Method and system for mapping virtual connections to asymmetric digital subscriber line latency paths

• US 6,396,837 B1
• Filed: 03/03/2000
• Issued: 05/28/2002
• Est. Priority Date: 03/03/2000
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Hewlett-Packard Development Company, L.P. (HP Inc.)
• Original Assignee: 3Com Corporation (HP Inc.)
• Inventors: Shieh, Paul Y. B., Wang, Ray
• Primary Examiner(s): VINCENT, DAVID ROBERT
• Application Number:
  US09/518,391
• Time in Patent Office: 816 Days
• Field of Search: 370/395,230,231,235,236,248,252,465,466,467,469,419,480,395.1,395.2,395.3
• US Class Current: 370/395.21
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 12/5601 Transfer mode dependent, e.g. ATM
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 2012/5615 Network termination, e.g. NT1, NT2, PBX
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 2012/563 Signalling, e.g. protocols, reference model
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 2012/6478 Digital subscriber line, e.g. DSL, ADSL, HDSL, XDSL, VDSL
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 11/062 using different frequency bands for speech and other data

Abstract

A method and system for mapping virtual connections to asymmetric digital subscriber line (“ADSL”) latency paths. A request for virtual connection from a transport network (e.g., Asynchronous Transport Mode, Frame Relay, etc.) with a desired service category (e.g., quality-of-service) and a desired latency is mapped to an ADSL device latency interface by checking a latency mapping policy. This mapping provides a virtual connection with a desired service category and a desired latency over ADSL links. The latency mapping includes an embedded service category mapping from a transport network to latency paths at an ADSL transmission convergence sub-layer allowing differential services to be provided for user data based on a desired service category. The latency mapping mechanism may help provide use of end-to-end service categories such as quality-of-service categories, over real-time ADSL links.

Claims

1. A method for latency path mapping in an asymmetric data transmission system, comprising:

receiving a control signal from a transport network on an asymmetric digital subscriber line access node on a first connection to request a desired service category on a virtual connection between the asymmetric digital subscriber line access node connected to the transport network and an asymmetric digital subscriber line service module connected to a customer premise distribution network;

checking a latency mapping policy on the asymmetric digital subscriber line access node to determine a desired latency mapping for the virtual connection based on the desired service category;

creating the desired latency mapping for the virtual connection between the asymmetric digital subscriber line access node and the asymmetric digital subscriber line service module over a second connection, thereby providing a virtual connection with a desired service category including a desired latency mapping between the transport network and the customer premise distribution network via the asymmetric digital subscriber line access node and the asymmetric digital subscriber line service module.

2. A computer readable medium having stored therein instructions for causing a central processing unit to execute the method of claim 1.

3. The method of claim 1 wherein the transport network is any of an Asynchronous Transport Mode network or a Frame Relay network.

4. The method of claim 1 wherein the step of checking a latency mapping policy includes checking a latency mapping policy in a control plane in the asymmetric digital subscriber line access node.

5. The method of claim 4 wherein the step of checking a latency mapping policy in a control plane on the asymmetric digital subscriber line access node includes checking a latency mapping policy from a Connection Access Control function in the control plane in the access node.

6. The method of claim 1 wherein the step of receiving a control signal from a transport network on a first connection on an access node to request a desired service category on a virtual connection includes receiving a control signal for a desired quality-of-service category.

7. The method of claim 1 wherein the step of receiving a control signal from a transport network on a first connection on an asymmetric digital subscriber line access node to request a desired service category on a virtual connection includes receiving an Asynchronous Transfer Mode call setup signal or a Frame Relay call setup signal including a desired quality-of-service.

8. The method of claim 1 wherein the step creating the desired latency mapping for the virtual connection includes creating the desired latency mapping at a transmission convergence sub-layer on the asymmetric digital subscriber line access node.

9. The method of claim 1 wherein the step of creating the desired latency mapping for the virtual connection includes creating the desired latency mapping between a first port on a transport network interface and a second port on an asymmetric digital subscriber line latency interface on the asymmetric digital subscriber line access node.

10. The method of claim 1 wherein the second connection includes a connection between an asymmetric transmission unit-central interface on the asymmetric digital subscriber line access node and an asymmetric transmission unit-remote on the asymmetric digital subscriber line device.

11. The method of claim 1 wherein the step of creating the desired latency mapping for the virtual connection comprises:

calling a latency mapping function from a connection admission control function with a latency mapping request; and

performing a desired latency mapping from the latency mapping function; and

returning a connection indication from the latency mapping function to the connection admission control function.

12. The method of claim 11 wherein the connection admission control function is in a control plane on the asymmetric digital subscriber line access node and the latency mapping function is in a virtual channel/virtual path interface on the asymmetric digital subscriber line access node.

13. The method of claim 11 wherein the connection admission control function and the latency mapping function are in a control plane on the asymmetric digital subscriber line access node.

14. An access node in an asymmetric data transmission system, the access node comprising in combination:

a transport network interface for connecting to a transport network;

a virtual channel/virtual path interface for managing virtual channels and virtual paths used on a virtual connection;

a control plane for establishing calls, establishing circuits and managing virtual connections;

a plurality of latency interfaces for establishing fast latency paths and interleaved latency paths; and

a plurality of asymmetric digital subscriber line transmission unit-central interfaces for connecting the transport network to a plurality of asymmetric digital subscriber line devices at a plurality of asymmetric digital subscribed line transmission unit-remote interfaces.

15. The access node of claim 14 further comprising a connection to a asymmetric digital subscriber device including an asymmetric digital subscriber line transmission unit-remote interface.

16. The access node of claim 15 wherein the connection includes a twisted pair of copper wires.

17. A latency mapping system for an asymmetric data transmission system, comprising in combination:

a latency mapping policy for mapping a desired transport network service category to an asymmetric digital subscriber line latency path;

a connection admission control function for checking the mapping policy and calling a latency mapping function to establish a virtual connection including a desired latency path for a desired service category; and

a latency mapping function for establishing a virtual connection including a desired latency path for a desired service category between a transport network interface port and an asymmetric digital subscriber line device latency interface port.

18. A method for latency path mapping in an asymmetric data transmission system, comprising:

receiving a call setup message from an asynchronous transport mode network on an asymmetric digital subscriber line access node on a first connection to request a desired service category on a virtual connection between the asymmetric digital subscriber line access node connected to the asynchronous transport mode network and an asymmetric digital subscriber line service module connected to a premise distribution network;

checking a latency mapping policy on the asymmetric digital subscriber line access node to determine a desired latency mapping for the virtual connection based on the desired service category;

creating the desired latency mapping for the virtual connection between the asymmetric digital subscriber line access node and the asymmetric digital subscriber line service module over a second connection by creating the desired latency mapping between an asynchronous transport mode port and a latency interface port on an asymmetric digital subscriber line transmission unit-central interface on the asymmetric digital subscriber line access node, thereby providing a virtual connection with a desired service category including a desired latency mapping between the asynchronous transport mode network and the customer premise distribution network via the asymmetric digital subscriber line access node and the asymmetric digital subscriber line service module.

19. A computer readable medium having stored therein instructions for causing a central processing unit to execute the method of claim 18.

20. The method of claim 18 wherein the step creating the desired latency mapping for the virtual connection includes creating the desired latency mapping at an asymmetric digital subscriber line transmission convergence sub-layer on the asymmetric digital subscriber line access node.