Method and apparatus for monitoring and selectively discouraging non-elected transport service over a packetized network

• US 6,781,991 B1
• Filed: 02/26/1999
• Issued: 08/24/2004
• Est. Priority Date: 02/26/1999
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Lucent Technologies, Inc. (Nokia Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Lucent Technologies, Inc. (Nokia Corporation)
• Inventors: Anderlind, Erik Einar
• Primary Examiner(s): Ton, Dang
• Assistant Examiner(s): TRAN, PHUC H
• Application Number:
  US09/258,825
• Time in Patent Office: 2,006 Days
• Field of Search: 370/229, 370/230, 370/238, 370/902, 370/218, 370/260, 370/261, 370/313, 370/352, 370/353, 370/360, 370/386, 370/389, 370/392, 370/395.21, 370/395.52, 370/473, 370/394, 709/203, 709/235
• US Class Current: 370/394
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 41/5003 Managing SLA; Interaction between SLA and QoS
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 41/5009 Determining service level performance parameters or violations of service level contracts, e.g. violations of agreed response time or mean time between failures [MTBF]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 41/5067 Customer-centric QoS measurements
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 41/5077 wherein the managed service relates to simple transport services, i.e. providing only network infrastructure
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 41/5096 wherein the managed service relates to distributed or central networked applications
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 43/00 Arrangements for monitoring or testing data switching networks
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 43/026 using flow identification
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 43/0852 Delays

Abstract

A method, device, and software, for monitoring whether use of a packetized network is commensurate with a preexisting transport service election designated for a user, is disclosed. Also, a method, device and software for selectively discouraging such non-compliant use is disclosed. Packets associated with a user are received and at least one parameter of the packets or an absence of such a parameter, which is indicative of a transport service required by the packets, is inspected. Packets for which the required transport service does not comply with the preexisting service election are identified. If desired, the arrival of the non-compliant packets is selectively delayed by a duration sufficient to degrade the quality of the non-compliant use, which discourages similar non-compliant use. The one or more parameters or absence thereof of the received packets correspond to particular fields within the packet that are indicative of the transport service required by the packet. A typical situation will have a user elect only basic (lower cost) pure-data, i.e., non-real-time packet, transport service. However, the user will transmit and/or receive real-time packets such as voice or video packets. The disclosed invention makes it possible to monitor, and selectively discourage, such non-compliant use, which will encourage election of a higher quality (higher cost) service to avoid similar delays.

Claims

1. A method for monitoring whether use of a packetized network is commensurate with a preexisting transport quality of service election designated for a user, the method comprising:

receiving packets associated with said user, said packets at least one of having or omitting at least one parameter indicative of a transport quality of service required by said packets; and

identifying ones of said packets for which said required transport quality of service does not comply with said preexisting transport quality of service election by comparing said at least one parameter of said received packets with a list of reference values representative of said preexisting transport of service election;

said at least one parameter corresponding to at least one of a field representing the destination address, a field representing a source address, a field representing a mapping to at least one of a source application and a destination application, a field representing a predefined flow of packets, a field representing a type of encapsulated higher level protocol, a field representing packet length, a field representing a type of service requested, and a field representing additional protocol options.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein said packets are received from said user.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein said user is an intended recipient of said packets.

4. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

identifying questionable ones of said packets for which compliance of said required transport service with said preexisting transport service election is indeterminate.

5. A method for selectively discouraging use of a packetized network that is not commensurate with a preexisting quality of service election that has been made by a user, the method comprising:

receiving packets associated with said user, said packets at least one of having or omitting at least one parameter indicative of a quality of service required by said packets;

determining ones of said packets for which said required quality of service does not comply with said preexisting quality of service election; and

selectively delaying arrival of at least a predetermined fraction of the non-compliant packets at the respective destinations thereof by durations, respectively, sufficient to discourage similar non-compliant use of said packetized network.

6. The method of claim 5, wherein said packets are received from said-user.

7. The method of claim 5, wherein said user is an intended recipient of said packets.

8. The method of claim 5, wherein said determining includes

comparing said at least one parameter of said received packets with a list of reference values representative of said preexisting transport service election, and

culling ones of said received packets for which said at least one parameter is inconsistent with said list of reference values.

9. The method of claim 8, wherein said at least one parameter corresponds to one of a field representing the destination address, a field representing a source address, a field representing a mapping to at least one of a source application and a destination application, a field representing a predefined flow of packets, a field representing a type of encapsulated higher level protocol, a field representing packet length, a field representing a type of service requested, and a field representing additional protocol options.

10. The method of claim 5, wherein said delaying includes buffering said non-compliant packets in a memory.

11. The method of claim 5, wherein, for said delaying, said sufficient duration is achieved by intentionally lengthening a route of said non-compliant packets to said respective destinations.

12. The method of claim 11, wherein said lengthening includes sending the packet under consideration through a closed loop at least once.

13. The method of claim 5, wherein each one of said durations is determined as a function of said required quality of service.

14. The method of claim 13, wherein each one of said durations is determined as a function of the point in time at which the non-compliant packet is received.

15. The method of claim 5, further comprising:

identifying questionable ones of said packets for which compliance of said required transport service with said preexisting transport service election is indeterminate; and

selectively delaying arrival of at least a predetermined fraction of the questionable packets at the respective destinations thereof by durations, respectively, sufficient to discourage similar questionable use of said packetized network.

16. The method of claim 5, wherein each one of said durations is determined as a function of a random number.

17. The method of claim 5, wherein each one of said durations is determined as a function of instantaneous congestion in said packetized network.

