System and method for upgrading service class of a connection in a wireless network

• US 7,155,215 B1
• Filed: 01/04/2002
• Issued: 12/26/2006
• Est. Priority Date: 01/04/2002
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Cisco Technology, Inc. (Cisco Systems, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Cisco Technology, Inc. (Cisco Systems, Inc.)
• Inventors: Humes, Michael E., Miernik, Jerzy W.
• Primary Examiner(s): Eng, George
• Assistant Examiner(s): Thier, Michael
• Application Number:
  US10/038,989
• Time in Patent Office: 1,817 Days
• Field of Search: 455/452.2, 455/453, 455/452.1, 455/422.1, 455/414.1, 455/423, 455/424, 455/450, 455/62, 370/236.1, 370/237, 370238-2381
• US Class Current: 455/423
• 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 41/5009 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 41/5022 by giving priorities, e.g. assigning classes of service
• 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 41/5083 wherein the managed service relates to web hosting
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 41/509 wherein the managed service relates to media content delivery, e.g. audio, video or TV
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 41/5093 wherein the managed service relates to messaging or chat services
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 43/00 Arrangements for monitoring or testing data switching networks
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 43/0829 Packet loss
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 43/0852 Delays
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 43/087 Jitter
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 28/24 Negotiating SLA [Service Level Agreement]; Negotiating QoS [Quality of Service]

Abstract

A system and method for upgrading service class of a connection in a wireless network includes identifying a congested CoS in a sector of a wireless network. Bandwidth availability in the sector is determined at an enhanced CoS in relation to the congested CoS. A communications session is selected in the congested CoS for upgrading. The communications session is upgraded to the enhanced CoS.

Claims

1. A method for determining a service class for a connection to be established, comprising:

determining a base service class for the connection;

determining an upgraded service class for the connection;

determining whether a performance increase is available to the connection by upgrading its service class from the base service class to the upgraded service class;

estimating the performance increase available to the connection by upgrading its service class from the base service class to the upgraded service class; and

upgrading the service class if the performance increase meets an upgraded criteria.

2. The method of claim 1, further comprising determining the base service class and the upgraded service class for the connection from a service policy associated with the connection.

3. The method of claim 1, further comprising determining the performance increase available to the connection by upgrading its service class from the base class to the upgraded class based on packet delay of at least one of the base service class and the upgraded service class.

4. The method of claim 3, further comprising determining the performance increase available to the connection by upgrading its service class from the base class to the upgraded class based on packet delay at both of the base service class and the upgraded service class.

5. The method of claim 3, further comprising determining the performance increase available to the connection by upgrading its service class from the base class to the upgraded class based on packet drop of at least one of the base service class and the upgraded service class.

6. The method of claim 3, further comprising determining the performance increase available to the connection by upgrading its service class from the base class to the upgraded class based on packet drops at both of the base service class and the upgraded service class.

7. The method of claim 3, further comprising determining the performance increase available to the connection by upgrading its service class from the base class to the upgraded class based on a current packet queue size of each of the base and the upgraded service classes for a sector of a wireless network in which the connection is to be established.

8. The method of claim 3, further comprising determining the performance increase available to the connection by upgrading its service class from the base class to the upgraded class based on a floating window average of the packet queue size for a sector of a wireless network in which the connection is to be established.

9. The method of claim 3, further comprising determining the performance increase available to the connection by upgrading its service class from the base class to the upgraded class based on both measured and forecasted criteria for both of the base service class and the upgraded service class.

10. A Software for determining a service class for a connection to be established, the software embodied in a computer readable medium and operable to:

determine a base service class for the connection, connection;

determine an upgraded service class for the connection;

determine whether a performance increase is available to the connection by upgrading its service class from the base service class to the upgraded service class;

estimate the performance increase available to the connection by upgrading its service class from the base service class to the upgraded service class; and

upgrade the service class if the performance increase meets an upgraded criteria.

11. The software of claim 10, the software further operable to determine the base service class and the upgraded service class for the connection from a service policy associated with the connection.

12. The system software of claim 10, the software further operable to determine the performance increase available to the connection by upgrading its service class from the base class to the upgraded class based on packet delay of at least one of the base service class and the upgraded service class.

13. The software of claim 12, the software further operable to determine the performance increase available to the connection by upgrading its service class from the base class to the upgraded class based on packet delay at both of the base service class and the upgraded service class.

14. The software of claim 12, the software further operable to determine the performance increase available to the connection by upgrading its service class from the base class to the upgraded class based on packet drop of at least one of the base service class and the upgraded service class.

15. The software of claim 12, the software further operable to determine the performance increase available to the connection by upgrading its service class from the base class to the upgraded class based on packet drops at both of the base service class and the upgraded service class.

16. The software of claim 12, the software further operable to determine the performance increase available to the connection by upgrading its service class from the base class to the upgraded class based on a current packet queue size of each of the base and the upgraded service classes for a sector of a wireless network in which the connection is to be established.

17. The software of claim 12, the software further operable to determine the performance increase available to the connection by upgrading its service class from the base class to the upgraded class based on a floating window average of the packet queue size for a sector of a wireless network in which the connection is to be established.

18. The software of claim 12, the software further operable to determine the performance increase available to the connection by upgrading its service class from the base class to the upgraded class based on both measured and forecasted criteria for both of the base service class and the upgraded service class.