the class comprising WindowsNT, Novell NetWare, Novell IntranetWare, and UNIX.

19. The network of claim 17 wherein the directory services is selected from a class comprising Novell Directory Services, Lightweight Directory Access Protocol, and Microsoft Active Directory Services.

20. The network of claim 15 wherein quality of service features of one of the network of trusted network servers comprises firewall features.