Method and apparatus for provisioning and monitoring internet protocol quality of service

• US 6,744,767 B1
• Filed: 12/30/1999
• Issued: 06/01/2004
• Est. Priority Date: 12/30/1999
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: AT&T Corporation (AT&T, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: AT&T Corporation (AT&T, Inc.)
• Inventors: Civanlar, Seyhan, Greenberg, Albert Gordon, Tang, Zhuangbo, Chiu, Angela L.
• Primary Examiner(s): Olms, Douglas
• Assistant Examiner(s): NGUYEN, VAN KIM T
• Application Number:
  US09/475,512
• Time in Patent Office: 1,615 Days
• Field of Search: 370/230, 370/231-235, 370/252, 370/254, 370/401, 370/402, 370/412, 370/413, 370/466, 370/474, 370/351, 370/237, 370/238, 370/395.2, 370/395.21, 370/395.32, 370/395.4, 370/395.41, 370/395.42, 370/395.43, 370/389, 370/468, 709/223, 709/229
• US Class Current: 370/395.21
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 45/123 Evaluation of link metrics techniques for monitoring network metrics H04L43/08
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 45/22 Alternate routing
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 45/247 using M:N active or standby paths
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 45/30 Routing of multiclass traffic
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 47/10 Flow control; Congestion control
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 47/20 Traffic policing
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 47/2408 for supporting different services, e.g. a differentiated services [DiffServ] type of service
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 47/29 using a combination of thresholds
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 47/30 in combination with information about buffer occupancy at either end or at transit nodes
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 47/326 with random discard, e.g. random early discard [RED]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 47/50 Queue scheduling
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 47/521 Static queue service slot or fixed bandwidth allocation
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 47/6225 Fixed service order, e.g. Round Robin
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 47/6265 past bandwidth allocation
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 47/70 Admission control; Resource allocation
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 47/724 at intermediate nodes, e.g. resource reservation protocol [RSVP]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 47/728 for backup paths
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 47/765 triggered by the end-points
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 47/801 Real time traffic
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 47/805 QOS or priority aware
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 47/808 : User-type aware
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 47/822 : Collecting or measuring resource availability data
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 47/825 : Involving tunnels, e.g. MPLS

Abstract

An architecture, design, and realization for providing Quality of Service (QoS) to Internet Protocol (IP) networks based on a three-class differentiated service scheme where the service provider uses a resource management system and a schedule optimizer to enable the optimal use of bandwidth and buffer resources at each node or router along the various links between the ingress and egress points in a network. The resource reservation system checks to determine if sufficient bandwidth resources are available along the path requested by the customer for a particular class. The schedule optimizer ensures that sufficient buffer resource allocations and parameter settings are made to optimally reach the predetermined QoS criteria for each of the three classes. The system also contains a mechanism supporting resource reservations providing additional resources along alternative paths if the selected path links fail in the network.

Claims

1. A method comprising

processing a customer'"'"'s request for a subscription to transmit packets through a network at a requested amount of bandwidth under a first service class from a starting point to a terminating point, the processing comprising

identifying a primary traversing, pathway that packets will travel from the starting point to the terminating point, each link alone the primary traversing pathway having a) a total amount of bandwidth allocated to the first service class and b) a total amount of bandwidth that was previously reserved under the first service class for pathways through the network that include that link,

accepting the subscription in response to a determination that, for each said link along the primary traversing pathway, the difference between a) and b) is at least as great as the requested bandwidth;

and

if the subscription is accepted, resenting the requested amount of bandwidth for the subscription on each of the links along the primary traversing pathway.

2. The method according to claim 1, further comprising denying the customer'"'"'s request for the subscription when the requested amount of bandwidth is greater than said difference for any of the links along the primary traversing pathway.

3. The method according to claim 1, further comprising identifying the primary traversing pathway from the network'"'"'s topology.

4. The method according to claim 1, further comprising identifying the primary traversing pathway based on OSPF metrics assigned to links in the network.

5. The method according to claim 1, further comprising the determining line speeds along each of the links on the primary traversing pathway.

6. The method according to claim 1, further comprising updating data in a first service class customer database with new data comprising the overall amount of bandwidth that can be subscribed to for additional first service class subscriptions along each of the links on the primary traversing pathway.

7. The method according to claim 1, further comprising updating data in a first service class customer database with new data comprising any of the primary traversing pathways handling first service class subscriptions and the bandwidths corresponding to the first service class subscriptions.

8. The method according to claim 1, further comprising updating data in the first service class customer database with new data comprising the bandwidth subscribed to by the customer for the first service class service for each of the links along the primary traversing pathway.

18. The method of claim 1 wherein the method further comprises providing expedited packet handling for packets applied to the network under the accepted subscription.

19. The method of claim 18 wherein the packets applied to the network under the accepted subscription are marked as being entitled to the first service class.