18. A device for monitoring whether use of a packetized network is commensurate with a preexisting transport quality of service election designated for a user, the device comprising:

an interface to receive packets associated with said user, said packets at least one of having or omitting at least one parameter indicative of a transport quality of service required by said packets; and

a processor operative

to identify ones of said packets for which said required transport quality of service does not comply with said preexisting transport quality of service election and

to compare said at least one parameter of said received packets with a list of reference values representative of said preexisting transport quality of service election;

said at least one parameter corresponding to one of a field representing the destination address, a field representing a source address, a field representing a mapping to at least one of a source application and a destination application, a field representing a predefined flow of packets, a field representing a type of encapsulated higher level protocol, a field representing packet length, a field representing a type of service requested, and a field representing additional protocol options.

19. The device of claim 18, wherein said packets are received from said user.

20. The device of claim 18, wherein said user is an intended recipient of said packets.

21. The device of claim 18, wherein said processor is also operable o identify questionable ones of said packets for which compliance of said required transport service with said preexisting transport service election is indeterminate.

22. A device for selectively discouraging use of a packetized network that is not commensurate with a preexisting quality of service election that has been made by a user, the device comprising:

an input interface to receive packets associated with said user, said packets at least one of having or omitting at least one parameter indicative of a quality of service required by said packets;

a controller connected to said input interface and operative to

determine ones of the received packets for which said required quality of service does not comply with said preexisting quality of service election, and

selectively delay arrival of at least a predetermined fraction of the non-compliant packets at the respective destinations thereof by durations, respectively, sufficient to discourage similar non-compliant use of said packetized network;

a switch responsive to said controller; and

a memory, responsive to said controller, to buffer said filtered packets;

said controller further being operative to

compare said at least one parameter of said received packets with a list of reference values representative of said preexisting quality of service election, and

control said switch to selectively divert at least a predetermined fraction of ones of said received packets, for which said at least one parameter is inconsistent with said list of reference values, to said memory.

23. The device of claim 22, wherein said packets are received from said user.

24. The device of claim 22, wherein said user is an intended recipient of said packets.

25. The device of claim 22, wherein said at least one parameter corresponds to one of a field representing the destination address, a field representing a source address, a field representing a mapping to at least one of a source application and a destination application, a field representing a predefined flow of packets, a field representing a type of encapsulated higher level protocol, a field representing packet length, a field representing type of service requested, and a field representing additional protocol options.

26. The device of claim 22, further comprising a memory.

27. The device of claim 22, wherein said controller is operative to determine each one of said durations as a function of said required quality of service.

28. The device of claim 27, wherein said controller is operative to determine each one of said durations as a function of the point in time at which the non-compliant packet is received.

29. The device of claim 22, wherein each one of said durations is determined as a function of instantaneous congestion in said packetized network.

30. A device for selectively discouraging use of a packetized network that is not commensurate with a preexisting quality of service election that has been made by a user, the device comprising:

an input interface to receive packets associated with said user, said packets at least one of having or omitting at least one parameter indicative of a quality of service required by said packets; and

a controller connected to said input interface and operative to

determine ones of the received packets for which said required quality of service does not comply with said preexisting quality of service election, and

selectively delay arrival of at least a predetermined fraction of the non-compliant packets at the respective destinations thereof by durations, respectively, sufficient to discourage similar non-compliant use of said packetized network by intentionally lengthening a route of said non-compliant packets to said respective destinations.

31. The device of claim 30, wherein said lengthening includes sending the packet under consideration through a closed loop at least once.

32. A device for selectively discouraging use of a packetized network that is not commensurate with a preexisting quality of service election that has been made by a user, the device comprising:

an input interface to receive packets associated with said user, said packets at least one of having or omitting at least one parameter indicative of a quality of service required by said packets; and

a controller connected to said input interface and operative to

determine ones of the received packets for which said required quality of service does not comply with said preexisting quality of service election,

selectively delay arrival of at least a predetermined fraction of the non-compliant packets at the respective destinations thereof by durations, respectively, sufficient to discourage similar non-compliant use of said packetized network

identify questionable ones of said packets for which compliance of said required transport service with said preexisting transport service election is indeterminate, and

delay arrival of the questionable packets at the respective destinations thereof by durations, respectively, sufficient to discourage similar questionable use of said packetized network.

33. A device for selectively discouraging use of a packetized network that is not commensurate with a preexisting quality of service election that has been made by a user, the device comprising:

an input interface to receive packets associated with said user, said packets at least one of having or omitting at least one parameter indicative of a quality of service required by said packets; and

a controller connected to said input interface and operative to

determine ones of the received packets for which said required quality of service does not comply with said preexisting quality of service election, and

selectively delay arrival of at least a predetermined fraction of the non-compliant packets at the respective destinations thereof by durations, respectively, sufficient to discourage similar non-compliant use of said packetized network, each one of said durations being determined as a function of a random number.

34. A computer program embodied in a computer-readable medium, for monitoring use of a packetized network that is not commensurate with a preexisting transport-delay quality of service election that has been made by a user, said computer program embodied in said computer-readable medium comprising:

an interface program code segment to cause packets associated with said user to be received, said packets at least one of having ore omitting at least one parameter indicative of a transport-delay quality of service required by said packets;

a comparison program code segment to determine ones of the received packets for which said required transport-delay quality of service does not comply with said preexisting transport-delay quality of service election; and

a delay program code segment to selectively cause delayed arrival of at least a predetermined fraction of the non-compliant packets at the respective destinations thereof by durations, respectively, sufficient to discourage similar non-compliant use of said packetized network.