20. The method of claim 19 wherein the packets applied to the network under the accepted subscription are marked as being entitled to the first service class.

9. An apparatus for determining whether packet traffic can be transmitted over a communication network according to a hierarchy of at least two service classifications, comprising:

a first system having a first processor, a first memory device capable of storing information regarding the network'"'"'s topology and routing parameters, and a first connection to the communication network such that packet traffic can be transmitted from and received at the first system across the communication network to a second system having a second processor, a second memory device, and a second connection to the communication network;

a packet transmission delivery mechanism connected to the first system capable of assigning a class-based priority transmission scheme according to the at least two service classifications;

a reservation mechanism connected to the first system capable of reserving an amount of bandwidth along a primary transmission route for transmitting the packet traffic across the communication network;

a determination mechanism connected to the first system capable of ascertaining whether the reservation of the amount of bandwidth along the primary transmission route is less than an overall bandwidth for the selected class-based priority transmission scheme;

a controller for scheduling the transmission of a first set of packets across the network;

a bandwidth allocation device connected to the first system capable of allocating sufficient bandwidth to a first class service across each of the at least one link path on the network and capable of implementing a class-based scheduling algorithm executable on the controller; and

a communication network sensing mechanism connected to the first system capable of sensing the communication network'"'"'s topology to determine the primary transmission route for transmitting packet traffic across the communication network according to the selected class based priority transmission scheme.

10. The apparatus according to claim 9, wherein the packet transmission delivery mechanism further comprises a reclassification mechanism capable of changing the selected class-based priority transmission scheme if the request for the amount of bandwidth along the primary transmission route is greater than the overall bandwidth for the selected class-based priority transmission scheme.

11. The apparatus according to claim 9, where the packet transmission delivery mechanism comprises a buffer capable of storing the packet traffic if the amount of bandwidth along the primary transmission route is greater than the overall bandwidth for the selected class-based priority transmission scheme.

12. An apparatus for determining whether packet traffic can be transmitted over a communication network according to a hierarchy of service classifications, comprising:

a first system having a first processor, a first memory device capable of storing information regarding the communication network'"'"'s topology and routing parameters, the first system capable of transmitting packets over the communication network and the first system connected via the communication network to a second system having a second processor, a second memory device, and a second connection to the communication network;

a packet transmission delivery mechanism connected to the first system and capable of assigning a class-based priority transmission scheme comprising at least a first and a second service classification level;

a reservation system connected to the first system, and capable of requesting and reserving an amount of bandwidth along the primary transmission route for transmitting the packets, the reservation system capable of ascertaining whether the request for the amount of bandwidth along the primary transmission route is less than the overall bandwidth for the at least first and second service classification levels, and capable of accepting and denying the requests for the amount of bandwidth along the primary transmission route for transmitting the packets based on the overall bandwidth;

a communication network sensing mechanism connected to the first system capable of sensing the communication network'"'"'s topology to determine an available bandwidth along a primary transmission route for transmitting the packets over the communication network according to the assigned first and second service classification levels;

a controller connected to the first system capable of scheduling the transmission of a first set of packets across the network; and

a bandwidth allocation device connected to the first system capable of allocating sufficient bandwidth to the first class service across each of the at least one link path on the network and capable of implementing a class-based scheduling algorithm executable on the controller.

13. The apparatus according to claim 12, where the packet transmission delivery mechanism connected to the first system is capable of assigning a third service classification level for the packet traffic not signed to the first and the second service classification levels.

14. The apparatus according to claim 12, where the packet transmission delivery mechanism connected to the first system is capable of implementing a time average packet loss ratio for each outgoing link along the primary transmission route for transmitting the packet traffic over the communication network.

15. The apparatus according to claim 12, where the packet transmission delivery mechanism connected to the first system is capable of determining a cap on a total peak rate of the packet traffic assigned to the first class service classification level.

16. The apparatus according to claim 12, where the memory buffer is capable of dropping the packet traffic as the memory buffer approaches a predetermined size.

17. The apparatus according to claim 12, where the memory buffer is capable of dropping the packet traffic as the memory buffer approaches a predetermined size according to a weighted random early discard scheme.

21. A method comprising

processing a customer'"'"'s request for a subscription to transmit packets through a network at a requested amount of bandwidth under a first service class from a starting point to a terminating point, the processing comprising

identifying a primary traversing pathway that packets will travel from the starting point to the terminating point and a second traversing pathway that packets will travel from the starting point to the terminating point if the primary pathway experiences a failure condition, each link along the primary and secondary traversing pathways having a) a total amount of bandwidth allocated to the first service class and b) a total amount of bandwidth that was previously reserved under the first service class for pathways through the network that include that link;

accepting the subscription in response to a determination that, for each said link along the primary and secondary traversing pathways, the difference between a) and b) is at least as great as the requested-bandwidth; and

if the subscription is accepted, reserving the requested amount of bandwidth for the subscription on each of the links along the primary traversing pathway.